What's That Construction Project? 9300 Gateway Drive

According to Zillow, the 9300 Gateway Drive property in South Reno was recently bought for five million dollars over its estimated value.

The buyer? Leggera Development, a developer group with numerous properties in southern Nevada, which has as its tag line, “Reinventing the Blueprint for Modern Development.”

Their About Page indicates they are “Creating Top-Quality Institutional-Grade Apartments And Build-To-Rent Communities In Las Vegas NV, Reno NV, And Phoenix AZ.”

The website indicates they will be constructing a “79 unit two-story town home development in South Reno at 9300 Gateway Drive.” 

You might remember a two-story house and a massive tree just up the street from the “South Reno Athletic Center.”

A home built in the year 1918 existed on the lot which also included an additional subunit which was built years later. This property stood the test of a time in a South Reno that has developed expansively of late, favoring suburban neighborhoods and tech industries.

This lot is located at the base of Huffaker Park on the south end of the hill in between large apartment complexes and nearby business spaces. The demolition of the property serves as symbol to the transformation of Reno and its economy from 1918 until the present.

Our Town Reno photos and reporting by Will Munson

MacKenzie, a Trans Woman in Recovery after Being Incarcerated and Unhoused

“I was born in Oregon. I came here in 2004 to seek a new life. Oregon wasn't ideal for me anymore, and so I came down this way and started a new life here. My initial thoughts when I first got here was city.  I grew up kind of more in the country, so it was a little different to get used to … but I really like it here. I have two boys from a previous marriage … and my children are here, my wife now is here, so this is home.

But during my time here, I’m not going to lie, I got into some trouble myself here and made my way into the wonderful correctional facilities here. I had to learn a lesson. After I learned that lesson, I stayed on the straight, but still had struggles with addiction. 

I was suffering knowing who I was inside, but still portraying what society wanted me to be at the time, which was male, and not living up to my full potential. It was difficult, it was really difficult. 

Struggling with addiction, I found myself on the streets, on and off. Then I got clean … until I was raped, after coming out in 2019. And that sent me into another spiral and back to addiction, which led me to pretty much find the Our Place shelter.

The first time I was there, it was refreshing. I’m going to say it was very lively. It seemed like they had something positive to do for the community. I stayed there about three different times, on and off, still struggling with addiction, bouncing around with partners, finding the right space for myself. And then ended up going back on the streets. 

I did a little bit of traveling to … find myself. I ended up going to 68 different cities and 11 different states, once again finding my way back to Reno and home . My kids are here, so I wanted to come back to them, but I did get a chance to kind of explore a lot of the Western states … and visit family in Texas, and just see what was out there. 

[People I interacted with on the streets and at Our Place] … I actually ran into a couple of them recently. They're still struggling. Myself being in a better position, I was able to offer them some clothing, some bottled waters out of the back of my car. I always try to keep clothes that I've either grown out of or I've come across and keep in the back of my car for people who are cold and need a little bit of help, you know?

 I made a really good friend while at Our Place and we ended up getting married. So, yeah, she's my star. 

Advice for others? Don't give up. Keep pushing forward. Whatever comes your way, just keep pushing forward. I read something [recently] … on my Facebook. It was really cute. I don't know if I'm gonna say it it exactly right, but it said that a bow and arrow has to be pulled backwards. So if you feel like you're going backwards and struggling in life, just remember that when the arrow is released, it goes forward launching you into successes.” 

Interview and Photo by Vanessa Ribeiro for Our Town Reno

E.M. Starr: Spilling the Beans from Backstage at the Old Harrah’s Showroom

Elaine Sargent – also known by her penname, E.M. Starr – is the author of Rhinestone Confidential, a memoir she wrote of her memories and experiences working behind the scenes in the showroom at Harrah’s, Reno. Within the pages, Elaine recounts the golden days when Reno was a casino town full of late-night shows. She shares the juiciest moments and mishaps from backstage at Sammy’s Showroom, Harrah’s then-hot venue for cabarets and headliners where Elaine worked a wardrobe job. Our Town Reno reporter Gaia Osborne sat down with Elaine to talk about her time at Harrah’s and experience authoring a book.

GO: Can you tell us about yourself and your experiences that informed the writing of Rhinestone Confidential?

ES: Sure! I wrote a book about my experience working backstage at Harrah’s Reno. The name of the showroom was Sammy’s Showroom. In 1992, they made a change to the closer cabaret which featured bands and then showgirl review acts, eventually deciding to close the cabaret and make it into a sportsbook. They made the headliner room into a combination. Shows were twice a night, with an added early show that was deemed good for families – the show girls were covered on top. The middle show was a headliner; Bill Medley, Phyllis Diller, Don Rickles, and many others. The late show was topless. Now, there are no more showgirl revues in Reno, or Vegas either. So, in 2020, when Harrah’s closed for good, I had some time on my hands and decided it was time to write my story. I had left Harrah’s earlier on, in 2007, and I tell the story of that in my book. I ended up with the backstage job actually through UNR. I was a journalism major, but knew immediately that I didn’t want to do hard news. I decided to focus on fashion journalism, but since they didn’t offer that at UNR I made my own study abroad program in ‘89, and moved to New York City to attend the Fashion Institute of Technology. I was enrolled in the fashion journalism program there for one semester. When I came back to Reno, I was a little down at the fact that I couldn’t continue with what I really wanted to study. My sister had told me that she took costuming as an elective, and I had no idea that was even offered. So I enrolled in Costuming 101, starting my path to costume design which I ended up minoring in. I was doing an internship and ended up at Harrah’s in a wardrobe job, which meant I was fixing the costumes, helping the entertainers get dressed backstage to make their quick changes. That job fell in my lap, and that’s how it all started.

GO: What was it like being backstage at these shows? What goes into putting on the shows and making them run smoothly?

ES: It was very exciting being backstage, even though when you do the same show over and over, night after night, it can sometimes get boring. But still, no matter what, you’re backstage, the music is thumping in your ears, and you’re having to move quickly to get people on stage. And then every once and a while, something goes wrong. We had the power go out once, a costume break apart, things like that. We even had an elevator in the middle of the stage that went up and down with the performers in it. It malfunctioned, and so if you have an elevator sticking up in the middle of the stage and a performer going on expecting the elevator to be flat, that can be a problem. Being backstage, there’s always something going on. I loved the shows that we had, almost every show was just incredibly well done. I say almost because we had one little bip where the producer decided that with Cirque du Soleil being such a hit, we should go in that direction. It was our least successful show. But the producer and director, I consider friends. Everybody in that show, the cast and crew, I consider family still and Facebook is great. We are all able to keep in touch. But yeah, the Cirque du Soleil show was not a success. The girls were dancers, not acrobats. And when I say dancers, they were highly trained. But there was crying, there were injuries. But their shows are fantastic.

GO: Were the performers in the show local girls or did they travel from other countries to come and perform at Harrah’s Reno?

ES: That’s a really good question. Most of them did come from all over the world, we had dancers from South Africa and England. But we did have a few local girls. We had two girls from Reno High become gorgeous, beautiful dancers in the shows. One of them even went on to have her own production company once the shows went away. But showgirls originated in France, with a dance teacher named Miss Bluebell. She had a troop of dancers, she called them her ‘bluebells.’ Many girls were too tall to be ballerinas, and so they would gravitate over to Miss Bluebell who had a show at The Lido in Paris. When Las Vegas decided that they wanted to feature dancers, they went to Miss Bluebell who sent over a troupe of her girls. There’s a whole fascinating history, and when I stared off writing I originally wanted to write a book about the history of the showgirl. This was in 1999 I decided I wanted to do this, but there was no internet or easy way or me to research it. 

GO: Without revealing too much of your novel’s content, can you let readers in on just one of your favorite stories or anecdotes that stuck with you from your time at Harrah’s?

ES: Sure. At one point, we had a producer and his wife – he married a performer who was a fantastic singer and dancer. He wanted to feature his wife on stage changing from one blonde to another. The job that I normally did backstage, helping her undress and get dressed into another costume quickly, was going to happen onstage and in front of the audience. And I wanted to quit. I didn’t, but I just had to realize that this was part of my job even though I was wardrobe. Sometimes I had to do things with the stage crew, like pull a curtain or push a prop on or off stage. So I’d stand behind the prop, which was half a dressing room, and I’d be on stage right with a stage tech on stage left. We would push this prop into the middle of the stage and it would join together to become a dressing room. Every night, I’d stand behind this prop and beg for the power to go out or for something to happen so I didn’t have to go on stage. But I did it. And I tell you what, the dancers and singers had their own choreography, and we also had ours. We had to do the exact same thing every single night.

GO: When a new show was coming into town, what did you have to do to prepare for their arrival?
ES: That’s an excellent question. It was huge. In my book, I write about all the different producers that came to Harrah’s. But this one particular producer had the showroom for the last 8-10 years of the time I was there. He had a compound up in Seattle where they built the sets and started making the costumes. Everything would be trucked down to Reno, the crew wold unload the trucks and start finishing the sets. Wardrobe would consist of myself and my co-worker who would work together. We’d come to Harrah’s at eight in the morning and were there until midnight. The girls would be rehearsing and we’d call them down for fittings. We’d take the half-finished costumes, fit them, and do whatever we needed to get them stage ready.

GO: What prompted you to put your experiences onto paper and publish a book?

ES: I was working for the school district, which closed down in March of 2020. We ended up working from home doing distance learning through May. I didn’t have my normal routine, and like a lot of others I felt at loose ends. I would occupy myself, I bought some watercolors and started painting a little bit. Then I saw that one of my favorite authors was hosting workshops. Normally they were in LA or New York City, but because of COVID she was offering them through Zoom. I signed up and did a workshop with her, and after that I was like, I can do this. So I started writing, both in a notebook and on a computer. My daughter and I would take long walks, and I would just think about stuff I wanted to write about. We went back to school in the fall of 2020. I’m a teaching assistant, and instead of being in the classroom they had me at a help desk in the middle of the hallway directing student traffic to bathrooms since there was only one student allowed in the bathroom at a time. So I sat at this table for about four hours a day. I could read, scroll on my phone, some of the other assistants were doing adult coloring books. But I spent most of my time writing in a notebook.

Elaine’s memoir, Rhinestone Confidential, is available to purchase online at Amazon or locally in Reno at Sundance Bookstore (121 California Ave, Reno, NV 89509) and The Radical Cat (1717 S Wells Ave, Reno, NV 89502). A portion of the profits made from book sales will be given to Donate2Dance, a non-profit that collects gently worn dance shoes, costumes and dancewear to donate to dance schools in need across the country.

GO: Did you face any major challenges while writing the book? Did you have trouble remembering some of the finer details from all of the shows?

ES: Definitely. My husband (we met backstage, he was a crew member and did lights), would help answer my questions and if he didn’t know the answer, his friend would. I would message some of my former bosses, and many of the singers. I did thank (hopefully) everybody in the back of my book – I couldn’t have done it without them, there was just too many details I didn’t know. I also got a lot of research books on Harrah’s to make sure I got my facts right. I had a lot of people I could turn to for verification and help, because as a former reporter I wanted to get all my details straight.

GO: In March 2020, Harrah’s Reno closed its doors and permanently shuttered them in June following the coronavirus pandemic. How did the news affect you, seeing as you had spent so much time and had such profound experiences inside that establishment?

ES: It was completely devastating, like a loss in the family. Especially since my husband was still working there at the time. It was going to close anyway, we knew that since it was part of a deal through Caesars and the Eldorado. And then because of the coronavirus, they decided not to reopen. So we knew it was closing in August of 2020, and had made reservations at the steakhouse for one last meal at that fabulous place, and then it was gone. I’d seen all the other casinos close throughout the years, but I never thought Harrah’s would close. I will say though that in the last few years, Harrah’s struggled to keep up with renovations. When I would go there, I felt a little sad because the floor would be kind of empty.

