Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023 | 2 a.m.
Nevada is a sprawling state with most of its people in two population centers. But beyond the reaches of Las Vegas and Reno is a land filled with attractions and history. Some of them, of course, might not be familiar to most Nevadans. The Sun has reached out to mayors and representatives of the Silver State’s 19 cities, giving them a platform in our pages to talk about their area’s history and attractions and to describe what makes them special and what challenges they face.
Today, we present a Q+A with Boulder City Mayor Joe Hardy.
Give us a history lesson. What makes your jurisdiction unique?
We are the city that built Hoover Dam! In 1931, during the depths of the Great Depression, 5,000 people descended on this community, looking for work on the “Boulder Dam” project.
Today, we are home to employees for the Bureau of Reclamation, see millions of visitors who pass through on the way to Lake Mead and Hoover Dam, and of course folks who come out to see our bighorn sheep in Hemenway Park. (You can now see the bighorns online too at www.bcnv.org/ramcam.)Voters enacted a slow-growth ordinance in the 1980s, so we have very limited residential growth here.
We value historic preservation, engage in habitat preservation, and we are quite self-sustaining; the city manages our not-for-profit, public electric utilities, cemetery and airport. No short-term rentals are allowed. More than 11% of our residents are veterans; the Southern Nevada State Home for Veterans and Southern Nevada Veterans Memorial cemetery are located here. Boulder City boasts 17 parks and three golf courses — two are city-owned.
What kind of attractions and events do you have that people may be interested in visiting?
So many! We have Spring Jam, Damboree (the Fourth of July parade, celebration and fireworks), the Wurst Festival every September, Art in the Park every October and Santa’s Electric Night Parade every December.
For 19 years, Dale Ryan and his wife, Dyanah Musgrave, have made it a labor of love to create the “Christmas house” at their home at 1525 Fifth St. Preparation starts in the summer and takes them several months, but they say it’s worth every moment of work to see the smiles of around 20,000 people stop by to see the lights each year.
Decorations include a train, ski lift, roller coaster and Ferris wheel along with more than 100,000 lights. The couple won a national contest on ABC’s show “The Great Christmas Light Fight” in 2016.
The Boulder Dam Hotel and Museum and the Southern Nevada Railroad Museum are great places to learn about our past. There are great adventure tourism opportunities, and we have some fantastic organized triathlons and races. Nature lovers appreciate visiting the bighorn sheep and Lake Mead.
What new development opening in 2024 has you excited? Why?
The Flamingo hotel — I love seeing an old building get new life.
What is the biggest challenge facing your jurisdiction?
Swimming pool: It’s more than 40 years old and failing. The city is working on a land deal that would help pay for a new facility.
Conference center: We need a place that can host conferences as well as large gatherings.
Drought: Boulder City is working on numerous water conservation projects and sustainable wastewater solutions.
What industry is most important to your town’s economy? What about diversifying?
Solar energy. Leases of land for solar energy production and storage account for more than a third of Boulder City’s revenues.
What opportunity does your community provide for public education? What challenges does it face?
We are fortunate to have excellent schools, teachers and administration. Since COVID, the biggest challenges have been regarding mental health.
What challenges do your residents face with health care availability and cost?
Mostly with insurance. We have an aging demographic: the average age of a Boulder City resident is 53.
Nevadans have lived with historic drought for the past two decades. What initiatives are in place to save the valuable commodity of water?
The biggest initiative right now is we are in the process of a feasibility study with SNWA to find a safe, sustainable solution for our wastewater. We expect that to be complete in 2024.
We’ve changed out sprinkler heads to nonadjustable heads, replaced valves on manual controllers, are continually monitoring and adjusting sprinklers, developed new landscape requirements for new development and guidance for parkway landscaping, updated irrigation systems to make sure the water is used exactly where and when needed, and city staff is working with Southern Nevada Water Authority to replace nonfunctional grass in city parks.
What issues are facing your community regarding roads and transportation?
Upkeep for roads: Interstate 11 enhanced our city by diverting the bulk of traffic, but we still get millions of visitors on our roadways every year. We work closely with the Regional Transportation Commission to make sure our infrastructure is kept safe and sound.
How can public safety be enhanced in your community?
Dispatch cooperation and process. We are appreciative of Henderson and park service.
What is one thing you wish the rest of the state knew about your jurisdiction?
Controlled construction residential growth; no gaming; historic atmosphere, hotel, museum, streets, homes; view of Lake Mead and mountains; excellent hiking and biking trails, golf courses and parks; solar fields and energy development; appreciation for our veterans — home, monuments, cemetery, signs on Veterans Parkway recognize active duty; shopping and dining; rifle and pistol club; quiet and safe with good schools; airport is third-busiest for enplanements; our railroad museum and train; recreational opportunities including pickleball courts; celebrations in the park and parades; and city-owned utilities, water, power, sewer and accessible landfill.
