THUMBS UP to the Victorian Square renaissance and the future of downtown Sparks. In back-to-back weeks, groundbreaking ceremonies were held for multi-million-dollar developments that will transform and revitalize Victorian Square.
The renovation of the old Silver Club Hotel into residential lofts and the former Bourbon Square Casino into a mixture of shops, restaurants and offices was the first development to be recognized in ceremonies last week. Those renovation projects to create the C Street Lofts and The Yard are spearheaded by Greenstreet Communities Development of Reno.
This week, the attention turned to the construction of a 236-unit apartment complex spread across 10 buildings with space in two of the buildings for stores and restaurants. This major urban residential project, the Fountainhouse at Victorian Square , is under the direction of Silverwing Development, also a Reno company.
There’s certainly a lot of buzz at the square these days, and for good reason. THUMBS UP to the developers who are willing to invest in downtown Sparks and to city officials for working diligently with them to move their projects along.
As one elected leader of the city said: “This is one of the best things that’s happened to Sparks in a long time.”
THUMPS UP to Bruce Gilbert, the new executive director of the state’s health insurance exchange, for taking the job of running the exchange, which has been a disaster for Nevadans buying insurance under the Affordable Care Act or Obamacare.
Gilbert has promised to fix the badly damaged exchange, and he certainly appears capable of doing so thanks to his extensive experience in the health-insurance field. He’s also not afraid to reach out and offer assistance, and he doesn’t hide from the news media. Good traits to have when you’re trying to turn things around.
THUMBS DOWN to criminals who prey on the kindness of homeowners by going door to door asking for donations to suspicious charities. Washoe County sheriff’s deputies last week arrested two people who were knocking on homes in the Cold Springs area and asking for monetary donations for care packages for soldiers overseas. The two did not have a permit.
The sheriff’s office gave a list of tips on how homeowners can protect themselves from scammers. We like two of the tips in particular: “If you don’t know the person, don’t open the door.” And “if you are not interested, simply close the door and lock it. You don’t owe the person an explanation.”
The same kind of advice can be used on the telephone when you are solicited: “Hang up.” Or via email: “Delete.”
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