News and Events
Casino Drive SID
Casino Drive Special Improvement District Community rollout at the Laughlin Town Board meeting on November 13, 2018.
Twenty- five years following the 1993 construction of Casino Drive from the Bridge to Harrah's Hotel, this four and a half mile stretch of Casino Drive southerly from Harrah's to Needles Highway was rolled out by Clark County Public works. The project will be designed to have full surface improvements including, curb, gutters, streetlights, emergency parking lane, bike lane, four lanes of vehicle traffic and two turn lanes with landscaped medians.
Additionally the project will contain both potable water and wastewater line extensions to open up four miles of Laughlin's river frontage for development. Subject to design criteria, the roadway is expected to have a traffic design speed of 55 MPH and a posted speed of 45 MPH. The project will be funded by special improvement districts paid for by the property owners as well as Clark County gas tax revenues. We are hopeful for construction to commence in 2019.
Press Release
LEDC favors interstate transportation solutions
Dec. 21, 2018/For immediate use/Contact
jimmaniaci @centurylink.net
“The Laughlin Economic Development Corporation does indeed support solutions for additional interstate transportation needs,” its Board of Directors concluded in a statement after meeting Dec. 17. “The LEDC believes such projects, whether they are roads, highways, bridges, airline services, bus routes, railroads, or ferries, must be on an as-needed basis, with maximum benefit to all major segments of the involved communities.
“The current proposed crossing is not the right location to obtain those maximum benefits, and after all these years, its final costs are still unknown. Simply squeezing a project down to less than desirable levels of service still leaves a problem. It may be a way out, but it is not the right answer to truly meet our needs.
“Our previous statements always noted ‘at this time...with the (available) bridge funding,’ and with lack of written agreements to construct it, that it should not be at the proposed location,” the statement said.
Third Bridge Proposal from Laughlin to Arizona
Agreeing with the LEDC, the Laughlin Town Advisory Board voted 3-1 at its monthly meeting on Dec. 11 to ask the Clark County Commission and the Regional Transportation Commission to stop spending money on a third bridge over the Colorado River from Laughlin into Arizona.
The LTAB also voted 3-1 to request the two commissions to reprogram allocated but unspent funds to other transportation projects that would yield much greater benefits to Laughlin residents.
LEDC Directors Jim Maniaci and Gina Mackey were joined by LTAB member Stephanie Bethards in the votes to terminate the costly bridge at its Bullhead Parkway crossing site into southern Bullhead City.
At the Nov. 13 LTAB meeting, LEDC Vice-President Martin Knauss read a statement giving reasons to stop the project. At its Dec. 11 meeting, LEDC member Danny Vanderloop read a statement of continued opposition and repeated the prior Knauss statement.
Vanderloop’s comment was, “The position of the Laughlin Economic Development Corporation remains substantially the same today as it was on Nov. 13. The statement read by LEDC Vice-President Martin Knauss is correct in that no written agreement was signed in 2013. There was an agreement signed in 2004.”
Knaus's statement was, “At this time, the LEDC does not support moving forward with the bridge funding and construction.
“As presented by Mr. Lueck,
“ * Current estimated construction costs have increased to $56.3 MM,
“ * Clark County (RTC) portion potentially available is $32 MM,
“ * BHC portion is $3.7 MM,
“ * Federal funding is $18.5 MM,
“ * Shortfall of $2 MM,
“ * A total of $5 MM of Ft. Mohave Dev Fund monies were dedicated in the past and have been mostly spent. The funds are NOT included in the above estimated construction cost.
“The cost/benefit is skewed. In 2003 an agreement was discussed to shift more cost to BHC as the bulk of the benefit is towards the business/residential and sales tax base for BHC and Mohave County. No agreement was reached between the jurisdictions.
“A 2010 survey by the Mohave Daily News showed only 26% of Laughlin residents at the time supported the Parkway location. This is currently the only viable location based on federal agencies input.
“So again, at this time, LEDC does not support moving forward with the bridge funding and construction.
“Until an agreement between jurisdictions can be made to appropriately share the cost of the bridge this delay is warranted.
“RTC funds would be better used to improve Casino Drive from Harrah’s to Needles Highway and/or other Laughlin improvements.”
(Bob Lueck is the deputy director of the Clark County Public Works Department.)
Laughlin Lagoon River Park
Laughlin Community "River Park"!
An overhead view of the 40 acre "River Park" public recreational site encompassing the entire south end of the Laughlin Lagoon.
