Excuse me, Commissioners.

Commissioners.

Commissioners.

Just a minute.

Hello?

Hello.

Hello.

Yes.

I just wanted to let you know that we do have access to a restroom over here on this side through that door.

But you can't hear the proceedings back there.

And also please speak into your mics because these don't pick up as well as the ones in chamber.

Hello.

Commissioner Stoto.

President.

We haven't started yet.

I was just making an announcement.

Thank you.

All right, thank you.

Are we in compliance with the open meeting law?

Yes, we are in compliance.

May we do the roll call at this time?

Yes.

Chair Berkeley.

Commissioner Bryan.

Commissioner Arnold.

Commissioner Stoddle.

Commissioner Coffin.

Commissioner Hilton.

Commissioner Sinuk.

Commissioner Mowbray.

Commissioner Truesdale.

Commissioner Brandenburg.

Commissioner Creer.

Commissioner Mills.

Commissioner Prado.

Commissioner Diaz.

Thank you so much.

Item number three.

Public comment during this portion of the agenda.

It must be limited to matters on the agenda for action.

If you wish to be heard, give your name for the record.

The amount of discussion as well as the amount of time any single speaker is allowed may be limited, and it will be limited to two minutes.

We do not need a second.

Okay.

Okay.

All those in favor of approving the uh the minutes say aye.

Right.

Now let me ask you something.

With this new setup, do we vote?

Do we say I or do we vote?

We're vocalizing.

Okay.

Item number five.

Uh report by the City of Las Vegas Finance Department staff regarding the commission for the Las Vegas Centennial Budget for fiscal year 2026.

Councilman.

Would you please state your name for the record?

Good morning, Mayor.

Um Paul Bresnahan, senior financial analyst for the Finance Department.

Uh today I'm gonna go over a few things.

Um financial reporting and audit overview, the fiscal year uh 2025 ending financial standing and program expenditures grant awards, uh, annual revenues by category since inception, year in cash balances at June 30th since inception, license plate numbers compared to the Raiders and the VGK, fiscal year 2026 financial standing and program expenditures, and a five-year projection.

So financial reporting and audit overview.

Uh the city of Las Vegas, including the Commission for the Las Vegas Centennial, has proudly received the GFOA certificate of achievement for excellence in financial reporting for over 45 consecutive years.

In accordance with Nevada revised statutes, the city's financial statements, including those of the Commission of the Las Vegas Centennial, were successfully filed with the Nevada Legislature Council Bureau in August.

An annual external audit is required by state law for fiscal year 2025.

The city has engaged Ruben Brown LOP to conduct the audit and to handle the commission for the Las Vegas Centennials IRS tax return.

This classification is based on a number of things.

One, the commission being a separate legal entity is required required to file an independent tax filing.

Another thing would be board members are appointed and ratified by the mayor in Las Vegas City's council.

On the face of the basic financial statements.

So for the year end June 30th, I wanted to go over these because I was not at the last meeting.

Which uh I'll get to the breakdown of this on the next slide.

And then general and administrative expenditures were 222,996.

And I know there were questions on this, so I just wanted to give a breakdown of this.

Um that is ahead of the page.

This is the first page.

Okay.

So 180,000 of this was uh the centennial's contribution to the city's general fund.

8,525 was paid to the Plaza Hotel for the movie premiere.

And then there was $9,450 for accounting and legal.

About half of that was for the tax return, the other half was for lawyers' fees, and then another an additional $25,000 was paid to align insurance services for liability insurance.

So we started the year with $6.4 million in net assets and ended the year with $6.2 million in net assets due to a decrease in license revenue and some large program awards that we will review on this next slide.

So this slide contains all the amounts that were expended in the year in June 30, 2025, and the year ended June 30th, 2026.

Uh program expenditures for uh the year end of June 30, 2025 were two million eighteen thousand fifty-nine dollars, and you can see the breakdown here.

So the biggest one was uh six hundred and sixty thousand dollars to the city of Las Vegas 1970 through 2005.

Uh current year expenditures as of the end of August were 180,000 187,928, leaving a balance remaining of 2 million two hundred and forty-seven thousand seven hundred and thirty-seven dollars on amounts awarded by this board.

This next slide is a breakdown of revenues since uh inception in 2004.

So you can see that since the beginning of time, 41.7 million dollars of that amount, 37.8 was license plate revenue, a million dollars in interest income, 2.8 million dollars in like fundraising other income.

Uh this is the same information in a bar graph.

This is the same information in a line graph.

So you can kind of see the how the money's come in over the years.

This uh slide is the year in cash balances since exception.

So you can kind of see how the cash has grown since the beginning of time.

This is the license plate history, a line graph compared to the VGK and the Raiders.

So since November, we have lost 1,330 license plate.

The decline is about 1.5 percent, 1.5%, which correlates with the decrease in license plate revenue since that time.

The net change change in plate numbers for one month to the next is the number of plates added deleted, and so there the number has been a negative number since November.

So every month since November, we have lost license plates.

Uh these are the financials for the current year through August, so it's really only two months through the year, not a lot of activity.

Uh you have 40,000 in interest income, and sure.

Your honor, may I ask a question?

Just uh you want to ask a question or late.

Okay, I guess I only wanted to know if you could just say when the Raiders subsidy of the license plates started, so we have a feel for free license plates versus those who spend.

That's all I don't know the exact date when that started.

I can find that for you.

Thank you.

Mayor excuse me, Chair.

Uh yes, Bob.

Uh Bob Sollop for the record.

I had a couple of questions and comments if I could quit at this time.

Would you like would you uh I would prefer if we waited till the presentation.

Oh I would prefer if we waited till the presentation is over.

Would you mind, or is this uh very timely?

Uh no, I I thought the presentation was over.

I can wait until the end.

Thank you.

There's only one more slide.

It's got one more slide.

And this is directly to uh Mr.

Stotel's request for a five-year projection.

So this is the five-year projection uh with the following assumptions that license plate revenues continue to decline at an average rate of 1.5% annually, uh, that interest income on the cash balance with the conservative interest rate is four percent.

Contributions to the city uh continue to grow at 2.5 percent, that there are no new program expenditures or grant awards, so that's you don't approve anything, and that uh legal accounting insurance that grows at 2.5%.

So if you look at this graph, you can see if you approve no new grants, these are this is what your cash balance will be every year for the next five years.

So end of the current year, you will have six point five million.

The end of next year, you would have seven point six million.

The end of 28, you would have eight point nine million up to ten point seven to twelve point four.

But that's if we don't award any amounts to anybody that comes before the board.

All right.

Paul, are you done with your presentation?

I am ma'am.

All right, then um, Mr.

Stodal, would you care to ask your questions now?

Well, first thank you, uh Chair.

Uh the first thing I would like to do is thank Paul and the financial staff.

This is a great report.

This is really uh an outstanding uh uh guide for for the commission, including the five-year projection.

Of course, during those five years, the commission is going to grant uh uh awards for for the applic applicants for the various projects, but it it's a great tool, and and uh and Paul again just thank you and and for the staff.

Just one or two quick questions.

The uh uh on the fiscal year, June 30th, 2025.

The management and administrative services uh is budgeted at 175.

I thought the budget was 180.

The budget probably should have been 180.

That was set by the prior analyst.

Uh so it's it's uh $15,000 contribution a month from Centennial Corporation to the city of Las Vegas.

So I think if you probably go to current years 175, too.

So that's just something we need to uh fix on the budgeting side.

Great.

That's yeah, uh uh.

And then secondly, Paul, can you give me a uh an answer?

Is who is uh authorized to spend a centennial funds for administrative and management services?

Is there a single person or is it just a process?

Well, everything has to go through the finance department, so you know, usually we would get an invoice.

Diane would sign off on it, Seth would sign off on it, it would go to purchasing, they would approve the amount, make sure it's uh approved vendor, and then they would send out a check or do an RP.

I think that's very helpful.

Uh again, Paul.

I uh this is a great report, a lot of details here, and again, the five-year projection.

Uh that's that's a great tool for the commission.

Thanks again, Mayor.

Uh Chair.

Thank you so much.

Uh, is there anyone that has any other questions?

Yes, please.

Mills for the record.

Uh on the uh contribution to the city of Las Vegas of $15,000 per month.

Is that subject to fluctuation or is that at a fixed rate?

I believe it's fixed at $180,000.

I I thought there was uh an item, which has been obeyed a few times to increase that amount, but right now it's it's just it's just a flat rate every year.

And I think you would have to approve to increase it.

Yes, uh, Senator Paul Paul.

That's correct.

Senator a great report.

Thank you very much.

I have a question on the projections, which I like a lot.

That's very, very helpful.

How sensitive are our revenues to like sales tax revenues?

Right now, as we all know, we're in a bit of a slump.

Hopefully, it'll be temporary.

Uh, but how sensitive are we in terms of those license plate revenue collections to what the short-term effects would be experienced now on the strip and throughout the Las Vegas area?

Uh I don't know that that'll have any effect on it.

I think it's really based on the number of license plates.

So as people start trading in their license plates for uh, you know, there's a wide array of plates you can get these days, way more than when the commission started.

So as people turn in their centennial plate, get some other kind of plate, that's what causes the the uh the revenue to decrease.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, Your Honor.

Is there anybody else that has uh chair?

Uh yes, Bob.

Well, it's uh one thing I did want to point out.

A over the last two years, research has been done, and a book is being produced and published on the uh Betty Willis, uh the creator of that science and the book should be coming out this year.

That I think may drive uh uh additional uh uh purchases of our license plates.

So we just need to keep that in in uh in consideration again.

Thank you.

Anyone else on this side?

Yes, and identify yourself with the record still for the record is thank you.

Um if we believe that the rates are falling, is the four percent well, it says conservative.

Is that we really comfortable with that or uh well I had it at 1.5 percent.

Uh month to month, it could be less, sometimes it's more.

So I thought the 1.5 was a conservative amount.

I was talking about the 4% on interest.

Oh, well, yes, as as the cash balance grows, your interest continues to grow.

So if you look at the like the revenue chart.

Um, maybe I looked at the wrong chart, sorry.

You know, you had 265,000 last year, the year before that, you had 327,000.

So it also depends on the market rate.

Um, you know, it depends on like a lot of external factors, but as that money is invested, you will receive interest income on it.

Right now it's about 20,000 a month.

Okay, all right.

Thank you.

Any other questions?

Now, um, do we is this informational only or do we need to vote on this?

It's just information.

Thank you so much.

Agenda item number six.

25-0438-CLC one.

Final report by staff from the NEOD Museum regarding the completion of the Duck Duck Shed, celebrating Las Vegas Architecture Design and Culture 2024 four-day event funded by the Commission for the Las Vegas Centennial Awards.

Good afternoon, Commissioners.

Good afternoon, Mayor.

Good afternoon, I think.

Also, as a person with a mobility issue, it is lovely to sit in front of all of you.

So thank you for that opportunity.

Yeah, I'm having the same issue that today's.

Thank you.

It's a nice moment to sit.

So thank you for that.

So I am very excited to present to you the outcomes of Duck Duck Shed that occurred in April.

The way we presented this was to look at the Centennial Commission's giving pillars and focus in specifically on the two areas, both events and educational.

