Letter: Carson City Planning Heroes

Editor: I have been in the antiques business in Downtown Carson City for more than 15 years. The last six years have been extremely difficult, but perhaps our state may have reached a turning point.

In the last 15 years I have been involved in dozens of community meetings and planning sessions that were generally boring and filled with doomsayers and negativism. I've spent hundreds of hours gnashing my teeth listening to every malcontent in town who says that saving our Downtown is a waste of time and money. They have said it's by-the-way impossible.

Well, it looks like some action may be taken in the next two years after long deliberation and planning.

I hope I live to see the results. But, in the meanwhile I want to commend and thank Mayor Robert Crowell, Supervisors Karen Abowd, John McKenna and Brad Bonkowski for their thoughtfulness in dealing with this issue. These folks showed a great capacity for listening and calm deliberation.

They read every page of material that was presented to them as great elected officials should. They conducted very polite and reasoned meetings that were filled with a variety of people who had an old axe to grind and uninformed on these important topics. Many opponents were openly hostile.

I would also like to commend the Hop and Mae Adams Foundation for their tremendous gifts to the people of Carson City and for their well planned future gifts to the people. Many citizens do not know of the great architectural and social planning that has gone into the Adams Foundations gifts.

Soon, the old Citi bank building will be remodeled and made to look like an 1880's Old West building that existed in Carson City's past. That building will house retailers and offices in the core of the Downtown. The foundation is spending many millions of dollars of their private money to restore the building and make it a model for renovation. The Citi Bank building stood vacant for more than five years in its anachronistic 1960's design. The Citi bank was filled with toxic asbestos and had a horrible outdated veneer.

The huge building had to be one of the ugliest building in Nevada . Virtually nothing of the building will be saved in the renovation but its shell. The building was not a project that could be economically completed by an ordinary private individual investor. There is a lot of risk and very little reward in the Citi Bank remodel.

The Adams Foundation has recently remodeled the old Stewart Title Building on Proctor Street and made it into an attractive vintage office that houses a business incubator to fledging companies. They have offered money grants for some businesses already.

The Adams Foundation has teamed up with the new Lake Tahoe Brewing Company in renovating and performing needed structural changes to the Brewery on Proctor and Carson Streets. The new owner of the Lake Tahoe Brewery, chosen by the Adams Foundation, has studied extensively in the beer making and food industry in Germany and Belgium. I have spoken with the new owner and believe he will produce a terrific set of beers and appetizing cuisine.

The Adams Foundation is exploring the introduction of a major Downtown hotel on their property adjacent to the Nugget Casino. I have gotten to meet Steve Neighbors, who is the Chairman of the Adams Foundation. He has a big and honest style and is responsible for all of the major moves that the foundation has entered. Steve is a worker who takes on difficult jobs with a tremendous drive. He has hired local builders and advisors in his quest to improve Carson City for its citizens and tourists.

I have also been fortunate to meet our new City Manager, Nick Marano. Nick is a gregarious fellow with a huge personality and a no nonsense work ethic. He's already initiated the funding of a new permanent entertainment mall/venue at Third Street - across from the Fox and Firkin. Nick is a listener and a man of action with more than twenty years of leadership as an Colonel in the Army.

To my point of view -2014 is the year that Carson City made tremendous progress on paper. I really hope that these creative and intelligent leader s that I have mentioned here can lead is into an economic revival. Please stand aside and let them do what they know best.

I am tremendously thankful to have these astute leaders in Carson City's corner. I have more hope for the intelligent rebirth of Carson City than I've ever had. I'd like to toast the people here who said it can be done.

I quote Walt Disney, "It's kind of fun to do the impossible."

Sincerely,
Michael Robbins
owner, Hanifin's Antiques
shop 882-2880