Reno City Council members on Wednesday approved an agreement with the Reno Tahoe International Airport to provide the airport with fire inspection services through the Reno Fire Department.
The approval, however, was preceded by lengthy discussion on whether RFD had the capacity to add the inspections to its workload.
During public comment, resident Ronda Theisen asked whether or not RFD should be taking on more responsibilities when, she feels, they are already lacking in the responsibilities they currently have.
Theisen is a resident at 1200 Riverside Drive and said her apartment was destroyed by water used to suppress a fire in October 2022. Theisen said that more than 100 days ago she had asked the council whether the amount of destruction seen in the buildings was necessary.
She also alleged that RFD was not aligned with the Reno Fire Code during the suppression of that fire.
“We [now have] millions of dollars of damage, and I just learned today it will be another eight to 10 weeks until we have elevators,” Theisen said. “And it will be another 16 weeks before they can repair the HVAC system, on top of the 12 weeks it will take to get kitchen cabinets.” 
According to residents, all but one of the units in the 11 story high-rise building sustained water damage during the incident, due in part to RFD not having a ladder truck high enough to reach the top floor of the building, Theisen alleged.
“To date I have heard nothing,” Theisen said. “I saw on the agenda that the fire department is asking to expand its scope of services to the airport… If this were your home, would you be satisfied with the non-answers you’ve received from the city? I want to know that Reno is equipped to fight high rise fires [and] that the other thousands of residents aren’t in the same danger we have.”
Following her comment, Mayor Hillary Schieve asked Theisen whether Reno Fire Chief Dave Cochran had been in contact with her and the other residents regarding the incident, as she had instructed him to during the previous meeting when Theisen gave comment.
“Chief Cochran has not met with us,” Theisen said. “He made one, in my opinion, cavalier remark to the meeting, in which he said, ‘Water goes down.’”
Council member Jenny Brekhus asked why the airport cannot provide fire inspection services for themselves.
“Because we have the capacity, we have the staffing, we have the expertise. They could do all that but it’s quite expensive. It is a fee for service – we’re not doing it gratuitously. We are going to be charging for our time,” Cochran said.
“I keep hearing how overtaxed your department is,” Brekhus said. “I also have a very comprehensive study with 32 recommendations that your department should be following up on. Maybe you’re ahead of the game.”
Brekhus asked whether or not RFD had completed a recommended risk analysis on areas including high rise structures.
Cochran said that there is a regular inspection program, but a formal risk analysis has not been completed.
Brekhus also asked about other recommendations in the report, and Cochran said that it’s worth noting that the list of recommendations were just that – recommendations, which RFD was never explicitly directed to adopt.
Council member Naomi Duerr asked if Cochran knew how much the program would be making in their fee collection, and Cochran said that while that is not known, inspections would cover close to 200 properties that the airport currently owns.
“It’s not just properties on the airport [grounds], what they call ‘outside the fence’ or outside the airport. Those surrounding properties are owned by the airport and they have not been inspected either,” Cochran said.
Cochran added that some of the properties haven’t been inspected for a decade or longer.
“It’s really a safety issue because our firefighters are going to be responding,” Cochran said.
“It’s critical to me that these get inspected,” Duerr said. “It’s astonishing in some ways that we’re here after a couple decades, perhaps, of not being inspected.”
“My firefighters support this 100%,” Cochran said. “They want this done for their own safety.”
Brekhus said that the money was not the issue, but rather RFD should focus on “their own workload” first.
“Are we a fee-for-service department?” Brekhus asked. “I don’t think so.”
The motion passed with Brekhus voting against.
Teglia’s Paradise Park Improvement Project
Council members approved a contract for up to $1.3 million to Spanish Springs Construction for the Teglia’s Paradise Park Playground and Restroom Project. The total project cost is $2.08 million.
Council also approved the use of $600,000 additional funding from the Residential Construction Tax District 3 for the project as well.
The park spans 38 acres near the corner of Oddie Boulevard and El Rancho Drive.
It was previously determined that the existing playground and restrooms were in need of replacement and improvements. A portion of the playground and picnic shelter will be demolished to construct a new playground, which will be inclusive for children with disabilities.
The new playground includes two structures for children, one for ages 2-5 and another for ages 5-12, with an inclusive merry-go-round, zip lines, and a “ninja-style” fitness course.
Shade areas, picnic tables, and sidewalks will also be incorporated, according to a press release issued by the city.
Since 2017, the park has received or began seven improvement projects, from pathway improvements, to the installation of “mini-pitch” courts, facility updates, art work and more.
Some seniors in the area, however, have complained the city isn’t doing enough to maintain the park. As This Is Reno reported last fall, several have taken maintenance into their own hands including trimming back shrubs and removing weeds.
