Debris, weeds mar drive along Summerlin Parkway

You ever get that deja vu feeling? Like maybe you've been there before, or maybe you've seen something before but you can't quite put a finger on it? Well, that's how it was as I drove on Summerlin Parkway for several days recently and watched the debris and weeds pile up along the median, and along the shoulder areas on both sides, and even on the roadway itself, which was littered in places with torn tires and other refuse.

Then it occurred to me: "Hey, I wrote about this same exhibit of deterioration before." So I dug through my files, and sure enough, there it was, a headline in the View from Sept. 17, 2013, that read, "Who should clean up Summerlin Parkway?"

Indeed, one of the crown jewels of roadways in all of Las Vegas was again awash with the kind of debris that you would expect to exist in any garbage dump. The trash was compounded by swarms of weeds, and the parkway showed a general appearance of neglect, just as it did two years ago.

What began after that was a myriad of phone calls to learn why Summerlin's crown jewel had fallen on such hard times.

Summerlin Parkway is 5.3 miles from end to end, with the city of Las Vegas owning 4.4 miles. The Nevada Department of Transportation and Clark County own bits and pieces of the rest. So I called City Councilman Bob Beers, just as I did two years ago. His Ward 2 district includes that portion of the parkway for which the city is responsible. And just as he did two years ago, Beers minced few words while expressing frustration over the condition of the roadway.

Two years ago, Beers told me, "We recently hired a new contractor. I saw the deterioration. There was a failure by the former contractor to perform."

What he said this time was not much different: "I'm aware of the condition of Summerlin Parkway, but the awarding of city contracts is governed by state law, and often it's the low bid that gets the contract. So we have to go with what we get. The problem is finding a contractor capable of doing the job."

I contacted city spokesman Jace Radke to find out why the parkway was allowed to deteriorate if there was a contractor responsible for cleaning it up. That got things moving — and in a hurry.

The following morning, I found an email from Radke that read, "I can tell you that city of Las Vegas Operations and Maintenance crews drove the parkway yesterday and noted where there was trash and debris, and (they) contacted our contractor to come out and address the issues."

Radke also sent a map denoting Summerlin Parkway's landscape maintenance responsibilities. It revealed that almost half of the roadway, going west from Town Center Drive to the 215 Beltway, falls under the purview of a Summerlin Master Plan Association, which is administered by The Howard Hughes Corp. But that section of the parkway was in far better condition than the city's portion. Radke's email mentioned that Jerry Walker, deputy director in the Department of Operations and Maintenance, would be calling me.

"The folks in our parks division have a landscape contractor who's responsible for getting rid of the weeds, keeping the shrubbery trimmed and gathering up the trash," Walker explained. "Two years ago, it got very bad, and we changed contractors," he reminded me. Walker then referred me to Daphnee Legarza, parks and maintenance manager in the Department of Operations and Maintenance.

Legarza said that the contractor works on a regular schedule and is responsible for maintenance duties along Summerlin Parkway "multiple times a week." She also noted that the contracting company had other city responsibilities in accordance with its arrangement.

Then the key question: If things were so neglected along Summerlin Parkway, was the city satisfied with the contractor's work in general?

"Right now … we're relatively satisfied … But purchasing has asked for a rebid on the contract in the next two to three months," Legarza said, hastening to add, "due to an increase in scope."

Bottom line: Within 24 hours, Summerlin Parkway was nearly pristine — even the weeds were cut down.

— Herb Jaffe was an op-ed columnist and investigative reporter for most of his 39 years at the Star-Ledger of Newark, N.J. His most recent novel, "Double Play," is now available. Contact him at hjaffe@cox.net.