Pride &
Progress
A LOOK AT WINNEMUCCA’S PAST AND PLANS
FOR THE FUTURE
WINNEMUCCA’S CENTENNIAL
CELEBRATIONS
2 PROGRESS | February 2017
Pride &
Progress
A LOOK AT WINNEMUCCA’S PAST AND PLANS
PROGRESS 2017 a publication of Winnemucca Publishing
FOR THE FUTURE
General Manager: Matt Dierlam Managing Editor: Michelle Cook Special Projects Director: J. Carmen Kofoed Writers: Joyce Sheen Cheryl Upshaw Advertising Sales: Rhonda Coleman Amy Quiring Ashley Buckingham
STEVE LUMBARDO • Special to Winnemucca Publishing
Photographer, Steve Lumbardo, climbed to the top of Winnemucca Mountain to capture this stunning photo of the twinkling lights of Winnemucca below.
Winnemucca Celebrates Centennial
F
Advertising Design: Joe Plummer Emily Swindle Layout Design: Emily Swindle
rom one end to the other, the city of Winnemucca is bursting with pride as we celebrate 100 years of incorporation.
The early days of Winnemucca were, like all mining and railroad towns, a bit tumultuous. The town has shaken off those wild west roots, however, and now is a beautiful, green and placid oasis in the desert. While all the Centennial events haven’t yet been coordinated, the city will host a grand event on Sept. 30 at the Winnemucca Convention Center. In addition, a book about the area, commemorative coins, mixers and other celebrations are in the works. Check the website www.winnemucca.com for more information.
1022 S. Grass Valley Rd. Winnemucca, NV 89445
PROGRESS | February 2017 3
Proud Of It Prepared by the City of Winnemucca
T
he Humboldt River Basin was once covered by the massive ancient Lake Lahontan, which evaporated and receded over thousands of years as a result of geological climate change. Located in the very recently formed (using geological time) Great Basin, the Humboldt River area is known for its many geothermal resources and seismic activity. Humboldt County contains many geothermal hot springs, which not only create unique ecosystems and recreational opportunities, but also provide a source of renewable energy. The Blue Mountain geothermal power plant came online in 2009 and is located a short distance to the west of Winnemucca. The largest recorded earthquake in Nevada history occurred 50 miles south of Winnemucca on October 2, 1915. The Pleasant Valley earthquake had a magnitude of 7.3 and was 35 miles in length (its 19 foot high fault line is still visible).
river crossing location. The community was later re-named in honor of Paiute Indian Chief Winnemucca, who got his name when he was observed as a boy playing on the river wearing only one moccasin. During the late I870’s Chief Winnemucca and his daughter Sarah, traveled across the country bringing attention to the plight of their people. Sarah later wrote an autobiography titled Life Among the Piutes: Their Wrongs and Claims, which was the first book written in English by a Native American. In 2005, Sarah was honored with the placement of abronze statue at the National Statuary Hall in Washington, D.C.
FIRST SETTLERS The settlement of French Ford/ Centerville quickly evolved into a stopping point for settlers along the Emigrant Trail and served as a shipping and supply center for travelers, local prospectors, miners, sheep herders, cattlemen and Paradise Valley
EARLY COMMUNITY HISTORY The Paiute Indians, a traditionally nomadic group, inhabited the area for thousands of years prior to the arrival of white explorers and settlers. Using primarily Native American trails, explorer Peter Ogden (Hudson’s Bay Company) discovered/documented the Mary’ s River area in 1828. The waterway was later renamed the Humboldt River by Peter Lassen in honor of Alexander von Humboldt, a Prussian geographer, naturalist and explorer. During the 1840’ s, a settlement known as both French Ford & Centerville developed at this very busy
4 PROGRESS | February 2017
A Historical Summary of Winnemucca
farmers during the remainder of the 19th century.
BRIDGE STREET BRIDGE Centerville/FrenchFord was initially a heavily used river-fording site, but by 1853 a ferry service was offered by Algaur & Ginaca (Frenchmen). The Lay brothers, who arrived in 1862 from France to work on the Humboldt Canal Project, constructed the first bridge across the river in about 1863. Their bridge was located about 1000 feet downstream from the river-fording site and became known as “French Bridge”. The historicalBridge Street Bridge was constructed in 1910 and remains one of the last surviving concrete
arch-deck bridges of that era in Nevada. The Bridge Street Bridge survived several major flooding events, including the 1910 & 1984 floods and was rehabilitated in 2004 at a cost of over $2 million.
RAILROAD The Central Pacific Transcontinental Railroad was completed in 1869 and the Western Pacific Transcontinental Railroad was completed in 1909. The railroads were financed from capital raised from investors enticed by the promise of receiving alternating sections of government land surrounding the railroad routes. The railroad’s grading work was constructed by Chinese labor using mostly hand tools while Irish laborers laid the ties and rails. The Winnemucca China Town was inhabited by approximately 400 men at its peak.
See Page 6
PROGRESS | February 2017 5
Cont. from Page 4 Throughout our history, the railroads have been used to ship locally grown cattle, sheep and agricultural products to the eastern and western markets. The AMTRAK station was constructed in 2012 to serve the daily California Zephyr passenger trains which have served the community for decades.
COUNTY SEAT The Humboldt County Seat was moved from Unionville to Winnemuccain 1873, mostly due to Winnemucca’s advantageous location adjacent to the newly completed railroad. Humboldt County was one of the original nine Nevada Counties established in 1861. Pershing County, however, withdrew from Humboldt County in 1919 mostly as a result of a hotly contested debate of how to finance the new courthouse (to replace the original courthouse which had burned down in 1918).
MINING Following the California gold rush in the late 1840’s and early 1850’ s prospectors began to concentrate on Northern Nevada looking for ore deposits. The Winnemucca Mountain mining district was founded in 1863; the Paradise Valley district was founded in the 1870’s; the National Mining District was founded in the early 1900’ s. Other ore bodies were discovered and worked in the Humboldt Range, Unionville and Humboldt City areas during this period. The modem mining boom began in the 1980’ s and gold mining remains one of the area’s primary industries today with approximately 1,900 jobs.
