The design workshop for Last Chance Park, scheduled to begin Thursday, continue today and conclude Monday, was canceled indefinitely because of controversy over the cost of desert tortoise mitigation.

According to Pahrump's Business Economic Development Manager Al Balloqui, Last Chance Park, originally spreading over more than 1,500 acres of land, currently encompass 640 acres, including rocky and mountainous terrain.

According to Balloqui, the fee for mitigating any portion of the area that may be home to the desert tortoise is set by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at $758 per acre.

"There is no way we have that money in our budget," said Balloqui, who has two beefs with the $485,000 price tag.

"The whole 640 acres should not be listed as a take for desert tortoises," said Balloqui, referring to land or vegetation taken by development that is currently tortoise habitat. "This is a terrible burden on our community.

"Say for example we had a one-acre parking lot and 50 feet of trail," he conjectured. "That take would be four or five acres. We shouldn't be paying for the whole footprint of the park."

There is also the matter of differing per-acre fees for certain rural counties, which could lower the mitigation price per acre to $550.

Balloqui has also been working through federal and county red tape to finalize a plan and negotiate the cost of tortoise mitigation for the county fairgrounds. On May 12, he summarized the town's position in a letter to Robert Williams, director and state supervisor of the Fish and Wildlife Service.

The letter addresses the biological assessment of the desert tortoise population conducted by Advantech Research Corp. in 1998 that showed no tortoises or tortoise sign were observed on the fairgrounds land parcel. The assessment also states, "Highway 160 effectively cut off the southern (portion) from contiguous habitat."

The assessment revealed, "Human impacts have already rendered the (fairgrounds) parcel irrelevant as a sustainable desert tortoise habitat" and further stated, "areas of past disturbance ... are not assessed a remuneration fee."

Balloqui requested a response from Williams so the town can complete the mandated environmental assessment to release HUD grants that are due to expire shortly.

"The loss of these grants will result in dramatic economic hardship to the community," said Balloqui.

The Times will continue to follow the fairgrounds project and Last Chance Park proposal.