Power, poop and permits: CVTAB grapples with sanitation, squatting and need for regulation

The Crescent Valley Town Advisory Board (CVTAB) convened Nov. 5 for an intense, nearly two-hour meeting that highlighted the growing pains of this community. While the board successfully ironed out the festive details for the upcoming Christmas event, the majority of the session was dominated by urgent, complex issues: addressing repeated power outages, establishing traffic safety, and, most critically, tackling a pervasive problem of sanitation.

Board members, including Chair Diana Kersey, Vice Chair Jeremy Rice and member Laura Shivers, joined secretary Christina Tucker and County Commissioner Mike Schoenwald in tackling the complex challenges facing the valley.

Fighting NV Energy for reliable power

A major point of frustration for the community is the repeated loss of power and voltage fluctuations caused by old equipment. Chair Kersey and her husband, Dale, had already spoken directly with NV Energy, reporting a disheartening response.

“They said the best thing to do is if we know of specific transformers that are leaking, make a list,” Kersey reported. Dale Kersey summarized the utility’s stance with a blunt, “They pretty much said, ‘Good luck.’”

Secretary Tucker presented a formally drafted letter detailing the “persistent issues” causing “significant inconvenience and damage to electrical appliances throughout the town.” The letter demands that NV Energy “send a qualified technician to inspect the equipment and diagnose the root cause of the problem” and “propose a plan for upgrading or replacing the outdated equipment.”

Vice Chair Rice emphasized that the community is growing, with more people going “on grid,” likely necessitating an upgrade to the substation itself. Despite the utility’s frustrating response, Tucker noted that there has been an NV Energy truck in town every day this week, actively inspecting poles and looking at lights.

The most recent power outage was Tuesday, Nov. 11.

The great stop sign and speed bump debate

With the recent completion of new road work, the discussion moved to traffic safety, bringing Sheriff Miles Umina and Public Works Director Jeb Rowley into the fold to discuss the potential placement of new stop signs.

Umina, who had consulted with Rowley, suggested a slow “roll-out program,” noting that installing the 70-plus signs requested could take up to six months and doing them all at once might create more problems than it solves. Umina emphasized common sense, reminding drivers, “You come up to a road where it dead ends…you should probably stop there before you roll on through.”

Deputy Nick Collins singled out the intersection of McDaniel and Tenabo as a priority, citing speeding vehicles and pedestrian traffic near the mailboxes and the Public Works yard. He suggested a four-way controlled intersection.

Rowley, however, feared a four-way stop would “stop doubles and triples traffic going into the Public Works yard.” He suggested starting with a pedestrian crosswalk instead.

Resident Dale Kersey introduced a high-impact solution: speed bumps. He described large, raised bumps that would force drivers to slow down or “lose an axle,” suggesting one near the county yard and another in front of the school. Rowley found the idea “viable,” with Kersey confidently stating, “They will not hit it twice.” The extensive discussion on signs and bumps ultimately concluded with the sheriff’s plan to slowly roll out signs over six months, focusing on critical areas like McDaniel, 2nd, 4th and 6th, which are main trouble spots for pulling off or onto 306.

A tipping point: Sanitation, squatting and the lack of zoning

The most charged discussion of the evening focused on a crisis that resident and former deputy Marcial Evertsen characterized as a “tipping point:” illegal dumping and unsanitary living conditions, particularly among off-grid residents. Evertsen requested that the “sanitary conditions” issue be placed on the next agenda to seek clear direction from the board.

Sheriff Umina and Director Rowley confirmed the seriousness of the problem, with Umina noting they have seen “stuff rear its head in Eureka also,” including someone using the creek for human waste disposal. Umina was frank: solving this issue will require getting the Central Nevada Health District involved and may necessitate county zoning and ordinances.

Rowley confirmed that Eureka County is either the last or second-to-last county in the state without a building department. He noted that without a defined “nuisance” in the code, law enforcement lacks the “teeth” to proceed against sanitation violations.

“You can’t have your cake and eat it too,” Rowley cautioned, referring to the cherished freedom from regulation and the need for basic sanitation controls.

The discussion revealed the complexity of enforcement:

• Unpermitted septics: Deputy Collins shared that he just bought a 30-year-old home with a septic system that was never approved by the state and now requires a full replacement. Rowley admitted that 90+% of septics in the valley may have never been permitted, making regulation difficult.
• Non-water customers: Evertsen pointed out that county code mandates a septic system for water customers, but many people causing the problem buy their water and are not on the system, creating a loophole.
• Mental health issues: Evertsen stated that the issue is often compounded by people who “have a mental health issue. They literally do not know how to survive in society.”

The board acknowledged that this is the challenging “fine line we’re trying to walk,” as Commissioner Schoenwald put it, of attempting to get “baby steps in” with an inspector rather than an “entire building department.”

Law enforcement updates and Christmas plans

Sheriff Umina updated the Board on his efforts to recruit a “casual position” in Crescent Valley, which he said will allow for the town hall to be open more often.

Umina is also “crunching numbers on opening our own jail” full-time. He noted that the true cost of transporting inmates through snowy summits to Lander or White Pine County in the winter is likely more expensive than “having it go full time” locally, a point he will continue to press with the county commission.

The board then transitioned to the festive preparations for the Crescent Valley Christmas Event on Dec. 13. They finalized the menu, catering details and the purchase of a community Christmas tree. Deputy Nick Collins will be emceeing, and the sheriff will be present, despite the event coinciding with the Shop with a Cop program.

Finally, the board addressed the issue of people “pitching a tent” on private property within the one-square-mile town. Sheriff Umina encouraged residents to call in suspicious activity or request a “welfare check” if they see people camping in inclement weather. “The more that the community calls on these issues, it puts it on the radar for us, and we can go deal with it,” Umina said.

After a thorough airing of critical local issues, the CVTAB adjourned, ensuring the sanitation problem will remain the “hot topic” for the next agenda.