MAY 2009 BREAKFAST: The Mobility of Southern Nevada – Where Are We Going?
 The NAIOP May 2009 breakfast was sponsored by Ecolite Integrated Building Systems West, and we received many generous donations from our members to Helping Hands of Vegas Valley Inc, who kindly develop, coordinate, and deliver supportive services to senior citizens.
When Mr. Snow started his presentation at the NAIOP May 2009 morning breakfast with a quote from Arnold Schwarzenegger from Kindergarten Cop , “Who is your Daddy and what does he do?” it brought up the intriguing question – “Who is the RTC and what do they do?” (And how are they like my Daddy?)
Jacob Snow would be the one to know, as the General Manager of the Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) of Southern Nevada. The RTC is responsible for owning and operating our mass transit systems as well as reviewing and approving all transit development at the national, state and local levels.
Money to maintain and improve our transit system at the state and national levels mainly comes from gas tax which raises serious concerns. With more money being spent on maintenance and improvements and the sudden decline in driving, addition of mass transit vehicles, better fuel economy and alternative fuel sources, where will this money come from?
Mr. Snow says “It has been this way for quite some time.” One idea is to implement a use tax for the number of miles you have driven that would be tracked via GPS and paid at the pump each time you fill up. Another idea in consideration is toll roads, although 2 proposed bills to allow for toll roads in Nevada have failed to pass so far. The RTC has received $77M in stimulus money from the federal government that is being awarded to projects that improve our transit system here in Southern Nevada in relatively near future.
Las Vegas has made attempts in the past to improve our mass transit with programs like the Deuce double decker bus, or ticket vending machines to speed up purchases; however our “mass transit” is yet to be synonymous with “fast transit”. Mr. Snow shed light on programs being implemented to speed up and clear up our roadways. Programs included the introduction of additional transit vehicles which reduce road use like the ACE transit system anticipated in late 2010 or early 2011, which will allow the loading and unloading of 100 passengers in just 10 seconds and offer drastically reduced trip times. Future plans include the use of natural gas and hybrid fuel buses as well as the ACE Express which will offer those who work on the strip a park and ride option taking advantage of the future transit lanes on HWY 15.
Bridget Richards of New Growth Commercial commented “This was one educational and interesting speaker giving us something extremely relevant to the future of our local economy”.
By Nieya Anjomi, Max Distro LLC
APRIL 2009 BREAKFAST: NAIOP Get Update on the Travel and Tourism Industry in Southern Nevada
 At the April Breakfast meeting, the NAIOP Southern Nevada membership received a first hand explanation of how the economic downturn has impacted Nevada’s Travel and Tourism industry.
Rossi Ralenkotter, the president and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority and Elaine Sanchez, marketing manager of the Clark County Department of Aviation, gave us their views on the market and what they are doing to overcome the current challenges.
Mr. Ralenkotter explained that although there has been a decrease in the convention bookings recently, we are still one of the largest convention destinations. They are actively working on numerous conferences and conventions and he was pleased to announce that they had just signed the NASCAR awards will be coming to Vegas. This is an event that had been held in another state and chose to relocate to Las Vegas.
Ms. Sanchez brought us up to date on the travel industry and confirmed that passenger counts are down, flights into McCarran Airport have seen a decline but they still need to be proactive on the capacity of the airport. They are moving forward on Terminal 3 which will be a stand alone terminal and will house International flights, an area they are currently heavily targeting. This terminal is scheduled for completion in 2012. She was also asked about the Ivanpah Airport and said that the Environment Impact Statement is in the process and that it is still being considered for a completion around 2020.
Ralenkotter and Sanchez stated they both work very closely together in order to offer clients the best possible experience when booking an event in Las Vegas. They have attended many meetings together to ensure their clients trips are smooth from start to finish. Making sure the travel experience is pleasant is the first in making the trip a success. Both agreed when asked about a high-speed train between Vegas and California. There are a lot of issues that need to be worked out with location, funding, and types of trains but both said they would support the project because we need to get our visitors here anyway possible.
By Dawn Perkins, Nevada Business Magazine and The Red Report
MARCH 2009 BREAKFAST: NAIOP Members Get a Sneak Peak Inside Red Flag at Nellis
 Sponsored by Slater, Hanifan Group, Consulting Engineers & Planners, the March breakfast meeting featured Captain Wayne Walker, a B-52 Electronic Warfare Officer and the Red Flag Airboss. He assists in mission planning and is responsible for overall safety of tactical plans for the CAF and Allied Air Force worldwide.
Captain Walker took the meeting attendees through an extensive slide presentation to assist the audience in understanding the importance of Red Flag and the extensive training involved. To summarize, Red Flag in an advanced military exercise which provides realistic flight training and encourages the exchange of ideas with other foreign countries. The program was founded in order to build a program for training pilots prior to being engaged in actual warfare. The participants include the United States Air Force, Navy, Army and Marines. In addition, there are 26 foreign countries who also participate in these exercises.
The Red Flag Mission is to train integrated combat forces, create the most realistic air, ground and space threat environment for combat training, prepare our forces for substantial, expeditionary combat operations, provide training relevant to current and future scenarios and provide a forum for face-to-face exchange of ideas and lessons learned.
Currently there are up to five Red Flag Exercises per year, with Nellis Air Force Base being one of the primary locations for the operation. F15 and F16 aircrafts are used for the training and pilots are scored on their performance by whether or not they would survive an incident based on their reaction to numerous scenarios. In Nevada and Utah, the participants are allowed to use live bombs to hit their targets. In addition to the bombing exercises, pilots are also taught to drop down from their aircraft to retrieve soldiers and rescue them by air.
In conclusion, Captain Walker asked the audience to understand the necessity of this program at Nellis AFB and be patient when the training is in progress. The Air Force receives numerous complaints every year due to excessive noise. In Captain Walker’s words, “this is serious business; it’s essential.”
By Marge Landry, Landry & Associates, Inc.
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