BANK ROBBERY The First National Bank of Winnemucca was reportedly robbed by the Butch Cassidy Gang on September 19, 1900. The three suspects apparently got away with over $32,000 and were never apprehended. Butch Cassidy was not identified as one of the robbers, but it has been speculated that three mem-
bers of his gang were involved. The bank owner, George Nixon who was present during the robbery, was later elected as a United States Senator.
HISTORICAL BUILDINGS Winnemucca has many beautiful historical buildings but, unfortunately, has lost many of them through the years including: the 1874 courthouse burned in 1918, 1923 Humboldt Hotel burned in 1975, and 1907 Nixon Opera House burned in 1992. The 1863 Winnemucca Hotel was demolished in 2016. Some of the surviving historical buildings are the 1914 Lamb Home, 1874 Record Home, 1903 Gables Guest House, 1913 Brown Home, 1909 Reinhart Home, 1924 Catholic Church, 1921 Post Office, 1886 First National Bank Building, 1898 Mercantile Building, 1916 Humboldt County High School, 1921 Courthouse, 1912 Kluncy Apartments, 1914 Martin Hotel (original portion of building was built in 1878), 1901 Shone House, and 1927 Grammar School.
CITY INCORPORATION The City of Winnemucca was incorporated as a General Law City on October 4, 1917 and has since grown, with 49 annexations, to 9.6 square miles with a population of approximately 8,000.
US AIR FORCE BASE The US Air Force constructed a base at Sage Heights, a radar station on Winnemucca Mountain and improvements at the City’ s airport in Grass Valley in 1955-1956 in
6 PROGRESS | February 2017
response to the urgent security concerns that our nation was dealing with at that time. When those security concerns lessoned, the Air Force closed its Winnemucca base in 1968 and donated its Sage Heights base and airport improvements to the City.
CITY HALL The City Hall operations took place out of the Nixon Hall and County Court House buildings until the City purchased and remodeled the former post office building in 1992/1993. The former post office was built in 1921 and is one of only two remaining 20th century federally-constructed post offices in Nevada.
FIRE DEPARTMENT The community has been served by volunteer firemen since 1878. The original wooden fire station was constructed in 1879 but burned down in 1891. It was immediately replaced with a sandstone structure in 1892, which served the community for over 46 years. In 1939 a larger stucco firehouse replaced its sandstone predecessor. Over the years large bays were added to either side in order to acconunodate the department’s fire trucks. This fire station served the City until the new fire station was constructed in 2015 at a total cost of $2.0 million. The fire department currently consists of apart-time Fire Chief and 24 volunteer firemen. The former fire station on Bridge Street is now used as a City Public Works building.
POLICE DEPARTMENT The Winnemucca Police Department was established in 1917 and operated out of the old brick ‘’jail” building until the Court House annex building was constructed on the same site in the 1970’ s. The City purchased a building at a bargain price from Ralph Whitworth in 201land remodeled it for police station use in 2012 (total cost $1.5 million). The current police department consists of 22 POST certified officers (including administrative positions).
AIRPORT Early airplane landing strips were located at the current golf course area and at the current fairgrounds area. The City assumed ownership of 320 acres of property in Grass Valley from the Southern Pacific Land Company in January 1942 to be used to construct an airport. The Winnemucca Municipal Airport was substantially improved by the US Air Force during the mid 1950’s. The City/County has received over $14 million in grant funds for airport improvement projects from the Federal Aviation Administration since 1983. The Airport Industrial Park is currently occupied by the Google balloon facility, the Carry-On Trailers manufacturing plant, and the CarWil underground mining equipment fabrication plant.
STREET/HIGHWAYS Winnemucca is located at the junction of US 95 and I-80, and is served by two mainline railroads owned and
See Page 8
PROGRESS | February 2017 7
Cont. From Page 6 operated by the Union Pacific Railroad Company. US 95 follows the old wagon route to the Idaho Silver Mine and I-80 (formerly US 40-Victory Highway) follows the route of the Emigrant Trail to California. Winnemucca has always served as a very popular fueling location for travelers and commercial truckers, generating the need for many gas stations and convenience stores. The City maintains over 65 miles of paved streets a n d
alleys using primarily gas tax revenues. Major assessment district street improvement projects were completed in 1956, 1997, and 2005.
CEMETERY The City’s Pioneer Cemetery (with Chinese section) was created in the 1860’s. Some of the graves were relocated to the new Cemetery site in 1935/36 to allow the construction of US 95 and additional graves were relocated in the 1970’s to allow the construction of Pioneer Park. Only a few of the original grave sites remain in the Pioneer Cemetery. The “new” Winnemucca Cemetery was created in 1912, and a memorial columbarium for cremated remains was added in 2013.
SEWER SYSTEM The City’s municipal sewer system was installed during the early 1900’s and the treatment facility (with primary clarifier) was
WATER SYSTEM The spring-fed penstock pipeline system and several surface reservoirs were constructed in the late1800’s. The municipal system later added deep water wells and was operated by the California-Pacific Utility Company until 1982. The Sierra Pacific Power Company operated the system from 1982 until 1985, when it donated the dilapidated water system to the City for one dollar. The City completed major water system projects in 1990, 1995, 1998, 2006, and 2009. The system is now recognized as one of the finest rural water systems in the state.
HUMBOLDT MUSEUM
later constructed on First Street. The lagoon treatment plant was constructed in 1968 near the River and was expanded in 2000. It will be replaced by the Jungo Road mechanical treatment plant which should be completed in 2017 (at a total cost of over $28 million).
