Reno Gazette-Journal from Reno, Nevada • Page 19

Reno Evening Gazette Tuesday April 24. 197919 Council rejects Sundowner project Owner accused of 'thumbing his nose' at Reno councHmen vote, architect William Morris lashed out at the City Council "Why do we have two organizations the- Planning Commission and the City Council1'' Morns said "We should throw away one of them -either one They i the council i give Circus Circus 800 rooms and they turn us down I don't under stand it Morris said he doesn't know if he will appeal the council decision or try again to win approval through a new proposal. Construction will continue to complete the Sundowner tower and office space ill be leased. Morris said The council rejection comes less than five months after Sundowner owner George Kara-dams tried without city approval to convert the office space to hotel rooms on his ow City engineers earlier this year discovered that plumbing was being installed in the Sundowner tower for more hotel rooms than originally approved Construction plans initially called for casino anis on the first four floors, hotel rooms in floors five through 10 and office space on floor-. 1 1 through 19 After learning of the unauthorized plumbing, city officials issued a stop work order The plumbing for the extra rooms was ordered re moved and the stop work orde was lifted Karadanis said later that he had full intention all along to convert the office space to hotel rooms and had ordered the unauthorized plumbing "It's a waste of money." Karadanis said three-weeks ago "At the time'.

I didn't think putting the plumbing in was such a serious offense Karlier. Morns said the conversion was a mat ter of "pure economics Morns told the council that nearly one million square feet of office space already is proposed for the Truckee Meadows area and it is logical to "convert our meager 60.ouo square feet to hote! rooms Morris pointed out that the Sundowner expansion impact on the community and the environ ment would not Ik- nearly as severe as the Circus Circus' 800-room expansion approv ed by the council in February The architect quoted a Greater Reno-Sparks Chamber of Commerce position paper stating that there is a real wed for hotel rooms added on to existing hotels He also claimed support of the Reno-Sparks Convention Authority Councilman Marcel Durant questioned the chamber's position "ou renot taking care of our problems Vu re adding on to them. Durant said I don't agree with the Chamber of Commerce that we need more rooms A year ago. the chamber came in and said we n-ed more casino space It goes on and on Soon the chamber will be telling us we need more casinos hen's going to stop" Morris replied. "That's called growth.

Mr. Durant In a related matter. Karadanis won approval of a -urut apartment complex on Silverada Boulevard Karadanis said he will give Sundowner employees first right of refusal as tenants in the new apartment complex The apartments wore proposed to lessen the impact of the hotel tower conversion, according to Morris By BOB LEWIS The controversial 162 room expansion of the Sundowner Hotel Casino was rejected Monday night by an irritated Keno City Council, which accused developers ol "'thumbing their noses at previous council denials The council voted 4 2 to deny a request to convert four floors now under construction from proposed office space to hotel rooms. Councilmcn Ed Spoon and Kd Oaks voted for the expansion In voting against the additional hotel rooms. Councilman Bill Wallace called developers on the carpet for continuing to try to convert the office space to hotel rooms when the council already said no earlier "I understand the need for more hotel rooms." Wallace said "But my concern is that we have said no to Mr Karadanis before and yet he goes ahead and tries to make hotel rooms anyw ay We said no and you, in effect, said we don't care Your organization is thumbing its nose at the council The Regional Planning Commission voted two weeks ago to recommend approval of the proposed expansion Storming out of council chmabers after the Reno Evening Gazette Page 19 Reno.

