MARK WAITE / PVT Motorists navigate around the alignment of Homestead Road, which will be straightened out soon. Advertisement

Nye County commissioners last week awarded a $80,642 contract to Wulfenstein Construction to widen Homestead Road, realigning it in front of the entrance to the Concordia Homes of Southern Nevada subdivision.

Wulfenstein submitted the lowest of three bids ranging all the way up to $177,777.

Nye County Acting Public Works Director Dave Fanning said the county will pay for the improvements but be reimbursed by impact fees paid by Concordia Homes.

Commissioner Butch Borasky had complained a few times about the road realignment after construction of the company's Pleasant Valley subdivision. About 50 homes were built, but construction came to a standstill with the slowdown in the economy.

Fanning told Borasky there's enough money in the impact fees to pay for the work.

"Everybody kept complaining, let's get the damn thing fixed before there's an accident," Borasky said. "The way that was done, I was a little dissatisfied about that."

Fanning said he's not sure why the road was reconstructed to jog to the right as motorists head southbound on Homestead, which was done under former Public Works Director Samson Yao.

The contract calls for substantial completion by March 31. But Fanning said he'll have to bring the contract back to commissioners, perhaps next week, to correct a minor discrepancy.

During a Jan. 5 meeting, commissioners rejected a request by Concordia Homes for a refund of $70,053 in impact fees, building permit fees and school residential construction tax paid on 15 homes approved for construction in the Pleasant Valley subdivision phase four.

Nye County Planner Steve Osborne said the time to request a refund under the Uniform Buidling Code expired in May 2008. The request in question wasn't filed until last Nov. 17.

The building permits were issued April 6, 2007, and were valid for 180 days. A 180-day extension was approved when that expired, but there was still no activity when the extension expired April 6, 2008, according to a report from Nye County Planning Director Jack Lohman.

Residential school construction taxes amounted to $1,600 per home, impact fees another $1,995 and building permit fees on each home ranged from $956 to $1,144.

The homes were to be built on Fountain Avenue.

A Dec. 9, 2008, letter from Robyn Hogan, from Concordia Homes land acquisition and development, in appealing the rejection to the county commission, said, "Concordia has suspended new home sales due to the economic climate and credit crisis facing the homebuilding industry."

Commissioners in December approved the release of a $610,667 surety rider attached to a bond for offsite water and sewer infrastructure for Pleasant Valley subdivision units four, six and eight.