Redevelopment committee panel presents Miracle Worker awards

Those who make an investment in Carson City by improving their properties are being recognized by the city through a Miracle Worker award from the Redevelopment Authority Citizens Committee.

Two of the committee's 2011 awards were presented recently to the City Center Hotel for property renovation, and to Dr. Thomas Gibbons, O.D., for new construction on a previously vacant property.

"We want to recognize businesses who are trying to improve in the redevelopment area," said RACC Vice Chairman Stan Jones.

"Dr. Gibbons has made such a great improvement to an old vacant property that never had a structure on it, and I nominated the City Center Hotel because it totally improved a whole city block," he said.

Ron Chancellor, director of casino operations for the Carson Nugget, which owns the property, said they redid the entire exterior, and that two of the four floors have been completely refurbished so far.

"We want to say thank you to Steve Neighbors for allowing us to do the work, and we thank the committee for noticing," Chancellor said.

There are 84 rooms which have all received new paint, carpet and furniture, but the exterior, which is right on Carson City's main street, is visible to all passersby with new landscaping and stonework, a fresh coat of paint and a new readerboard.

Nugget General Manager Star Anderson said everyone was excited about the news.

"We were so happy we could do something to benefit the community. We're so proud of the hotel, so proud of the work that we did, and we couldn't be happier that redevelopment noticed what we did and said thank you," Anderson said.

For Gibbons, it has been a long process.

"It was April of 1979 that I first approached John and Anna Rebol of Yerington regarding their property on the corner of Fifth and Division streets. To our knowledge, after checking the city's historic records, there has never been a structure, other than a horse corral, on the property," Gibbons said. "I was interested in purchasing the property to build a new office for my optometric practice in Carson City."

It wasn't until 1996, however, that escrow closed on the purchase. Ground was broken in June 2008, and Gibbons received his certificate of occupancy in November 2009.

"We've had many people stop by who watched the construction taking place, who were curious to see if it looked as nice on the inside, and yes, it is just as gorgeous," Gibbons said.

The RACC will present two more 2011 Miracle Worker awards in the near future.