So this report reflects directly to the giving parameters that Centennial provides.

So Duck Duck Shed commemorated the history of the city of Las Vegas, promoted tourism, encouraged the public through the delivery of unique experiences from the events aspect.

From the educational aspect, we provided unique teaching and engagement opportunities for the public that increase the appreciation of the city.

And let me show you how we did that.

So in uh just as a an opportunity to remind all, Duck Duck Shed is four days exploring Las Vegas architecture, design, and culture.

As many people here, especially those that have long tenures in Las Vegas, I think there's been an underappreciation of what Las Vegas actually provides architecturally, culturally, and the uniqueness of this one of a kind city.

And so Duck Duck Shed was created with an effort to just bring a spotlight to that.

This is our third year of hosting Duck Duck Shed.

In this year, we did 41 programs, which is a 38% increase in the number of programs from the year prior.

The part that is important for the commission is you got more bang for your buck.

So you gave us the same amount of money as we did last year, but we did 38% more programs.

So feel good about that.

The second is that we had 921 million media impressions.

So three times that saw Duck Duck Shed represented in media during the course of this uh uh of this offering.

Um 96% was our rating.

So attendees gave us um 96% uh saying that it was either a four-star or five-star program over the course of the four days, and then we increased our partnerships.

So we had 15 different partners who were all engaged in this.

And again, I'll give you a little more detail so as we move through, it makes some more sense to all of you.

Um this first slide is the attendance.

Very, very excited to say that we have broken the threshold of 5,000 attendees.

I think it is important in a couple of aspects.

First is as we've all been painfully aware, tourism has suffered this year.

Um, despite that, we have seen a growth of uh approximately 15% more people attending this program, and we saw a 61% increase in ticket sales, and that sounds confusing, and I'll explain that um a little bit for you.

Um the ticket sales is because the the growth in ticket sales is because we very consciously lowered our ticket price.

So in previous years, ticket prices were as much as 250 dollars per event.

We made sure that there were a great number of free programs.

There were programs that were 25, and there were programs.

The most expensive one that we offered was 165 dollars.

That was one program, um, and that included uh a buffet, a buffet at Bacchanal.

Um we had a um, in addition to that, we had a 500% increase in college student attendance.

We are extremely proud that the athletics were kind enough to underwrite UNLV and uh CSN students to come and attend the panel programs at no cost.

So we were able to see them come through and the students, as always, provide the greatest questions.

They humble me at every turn, and have a chance to learn from these individuals who are standing on stage.

So that attendance, it's not just important that we screw the attendance, but it was also who those attendees were.

Um that had an architecture focus that brought in several hundred to just attend that one day program.

And then finally our lecture programs that took place inside Binions on Fremont Street.

We'll talk a little bit about that one.

So, as I said, 41 programs over four days left the staff tired, but uh happy.

Um we had expert-led tours of downtown Las Vegas as well as a curated exhibition that was in the halls of City Hall, uh, in the lobby, rather, of City Hall.

We had panel discussions.

We premiered a movie that the this is just sort of one of those things that I never thought would be on my bucket list, but is definitely there.

We premiered a movie that was set in Las Vegas in uh in centered solely around downtown Las Vegas, and we premiered it in a downtown Vegas venue, and I'll show you that in just a second as well.

Uh we did family programming, as I mentioned, um, and then we had continuing education opportunities.

We partnered with the American Institute of Architects so that for those panel conversations, AIA uh architects could get continuing ed credits for engaging and participating in that.

So we really reached out.

Our next effort is to work with the ASID, interior designers, so that they too can engage in continuing education as a part of this opportunity.

Commemorating Las Vegas history and promoting tourism.

So the panels were all held at Binions Gaming Hall on Fremont Street.

Um this was an opportunity to attract all of these visitors to downtown Las Vegas and have them engage with um with this historic property with Binions, um, and really engage with uh Fremont Street in such a unique way.

Um we had also again guided tours.

This is our third year of doing guided tours of Fremont Street, providing a really historical perspective of Las Vegas.

Um, and there you see Richard Hooker in his uh in his finest doing what he does best.

Again, providing that unique experiences and focusing on tourism.

This is where we were really focused on being property specific.

So I mentioned that we held these programs at Binions.

So we did an exhibition, a pop-up exhibition within the panel space that was focused on both Binions and the Mint, so that we were able to get items out of our own collection storage, pull them out, and let people engage with these artifacts, which was really exciting.

Our opening night we always have sort of a kickoff reception.

Um this time we had it at the um ever-famous whiskey liquor ups, which was uh right on Fremont Street.

And what I love about this property is that not only do the windows open and look down over Fremont Street, so all these attendees from around the country and two different countries around the world got a chance to come and lean out over and watch the historic talk for just a few minutes to let people see the original mint sign that is still in place and has been built over that is part of whiskey liquor up.

So it wasn't just about being able to drink a beer out of a glass boot, which you can do there at Whiskey Lettercraps, but it was also about actually being able to fold in the history.

So one of the messages of the Neon Museum, and certainly Duck Duck Shed, is that history is alive and well in Las Vegas.

We live in the implosion capital of the world, and yet history thrives here.

You just need an interpreter to be able to show it to you, and that's what this program is all about.

So the second part was this.

I've lost my wand here.

The second part was the stories from Backstage, Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas.

This was an amazing partnership between the Neon Museum and Cirque du Soleil.

We had over 100 artifacts.

I think that if I look at many of the commissioners, it would be hard to believe any of you didn't at least walk past that exhibition in City Hall in the lobby.

This was an opportunity to engage as much of the public as possible in understanding not just the art of Cirque du Soleil, but to understand the people who actually reside in Las Vegas who act who put together the costumes, the athletes, the number of Olympians that live in Las Vegas and highlighting their contributions to our city.

We did try and do research, and unfortunately we weren't able to prove this fact, but I'm gonna stand by it anyway.

Las Vegas has one of, if not the highest number of Olympians living in this city because of Cirque du Soleil.

Because when that athletic career has come to an end, that competition career has come to an end, Cirque du Soleil has allowed these careers to continue and go on.

And so they actively seek out Olympians and bring them here to live in our city.

And this was a chance for people to see this and understand it in a really special and I think a new perspective.

Again, sticking under this appreciation of the city, I alluded to this briefly.

This was my one of my favorite events that we've we've done so far in Duck Duck Shed.

We were able to showcase the world premiere of a movie called Action Action.

There were over 800 in attendance at Stadium Swim.

So there's an image inside the center image there, which is the outdoor pool venue.

800 people showcase there.

In the film itself, there is the mob museum.

So the storyline is three friends who are hired to steal a painting by Al Capone from the Mob Museum.

And of course, there's a double twist and or a double cross.

And so the movie's great fun.

You absolutely must see it.

It is terrific.

But to showcase it in front of 800 outside on this fabulous screen in this one of a kind venue was a joy.

Fremont Street was highlighted, Oscar's Steakhouse was highlighted, the Legacy Club was included, world market, all of these downtown properties were very key and central to the piece.

Unfortunately, what I don't have to show you, we had a technical issue on our part, but as a part of the promotion of this, what we did was the filmmaker, Adam Kilborn, he and I would go to the sites that we just talked about.

And whoops, the wrong way.

Sorry, this way.

So talking about Fremont Street, this is the first paved street in the city of Las Vegas, and yet it's also the scene of a car chase that takes place in the movie.

So it's a lot of fun to be able to integrate those into it and make it relevant for so many people.

Media and marketing.

Very, very proud, as I mentioned, 920 million media oppression impressions around the world.

We had a hundred and six pieces of coverage.

That included MSN, Travel and Leisure, the Boston Globe.

And hold on one second, I want to make sure I don't miss this great quote.

Travel Weekly said Duck Duck Shed returns for another deep dive into what makes Vegas tick.

The part that I'm really proud of, and I think our staff and the city as a whole should be proud of is this is just our third year of bringing this out and getting this type of international attention is something we can all just applaud and celebrate.

As I mentioned, we had a number of partners.

We worked very hard at focusing on the fact that the Centennial Commission has been an incredible supporter of us.

You have provided the seed money to make this possible.

This year we worked diligently to, as I said, go out and find others to step up and support as well.

I am thrilled to tell you that we finished the year in the black.

Um so we are not operating in the negative.

Um we ended the year in the positive of 900, I'm sorry, 98,000 in the black.

So that is a true testimony to more and more people becoming excited by this concept and seeing this concept come to pass.

Um I want to just say as I close and stop talking, which is always a challenge for me.

Um the first is the thing we've learned in this three years and the support the Centennial Commission has given us is the most important thing is there's an audience.

There is a growing audience that as Duck Duck Shed continues to gain traction and gain awareness.

There are people who are not only local, but regional, national, and international who want to come and hear from these speakers.

I think that is absolutely critical.

The the next step, as we've we've done this internally, and and my team and I have worked so hard at building what has been made.

The next step is now working with LVCVA to really make this a national or international destination and bring people here in a broader scope.

So we have that meeting set up.

We're looking forward to talking further about what um what that comes to be.

We did make this year we made it in April.

Um, and the reason we switched dates, we've held it in the last couple of years in October.

Um, we switched dates and attached ourselves to the end of the International Sign Association conference, as well as a design conference called SCGD.

And we thought by being at the end of that, that people would extend their stay and stay with us.

We learned that wasn't the case, people wanted to go home and see their kids.

So that's okay.

We're gonna go back to October and we're gonna focus on how to do that.

I do want to say though that the ISA conference, this international conference brings in 6,000 people.

We brought in over 5,000.

So that we're we're in the running for being a significant partner in bringing tourism into downtown Las Vegas.

So uh again, October of 2026 will be the next one.

LVC VA will be helping us to shape it.

Um, but with your incredible help, we've now been able to prove there is a concept and an audience for this.

So thank you.

Thank you, Aaron.

Is there anybody on the commission that wishes to ask Mr.

Berger any questions?

Yes, Bob.

Thank you, Mayor.

I um appreciate that.

I I'll just confine it, I think, fairly narrowly to architecture.

Sure.

Because I read a little bit about duck sheds and duck architecture.

It's interesting.

But then I've lived 70 years downtown, Las Vegas, actually, almost 75.

And now we moved seven, eight months ago to the east mobility issues.

We had to move.

Out of our beautiful old fashioned downtown ranch style home.

Now, oh, I can't stand it.

I want to move back, but we can't.

Because the western part of town, I'm thinking Buffalo Tropicana area, nothing but brown and shades of tan, block walls everywhere, made of dissolvable block that with a sufficient amount of water could probably dissolve into a pile of sand.

All the same.

The buildings, the commercials, all the same.

Blocks, squares, uh, flat roofs, nothing of appeal, by the way.

I just thought I'd tell you that I'm sure our west part of Las Vegas is just as bad, but I live in the county now, and I wish I was back in the center of the city.

And I don't know what is the future of Nevada.

Are we all gonna have buildings, new buildings look just like that?

That the story of it's funny.

I I describe uh as you leave the immediate downtown area, just look for the building that's two stories in beige.

Because they all are.

So yes, that is that is I I hear what you're saying, Commissioner.

You're I I hear that comment.

Well, it's terrible.