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The City of Winnemucca donated a three acre property to the North Central Nevada Historical Society in 1975. The 1907 St. Mary’s Episcopal Church building was relocated to its present site in 1976 using funding from a state of Nevada Bi-Centennial grant and the Humboldt Museum officially opened in May of 1977. Over the years, the Humboldt Museum has expanded to include the 1880’s Greinstein Building, the 1899 Richardson-Saunders House, as well as a modem (first phase constructed in 1985, second in 2001) two-story brick building housing the bulk of the collection.
SCHOOLS The first school house was built in the 1870’s and was also utilized as a lecture hall, a church, and a community center. The original Grammar School was completed in 1890 but was later razed to make room for the new Grammar School building in 1927, which is still used today. Humboldt County High School was constructed in 1912, and the structure is used today for school district administrative offices. The building was expanded in 1954 to serve as the Winnemucca Junior High School. The Sonoma Heights Elementary School, Grass Valley Elementary School, and Albert M. Lowry High School were all added through the years to accommodate the expanding student population of our community. Winnemucca is also the home to a satellite campus of Great Basin College.
HOSPITAL Medical services during the early years were typically provided by physicians based in hotels (Gables House, Lafayette Hotel, and Winnemucca Hotel) but they also offered house calls. The first known hospital was in a small building located on East Second Street. Humboldt General Hospital has grown substantially through the years to serve the expanding population of our community and now represents one of the finest rural hospitals in the country.
CELEBRATING WINNEMUCCA’S HISTORY
1926 Model T
PROGRESS IS THE DISTANCE BETWEEN
CLASSIC AND CUTTING EDGE. 2017 F150
3305 POTATO ROAD WINNEMUCCA, NV 775.623.5001 WWW.DELONGFORD.COM
New & Used
Vehicles PROGRESS | February 2017 9
County Improvements in the Works
Humboldt County works on improvements while keeping an eye on budgets By Dave Mendiola Humboldt County Administrator
I
t is hard for me to believe that I have been in the Administrator’s position for more than two years now. As is always the case, the days have moved quickly and the learning process never ends. Having said that, this has been two of the best years of my life. Being a part of the community I love and directing the employees of the County with the guidance of the Board of County Commissioners has been a wonderful experience. In 2016, the Board directed my office to 1) complete the Humboldt County Water Plan; 2) implement the Humboldt County Source Water Protection Plan; 3) restructure the administrators office and include a new position of Human Resources Director (which ultimately became the HR Director/Assistant Administrator) approved recently and filled with Abel Del Real-Nava; 4) establish
a new office of Alternate Conflict Counsel as an adjunct to the Public Defender’s office; 5) research and prepare a plan to take over governance of the McDermitt General Improvement District and the Golconda Water District; 6)redirect revenues from 6th District Court Fund to the General Fund to allow for more funds to shore up the General Fund in anticipation of revenue shortfalls; 7) sell 9 properties that were currently held by the County to the public in an attempt to increase revenues and add those properties back to the tax rolls; 8) hire a new Insurance Broker to provide greater service to our employees and get more control over the benefits packages as a whole; 9) continue the update of our Public Safety Radio Communication system; 10) complete the codification of our County ordinances; 11) address the problem of vicious dogs through a new Ordinance and 12) form a new Committee to address the issue of rising expenses which became known as the Budget Expense Review Committee (BERC). In every case, we have succeeded as we are just now finalizing the Alternate Conflict Counsel department and the hiring of the new attorney and recently took over the McDermitt and Golconda systems. All other goals are either completed or
10 PROGRESS | February 2017
soon to be completed. In addition, we have made strides in the conversion of analog systems to a digital process and there is more to come as budgets allow. One of the biggest accomplishments was the hiring of Gina Rackley as the new County Comptroller/Auditor. Gina has a long history of serving the residents of Winnemucca and the County and I am thrilled to have her in place as we move forward. Of course, the vacancy left with her move was filled by another long-time County employee Rhona Lecumberry. We are excited about both Gina and Rhona as they bring immediate credibility, passion and experience to their new responsibilities. Recently the City of Winnemucca City Council and the Board of County Commissioners approved a plan to have our governmental entities join the Northeastern Nevada Regional Development Authority (NNRDA) in order to take on the challenges of diversifying our economy and providing greater job opportunities for the community as a whole. With the pending retirement of Bill Sims, our long-time Economic Development agent, we were forced to consider our plans for the future, The Humboldt Development Authority will continue to be a key factor in this effort, but NNRDA Executive Director Pam Borda will bring her passion, expertise and infrastructure to Humboldt County, including a parttime employee that will reside in the County. The Commission approved the funds to upgrade our GIS system in 2015 to enhance our 911 Dispatch capabilities. The ground work for that was completed in mid-summer 2016. My thanks to Kristi Scheidt, Ben Garrett and Ric Grantham for their work on the project. The initial updates were uploaded in early December 2016. Unfortunately, the updates did not arrive as quickly as we had anticipated, but they are now in the system and we will continue to make updates over the months to come in an effort
to optimize the system. We are also considering a contingency plan to hire a GIS company to assist in the implementation of those upgrades should we be unable complete the upgrades in a timely manner. For the first time in quite some time Humboldt County ran a deficit due primarily to the continuing downfall in revenues, which were $17,586,934 in 2015 and $16,260,030 in 2016 (down $1,326,904). From an expenditure perspective, we held the line year-on-year as we spent $17,654,351 in FY 2015 and $17,594,385 (down $59,966) in FY 2016. This reduction in expenditures includes the 4.5% (approximately $145,132) the County paid in Merit and COLA increases from the prior year. We are entering our third year of updating our Public Safety Communications Infrastructure. The first two have dealt with assessing the tower sites for the necessary repairs or reconstruction as well as completing all the soil assessments for new tower installations. That work is complete and we just recently received the site drawings for these upgrades. The first Microwave link between Winnemucca Dispatch and Winnemucca Mountain was installed in October 2016 and is working well. We will soon be releasing RFP’s for the installation of new towers at Winnemucca Mountain, Golconda Summit and a new site at Rose Creek, which will provide greater coverage in the Grass Valley area. Once these sites are complete we will upgrade the Microwave, Radio and Antenna equipment for Radio, which will be the core of the new Communications system. The tower work will be covered under the current budget, while the equipment will come in the 201718 budget. This project must continue as we have already invested over a million dollars and the renovations will revolutionize how we deliver communications for our emergence responders. Security for our employees con-
tinues to be a high priority as we seek ways to protect them from an increasingly violent world. The Sheriff’s Office has instituted a number of changes to manage this concern in the District Court area by employing a Magnetometer to screen citizens entering the court area. This has been a huge success. I am asking that the Commission engage in a discussion regarding the need to make this a single point of entry where we can filter all activity coming into the
Courthouse in the future. In addition, we are ready to deploy our new Cyber Keys for the exterior of the Courthouse, which was approved late last year. While the challenges are big, the determination of the County staff and employees is undaunted. We will succeed and continue to make changes that enhance the lives of Humboldt County citizens. I look forward to even greater achievements in 2017!
