County Vote this Wednesday, Feb 8!

Vote No to both waivers!

VIP update: if your computer doesn’t do the one-click method, try this.

*waiver 1) would create construction traffic route on Red Rock Scenic Byway

*waiver 2) would remove requirement for prior BLM approval

*official county waiver requests at bottom of article.

1. Click here to send your vote to the commissioners and/or
2. Go to the county commission meeting at 
   • 500 S. Grand Central Parkway,
   • Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 9:00 a.m.

photo by Jayne Furman

Thanks to everyone who participated in the super successful Red Rock Rally!  The canyon received overwhelming support that day, both at LIFETIME Fitness and throughout the canyon as runners and riders rode for Red Rock on the scenic byway in question.  This Wednesday’s vote is what it’s all about.  You can go to the meeting at the county building or you can email your vote (click below).  Attendance was high and supportive at both the rally and community input meeting in which Commission Chair, Susan Brager, committed to denying both waivers, but we still need a majority vote among commissioners, so you can come to the meeting on Wednesday or do the QUICK ONE CLICK method:

1. Click here to have your vote sent to the commission chair and/or
2. Go to the county commission meeting at 
   • 500 S. Grand Central Parkway,
   • Wednesday, February 8, 2012, 9:00 a.m.

More info:

On February 8, 2012, seven county commissioners will decide the fate of the Red Rock Canyon Scenic Byway. Will it become the next construction traffic highway for Southern Nevada?  Will the mess and debris of commercial construction trucks penetrate our sacred canyon, and clog it up with debris, noise, dust, and pollution?  *And for the second waiver, will commissioners grant this developer a special favor by helping him with his BLM processes to expedite the process and save him millions in land use fees and rents?

Photo from the last time Red Rock was used as a construction traffic highway, when Mountain’s Edge was being developed in 2004.  A construction truck hauling cement to/from the development went down near the scenic overlook.  A time of relentless noise and congestion.

The good news is, several of the commissioners are against waiving these two protections for Red Rock.  Commissioner Brager created the conditions and stands behind them.  But the developer’s lawyers are still at it.  Rhodes’ lawyer Chris Kempfer agreed to these conditions at the last hearing so he could get the votes he wanted, and now he is asking Commissioners to waive them!  Commissioner Brager said she knows that these two conditions she added to protect Red Rock were fair.  She held a public comment meeting for everyone to voice their concerns.  Hundreds of concerned citizens attended that meeting and hundreds more came to the Rally to Save Red Rock.  Susan Brager said that although anyone is welcome to come to the county commission meeting, her position is firm, so not to worry.  They would rather not sit through another 6 hours of passionate testimony because they already know how everyone feels.  They’ll just try to keep the meeting short.  If you can’t make it to the meeting, Emails are another way to voice your opinion. We hope most of the Commissioners will stand up for Red Rock this time and vote no on both waivers.  To those commissioners, we say, thank you! and to the rest, we ask to, VOTE NO ON BOTH WAIVERS!

*Sample letter and official waiver request:

to: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

Dear Commissioner,

Red Rock Canyon was not made to accommodate construction traffic and the impacts of urban density development.  The legal land use is rural with no construction traffic access on the scenic byway. Please do not change this. Please VOTE NO ON BOTH WAIVERS: