The Territorial

The Lyon County Board of County Commissioners convened on Thursday, February 20, for one of those meetings that had a little bit of everything—land disputes, heroics, and the always-thrilling procurement of government vehicles.

The most electrifying topic of the day—at least to those with a keen appreciation for power lines—was a request from Arevia Power for a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) to construct a 4.7-mile-long, 345-kV generation tie-line linking the Libra Solar project to the Fort Churchill Substation. Now, lest anyone get too excited about this meaning the commissioners had suddenly taken up solar farming as a pastime, officials quickly clarified that their jurisdiction extended only to the gen-tie lines within Lyon County as the actual solar project itself lays in neighboring Mineral County, where it was someone else’s headache.

The permit’s approval wasn’t without disagreement, as these things tend to go. Commissioners Keller, Hendrix, and Cassinelli voted in favor, as Commissioner Hockaday objected, likely because of some deeply held convictions regarding the placement of such lines or perhaps to keep things interesting.

Commissioner Jacobson, meanwhile, was absent and thus spared from any controversy. The permit came with conditions, including roadway paving and drainage improvements along East Walker Road. After all, what is a good government decision without a few strings attached?

Shifting from the mundane to the truly remarkable, Sheriff Brad Pope took the floor to recognize a cadre of local heroes. Dispatch Supervisor Eric Engelman, Dispatchers Elizabeth Waid and Mickenzie Stretch, Sergeant Gabriel Santos, and Deputies Jessie Cornett, Ian Foster, Jessica Frontuto, and Travis Masterson were all honored with the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office “Life Saving Award.”

The fine folks had, on January 11, sprung into action to assist a young woman in the throes of childbirth, bringing two newborns into the world who had, at first, seemed reluctant to join the living. Thanks to their swift and skillful efforts, the infants were given the care they needed to survive, proving once again that some public servants do far more than shuffle papers and approve power lines.

Other business was attended to, as it must be in such gatherings. The commissioners approved a Memorandum of Understanding with the Lyon County School District, providing an additional $25,000 to place another School Resource Officer in Fernley for the remainder of the academic year, presumably in response to either an increase in rowdiness or a newfound enthusiasm for the protection of scholars. They also saw fit to dedicate the Fernley Senior Center to the late Commissioner LeRoy Goodman and authorize $2,000 for a commemorative plaque, ensuring his memory.

And, of course, no county meeting would be complete without a discussion of government vehicles. The commissioners approved the purchase of seven new cars for the Sheriff’s Office at $475,000, a tidy expenditure from the General Fund contingency.

While there was no word on whether these vehicles would come equipped with any particularly thrilling features, one imagines they will be the sort allowing deputies to continue doing what they do best—keeping the peace and delivering babies in their spare time.