State board OKs hotel college building at UNLV

By Cy Ryan

Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2008 | 4:50 p.m.

Plans for a $50 million hotel college at UNLV have cleared a major hurdle.

The state Public Works Board agreed today to include the Harrah’s Hotel College in its $622 million building program for the next two years.

Harrah’s Entertainment Inc. will pay $25 million of the $50 million cost of the project.

The building was not originally recommended for funding, but was included after extensive talks between Public Works Board staff and university officials.

Board member Tito Tiberti of Las Vegas wanted assurance that if the Legislature and Gov. Jim Gibbons approves the construction, the university won’t ask for more money to complete the project.

Dan Klaich, a vice chancellor of the Nevada System of Higher Education, said there will be a “ceiling” on the amount spent on the project. The $50 million figure would also include furniture for the building, he said.

Among the other projects the board recommended in the $622 million building program is a new $225 million prison at Indian Springs. Plans call for it to replace the century old state prison in Carson City. Other major projects include $6.3 million to complete the new state museum in Las Vegas; $29.4 million for an advanced clinical training and research center at UNLV; and a $31.2 million nursing and science building at the Nevada State College in Henderson.

Gus Nunez, manager of the state Public Works Board, said the future isn’t pretty when it comes to finding money for public projects. In 2013, there will be only about $80 million a year for construction. He said that would cover only maintenance of state buildings and maybe a prison.