Nevada. Tuesday, April 24, 1979 unman skeleton found near Reno If Mathews said the body found Monday was in a rugged area of numerous trails He said Miraloma Road is not one on which you would drive a family automobile The area is remote except for some "pretty nice houses" near the Virginia City highway he said He guessed the skeleton had been where it was found at least two months He said it is Just that a skeleton There is no identification, but there is some clothing Mathews said that although he can't identify reason to believe the skeleton is that of any of three-young women who recently, and separately, disappeared from Reno The body was the second found in desert areas near Reno in a month. On March 25. the body of a young woman, who appeared to be have been bound, gagged and struck on the head, as found in Hungry Valley, north of Lemmon Valley That person remains unidentified in spite of na tionwide help sought by the Sheriff Department through other law enforcement agencies. By PHIL BARBER Reno authorities are trying to identify a human skeleton which two hikers found Monday afternoon in a desert ravine.

('apt. Bill Mathews, commander of the Washoe Sheriff Department's detective division, said the age and sex of the skeleton could not immediately be determined It was found to 400 yards off Miraloma Road, which winds from State Route 17 to the Hidden Valley area in Reno. Reno police said they have no W'CTVTFt rs -c vrr; the clothing as to whether it was worn by a manor a woman, he believes that can be done The skeleton was taken to the morgue at Washoe Medical Center, where it was to be examined in detail today Mathews said there are portions of hair And he said the teeth appear to be tnose hich can easily be identified by a dentist The skeleton was found on the surface. alhough not wholly intact Sheriff's officers returned to the scene this morning to search for any further evidence which might identify the victim or possibly the cause of death Although the Reno Police Department receives about missing person reports a year, nearly all cancel themselves out automatically after 4H hours There are exceptions. Police currently are seeking thiee young women, and a year-old California woman who disappeared in Reno May 22.

also has never fx-en found The latter is Janie Brown, a Pittsburg secretary who came to Reno on a trip, then disappeared last was seen with a brown-haired man about 45 years old whom she met the night she arrived Reno attorney Larry McNabney today said he is sure the skeleton found Monday is not that of April Bartxr The 20-year -old prostitute is tx'lieved to have been killed, police said McNabney said he believes California psychic-Kay Rhea, who told him April Barber's body would te found in another area, but McNabney has refused to reveal ihe area McNabney had hired the psychic to find the oung oman. hose purse and bloody clothes ere found in a trash can near the residence of McNabney client. Reno hair stylist John Mazzan Mazzan is charged with the December stabbing death of Richard Minor, son of a Reno justice of the peace Police April Barter had lived with young Minor McNabney initially had said he believed finding April Barber's body would prove Mazzan 's innocence Later. McNabney said he no longer was seeking the body The other two missing Reno women are Linda Taylor, a bartender at the Gold Dust West, and Sherry Harbeke. a 20-year-old bus at the MGM Grand-Reno They disappeared March 6 and April 8.

both leaving abandoned automobiles But police have said there is no evidence the disappearances are related A search for clues Casino takeover bill 'constitutional' Choper went on to say that even where there was no negligence, the former owner could and would likely go to court if he felt his compensation was less under the supervisory set-up than what he through! his club was worth Sen. Carl Dodge. R-Falion. said he would feel better about a receivership sy stem similar to one involved a bankruptcy proceeding under which the stale and the owner jointly work out what to do about the facility He said the two parties could cooperatively work out an agreement which would result in far less liability on the part of the state or the supervisor. Such a procedure was employed at the Aladdin hotel-casino after a federal grand jury determined that there was a hidden interest in the Las Vegas establishment No action was taken on the bill The supervisor would have the power to sell the establishment to another private individual provided that the former owner receives just compensation." Choper said.

Sen. Mel Close Jr questioned Choper as to whether the state would be liable beyond the existing maximum for which it can be sued if a patron, for example, is injured on the premises others asked about the extent of the liability, if any if the business is run into the ground under state stewardship, or if a lack of proper supervision results in employee "skimming" or a costly rob-Ix'iy choper replied that if "reasonable precuations --standard industry precautions are taken." he didn't think the state or the supervisor would be liable. Liability would exist if there were negligence, he added By LEE ADLER Gazette-Journal Legislative Bureau A bill which would allow the state to take over and operate casinos which face closure appears constitutional, a University of California law professor told a joint meeting of the Senate and Assembly Judiciary committees today But Jesse Choper was unable to allay the concerns of several committee members who felt the state could leave itself open to substantial legal liability under those circumstances SB500. modeled after New Jersey gaming law. provides for a court -appointed supervisor to run a casino in behalf of the state cases here a license has been suspended or revoked and the state feels the obligation to save the jobs of the people who work there.