Quality Tri-County Janitorial, Inc
Owned & Operated since 2002 by Melene Ramos
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PROGRESS | February 2017 11
Success in the
Neighborhood
Plastics
Frontier Community Coalition
Est. May 1995
Est. 2001
Diamond Collectibles, Antiques, Vintage Items
Est. May 4, 2015
(775)625-3804 324 S. Bridge St Winnemucca
21 years 1000 Eden Valley Rd.
1 year
Est. June 11, 2016
1038 S Grass Valley Rd.
33 years
Winnemucca 775-623-4477 Our Strength is Our People
Park Cinemas
Est. October 2011
Est. 2000
Serving Humboldt, Lander & Pershing Counties
17 years
311 S. Bridge St.
738 W. Winnemucca Blvd.
29 years
Est. 1988 33 W. Winnemucca Blvd.
775-623-3336
We love Winnemucca
12 PROGRESS | February 2017
Supporting Healthy Communities!
5 years
Sundance Casino
Western Title 401 S. Bridge Street
Simply Trendy
Clip this ad and bring it in for a free gift!
For those who think fitness is the ultimate pursuit.
Est. 1984
Winnemucca 775-673-2400
Winnemucca 775-623-9000
Suite E. 775-304-3743
1005 W. Broadway
Golconda, NV 775-623-3526
PVC Pipe For The 21st Century
New Image Nutrition Depot NV LLC.
15 years
Winnemucca, NV 89445 775-623-4454
Nature’s Corner
5 years
Est. March 2012
330 W. Winnemucca Blvd. Winnemucca 775-625-4330 Dedicated to Your Health and Well-Being
The Martin Hotel
139 years Est. 1878
94 W Railroad St.
Winnemucca, NV 89445 775-623-3197
Entertaining Our Community with Pride
Best in Basque Family Dining Since 1878
Humboldt General Hospital
Mad Hatter
140 years
17 years
Est. February 21, 2000
Est. 1886
346 S. Bridge Street
Winnemucca 775-623-5222
Locally owned & operated screen printing & embroidery.
118 E. Haskell Street
We Believe in being helpful and caring for those in need
Winnemucca 775-623-2521
Success in the
Pennzoil
22 years
Est. February 1995
Neighborhood
Phillips Home Furnishings
66 years
Real Deals
3 years
Est. October 2013
Est. January 1951
16 E. 2nd Street
Winnemucca 775-623-3060
Boutique items arriving soon! Clip out this ad for a free gift!
Feed & Supply
Shore Line
Est. 1997
Est. February 10, 1998
Silver Standard Marigold Mine
1042 S. Grass Valley Road Winnemucca 775-623-5823
131,000 oil changes and still counting
Rose
20 years
Owned and Operated by J n S Entity
2 years
4320 W. Winnemucca Blvd Winnemucca, NV 89445 775-625-1515
Solid Gold Homes
17 years Est. 2000
3319 Potato Road
Winnemucca, NV 89445 775-623-4600 Let us build the custom home of your dreams!
140 S. Bridge St.
Everything to make your house a home.
18 years
49 E. Winnemucca Blvd. Winnemucca 775-625-1001 Clothing, Shoes, Accessories and More!
Winners Inn/Casino
20 years Est. May 1995
1000 Eden Valley Rd. Golconda 775-623-3526 PVC Pipe For the 21st Century
Winnemucca 775-623-3333
26 years
P.O. Box 160, Valmy 775-635-2317 silverstandard.com
Pershing Gold 5 Years Est. 2012
www.pershinggold.com Advancing the Relief Canyon Mine.
Rice Jewelers
26 years
Est. November 1990 Owner Diana Rice
311 S. Bridge St.
Winnemucca 775-623-0708
40 years Est. 1977
140 Pacific Ave
Winnemucca, NV 89445 775-635-2005
DeLong Ford
17 years Est. 2000
3305 Potato Road Winnemucca, NV 775-623-5001
PROGRESS | February 2017 13
Success in the
A & H Insurance
39 years
Neighborhood
The Winnemucca Inn
8 years
Est. 1978
Est. 2009
341 Baud St.
741 W. Winnemucca
Dedicated professionals here when you need us for over 50 years
We strive every day to maintain our title of being Winnemucca’s Premier Choice to stay, work and play!
Winnemucca, NV 89445 775-623-5555
775-623-2565
Unique Boutique
Custom Irrigation
21 years Est. 1996
Creative Photo
1038 Grass Valley Rd a.
3 Years
Winnemucca, NV 89445 775-623-1000
775.623.4242 355 S. Bridge Winnemucca
Le French Twiste
5 years
65 years
Est. February 1, 2012
Est. 1952
357 S. Bridge St.
Winnemucca, NV 89445 775-625-1800
Helping to make you feel beautiful!