Our Town Reno reporting by Gaia Osborne

A Northern Nevada Non-Profit to Rave About, for Caregivers and Kids in Need

The Northern Nevada R.A.V.E. Foundation was established 27 years ago, in October 1995. The organization received a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, with the main goal of the funding being to help prevent child abuse and neglect of children with special needs and/or disabilities.

In 1998, RAVE was established as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and has continued with its goal of providing respite care to Nevada families who look after young children with disabilities, special health care needs, and children in foster care.

“RAVE” is an acronym for Respite and Volunteer Experiences, with ‘respite’ referring to an essential break given to caregivers of children in foster care, or with special needs and/or disabilities.

By providing temporary emotional relief from the constant care and attention parents and caregivers provide day in and day out, RAVE allows them to take time for themselves. To relax, unwind, and enjoy activities they don’t normally have the time to do. After the break, caregivers can return to their crucial role for these children with lower levels of stress and a renewed spirit.

The RAVE Center and its community-based programs provide these completely free breaks to caregivers, while also creating a space for children to be social, learn, and grow in a safe and fun environment.

On April 22nd, RAVE will be hosting their 15th annual ‘An Evening to RAVE About’ at the Grand Sierra Resort, consisting of a buffet dinner and drinks, a raffle, a silent and live auction, no shortage of entertainment, and an after-party. More information on the event and RAVE’s programs can be found on their website: https://nnrff.org/

Korine Viehweg has been involved with RAVE for over seventeen years, starting out as a respite provider and eventually taking over the Executive Director position in 2012.

“When I started here, I was coming in once a month to provide respite specifically for families that had children in foster care. I just fell in love with the work we do here,” Korine explains. “I’m a mom myself, I have five children. When my husband and I get a three-hour window to ourselves to disconnect, that’s special. Here at RAVE, I have the ability to give that break to other parents and be a part of their village in a way.”

RAVE currently has three respite programs that are available to families residing in Northern Nevada and caring for a loved one aged between three months–22 years old with a diagnosed disability, special health care need, or in foster or adoptive care. They also extend their care services to the siblings of the children they serve if they fall into the same age range.

The RAVE Family Center is the longest-running and largest-serving program of the three, providing respite care to families with children aged three months to six years old. The Family Center boasts a very large open floor filled with bikes, play mats, and every possible toy and game a child could possibly want to engage with. Six rooms branch off the main space, each with its own respective theme. There is a room dedicated to infants and toddlers under the age of three, and also children that have limited mobility.

The dramatic playroom doubles up as a make-believe grocery store, and the block room is full to the brim with every Lego color and shape one could possibly imagine. There’s a jungle-themed room which volunteers are in the process of decorating, and an arts and crafts space for the children to unleash their creativity. Lastly, there is a very peaceful and serene calming room, adorned with twinkling fairy lights and peaceful sounds. It’s a highly sensory-based space designed for children who may be feeling overstimulated and require a quieter environment when the main play area gets too loud for them.

RAVE has up to 20 children in the center during a respite session, utilizing the different rooms to break the kids up into smaller groups.

“Many of the children we serve have been diagnosed with autism. We also serve children with cerebral palsy, down syndrome, children with speech impediments, gross motor delays, and hearing impairments. We also have some children with mental and behavioral health diagnoses,” Korine explains.

Families can schedule their children into respite sessions in advance, or even call the center the morning of to access care, as long as there are spots and staff available. Up to four respite sessions can be scheduled each month; “lots of families will schedule one session a week, but some do back-to-back sessions and then won’t return until next month. It’s really whatever works for each family and their schedules, we want them to have flexibility,” Korine adds.

“Some of our parents are single parents, and they’re just getting some me-time. Some of our parents are couples, and the only time they get to spend together without interruption and get time to go on dates is when RAVE is here providing that care and that needed break.”

Approximately 300 children visit RAVE each month across the various programs and the center is funded purely from donations, grants, and year-round fundraising.

The Family Center is largely staffed by local youth volunteers, who are trained, supervised, and educated during every respite session. “We have one paid respite staff member for every five children on the floor, at all times,” Korine explained.

“We also have at least one leadership staff member present at every session as well to make sure there is plenty of support. Our volunteers help make those ratios even smaller so that we can strive for a 1:1 ratio of staff to child. Most commonly we have a 1:2 ratio.” Volunteers go through formal training by RAVE leadership staff, with a strong focus on de-escalation techniques, preventing escalation in the first place, and keeping the children engaged and entertained.

Jada DeLeon started at RAVE as a volunteer seven years ago in order to accrue hours for one of her classes, and later returned to the center as an intern.

She then served as a respite provider for a few years, eventually being promoted to lead respite provider. Jada is now a part of RAVE’s upper management team, tasked with scheduling families and session prep – a very key and important role in ensuring all three programs run smoothly. “I review all the families that signed up for sessions and then assign the children into their groups, make sure staff know who is coming,” Jada explains.

“If I know any tips and tricks with certain kiddos, I’ll write behavior notes down, and prep everything for staff so the session is ready to start as soon as everyone arrives.”

“I started volunteering because I needed hours for one of my classes. It was 32 hours, and I got them all in one month. I loved it – I loved having a buddy, learning about the kids, and being their best friend for 3 hours. When I started as an intern, I was learning more about the back end of RAVE. What it meant before a session even started,  and the different ins and outs of operations. There’s a lot that goes into this program, a lot more than just the sessions alone.”

Todd Warner is the current social work intern, whose experience so far at RAVE has only further solidified his plans to continue into a career in social work and affirmed his passion for working with children specifically. “I love the community that is created here at RAVE. It’s a very positive environment to work in, everybody is always so excited to work with the kids. And the kids themselves are so unique, so special, and bring a lot of happiness and positivity themselves.”

When the RAVE Family Center first opened in 1995 it operated for only six months out of the year, closing its doors for the school summer break.

“Soon after I took over as Executive Director, we received some feedback from a family in our yearly survey. They said, ‘We love everything about RAVE, except for the fact that you throw us back out to sea every summer.’ I thought oh my gosh, why do we do that?” Korine explains. “We started to dig into our reasoning behind closing for the summer, and it really came down to the volunteers who are primarily high school kids themselves.”

In response to this, RAVE added 21 summer sessions to their program and has been providing services for all 12 months of the year ever since. “During our six-month program, we would give about 78 respite sessions a year. Last year we gave 649 sessions.”

Through listening to feedback from more families, RAVE also decided to introduce two new programs; Teen RAVE and Jr. RAVE. Jr. Rave is for children aged 7-12, and Teen RAVE is open to kids and young adults aged 13-22, as long as they’re enrolled in the Washoe County School District. Monthly activities are held for participants of these programs, including outings to mini-golf, bowling, rock climbing, game nights, and cooking classes.

The overall purpose of the programs is to encourage child-to-child interaction and help build on social skills in a variety of community environments. The teen and junior programs have their own dedicated space in the center. Stacks of board games line the walls, the Nintendo Wii sits patiently waiting to be switched on,  and the popcorn machine remains empty but readily available to provide a warm, buttery snack. 

When RAVE first opened its doors to the Reno/Sparks community, they were serving an average of 80 children each year. Last year alone, they served 521 individuals. Despite the significant increase in demand for RAVE’s services, they are yet to turn an individual away. “Right now, our mission is to serve everybody that comes to us. When they come to us ready for a break, they’re usually far past being ready for one.” Korine mentions. “It’s hard to ask for help and take that time away. So when they do ask, we want to be able to say yes and get them in immediately. We work super hard to have a very fast turnover process from enrollment to getting their first respite session, so they can feel that break almost immediately.”

Our Town Reno reporting and photos by Gaia Osborne

Fearing for the Peavine Trails in My Backyard with New Developments

In the northwest corner of Reno, you can find the N letter across from Rancho San Rafael park and the neighborhood just behind it. For me, the neighborhood is the perfect blend of nature and city life–trails just blocks away and downtown Reno 15-minutes away by bike.

In the early morning lights, I’m reminded of what’s at stake with the Ventana Ridge Housing Development planned just north of Peavine Pines Court. Last year it was approved by the Reno Planning Commission, and neighbors here fear for what’s next.

The new housing complex is set to have more than 60 units, and we worry how it will affect our serene surroundings. The arrival of excavators and bulldozers has become a nuisance. What was once my main entrance to a hike with my dogs has become a fenced off area for construction.

Other residents and myself are also concerned about what will happen to the natural habitat and how it will be affected by new construction.

When I first moved to the neighborhood, I would always see cotton tails or jack rabbits on the trails. I would even spot coyotes regularly, but now I consider it a rare and lucky occurrence.

I often think about Reno development and how it affects the people around us. I think that’s at the forefront of most people’s minds, but what about the animals and our natural habitat? Reno is in a unique position because it’s still very integrated with the wildlife around us.

As we continue to enjoy these beautiful trails and the luxury of nature, we should put forth the effort to be protective.

Anonymous Contribution by UNR Student for Our Town Reno

Future Cares Campus Phase Three Back Into County's Consideration

Agenda item 14 on today’s Washoe County Commissioners docket is whether to renew its $28 million stalled deal with Clark/Sullivan Constructors to add on a “security checkpoint, nurse’s station, case management, counseling and staff offices, a break room, as well as other infrastructure.”

The swing vote could be newly appointed Commissioner Carla Andriola after a recent 2-2 vote stopped the construction just as it was about to begin. Commissioner Mike Clark said he needed to see data outcomes for people sleeping at the Cares Campus before voting yes on anything related to the huge, costly, mostly bare compound. A silent Jeanne Herman who had previously accepted the Clark/Sullivan deal joined him in voting no.

Andriola, a Republican with a background in the building and contracting industry, was appointed by Governor Joe Lombardo to replace previously elected Commissioner Vaughn Hartung, who was himself appointed to chair the Nevada Transportation Authority.

Our Town Reno emails to Commissioner Alexis Hill, County spokeswoman Bethany Drysdale and Housing and Homeless Services Manager Dana Searcy asking if they had any concerns for the future of the Cares Campus went unanswered.

The other yes vote Commissioner Mariluz Garcia did write back to Our Town Reno indicating: “I can’t speak for the other commissioners, but from my personal experience the County Manager’s Office and county staff have given me the additional data/outcomes that I have requested.”

The language of agenda item 14 says work would now be anticipated to begin on or about April 12 if the deal passes this go round.

Our Town Reno also asked Drysdale, Searcy and Hill about Picon Press Media expressing spending concerns on its Facebook about the three-year lease at 170 South Virginia Street, Reno for $643,679.05  for offices for the Cares Campus team and the approval of $225,170.73 for office furniture for the team for the three-year lease.

“Do you believe those are valid concerns, or would you say those amounts of spending were justified?” we asked. Those queries were also not answered.

Another 2-2 tie several weeks ago denied the approval of a lease agreement with Accessible Space Inc. for a three-acre parcel at the Cares Campus site, for $1 per year over 30 years, in exchange for 120 units of specialized transitional housing.

That will be revisited as well in Agenda 13 (above), after Hill reintroduced both stalled items.

About 550 beds are usually filled on a nightly basis at the Cares Campus, according to Washoe County statistics, with an additional 40 people sleeping at its so-called safe camp of Mod Pods.

Our Town Reno reporting, April 2023

Mobile Park Resident Speaks Out on Corporate Takeover, Rising Rents, Deteriorating Conditions

Prices for locals to rent spaces for mobile and manufactured homes in Reno have gone up in recent years from the $500s to over $1000, while residents complain of deteriorating services, exacerbating a housing crisis even more. 

The parks which used to be owned by individuals are increasingly being taken over by out of state corporate investors, who are pricing out many seniors and others on fixed incomes.

One current resident on fixed disability payments with her husband shared with us anonymously that the mobile park she lives in, in the McCarran and Longley area, was recently taken over by Cobblestone Property Management. 

