Krispy Kreme Madness Comes to Reno
Reno High cheerleaders and the McQueen High School band entertained at the grand opening of Reno’s first Krispy Kreme doughnut store on December 11. Reno Mayor Jeff Griffin and Harry York of the Reno-Sparks Chamber of Commerce helped owner Lincoln Spoor officially cut the ribbon at 6 a.m. The first doughnut fans began lining up at 4 p.m. on the previous day, and hundreds braved 20-degree weather for a chance to try out the hot glazed treats. The new shop, located at 5050 Kietzke Lane on the city’s south side, is capable of producing up to 3,000 doughnuts an hour.
UNLV Acquires Land, Buildings for Dental School
UNLV completed arrangements in December to purchase three buildings and 18 acres of land near University Medical Center in Las Vegas from Employers Insurance Company of Nevada. The UNLV Board of Regents approved the sale of nearly $30 million in revenue bonds to finance the project, which will include the purchase price of $13.5 million and an additional $11.5 million to renovate and equip the facilities. The site contains 185,000 square feet of space and a 700-space parking lot. The School of Dentistry, scheduled to open in fall 2003, will occupy 110,000 square feet in the buildings, and the remainder will be leased out to generate operating revenue. Employers Insurance Company will move its Southern Nevada operations to another, smaller location by May 2002.
General Motors to Stay in Northern Nevada
Despite a strong effort by the state of California to lure it away, General Motors Service Parts Operations (SPO) is staying in the Reno area, thanks partly to an incentive package including a tax break granted by the Reno City Council. The council agreed in December to forgive half the sales tax due on about $12.5 million in equipment purchases over the next 10 years, a tax break worth approximately $112,000. The General Motors facility in Sparks, with a total payroll of $22 million, employs about 200 people. Instead of relocating to California, GM will move from Sparks, where it has been located since 1980, to a new plant in DP Partners’ Silver Lake Business Park in Stead. Groundbreaking for the $30 million, 404,000-square-foot plant is slated for the first quarter of this year.
New Resort Opens in Southern Nevada
Station Casinos, Inc. held a gala grand opening on December 18 for its newest and most expensive property, Green Valley Ranch Resort & Spa. The $300 million resort, located at Green Valley Parkway and I-215, is a joint venture between Station Casinos and GCR Gaming, a company owned by the Greenspun family. The property features 201 guest rooms, 45 suites, a 2,000-square-foot presidential suite, a 50,000-square-foot casino, a 10-screen movie theater and a 10,000-square-foot European day spa. In contrast with other Station Casino venues, Green Valley Ranch Resort & Spa contains restaurants operated by famous owners, including Border Grill, Gustav Mauler’s BullShrimp, Il Fornaio, Trophy’s Sports Bar and The Original Pancake House. A food court also offers a variety of choices for casual dining. The resort’s $20 million Whiskey Beach offers a view of city lights from its 8-acre setting, which includes a working vineyard, open lawns, an infinity-edge pool framed by private cabanas, and a poolside bar.
Atomic Testing History Institute Planned
The U.S. Department of Energy has announced it will open a Nevada Atomic Testing History Institute in Las Vegas in the summer of 2003. The facility, which will showcase five decades of weapons research and scientific development at the Nevada Test Site (NTS), will be part of the Southern Nevada Science Center near UNLV. The 8,000-square-foot museum portion of the Science Center will feature NTS-related artifacts, simulated Test Site tours and interactive exhibits. The museum, funded through the Nevada Test Site Historical Foundation, will be affiliated with the Smithsonian Institute, allowing it to display exhibits from the Smithsonian in its 2,000-square-foot traveling exhibit area. The U.S. conducted nuclear weapons tests at the NTS from 1951 until 1992, and the site is still in use for non-weapons projects, including environmental management, alternative energy development and research involving the containment of hazardous materials.