Winnemucca Location
16 years
3290 Fountain Way, Winnemucca, NV 89445
14 PROGRESS | February 2017
775-625-4960
Agri-Lines Irrigation, INC
12 years
Local Store Est. January 2005
5025 E. Winnemucca Blvd. Winnemucca 775-625-1945 Zimmatic Pivot Dealer
Serving ALL of Nevada with all your irrigation needs
House of Style
16 years Est. April 2000
464 W. Winnemucca Blvd. (Behind The Griddle) Winnemucca 775-623-2460 Gloria, Paige & Stacy welcome you 7 days a week.
Let’s Party Party Supply Store Est. Sept. 10, 2016
See us for all your party supplies
330 South Bridge St., Winnemucca, NV 89445 775-623-9386
Pete’s Gambling Hall
4 years Est. 2013
1985 W. Winnemucca Blvd.
775-625-1777
We love Winnemucca
Barrick Turquoise Ridge
32 years Est. 1985
HC 66 Box 220 Golconda 775-529-5001
“Everyone Going Home Safe andHealthy Every Day”
Bengoa Eye Care
4 years
Est. December 2012
3302 Traders Way
Winnemucca 775-625-3937
Your Hometown Eye Care Provider!
Success in the
Cheers Tap House
1.5 years Est. 2015
320 S. Bridge St.
Neighborhood
Miller Law
Model T Casino
Est. 2011
Est. 1986
6 Years
Winnemucca, NV 89445 775-623-2660
775.623.5000 115 West 5th Street
Bring this ad and receive 10% off Lunch
We are proud to serve and support the community we live in.
Fun, Food & Libations
Humboldt Museum
43 years Est. 1974
175 Museum Ave.
Winnemucca 775-304-3743 humboldtmuseum.org
Kenner Concrete
30 years Est. 1987
4650 S Grass Valley Rd. Winnemucca 775-623-5577 Readymix Concrete Delivery
30 years
1130 W. Winnemucca Blvd. 775-623-2588
“Putting the Win in Winnemucca”
~COME DOWN RIGHT MEOW~ FIND THE PURRFECT ITEM FOR THE COLLECTOR, ANTIQUE OR THRIFTER AT HEART
2 Years
310 S BRIDGE ST, WINNEMUCCA 775-304-4069
Verner Chiropractic
69 years Est. 1948
504 E. 2nd Street 775-623-3938
Floyd “Doc” Verner began the business, Dennis Verner joined his dad in practice in 1982 and 3rd generation chiropractor, Nicklaus Verner joined the practice in 2015. Celebrating over 50 years of Chiropractic service to the wonderful people of Winnemucca
Desert Disposal 32 years Est. 1985
4062 W. Wmca. Blvd 775-635-2221
Family Owned and Operated with traditional western Values & work ethics serving you our customers
OK Tire
Sage Hill Arms
Est. 1967
Est. November 12, 2013
50 years 750 W. Winnemucca Blvd.
2 years
347 S. Bridge Street
Winnemucca 775-623-5066
Winnemucca 775-623-2767
Farmers Insurance
Khoury’s
Keeping you on the Road
52 years
Est. 1965 Davis Family Owned
Your Local arms dealer
10 years
Est. February 7, 2007
639 S. Bridge Street
1041 S. Grass Valley Road
Fast. Fair. Friendly. Locally-owned & operated.
Groceries, Deli, Bakery, Liquor & Meats
Winnemucca 775-623-2478
Winnemucca 775-625-8200
PROGRESS | February 2017 15
A Game Changer
Great futures begin at the Boys and Girls Club
This overview of the 36,000 square foot Boys and Girls Club of Winnemucca was taken by Jim Billinglsey with his drone
By Joyce Sheen j.sheen@winnemuccapublishing.net
C
an you really change the world — one child at a time? Winnemucca is poised to find out. Those words are a slogan for Boys and Girls Clubs of America and construction on the Boys and Girls Club of Winnemucca (B&G Club) will be completed this Spring.
The 36,000 square foot Boys and Girls Club of Winnemucca will be joining 4,200 other Boys and Girls Clubs across the country that provide services and a safe place for over 4 million kids for the hours before and after school and summertime. But the club is more than just a place. The Boys and Girls Club is a time-tested concept and commitment to help young people develop their potential and set them up for future success. Inside B&G Club in Winnemucca there is a gymnasium, classrooms, two separate game/recreation rooms — one for teens and one for kids 5-12. There are two separate computer labs too — one for teens and one for the younger kids. B&G Club of Winnemucca has a full-size gymnasium, an art center, a theater room with a stage and green room. It has multi purpose rooms, a full kitchen and cafeteria. Upstairs there is a fitness area, indoor walking/running track, and outside there are multi-purpose sports fields. Executive Director Chad Peters is at the club every day checking on the construction crews and their progress. He knows the myriad of workers by name. He said at the end of January that he hopes the construction will be complete and the B&G Club of Winnemucca open in March. Peters grew up in Winnemucca and his enthusiasm is unbounded for
the B&G Club and what he believes it will do for Humboldt County. He was part of a group of locals, The Winnemucca Community Improvement Group, who worked to find a way provide more community recreation and youth opportunities. That effort came to fruition with the Winnemucca Recreation Complex and the Boys and Girls Club. “I’m crazy about it; I’m passionate about it,” Peters said. “I call this place Nixon Hall 2.0 — I grew up in the Nixon Hall, I know what it was like and I remember all the things people could do there. I want this to be the next step up — with all those activities and more, and with all the advanced technology.” Support from the City, County, School District and Winnemucca Convention and Visitors Authority established the seed money for the Boys and Girls Club of Winnemucca. A donation of land from a local developer set the location just north of Lowry High School. A $3 million donation from former Winnemucca
16 PROGRESS | February 2017
resident, Ralph Whitworth followed. Then a $3 million grant from the Pennington Foundation. Those funding sources have been augmented by many other donations, large and small, coming from individuals, families, business and industry. Fundraising and grant writing for continued operations expenses will be ongoing. Grant writing is one of the most important duties of Assistant Executive Director Koralee Bernardo. Bernardo comes to Winnemucca from eight years with the Boys and Girls Club of Rochester, New York. She started out part-time with the club there when her daughter was younger. The job eventually worked into full-time and she is sold on the Boys and Girls Club’s mission. “I fell in love with the kids and the whole concept of giving them a place to learn and grow,” said Bernardo. “I love to see the light in their eyes when they’re able to achieve something — anything from a math problem to a sports skill to making their own yogurt parfaits when we