She worked for years in insurance billing in the medical and food industries, helping out the unhoused in her free time, but says she and others might soon be the ones needing the help.  

While legislative efforts are underway at the state level for rent stabilization for mobile home parks, the person we spoke to anonymously believes these efforts are too little, too late, and might not end up being put into law anyway.

With the bad weather, the person we interviewed said they were snowed in for days with their location away from exit areas, making it especially inconvenient and even dangerous for the elderly and the disabled.   She said there used to be security that would drive around at night, which no longer exists.  Personal mailboxes have been busted in, she said, and are now caged in, and outgoing mail needs to be dropped off at another location. 

With COVID assistance programs being reduced, she said it’s an increasingly tough road, and she fears many of her neighbors will become unhoused in future months.  

She has her own ideas to make the situation better.  “We have open space. We could have a community garden in our park to feed the people, that we have, people that are on meals on wheels.” 

She says she’d like to see more co-op mobile home parks, which are owned solely by residents for the benefits of residents, set up like non profits.   She is trying to organize current residents of Reno mobile parks to speak up and fight for their collective well being.  She is active on social media, on different boards and contacts local authorities at the city, county and state levels, warning them of a possible tsunami of more homelessness. 

“If it doesn't benefit me, maybe it'll benefit another senior,” she said of her constant efforts. “I’m in my mid fifties. Maybe this might save someone 10 years from now after I'm long gone. The elderly didn't choose to age. Those who became disabled didn't ask to become disabled,” she said. 

“I hope that you never age and you never become disabled and you never have to desperately find a place to live,” she concluded. “The financial impact of us losing our homes is going to be more of a burden on the taxpayers. If we fall, we go all the way back down to zero and the cost to bring someone up from ground zero is a lot. I pray that you have good health because once it stops so does the world and you're irrelevant and you're a burden.”

Our Town Reno reporting, April 2023

What's That Construction Project in Reno? Renown Expands

The Renown Regional Hospital is expanding, with a new trauma ICU unit, as well as a new central utility plant on the north side of the hospital near 2nd Street, with additional electrical outputs and backup power systems.

Furthermore, Renown South Meadows Medical Center is constructing a 121,000 square foot Specialty Care Center. This three story building will be connected to the main Medical Center on the property and will focus on expanding laboratory diagnostic services including an Interventional Radiology and a Cardiac Catheterization Lab. The second floor will house a surgery center as well as a sterile processing department.

Renown has suffered recent financial challenges, but is firm in executing their Master Facilities Plan which was started in 2020 with multiple projects funded from current assets as well as $200 million in tax exempt bonds.

IRS regulations require that 85% of tax-exempt bonds be spent within three years of being issued.

Expect construction to impact parking as the entrance to South Meadows Medical Center off of Double R Blvd is closed to construction vehicles only.

Photos and Reporting by Will Munson

Places of Reno: A Nook on West 7th Street

Far from the cookie-cutter suburbia stereotype, the nook I live on in the West 7th Street area in Reno is made up of decades worth of mish-mash styles, quirks, and oddities of endearing charm. There is a great lack of any news of historical significance for the area, save for the few collision reports and garage sale advertisements in the newspaper archives; a quiet ‘burb indeed. While it is not the oldest neighborhood in the Biggest Little City nor the most well-known, many of the residents have lived here for decades and have done so with a fondness that shows.

Reno finds its beginnings as the preferred crossing point for travelers meandering the Truckee River. Established officially in 1868, the city gained notoriety then for its lax gambling laws and attracting “divorce tourists”. Reno grew in population, and continues to change with rapid pace — as places tend to. The streets of this particular neighborhood however somehow showcase both modernity and 60s traditionalism, with freckles of styles in between.

Moving to this cozy neighborhood in the Spring of 2022 was exciting for me — I’d never lived in one place for too long, and had only lived in apartments since moving here to attend the university. Now, I lived in an actual house, with a chimney and a yard and creaks in the floorboards and birds that nested in the patio overhang.

The first thing I’d noticed on move-in day was the street names — posted on most were names like Margaret, Sandra, Barbara, or Greta. Who these women were, or if they were real for that matter, I still haven’t found out. The second thing I noticed was the amount of flags that decorated most of the homes; American, Nevada, LGBTQ+, Back the Blue, to name a few, showcasing the diverse range of values held within each home.

As you make your way from Sandra to Barbara, you’ll see, on the left corner, a house with not one but two flags: the first being the American, while the second has images and colors that change — seemingly by themselves — depending on the nearest holiday. I have yet to see a major holiday go by unflagged.

Sean and Angela are an exceptionally friendly couple who live just up the street from me. I’d met them for the first time during their yearly yard sale, a name too modest for the neighborhood-renowned business they run from their front yard every summer.

“Angela! Hannah’s here!” Sean screams this as he sees me approach. He is standing on a ladder, his upper-half engulfed in the branches of a white pine, a tree Sean tells me has been there since Angela was a girl.

“This house was bought in ’62. Angela grew up here. She’s seen the neighborhood go through lots of changes.”

“I’ve known most everyone on the street my whole life,” Angela confirms. “Good people.”

I’ve caught Sean in the middle of hanging up several large bird feeders, a task he does happily every spring. “Listen. Do you hear that?” He refers to the birds’ excited chirping; they know food isn’t far. “Isn’t that the best sound? The Sierra Nevadas are just the best for birds.” He tells me about a particularly troublesome woodpecker that returns every year, known as the Downy woodpecker. I ask if this could be why the street that runs into Barbara is called Downey.

Sean shrugs. “No clue.”

He shares with me what joy the birds bring to him and Angela, and about the time one landed on his shoulder, and how certain birds will even stay near the home throughout the winter. “It’s just been a far-out experience.”

In a neighborhood that seems to be forgotten by the news — or at least the internet’s archives — lives a quiet, cozy idiosyncrasy of styles, a consequence of the residents’ long-term stays, and their fondness for the area.

Reporting and Photos by Hannah Truby shared with Our Town Reno

Food not Bombs in Reno Adds Second Location to its Monday Night Love

Going directly to where the unhoused are staying, without fanfare or looking for publicity, Food Not Bombs in Reno now offer health food and compassion at two locations Monday nights, starting at 5:30 p.m. at its usual spot near Fisherman’s Park and then on Fourth street near the Cares Campus shelter compound.

On a recent Monday, despite ongoing chill in the air, volunteers plated savory spaghetti, beans, rice, and other food items while handing out water to neighbors in need.

One constant volunteer, Ken Stover, a lawyer, says he first heard about this food event when his paralegal told him about it, and he felt he could share some of the zucchinis from his own garden.

“It’s pretty impressive how they tolerate the weather that we go through,” he said of some neighbors he’s been meeting here for years, who live under nearby bridges.

“Very few people actually take the time, energy and effort to contribute their time or money to assist,” Stover said when asked if Food not Bombs was open to having other volunteers.

One of the organizers, Cuauhtēmōc Tiahui, said donations are always welcome as well.

“I want to be effective in m community, help out the people in any way I can,” he said of his devotion to this regular gathering. “This is a very easy way of helping out the people, whether it’s with food, cooking, donating socks, clothes of any kind, and then just hearing the stories of the people out here. Hearing what they need, what’s going on in the streets. I think it’s important. A lot of people, they’ll look at someone without a house and kind of ignore them, pass by them, kind of not understand, judge. It’s good to know what’s going on.”

Our Town Reno reporting and photos by Ariel Smith

Places of Reno, Hidden Valley, from Desert Club to Horses on the Loose

A Country Club Beginning

Reno’s Hidden Valley neighborhood is aptly named. Tucked from view among the desert foothills of the Virginia Range, the enclave of homes was built around a private golf and country club begun over 60 years ago by four prominent Reno business owners: Link Piazzo, Emmett Saviers, William Kottinger, Sr., and Del Machabee. Piazzo owned a local sporting goods store with his brother Chet, and flew B-25 bombers in World War II, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross. He was a well-known philanthropist in town (as well as the original “voice of the Wolf Pack”) and lived in Hidden Valley until his death, at age 95, in 2014.

Construction of the private golf course and clubhouse on 900-acres of the former Birbeck Ranch began in 1956, and the country club was completed in 1958, with a few houses under construction on Piping Rock drive. There were problems with early infrastructure, and poor water quality led to a moratorium on building in the subdivision for eight years. A 1958 Reno Evening Gazette article un-ironically marveled at the building a luxurious green golf course in the Nevada desert, touting, “…one of the most elaborate water supply and underground irrigation systems ever installed in the west.” A 1971 article in the Gazette announced that trenching work had started for electricity, telephone, and gas lines to serve around 600 lots in the subdivision — the deed restrictions at the time required the building residences of at least 1500 square feet.

The Hidden Valley Country Club has a private gated golf course and social club. Photos by Mark Maynard

“Hidden” Geography

There are only two ways in and out of Hidden Valley from the greater Reno-Sparks area. Mira Loma Boulevard connects to McCarran Boulevard on the south end of the neighborhood, and Pembroke Drive enters the north end (when Pembroke crosses McCarran it becomes Rock Boulevard). From the south end of Reno, Hidden Valley is obscured from sight by a small series of desert hills just east of Rattlesnake Mountain. On its western flank, Hidden Valley is surrounded by a moat-like series of waterways: Steamboat Creek winds its way northward to the Truckee River out of Little Washoe Lake, and Dry Creek and Boynton Slough wrap in a semi-circle around the approach from Pembroke Drive. In wet years, the slough and creek have been known to flood, forcing some Hidden Valley residents to navigate their streets by kayak.

On the eastern flank of Hidden Valley is the large Hidden Valley Regional Park, part of the Washoe County park system. It has a horse arena, tennis and pickle ball courts, a volleyball court, and two childrens’ playgrounds. There is also a dog park named after one of the Hidden Valley founders, Link Piazzo, and my favorite feature, over five miles of well-marked trails.

On July 6, 2018, the Veterans Parkway opened connecting south Reno to Sparks along the western edge of Hidden Valley. The parkway was largely unpopular with long-time residents of Hidden Valley who often opposed its construction in public meetings, and the Hidden Valley Nextdoor pages still feature complaints of traffic noise, speeding, and street-racing on the parkway. Residents can access the parkway at both Mira Loma and Pembroke, and with its completion, it has shortened commute times significantly from Hidden Valley, reducing the drive downtown to 15 minutes depending on traffic, and providing easier access to both Interstate 80 and Interstate 580/395.

Hidden Valley Regional Park rises behind Hidden Valley. The hill in the center obscures the neighborhood from south Reno. Rattlesnake Mountain is at the left hand side, the Carson Range beyond. Photo by Mark Maynard

A Varied Mix of Street Names, Home-styles, and Developments

In the 60+ years since the golf course was developed in the heart of Hidden Valley, the neighborhood and the country club itself have become far more separate entities. Unlike many suburban public golf courses, Hidden Valley Country Club is completely encircled by a cyclone fence, discouraging neighbors from walking on the links in the evening or early morning hours before the course is open. Only members can dine at the club’s two restaurants, use the pool, tennis and pickleball courts, and the course itself. And while some long-time residents can be seen driving between the club and neighborhood homes in their golf carts, the $22,5000 initiation fee and $605 monthly dues put membership out of reach for all but the most affluent residents (though some must be tempted by the $148.75 monthly “social” membership that increases 2% annually, and still includes a $1000 initiation fee).

While Hidden Valley is often referred to as a monolithic development, the neighborhood was actually built over several decades and by multiple companies and individuals, resulting in a variety of styles, and differing covenants, conditions, and restrictions (CC&Rs) in various parts of the neighborhood. In fact, Hidden Valley comprises various developments including Carnelian Point, Hidden Green Point, Hidden Valley Cove (justifying its nautical theme by abutting a small golf course pond), Chukar Run, and the curiously named Satellite Lands.