I mean, I I have to say that we look terrible, and it I don't know whether people coming into town like that or think it's just suitable for the desert because supposedly we don't live here, you know.

And yet uh I'm I'm worried about it because uh we're gonna just sink into the slime again.

And then I don't like that at all.

Well, again, behind the concept of Duck Duck Shed, what we're trying to do is highlight the architectural you spoke specifically to architecture.

We highlight the architectural achievements, both good and bad.

I mean, in this year we talked about Morris Lapidus, who is a famed architect known for the Miami style.

We talked about him and his work at the uh his influence on the Fountain Blue and its redesign.

So being able to look at these pieces and whether they are success or uh or still in evolution, that is definitely part of the dialogue that we try and create.

Well, I'll like one last thing, man.

I just said it's been about 30 years ago since the legislature grabbed hold of the buildings people and said, What are you doing with all these flat roofs?

Because we're paying a fortune to fix the leaks.

And so that's one of the things I asked a builder here recently.

And he said, We don't worry about that now because we've got this fabric we can stretch across the top, and uh so we don't worry about that anymore.

I've just been doing it a few years, maybe what, maybe five, ten years.

How long?

And they said, well, it'll last 50 years.

They don't know our weather, our sun and and all of that, and the dryness, humidity, they'll die.

And so I just wanted to say that uh it's phony, and I hope some member of the AIA around here can contact me and tell me I'm full of it.

But if not, I'd like to tell them the same thing.

Thank you.

Thank you, Commissioner.

How encouraging.

All right.

Would anybody else would anybody else like to ask uh Mr.

Berger a question?

All right.

In that case, uh this report uh fulfills uh your obligation to give a final report to the commission, and we're very grateful to you and thank you for an outstanding presentation.

Thank you very much for the support and the generosity of the commission.

We're very, very, very grateful.

Thank you.

Our pleasure.

I'd now like to take item seven and item eight together, and I'll read them both.

Item seven, twenty-five-zero two eight eight-clc one abeyance item discussion for possible action regarding approval of a grant request for six hundred and seven thousand five hundred dollars by the city of Las Vegas, acting by and through its Department of Parks, recreation and cultural affairs for the production of the 2026-2028 El Dorado Days Parade and authorizing the president to execute the grant agreement as approved by the city attorney.

And item eight uh 25-0386 CLC one discussion for possible action regarding approval of a grant request for 405,000 by the city of Las Vegas, acting by and through its Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs for the production of the 2026-2027 Hel Dorado Day Parade, Heldorado Days Parade, and authorizing the president to execute the grant agreement as approved by the city attorney.

Yes, uh please uh uh please state your name for the record.

Good afternoon, Madam Mayor.

I am and Commission members.

I'm Jasmine Freeman, Cultural Affairs Manager for our Parks Rec and Cultural Affairs Department.

Hi, good afternoon.

I'm Marja Bigas, Special Events Administrator and Parade Organizer for the Parks Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department.

Go ahead, please.

Okay.

Well, we are here to talk about the Eldorado Days Parade.

Uh just a couple of highlights from the history of the parade.

It's a very long-running history.

It is actually the longest running event in Las Vegas, established in 1935.

It was created by the Elks Lodge to raise funds to build their local lodge.

And it celebrated um Los Vegas' wild west roots with parade floats and rodeos, and became a community tradition that kept the dam workers and families in the area.

The parade actually went on a hiatus from 1997 to 2005, and it was revived by the Centennial Commission, which is now a historic community event in 2005.

The parade features bands, floats, artists, car clubs, and cash prizes for our schools and our creatives.

So the 2026 Heldorado Days Parade is planned for May 19th, or sorry, May 9th.

And the 2027 parade is actually planned on Las Vegas' birthday, May 15th.

Our parade is located on the traditional parade route on 4th Street from Gas to Stewart Avenues.

This is also used for the um Dr.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Parade, the Pride Parade and the Veterans Day Parade.

Staging areas extend all the way down to Las Vegas Boulevard, and we utilize all the side streets in between.

This passes by the historic Fish Street School, highlighting its historic value, and it's also used as a main prep location for us.

Parade marketing is a huge component of getting the community out to the event.

We have multi-channel strategy, TV, radio, digital, social media, and billboards with 148 TV spots and multiple news interviews, 117 radio spots and live radio interviews, digital eblasts from radio stations, streaming ads on platforms like Spotify and Pandora, and social media marketing campaigns on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, which is videos, reels, carousels, and then banner ads on local news, entertainment, and event websites, 41 billboards across Las Vegas in English and Spanish, over 75,000 10 second spots.

And of course, the Office of Communications affirms its support for engaging an external marketing firm, recognizing that it does not have the internal capacity to fulfill the comprehensive marketing requirements of this event.

But communications does broadcast and replay the parade on CLV TV.

And Jeff, would you play that audio clip for me, please?

Okay.

Heldorado, go go go!

It's the Hel Dorado Days Parade.

Saturday, May 10th, 10 a.m., downtown Las Vegas.

Go for the Cow Pokes, hot rods, marching bands, dancers, free swag, and so much more.

The Heldorado Days Parade.

Just go.

Just go.

Actually, that was one of our radio spots.

Those are both in English and Spanish, as well as our news interviews.

And you can see here we've got some of our supporters and commission members and council members on some of our ads and featured here on this slide.

You can see at the top left or top right of the screen, the commission for Las Vegas Centennial.

It's cut off just a little bit here in our trying to squeeze as many pictures as we could from Madame Mayor's interview, but that's also featured on the but the bottom of our billboard banners as well.

So of course, you know, making sure we shout out to the Centennial Commission for funding the parade in those ads.

Hel Dorado.

As you can see here, um our parade entries have increased every year.

So last sorry, this year we had 133 entries, which is our largest parade to date.

And then our attendance has also increased over 50% from 2023.

One thing that is most rewarding for us is the impact that it has on schools.

We were able to provide the schools for 43,000 this year.

It's a thousand dollars awarded to school marching bands and performing groups, and 15,000 awarded to schools that build and enter a quality float.

Some of the uh groups include marching bands, ROTC units, cheer teams, choirs, and sports teams.

Um, these funds help cover uh cover travel expenses, purchase equipment, and support a variety of student activities.

And then next up, public safety.

So public safety is a huge component of the event as well.

Um we partner with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, and uh we ensure the safety of all of our participants and spectators.

Uh, they provide a comprehensive public safety presence during the parade, which includes both the command operations and coverage along the entire parade route.

This is in line with new and updated safety expectations for all of our events that are on our roadways to make sure that our parade goers are safe and separate from any actual traffic in the area.

And as you can see here, we have upwards of 60 plus officers on hand the day of the parade.

This year we had three casinos join the parade.

Uh Binions Gambling Hall and Hotel, Plaza Hotel and Casino, and Resorts World Las Vegas.

Getting hotel casinos involved has been a goal of ours in the past, and it's actually been a tough go to get them involved, but something that we've been working really hard to improve upon.

And the team put in the extra effort to connect with resort staff, and they shared easy to follow information that they worked with our communications team to create a one-sheet on how to take part in the parade and why this matters both for the community and of course for their team spirit for their staff.

So we're really proud of that progress, and we're gonna keep working to continue to get more casinos involved in the fund next year.

So to make the parade more exciting and enjoyable, we involve roving entertainment along the parade route.

These performers entering interact with the spectators, bringing energy fun and a festive vibe to the entire event.

This interactive element keeps the crowd engaged between entries and creates a memorable experience for attendees of all ages.

Um here is uh a breakdown of the cost to produce each of the year's parade.

Um we are requesting 405,000 to fund the 2026 and 2027 Eldorado Days Parade.

That's 202,500 per year with an annual in-kind contribution of over 79,000.

Um that does not include about the 30 volunteers that we have return each year for parade day.

Um securing multi-year funding allows us to plan more effectively and efficiently, giving us the ability needed to grow the parade and prove operations over than over each year.

It gives schools and community groups ample time to add the event to their calendars, which supports continued growth and participation because this is a reimbursementable grant.

We would only request reimbursement for the amount that we spend, and the funds would not roll over to the next year.

So that is our presentation.

Thank you so much.

Now I think the question and the reason that I put the two items together is there's been a question of whether the Centennial Commission uh would uh prove three years worth of funding or two years worth of funding.

And I think that is the issue on the table now.

Does and do any of our commissioners have any thoughts on whether we should be funding uh three years, as we I understand had previously requested, or two years, um which would be agenda item number eight.

Anyone does anyone have any thoughts on that?

Senator Bryan, I favor a two-year, but I'm sorry.

Would you speak hill to dive for?

Excuse me.

Yes, Senator Bryan.

I I favor a two-year, but I'm not a hell to dive for if the rest of the commission feels good.

But I kind of like to get an update in terms of how we're doing and the report, I think was very good.

So I thought the report was excellent too.

Um, and yes, Bob.

Thank you, Mary.

I am also like the governor, I would prefer two years, let's not go out too far.

But I also have some thoughts when you're open for thoughts.

I'm open for your thoughts on the route and on some of the other things.

And I brought them already up last meeting, and I'd like to expand on them today when you're ready for that kind of thing.

All right.

Well, um, I think there's no time like the present.

Why don't you go ahead and share your thoughts with us?

All right, ma'am.

Well, we're we're all about history here, and you know, we all know too much.

We all some of us marched in the parade as a child.

And I can tell you that nothing beats Fremont Street for this parade.

And I hate the idea that we've got to keep going down sterile old fourth street.

That uh why can't we bring Fremont in back into the action?

Um we cross it uh at fourth.

Why not start it on Fremont?

Somewhere to the not just an example, it's somewhere to the east.

Let's say down by the Oak Quartos, maybe a little further, but not much further, because you could hills and stuff.

But you're really little there.

And bring it toward toward fourth and down toward you know, south on fourth.

Reverse the direction, but give it some flair.

And I think only Fremont Street can give us the flair we need.

Hannah uh and I I agree with uh the commissioner because I when as a kid, I believe it started on Las Vegas Boulevard, then came up Fremont, and it was almost like no interruption, no break at all.

And it was fun because we we would stand you it you you really had more places to stand or to sit if necessary.

And uh and it was um it was exciting, you know.

Because some of us some of us followed it from down Las Vegas Boulevard and back up to the uh we had bleachers sometimes.

Yeah, well, yeah, yeah.

No, that's another first of all.

I I I endorse uh a discussion of moving at least part of the parade to Fremont Street.

We need to bring in the uh the resort owners and and uh so I think it will out of this uh and I don't know if a motion has been made to grant the two-year request for the parade, but uh I would like to go ahead and and and make that motion and while it is uh and what and while it's not part of the motion, I think that it would be great to uh have a a formal discussion with the city uh and members uh of the resort industry on Fremont Street.

There could be key to that key to that, and and look to the opportunities uh that it would provide the parade, doesn't have to be 10 hours long, but it does need to focus on the history of the city of Las Vegas, and I think we would the second part is that needs to be televised, and we can fund the Centennial Commission through the city or television station or something else, but it needs to be televised for all those people that cannot make it down to Fremont Street.

I think we can increase the the audience for this parade.

Uh so I would like to make a motion to approve uh the agenda items that I get a two-year uh uh funding.

