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Articles like yours help

RE: Column by Marie Wujek on Jan. 30.

Just wanted to thank you for your editorial in today's paper and for including Sandbaggers in it as well.

It's true that Pahrumpians need to support local businesses rather than going over the hill. Pahrump is changing. New people, different lifestyles. There are many locals and transients who are trying to make a go at building a business here.

Many of us talk and wonder how we can get more support from the people here. I know the economy is down, but getting the word out hasn't been easy either. We're right on 160 and people don't even see us.

Articles like yours help, and we need to enforce the "support your local community first" thinking. Thanks again for that great article.

SUZANNE BOURQUE

Owner Sandbaggers Miniature Golf

Closer to communism

There are two types of people that want a prohibition on firearms:

1. Those that fear firearms. They have been conditioned to the belief that the government will protect them from all attackers. They have little self confidence, self-reliance, or self-respect.

2. Those in power, that are surrounded by AK-47-toting guards, that will shoot anyone who disagrees with them. Those that are in power desire to have firearms seized from citizens, because it gives them ultimate control of citizens.

We have been a socialist country for approximately 30 years. We are perilously close to becoming a communist country. We have a president, who has openly boasted that he "nationalized" the oil companies. Now that he is in office, he plans to "nationalize" the financial industry and the health care industry.

That has a familiar ring to it. That is what Castro did when he became El Presidente. And that is why my shipmates and I went to the Bay of Pigs, on U.S. Navy destroyers. Obviously, we were not successful. Communism still exists in Cuba.

Concealed weapons permit holders should realize that they will be the first ones that Obama's men will go after. If it means that Obama's men need to sacrifice a few citizens, in his quest to seize guns, so be it.

At least 14 of the 17 counties in Nevada saw through his campaign promises. My wife and I fear the outcome of this administration. Our country is doomed.

Anyone on the Pahrump Town Board that presents an idea like the gun ban should be removed from office. As a town board member, they should know that the ban violates state law.

WAYNE P. BROTHERTON SR.

Amargosa Valley

Planning department torture

The planning department is chasing people, small businesses and jobs out of Pahrump with excessive fees, applications and regulations.

When I applied for my original zoning review application, my property was located in a mixed use open use zone. A residence and a home-based business with no commercial traffic would be allowed if I could get an encroachment permit from the state of Nevada. It took six months to get and cost $3,000.

I was also required to give 5,000 square feet of land for a frontage road in order to construct my residence. After that they approved my zoning review.

All the improvements were completed and the mobile home was about to be delivered. That is when I realized my permits had expired. I went back to the planning department and they explained that my land is now in a general commercial zone.

They said I would now be required to submit a complete site development plan that could cost $25,000. My county commissioner agreed that it was an ongoing issue and personally straightened it out.

Next, the building department required me to sign an affidavit that stated I would live in my home for one year. I agreed to not sell it or rent it out during that time. They also required impact fees of $3,700. I have paid taxes for over 11 years on multiple parcels in Nye County. They consider me a negative impact on the rural township of Pahrump.

About two months ago I received my occupancy permit and moved into my single-wide trailer. I went to transfer my existing business license to my new home address. The planning department said no home-based businesses in a general commercial zone.

So I went to the tax assessor's office. I explained I had a residential well, a residential septic system, a residential power panel, a residential encroachment permit and that this is my legal residence I declared to be my homestead.

They agreed and reduced my taxes to a residential rate. I went back to the planning department to formally apply and pay another fee.

On Jan. 28, the planning department denied my request for a garage because I did not have a CUP (conditional use permit). The deadline to apply for a CUP was Jan. 29. If I miss the deadline I will have to wait almost a quarter year until the next meeting in April, 2009.

They require me to produce one application, one conceptual site plan, four site plans, one deed, one justification letter, four traffic impact analysis, one straight line drawing and a $350 fee.

If I want to put even one cargo container on my land I need to apply for this permit.

On three separate occasions two separate employees insinuated if I don't like zoning issues I should move to Amargosa Valley, Beatty or Crystal. Is that where all the jobs went?

I explained to the planning department they can't chase me out of town. I have a legally binding contract with the Nevada State Contractors board.

In conclusion, I would like to ask you for some support. All I want is a garage. The building department considers me to be a negative impact. The planning department calls me an illegal non-conforming use. For once I would like to be called fellow citizen. Please contact your county commissioner at 751-7075. Let them know Pahrump is still a rural township. Explain to them that fees are a form of taxation on business. Ask them to stop the planning department torture.

My name is Eric Vessella and I am an American citizen who was born in the state of Nevada. For more information please call 727-0282.

ERIC VESSELLA

Get rid of Kohbarger

I was sorely disappointed when I read the Jan. 30 issue as I had missed the meeting of the town board (guns).

I was pleased at what the board did and at the same time I'm wondering where this town manager came from. I haven't been in Pahrump a long time but if this manager has been here any time at all, he surely must have known what the populace here in town thinks about guns.

I would like to know if this clod knows anything about the Constitution or the Second Amemdment. If it was within my power, I would fire this person (Kohbarger) before another sunset. He sounds like the typical politition who thinks he knows more about America and what he can squeeze out of the town for his own purposes.

I applaud the town's attorney for getting this monstrosity off of the schedule quickly. Kohbarger should study world history a little before going off half-cocked and maybe taking a history course before putting his unlawful ideas out for a vote.