Vistas to the east include the Virginia Range (left) and to the west, the city of Reno and Peavine beyond (right). Photos by Mark Maynard

Plusses and Drawbacks

The Kansas City Star columnist and newspaper editor Bill Vaughn once quipped “suburbia is where the developer bulldozes out the trees, then names the streets after them.” Fortunately, Hidden Valley didn’t suffer that fate on either count.

Being one of the oldest developed neighborhoods on the southeast side of the Truckee Meadows, Hidden Valley has a density of older deciduous and evergreen trees to rival the costlier old Southwest neighborhoods of Walter Van Tilburg Clark’s seminal Reno novel City of Trembling Leaves. The leafy shade and fall colors were one of the initial draws of the neighborhood when my wife and I moved to Hidden Valley in 2016.

The street names are another matter. As the area developed, it was clear that the golf theme was soon overtaken by the area’s connection to horses, and several streets honor famous racehorses (Man O’War, Silky Sullivan), then transition into horse-related literature (Sleepy Hollow), British locales (North and South Southmoor, often a source of confusion for delivery drivers), and famous Scottish golf links (Saint Andrews). Apparently out of horse and golf-related streets, developers included the Potowotami name for “marsh” (and a Chicago suburb) — Skokie, a midwestern indigenous tribe (Shawnee), and a drab olive color (Piping Rock), all within a few block radius.

While some of the more recently built subdivisions are familiar tract-style homes (various drab shades of stucco exteriors, a handful of exterior elevations and floor plans, and expensive, “enthusiastic” homeowners’ associations) the bulk of Hidden Valley developed in the 1960s-1980s is free of restrictions on style, size, height, color, landscaping, parking, and RV-storage, something the local “community alliance” takes great pride in on their website.

There are both plusses and drawbacks to a lack of CC&Rs. While no one surreptitiously reports their neighbors to a politburo of elected association enforcers, the lack of an HOA means that I can’t see the lights of downtown Reno from my second-story bedroom window. My house was built in 1977, and my back neighbor’s went up in 1997, and thus their second-story blocks our view leaving only the lights of the Grand Sierra Resort and The Atlantis unobstructed by their lofty cathedral ceiling.

A variety of styles and materials can be found: ranch, Tahoe, colonial, Spanish, Tudor, brick, stucco, wood and more. Photos by Mark Maynard

A Location Manager’s Dream

If Hidden Valley were in Los Angeles, I have no doubt that every film and television location scout would have the neighborhood and its houses well-scoped. Because of the lack of an HOA in the central part of the neighborhood, most of the houses have been custom-built over the decades and have taken on a variety of materials, styles, and sizes. In a leisurely drive up and down cul-de-sacs and quiet streets, you can find Spanish-style, ranch-style, Tudor, contemporary, Tahoe-style, colonial, cabin, and modernist. A recent addition to the hills on the east side of Hidden Valley has the look of a Bond-villain lair, perched alone on a hilltop overlooking the neighborhood rather than the lights of the city. In addition, there are two distinct vistas from the neighborhood — to the west are Slide Mountain, Mount Rose, Rattlesnake Mountain, the lights of downtown Reno and Sparks, and Peavine. To the east is are the rugged Virginia Range foothills, rocky peaks and canyons that rise abruptly from the desert floor on public, undeveloped land.

A house displays a peace sign, American flag and pride flag. Photo by Mark Maynard

Community, Politics, and Lifestyle

Hidden Valley is large enough to have its own elementary school (students are also zoned for Pine Middle School and Wooster High School) and while some like to call it a “town within a town” it is a true suburb, without so much as a corner store, a single bar or restaurant, post office, house of worship or other such municipal trappings (though the Truckee Meadows Fire and Rescue Station 37 operates out of a newly converted home on Hidden Valley Drive while they prepare to haul away the mobile home that has housed it for years).

As one might expect of a neighborhood where many homeowners are older retirees, the lawn signs during elections skew heavily Republican, and it does not take long to find a “Let’s Go Brandon” bumper sticker in a Hidden Valley driveway. About 60% of the voting precinct voted for Republican gubernatorial candidate Joe Lombaro in the 2022 election, while roughly 54% voted for Republican senatorial candidate Adam Laxalt over his incumbent Democratic opponent.

In 2019, a house at the Mira Loma entrance into Hidden Valley included a large lit peace sign as part of their annual holiday display. In January 2020, the homeowners returned from a trip and took down their decorations, including the peace sign. Later, when sorting through their mail, they found an anonymous letter that read “I would really appreciate it if you would take that eye sore[sic] peace sign down. I am tired of looking at it every time I drive down the street.” The homeowner posted on the Hidden Valley Nextdoor that “The peace sign is going back up today because we do not want this Grinch to think that their hateful note is the reason the peace sign was taken down.” The sign has remained up ever since.

The same house has been displaying a pride flag on a flagpole below an American flag of late. According to a recent Nextdoor post, on January 22nd, the owners awoke to discover the flag had been stolen and the house egged (the American flag was left untouched). The flag was replaced by the owners soon after, and is still flying next to the peace sign.

Volunteers direct traffic around wild horses (left). A wild horse interrupts a dog-walk (right). Photos by Mark Maynard

Polarizing Horses

Perhaps the most polarizing issue in the Hidden Valley neighborhood is one of its most unique. Because of its proximity to the regional open space and the Virginia Range foothills beyond, Hidden Valley is home to several groups of wild horses (because they aren’t in a Bureau of Land Management area, they are officially deemed “feral” horses in Hidden Valley).

Depending on the amount of feed in the neighborhood (as well as the conditions of fences and gates that surround Hidden Valley) wild horses will sometimes wander around the streets and yard in small bands. While some neighbors are pro-horse (there are even volunteers that put on orange vests in the summer and direct traffic around apathetic horses in the street) others are anti-horse, and their anger ranges from surrounding their lawns with ropes and other equine-deterrents, to chasing the horses in golf carts and otherwise harassing them.

I saw this tension come to a head in January, 2021. A group was hired to round up and transport a group of wild horses that had been in the neighborhood and the horses were temporarily penned on the clubhouse lawn. One neighbor was yelling at the horses to run away because — he speculated — they were being hauled off to a rendering plant. Another neighbor began yelling at him to shut up. The confrontation quickly escalated to death threats and just as the men nearly came to blows, a Washoe County Sheriff’s deputy moved in and separated them.

Hidden Valley’s annual Parade of Lights is a Reno holiday tradition for many families. Photos by Mark Maynard

Lights Bring the Neighborhood Together Every Year

One of the most unifying events in the neighborhood is the annual Hidden Valley Parade of Lights. From December through the end of January, the yards and homes are crowned in elaborate, themed light displays. Almost anything goes as neighbors engage in friendly competition to see who can come up with the most creative, over-the-top presentations: miles of lights, animated characters, computer-programmed shows synched to music, custom-built figurines, and live Santas in front windows and on front-yard thrones. A group of judges announces winners every year, and there are multiple collection bins for a neighborhood food drive for the Food Bank of Northern Nevada.

Local wildlife include foxes (left) coyotes (center) and owls (right). Photos by Mark Maynard

A Wild Oasis in View of the City Lights

Due to a variety of factors — a lack of through traffic on its streets, no street lights, expansive tree and ground cover, and its proximity to wetlands, waterways, and open range — Hidden Valley is home to many wild animals. A game camera in our yard has captured countless cottontail and jackrabbits as well as deer, coyotes, bobcats, skunks, and foxes. The plentiful trees house native and migratory birds including red-tailed hawks, great horned owls, and cooper’s hawks. Driving north along Veterans Parkway, one can often spot a pair of nesting bald eagles, and depending on the time of year, great blue herons, pelicans, gulls, and countless types of waterfowl. In 2018, the Truckee Meadows Parks Foundation opened the Rosewood Nature Study Area when the Veterans Parkway project decommissioned the city’s Rosewood Lakes Golf Course. The wetlands are being restored and are open to the public for tours — wandering along the pathways, visitors are likely to see native plants, birds, fish, and reptiles depending on the time of year.

A house with two front yards and a port corchere on the driveway (left). The remnants of an abandoned bridle path (right). Photos by Mark Maynard

Oft Unnoticed Oddities

One of my favorite things about getting to know any neighborhood is the fact that there are many quirks created by different waves of development, failed plans, and the reclaiming of space by residents and nature. And if one knows where to look, Hidden Valley has several of its own oddities.

In its current state of annexation, Reno has not yet grown to include Hidden Valley, or at least the bulk of the neighborhood. A look at the Reno city limits map shows that the city stops on the west side of West Hidden Valley Drive. This means a resident who waves at his neighbor across the street every morning votes for different elected officials (Reno City Council members instead of Washoe County Commissioners), and is nominally served by different emergency services (Reno Police and Reno Fire Department instead of the Washoe County Sheriff’s Department and Truckee Meadows Fire and Rescue), though today this is just a geographical quirk because the regional emergency services have a mutual aid agreement to respond in each other’s areas.

When Hidden Valley was initially developed, a section of lots was placed between two parallel streets, East Hidden Valley drive, and Saint Andrews, one block its east. Many of the homes on the lots between these streets have a driveway that connects to both, making each private driveway a de facto alleyway and giving these houses two front yards, one on each street. Some of these homes have incorporated this in interesting ways, building things like small port cocheres over double-ended driveways that make the homes look like small motels.

Another remnant from Hidden Valley’s earlier days is right in my back yard. It was something we never quite understood until our next-door neighbor, the original owner of a house built in the 1970s, explained it to us. The back corner of our fence extends a few feet beyond the back fence of our neighbor on the other side. This gap between back fences runs all the way to the next street. It turns out that when Hidden Valley was originally developed, the developers built bridle paths in the area between back fences so that one could ride their horse through the neighborhood without having to be on the streets. Years later, many of the homeowners simply pushed their back fences into this space, closing off the unused paths and extending their back yards by a few feet!

One thing that makes Hidden Valley unique in Reno is the lack of streetlights, sidewalks, and utility poles. When the development first started in earnest in the 1970s, trenches were dug to run water, gas, and electric lines into Hidden Valley (most of the houses in the older section aren’t hooked up to the municipal sewer system relying instead on septic tanks). This gives Hidden Valley a very rural feel — the streets are wide and neighbors walk their dogs and strollers on the edge of them (the intentional lack of sidewalks in American suburbs was insidious in its intent — meant to prevent people that weren’t wanted in certain neighborhoods from walking into them), and street signs and intersections can be hard to find in the dark. Unfortunately, the lack of streetlights doesn’t translate into seeing more stars as the light pollution from Reno and Sparks seeps into the neighborhood — and many neighbors leave high powered security lights on all night.

Hidden Valley is flanked by the Rosewood Nature Study Area (left) and Hidden Valley Regional Park (right) photos by Mark Maynard

The Future of Hidden Valley

As housing prices continue to increase in Reno, it will be interesting to see what the next 60 years brings for Hidden Valley. Veterans Parkway now means an easy commute for technical workers in the Reno Tahoe Industrial Center. While certain things will likely stay the same (it is incredibly difficult, logistically and politically to add sidewalks to a neighborhood, for example), perhaps improved public transit options will make suburbs like Hidden Valley less car-centric.

Sports popular with an aging generation like golf and tennis are waning in popularity (the country club has already converted some of their tennis courts into pickleball courts), and as water becomes more precious it will be harder to justify 18-hole golf courses in a desert. Plans to add new features to the regional park including a bike track, an expanded dog area, and wetlands (as well as pumping effluent into basins in the park) have raised concerns for increased traffic in the neighborhood, and while the holiday lights have long united the community, there are those that have had enough of the numbers of “outsiders” they bring into the neighborhood every year. Regardless of what the next decades bring, the unique location, natural features, and eclectic variety of houses will make Hidden Valley a desirable place to live for generations.