Thank you.

All right, madam segments.

All those in favor, madam, madam mayor.

Oh, sorry.

Yes, thank you.

I know I blend in.

Uh no.

So I I just want to comment on the two to three year um issue.

I know that I was the one that actually brought it up a while back when the plaza was coming in and trying to provide them with more um continuity as they move forward in their planning for the events.

They come in every year, and you don't know if you're gonna get it or if you're not gonna get it.

We have a trusted partner, they've done well by uh the resources that we have a lot of them, and it would give them an opportunity to properly plan instead of coming in every couple years.

And I don't remember, I don't know if someone staff could remember if we did two or three years for them.

Do you remember Dr.

Seaburn?

Yes, the very it was three years.

It was three years, yeah.

And uh I don't see their, I don't believe there's any issues with them.

This is our city team.

Uh I know personally that how excellent they are and how responsible they are in our in being fiduciaries of the resources that would be allotted.

If our team is asking us for three years, I would be in favor of a three-year allotment, which will allow them to properly plan moving forward.

Uh we can always come and ask them to give us an update every year so we can stay on track.

And if we were if we needed to rescind that, we can always come back if there's issues to rescind that as well.

But I would be in favor of a three-year based off of the team that we have, the people who are asking for it, the history of the work that they've done, and their good fiduciary stores of the dollars.

Well, we'll do Hannah wants to speak before we vote.

We have an item on on the floor uh for a two-year funding, and we'll vote on that and see where that uh uh where that motion goes.

Hannah, did you want to say something?

I I had a question.

When you mentioned that you were having difficulty, or you were trying to get the hotels engaged in providing floats or whatever, like we were accustomed to seeing.

I are they resistant to do so because that was the highlight of our parades was the floats with the beauty queens on them and everything.

Uh Chairman, if I could jump in.

Yes, please.

The history of that is uh during the 1950s when the Las Vegas Strip was in its formative stages, there was uh uh an ongoing debate between the Las Vegas Strip uh and downtown Las Vegas, and it was the feeling of the strip at that time that they needed to pull out their uh uh their parades and their floats and so forth.

It was a transitionary moment for the for the city of Las Vegas, but the parade survived and and and we move forward.

But I think we do need to clearly bring in the resorts on Fremont Street into this discussion.

Uh uh, but that's that's later on.

I'd like to call for a vote.

All right.

Um the motion is to fund uh the El Dorado Parade for two years.

All those in favor say aye.

Aye, aye, aye.

Opposed.

In that case, the motion passes.

Um I would suggest um uh I I don't know whether Fremont Street is gonna uh we'd be able at this time to do Fremont Street, but I think that that is a uh worthy conversation to have, not at this time, but I think that we can certainly discuss that in future meetings.

So thank you both so much for your presentation.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Agenda item nine, 25-0387-CLC one discussion for possible action regarding approval of a grant request for 207,000 dollars by the Southern Nevada Regional Housing Authority for collecting oral histories at the production of a documentary film titled Marble Matters Pass, Present and Future, and authorizing the president to execute the grant agreement as approved by the city attorney.

Hello, would you please state your name for the record?

Yes, ma'am.

Kathy Thomas, Chief Housing Officer, Southern Nevada Regional Housing Authority.

Good afternoon.

It is a pleasure to be here with you today and to talk about our Marble Manor Past President and Future Project.

For some of you, this will be an update, but I'm glad to introduce what's happening now on the historic west side of Las Vegas.

Marble Manor is a public housing development that is undergoing lots of change.

And so this project would be to collect and document oral histories and produce a documentary of those residents.

And these are typically the folks that history forgets.

These are the voices that we don't typically collect as we are identifying forward movement and reflection in uh the rear.

And so this complete redevelopment at Marble Manor is transforming it from a conventional public housing site to a mixed use, mixed income development, and we're very excited about it.

Our request to you is for 207,000 to complete the documentary and collect the oral histories of those residents, and of course, we will provide a match from the housing authority of 36,500.

This development was built in phases as far back as 1942, and so it is most definitely gone through its uh useful life cycle, and we are currently uh in the uh demolition phase actually for this development to rebuild it.

It's important uh for the residents of the historic west side because Marble Manor was the place where many uh were able to reside after there was uh a lot of condemnation on the historic west side and subsequent redlining that prevented African Americans from actually moving from outside of this neighborhood.

And so Marble Manor uh was transformative in the sense that it became a place of community even in the face of less than positive history.

So there's been significant deterioration as you can imagine in a post-war cinder block development over the years, and this is an opportunity for us to uh do some reinvestment through a large grant called the Choice Neighborhood Initiative Grant.

We applied as co-applicants with the city of Las Vegas for $50 million, and it's an eight-year grant awarded to do this physical transformation.

We've got lots of partners that I've listed here on the slide.

Uh and uh this $50 million will be leveraged with a significant amount of supportive services over 48 million dollars from these partners here.

The total uh build-out project will exceed 350 million dollars.

If you look in the lower corner of the slide, you'll see a logo that says a new beginning that was actually uh designed by a 17-year-old resident of Marble Manor.

This process has been very intentional about including resident voice in the process, so that we're not doing this for them or to them, but with them as residents.

So you're looking at a schematic of what the transformed property will look like.

It's a scattered out over 30 acres, currently uh low-level single story center block, two, three, and four bedroom units, and it's adjacent to the historic Moulin Rouge site, which as you know is a vacant lot.

And we are the catalysts for redevelopment of a large scale in this neighborhood, and we're very excited about that.

The eight years will uh have five phases, and so this is intentional so that we don't dislocate residents.

We want to relocate them slowly, build back, bring them back.

I should underscore that all 235 residents who are currently residents in good standing will be able to return to the completed development.

That's very important to the community that as we revitalize it, that we don't displace folks or gentrify them out of the community, they will be welcomed back.

And what you're looking at there, which is a little small, I even have to put my glasses on to tell you that the total returning units will be 627, and they will include a variety of housing types.

So this definitely will not be conventional public housing when it returns.

There will be townhomes and variety of units that will welcome families of uh all incomes back into the community, and including the 235 that are currently residents.

Here is a picture of what it currently looks like and a schematic of the type of housing that will replace it, and we promise it won't be a desert tan and flat roof.

Again, the residents have been providing a great deal of input into what they would like to see.

By the way, we'd be happy to bring a full display of that back to the commission because there will also be an opportunity for artwork installations, murals, and different textured painting and siding to bring some interest and also to reflect the diverse cultures that uh currently live in the community.

There are a number of planned on site amenities, again, driven by what the current residents told us is important in their home.

So you will see a green spine and an outdoor performance space, water features, public arts and playgrounds, lots of uh green space.

You'll see a green spine walking uh trail that connects the entire development.

Currently, you cannot walk from one end to the of the development to the other because it is uh chopped up in ways that don't lend itself to community and in conversations with the residents.

It's very important that there be some uh internal sense of community as this is redeveloped.

So the specifics of what we're requesting uh assistance to do.

We want to do 50 to 65 individual interviews as well as collect uh images and documents from the current residents.

There's a treasure trove of artifacts that often go uncollected because even the owners of those pictures and programs and other documents don't understand the value and how they contribute to the history of the community.

So we want to create a repository for those materials and assist the residents in preserving those.

And of course, um, we will have some assistance from Miss Clay T White at UNLV in that process so that we can all learn together how to preserve those personal artifacts for larger historical narrative.

The second part of this is a documentary that incorporates the recorded interviews and oral histories and has additional footage that tracks the redevelopment process from demolition and new construction to re in uh reoccupation of the residents as it all comes to life.

And of course, we will keep that both on our website and provide a video loop so that uh everyone can see the progress as it occurs.

Uh we have a community-based uh group called Gas Station Studios that will provide that work, and interestingly, a gas station studios hires young people from the community to work on projects, and so they have another way to make sure resident voice and resident uh agency is included in this process.

We anticipate this to be a year-long project that will kick off in January of 2026 and wrap up by December.

And as I shared, this this is important because this has been a community that has seen decades of disinvestment and the resultant decline.

Recently, in recent years, and you know, we all want to wave at former councilman Cedric Creer, who took a plan called the 100 plan and insisted that we invest the time and the resources to move forward with significant revitalization of the historic West Side.

And so there are still lots of significant and important stories to be told about its impact on the city, the impact not just for the residents, but its adjacency to downtown Las Vegas, and telling the story of what redevelopment and true renaissance means for the residents today.

So I will stop there.

I'm be happy to entertain any questions.

And once again, thank you for your time today.

We appreciate it, Kathy.

Before members of the commission have an opportunity to comment or question, is there anybody from the public who would like to say a few words?

Clayton, I see that you're in the in the in attendance.

Would you care to say a few words?

Not that she's calling you out or anything.

Yeah.

Specifically.

Well, thank you so much.

Would you state your name for the record?

Yes, I am Clay T.

White.

Currently, I am the director of the Oral History Research Center at UNLV, currently.

So I am retiring on December 19th, 2025.

And I will be able to devote some time to projects in the community that I am passionate about.

So because of that passion, I am looking forward to working on this project with the Southern Nevada Housing Authority.

So a comprehensive project so that we can pull out wonderful stories, amazing achievements that came out of this this housing development.

The women of the welfare rights movement lived in Marble Manor and were able to meet together and do all of the wonderful things they did back in the 60s and 70s because that was home for them, and they could meet whenever they needed to do great things like plan a march on the Las Vegas Strip from that location.

So that's what we're planning to do.

I'm planning to help collect these interviews along with um this time, and they will be videoed along with uh gas station.

So something different for me as well.

Thank you so much.

Are there any questions or comments from members of the commission?

Someone does.

Yes, Hannah.

Kathy, you did state what year it was built.

I didn't write it down and I forgot.

Yes, it was built in phases, so some in the 40s and some in the 50s, so 1942, and then another phase in the early 50s.

Yes.

And I went to school with a lot of uh kids that that lived in Marble Manor.

And I think uh during that time, they uh the rents were prorated, and they were able to have an upgraded lifestyle, and it was uh uh it it was uh a real decent place to live.

Indeed.

Yeah, and I went to school with several kids that are.

I'm proud to say we have been able to keep the rents affordable.

It is considered uh and they though it may not have started, it's like that way.

It is still conventional public housing, and so the rents are still affordable for those families.

Thank you.

Thank you, Hannah.

Uh Cedric.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

I just want to say it's a great project, obviously.

We worked long and hard uh with uh the Southern Havana Regional Housing Authority on that CNI grant.

Yes, and uh we were awarded the grant, which is amazing uh what it's gonna do to just beautify and revitalize an entire community.

You know, you've heard me say many times we're changing the course of the river, and that is a key component of it.

Uh we're gonna modernize our community.

Uh, we're going to triple the size of the residents that are gonna be there, add more amenities, and the story of Marble Manor within itself is worth the grant uh to tell that story uh and then to take it from then to now, then I think it's great.

I think anybody who lived, I live across the street.

Three minutes from there, used to walk to the guy center and um had friends that lived in Marble Manor, so anybody who's lived in the historical west side for a number of years has uh spent some time at Marble Manor.

And so I think it's great.

This is exactly what um we should be doing to support and look forward to seeing the final product.

Yes.