teach them about nutrition. It’s very exciting.” While Bernardo was working in New York, she had family living in Humboldt County. They contacted her as soon as they heard there was going to be a B&G Club built here. Bernardo was originally from Arizona and had been looking for an opportunity to move back out West. She and Peters talked a number of times and she was eventually hired to be his assistant. Boys and Girls Clubs have been around for over 100 years. And while the organization is nationwide, each club is locally governed. A lot of the personality of each Club revolves around its directors, staff and volunteers. “The Boys and Girls Club of Winnemucca will give local youth a safe place to be, where they can engage in high-impact programming, said Bernardo. “The mission of the Boys and Girls Club of Winnemucca is to enable all young people, especially those
who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens,” said Peters. Some of the young people Peters referred to as those “who need us most” are the 22 percent of K-12th grade youth across the country who are responsible for taking care of themselves after the school day ends because their parents are at work. The B&G Club of Winnemucca will take kids from the club to school in the morning and pick them up after school for a ride to the club. They’ll get a snack and even dinner at the club. When parents pick them up, they’ve finished their homework. “Parents can go home and enjoy their kids without the homework fight,” Peters said. “It makes such a difference to a kid to go to school in the morning with all their homework done and organized ready to hand in,” Peters said. The B&G Club of Winnemucca will have a nominal yearly membership fee. There will also be a weekly fee but Peters said the amount hasn’t yet been determined. “But if you can’t afford it, you can still come,” said Peters. “Filling out paperwork will help us take care of the kids who need it the most.” Peters explained there will be a sliding scale for weekly fees according to ability to pay and there will also be full scholarships for those kids who need them. As kids, ages from five to 18, come into the B&G Club they’ll swipe their membership card. “We register them in so we always know who is in the club,” Peters explained. Kids will have cubbies for their backpacks and coats. A kid’s afternoon at the Boys and Girls Club during the months school is in session will start right after school with “Power Hour” where every kid will pull out their backpack and do their homework. “We’ll have staff and volunteers to help them if they get stuck,” said Peters. “If they don’t have homework, we can put them on a computer for learning activities or give them worksheets and books at their level and just above to help them stretch. We want to take our school district’s numbers and increase them.” “We’ll have a state-of-the-art computer room, especially great for kids who don’t have access to a
computer at home,” Peters said. The computer equipment for the club will be paid for, in part, by a grant from the school district. Using public funds within the club is justified by the close connection with Humboldt County School District, said Superintendent Dave Jensen. “We want Humboldt County School District to be the first education institution in our area, but we want to be the second,” Peters said. The Boys and Girls Club will work hand-in-hand with the school district in many areas. One example of the support and cooperation is the B&G Club’s commitment to join the school district in using the PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports) program. This program has been showing great success in improving behavior within the district’s schools that have been implementing it. “We want all of our verbiage and everything we do here to match PBIS,” Peters said. The Winnemucca Boys and Girls Club will provide additional resources to the community and the schools. “We want the school district and Great Basin College to be able to use classrooms inside the building for Science, Technology, Engineering Art and Math (STEAM) programs,” Peters emphasized. He’s been talking to retired teachers about helping with STEAM projects in the club. “We’ll have pre-SAT and pre-ACT testing study materials too.” “The younger kids will have the opportunity to be involved with progressive learning projects like one that starts with Legos, then adds wheels, motors, and moves to advanced robotics, with tournaments,” Peters said.“Research supports the profound educational impact on students who participate in the services provided through the Boys and Girls Club,” said Humboldt County Schools Superintendent Dr. Dave Jensen. “For example, the 2015 Outcomes Report for the Boys and Girls Club found that, nationally, 82 percent of participants were on track to graduate, compared to 76 percent of non-participating peers. Over three-quarters of participants applied to a four year college or trade program after graduation.” “We’re excited about our students being able to get homework
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Boys and Girls Club of Winnemucca Executive Director Chad Peters has given a number of tours of the under-construction club to community members.
Boys and Girls club of Winnemucca will have a full-size gymnasium capable of being divided sideways so two youth games can be played at the same time. A divider curtain can be put down the center, ceiling to floor, and roll-in bleachers that can be brought in. This is the view looking down into the gym from the indoor walking/ running track.