The ongoing lagoon dredging project is forming the grade for the 15 acre parking lot and developing the 2000 LF of beach extending from the levee to the Marina and adjacent to our 150 acre Big Bend State Park. A Community meeting was held in Laughlin on November 7th to gather input from Laughlin residents about what they would like to see at the proposed park. Learn More
Laughlin Lagoon Groundbreaking
Laughlin Bay Lagoon Groundbreaking
Sept 4th, 2018
A Special Evening in the History of the Laughlin Community!
In appreciation of the decades long effort by US Senator Harry Reid and unending support by Clark Commissioner Steve Sisolak, Senator Joe Harty, Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske and 95 honored guests who collectively with 13 property owners, created this "public/private partnership" for the recreational and economic development future of the Laughlin Community.
This celebration to the finest team of project design, planning, permitting, financing and construction will now proceed to create for our Community a 175 acre still water bay which will be a legacy for each of us who have been honored to play a part will cherish for decades to come and which will impact the lives of thousands who follow our lead. Thank you all so very much for your professional and personal commitment to the existing and future residents of our Laughlin community.
FMDA
Future for Laughlin!
Overhead view south to the 9000 acre Fort Mohave Development Area (FMDA) in Laughlin, Nevada. Promoting Economic Development in Laughlin
Laughlin Lagoon Dredging Project
Laughlin Lagoon
Formed in 1962 when the federal government channelized the Colorado River to improve water flows and virtually eliminate navigational barriers formed by ever-changing sandbars in the curves of the river -- thus the name Big Bend of the Colorado Nevada State (Recreational) Park south of the Lagoon -- the Lagoon's internal navigation channels in a 150-acre aquatic gem were last dredged in 1999, resulting in extensive silting.
In 2012 the LEDC launched a campaign to remove the silt and keep it cleaned out. State Sen. Joe Hardy, whose district includes Laughlin, got the Nevada Legislature to add waterfront projects to the Nevada Revised Statutes. Working with the Nevada Department of Natural Resources and Conservation Department's State Land Division and State Parks Division, along with many Clark County Departments, the LEDC during the administration of Clark County Commissioner Steve Sisolak whose district includes Laughlin,had the County form a pair of Special Improvement Districts in which the owners of lots fronting the Lagoon paid for bonds for most of the project that was expanded to include State lands turned over to the county for a public beach and (eventually) a park.The owners also will pay for the maintenance of the Lagoon through the second SID.
This will allow the marina at the revived waterways to launch a high-class recreational vehicle park to complement Laughlin's other RV facilities, such as at neighboring Big Bend.
Status Report October 4, 2018
BLM Resources Management Plan
LEDC Comments on the BLM Plan
The Laughlin Economic Development Corporation released comments
for the Bureau of Land Management's Resources Management Plan.
Our goal jobs and economic development.
Click on the link below to see and download our comments.
Laughlin Leadership Forums
LEDC Laughlin Leadership Forums
The LEDC, relying on Laughlin's historically high voter turnouts, hosts legislators whose districts include Laughlin, and top candidates for election to political offices that affect the community of more than 10,000 permanent residents, to speak to local citizens during Laughlin Leadership Forums. This is important because governments at all levels own almost 9 of every 10 square-miles in Nevada's 110,000-plus square-miles, about the same percentage as in Laughlin township which is the Battle Born State's southern-most town.
LEDC News
Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance Annual Awards Dinner
Laughlin Economic Development Corporation's Table - Aria Hotel, Las Vegas, September 20, 2018. A wonderful evening representing our Laughlin Community's Economic Development hopes and dreams! Attendees pictured:
Brian Paulson – Laughlin Town Manager, Michele Shafe – Clark County Assessor, Bob Bilbray – Strategic Development Advisor, Phil Klevorick – Clark County Economic Development Program Mgr., Martin Knauss – Vice President, L.E.D.C ., James “Jim” Maniaci – Chairman, Laughlin Town Advisory Board & President, L.E.D.C. , Sunny Maniaci – Wife of Jim Maniaci , Rebecca Leavitt – Wife of Glen Leavitt, Glen Leavitt – Republican Candidate NV State Assembly – Dist. 23
Laughlin Aerial Map Presentation
An aerial map of the Greater Laughlin Region was presented in the Clark County.Assessor's Office on June 19, 2018 to Clark County Assessor Michele Shafe (left) and Assessor-Elect Briana Johnson (right) by Robert Bilbray, Strategic Development Advisor for the LEDC.