By now you probably know that the formal opening date for Downtown Summerlin is Oct. 9. And you probably know that the 106-acre site will contain retail stores, restaurants, a movie theater and a commercial tower. You may not know that this is just phase one and that it will connect with three existing facilities along West Charleston Boulevard to form only one half of a downtown project that eventually will total 400 acres.
Herb Jaffe
Herb Jaffe was an op-ed columnist and investigative reporter for most of his 39 years at the Star-Ledger of Newark, New Jersey. His most recent novel, “Double Play,” is available.
hjaffe@cox.net
Mention the name Matt Smith in conjunction with physical therapy, and you’re likely to hear some positive words from prominent athletes, high-profile casino owners, top-tier entertainers and other professionals, not just in Las Vegas but throughout the country.
Say what you will about Summerlin Parkway, but to question its safety may be stretching things a bit. There are legitimate questions, however, surrounding the general vicinity of the Rampart Boulevard overpass.
What kind of people would shimmy up a metal pole, crawl along a narrow ledge some 40 to 50 feet above steadily moving traffic on a major freeway and risk their lives just to pull spray cans from their pockets and deface two of those large, green traffic signs, with the ultimate purpose of creating havoc for drivers?
In case you hadn’t noticed, Senate Bill 165, sponsored in the last legislative session by Democratic Sen. Aaron Ford, was approved, offering tax credits to the film industry. So what does this mean for Summerlin? It could mean more than a whole lot.
Could you imagine all of Summerlin being developed as an industrialized site “to test new and improved radar control and guided missile devices for the military?” Unthinkable, but not if Howard Hughes had had his way.
Yes, we all began paying more for water as of Jan. 1. And yes, the worst drought to hit Southern Nevada in more than a century is one part of the reason. Another part is the cost of providing the necessary infrastructure to deliver water to a growing population in the valley.
I waited my turn at the three-way stop, then watched incredulously as a woman tearing along in her Lexus never touched the brake pedal as she roared past the stop sign and headed south on Anasazi Drive. And the stop sign had a blinking red light.
Here’s something you might care to dwell on with more than just a bit of candor: Hundreds of military veterans in the state who are in need of full-time nursing home care are being turned away from the Nevada State Veterans Home in Boulder City, due to insufficient facilities.
You might ask what kind of a misfit would deliberately destroy a tiny forest of pine trees on a golf course, so they might have a better view of the Strip, or a better view of somebody hitting a golf ball, or maybe just to satisfy some kind of dysfunctional jollies? Well, that’s what happened to approximately 13 stately pines at Highland Falls Golf Course in Sun City Summerlin.
In case you haven’t noticed, there’s a pedestrian bridge that now straddles Far Hills Avenue, just west of the 215 Beltway. It wasn’t there as recently as a few weeks ago, and at first glance it appears that this beautiful walkway might be a bridge to nowhere.