Since when is a park a place with no grass, no running water and no big trees?

That's what some residents at last week's town board meeting wanted to know during public comment, when the board motioned to approve a location near the corner of Bell Vista Avenue at Bannavitch Street for Last Chance Park access. (See accompanying public comments.)

The town will construct a 10-acre entry point, or gateway, to the much larger 1,500 acres of land owned by the Bureau of Land Management that will become Last Chance Park. The federal land will be legally designated as a hiking and equestrian area.

The park's progress, and lack thereof, has been well documented in newsprint and covered by television news.

Park rangers, landscapers and administrators from a multitude of government agencies have conducted informational meetings and interactive workshops to gather public comments and ideas for Last Chance Park. The most recent meeting, held at the Pahrump Nugget on Oct. 25, drew 56 residents.

The PVT has continuously documented the history of Last Chance Park, which was originally proposed by Noel Smithers, whose home is located in the shadow of the Last Chance Range.

The park he envisioned was about 600 acres. During four years of on again-off again talks, it grew to 1,550 acres that proved unwieldy and exorbitantly expensive due to desert tortoise mitigation.

Now in its final version, the town's responsibility is a manageable, phased park project that could start construction as early as February 2010.

With the site now selected, the town will work in conjunction with the BLM to apply for a recreation and public purposes lease.

There is no grass included in the design because Pahrump's entryway to the 1,500-acre BLM area is, for the most part, a parking lot with toilet facilities. Potable water will possibly be stored in a tank so people and horses can have a drink; there is also a possibility the town may drill a well.

In April, a technical assistance grant from the National Park Service's Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance program provided for outdoor recreation planners to work with community members and the town. They held workshops to create the conceptual design that represents the vision of Smithers, as well as those who have participated in subsequent workshops.

Residents asked for desert landscaping, a play area for kids and a parking lot with easy access that is large enough to turn around a horse trailer. Those elements are included in the final design concept, as are four or five trailheads to give hikers and horseback riders a place to enter the larger area owned and maintained by the BLM. The town will maintain the road leading to the parking lot.

The BLM has promised there will be a sufficient number of rangers to maintain a significant presence in the area.

Attendees at the board meeting also wanted to know where the $50,000 will be coming from to pay for the construction in the area, which would include grading, paving the parking lot, permitting and possibly drilling and developing a well.

Board Clerk Vicky Parker addressed these questions.

"There's been a lot of comments saying we shouldn't be wasting money on parks and that we should be donating the money to food banks. Where is this money coming from for Last Chance Park?" she asked Town Manager Bill Kohbarger.

He replied the funds are from previous impact fees that were set up through development agreements.

Parker then asked, "What kind of trouble would we be in if we diverted it to food banks or to help the homeless?"

"I don't want to go down that road," said Kohbarger. "The ethics commission would be involved, the attorney general's office would be involved, and I am sure the Nye County DA's office would be involved."