County Cleared to Rebuild Lone Tree Road - Navy Will Reimburse All Costs

Following the approval of two separate agreements, Churchill County is set to move forward with reconstructing Lone Tree Road, which leads to bombing range B-16 southwest of Fallon. The $6.3 million project will be paid for entirely by the federal government.

At its Aug. 7 meeting, the Churchill County Commission approved a Local Public Agency Agreement with the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) and a Memorandum of Agreement with Navy Region Southwest. Both agreements outline each party’s responsibilities for rebuilding Lone Tree Road from Highway 95 to Sand Canyon Road.

County Manager Chris Spross said a portion of the road is currently owned by NDOT, but once the work is complete, the entire road will be the county’s responsibility. Reconstruction was included in the National Defense Authorization Act because the road is a Defense Access Road, or DAR, leading to the bombing range. These agreements do not address Sand Canyon Road — the dirt road off Lone Tree that heads west into the desert and to the range entrance.

NDOT will assist the county with completing National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documentation and will review county procedures for advertising, opening and awarding a bid for the work. The county will submit preliminary plans at several design phases and provide monthly invoices, with the final invoice due within 90 days of completion.

Defense Access Road funding comes from military construction funds requiring Congressional authorization. The agreement states the Navy will provide proof of funding approval before any work begins.

“The Navy agrees, that unless mandated to do so by applicable law, it will not seek to ‘claw back’ from Churchill County any funds that have been authorized and appropriated, transferred to Churchill County … for the reconstruction of Lone Tree Road,” the MOA states.

Once appropriated, funding will be transferred from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) headquarters in Washington, D.C., to the FHWA-Nevada Division office. From there, funds will move to NDOT and then to Churchill County.

Other Commission Actions

• Approved the City of Fernley’s temporary application to change the point of water diversion from a Lyon County source to a Churchill County source for the NV Energy Sierra Solar project.
• Approved eight settlement agreements related to the National Opioid Settlement, totaling approximately $25,000.
• Approved the purchase of AudioEye to complement the county’s website. The program will provide descriptive text and read-aloud audio to improve compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
• Approved the purchase of a new server and hardware from CML Security for the Sheriff’s Office at a cost of $115,326.36.
• Recognized the comptroller’s office for receiving the Excellence in Financial Reporting award from the Government Finance Officers Association.