Spross Outlines County Priorities at CEDA Breakfast

Churchill County Manager Chris Spross, who took the helm July 7, shared his priorities and ongoing projects with the Churchill Entrepreneur Development Association at its monthly breakfast meeting August 27.

A key topic was the Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act (SNPLMA), which provides grant funding from land sales in southern Nevada. Churchill County was awarded $42 million in November 2024 for improvements at the Rafter 3C Event Complex and the North Maine softball and baseball fields. Spross said the county has completed its environmental clearances on both projects, but noted the Bureau of Land Management moves slowly, especially now that it’s facing a labor shortage.

While SNPLMA funds require no local matching funds, the competition is tough. Churchill County can submit up to three projects in each funding round, and Round 21 is approaching next year. Spross said his recent experience reviewing and scoring other applications has given him insight into how to submit stronger proposals.

Spross also spoke about provisions in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which made Churchill County eligible for SNPLMA grants. Through negotiations, the county reached agreements to rebuild Lone Tree Road and reroute Sand Canyon Road to support the Navy’s B-16 bombing range expansion. He emphasized the Navy cannot move forward with its expansion until it fulfills these obligations.

Another win came in resolving checkerboard land ownership issues in northern Churchill County. The “checkerboard” parcels skirt the Interstate 80 corridor north of Hazen. The county created a land-swap process wherein they will “sit at the table between BLM and the private owner” to help owners of less-desirable mountaintop private sections become eligible for an exchange of valley floor sections more suitable for development.

The county has begun work toward a new secondary water treatment plant at the golf course, using $6 million in secured funds to prepare the site and purchase equipment. More money will be needed to finish construction.

Other updates included the stalled courthouse expansion, the transition of the Churchill Area Regional Transport to county management Oct. 1, and the growing economic impact of the Rafter 3C Arena, which has expanded from $8.5 million to $12 million in three years.