CENOC for the uh record.

Just want to clarify on the total development costs.

Did you say 335 million?

Over 350 million dollars to rebuild the entire development.

And 627 residential units.

Indeed.

So it it'll be a combination.

Uh we're using mixed finance, meaning there'll be some tax credits in it, there will be some uh what we call uh project-based vouchers, there'll be a number of things in order to get it built, but also to keep it affordable to the families who currently live there so that they are able to return.

Yes, sir.

Wow.

Construction costs have escalated beyond what any of us could have imagined, and I would love to have a whole nother conversation about that.

But yes, sir.

Okay.

Yes.

I'd like to know where the name Marble Manor came from.

And also uh when when you reconstruct the area, are is it gonna be strictly street parking, or will there continue to be uh parking spaces?

Um I'll answer the second question first and then let Miss Clay T uh to tackle the where the Marble Manor name came from.

I think we spent it, maybe I'll call Jamie up.

We spent a little while trying to dig that up.

There will be parking internal once the development gets going, and so a little less street parking because um there'll be some widening of sidewalks and streets.

So for the residents, the parking will be internal to the development.

Good question.

Um Clay T, would you happen to know how the name Marble Manor came about?

Uh no, I don't.

Um does anyone we're gonna bring Jamie up.

Uh uh Jamie Gillis is a consultant that helped us dig that up from somewhere.

I'll tell the short version of it.

Hi, Jamie Gillis with Centro, and I'm a consultant to the housing authority um and to the city on um the 100 plan.

So long story short, um there was a one-time mayor of Las Vegas who by default became mayor um for a very short period of time, and then um disappeared um shortly thereafter to California, and there was some stuff that happened behind the scenes we don't exactly know about.

But his son went on to be um a leader in the community and do a variety of things, and when this development came um together, somehow he was involved with the naming of it, and he named it after his father.

Marble Marble.

Yeah.

Yeah.

We can get you the full history, but that's the summary of it.

It's kind of uh, yeah.

I there's a lot of detail to it that was uh fairly interesting, but happy to share that with you.

Yes.

I believe there were shenanigans in Tom Foolery involved, but yes, there was.

Anybody else?

Yes, Senator Senator Brian.

Uh Clayton, putting you on due notice that I'm filing an action to prevent you from retiring.

We are not going to allow that.

So fair notice.

When the process server comes, you'll know it's my lawsuit.

Clayton, we know of your fine work, and this is a fine presentation.

I saw an entry in there, gas station or something.

Yes, gas station studios.

Yes.

People know, but gas station studios is a um have two arms.

They're for-profit ARM is a production studio.

They do music videos and films and other kinds of things.

They're not for profit arm, works with the community to train young uh at-risk youth to do this kind of work.

And so gas station studios is the entity that will film, edit, and produce the documentary as a result of this, and they will bring in young folks from the community to teach them some skills and give them uh some on-the-job training internships so that they can learn the skills to do this work as well.

Have they done any work in Nevada?

Do we know?

Absolutely.

They do quite a bit of work for uh us at uh again.

I don't know anything about them, so I'm not being pejorative.

I'm just trying to inquire.

And the work product that they do is phenomenal.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

I will now entertain a motion.

For approval.

Okay.

Commissioner Barona move for approval.

All right, all those in favor, please say aye.

Aye.

Opposed.

Motion carries.

Thank you.

Thank you both.

Thank you all so much for that presentation.

Agenda item number 10.

25-0412-CLC one discussion for possible action regarding approval of a grant request for 176,200 by Gold Creek Films for the production of a documentary film focused on the 1905 Las Vegas land auction and authorizing the president to execute the grant agreement as approved by the city attorney.

Yes, would you please state your name for the record?

Thank you, Mayor.

I'm Ted Fay, and good afternoon, commission.

Good afternoon.

It's uh it's exciting to be here in front of you.

I have been looking forward to this day.

It was several months ago when I went to lunch with uh an associate of Clay Tees as we were doing uh an oral history on uh one of the early uh businessmen of this city, and uh she said, you know, with your filmmaking background and and your love of Nevada history, you you should really meet this commission because they support history projects.

And I thought, well, I'd like to come here and and present a project, and that's and that's why I'm here.

Um this project is uh uh a passion of mine because to bring to life that day, that one singular day in 1905 when there was a land auction held to birth a city, what would it be like to actually spend an entire film on that one day, immersing ourselves in the voices and the people who were there, and also hearing from the people who may have been excluded, who maybe weren't there so much, but maybe we're watching from the side or maybe saying, hey, that's used to be our land.

What was that day like?

And I really began to think about that, and I thought, you know, that is that's a story to tell.

Because in all the stories I've told I've heard of Las Vegas, the films, and you guys have funded uh a wonderful series, and I thought this would be a great augmentation to those stories, to what's been done to actually take a deep dive into May 15th, 1905.

So as we as we move along here, I want to get into perhaps the first question.

And do I have to do something to do this?

Do I have a oh gosh, I have a clicker, sorry.

Um, here we go.

All right.

Uh there we go.

Well, we have a little, and so we want to use one of the reasons why I chose this just simple image at the beginning is we want to use the element of the desert, the beauty of the desert, as the setting for this film.

All right, okay.

So May 15th, 1905 was obviously uh to those of us that know the story is when this auction was held.

But why does it matter?

And this is the question I always ask myself whenever I undertake any project, and I've done a lot of projects on uh in Nevada on history and the stories here, but you'll always have to ask yourself why does it matter?

Who cares?

And it's the most brutal question any filmmaker or anybody has to ask themselves about the project that they love.

But I there are some answers here, for example, this day was the foundation of what you might call America's most improbable city.

Like, why is it here?

And this story, this day answers a lot of that question.

People came because they knew they could have opportunity if they came and maybe bought some property here.

And also, I always like to look for the national significance.

And Las Vegas is a symbol in a way of the American dream.

I mean, there are there are so many opportunities.

People come here to experience a lot of things we know, but there is that sense that Las Vegas has opportunity for people and can and and can provide and can be a city of dreams for folks.

Now the difference, what's different about our film?

How is it that we want to tell it?

We want to use first hand accounts.

We want to actually hear from the voices of people who were here or who were planning to come here or who had been here.

But we want to hear firsthand accounts, and we want these stories to be inclusive, obviously.

There were African Americans who were here that had owned land even before this auction took place.

The Asian American population, and of course, the Native American perspective.

And the film is rooted in at what I call atmospheric visuals.

In other words, you may see a corner of the platform that looks like the auction platform, not a recreation, not a reenactment, but a visual that gives you a sense of what it might have looked like, let's say today, if you were able to walk through that auction site.

The film has three acts.

We want to set it up.

What was happening before this auction took place, right?

Who were the people here?

Of course, JT McWilliams is a significant character.

But we want to set it up.

The dreams, the conflict that happened even before the auction took place.

The power brokers, the railroad, the fight for water.

Act two is auction day.

And I would say that in a 56 minute film, which is what this is, this is a 56 minute film.

You want to maybe take 10 minutes, eight minutes at the beginning, and this act two is almost all of the film.

I would say that the half hour or 40 minutes and then eight minutes at the end for what happened next.

But this act two is the core of the story, the people that were here.

Act three gets into what's here today, what came out of it, who are the descendants, and we do want to find descendants.

So let me just read.

I was just want to uh encapsulate the synopsis.

Through the recorded words and written memories and family oral histories of those who experienced it.

Voices of early settlers, workers, and descendants are interwoven with historian commentary to reveal the layered human story of the city's beginnings.

And one of the ways it began was there was an ad in the newspaper.

So they would put ads in newspapers in May 1905.

Clark put ads in the Los Angeles Times in the Salt Lake City paper, and here you have an example of one of the ads that was actually in the LA Times.

And in Los Angeles in 1905 in May, there was a guy by the name of Ed Von Tobel, and he was working in a lumber yard at Ganal Lumber Yard in LA.

And he came home and he saw this ad.

And he said, Hey, I'm gonna get my friend Jake Beckley.

Jake Beckley is working at the Hotel Green in Pasadena in the restaurant.

And you know that the Hotel Green today is now Castle Green, and it still exists in Pasadena, which we would love to have as one of our locations, because while our story is about Las Vegas, it's great to tie in other places and say this place was here.

He gets his friend Jake Beckley and they get their $22 ticket to come to this dusty town or whatever it was gonna be in Las Vegas so they could come to the land auction.

And they get here, skips work, Ed skips work, so does Jake.

And they get here, and um everything's too expensive.

They can't they can't afford to buy anything the day of the auction, so they stay the next day and they scraped up three bucks to put a down payment on uh on a lot in this new place called Las Vegas.

They can't they can't afford to buy anything the day of the auction, so they stay the next day and they scraped up three bucks to put a down payment on uh on a lot in this new place called Las Vegas, and they go back to Los Angeles to uh to put together their goods because they're gonna start a lumber yard.

When Ed gets back to Las Vegas, his boss says I saw you at that auction.

Or we did when sorry, when Ed gets back to Los Angeles, his boss says, I saw you at that auction in Las Vegas.

He said, I was there, I saw you, and uh you skipped.

You're fired.

Well, for the rest of the story, you're gonna have to see the film.

But this are the stories that we want to tell.

And and the approach that we want to take is using archival photographs, maps, artifacts, ephemera, the the period in sto inspired visuals, where, like I say, we might have a tent in the background or stakes or the mesquite tree, which is just so you everybody talks about the mesquite tree because it was the only thing that provided shade over that uh platform.

The interwoven voices, historians, descendants, and we want to produce this to PBS standards.

My partner here, uh TJ Penton here is a an extraordinary cinematographer, uh, has produced work that's gone to con.

I have um sorry, I'm gonna slide behind here.

I have uh assembled an incredible team of of scholars and contributors to this project.

Michael Green, he wanted to be here today, but of course he's busy running a history department.

Mark Hall Patton, Mark did make it today.

And uh Mark and I have been working on a number of projects together.

I've even talked to Bob uh Studall about the project.

Uh Mark uh Paduncott is is uh Asian American studies and has agreed to come on board.

I've uh been talking with Clay T and Clay T's a good partner in in this history.

Uh and in one in my research, I came across an article by Stan Pearr, and I've known Stan for years.

And I called Stan and I said, I'm I want to do this documentary on Las Vegas, would you help me?

And he said yes.

So Your Honor.

I'm sorry, I gotta just interrupt with your permission.

Just tell him I'm glad Stan's alive because I can't find him.

So yeah, I'll you tell him absolutely.

No.

Um he needs to be part of this.

Yeah, he's going to be uh Mark, he's gonna be here October 29th, right?

At the uh Henderson Okay, I'm sorry.

Perfectly all right.

Uh please make sure that the commissioner uh gets uh contact information.

Absolutely.

Um of course we have a lot of sources, and um Clay T is gonna be so helpful with the uh oral history program.

Um the uh uh and all of these the papers, the research.

Um I have an incredible researcher on board, his name's Tim France.

I've worked with Tim for years.

He he uncovers things that I didn't even know could be uncovered.

Um there are articles by Florence Lee Jones, we've uncovered her work, and of course, Stan Pare and uh these good books and and folks that have uh have written about this history.

