Tag: carsonvalley

Douglas County is at it again, assaulting us with loose gravel. Last year it was Johnson Lane, this year it's Stephanie Way, in the Carson Valley, that got a fresh coat of oil and a loose dusting of rock. It's the cheap-o way of repaving, and now we have to put up with a few days of dust and flying rocks.

The Park Cattle Company owns large tracts of land in the Carson Valley, most of it being used right now as grazing land for cattle or growing crops. But now they're looking at getting into the business of selling land instead of holding it, and specifically they want to push forward one of the largest housing developments in the whole valley. Their plan involves 5,000 new houses, mostly to the northeast of Minden and Gardnerville, in the open spaces between the Winhaven and Chichester neighborhoods. It's a hugely ambitious project, and many people think it's too big. And to get it done, they need to make major changes to the county's Master Plan. They're going up in front of the county commission this week to argue in favor of the changes. We'll see where it goes from here. Already the Minden town board has voted in favor of the plan, and Gardnerville against.

Here are some recent news links that follow the story more:

• Park Cattle proposal enters pipeline this week
• What’s next for Minden?
• Minden engineer recommends denial of Park plan
• Gardnerville denies Park Master Plan
• Park Cattle project gets a 3-2 nod in Minden

The Park Company has set up a website about the plan, www.parkranch.com.

Traveling Nevada: Free Stargazing Event in Minden

Nevada State Parks invites the public to a free stargazing event on Saturday, July 26, at the Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park in Minden, about an hour south of Reno.

Beginning at 8:30 p.m., park staff and members of the Astronomical Society of Nevada will be on site with telescopes to view Jupiter, the moon, Milky Way and other astronomical sights in the sky over Carson Valley. People with their own telescopes are welcome to bring them to the event, which will conclude at 10 p.m.

Visitors are advised to put on bug repellant, bring a blanket, lawn chairs, a light jacket and a non-alcoholic beverage. A portable restroom will be available.

Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park is located just west of Minden, approximately one mile south of Douglas High School at 1450 Highway 88. Dangberg Ranch in Minden When approaching from the north on State Route 88, turn right on the dirt road where the Park Cattle Company sign is located. Please drive slowly as cattle may be on the road. The ranch house is located approximately a half-mile from the turnoff on Highway 88.

Tours of Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park are conducted Wednesdays through Sundays at 10 a.m., with a second Sunday tour at 2 p.m. Advance tour reservations are required and can be made by calling the park at 775-783-9417 or e-mailing dangbergranch@parks.nv.gov. Tour group sizes are limited to 10 people. Tour admission is $3 for adults and free for children 12 and under. For more information visit http://parks.nv.gov/hr.htm.

The Record Courier reminds us that tonight we have a concert in Minden Park, starting at 6:30, followed by a movie in Gardnerville's Heritage Park at dusk. Think you can make it to both?

Finally we now have curbside recycling pickup in the Carson Valley. We're probably the last place to get it in Nevada. I think Belmont and Manhattan had curbside recycling before we did. Which is strange, because Douglas County has the highest per capita income in the whole state. I guess rich people don't recycle. I don't know. I only know that Douglas Disposal, our local trash pickup outfit, has never offered recycling.

So it was left to a start-up company, Carson Valley Recycling, to fill that need. Right now it's just a husband and wife team, with one truck, serving the whole valley (or at least Douglas Disposal's entire service area). Which is fine, because they only have 50 customers. But as their client base grows they'll probably get stretched thin, and hopefully will be able to get more employees and more equipment. This is a service that I'd like to see succeed, and at $10 per month I'll probably be signing up soon. Right now you have to take all your recyclables to a drop-off point yourself. The main one is at the old landfill out Pinenut road, and there are also drop-offs at many of the area schools. But usually doing that is such a pain that I don't recycle glass and plastic, just paper and cardboard. Signing up for this service will definitely help out, and I urge all of you to sign up too. Both because recycling is the way to go, and also because we want to support this new company and make sure they don't have to shut down.

Here's a list of the items they'll accept:

aluminum
plastics #1 & 2 (these can be combined)
#2’s are usually colored plastics ( Tide&Downy and milk containers)
glass~(rinsed)
tin cans (canned soups, pet food, veggies, etc.) ~ not tin foil
cardboard (must be dry) (broken down if possible)
paperboard( cereal boxes, non-wax items, egg & milk cartons) (must be dry)
plastic grocery bags
dry newspaper (ads are accepted too)
magazines&catalogs (kept dry)

You can contact them by phone, at 775-267-6524, by e-mail at cvrecycling@mac.com, or sign up on their website.

Record Courier: Historic Dangberg Ranch in Minden expands public tours:

Nevada State Parks has expanded visiting hours for the public to tour the Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park, located just west of Minden.

Two-hour tours are now available beginning at 10 a.m. Wednesdays through Sundays, with a second Sunday tour at 2 p.m.

Several historic buildings constructed between 1857 and 1916 will be open to the public, including the main residence, which was one of the most prominent in the region.

The Carson Valley Days parade is tomorrow. The Record Courier calls it their favorite time of year. The parade starts around 9am at Minden Park, and runs to Lampe Park, taking three hours or so to run all the way. The parade travels down Hwy 395, so really anywhere along the parade route is good for viewing. I've always been partial to locations near where the road curves, so it's easier to see the floats coming and going.

I won't be making it to the parade this year, but hopefully I'll get some photos from you loyal readers!

The Record Courier has information about this year's Carson Valley Days celebration. The big event is the Carson Valley Days Parade, taking place Saturday morning, June 14th, with a carnival at Lampe Park being put on June 12, 13, 14 and 15.

Greater Nevada Credit Union has opened their striking new branch in Minden. The ribbon cutting will be held on June 18, and a grand opening on June 21.

The coming of summer means the return of the Summer Family Concert Series in Minden Park. Every year they put on five concerts at the park in downtown Minden, and the turnout keeps getting bigger. Here's this year's lineup.

May 30 - Alice Stuart and the Formerlys.

June 27 - Batdorf and Rodney Reunion.

July 11 - The Comstock Cowboys.

July 25 - The Surf All-Stars.

August 29 - The Michael Powers Band.

All concerts are on a Friday night at 6:30pm, except for the final one on August 24th, which starts at 6:00. Get your picnic baskets ready!