Henderson City Council OKs budgets for recreational area upgrades

Henderson’s Whitney Mesa Recreation Area is getting an update.

A $151,116 budget for the rehabilitation of the Upper Mesa Trail was approved by the Henderson City Council on Tuesday.

The project will use concrete and riprap stone, loose stones used to control erosion, to fix weather-caused damage. Henderson spokeswoman Kim Becker said 15 sites inside the area need improvements to prevent erosion.

“This trail is heavily used by people walking, hiking, walking dogs and navigating around the mesa,” Becker said. “These improvements will eliminate the types of erosion that occur during storms and heavy rain.”

The project is expected to go to bid in early 2018 and is made possible through a Nevada Division of State Parks, Recreational Trails Program grant of $121,000, $22,000 in city matching funds and an in-kind match of $8,116 in city labor.

The City Council also approved a $25,334 budget for improvements that include the Silver Springs Recreation Center.

A kiosk at the Silver Springs Recreation Center with information about Pittman Wash Trail, which is just behind the building, is planned. Half-mile markers along Pittman Wash Trail and the lower portion of Whitey Mesa Recreation Area are also planned.

The budget includes a $20,244 grant from the State of Nevada Division of State Parks, Recreational Trails Program and a $5,090 in-kind match from the city for labor.

“The markers will serve a dual purpose — to provide distance information to those exercising on the trails and to provide GPS information for the Henderson Police Department,” Becker said. “We’ll work with the police department on the data inside the mile markers, and this will make it easier to respond in the event of an emergency as it will provide precise locations.”

The in-house project is planned to start by early 2018.

Contact Sandy Lopez at slopez@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4686. Follow @JournalismSandy on Twitter.