Um other point, I want to make sure that that we understand that the film is not just a film for its own sake.

I consider it a historical document.

We really want to uncover stories that haven't really been told on film, and it will really be an educational resource.

All right, so how does the budget work?

We budgeted our total budget at about 215, 215,200.

The funding model, we are really blessed to have uh executive producer Telly Eliadis.

Telly I've known for a number of years, and Telly loves history and and uh telly is kind of acting like a guarantor in this situation, where um if we spend X amount of dollars per month, and we've sort of figured out maybe 25,000 per month, something like that.

As it's a reimbursement situation, he could help us front funding uh so that we could operate and then get and then get reimbursed.

So he's functioning as an executive producer role.

Um Gold Creek Films and contributions for in kind by our scholars and others, um has totaled about 39,000.

So our grant request is 176,200.

Have found new archival contribute contributions to Las Vegas' history.

Had a screenings.

So thank you very much.

And um and and thank you for this opportunity.

Is there anyone from the public that would like to speak on this agenda item?

Seeing nobody, I'll open it up to the commissioners for any comments or questions.

Chair, this is Bob Sodal.

Yes, Bob.

Having been supporting many documentaries, uh uh funding through the Centennial Commission.

Uh I'm opposed to this particular documentary.

Uh it goes all over the world, all over uh there's so many topics in here, it misses the fundamental filling that we need uh uh for the history of Las Vegas.

The history of of Las Vegas, that site starts in the fall of 1904.

In the fall of 1904, the railroad had reached Las Vegas, and you could get a a ride uh to Salt Lake City and that whatever.

But it was in the fall of 1904 that Senator Clark came to Las Vegas for the first time, and there were several places where the city could uh or the town could be built.

He selected a site about one mile south of the Las Vegas ranch on a plateau.

That's where the city and the town was was began.

During the the latter part of 1904, arguments between the Union Pacific Railroad, which owned half and Senator Clark and his site on the other half.

Senator Clark wanted the new community, the new town to become a community and wanted certain rules and regulations.

The Union Pacific said, no, wide open town, we we don't need that.

Let them do whatever would do whatever they want.

They had arguments, discussions, and those documents are available at UNLV Special Collection.

And just to uh deviate for a second, those documents are there because of a member of the Centennial Commission, Bob Coffin, who who rescued those documents, and they're now in in special collections at UNLV.

The line continues to 1905, the beginning of 1905, where the railroad begins moving things to its town site, including a railroad depot, including Western Union, uh uh, including the post office, including a a store, including a restaurant.

There were three uh uh uh hotels that would be in operation before the May 15th auction.

There would also be three newspapers that were publishing in in Las Vegas.

The line is still the the where the town of Las Vegas would would be built.

The the battle between Union Pacific and Senator Clark over whether it would be a uh an auction, uh initially Senator Clark won because he wanted to choose the people that would build a community.

It didn't quite work out that way.

There were too many people applying for for the position for the lots, and about three weeks before the deadline, it turned out that there was an auction that's the way they won.

There's a lot of stories that need to be told, but the straight line is the city of Los the town of Las Vegas, and and that ends up with May 15th, and within days you see the town forming.

The block 16 where alcohol was was allowed to be sold.

And importantly, the the the district uh on first and and Fremont Street.

That was the beginning of the the uh uh business district of Las Vegas.

On one corner you had a pharmacy and in hospital, on the other side you had a uh the the bank.

On the other side, you had a department store, and of course, in those days they carried everything.

On the other corner was grocery stores and and the meat market.

That's the story that needs to be told.

And we need the straight line from 1905, uh uh fall of 1905 all the way to the fall of 19, excuse me, fall of 1904 all the way to the fall of 1905 when the school a school was built in Las Vegas.

This this proposed documentary goes all over the place.

Uh uh and and again, it's I want to say though it's not anything about the documentary uh producers.

They've got a a strong a strong background.

It's just the focus of this documentary needs to be on the development of the city or the town and the city of Las Vegas.

And so I'm going to make a motion that we deny this uh grant at this time.

May I may I respond?

Uh yes, you may, and uh yes, go right ahead.

Thank you.

Bob they thank you for that.

Thank you for that commentary.

Um I uh I I want you to know and I want the commission to know that this is uh a progress in in motion.

Um I do not by any means claim to know all uh about Las Vegas history uh at all, nor do I uh claim to um to have the uh you know have have any anything close to it or study it.

What what I what I'm proposing here is uh is a framework in which to tell that story in a compelling way, and Bob, if we can sharpen the focus, if we can uh bring it into uh that kind of alignment that you're talking about, um I am I am completely open to that.

Uh within our budget is not just the production, but actually the consulting, the formation.

Um I'm I'm I'm simply um saying and that this could be a really kind of compelling framework in which to present this story through the voices of the people that were there.

I didn't look at it as sort of a comprehensive um history, but that this would be a singular approach to this to this day, and and any of the framework we can put around it that would sharpen the focus.

I I I am I am really open to that.

Thank you, sir.

I'm I'm sorry, Chair.

I would suggest that see where people are.

Yeah, I'm not ready.

I like it.

Um Ryan, did you have did you have a question or a comment?

I do, Mayor.

Thank you.

Uh Ryan Arnold for the record.

Um Bob, would you be open to just obeying this and letting some conversations occur?

Um, and then if we all can make sense of it, come back and present again.

Uh Commission, what I what I would be in favor of, because this the people that are making this presentation have a solid background in the history of uh of Las Vegas.

What I would prefer was denying this particular uh uh outline uh uh and having them come back with a a more a fresher approach.

You know, I look at Act 3 and it says the foundation of a city takes hold, a voice warns prosperity has its shadows.

Patricia Nelson Limerick ties the story to a national theme, boomtown often.

So the it it goes, there's just so much in in this proposed project that that takes away from the actual significance and development of the town.

I'd rather hear about downtown Las Vegas, the creation of that and the people that did that that ran the bank that created the the drug the drug store and uh and the hospital in 1905.

So what I would prefer is that we deny this but with without prejudice and let them come back with a new presentation.

Wait, wait, we already have a motion on the um we have a motion on the table.

Let's have discussion and then we can vote on Bob's motion.

You got it.

Yes, Olivia.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

I just want to um ask our legal counsel if we deny the item versus withdrawing without prejudice.

Uh I'm pretty clear when we do it on council when we deny, we kind of give it a cooling off period, and they can't bring the same subject item back before us.

Um, but I'm not sure if it's the same sitting on this board.

So wanted to know the difference between moving to deny versus with withdrawing without prejudice.

So, Madam Chair, Seth Floyd for the record.

So unlike council, there's no uh official cooling off period.

So in theory, they could bring it back at the very next meeting if they could get their materials in on time.

So really they're there are basically two ways to accomplish the same thing.

The difference is with a if you deny it, it will be an entirely new submittal, so they will resubmit a new grant application.

Whereas an abeyance would be they could revise as long as I mean I I think really we'd let them do any revision they wanted to, and they could revise it under the current application.

So that's really the two different the difference between those two options, but there's no cooling off period required, so there's no timing issue if you were to deny it.

Okay.

Well, one way to address this, we could amend Bob's motion.

And instead of deny it, obey it till the next meeting.

Does anybody on this side of uh the um yes?

Thank you, madam mayor.

I I just think that uh you have a solid project.

You have a concept.

You've built a fabulous team to build this.

Uh sounds like you need to fine-tune a couple things that may meet the needs of the commission, and possibly you need 30 days or 60 days to get that together and then come back.

If that's the case, then I'd be in favor of an abeyance versus denying it.

Um then you'd have to start all over from ground zero.

And you've put a lot of work into it so far.

So it'd be great if we could at least opportunity would be to give you an opportunity to go back, make some corrections, and then come back and represent again.

Yes, and that would be in abeyance of either 30 days or 60 days that I would be in favor of, not a full denial.

Okay.

I don't think we have to wait for the chair.

Um wait a minute, Bob.

Uh, would you be amenable to an abeyance?

I I would be.

All right.

Well, I I quite frankly, I'm I'm confused because in the past, abeyance would simply means that you're putting the project off to the next meeting without substantial changes.

I you know, we looked at we obeyed the the parade uh uh, but there was a second one for for two years.

So I I'm a bit confused.

I thought obeyance simply means you carry it over to the next meeting as is.

No, that's that is not that is not my understanding.

So, madam chair, I well, everybody's right here.

So that's that's a win.

Like everybody's right.

Um so it it depends.

Um if if the project were to change so much that it is essentially a new submittal, uh, then what Diane would do as staff is have them submit a new item.

So I think the uh splitting the baby, so to speak, would be you could obey it for time to work on what that new proposal might look like.

If it turns out that it is, as Bob suggested, entirely new, it is so substantially changed that it no longer looks like the original item.

We would then have them submit a new one that could replace uh this one on a future agenda.

I'm very excited about this project.

If it needs fine-tuning, I have no problem waiting until the next meeting to hear the presentation again with the fine-tuning.

Um, Bob, would you amend your motion to be an abeyance as opposed to a denial?

The answer starts with yes, but but with a with a question to set.

It seems to me that the definition of an abeyance is the the project, whatever it is, is simply carried over obeyed to the next meeting.

But if there is some substantial changes, like the parade where we went through three years to two years, there would have to be a new submittal uh uh at the the the early at the next meeting.

Is that right, Seth?

Yeah, madam chair, through you uh so that's that's accurate.

The the reason why this is a little different than the two-year one is the way that your agenda item reads on this one is broader.

Uh it says discussion for possible action regarding approval of a grant for production of a documentary film focused on the 1905 Las Vegas land auction.

So as long as that is still the focus with some tweaks, you could still have that herd under an abeyance.

If if it changed to where it was no longer a film focused on the 1905 Las Vegas land auction and it morphed somehow, you'd have a notice issue and then you'd have to have a new application.

So that's something Diane will have to work through with the applicant as those changes occur.

But to respond to the chair's question, yes, I I would amend my motion to obey.

Okay, so your motion is that you are moving to obey this item until the next meeting of the centennial commission where we will reconsider the request for a hundred and seventy-six thousand two hundred dollars.

That's correct.

All right, I'll second that motion.

Senator Brian second it.

Thank you.

All those in favor of um Bob Stodal's amended uh um uh motion, please say aye.

I any opposed motion is carried.

Motion is carried.

Thank you so much and look forward to seeing you uh next time.

And I definitely have a conversation with Bob.

I I will be Bob.

I will be uh I will be calling you tomorrow or today, your honor.

Excuse me, well, you're gonna have to have all the uh it's closed now at the hospital.

I return home next week.

Oh, that obeying.

I became aware of some of the red tape we've created, and I just wanted to make sure we don't set up a trap for ourselves or Diane, because I know that there are things happen.

They just accidentally happened, like on the old timers dinner.

Well, it was changed a little bit, then they submit it, but they didn't submit in time.

So they kind of didn't have time to do it, so they canceled.

And I want to worry that I'm just saying that we make sure that no last minute red tape comes in and there wasn't that time.

I thought it was absolutely ridiculous that they that they decided not to do that uh um uh that the old timers dinner.

That's my own opinion.

Well, me too, but that was Chair.

I just to close it out.

Yes.