Cont. from Page 17 help and tutoring in the after-school program and their opportunities to expand their exposure to Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) curriculum,” Jensen said. “During the school day, our students will have access to STEAM materials, athletic equipment, drama and arts instruction and other educational opportunities through the Boys and Girls Club.” The money the school district donated to the B&G Club of Winnemucca came from the sale of school district property, Jensen explained. “Each item purchased with these dedicated funds will be inventoried and cataloged through the school district. As a school district, we’re excited for the opportunities the Boys and Girls Club will give our students for education beyond the traditional school day.” Great Basin College (GBC) director, Lisa Costa-Campbell said she’s excited to explore all of the potential benefits of a partnership with the Boys and Girls Club of Winnemucca. “I am thrilled with the opportunities that the Boys and Girls Club presents,” said Costa-Campbell.”It is a beautiful community asset that will provide great opportunities for young people and our entire community. I’ve talked with Chad Peters and [Lowry High School Principal] Ray Parks about collaboration opportunities and we are all excited. GBC has a great building, but we definitely have room shortage. I personally
would love to offer recreational fitness opportunities for our students and the Boys and Girls Club will be a state-of-the-art facility.” “In addition to being an opportunity to expand our college offerings, there might be a great opportunity to work together for college mentoring, tutoring and internship placements for students as well,” said Costa-Campbell. Local industry is also showing marked interest in the B&G Club of Winnemucca.. “The mines have been very good to us,” Peters said. The teen center will have a mining program that can teach the teens how to drive a mining truck or use mining equipment.” The teen center will also have a pool table, Play Station, X Box and a flight simulator, among other fun things. Another industry, Nevada Energy, donated $50,000 for the audio/video production room at the club. That room will be unique in Winnemucca. “Right now, there’s nowhere in town where anyone can do audio/ video filming and production,” Peters said. “The Boys and Girls Club will have an audio/video production room. We can put up a ‘green screen’ where special effects can be produced. We’re going to have the kids eventually put videos together that talk about programs and things we do in the club.” “We’ve already had more people contact us about helping with this room — with the equipment that we’ll need,” Peters said. “This is part
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of the arts that people want to develop in our area. The room can be used for recording music, video and video editing.” A future goal is to be able to hold high school and college-level classes on audio/video production out of the B&G Club. “We just have to find someone who knows how to teach that,” Peters commented. “We know there are grants to help us pay for it. Being a rural area gives us some opportunities to go after that funding.” Boys and Girls Club of Winnemucca will have a “Torch Chapter” leadership club for teens, a physical fitness program for kids called “Triple Play” for mind, body and soul. “We’ll teach skills, fairness and sportsmanship as well as how to eat healthy,” Peters said. The B&G Club of Winnemucca has a multi-purpose room, stage and theater that are all connected. Peters said the stage depth is less than some of the theater groups wanted but it was what was possible with the budget and construction constraints. “One of the dance teachers said it’s big enough for her classes to perform on,” Peters said, adding, “we’ve had people tell us this stage is larger than the one that was in the high school they came from.” There is a large roll-up door which will make it possible to bring in larger props. A dressing room area is complete with bathrooms and a “green room” area for performers when they’re not on stage. A big projection
screen can give performers the ability to see what’s happening outside on the stage so they know when to go on. Every room in the building will have free Wi Fi Internet and Bluetooth capability, this building will be very advanced,” Peters said. The projection and communication equipment for each room can be rolled in on a portable cart. The basketball backboards and nets are adjustable from 10 feet high down to eight feet high, so with just a remote control, they can be lowered when the younger kids are playing. They can also be pulled up toward the ceiling to be out of the way for non-sports events. The kitchen area is close by. It will have full grills, an oven, fryers, slicers, toasters, and a prep area. A 40-gallon cooker can handle a whole lot of something to feed a crowd — spaghetti sauce, soup, chili or sloppy joes, for example. A large walk-in refrigerator/freezer and a separate dry storage area rounds out the amenities. A loading dock is nearby for easy delivery of supplies. The kitchen will serve an afterschool snack and even dinner for kids in the club, as well as making it possible to do concessions during games and other activities. There are some smart little details to make the building easy to supervise and easier to maintain, like having the wash basins just outside the bathrooms so they’re visible to staff. “That’s where the messes happen
— that was a bowling-alley lesson,” Peters commented, referring to all his family learned by building and running the bowling alley in Winnemucca for many years. Peters pointed out that restrooms are located strategically throughout the building so that each different group and activity would have access to a restroom. That makes it possible to keep groups separate while they participate in different activities going on simultaneously in separate parts of the building. The art room has a see-through wall that the kids can draw on. It then washes off into a little trough that drains. There’s room for art supplies.
Walls near the front will be covered with magnetic boards where the kids can hang their artwork. There will be a secure outside playground too. Peters admits that it may take a little while for folks in our area to get a handle on all that the Winnemucca Boys and Girls Club can do for our community. “We haven’t yet created a culture in Winnemucca of the Boys and Girls Club. It’ll take awhile, but it will happen.” He knows there are people who wonder, “You have this great big building, now how are you going to
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This beautiful view of Winnemucca Mountain is visible out the northwest window upstairs at the B&G Club in the fitness area. Peters said treadmills and exercise bikes are in the plans, along with yoga and fitness classes.
Cont. from Page 19 pay for it?” “Coming from a business background, I know that we have ‘X’ amount of money and we can’t grow faster than we can afford,” Peters said. “The one thing I can bring to the table is my business background.” Peters plans to build a volunteer base too. “I’m going to go out and use my passion and my energy to get people involved in the club. They can
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use the center for something they want to do, in return for a certain number of volunteer hours a week and we can reduce our staff by using volunteers.” Volunteers are an important part of the Boys and Girls Club’s sustainability. “Everything we do here will go full-circle,” Peters said. “The older kids will teach the younger kids. Retired teachers will help the kids. Kids who start in the club at a young
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age are going to be the ones teaching the kids when they get older and volunteering their time.” Peters is already setting up cooperative arrangements with community groups. Young Life and Wyld Life teen groups are active locally. He told them they’re welcome to use the club for their meetings and activities in return for the teens and pre-teens volunteering time inside the club to help with homework, art projects, etc. Wasn’t it supposed to be open around the first of the year? Like every construction project, it has taken longer to build the club than expected but things are definitely coming together. The current hope is to have the building finished and open sometime in March. Winnemucca Mayor DiAn Putnam is on the board of directors for the Boys and Girls Club. “The Club will give our current residents, with their families and potential residents a new location to enhance the education and overall environment for our youth,” said Putnam. “It will provide a safe haven for learning, interaction and activities. The Boys and Girls Club adds to what Winnemucca, as a community, has to offer.” The mayor said keeping Winnemucca a vibrant place to live means continually thinking of the future and what it will take to keep people here while attracting others to the community. “I truly think that the
B&G Club is a major asset to do just that,” she said. Peters and Mayor DiAn Putnam have a vision for a portion of the wall on the north side of the indoor track. They’d like to see it painted with a Winnemucca time line, which will highlight some of the important events over the years from the time Winnemucca became a city. Since this year is Winnemucca’s 100th anniversary, the timing is perfect. The time line will look forward to the positive impact the Boys and Girls Club will have, with the words, “Great Futures Start Here.” “Every day I think — this is so amazing — we’re really going to pull this off!” said Peters. “One of the things I’m most happy about is the opportunity we have to do so many things in the building at the same time. We can have kids in the classrooms, game room, and the gym, people in the fitness area upstairs, while kids are participating in the stage area. We could have four or five different things going on and they will never really interfere with each other. When the club closes to kids for the evening at 7 p.m. it can be available for so many other things.” “Every day when I walk through this amazing building I think of one more thing we can do here,” Peters enthused. “If, after touring this building, you haven’t thought of a way to use this facility for your group or interest, you’re not thinking hard enough.”