Reporting by Mark Maynard shared with Our Town Reno

Project 150, Helping Disadvantaged Youth: “High School is Tough Enough Already”

Project 150 Reno is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping poorly housed, displaced, and disadvantaged high school students. The organization was formed in 2014 by a dedicated group of volunteers who began by collaborating with a handful of high schools to provide food, clothing, and school supplies, as well as sponsoring shopping days three times a year to distribute additional items to students in need. Fast forward nearly a decade, and those sponsored shopping trips have now evolved into a permanent boutique that provides basic needs to students on a weekly basis. Project 150 serves approximately 3500 local students from 30 different schools in Northern Nevada every year, 1500 of which are boutique shoppers.

The Project 150 Boutique used to operate from a warehouse in Sparks. In 2019, the boutique moved across town and into an unused building owned by The Bridge Church. The church generously handed over the keys to Project 150, letting them use the space for zero cost to the organization, which is critical since Project 150 is completely managed and run by unpaid volunteers.

Liz McFarland, the Volunteer Director of Project 150 Reno, puts aside 40-60 hours of her time each week for Project 150. “Back in 2019, we received a $1,000 donation, and we used the money to repaint, redo the floors, and even make the bathtub into a bench seat for the changing room,” Liz said. “Our volunteers do everything around here. We literally do every aspect ourselves.”

Project 150 collects teen-appropriate clothing, toiletries, non-perishable food, and school supplies year-round to support homeless, displaced, and disadvantaged high school students living in Reno/Sparks. Donations can be dropped off at the boutique located at 1340 Foster Drive, Reno, NV 89509. Their website can be found here: www.project150reno.org 

Located within walking distance of several high schools and other non-profit headquarters, the Project 150 boutique is a treasure trove of new and gently-worn clothing items, shoes, accessories, hygiene products, and one of the more popular items; an alarm clock.

“A lot of the kids we serve don’t really have service or cell phones necessarily. It’s a luxury item,” Liz explains. “So we carry a lot of alarm clocks, they’re a hot commodity here.”

Project 150 also disperses a lot of bedding to students who live in crowded conditions. “Their bed is on the floor or on the couch. If we are giving them bedding or pillows, we make sure to ask them what their sleeping situation is so we know what to send them home with. Items like pillows and a comforter are often luxury items for some kids.”

There are no qualifications to utilize Project 150’s resources besides being a currently-enrolled high school student.

Truancy officers working at local high schools will often bring students with them to Project 150 to shop, or students can make their own appointments to swing by after class on early release days.

When a student arrives at the boutique – either on their own or accompanied by an advocate or truancy officer – they are assigned a “shopper” who will guide them through the mazes of clothing racks, helping them pick out items and making sure they leave with everything they need.

“Our best customers are truancy officers or re-engagement officers,” Liz said. “They’ll bring students with them who are usually in quite desperate need and distressing situations. We see kids that are in foster care or have been in sex trafficking situations. We also see kids that come here from the Congo or Afghanistan. A lot of the time, they have just arrived in America and have never been enrolled in school before, ever.”

Students can stop by once a semester to stock up on essentials, and end up leaving each trip with an overflowing tote bag of clothes, a fully-stocked hygiene kit, full snack bag, and a backpack.

Judith Ferrer is a Family Graduation Advocate at Reno High School who frequently stops by Project 150 to pick up items for the students that she works with.

“My role is to work with at-risk youth and students that have been deemed as not on track to graduate high school, very similar to a social worker,” Judy explains. “Some of the challenges may be not having food on the table at home, or they’re homeless. Many of the students I work with are in transitional living situations, one of their parents has been hospitalized or made redundant, or just don’t have the financial resources to buy shoes, clothing, and toiletries.”

On a recent visit, Judith left the boutique, arms laden with bags of food and other necessities to bring back to Reno High for a student. 

As fast as Judith left, another shopper entered through the door ready to shop. A current senior at Procter R. Hug High School, this student had arrived for one of his last appointments before graduating.

Carol – a volunteer at Project 150 – immediately took the student under her wing. He was given a big tote bag to start filling as Carol walked him around the boutique, asking him what kinds of items he needs and whether he has outgrown the sizes he picked up last time. “For some kids, it’s very hard to come across clothes and some people just aren’t wealthy enough to be able to have any of the luxury stuff. This place helps out a lot, you can come here and get your school supplies and clothes so you’re ready for the new school year,” the student mentions.

“The first time I came here, I was kinda nervous and didn’t really want to do it. It felt embarrassing. But ever since the first time, I got used to it and I’m okay with it now. The clothes here are new and fashionable, and it does help you fit in better at school,” a student said.

Natasha Krogstad-Barnard is a long-term volunteer at Project 150, getting involved after one of her sons volunteered for the organization as part of a class community service assignment. “After I became aware of their need, I started bringing clothes down as my boys started to grow out of things,” says Natasha, a retired DEA agent who now spends her time at the Project 150 Boutique or mentoring college students at TMCC. “I get to help the kids that need help the most, and also get a chance to intervene a little bit with the young people and help guide them on the right path for their futures. So when kids come in, I start interacting with them. Some are talkative, others are not. We really just try to preach that they stay in school, that’s the main thing.”

Our Town Reno reporting and photos by Gaia Osborne

The Tiny Dixie Valley Toad versus the Reno-Based Megawatt Energy Company

The Reno-based renewable power and energy company Ormat Technologies is disputing a listing by U.S. wildlife officials that the Dixie Valley toad endemic to Churchill County is endangered.

Ormat has said it doesn’t believe the toad even meets the standard for a threatened species, which is a step before being endangered and at serious risk of extinction.

The challenge, which could go to court, is part of an attempt by Ormat to revive plans to build a geothermal power plant about 100 miles east of Reno, despite the presence of the rare toads in adjacent wetlands.

It showcases the tensions officials and companies are facing between protecting wildlife and aggressively pursuing so-called green energy projects. In this case, it also pits the Interior Department’s Fish and Wildlife Service, which issued the endangered listing in December, against the Bureau of Land Management, which previously approved the project and has been in court already in its favor.

With these headwinds, Ormat is already apparently scaling back plans, now eying a 12 megawatt power plant, instead of the two combined 60 megawatt plants it was initially thinking of developing.

The Center for Biological Diversity and the Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribe have both opposed the Ormat project, which now lags in legal limbo. Similar efforts to stop lithium mining at Thacker Pass have so far been unsuccessful, even if opposition to that project caused initial delays as well.

Adversaries to the Ormat project say it would cause hot water to be pumped beneath the earth’s surface, causing havoc for the tiny amphibians. Tribe members have said that as original stewards of the land where the plant is being planned, they have a responsibility to protect the toad and the environment in that area.

Our Town Reno reporting, March 2023

Our Place, a Nurturing Shelter with Many Sections For Women, Families, Newborns, the Elderly and Pets

Our Place operates on its Galleti Way campus in Sparks by utilizing what’s called a “person-first” approach to provide a safe and homely environment where those in need feel welcomed and wanted.

Staff, some of them with lived experience, understand that moving indoors after living on the streets can be an isolating and intimidating experience.

In the first 12 months of OUR Place being in operation, 86 families were provided with services and support, and 626 women were served. Out of those families, 58 moved into permanent housing while 133 of the women moved into confirmed permanent housing.

At the helm of OUR Place is RISE – The Reno Initiative for Shelter & Equality. RISE is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2012 to support unsheltered people in the Reno-Sparks area through mutual aid.

Alongside RISE, the Washoe County Human Services Agency worked to renovate existing buildings at the Northern Nevada Mental Health campus on Galletti Way in Sparks to create OUR Place. The entire project – which involved remodeling 11 buildings and major landscaping – cost $16 million. The initial renovation was highly successful, and although there are still various projects and areas that are constantly being updated and added, OUR Place is a clean, well-managed, and modern campus, bustling with people being helped and providers who genuinely enjoy the environment they are living or working in.

Kimberly Schweickert (left) is the current Coordinator for OUR Place and the Washoe Human Services Agency. Willis (right) is the Women’s Shelter Manager and a Crossroads graduate. They kindly offered to guide me through a tour of OUR Place.

The first building a guest would come across when seeking shelter or services is the Welcome Center. This is where guests are greeted by a member of staff who will begin the intake process for them.

On the day I was given a tour, Ariel sat behind the desk at the Welcome Center, answering the door to Walmart delivery drivers and picking up the phone which consistently rang with questions and queries.

Ariel is normally stationed in the women’s facility or JOY Home – OUR Place’s dedicated house for senior guests – but happened to be covering front desk duties that day.

“My favorite thing about working here has to be the success stories. I love seeing the women come here and then move onto bigger and better things, find housing and jobs,” Ariel tells me.

“I spent a really long time working at a hostel down on 4th street, watching the population there and wishing I could do more,” she added. “Seeing the women here do better and be proud of themselves is a huge deal, it motivates me to do better in my own life as well.”

When an individual or family enters the welcome center seeking help, staff will assess their needs, provide them with immediate food or clothing if necessary, and start the process necessary for them to have a warm and safe place to stay for the night. “It’s rare that we have to turn someone away that comes to us,” Kim Schweickert, the current coordinator for Our Place and the Washoe County Human Services Agency.explains. “It’s unfortunate, but depending on our capacity and the waitlist, we might have to refer them to the Human Services Agency. But that’s our last resort and we rarely have to do that.” 

At the welcome center there’s also a welfare officer who assists guests with food stamps and other benefits, as well as the security HQ and surveillance room.

Security guards and an operations director hover over a group of television screens, going over footage from the prior day.

“We have two full-time security guards, 24 hours a day, patrolling the campus,” Schweickert points out. “We also have 150 cameras on the campus that can look inside and outside of buildings and a fingerprint system. Everyone is fingerprinted so if we haven’t seen someone in a couple of days, we can see if they’ve actually been accessing the campus, and we can deactivate prints if someone is asked to leave the campus or gets 86ed.”

Being ‘86ed’ at OUR Place happens if a guest misses all three of the curfews, and as a result, will be discharged from campus for two days. If they return with adequate reasoning and evidence for their absence, the discharge will be reversed. “The issue is we have several guests who don’t stay for long, and come in and out of the shelter,” Schweickert explains. “We don’t want to have to turn away someone fleeing domestic violence and tell them we don’t have any beds when we might but don’t know it if someone just leaves unreported.” The fingerprint system also acts as an important safety net for many female guests, particularly if they are fleeing domestic violence or a similar situation and their safety may be compromised.

Above, the family areas and women’s dorm.
After a guest goes through the intake process to determine their individual needs, they are assigned a place to stay on campus. The JOY Home (Just Older Youth) is a dedicated home for senior ladies living at OUR Place.

Stephanie – a representative from RISE – smiles at the front desk of that building, greeting guests as they enter and exit. “It’s not just sitting at the desk. They engage with the guests, they get to know them, they help them with any daily tasks they have,” Schweickert clarifies. 

JOY Home existed before OUR Place opened in 2021 and RISE took over operations. “We realized that about 40% of the women we were serving in the main home were over 55 years old, and it made sense to have these ladies grouped together in specialized places,” Schweickert explains. “We want each environment to be the best fit for our individual ladies.”

The house is separated in two, with one portion housing twelve ladies and the other, eight. There is a large living room that is shared between the whole house and serves as the home’s main community hang-out area, with the guests frequently congregating there for bingo and game nights.

Each half of the house also has its own fully-stocked kitchen and dining area, with plenty of cupboard and counter space.

A lovely lady named Pamela was drinking a cup of tea and reading her book in the dining room. I was hesitant about disrupting her peace and quiet, but she was very happy to speak with me. Pamela had only been in the JOY Home for one week when I met her, previously living in various wings of the women’s home.

“It’s really been about adapting. Adapting to new roommates, sharing space,” Pamela explains. “This home is less cramped and much quieter than the orange dorm. The facilities are nicer too, I can finally cook,” she said.

Cooking facilities aren’t available in the women’s home due to the sheer volume of people living there and are only available at the JOY Home, HOPE Home, and family suites.

