Wendover’s lack of a hardware and an auto parts store high lighted in the Community Needs Assessment report came as a surprise to Arby Stone and Mike Crawford owners of A & I Hardware and Car Quest Auto Parts respectively.
“Maybe it is because we are so hard to find,” Stone said. “We are only a big building on Wendover Boulevard with a big sign that says ‘HARDWARE’.”
The misinformation concerning those two retailers were not alone in the 73 page report presented to the West Wendover City Council last week.
In addition the report made several other errors in fact and in degree that at best gives a skewed impression of Wendover and at worst paints a portrait of a city that does not exist.
click for Needs Report: WW Final Report JUNE 2013
The most glaring example is the total omission in the report of social services such as welfare and food stamps. While the report accurately states that no welfare offices exist in West Wendover, Nevada, they do in Wendover, Utah and most are available to residents from both sides of the state line. Wendover, Utah also host the senior center in its own community building.
“I think it is sad,” said Crawford who is also mayor of Wendover, Utah. “They came over here met with us. They even had a town hall meeting at our community center. It looks to me that someone edited out all references to Wendover, Utah in the final report. It is sad and it does not give a full picture of our community.”
“To seek input from local residents about the future of their community, the West Wendover City Council invited the Nevada Rural Development Council (NRDC) to complete a Community Assessment for the City of West Wendover. Funding was secured through the Governor’s Office of Economic Development Community Development Block Grant program. The NRDC assembled a trained and certified resource team to assist in evaluating community challenges, assets and hopes. The team then developed suggestions for improving the quality of life, and the social and economic future for the West Wendover community. The four-day assessment began Monday, April 22, 2013 and concluded with a Town Hall Meeting in the West Wendover City Hall on Thursday, April 25, 2013.
The Resource Team began its visit with listening sessions at the West Wendover Jr. and Sr. High School where they heard the hopes and dreams of High School Students. The next day they received a tour of West Wendover including Wendover, Utah. The team participated in 15 listening sessions overall and received hundreds of citizen comments as well as comments through email and in writing.” Read the report.
Along with the glaring errors and omissions the report did comment about the lack of retail businesses in West Wendover.
“A lack of retail facilities in small rural communities is not uncommon, but it appeared to be especially severe in West Wendover. Maybe this is because the town is relatively young, or maybe because two substantial retail centers (Elko and Salt Lake City) are fairly close. Listening session participants commented that it is impossible to buy all the basics in West Wendover and traveling to the two large urban centers is essential, and has become part of the way of life for West Wendover residents.”
In particular auto parts, auto repairs and tire suppliers were mentioned; we heard that there are no tradesmen available, e.g. plumbers, carpenters, handymen; there is no dry cleaning facility, grocery stores are lacking, and the movie theater needs to be upgraded. Several mentioned they felt a Wal-Mart and Home Depot were justified and badly needed in West Wendover. Clearly there are gaps in the provision of basic supplies from within West Wendover.” It reported.
However the report gave no historical reference to the current dearth of private development.
A late as a decade ago Wendover had many of the businesses and industries now lacking in the community.
Many have since either closed or migrated across the state line to Wendover, Utah.
The decline of retail business coincided with the adoption of ever increasing ordinances meant to regulate business by the city council such as mandating new casinos have at least 150 room hotels, requiring council approval for paint color and mandating finger prints for all new business license applicants.
In addition to increasing the red tape the city began to expand into the private sector sometimes taking over private businesses such as garbage disposal and the bus services, other times by competing against them: real estate, sign painting, and bill boards for example. Indirectly the city’s expansion of its public works department later decision to perform small construction jobs in house rather than hiring a contractor may have helped the exodus of construction companies and the tradesmen they employed. Ten years ago there were six independent contractors working in Wendover. Today there are none.
The city has also been apparently loath to purchase from local retailers. In the construction and furnishing of the multimillion dollar city complex West Wendover made very few if any purchases from local stores.
While West Wendover city Administration was generally lauded in the report the surveyors underlined a major problem concerning community involvement.
“While there were a few comments in the listening sessions regarding a lack of community engagement, this was something that was perceived, more than clearly articulated, during the visit to West Wendover. In other words, the effects and symptoms of poor community engagement became apparent through the listening sessions and other discussions held by the Resource Team during the visit to West Wendover.” Read the report.
While the report noted the absence of a Chamber of Commerce today as a possible reason for lack of community involvement it failed to note that less than a decade ago there was one, Wendover USA, with membership spanning the state line. That enterprise too was absorbed into the city offices.
For its part the West Wendover city council welcomed the report’s conclusions.
“The Nevada Rural Development Council has now issued the Final Report for the West Wendover 2013 Needs Assessment. The Final Report includes the prioritization of needs as reviewed and identified by the public at the June 20th Priority Setting Meeting held at the Rainbow Convention Center.
The City along with assistance from those dedicated public participants will now continue its work in further analysis and implementation of the goals of the Needs Assessment in conjunction with previous planning work completed by the City including its master plan and capital improvement programs among others.
The project has been a great success!” Reported city staff on the West Wendover website.
