The Environmental Protection Agency awarded a $600,000 grant to Lovelock and Pershing County. Officials say it is the first step in revitalizing the area. Lovelock is one of 149 communities in the United States to receive an EPA Brownfields Grant. It will be used to assess and clean up community gateways, an industrial park, the downtown corridor and former mine sites.
"When we did the community outreach and we talked about our community, blight was a topic that came up," Heidi Lusby-Angvick, Executive Director for Pershing County Economic Development Authority said.
Some of Lovelock's vacant buildings have fallen into disrepair or need a lot of work. Old motels, gas stations and apartments sit empty. Some have boarded up windows and others have collapsed roofs.
"We have the opportunity to make those properties attractive to potential buyers and builders," Rob McDougal, Pershing County Commissioner said. "We're not buying the properties. We're just trying to improve the situation so that the existing sellers can either use them or sell them."
The grant will allow the city and county to work with the owner to assess the properties. Some may have hazardous materials like asbestos or lead paint. Some could face demolition while others just need some upgrades.
"Some of them touch the hearts of our community members," Lusby-Angvick said. "It's the old Rexall building on the corner where our stoplight is. We've tried to cover it with some murals which are beautiful but it's just a vacant building."
Once the assessments are finished, they will apply for a second federal grant to help with demolition or revitalization. The goal is to clean up the town to make it more attractive for future economic development.
"We would love to see more opportunities for high tech businesses and also shopping opportunities," Lusby-Angvick said.
Retail is a sector that is lacking in Lovelock. Officials say it is hard for small retailers to compete with larger businesses in places like Fallon and Fernley. That means the city and town are not getting that sales tax revenue.
The Western Nevada Development District says while most Nevada towns are growing, Lovelock's population is shrinking. That is why it is important to diversify the economy. That could attract more people to move to Lovelock, which would help the city support its services. McDougal says the town of 2,000 people would be much better off with about 4,000 residents. That would create more building and development.
"It's really important to us to turn it around to really try and energize a bit more residential population here," McDougal said. "People that would be working at new businesses as they come in."
As the improvements happen, officials say it could also create some opportunities for tourism.
"We would really love an inviting and walkable community so that when the tour buses do stop here for a rest and a break, that the people that get off those buses are welcomed into our community," Lusby-Angvick said.
Officials say the grant is the first step in a long-term plan that could take several years to complete.