A kitchen area at OUR Place.

Schweickert then took me over to one of three buildings designated for families, a bright and airy space with lots of light flooding in through the windows. I was greeted by several smiling faces; Natalie – Assistant Home Manager, Ginny – House Manager, and Tyson – Guest Service Advocate.

The three family homes are very similar in floor plan and design and consist of several large family-sized bedrooms. This home was slightly bigger since it was housing 11 families at that current time. Each bedroom has a variety of bunk beds depending on how many members of the family will be staying and a closet space with hangers. Large bathrooms are dotted throughout the halls, with each bathroom serving two neighboring families. There’s a tub shower, regular shower, toilet, and a large counter and sink space. Families are provided with bedsheets, pillowcases, blankets, towels, and toiletries when they arrive at OUR Place, so their bedrooms don’t feel too empty for very long.

“Grace Church gives us funding every year which we use so guests can pick out new bedding, towels, sheets, pajamas – everything for our welcome kits,” Schweickert explains. “When a family moves, RISE will come in and clean everything and then our maintenance guy Darren will come in and repaint walls, fix any holes, and gets the room ready for the next family, so it feels brand new to them.”

Food storage for guests, an art room and a therapy room at Our Place.

We moved on from the empty bedroom as a new family was moving in later that day, and workers were trying to get ahead and get the room ready for them.

“There’s a shared laundry room with three stacked washers and dryers, and we provide all the laundry soap and detergents,” Schweickert mentions, waving over at sets of brand-new, hi-tech laundry systems.

The shared kitchen had the roominess and counter space of a commercial kitchen, but at the same time very much felt like a homely and cozy environment to cook and eat meals in.

“We have food stored here so that if a new family moves in and doesn’t have anything yet, they’ll be given a food supply box,” Schweickert explains. “Each family has [a] designated fridge and freezer space, and their own pantry and shelving area.” Everything seemed to be very organized and strategic.

Families are assigned times to use the kitchen to prevent the space from getting too busy and messy, but often times they will end up forming friendships with one another and cooking meals together as a big group.

“We have a family of nine that moved in yesterday, a mom with her eight children,” Schweickert tells me. “The mom is in a wheelchair, so we made sure staff organized her dishes and food on the lower shelves, but everything else in the home is ADA compliant. The biggest family we had was 10 – eight children and two parents. RISE does an amazing job at managing all the families that come in, juggling the different dynamics and relationships, no matter how big or small the family.”

A living room at OUR Place.

The next stop on my tour of OUR Place was the facility for individual women. Before arriving, we passed the campus daycare center, with the sound of children laughing and playing erupting from the outdoor jungle gym, generously funded by the Pennington Foundation.

“Our daycare is run by the Early Learning Center of the Boys & Girls Club, and they have the capacity for 85 children,” Schweickert explains. “The children living on our campus take priority, so moms can go to work for the day and not have to worry about finding daycare, we take care of it all.”

As we entered the women’s facility, we were welcomed by Willis, the Women’s Shelter Manager and a Crossroads graduate, who proceeded to take over the tour and show me the different spaces available to the guests there.

“We currently have 102 women staying here in this home alone, but have the capacity to house 138 between both our women’s facilities,” Willis explains, leading me into the first of five wings; the dormitory.

“MAN IN THE DORM,” Willis loudly exclaims, announcing his arrival to any guests that may be inside. “So when our ladies first arrive here, this is usually where they start.” This particular wing was the most bustling I’d encountered so far, with women sitting and chatting on the couch, shuffling around doing laundry, and playing with their pets. There were a series of bunk beds dotted around the room with comfy 8-inch mattresses, and each guest had their own assigned locker to store their belongings.

Although many guests have had long-term stays in the large dormitory, OUR Place doesn’t necessarily want to encourage them to stay there for long periods of time. “We want this to not be where they want to stay. There’s a reason we have dorms and wings, so the women have something to aspire to, to make a change,” Schweickert explains.

Women can choose to stay in the dormitory for up to six months at a time, giving guests a considerable amount of time to work alongside a case manager and work towards securing employment so they can extend their stay at OUR Place or move into permanent housing. “OUR Place has removed the stress of shelters, where people will be woken up at the crack of dawn, told to gather their stuff and leave, and hope to come back at the end of the day and get a bed,” Willis explains. “Here, their bed is their bed. It will always be there for as long as the ladies are staying here. So if they go out for the day to take care of something or go to work, the thought of where they are going to lay their head at night is not going to be a stressor for them.”

Across the hall from the busy bunk-bed dormitory was another wing, which had individual, single beds with more privacy and a quieter environment. This wing had beds for 14 women, whereas the dormitory housed 48. The wing was extremely clean, almost spotless, and extremely organized. “We don’t force the women to clean by any means. We have cleaning services and housekeeping that come through twice a week for the common areas, and the ladies are in charge of keeping their own spaces tidy,” Willis explains. “But there are women who take it upon themselves to clean. They appreciate what has been given to them, and really want to keep it nice.” As Willis told me this, a guest charged past us, Swiffer in hand. “We promise we didn’t pay her to do that!”

A lovely guest who was in the wing at the time offered to show me around her space. She had her bed decorated with colorful blankets and a roomy closet that had a lock to keep her belongings safe and secure while she was working her job at a local grocery store. When women move from the dormitory into a wing, they are provided with bedding and other essentials, just like the families.

“I’m very grateful. I’ve never been in a place like this. I broke my foot and was out of work for a long time, so I’m so thankful that I had this place here,” the guest told me. “My rent went up so high, I was so devastated and was ready to leave. But I found this place, looked it up, came and talked to the staff. And it’s just been wonderful. Us ladies, we clean, we wash the floors, we take care of it like it's our own.”

Due to the sheer volume of women in the dormitories and wings, they don’t have access to a kitchen or the ability to cook. Instead, there is a large dining module that was designed solely for the women of Home 6. The ladies are served breakfast, lunch, and dinner by RISE workers and the meal-time window is an hour and a half, giving guests time so they don’t feel rushed and can socialize with one another. Each guest also had their own food crate in the back kitchen to store their non-perishables, condiments, and snack food items, since food and drink – besides water – aren’t allowed in the wings. 

Dog kennels at OUR Place.

OUR Place welcomes any animal companions a guest may bring along with them.

“One thing we started to notice was people denying shelter because they don’t want to have give up their fur babies, they’re part of the family after all,” Willis explains.

Since its opening, OUR Place has served over 500 pets, including turtles, rats, and snakes. There are no requirements that the pets are registered service animals, just that they are immunized. The shelter works alongside Washoe County Regional Animal Services and Options Vet to provide immunizations to those that need them. 

OUR Place also doesn’t exclude pets from receiving a welcome kit, providing them with food, toys, and other necessities when they arrive with their owner. “When I worked at the downtown shelter, I remember somebody saying ‘well if shelter was that important, they would leave their pets,’” Schweickert adds. “I drove into campus and I saw a woman with her dog sitting on the sidewalk. The woman had taken off her big down jacket and cut the arms off, and with duct tape had made booties for her dog. Her dog had the jacket on, and booties, and that lady was sitting there in the snow in a t-shirt. If you think someone is going to leave their pet to come into a shelter, look at that woman who was willing to freeze so her dog would be okay.” 

OUR Place even designated a specific wing for guests with pets; the teal wing. The teal wing has direct access to the campus dog area, which consists of a large dog park lined with turf, as well as kennels and dog beds. Guests can check their pets into the kennels when they leave to go to work for the day, signing a pet agreement with another guest who will be responsible for checking in on the animal every so often. OUR Place yet again is removing a barrier that could perhaps prevent one of their guests from seeking work or picking up extra long shifts because they have a pet to care for and consider. “Just like our guests, our pets are resilient,” Schweickert said. “We’ve had VERY few dog fights and incidents. It’s amazing how many animals we’ve served to not have any incidents.”

When OUR Place opened in 2021, they were only originally using the buildings in the lower part of the campus, with beds for 110 women and 28 families. “We quickly learned a couple of things. Firstly, the sheer rate of women experiencing homelessness. I think at one point, we had over 100 women on the waitlist to get a bed,” Schweickert explains.

They had a building up the hill on campus that was being under-utilized and used funds from Grace Church to turn that building into what is now the Risk Reduction Home. OUR Place doesn’t drug test any of their guests, they operate on an honors system instead. “A lot of guests aren’t here because of substance use,” Schweickert mentions. “So why would we want them to stay down there if substance abuse isn’t their issue?” 

The Risk Prevention Home is where a lot of the on-campus group activities take place, including group sessions with a therapist and art classes. “To be in this home, women are required to participate in at least two of these group activities a week, unless you’re working and you can’t,” Schweickert mentions.

Within the home is a huge art room which is kept open all day, filled with painting supplies, art tools, and inspiring messages on the walls. “We’ve met a lot with people living here, our unsheltered guests and guests that had previously been in other shelters. We asked them what they would want different, and tried to cater to their needs and hopes,” Schweickert said.

There’s a designated therapy room for the mental health specialists that visit the campus to hold sessions in, a very calming and zen space. “About 55% of women here self-identify as suffering with mental health issues, but if you talk to our mental health therapist, she’ll say it’s probably closer to 95%,” Schweickert explains. “Domestic violence, sexual assault, any type of trauma is something that can affect mental health and stability. It’s the full spectrum.”

“The other thing we learned is that we had a lot of pregnant women staying in the women’s home, and you can’t have a baby and keep your baby living there,” Schweickert explains. “We didn’t want women losing their babies due to poverty and their situation.”

The HOPE Home came about with COVID-19 funding from the governor’s office, with team members given just five weeks to remodel the whole building and turn it into a home for expecting women and ladies with newborns. “Right now we are about to have four newborn babies in this home, and we were able to move women from the wings so they can keep their baby and have a place for the both of them,” Schweickert said.

OUR Place works with the NEIS (Nevada Early Intervention Services) and other programs to help support new mothers with the services they need, with additional parenting classes being introduced in the coming months. The HOPE Home is by far the quietest home on campus with only 10 women living there – five on each side. Adjoined to each shared living room is a very spacious play area for the babies of the home, equipped with toys and play mats. Bedrooms have a place for the mother to sleep, a baby cradle, and changing station.

From my time spent at OUR Place with Schweickert , touring the facility, and speaking to guests and RISE workers, it’s evident that this is a place that is making a huge difference in the community. The amount of services and resources available to guests is truly extensive, and OUR Place does its utmost to help women and families move forward on the right path in their lives, while making them feel valued and cared about as individuals.

Our Town Reno reporting by Gaia Osborne

Make the Road Seeks to Help the Local Undocumented and Other Struggling Immigrants

Born in Mexico, and a veteran community activist, Rico Ocampo is now the lead organizer for Make the Road, an immigrant justice non profit which recently opened an office in Reno on E. Plumb Lane, further expanding from its Nevada base in Las Vegas.

One goal is to help the undocumented Hispanic community in northern Nevada.

The organization is working to find free resources such as free children’s eye exams or even free mammograms for the undocumented or uninsured and under insured. Make the Road or Se Hace Camino as it translates in Spanish means that those fighting for undocumented rights are paving the road for the next generations to advance. 

“Our organization was formed in 2017 in response to the Route 91 Harvest Festival shooting [during which 60 people were killed and over 400 injured.] Many undocumented immigrant workers [who] are now survivors face significant barriers [to access] basic medical and mental health services due to their immigration status,” he said.

According to its website, Make the Road has also established a presence in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania.

Senator Catherine Cortez Masto visits the Make the Road Nevada team. Photo by Rico Ocampo with permission to use.

Ocampo himself has had to face struggles as a DACA recipient. Ocampo tells the story of the time when the healthcare system in the United States failed him and his family. Ocampo’s older brother was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer at the age of 17. “The fact that we were undocumented, our entire family, including him, I saw firsthand the injustices that take place in this country every day when it comes to undocumented folks,” Ocampo says of not having access to Medicare.