Search for plane resumes Water problems hit customers in Hidden Valley Hidden Valley water customers found their water supply dwindling and water pressure-low this morning after a lock inexplicably appeared on the pumphouse for the one of two wells which provides water with low arsenic levels Dave Mmedew of the Washoe County Health Department said Truckee Meadows fire crews, a deputy sheriff and representatives of the ater company receiv ers were at the site this morning, to unlock the building and re-prime the pump Mmedew said it had not yet been determined late this morning who locked the pumphouse Carson City attorney Robert Crow ell. who represents the ater company receivers, as handling the matter, according to Minedew Crow ell could not be reached for comment Washoe County Commission Chairman Bill Fair said during today's meeting that he will call a special session of the commission, if necessary to take authorize the use of whatever police powers may be necessary to get the water flow mg again The water situation drew new protests this morning from John Guevin. a member ol a citizen study committee on water problems, who said water was completely off shortly U'tore noon Guov in said the Nevada Public Serv ice Commission has been well aware of Hidden Valley problems but has taken no meaningful action to protect the community He said the loss of water may prove costly to residents who were away from their homes heti the sy stem drained, because the draining of water heaters and filtering systems without their being shut otf could cause extensive ground search but abandoned when the weather continued to deteriorate and darkness fell Searchers said more than a foot of new snow lei! overnight, the visibility remained near zero through Monday and there was a severe avalanche danger Today, the Placer Sheriff's Department reported two helicopters were pressed into service one flying this morning is operated by the California High way Patrol and the other, which was en route at midmorning. is from the Falllon Naval Air Station A shei iit's spokesman said ground searchers this morning had accidentally started two avalanches He said. "We're experiencing real problems Syl'Att VALLEY i APi Clear skies today permitted searchers to resume looking for a single engine plane carrying a Camarillo.

Calif man and his son which is believed to have crashed Sunday in the area of Squaw Peak. Heavy snow and avalanche conditions Monday blocked the search for the plane, carrying CL Lewis, jfi. and his son Larry, 22 The Cessna 210 left Lake Tahoe for Camarillo at pin. Sunday on an instrument flight It disappeared from radar screens at Oakland Flight Control 13 minutes later A litt attendant at Squaw Valley Ski Resott said he heard a plane sputtering in the clouds, followed by sound of a crash The Squaw Valley Ski Patrol launched a Slander suit dismissed Gazette-Journal Carson Bureau Slander isn't slander unless there's a disinterested third party around to hear it. Carson District Judge Mike Fondi has ruled in dismissing a Sl.fi million-plus defamation of character suit filed against Ihe Golden Spike Casino and one of its former owners.

Walk Jones had said that he and a number of other bartenders were called into a room and accused by former owner Charles Leonard Jr. of stealing from the Carson establishment and ol giving away tree drinks to female customers in hopes of having sex with them Jones said he was subsequently fired and had difficulty finding another job in his field because of word of-mouth gossip resulting from the incident Fondi said the confrontation did not constitute the publication" required to prove slander because there was no one present in the room who was not involved In the matter. Fondi also dismissed the suit on the grounds that the alleged accusations were directed at the em ployees as a group and none was singled out by name. An attorney for the casino said if the statements were made it was done without malice and in the course of an investigation into crimes." All Right troops HERE UE 60 ON REMEMBER OJT TO OBSERVE ThE BEAJTV Or NATURE FOR NE FlOU'ERS ASP Cl'R SPRIN6 MIKE. J2.