I was wondering the other day what happened to the airport plan. Figured the desert tortoise quashed the deal. Bummer. Better enjoy it while we can.

(Thanks for the link AJ)

http://www.klas-tv.com/Global/story.asp?S=2932555&nav=16...

George Knapp, Investigative Reporter
Lawsuit Hovers Over Proposed Ivanpah Airport

(Feb. 10) -- Allegations of shady land deals have been swirling around McCarran Airport for weeks now, and while investigations are unfolding into what really happened, another can of worms has been opened concerning an airport that hasn't even been built yet.

An airport proposed for the Ivanpah valley at Stateline is the subject of a nasty lawsuit, which alleges dirty dealing on the part of county officials. The suit involves some of the biggest names in Nevada and has been kept quiet -- until now.

Other than the Primm casinos, and an occasional off-roader, there isn't much action in the vicinity of the Ivanpah valley's dry lake. But just a few years from now, the skies over the dry lake will be pierced by screaming jetliners, and a major international airport will be open for business. Some 17,000 acres of BLM land will be put into play, offering plenty of potential for "funny business."

A group of prominent businessmen think there has already been some dirty dealing. A major lawsuit has been filed against Clark County and airport officials, alleging that the Ivanpah plan was stolen. The essence of the suit is this: a transportation consultant named Ray Young and his company, Hamilton Development Group say they first approached McCarran officials back in 1995 with the idea for an airport at Ivanpah. They proposed a cargo airport, but one that could eventually be transformed into a passenger airport when McCarran tops out.

Hamilton asked the county for the okay to study the Ivanpah site. The county said yes. In 1997, impressed with the results of the Hamilton study, aviation director Randy Walker gave his approval to a 5-year memo of understanding in which the county agreed to award to Hamilton the right to design, build, and operate parts of the new airport.

The county commission approved the deal. Hamilton agreed to continue its studies and to help lobby for federal approval. Hamilton says the studies that it conducted at Ivanpah were instrumental in getting Congress to okay the project. President Clinton signed off on the plan as well. That's when things took a nosedive for Hamilton.

The company says it was booted from the project in 2001 by Randy Walker, who allegedly told the company it simply wasn't needed anymore, even though an airport officiall was quoted in news accounts as saying the county had stolen the idea from Hamilton. Since then, Hamilton has quietly asked the county to at least compensate it for the time and money it put into the original studies. But the county has refused. Potential damages could be in the millions if Hamilton prevails.

The unspoken implication is that airport officials cut Hamilton out of the picture so that someone else could be awarded the lucrative contracts to run things at the Ivanpah airport, not to mention the money to be made from the growth boom that will occur all around the new facility.

County manager Thom Reilly, who authorized an audit and investigation of land dealings at McCarran, said during a taping of Face to Face With Jon Ralston , that changes will be made to prevent shady land deals at Ivanpah.

"The circumstances surrounding the proposed airport at Ivanpah are different than at McCarran. We don't have the existing zoning or property ownership there, where we have the checkerboard process. So zone it correctly and auction it off in the future," Reilly said.

The other attention grabber about the lawsuit is the list of potential witnesses. The I-Team has learned that some very big names have been deposed as potential witnesses for Hamilton Development Group, including prominent attorneys Joe Brown and John Laxalt, Dr. Troy Wade of the Nevada Alliance, Sommer Hollingsworth of the Nevada Development Commission, Bob Campbell, former city manager of Henderson, County Commissioner Bruce Woodbury and many other movers and shakers.

While the defendants aren't talking for the record, county sources say the Hamilton Group has no case. Five of the six claims initially filed have already been dismissed. A memo of understanding is not a contract, the sources say, and the reason the county walked away is that the Hamilton Group had no money behind it and could never handle a project of this magnitude. By saying no to the Hamilton Group, the sources say, Randy Walker was saying no to well-connected good old boys, not the other way around.

One partner of Hamilton's was former airport director Bob Broadbent, Randy Walker's mentor. He was turned down too. As for stealing the whole idea, the county says it was no secret that a second airport would be needed and it expects to win hands down when the case goes before a jury on March 8th.