His brother ended up dying from the disease. On top of the emotional toll of losing a loved one the family accumulated tremendous debt. After the hospital placed a lien on the family home, he says they lost it. 

“I think it was one of the earliest moments that I can remember being stripped of my dignity,” Ocampo says. In turn what drew him to Make the Road Nevada was being able to call out injustices and advocate that regardless of someone’s immigration status, everyone deserves to live with dignity and justice. 

A woman on the frontlines of a recent Make The Road Nevada organized protest. Photo taken by Rico Ocampo with permission to use. 

“We let them know that undocumented people are worthy of being loved, they're worthy of breathing the same air as anyone else, and that they have power in their stories,” Ocampo says of the people they are trying to help. “I think that's what separates us is that folks who otherwise would've felt alone, feel like they're at home with us and they feel like they're heard.”

As of now the Make the Road Nevada team is focusing on the 2023 legislative season and priority bills that have the potential to change the lives of immigrant families. They are even getting prepared for the presidential elections in 2024 and looking into candidates that will stand with the undocumented community. 

Our Town Reno reporting by Nancy Vazquez

CPS Responds to Former Employee Who Left Profession Due to Burnout, Frustrations

A former case worker with both the state of Nevada and Washoe County Human Services Agency who wanted to stay anonymous for fear of reprisals says they left the profession due to burnout, low pay, frustrations with abilities to get their job done, contradictory regulations, and disagreeing with prevailing methods. 

“I wasn't making a positive impact in anyone's life because I was torn between all these cases I had and I only had nine,” the former CPS employee said. “There's no way I could get to a full caseload of 21 kids like others had and feel like I'm doing any good. At that point, when you're torn in so many different directions, you're only doing half or a piece of everything that you should be, and so what good are you really doing?”

They said federal, state and county policies can be contradictory and confusing. “So it gets to a point where it's like either you cut corners or you quit. And I wasn't willing to cut corners,” they said. 

While the goal they said is to reunify families, they had a problem with so many kids being taken from their parents in the first place.  

“There are things that happen out there in the community that truly aren't safe for kids. But I think that, if we had more resources in the community and we had more education on implicit bias and things like that, we might not be removing as often,” they said.

Putting kids into foster care they said should really be avoided if at all possible. 

“Overall, you see kids who are in foster care have a greater likelihood of being commercially sexually exploited. They have a greater likelihood of being diagnosed with depression or anxiety, greater likelihood of being diagnosed with ADHD, whether that's an accurate diagnosis or not, you know? And so when you look at it, it’s bleak.  And that's what is difficult too, you think that, okay, you're helping these families by making sure kids are safe, but then are you really, because you then look at all of the negative outcomes that kids face when they are in care.” 

The main regulations are set out in what is known as NRS 432B.

In response in a phone interview, during a break from work at the current legislature, the Children’s Serviced Division Director for the Washoe County Human Services Agency, Ryan Gustafson said he understood the job is difficult, but that he believes it is fairly compensated.

“Washoe County, actually, I think we pay significantly higher than the state,” he said. “But admittedly, it is a hard job. Child welfare is a hard job. We see tough situations, tough circumstances with families, and so you certainly have to have … the strength to be able to do it.”

Gustafson said state and county operate under the same set of rules, and emphasized removals are “really the last thing we want to do.”

He said removals have decreased by 40% in recent years. “So in fiscal year 2018, we had 575 children in Washoe County that we removed. That number has dropped every single year. And then in fiscal year 2022, our removals were 345. And so we're really working hard to see a decrease, even though the population in Washoe County increases, we're seeing less kids removed from their home and more children and families being provided resources and other opportunities. We certainly like to connect families and kids to clinical services, to housing resources, to resources for food, for energy assistance, whatever it is that families need, to be successful. And then, instead of having families come to us, we prefer to go to them just because that usually is a more comfortable setting.”

A previous article we wrote about group homes can be found in this link: http://www.ourtownreno.com/our-stories-1/2022/11/24/whistleblowers-point-to-problematic-group-homes-and-many-other-challenges-for-local-foster-kids

The former worker also said there is an over reliance locally on group homes and specialized foster care homes. “Group homes should be time limited only for an emergency situation and they should be a last resort. That setting is not conducive to child development. But we don't have enough resources as far as family homes for the amount of kids going into care. And so we rely heavily on our group homes because of that. And it's just kind of messed up,” they said. 

“There's actually not that many group homes in Washoe County, believe it or not,” Gustafson replied. “Most of the homes that we have in Washoe County are classified as foster homes and most of those foster homes are set up family style. So we have moms, dads, couples, single folks, whoever it happens to be, they want to foster and we help them get licensed to foster. And we do lots of background checks and home studies. And so it's usually families with no kids or with their own kids that want to take on one, two or three foster kids for a short or a long amount of time. We actually don't have that many large scale group homes. There is a difference between, a traditional family foster home and what's called specialized foster care. And that's a long conversation, but just to sort of give you the gist, specialized foster care is for children and youth that have more complex behavioral needs,” he said. 

Our Town Reno previously reported on those types of homes, based on whistleblower accounts (see above visual and link). 

“They may be more of a shift staff style than a family style, but almost all of the homes now in Washoe County have transitioned to a family style foster setting,” Gustafson said. “There's actually legislation around that’s called the Family First Prevention Services Act, that mandates that foster homes need to look like a family style and be community based. That's just to help create normalcy for these kids who are out of their home for a short or a long amount of time. And so we've actually worked with the providers in the community, that may have multiple homes to help them get those homes set up to be family style, where you have a primary parent or parents in the home.” 

In terms of solutions suggested, the former worker said neighbors need to start helping each other more perhaps rather than people calling the police or CPS on each other when children are involved.

“I suppose we would have better harm reduction techniques [if] as a society we would strip away guilt and shame so that people, when they're going through things, they can reach out to their neighbors and act on things as a community rather than going to a government agency or a government agency being involved. ‘Hey, if you're struggling, come to me. You know what I mean?’ Rather than it being like, oh, the government has to get involved. We start treating it as like a community thing and then we have more compassion for our neighbors too, and we can actually be good community members.”

They would also like to see more people with lived experience in the foster care system work alongside degreed case workers or be the case workers themselves.  “Then your clients, your families are then faced with someone who actually kind of feels what they're going through. And I think that's probably the most progressive way of doing it. I don't know how close we'd be get to getting there because our Nevada statutes don't really allow us to have people with lived experience at the table like that.” 

The situation in the rurals is even worse than in Washoe County for kids in difficult families and generally it felt “like policing the poor.”

“Any kind of regulatory, that's what it's designed to do. And because poor families don't have the resources to help themselves out of whatever is going on, then government agencies get involved. And so certainly like more people living in poverty wind up with worse outcomes.”

To those who insist on removals, including foster families, they said they should look at the bigger picture. 

“This parent might be doing drugs and their kid might see like drug paraphernalia or whatever laying around. But does that truly make them a bad parent? And what makes a person a good parent? And in my personal view, it's being able to teach a child love and empathy and how to exist in the world in a kind way. And I think a person who does drugs or gets into domestic violence relationships can still do all of those things for their children. And I've seen it. And so just because a person does one thing in their life, has this one thing in their life doesn't make them an awful human.” 

They said having more built in preventative work to what CPS does, having support staff to help families going through difficulties would be a better direction to go, rather than separation. 

Gustafson said CPS is always hiring case workers and that even though it requires a bachelor’s degree, it’s not “locked in” to just a degree in social work. 

“We also allow what we consider a related degree, right? So if you’ve got a degree in psychology or sociology or other things, you know, a degree in the humanities, then we will absolutely consider that. And in fact, a good amount of our staff have degrees in various fields, but I completely agree. We like to be a diverse agency and we would absolutely encourage people who are interested to get on the list. We are always hiring,” he said. 

One new approach is called Differential Response whereby community agencies are encouraged to focus on support, and identifying child and family needs, and working on those rather than opting to remove children. 

Gustafson agreed with the former worker on the importance of this existing program.

“Differential Response is a program that we have for, and it's voluntary for families to where if it doesn't reach the threshold for us to go investigate,” the agency official said. “So if a report comes in to the agency and there's a recognition that the family could use some resources, could use some assistance, whatever that might look like, rent, food, groceries, clinical services, someone coming into the home, working with them, working with their child or children, then we can assign that family to Differential Response. Now, again, it is a voluntary program, but it's a very useful program to have because it really helps get families resourced up,” he said.

He said between 2019 and 2021 those cases increased by nearly 30% in Washoe County.   

“So we are looking to continually expand that program as well,” he said. “That allows us to really just work with the families in a more informal way to help make sure they have their needs met.” 

A link explaining the Family Engagement Center can be found here: https://www.washoecounty.gov/hsa/childrens_services/family_engagement_center/index.php

In case of separation, Gustafson says local authorities are proud of the family engagement center which opened in 2017 and has been used for more than 45,000 visits.  

“We’re sort of first in the country to have a center like that where we have a homelike setting where you can facilitate visits. We really try to follow the research and the data and what best practices look like. There's a lot of data around frequency of visits for families. The more that families can see their kids when their kids are removed, the faster those kids tend to go home. And so we've really tried to push visitation. We've really tried to push the relationship between biological mom and dad and foster parents.” 

He says part of the community to help the kids can happen between foster and biological parents, even after the children return back home after separation. “We’re always happy to take feedback from the community and, um, families and foster families and former employees,” he concluded in terms of CPS listening and making progress in a difficult field. 

Our Town Reno reporting, March 2023

The Katie Bug's Free Children’s Boutique, a New Addition at OUR Place

OUR Place opened in June 2021 in partnership with the Washoe County Human Services Agency. Based in Sparks, OUR Place offers emergency housing for women and their families, alongside various other services to help support them. At any given time, they have around 280 individuals living on campus. 

In the early stages of its opening, OUR Place began testing the waters with a clothing boutique, in order to offer their residents access to new clothing and accessories. “It’s really the single women that a lot of times come to us with nothing, especially if they are fleeing a domestic violence situation. Literally, we will have women come in and they only have the clothes on their back,” Kim Schweickert, the Human Services Coordinator for Washoe County, explains.

“We started out with a donation bin outside of our welcome center. People would leave donations, and our guests would come and pick through. But we really didn’t feel like this was the kindest way to show people that we care and believe in them.”

As a response, the Our Place to Shine Boutique was born. What once began as a few rails of donation garments in an old storage room is now a bright, stylish, and welcoming boutique, well-stocked with shoes, dresses, accessories, and outfits for every appropriate occasion.

At the tail end of 2022, the boutique underwent a remodel and now boasts a large dressing room area, decorations and displays, and an even wider range of items for residents to choose from.

“There are women that come in and tell us they feel like they’re a queen for the day,” Norma Chappel who leads at Shine boutique says. “I love seeing how the ladies have changed by the time they leave, they’re more confident and excited, especially when they get to bring home some makeup or new jewelry.”

“Our philosophy at OUR Place is based around a person-first model,” Schweickert said. “A lot of homeless shelters are housing-first models, but we are person-first meaning that we focus on the individual, we create case-plan goals around the person, and housing is really the last thing we connect them with. We want to make sure that by the time they are ready for housing, they’re set up to be successful, versus putting them in housing and figuring everything else out afterward”

As the boutique was being restructured and organized, Karolyn Messina – a live-in staff member at OUR Place and assistant at Our Place to Shine – came up with the idea of expanding their children’s corner in the main boutique, and creating a separate area dedicated to the younger residents of OUR Place. “I felt like the kids here deserved their own area, something just for them,” Messina explains.

After garnering support from the local Katie Grace Foundation, construction was underway, and two months later, the Katie Bug’s Boutique opened for shopping. The name originates from the nickname that Katie Weingartner’s aunt used to call her as a child – bug.

