Sun City to vote on fire station

By Jeff O'Brien

Friday, Oct. 10, 2008 | midnight

The proposal for a new fire station in Sun City Summerlin has taken another step forward, although it is encountering some resistance along the way.

At its Sept. 29 meeting in Desert Vista Community Center, the Sun City Summerlin Community Association Board of Directors voted to include a ballot in the November edition of the Link magazine proposing an amendment to the community's covenants, conditions and deed restrictions, or CC&Rs.

The magazine containing the ballot will be mailed to each homeowner in Sun City Summerlin on Oct. 27.

But in an earlier separate motion, board member Bob Robey moved that the board halt the printing of the CC&R amendment and the ballots.

"I feel that we're moving too fast and too soon without doing our due diligence," Robey said. "I think we need to take our time. A vote coming up in November is too fast."

The Las Vegas Fire & Rescue station would be at the ninth tee of the Palm Valley Golf Course on the northwest corner of Del Webb Boulevard and Sundial Drive, and under the current proposal, the 7,000-square-foot parcel would be deeded to the city for $1.

In conjunction with the fire station deal, the ownership and maintenance of a 2.8-mile strip of land along Cheyenne Avenue would be transferred from Sun City Summerlin to the city of Las Vegas.

Robey cited two outside attorney opinions that he obtained — one of which is from May 2008 and the other from 2004 — that he said should be reviewed by the board because they raise numerous questions about the proposal.

But in order for such action to take place, Robey would have to seek approval from both the Association's legal services committee and the board — efforts he does not want to pursue at this point.

"In my opinion, the board is shopping for an attorney opinion which will give them the attorney opinion they want," Robey said.

The Board of Directors voted 5-1 to deny Robey's motion to halt the amendment process.

"There is nothing confusing about it," said Richard Post, president of the Sun City Summerlin Community Association Board of Directors. "All the CC&R change does is delete two lines requiring votes from mortgage holders and add language providing for the fire station and the transfer of the Cheyenne strip."

Future boards will have no more power and no less power than they do under the current CC&Rs, Post said.

Sun City Summerlin resident Frank Beers said the upcoming vote boils down to one thing — whether the community wants a new fire station.

"If you do, vote for the change. If you don't, vote against it," Beers said.

Jeff O’Brien can be reached at 990-8957 or [email protected].