Humboldt County School District – A District in Motion
Dr. David Jensen Superintendent
From serving students in isolated rural settings, extending from Paradise Valley, to Rye Patch and Mill City, Humboldt County School District now serves students exclusively within the county. The population of the district has been largely impacted by the varying economic factors, most impactful of which is gold prices. In 1999, the district saw the highest enrollment figures recorded, 4,221 students. Shortly after this time period, gold prices saw a dramatic decrease impacting local employment opportunities, and ultimately for the district, impacted student enrollment figures. Ten years later, in 2009, the district saw its lowest point since 1999 with an enrollment of 3,336. Since that time, the district has had slight growth ultimately leading to this year’s enrollment figure of 3,417. Just as enrollment figures have fluctuated, so have revenue streams. Within the state of Nevada, schools are operated under a system referred to as the Nevada Plan. In the simplest
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of terms, it was designed with the concept that two-thirds of funds to support education would come from local resources, while the remaining one-third would come from state resources. Just as gold prices impacted enrollment, the variation of gold prices from their low to their high impacts local revenue streams. In 2014, when gold prices were approaching $1,800 per ounce, Humboldt County saw its first year in which local revenues fully met the guarantee provided by the state. However, the following year, gold prices fell and as a result, the need to rely on state revenues once again began to grow. Understanding local revenue streams available and the need to ensure an effective learning environment for all students, the community
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arlier this school year, an early record of what is now known as Humboldt County School District was found in the bowels of the courthouse. A review of the heavy, leather bound book unveils a record from the superintendent from 1873 through 1879. This history set in motion the district as we currently know it today.
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supported a roll-over bond in 2008 allowing the district to make critical updates to the existing facilities. Currently, the median age of all the district buildings is identified as 58 years, with Winnemucca Grammar being the oldest and French Ford Middle School as the newest school site.
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Ultimately, the objective of the school district is to ensure that the resources provided, and the facilities in place, prepare students to be college and career ready. This is most effectively measured through graduation rates. In 2012, graduation rates were reported as 63.49%. Following strategic efforts, the district obtained a graduation rate of 82.99% for the class of 2015, while the class of 2016 came in lower at 76.44%. Though we saw a decline for the last year, systems are in place to continue the overall growth trend and as a district, we look forward to reaching our target of having a graduation rate at or above 90%. As we continue to harness the resources available, we are confident that just as the county has progressed and grown as a whole, Humboldt County School District will also continue to build on the progress and success we have achieved.
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Family Support Center
Serving and Strengthening Winnemucca Families
By Cheryl Upshaw Winnemucca Publishing
T
he Family Support Center (FSC) opened its doors on Feb. 1 of last year. It was the brainchild of Judge Michael Montero. In the intervening months, the Center has grown by leaps and bounds. “His vision was to be able to help the entire family get services, not just the individual that substance abuse problems, but to be able to embrace the entire family to give them treatment,” FSC’s Program Manager Brooke Esquibel said. Though the Center got its start by helping Specialty Courts clients, the organization quickly moved to open its doors to the general public. FSC recently received their 501(c)(3) status, which will give them access to more funding sources, and hopefully, allow FSC to continue to expand their programming. The Family Support Center currently offers: mental health therapy, family therapy, play therapy, substance abuse treatment, pet therapy, group treatment, group education, case management, anger management, parenting education and coaching, monitored visitations, Celebrating Families and Strengthening Families, meditation, wellness education, student success and Continued Recovery. Mental health therapy and family therapy are also supported in Spanish. FSC planned to offer several programs soon, including: gambling addiction treatment, divorce education, yoga, financial education and DUI school in English and Spanish.
CHERYL UPSHAW • The Humboldt Sun
Back row — Jose Paniagua, Brooke Esquibel, Colette Hansen, Kevin Wiggins, Elva Pulido, Val Teichert, Meldoy Jones and Michele Jacobson. Middle row — Laura Mata, Jennifer Slovernick and Joanna Hernandez. Bottom row — April Wilson. The Celebrating Families facilitators led small groups during the 16-week Celebrating Families program.
Esquibel was particularly enthusiastic about divorce education and financial education, both of which, she felt, were sorely needed in Humboldt County. Celebrating Families and Strengthening Families are two evidence-based programs that the Family Support Center implemented last year. The two programs were very successful in other states, but were not available in Nevada until FSC offered them. So far, three classes of Celebrating Families have graduated and the first class for Strengthening Families is underway. The Celebrating Families graduates said they felt the class had been
hugely beneficial for their families. At the last “graduation”, a parent told the assembled crowd, “I learned to be a responsible parent, I’m proud now, to be a good example.” Esquibel said she felt that the staff at FSC was “like a family”, and that they worked to support each other. “What’s so great about this place is, they’re all like…a big family,” she said, “That’s what I love about here. It not just a place to work. We’re a family and we’re here to take care of each other.” The more programs offered by FSC, the more they are able to support their vision statement, which
states, in part, “Family Support Center welcomes everyone who walks through our doors.” It goes on to detail their philosophy, which states, “We believe that everyone has the capacity to heal themselves if given the right tools and the appropriate level of support.” The Family Support Center is located at 35 W. First St in Winnemucca. They can be reached by phone at (775) 623-1888. Online, they can be found at FamilySupportCenter.org. The Family Support Center is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Progress
Pride & Progress 22 PROGRESS | February 2017
WINNEMUCCA
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24 PROGRESS | February 2017