Update: Eileen Pruitt Murder

Having been out of town when the latest court action happened, this is late in updating events surrounding Eileen's death and subsiquent court action against her accused murderer, Ryan Bonnet. An account of his plea and surrounding facts is in the Nevada Appeal here.
Trial is scheduled for November 16th, and is expected to take two weeks.

What's That Noise? Government Money @ Work?

The construction noise of recent days is the digging and installation of effluent pipe between the new sewer treatment plant and the Waste Management refuse disposal site up Canyon Way. Work at this date has progressed adjacent to Peri Ranch Road to about half way across the LCC/Rainbow Bend borderline.

Work is being done utilizing a grant from the federal Economic Stimulus Act under the supervision of the Canyon General Improvement District and will cost about $3 million. Effluent will be bought by Waste Management on a per/gallon basis. There is no "out of pocket" expense to the community in this project therfore no increase in rates is contemplated. Completion is scheduled for mid-summer. However, as the work progresses up Canyon Way, noise will dissipate considerably.

Neighborhood Watch Organizes

About 50 citizens attended a first organizing meeting for a local Neighborhood Watch, Tuesday, March 9th. Sheriff Deputy John-Michael Mendoza (847.4242) gave a detailed slideshow presentation. It was held at the Lockwood Community/Senior Center on Peri Ranch Road.

Attendees are asked to submit personal information, including email address and home location, for eventual use by Watch organizers. A web site is contemplated. A Watch Commander was appointed. Further information will be enclosed in next month's CGID billing statement.

Business was concluded with the setting of the next meeting. It will be, Tuesday, April 6th at 6PM, in the Center.

Community Meeting Opens Many Dialogues

The Community Chest of Storey County-sponsored dinner and meeting tonight in Lockwood brought forth several interesting development ideas, and a few updates of long-standing needs. About 60 interested citizens attended.

A litney of Lockwood-centered ideas was forthcoming. These are being organized into specific projects; ranging from planting more trees, a public Victory garden, community registry (phone book), a community web site, educational opportunities, recreational opportunities (with specific focus on the 13-20 age group) and many others. Followup is to be forthcoming from the Community Chest.

Staff at Hillside School reported that plans are underway to build an exercise walkway from the Senior/Community Center east around the school, then north across Peri Ranch Road, to the open area between the school and Rainbow Bend, following the property line west to the end of the property, and then south up the incline back to the Center. Enclosement of the area north of Peri Ranch Road is to include a fenced-in dog park. Specifics of the project are still in the design process but survey of the land was said to have already been done.

It was announced that one million dollars has been raised to build a multi-purpose center in Virginia City. This includes $200,000 appropriated as part of the Transportation and HUD Appropriations bill recently passed with the support of Senator Harry Reid. Groundbreaking is being scheduled. The meeting attendants were urged to take this success as model to improving the Lockwood community.

Some vocal attention was given geothermal and wind energy potentials but met with specific and non-specific skepticism. Further investigation into the potential lowering of community, and individual living, costs is being done by interested persons and companies. This is being spurred in light of recent geothermal funds allocated in the recent stimulis legislation going largely begging. Conversation has been opened with the Canyon General Improvement District toward that organization co-sponsoring such a project after the sewer plant effluent disposal pipeline is complete.

No mention was given to fast-tracking the opening of a restaurant-bar for the area now that none is open between Sparks and Patrick.

Pruitt Murder Arraignment Set

Ryan Bonnet will be arraigned on Open Murder and Assaulting a Police Officer charges February 19th in Storey County District Court for the death of Eileen Pruitt and resisting police arrest. Details of his Friday Preliminary Hearing in Justice of the Peace Annette Daniels' court are covered in F.T.Norton's bylined article in the Nevada Appeal today. Read it online here.

The hearing room was filled to overflow as the tedious detail of the unfortunate October 18th incident in Lockwood's Rainbow Bend development was reflected by witnesses. The hearing was conducted in a small room with bench seats for about 20; standing room had the total witnessing the hearing over 30. It was hot and uncomfortable for all attending, but determination kept the room near capacity as the long day unfolded. Members of the Pruitt family were in attendance.

Not mentioned in the F.T.Norton article was testimony that tied Bonnet statements on the fateful day to the Hell's Angels Motorcycle Club (HA); esp. who, according to one witness, he said to be his "family,"and were "ready to take care of any problem."

River District Community Dinner and Planning Meeting

Community Chest, Inc. is facilitating a dinner and planning meeting for the River District of Storey County. This will afford Lockwood residents an opportunity to give input into a vision for this community and make plans toward creating a healthful environment here.

It will be at the Hillside Elementary School on Peri Ranch Road in Lockwood; Thursday, January 28th from 5 to 8 PM.

RSVP is requested at the school 324-0400.

Hope to see you there.

Pat Mylan Passes

Word has come that longtime Mustang Bar owner Pat Mylan has died. Arrangements for burial at the Veterans Cemetary in Fernley were being made for Firday, November 27th according to reports from a former resident of the mobile home park. As of this writing, no confirmation of this is available.

Pat owned and operated the Mustang Bar and adjacent Sage Mobile Home Park on the Washoe side in Mustang, located at 11950 Interstate 80 East, Route 1, for several decades. Following some troubles with Washoe County over the water system, he had sold the property to Q&D Construction, who closed the park and bar. He once said he moved to Mustang in the mid-1940s, when it was, "Just dust and sagebrush."

This comes after the recent passings of Jim and Joe Peri, also pioneers and longtime residents of the area. It has been learned that their property, with the exception of the actual Peri Ranch homestead, has been sold to interests owning the Old Bridge brothel property. The brothel has been closed for several months.