Nye County commissioners voted 3-0 Monday to reallocate $492,000 remaining out of a $1 million federal grant toward acquiring 292 acres of land adjacent to the Amargosa Valley Science and Technology Park.

Commissioners Peter Liakopoulos and Gary Hollis were absent.

The land is part of 350 acres at Lathrop Wells the county was granted by the BLM at fair market value for a park that was supposed to generate 160 short-term and 460 long-term jobs, attracting $31 million in private investment.

The park wasn't finished and Nye County was asked to return a $3 million U.S. Economic Development Administration grant dating back to 1999 after an audit by the Office of Inspector General was released last October.

The audit found a water tank was installed with less than half the required capacity and a well produced only half the required flow with unacceptable arsenic levels.

Interior roads, lighting and fire hydrants weren't installed either, nor even a sign advertising the park.

Nye County consultant Mary Ellen Giampaoli said the remaining 292 acres was appraised at $500,000 back in 2002 as part of the first acquisition of property but the appraised value has risen to $818,900, well in excess of the grant funds. The $492,000 is what remains of a $1 million congressional appropriation granted Nye County to finish the park back in the 2004-2005 budget year, Giampaoli said.

The Nye County Nuclear Waste Repository Office is drilling a well within a mile of the park that may offer an adequate supply of potable water, Giampaoli said. She said it would be preferable to trying to tap into a well near Jackass Aeropark across Highway 95.

The installation of a water supply system would cost $233,910, according to a summary of the project costs.

A telecommunications tower would have to be built on the site at a cost of about $15,000. Giampaoli said a voice-over Internet system is an alternate possibility, as telecommunications are sparse in that area.

Nye County is working with Valley Electric Association to extend power to the site, which would cost $16,580, mostly for trenching work, according to the project summary.

While the original intent of the park in 2000 was to attract clients as part of a high tech corridor along Highway 95, the Science and Technology Working Group is now recommending it could be the location of a lay-down yard for equipment used in the county's Yucca Mountain drilling program.

The set-up of a lay-down yard for the nuclear waste office could cost from $92,960 to $143,400, depending on what size steel building is chosen.

The BLM hopes to proceed with a direct sale to Nye County for the 292 acres in July, Giampaoli said. Nye County would have 30 days to post 20 percent of the sale price and six months to pay the balance.

"This park has been a source of concern and frustration for some time," Assistant Nye County Manager Pam Webster said. "Yet there's a very strong desire to see it finished and something come of it, because there's been so much energy spent on it."

The Office of Inspector General asked Nye County to report on its efforts to provide water to the industrial park and establish a time line and budget to complete the project. When it's completed, the OIG wants a marketing plan prepared.

The lay-down yard would generate some revenue, Webster said. The county has received inquiries from prospective tenants about leasing space but there have been reservations because the science and technology park doesn't look finished, she said.

The county may want to acquire the land, knowing there are several companies looking at renewable energy projects along Highway 95, Webster said.