I would suggest he read about Germany in the early 1930s, also about the former Soviet Union, China, North Korea and Australia in just the last year of two. This info I'm about to write comes from a police offficer in Australia -- A new law (one year-old) forced gun owners to surrender their guns, costing taxpayers more than $500 million. Hang on to your shorts as first year results are in and homicides are up 6.2 percent, assaults up 9.6 percent, armed robberies up 44 percent.

Do you hear this Mr. Kohbarger? The police offficer goes on to say that Australian politicians are at a loss to explain how public safety has decreased. I'm not surprised, politicians can't think beyond their own pockets and their desire to control the people.

Our new president advocates this same thing but the news media will not be telling you of what progress he is making. If this admiinistration is succesful in doing to us as the Austrailian government did to their people, I will become a felon as the law I obey is the Constitution and the ammendents.

So, Mr. Kohbarger, if you want criminals to have guns and the populace unprotected -- move to New York. You would like it a lot better. We have so many good people in this country and yet we have the witless lamebrains in charge. So Kohbarger, I'm strapping on my .38 caliber, going to Walmart and buying my groceries.

Oh, by the way, I'll be around to protect you in case a mugger would like your car in the parking lot. Ta-ta.

ROY BROOKS

Newspaper failed to inform on CCA

I read with interest your Jan. 28 opinion. The time frame in which a story about the prison should have been published is shortly after Dec. 13, 2007, at which time, Mark Waite, a reporter on your staff, received a cover letter from Robert Nardi of Louis Berger Group dated Dec. 13, 2007, explaining the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, mandate with a copy of the draft environmental impact statement.

Breaking the story of the prison at that time would have allowed all Pahrump residents to respond directly within the required 45-day period (Dec. 21, 2007, through Feb. 4, 2009) on the subject federal action to the office of the Federal Detention Trustee's (OFDT) named point-of-contact, Scott P. Stermer.

Briefly, the OFDT wished to out source its lodging and transportation responsibility for purveyor of prison services, and Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) was one of five private prison companies competing for the contract.

The federal action proposed: constructing a base of operations for OFDT's out sourced activity, a medium security prison, in any jurisdiction within a 75-mile radius of the Lloyd George Federal Court in Las Vegas on an available contractor-proposed land parcel.

Imposing such a federal action cannot proceed without performing the federally mandated NEPA process, which is required at all federal agencies. The benefits of a properly executed NEPA exercise include: circumventing local corruption via direct mass solicitation of local resident input; avoiding the victimization of federal contractors in land swindles; and preventing federal contractors from becoming defendants in law suits.

Tantamount to achieving the goals of NEPA are widespread public awareness that a NEPA activity is in progress and extensive informed public contribution to the NEPA process in writing. Your newspaper failed to abet these prerequisites.

While local officials held their NEPA material from Louis Berger Group close to the chest, you had a journalistic duty to make public the contents of the documents that Pahrump Valley Times received, especially the Dec. 13, 2007, NEPA cover letter.

Only one copy of the NEPA material (including the Dec. 13, 2007, cover letter) is available to the general public (approximately 40,000 residents). It resides in the reference section at Pahrump's sole Community Library.

The commissioner's quiet finagling to remove the "9.5 mile" safety ordinance from the Nye County Code, which prior to April 2007, specified a minimum distance between a residence and a correctional facility, thereby creating the possibility of a prison within the town limits, would have proved futile, if an informed public sent thousands of letters opposing Pahrump as a potential prison site to the OFDT.

So it became critical for unprincipled ambitions, that the general public fail to recognize the ongoing NEPA process, and that the majority of residents fail to use its provided opportunity for "affected party" input.

Your newspaper continues to participate in obfuscation.

On page A4 under the headline "Dispute: ..." last paragraph second column, you quote Scott P. Stermer, "We're arguing it's one of those 'shovel-ready' projects. We could get it started tomorrow."

A call to the Valley Electric Association Inc. this morning reveals that CCA has as not yet made application for electric power.

A scan of the Public Utilities Commission calendar does not yield a docket number for Utilities, Inc. of Central Nevada applying for an extension of its current tariff area to include the prison parcel.

The town board (Jan. 27) did not support a proposal by Utilities Inc. to attempt to obtain a remove and replace 12,000 domestic wells and septic systems with Utilities Inc. water and sewer.

However, Paul Burris did agree to use any funds garnered from the federal government to provide priority water and sewer services to unserved parcels in his current tariff area.

Although Mr. Burris stated he did not know how many unserved parcels he has, in fact, they number in the hundreds. It is unlikely a request to the PUC for tariff expansion to include the prison site (creating additional unserved parcels) would be approved.

Now, let's review Stermer's quoted remark in light of the final environmental impact statement (FEIS), page VIII-189, which states the following requirement:

" ... the OFDT will ensure that the contractor has secured or can successfully acquire all necessary development permits and approvals and utility commitments prior to contract award ..."

In the event it is not cost effective to connect to the public water supply and wastewater collection systems development of an on-site water supply and/or wastewater treatment system would need to be developed."

The source of the "donated water rights" for this fallback condition is very "hush-hush." As the Concerned Citizens for a Safe Community (CCSC) federal lawsuit moves into its discovery phase, why has no one on your staff asked, "Is the Department of Justice Inspector General extending a lot of people a lot of rope?

GRANT HUDLOW

(Editor Smith wrote "The story frequently appeared in these pages, and often on the front page, since May 16." In fact, the first story was published -- on the front page -- Jan. 24, 2007. To our knowledge, concerns such as Mr. Hudlow were not expressed at the time. - Ed