Um I I give you my word that I will work gradually with the uh the uh uh grant applicants uh to come up with something that uh the commission will be proud of.

But I'll be I'll work very hard with them.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you, Bob.

I look forward to it.

Mr.

Suttle, make sure you take care of yourself too, though.

Excuse me, excuse me.

And that abeyance will be to the meeting of November 24th.

Thank you.

So you have until November 24th.

And frankly, this is such uh a great topic, and it needs to be in a documentary.

So let's do everything we can and eliminate red tape uh to uh to ensure that we have a successful project.

All right, agenda item.

Oh, thank you so much, Mr.

Faye.

Agenda item 11, 25-0413-CLC one discussion for possible action regarding approval of a grant request for 213,600 by the Dr.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Committee for the production and running of the 1920 uh 19 2026-2027 Dr.

Martin Luther King parades and authorizing the president to execute the grant agreement is approved by the city attorney.

Welcome, and can you please state your name for the record?

Wendell P.

Williams.

My name is Shondell Newsom, uh co-chair with Mr.

Wendell P.

Williams with the Dr.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Committee.

Um truly honored to be here today with the founder, the former assemblyman, the um the GOAT we call him.

Uh Mr.

Uh Wendell P.

Williams.

Uh, one of the things that um I want to share with you guys is that um, you know, uh the Dr.

Martin Luther King Jr.

parade will be in uh 2026 and 27.

This will be the 44th and 45th parade in downtown Las Vegas.

So consecutively with no interruptions, even during our uh time when we had the uh pandemic, uh we did a virtual parade.

Um so we we are very proud of the fact that um um the work of the committee over the last four decades has been extensive and and done a great job.

In fact, I moved to Las Vegas in 1987 by way of the United States Air Force.

I met um Mr.

Wendell P.

Williams when uh I was volunteering for the school district, and um he uh graciously uh allowed me to go on the radio with him and talk and do all of that, which I still have relationship with KCP for that reason.

There's so many reasons and and ways that Dr.

Martin The King Jr.

uh connects with Las Vegas history.

Um not only and we'll talk a little bit about that.

Um I'm gonna go through the slide presentation.

Um, but my family has been actively involved for over a couple of decades, even though I'm only 20 years old.

All right.

So uh remember so Dr.

King, uh the the uh national um enduring theme is remember celebrate act, and this is very important because um we remember Dr.

Doc Dr.

Martin King Jr.

as a Nobel Peace Prize winner, but many other things that he has done.

Um we we would be here for hours if we talked about the many contributions that not only he made around the world but in the city of Las Vegas, um, not just by his visit or his him coming, but the people that have been impacted, including myself.

Um I was born the year that uh Dr.

King was assassinated.

So um many of the uh the the things that he's done, and you'll see how the connection has um made me committed to service, um, which is very important.

We celebrate the culture and inclusion of Dr.

King that not only he created around the world, but what he created in Las Vegas.

Um and then advancing the dream is the most important part.

This is not a day off.

This is uh a day on um when we talk about Dr.

King.

We're not we're not there to really barbecue and do all that.

We're there to show how we serve the community, and you'll see that when we've done this parade, it was about many of the organizations who serve uh the Las Vegas community.

Uh so here's uh the Dr.

Martha King Julia Holiday, like I said, we'll be celebrating 44 and 45 years.

As you can see, we made it, you know, basically had started, and Wendell gave me a lot of history, so I'm just giving it to you guys, right?

Um, six Las Vegas mayors.

Mayor Lurie and Mayor Breyer are not pictured, but you see um the honorable mayor uh Shelley Berkeley is there along with uh Goodman's and and one of one of the people that I um really adore, um Jan Laverty Jones.

So it it it has uh uh a great history already running with, and then of course you see uh our governor uh Bryant signing the uh law in 1987 that made uh the state holiday for Dr.

Martin King Jr.

Um along with Assemblyman uh along with Assemblyman uh Williams here.

Uh and then you see that um many of you alluded to this that the parade was down Fremont Street.

Um so you see um that we have uh captured a little bit of that history.

Um we're we're also gonna be doing some amazing things with the new library that's gonna be on the historic west side, thanks to the work of the city council, thanks to the work of uh Councilman Creer, that we're we're gonna be uh we're gonna be presenting some of these artifacts.

Um my my fellow uh uh co-chair, the hoarder, uh, has a lot of things that we he calls himself that, I'm sorry.

But uh we he's he has a lot of information that we're gonna be putting in the new library, and we've already talked to the uh director and and folks there about putting a lot of the information, not only from the parade, but the history of uh Las Vegas and Nevada.

Um so here's a little bit about Mr.

Wendell P.

Williams.

He was actively engaged with uh with um the the late uh widow of Dr.

King.

Um and one of the things that's real important that we understand that today he's still working with the family um and bringing um a lot of folks to Las Vegas.

Um uh right now he's working with Bernice King, um the daughter of Dr.

King and Mrs.

King.

Um we one of the things that is important is that we continue to bring and engage the family um here in Las Vegas.

Um and we we recently, and you'll see in the in the future slides how we're engaged.

That young lady who uh um who is standing next to uh Mr.

Wendell P.

Williams in the middle is my wife.

Um she played Rosa Parks in the parade one time.

So my wife is a Las Vegas native, the places you mentioned, Marble Manor, she grew up in Marble Manor and then later on moved over, um moved over to uh um to another neighborhood.

But she uh she grew up in Las Vegas, and it was an honor for her to play Rosa Parks.

And I think she took the most selfies ever at the parade, which was amazing.

And also you see how we connected with the Super Bowl.

I was on the Las Vegas Super Bowl host committee.

Um we we really engaged and had the Super Bowl there, we had the Raiders there, we had a lot of people from the Super Bowl host committee, my fellow co-chair from MGM Resorts, Tony Glady.

So you see, there's a connectivity that happens at this parade with over close to 240 entrants.

We have a lot of people who are histor part of the history of the parade.

You also see um Sandra Douglas, who was one of the recipients of the Dr.

Martin King Jr.

Scholarship, um, and also a person that um that um Mr.

Wendell P had mentored.

You also see Congressman Stephen Horsford, who was also a recipient of some of the funds from the from the uh committee, as well as um you see um Alex Dixon, Alex Dixon and Vanessa Bryant.

Uh you see Ken Evans, who was one of the folks who former president of the Urban Chamber, who was um actively engaged with the uh youth committee.

Um, and and you see um Neo, uh world world-renowned uh not only recording artist, but but producer, who is really um what was part of the youth committee for, and you see uh Mr.

Uh you see Commissioner McCurdy, um you see uh uh Commissioner Weekly Um who uh is was was um done many things with the commission, was a Cloud County Commissioner, but also um on the LVCVA board, and he he's still active with the uh committee.

And then you see uh this this this young guy here, um Sean Del Newsom, who um, you know, I'm I'm I love uh participating with um the tech queen.

Um Diwana Malone, just so you guys know, just for a brief history to understand, Dawana, um very, very active in the community, but she does an event at City Hall every year called the Tech Summit, the Dr.

Martin King Jr.

Tech Summit, and she's teaching um young people to do cybersecurity, um, which is uh again along the along the guise of uh what Dr.

King does is he always talked about the education where and and also remember that in 1963 the march was about jobs and freedom, and it was about really high-paying jobs, which is the same thing we're talking about today.

She actually now has a contract with the U.S.

Department of Commerce, and she is where and this all evolved from doing some of these things like the Tech Summit, where she's teaching nationally in every in almost every state um the young people how to do cybersecurity and IT operations and things like that.

So you got a lot of history, and not only that, but a lot of folks who have come out of the Dr.

Martin King Jr.

Committee and as youth who are now really making a lot of things happen in the community.

So our value proposition, one of the things that we always think about is what is the value to you guys?

Um, you know, we want to preserve and celebrate the history of the people and the history of the city of Las Vegas.

We want to position Las Vegas as a global destination for visitors.

You'll see in a minute that that's already happening when it comes to downtown.

Um we we have um we want to educate residents and visitors on the history, want to advertise Las Vegas as a place to experience the history and the global contributions on the civil and human rights.

And I think the big thing is really um how does that all tie back to things um historically and economically?

Uh we connect, we want to connect the state of Nevada, United States, and international visitors to downtown Las Vegas.

I did that on purpose because we have people who come to the parade from all over the state.

We have people who come from the United States, and internationally, um Vanessa Williams Brian, uh not Brian, I'm sorry, Vanessa Williams Nash is actually um uh uh an executive director for the international world conference of mayors.

32,000 um is part of that.

So we we have we have a lot of folks already coming.

The uh continue, we want to continue the um the Dr.

Martin King Junior Committee, um, the the legacy of the parade.

Um we want to remember the works of Dr.

King that led to the historic Las Vegas events, um, um, not necessarily this Mulan Rouge agreement.

That was kind of a uh AI snafu, if you will.

The the Moulin Rouge Agreement came in 1960 before Dr.

King came in 1964.

But also to celebrate the King culture, including Greek HBCUs, Las Vegas relationships like Dr.

Bob Bailey, Ruby Duncan, Ida Gaines, and the King Committee, um, founder William Wendell P.

Williams, amongst others.

We want to activate the day on and not a day off with local organizations to act in service to others in Las Vegas.

We just did that this year with the with the United Way of Southern Nevada and many other nonprofits that have engaged in um the day on and not a day off.

Uh currently, um, without with with very much local local promotions, local events, um, and local focus, we still get visitors all around this country, which is amazing.

Um, we we have people who have decided to join our celebration and leave their city, including um the Arkansas Um Commission for the MLK.

They they've partnered with us this this year.

Um many others have come from Louisiana, from Georgia, from places like New York and and even some folks from Canada have come down.

So we could probably help restore some of the Canadian uh visitation.

We can help out with that.

So as you see with the branding, um, we a couple of years ago had decided to brand Las Vegas as King with King Week Las Vegas.

We say every week is King Week, so we have been really focused on the branding and development of the brand um over the last couple of years.

So we what we do what do we see in the future?

We see that this is not only a national brand, but it can become is definitely an international brand because Dr.

King is celebrated in more countries than many presidents, many um historical figures.

He's he's celebrated all over the world because of his work globally.

So we want to tap in on that.

We also look at the opportunity in the king effect with some of the HBCUs.

There are many, he's tied to a network of historical black college universities.

Um, you know, many people have attended and part of the uh part of the parade.

We also look at the um the different um fraternities and sororities, which are parts of the National Panalinic Council or the Divine Nine as they're called.

Um we this parade this year, we put them all together, and it was an amazing look, especially for young people in our community, looking at all of these black professionals walking down the parade and seeing what they could be.

When I was on the uh board of the 100 black men, we said what they see is what they'll be.

And that's what we that's what we look at is it's a walking history, it's a walking historical story when you look at the parade as we go along.

So one of the things that I'll always gotta do, because I'm a marketing guy, right?

I gotta talk about the economic impact.

When you look at the people that come in and you look at um black tourism and meetings, um, it really can be huge, um, especially for downtown, especially for some of the uh the um the hotels there.

I spoke with folks at Boyd, spoke to Yuri Clinton, who is also a product of uh the uh he's he's one of legal counsel for um for Boyd Gaming.

