Supervisor Bennett makes funding for medians her swan song

Carson City Supervisor Kay Bennett called finishing landscaping in two North Carson Street medians her "swan song."

And after her fellow supervisors Thursday approved a contract to put the landscaping in and said yes to an extra $12,400 to top off the funding for the landscaping, Bennett got up and patted the rest of the board members on the back, stopping to give Supervisor Robin Williamson a hug.

"I want to personally thank (everyone) for hanging with me with in regard to this project," Bennett said. "It's been a long time coming, but what a wonderful way to leave another legacy to the community."

Bennett has worked on getting the medians between Hot Springs Road and College Parkway landscaped since 1991. Because Bennett considers the medians to be gateways to the community, she has pushed for both public and private funds to be used for the medians.

Getting funds to finish the last two medians between College Parkway and Broadleaf Lane has taken four years. She decided in 1999 not to run for a fourth term on the Board of Supervisors.

Thursday, city supervisors approved the $51,055 contract to finish the two medians. Funding was about $12,000 short, so the extra money was taken from Quality of Life beautification money.

Carson City supervisors previously approved $10,000 of Quality of Life money to be used for the project and in 1998 set aside $16,000 for the project from the general fund.

About $7,000 for the project was donated by businesses along Highway 395, $4,000 came from a donation by Silver Oak Development and another $15,000 was donated by Albertson's, which is building a grocery store at College Parkway and Highway 395.

Carson City Street Operations is donating the cost of using the city's equipment to break up asphalt from an old highway which lies under the median soil.

Using street operations workers and equipment saved about $10,000 on the project, said Vern Krahn, city park planner.

Happy about the work under way, Bennett asked if they needed any help.

"Can I have a hardhat? A shovel? I have a pair of work boots," she said.

Krahn said the islands will be landscaped similar to those on Graves Lane with berms covered in small rocks, low growing shrubs and tall trees. He said the landscaping was designed to be as maintenance-free as possible. Carson City will maintain the medians, which because of the placement on Highway 395 are usually maintained by the state.

-- Carson City supervisors also approved Thursday a 61 percent increase to building permit fees, although one local builder questioned the need for the extra $463,000 the increase is expected to raise.

Local builder John Anderson said he thinks the Carson City building department is the best in the region, but without a business plan to show where exactly the fee increase money was needed, he wasn't comfortable with the increase.

"Just show me that you need it," Anderson said. "I haven't seen anything that says this is 100 percent necessary."

Supervisors also approved the creation of an enterprise fund where fees generated from permits go back into a specific fund to make the building permit program self-supporting. The program brings in about $773,000 annually, but takes about $1.3 million to operate. About $463,000 is expected to be raised by the fee increase.

Supervisors debated for nearly three hours over the need for the fund and permit fee increase. They approved the fund, noting they were giving it a two-year practice run to make sure it works. The fee increase was approved with the added requirement that the percentage be reviewed during the city 2001-2002 budget session.

The extra money will be used to expand the city's one-stop shop permit program from three days a week to five. The fee will also cover the cost of having other departments in addition to the building department review a set of plans.