The estimated completion of the playground project is slated for July 2023.
Stead Water Reclamation Facility sewer capacity increased
Council members also approved a recommendation to increase the amount of sewer capacity at Reno Stead Water Reclamation Facility (RSWRF) from 225,000 gallons to 350,000 gallons, which will reserve 150,000 gallons.
According to Regional Infrastructure Administrator John Flansberg, RSWRF is under a sewer capacity allocation program due to limited sewer capacity at the plant.
While the expansion project has now been completed, sewer capacity will remain limited until the Advanced Purified Water Facility (APWF) project is fully functional.
A short-term project was constructed to shave the raw sewage flow for processing at TMWRF. The project provides up to 500,000 gallons of sewer capacity, and until Wednesday, council had authorized up to 225,000 gallons.
According to Flansberg, as of Jan. 30, an estimated additional 191 residential units could be authorized through sewer will-serve letters. It takes approximately 18-24 months for projects granted will-serve letters to begin contributing their flows to the facility.
However, Duerr questioned whether it would be safe to use some of that capacity rather than reserving it for emergencies, such as needing the flow shave to divert water to Swan Lake to prevent flooding.
Duerr asked what the cut off needs to be, since they should not use up all of the 500,000 gallon capacity in case of emergencies.
“I want you to calculate how much capacity we need to leave in the flow shave to be conservative, to ensure we can protect people. We’ve already agreed to a very high settlement – we don’t want to replicate that. If we only have 500,000 and we’re already at 350,000, it strikes me we might need all of it.”
Flansberg said there are tools in place now to prevent the flooding emergencies the city dealt with in 2017, such as diverting water to Swan Lake, or using water to irrigate the American Flat farm.
“That allows us to manage the lake levels unlike what we had in 2017,” Flansberg said.
Schieve said that water engineering is a complex topic and the council should rely on staff for insight and recommendations.
Council member Kathleen Taylor asked if this approach is conservative. Swan Lake is currently at 3,750 acre feet of water, and Flansberg said flooding begins at around 10,000 feet.
“I feel like we’re moving forward in a very scientific and conservative method,” Taylor said.
“We are at 40% full,” Flensberg said. “We know much more today than we did before.”
Flansberg said the allocation project would only extend until the project at the plant is completed, which will take approximately four years.
Council approved the additional usage, with Brekhus voting against.
Council denies road annexation request
Council members denied a request for annexation of a residential three-acre parcel located northwest of Hoge Road near Mason Road.
The application for annexation was received by the city in July 2022, and included a parcel of land consisting of a single-family home and three structures, all built in the 1950s. The home is currently using septic and well, and is accessed through a private drive.
Annexation is a term used to bring a property within the confines of city limits – in this case, Washoe County land would become City of Reno land. According to staff findings, other properties adjacent to the site were annexed in 1981.
Several nearby residents requested the council deny the request, citing annexation and the development of the road and new utilities would damage the natural area and rock formations that are located in the area.
The area is rural, sandwiched between the city and U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management land and is accessible by dirt or gravel roads. Residents who came to ask council to deny the request said they did not want the area to change or become more urban, and they believe annexing the property would cause this to occur.
Council members discussed the challenges in annexing the property including access due to steep grades and terrain, natural formations, and the fact that those challenges would limit the city’s desire to promote growth in that area.
While staff determined that findings were made for annexation and recommended approval, the council decided to deny the request to the applicant, which will keep the property in Washoe County’s jurisdiction.
“There are several reasons I just don’t think it’s a good fit [for annexation],” Council member Meghan Ebert said. “It doesn’t conform with our guiding features in our master plan. […] I just don’t find that it fits with any of the goals we’re trying to achieve with the city of Reno at this time.”
“We do not have planned regional growth in this area,” Duerr said.”We don’t have plans to expand [utilities] there.”
The decision to deny was unanimous.
Other business
Council approved a donation of $1,000 to the Sons and Daughters of Erin to support Irish cultural events, and $1,000 to Baby’s Bounty to expand operations from southern Nevada to northern Nevada, both of which come from Reese’s council discretionary funds.
Council approved the budget and capital improvement plan for the Downtown Ballroom Facility. Submitted through the Downtown Management Company. In 2022, a net profit was reported of $391,155 with capital expenditures of $45,437. The agreement allows for a 50/50 sharing of net revenue between the city and the management company.
Council approved a two-year agreement with the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation to offer lobby food services at Reno City Hall. DETR will contract with an operator to provide a coffee shop offering beverages and a “variety of healthy packaged snacks” along with pre-made and made-to-order sandwiches, wraps and salads. Opening is slated for May 2023.