A land rush is already underway in the Ivanpah valley. The Bureau of Land Management says it has been swamped with land requests from developers who are betting that a major boom will accompany the construction of the new airport.

Yep, Dave, we're gonna lose the Ivanpah Valley soon. Greed and growth are the American diet, these days.

And, the paving of the entrance road at Elmer's is not good news, either... the motorized sports have taken over out there, and dominate what's left of the landscape. The crowding is getting nothing short of ridiculous, and the lake and adjacent brush areas are taking a real beating. Puckerbumps are now puckerless, just little rises in the lakebed, which every 2-wheeler out there seems determined to hammer down to dust. Kiss Elmer's goodbye, too.

"Buggy Texas" is soon going to be the best option... you ready for all of us? :o)

Man I'd really like to see you guys out here, but you'd better hurry. We're in the same boat as you with development. There is a couple or three billion being spent on new developments on the west end of Galveston Island as we speak. This includes 'our' beach.

See ya in < two weeks!

Sad news, I cant believe what money does to people.....

On the brighter side, maybe Arizona should start hosting an event. There is a HUGE dry lake about 75 minutes east of Tucson. Right off Interstate 10. Nothing but a tiny town called Willcox, AZ nearby. I have only been out there once. I think it is one of the largest dry lakes though, at around 50 square miles. Oh well, cant really stop "Progress", so lets enjoy Ivan and Elmers while they last!! I cant wait to see all you people that make this sport so wonderful, see ya there!!

Sean

Quote:

Originally posted by jonesing4wind Sad news, I cant believe what money does to people..... On the brighter side, maybe Arizona should start hosting an event. There is a HUGE dry lake about 75 minutes east of Tucson. Right off Interstate 10. Nothing but a tiny town called Willcox, AZ nearby. I have only been out there once. I think it is one of the largest dry lakes though, at around 50 square miles. Sean

You're not kidding! That is one huge dry lake! Check out these two Landsat7 photos taken from the same altitude...

Ivanpah
http://www.buggytexas.com/sats/Ivanpah.jpg

Cochise - Willcox, Arizona
http://www.buggytexas.com/sats/cochise.jpg

Great find, Dave!! I buggied on the "little" tip on the NW corner. That is a RailRoad track going across it. I have not yet been to Ivanpah, so I assume that is the town of Primm at the north end? It looks like it may get a little terrain at the South end. And what crosses that one, is it a RR also? (many questions will be answered in just a couple weeks..... )

</thread hijack>

Sorry!

Hello Dave,
BEAUTIFUL sat pics for sure, this Cochise / Willcox dry lake is huge.
Thank you again for the info................very nice.
:singing:

Quote:

Originally posted by jonesing4wind I have not yet been to Ivanpah, so I assume that is the town of Primm at the north end? It looks like it may get a little terrain at the South end. And what crosses that one, is it a RR also? (many questions will be answered in just a couple weeks..... ) </thread hijack> Sorry!

Yes, that's Primm resorts at the north end. Interstate 15 on the left and railroad tracks on the right. Scrub brush mixed in at the southern end.

Lots of questions here about Cochise. I'm going to try to take a look at it on the way to Elmers in < two weeks!

Very interested in going to that lake. The biggest place i've ever been is the Black Rock Desert and it's huge, but the Lamma has been to some lake in Australia that's supposed to be bigger.

aoxo

Oh Ya Baby!

I would love to start planning a little excursion down to Cochise.
I think that part of AZ is prone to moisture coming in from the Pacific so we might want to go in late May or June.

Interested? Let's talk about it via e-mail.

A Corey Story:
I've been to Lake Gairdner in South Australia.
Some 130 km past the end of the paved road.
Past the outback, out beyond the bush...
Our little goup of 19 more than doubled the population within 100 miles.

Lake Gairdner is the fourth or fifth largest dry lake in the world, and only the third largest in Australia.
Gairdner is about 100 miles north to south and some 30-40 miles across
We were about 6 miles down a 13 mile arm of the lake that extended off the southwest corner.
Gairdner is a "dry" salt lake.
We were there in November, their spring, and recent rains meant the salt felt dry to the touch, but the pressure of buggy tires, rolling at anything over 5 mph, brought the water up (capillary action) and flung wet globule of salt on us.
We were "peppered with salt".

