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Building Bridges in the Desert?
RENO--The University of Nevada, Reno has taken another
step toward becoming a leading bridge research center.
The civil engineering department has obtained about
$400,000 over five years from the National Science Founda-
tion to establish a National Bridge Research and Information
Center.
The center will be directed by civil engineering chair
Emmanuel "Manes" Maragakis and engineering professor
Mehdi "Saiid" Saiidi.
"The purpose is to centrally control and disseminate infor-
mation on bridge research, short courses, conferences and
activities as they relate to bridge problems," Maragakis said.
"We will develop a high-tech center with a web site, which will
eventually provide service worldwide. Several local compa-
nies will participate."
Some of the issues the Bridge Research and Information
Center will address include the deterioration and obsolescence
of highway bridges that are very important components of the
major infrastructure problems the nation is facing.
"Recent earthquakes in California have caused $30 billion
in damage," Maragakis said. "With the technology derived
from our Bridge Engineering Laboratory, we can help allevi-
ate this problem. Unless the money is spent to rehabilitate our
bridges, the costs will only be greater in future years.
"About 41 percent of the 600,000 bridges in the United
States have been labeled either structurally deficient or obso-
lete. We have estimated that $94 billion needs to be spent on
repair or replacement on our bridges by the year 2005."
The information center will improve the coordination and
dissemination of information related to bridge engineering
advancements that will include data on seismic design, retro-
fitting, analytical studies, development of nondestructive evalu-
ation techniques, use of new materials and construction.
The center will be international, covering every aspect of
bridge engineering and will cooperate with a wide variety of
bridge engineering organizations, including universities, re-
search institutes and state or federal organizations, such as
departments of transportation.
The information center complements other ongoing bridge
research within the civil engineering department that includes
the development of a $5 million earthquake shaking tables
laboratory, the largest of its kind in the United States.
Town Advisory Board Turns up the heat
By Brent Mathewson
The Amargosa Town Advisory Board fired its second salvo
across the bow of the Nye County Commission in an extenu-
ation of its present conflict with the Nye commissioners and
administration on March 27, 1997 at a regularly scheduled
meeting of the five-member board.
The battle was engaged in late February 1997 when the
small town's local government body voted 4-0, with board
member Ralph McCracken absent, to file a formal complaint
against the Nye Count), Commission with the Nevada Com-
mission on Ethics. The lengthy and apparently well-docu-
mented complaint is scheduled to be addressed on April 25,
1997 when the Ethics Commission will make a determination
on taking the information in the complaint under its jurisdic-
tion. When it does take jurisdiction on the issues involved it
could conceivably result in one or more Nye County Commis-
sioners being removed from office.
The Amargosa Town Advisory Board's latest action in-
volves a letter to the Nevada Department of Taxation and cites
13 violations of Nevada Law that it alleges the Nye County
Commission has engaged in, with the advice and encourage-
ment of the Nye County Manager, Les Bradshaw, and his
special assistant, Rachel Nicholson, that have placed not just
the Nye Regional Medical Center @qRMS) in a state oflevere
financial emergeficy but also Nye County as a whole.
The advisory board's letter asks that the Nevada Depart-
• ment of Taxation exercise all means available to it in NRS
354:695 by making a determination that a severe financial
emergency does exist at NRMC. Essentially what the advisory
board's letter is requesting is that the Nevada Department of
Taxation take over complete financial control of Nye County
government. A hearing on this matter is to take place at the
convention center in Tonopah at 6:00 p.m. on April 3, 1997.
Pizza, Pizza, Party, Party
By Ann Nusbaum
J.V. Industries, a Pahrump manufacturer
and distributor of concrete
accessories for the trade,
recently hosted a pizza
party for local contractors
and their work crews. The
purpose of the party was to
introduce J.V. Industries'
products to local contrac-
tors. This company
handles concrete accesso-
ries, anything for the ce-
ment contractor. They
have concrete inserts, an-
chor bolts, stakes, re-bar,
wire, mesh, work gloves,
tie-wire, knee skidders,
drop-in anchors, sono
tubes, and visqueen poly
sheeting.
The company recently expanded their
The vote to approve the letter being sent was 4-1 with board
chairman Jim Quirk.and board members Bob Eastman, Brent
Mathewson, and Lyle Records voting to approve and vice-
chairman Ralph McCracken casting the dissenting vote.
McCracken was not comfortable with wording in the letter.
At least part of his dissatisfaction centered on the following
sentence:
"It is quite apparent that the Nye County Commission and
Management believe themselves to be above the law and this
attitude was vividly born out
on March 18, 1997 when a
member of the commission
made a public statement that
it was not the poficy of the
Nye County Commission to
pay attention to opinions of
the Attorney General of the
state of Nevada, unless such
opinions were backed up by a
court of consensus."
As the Gazette goes to press
it would appear that Nye
County Commission action on
April 1, 1997 to spend
$90@000 of payment equal to
taxes 0aETr) Fund money to
pay payroll expenses will not
be helpful in showing fiscal
responsibility on the part of
the County when the hearing
takes place before the Nevada
Department of Taxation in
Tonopah on April 3, 1997.
product line to include beam sleeves, deck
for the advertising
coming event.
sleeves and mini sleeves.
They have samples on dis-
play and are open from 7
a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday
through Saturday to accom-
modate their contractor
customers. Their products
are industry approved and
competiti ,ely priced. Con-
tractors can save both time
and money buying supplies
locally without the need to
drive to Las Vegas.
J.V. Industries will be
hosting another pizza party
the last part of April for the
local contractors and their
crews. Contractors: Watch
flyers announcing this up-
i ii
II Bishop Veterinary Hospital "" ]I
Tonopah Clinic lit-/I
U - Dr. Lind will be in Tonopah/I
:¢//+tl
I1 Front downstairs office-42 Belmont St. II
[ Appointments/lnfo, Call 482.6453 after 5 p.m. 1|
[ Dr. Linda wilt be in every other Wednesday [I
[ 8 a.m.- 1 p.m.: Dogs, cats and other small animals, ]l
] including spays, neutering, dentistry, minor surgery,etc. [I
[ 1:30 p.m.- 3:30 p.m.: Horses, cows, etc. II
I Tonopab 5:30 p.m to 7:30 p.m.
I Round Mountain: 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. [1
[ Same dates as Tonopah Clinic _]1
• I I IIIII I I I I IIIIII q
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