Boulder City Council in brief

By Jean Reid Norman

Wednesday, April 22, 2009 | 4:46 p.m.

City getting help with airport issues

The Boulder City Council agreed to allow City Attorney Dave Olsen to hire outside help to deal with issues surrounding the Boulder City Municipal Airport.

Olsen said he needs the help to provide technical expertise while the city deals with issues brought up in a February 2008 Federal Aviation Administration safety report. The council approved the request 3-1 with Councilman Travis Chandler opposed and Mayor Roger Tobler absent.

The city will pay the national law firm Gordon & Reese LLP an hourly rate of $150 per hour for paralegal services to $275 per hour for partners' time for its advice, according to city documents.

The city does not face any lawsuits, Olsen said, but a key issue in the FAA report was the presence of a skydiving landing zone close to rotary wing aircraft, an issue that could affect businesses based at the airport.

Council backing energy bill

The Boulder City Council went on the record supporting a bill in the Legislature that would extend economic incentives for renewable energy companies building utility-scale power plants in Nevada.

Assembly Bill 522 would create a renewable energy commission and continue tax abatements that solar and other renewable energy companies have been able to get in Nevada. The council voted 4-0 for a resolution supporting the bill.

Councilman Mike Pacini said he was concerned about other legislation that would impose exportation taxes on renewable power that is shipped to other states.

Guidelines set for historic district

The City Council accepted guidelines for the exterior look of city-owned buildings within the Boulder City's historic district, where many buildings date to the city's founding during the construction of Hoover Dam.

The council voted 4-0 to accept the guidelines established by the Historic Preservation Committee.

The guidelines encourage the city to hide all air conditioning units, to keep roofs, windows and doors similar to the original and to keep concrete plain, like the original.

The committee began working on the guidelines for city buildings after it stepped in last year when the city began to install designed concrete in front of City Hall, which was built in 1932 as the town's elementary and junior high school.

"The committee is pleased with the way the city has been preserving the historic city buildings," committee Chairwoman Susan McIntyre said, noting that some buildings, like the police station, look the same now as in photos of when they were built.