Scott Skinnner was there (fresh off his International Buggy Championship) and can verify. Ask him about it at NABX.

I am often wrong, but never in doubt.

Safen Up! Buggy On!

the coreylama

Whoa, this looks like hope... Cochise Dry Lake outside Willcox, Arizona. I feel a research session coming on. If this place is as big as it looks from the air, and if it's not closed off everywhere, it could be the next "Ivanpah" for everybody. A little closer for the Texicans, and a little farther for the Californicans, so hey, we all drive off in opposing directions, and meet in the middle!

O'course, some of us better get there before the Mayor cum Lama, or we'll all arrive only to be told WE PARKED IN THE WRONG DANG PLACE, AGAIN! :o)

I'll be staying overnight in Willcox Thursday week on my way to Elmers. Sean (jonesing4wind) tells me there are signs up from the military to stay off since the lake used to be used for practice and there are unexploded shells about. Surely they've been absorbed by the desert by now?

I've found internet references to people using the lake with OHVs and even some guy in a Hobby Cat when there was standing water. But I also found a site warning about the military signs and unexploded ordinances, though he looked like an old fart that didn't know how to have fun.

Anyway, I have the trip planned around that dry lake too so should know more about it over the next couple weeks.

See ya soon!

PS My map shows it as Cochise, but the modern politically correct name is Willcox Playa. (I like Cochise better)

Well, you can't blame me, I tried to get this thread back on topic....

Since I live in AZ, and have buggied this lake, I will share my very limited knowledge. Keep in mind that it was 3 years ago, and it was the first time I had a Razor up trying to buggy with it. When I was there, I DID NOT see any signs, military or otherwise, saying not to go out on the lake. I also did not see any bombs laying around....(other than the dog kind) I met up with a buggier who lives in Willcox, and from what I recall he went by BobDawg. He had a PLComp and Skytigers. I lost touch with him. ANyway, I recall the surface being "crusty" and as you would walk, your feet would break this surface crust and you would sink just a little. I remember hoping it would be harder. When I spoke with Bob about this, he said that in the middle of summer it gets like that, cause of the constant heating and cooling, and that the first good rain would make it hard and fast agian. The lake bed is over 4000 feet ASL, and is cooler than Phoenix and Tucson. There are mountains on a couple sides that appearantly funnel wind through. When I was there I was new to buggying, so cant really sum it up nicely. I am sure we are all waiting on a detailed repoort from Dave.

So: "THANKS, DAVE!!!!!

Sean

BTW, If anyone plans a weekend trip there, let me know! I will be happy to meet ya there.....

Oh ok, I misunderstood. I thought YOU had seen the keep off signs. The old fart on the webpage might have been a birder trying to keep everyone away. I feel better about my chances of not getting arrested now.

Don't worry, the thread's on topic... places to buggy, threatened or new.

Won't be long!

Yea, you should be OK. I saw a pickup and trailer and heard what I assume were quads or dirt bikes, but never saw them. ANd the guy I met there did not seem to be concerned in the least about anything. Nice guy, I wish I could get ahold of him......

Wilcox Playa update:

After digging in archived emails from over 2 years ago, I found the guy who lives in Willcox. His name is not Bob, not even close (damn memory) Anyway, he said there ARE "No Tresspassing" signs on the East (large) side of Willcox playa, that there ARE unspent shells on the East side, and that the whole thing was under military comtrol, so chances are slim to none of getting permission.

The West (small) side did not have signs that I can recall, and may fall under some sort of "dont ask, dont tell" policy. But this prolly means no big events.... Maybe low key small ones, tho.

I will continue to research this, but my hope level just went down a couple steps.....

See ya all soon!!

Sean

Thanks Sean. What a waste of good buggy space. Maybe we should start a champagne to get the government to clean it up since it's a hazzard to the tens of thousands of sand hill cranes that winter there.

I heard somthing of the un exploded shells also from my step father but I thought he was just blowing gas. Guess not!