“The Katie Grace Foundation is involved with a lot of projects in the community,” Schweickert said. “They wanted to learn more about OUR Place and what they could do for us.”

Schweickert showed them the storage room they had in mind for the space, cluttered with excess clothing for the other boutique ready to be restocked and in the space of two months, they transformed the room in preparation for its opening – painting the walls in fun, bright colors, adding murals, and bringing in the clothing racks they managed to snag from Bed, Bath & Beyond after they closed down. 

Every clothing item and toy in the children’s boutique is brand new, with donations being coordinated by the Katie Grace Foundation, working alongside chain stores to bring in new, seasonal items for the families to choose from.

“A lot of our families are used to having to go to thrift stores and get second-hand items, and pass them again down to their children,” Schweickert said. “Everything in this boutique is brand new. It doesn’t feel like a handout or charity – this is their boutique.” The once cluttered storage room feels like a real store one would find in a mall, except here – there are no price tags. 

The boutique is staffed fully by volunteers. The families living at OUR Place can schedule a time to drop in and shop for free. Usually, they get to choose three outfits, some shoes, underwear, toys, socks, and a backpack. However, shopping sprees can be expanded as fit to fulfill the child’s needs. “OUR Place has served roughly 450 kids in 2 years, so we certainly have a population here that can use this boutique,” Schweickert said. “Every kid that comes in here feels so special. For the parents to not have to worry about spending money and just letting their kids pick out whatever they want, that’s been really fun to watch.”

This new space offers the kids of OUR Place something exciting and positive to grasp onto while they are going through some tough life changes.

Additional to the racks of coats, shoes, board games, and backpacks is a play area in the corner of the boutique for uninterested kids to occupy themselves with toys or the play kitchen while their parents shop.

There is also a dedicated gift-wrapping station, equipped with tape and rolls of colorful, printed paper. “If it’s a kid’s birthday, their parent can come in here, pick something out and wrap the present, eliminating any feelings of ‘oh, well I’m in a homeless shelter, I can’t get my kid a gift for their birthday,’ type thing,” Schweickert said.

“If we know one of the children’s birthdays is coming up and they really like Barbies, for example, we let the Katie Grace Foundation know and they will bring the Barbie to the boutique, ready for the parents to wrap and gift. They’ve literally thought of everything.”

The Katie Bug’s Boutique helps provide necessary clothing items and shoes for the children staying at OUR Place, as well as sparking joy and helping create a sense of normalcy in their lives.

Our Town Reno reporting by Gaia Osborne

Supportive Housing and Tenant Protection NV Senate Bills Face Early Opposition

Two Nevada Senate Bills which would help renters, those with mental health challenges, the disabled and the precariously housed are facing opposition from usual suspects, landlords, lobbyists and those who oppose tax increases. 

Senate Bill 68 would help develop what is called supportive housing and other housing assistance programs by increasing the Real Property Transfer Tax.  

Under this proposal a boosted RPTT would serve as the funding mechanism for the new assistance.  It would affect individuals and businesses buying a property by adding 20 cents per $500 on their purchase price. 

Proponents of the bill want to use these tax funds to offer housing for those struggling, rental assistance, home repairs, counseling as well as supportive services.

Members of the real estate community though are opposed, expressing concerns about the impact higher taxes would have on the current real estate market. 

The Nevada Association of Counties also opposed the bill, saying it should be county elected bodies which decide where such funds should be allocated. Those who have spoken out against the bill also include Americans for Prosperity-Nevada and Nevada Families for Freedom, two right wing groups as well as the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce.

The proposal has so far received backing from housing advocates, the National Alliance of Mental Illness, the Nevada Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence, the Nevada Faculty Alliance (NCEDSV), the Nevada Rural Hospital Partners and the Reno Housing Authority.

Another suggested Senate Bill, number 78, has already been heavily amended. 

SB 78 aims to prevent landlords from collecting unlimited application fees on units they are renting out and to create more transparency on often hidden administrative fees which are being imposed on new renters.

Initially, the bill sponsored by Democrat Fabian Doñate aimed to also cap cleaning deposits at 15% of the rent, have all fees listed on the front page of leases, and lengthening the time given for no-cause evictions, but those provisions were already taken out. 

Landlords and real estate lobbyists including the Nevada Apartment Association have put up fierce opposition to this bill as they have with previous legislative attempts to pass similar measures. 

The odds seem slim at this point that these bills still under committee review will make it to the desk of Republican Governor Joe Lombardo, let alone be signed into law.

If it does get out of committee, SB 68 would need the support of a two-thirds majority in both houses of the state legislature as it involves a tax increase, while Governor Lombardo has said he won’t accept any new taxes.

Our Town Reno reporting, March 2023

Reno Pressure To Keep At-Large Seat Instead of New Ward 6 Causes Dismay

A bill to reverse replacing Reno’s City Council at-large seat with a Ward 6 Council member in 2024 is having its first hearing before the Nevada Senate Committee on Government Affairs later today, to the dismay of a Reno charter committee volunteer and community members.

“It was kind of injected into what we were doing because we weren't actually talking about this,” Edward Coleman, with the charter committee since 2022, told Our Town Reno concerning these recent developments. 

Coleman, the executive director of a Reno nonprofit called the Black Community Collective, says most people in the city are unaware of this issue because of the time lapse. The change to have Reno institute a Ward 6 instead of an at-large seat was approved by the state legislature in 2017.  Now, Reno officials are leading the charge to reverse the change before it’s even taken shape. 

 “It feels like it was brought in to get rubber stamped so that it could provide cover for people to say, ‘well, this official body said it was good, so it's okay.’ And that's 100% how business is done in Reno,” Coleman said. “When you really pull that curtain back and see the dirty, underhanded things being done in the background, that's when you really get a good idea of who's actually running the city. It caught many in the actual committee completely flatfooted.”

Coleman was appointed to the above committee in 2022 but now feels disillusioned with the process.

Initially Coleman says many members of the charter committee were against reversing the change. “A lot of people were like, ‘I don't even know what this is.’ So it was kind of brought up out of the blue as an issue we should discuss. And so it was tabled for some members to get more information on what this actually was, why it's important, that type of thing. But at that time, I don't think there were enough people that would've supported [it]. So in between then, and the second vote, people who had initially wanted to vote no, changed their position.”

He said after many were pressured to change their views, it eventually passed at the Reno committee level. Coleman says this is one more instance of how Reno is experiencing what is called regulatory capture.   

“It's when a system government stops benefiting the people and starts serving special interests. It's when special interests gain control of an institution basically, and turn it to their own needs. I feel like that's what played a part in this. I know City council members asked me on two separate occasions to come have a talk. They wanted to see, you know, how I was doing, which they'd never done before and they've not done since. And it would be interesting to see how many of the members of the charter committee who did change their mind had discussions with city council members because it seemed like they were more invested in this than anybody else.”

Members of the committee who considered going back on the creation of a sixth ward as part of their agenda in June.

According to the City of Reno website, the charter committee was “established to review the Reno City Charter in its entirety to identify any changes that would provide for a more modern, effective and efficient City government.”

Council members then voted in August to ask state lawmakers to repeal the provisions of the 2017 Assembly Bill 36 (in screenshot below) and keep the council structure as is.

The new 2023 SB 12 would also eliminate gendered language in the city’s charter document and would allow the city to “acquire, improve, equip, operate and maintain, convert to or authorize green infrastructure projects.”

The introduction of SB 12 comes as the current at-large council member Devon Reese is already running for re-election.

He is holding a campaign fundraising kickoff on March 23rd, and has an active donation website, even though he lives in the Somersett area, in Ward 5, which is now represented by Kathleen Taylor. She was selected in September by Council to replace Neoma Jardon, who stepped down to become CEO of the Downtown Reno Partnership, for which she was fined $3,000 for an ethics violation. 

The wording on the Reese campaign releases don’t indicate whether he is running for the at-large seat or what should be a Ward 6 in 2024, while he currently lives in Ward 5. 

We reached out to Reese via Facebook messenger but he didn’t respond. 

The above ask for Reese’s upcoming bid doesn’t indicate whether it’s for the at-large position

“I’m not going to hazard a guess on this, but I mean, we all see who's doing this and we all see who's most attached to it, and those individuals also have received max donations from certain realtors and people of that nature,” Coleman said. “So, I mean, connect the dots. It's right there in front of everybody.”

Others on our Twitter page were more forthright. None voiced support for the reversal.

“Reese must not live in the proposed Ward 6,” wrote one commenter.

“Reese wants to be mayor. They cannot continue the resign and replace strategy they have going (as easily) if they allow a sixth ward. The member at large is key to this cunning plan,” wrote another. 

“Reese needs to retire from politics,” another begged. “His faux progressivism [and] neoliberal capital interests are more detrimental to public welfare than how that seat is categorized imo.”

“It’s not fair to the ward that needs real representation and we’re told they were going to be given that.  This seems like a power play and not what is best for our Reno community,” Lea Grace Moser added.

“This is a power grab. At-large voting is a gift to the powerful few at the expense of the less-powerful many,” wrote Bob Fulkerson.

Recent research indicates at-large voting leads to discriminatory results. Wards allow for more direct representation, unless heavy handed gerrymandering occurs. 

According to the Nonprofit Vote website (above), the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg  cited the at-large method, “along racial gerrymandering, as a preeminent second-generation way to deny equal opportunity for minority voters and candidates.  Congress has banned At-Large voting for all federal elections. It’s been discarded by most states. No voting method has been subject to more litigation for its discriminatory impact on local elections.”  

Others we spoke to anonymously say they’ve heard city of Reno officials say the at-large seat is needed to advocate for affordable housing, which could very well be championed by the mayor instead.  They also said ward specific members are not known not to want affordable housing in their own wards, so the argument makes no logical sense. 

They are also worried that Reese is fundraising and wanting to show the support he has as a way to force through the reversal, since currently there should be no at-large seat in 2024.  

Meanwhile, Coleman said he will be stepping back from volunteering for the city of Reno.

“I’m not really a fan of the current setup, so I've decided to step back from that and wait for elections and look for individuals who actually are going to represent the needs of the people and not just pay lip service to it,” he said. 

He’s also frustrated that two of the current members were selected rather than elected, after abrupt departures, and that Reese himself first arrived onto the council as a selection as well. Coleman still holds hope for the electoral process, despite most incumbents having the favor of deep pocketed donors. 

“People should remember that dollars can't vote. Sure, they can blanket the airways, they can do all kinds of stuff, but they can still be beaten when it comes to just the straight up vote. And that's going to take more work on the other side of things, getting people interested, getting people motivated, letting them understand what the issues are, but … I haven't lost hope in that respect,” he said. 

“I really encourage people, especially as we get closer to voting for a lot of these appointed seats and whatever happens for the at-large sixth Ward seat, to really be engaged and pay attention and hold these people accountable for the things they've done to this city,” Coleman concluded.  

Our Town Reno reporting, March 2023

Thacker Pass Construction Begins, Despite Opposition from Reno Groups

Despite all the legal battles out of Reno, and efforts by Native communities and conservation groups, construction at the Thacker Pass lithium open-pit mine on the Nevada-Oregon border is now churning along. 

Lithium Americas is signing new contracts as it starts drilling, building pipelines and preparing the site.   Demand for lithium is expected to grow exponentially over the next few decades with the rise of electric vehicles. 

The legal battles are ongoing, with the latest appeal expected to be heard in June, but a judge in Reno said work could proceed. Local tribes refer to Thacker Pass as “Peehee mu’huh” meaning “rotten moon” to mark the shape of an area where their ancestors were massacred in the 1800s.

The Reno Sparks Indian Colony is advocating for the the area to be on the National Register of Historic Places. 

The Great Basin Resource Watch says the mine could lead to the destruction of sage grouse habitat.  It will also disturb a migration corridor for pronghorn antelope and thousands of acres of sagebrush.  

Our Town Reno reporting, March 2023