He's also a product of the Dr.

Martin Lithuane Junior Committee.

So it really is is working and paying it forward thanks to this man right here.

Uh and then you know, when you look at the the the economic impact that is even a potential to the city of Las Vegas, we see we see great opportunities there.

So we market um we we want to talk about you know demographics.

Um, like I said, there's some great, amazing people that we market to, and and they all come and and uh and merge onto uh downtown Las Vegas.

Um we we we talk about a word called edutainment.

So those that are the education experts out here, please please don't beat me up.

I know my mom's like where you make that word up, but that's like learning and having fun.

Um party we party with a purpose, we walk away with a cultural experience that's unique to Las Vegas, and we engage in a very historic parade.

So the strategy is to you utilize the national MLK focus of remember celebrate act to create an experience in Las Vegas annually, and we invite National King affiliated organization to our relationships, and we uh an objectives is to continue an annual event, create loyal visitors to Dr.

Martha King Jr.

Parade, establish a cultural kickoff for Las Vegas every year, and branding the King Week Las Vegas experience, which includes a lot of other events, but I I'm gonna stick to the parade.

Um in social media, we we utilize all of these different networks.

We also have a lot of promotions and grassroots marketing, advertising, social media, internet marketing, and a lot of public relations.

I'm going merchandising.

We also have a lot of media, good media coverage um there.

Uh and then the parade ignites the city of Las Vegas, where remember celebrate act.

Uh I'm gonna go through because I know y'all want to all right, so thank you so much for that very um uh comprehensive presentation.

Um does anybody have first of all, I love the parade, I love the whole week.

It's just spectacular.

Thank you very much for doing this.

It's amazing.

However, um why don't we open it up to any QA?

Um at uh members of the commission, would anybody like to comment?

Hannah.

I just want to share that uh when I was hired by Western Airlines.

I had to go to three weeks of training school in Los Angeles, and uh the morning that I was packing my clothes to come home was the morning that Martin Luther King was killed, and the first day I started to work, April 8th is the day that he had his uh his funeral.

Oh, yeah.

So it's I think everybody knows where they were when we heard the tragedy.

Um, yes, go ahead.

Mills.

Mills for the record, uh Governor Senator Bryan mentioned that it took him three legislative sessions to get this done.

And I grew up here born and raised, and this was an extremely segregated city.

I'm wondering if Dr.

King actually spent time here organizing or doing anything, and if so, when did he do that?

And do we have any any documentation, pictures?

Uh yes, actually, if I could I I don't know how to pull this back up, but actually I was I skipped those couple of slides um for sake of time.

But um he was here um in 1964, correct?

1964, and Dr.

King was here for NAACP um luncheon and as well as visiting Second Baptist Church.

And he came to really unite the city.

Um he came uh with the with the intent to make sure that um we were we were working in peace and following you know what what what what what he wanted to do is really um get rid of the stigma of Mississippi of the West.

Yeah.

So that was that was his plan.

Um the other thing, um Ralph Abernathy, his associate later came and talked uh and really helped out um Ruby Duncan with the efforts that um Clay T White talked about.

So that he he's had that residual impact on on the city would anybody else like to comment, yes.

Senark for the record, I'm just curious.

You had the parade several years.

Why now you come to us for support?

Um and I'm not against it.

I'm just saying what happened, what changed on your backing?

I think you know uh Wendell Wendell is a person that doesn't ask for a lot.

Uh you know, I was telling him, hey, you know, we need to ask, and then actually um um um councilman career one day said why why you guys don't ever come to the commission for any dollars.

We we are we do have a lot of um great supporters um that whether it's the hotel and casinos, small businesses, and that, but um it was actually I think one day I had a conversation with Councilman Career, and he said you need you need to look at it, look at this as an opportunity.

Okay, anybody else?

I will entertain the motion to approve.

I'll make a motion for approval.

Who was that?

Oh, okay.

All those in favor, all right.

The motion is that um uh the commission will grant uh the request for 213,600 by the MLK junior committee uh for the running and production of um the 2026 parade and 2027 parade.

All those in favor, please say aye.

Aye.

Any opposed?

In that case, congratulations.

Thank you.

Did you want to say something, Wendell?

I just probably be remiss and pretentious not to mention that.

Uh now as a freshman in the legislature, uh it was a year that we passed uh the MLK holiday and family day, by the way.

So, and that was under the direction of the very capable in my heroes, Governor Bryan.

He called him Senator, I call him Governor Steele.

And along with that, uh Senator Coffin, no Senator Confident at the time, he was a co-sponsor on the legislation.

Uh Ms.

Brown has been one of our uh grand marshals as well as uh Mr.

Creer, and we have a long history of doing this.

And one of the things that uh that has happened, I too want to go on record that I like Fremont Street the best.

You know, because we've had it in West Las Vegas one year, we've had it on 4th Street, Las Vegas Boulevard, and Fremont.

And I look at all the pictures and all the documentation and films we have.

Fremont Street is the most exciting, and you know you in Las Vegas when you do parade on Fremont Street.

So we want to go on the record supporting that.

It is uh it's a great parade.

I look forward to it every year.

Last year was a little windy, but that's okay.

People still came out for it, and it's quite a thrill to be in the parade.

So thank you so much.

Um Ryan I remember the first parade.

As governor, I declared it a holiday by the state law.

Try to get them to recognize it as an official holiday by legislative enactment.

Failed in 83, failed in 85.

We finally got it on.

I gave up the ability to have two state holidays to appoint two for only one, and we got it on.

But there are a lot of people involved, and let's not forget our old friend Joe Neal.

He was very helpful to stay.

And the thing about it, uh, Governor, we have a casting for the national.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Pretty fabulous.

Thank you so much.

Agenda item 12.

25-0437-CLC 1 report by the community development department regarding commission for the Las Vegas Centennial Multi-year grants.

Thank you, C Brent, for the record.

And this has already been mentioned a few times to oh, I we're missing Councilman Creer, um, who also mentioned this earlier about grants.

This commission uh, well, originally it was a one-year grant is was that all that was allowed.

There was a discussion about three, four or five years ago, I don't remember now, about multi-year grants, where the commission was in favor of three two to three year grants.

But recently it seems to come back that perhaps the commission is not in favor of three-year grants.

So just for our purposes is and wouldn't we speak to the applicants, you know, we have to guide them and advise them if they ask how many years can I apply for?

So just would like to have feedback of what this commission would like to see as far as funding grants for multiple years.

Senator Bryan, would you like to start the conversation?

Uh I just don't favor a three-year grant.

I want an opportunity to take a look how it's performed.

Now there is nothing that would prohibit after one year for the commission to decide, you know.

I think that's a program we want to continue and to extend it for a period of time.

In other words, one more year, two more years at that point.

So that's just my own particular hang up on this, Diane.

I don't I just don't like to see three years.

The issue with that though, is once they've submitted uh proposal and then rewrite the grant agreement, it does specifically say in there the end date and the amount.

So they would if you had somebody here with a one-year grant and you decided that you would like their programming and you wanted to ask them for the next time if they wanted to do a two-year grant, they would have to do an entirely new proposal.

I think Bob.

Um quite frankly, I I would vote for going back to the one year process.

It does not mean that the applicant can come back on the second year, the third year or the fourth year.

But things are changing so much in in our community, and and projects uh change and staffing changes and so forth.

I think we should go back to the to the one year uh uh proposal and does again doesn't mean that it can't come back for a second year and a third year, but it provides the centennial commission with a real sense of of what how the project is going if we do it year by year.

Thank you.

Does anybody else have uh yes, Cedric?

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

Like I as I mentioned earlier, I was uh maybe the most vocal on trying to find ways to work with our partners that we work with on a consistent basis, not those that are new, like the gentleman who's presenting his um uh documentary has not come in front of the commission before.

We do not know uh him, but for those that we have worked with over the course of years, it allows us to support them and it allows them to plan, which is important.

So if you know you're gonna get a grant for the next two years or three years, you can plan on what you're going to do instead of not knowing if you're gonna get the grant or not, and then you have to apply for the grant, potentially get it, then start your planning.

Um it it it makes it a lot tougher.

I understand the concern of uh us being good fiduciaries of the dollars.

Maybe there's a compromise.

You can always say that you can you can put in a two-year or three year, maybe as a as a wholeistic view of the commission to say if we do a two-year or three-year contract, you can always do one year automatic renewals if there's no issues.

And so if it could be reviewed administratively, they could come and present to us as long as there's no malfeasions and there's no major issues, then it'll automatically new for up to two years or up to three years, and then maybe that's a compromise that we have from the commission to the applicant.

So is staff asking for guidance whether the uh the collectively the commission is in favor of a three-year uh proposal or two-year proposals, and if that's the case, I would entertain a motion to approve a two-year approval process.

Um I'd like to second that.

I'd like to make that motion.

It's not a um, it's just a report.

There's no you're looking for guidance.

I would say just the uh just if feel uh the sentiment of the commission is not to do three years.

Two years, uh one year might be too short.

So I would say if you're asking for guidance, it appears to me that uh two years would be the optimum amount.

It does anyone.

Here there's one question that needs to be answered, and that's that's the question is can you carry money over from one year to the second year?

Uh or is each of the years have a specified uh uh grant.

Um so the bottom line is can you carry money over from one year to two years?

And that was one of the problems with a three-year uh request.

So see Brand, for the record when the commission approves a uh grant proposal, it's the end amount that's in that grant agreement that is approved.

Uh, we have been letting some of the organizations that not have used all their funding in the first year to roll it over into the the second year, since the commission did not vote on approving X amount of dollars for one year and X amount of dollars for another year.

But we can certainly um make it a practice that will just hold them to just that um money for the first year.

Okay, so this is okay.

So this item is informational item only, and so you're asking for guidance.

Um Olivia, before we close, did you want to say something?

Yes, madam mayor.

I just wanted to also give the input that if it's a known commodity and we've worked with that entity, I would represent that this board would consider up to a two-year proposal.

Don't I would hope that you're not just gonna say, yeah, they're gonna give you two years, and like obviously couch it and they may give you up to two years if they're a known commodity, because we have a lot of folks that have done documentaries, they're they're known to us.

Um, like Duck Duck Shed, we we heard the results of their um our held their auto parade.

So just wanted to kind of keep that, and if they're brand new, I I would stick to just whatever their proposal is, and not even tell them for an extended period of time until they've proven their worth in our investment, if that makes sense.

Because I don't want anyone who hasn't done any work for us to think that they can pitch it and get more than one if we don't even know what that initial rendering or activity or whatever the case may be is.

So I just kind of wanted to make that clear.

Okay, let me clarify this.

Yeah, I'm sorry, but for the record.

This is not saying that everybody comes in gets two years.

It's only for a project that is a that runs for multiple years, such as a parade, such as you know, the lecture series of Duck Duck Shed.

But this wouldn't be if somebody was coming to us for just one documentary.

We wouldn't automatically give them two years.

So it's only for projects that the commission or the applicant is saying, well, we're doing the parade this year.

We also want to do it next year.

But I guess the thing is making sure that it's something that we've felt comfortable enough funding.

Today, for example, the Martin Luther King Jr.

Parade is new.

Um not not new to the commission b funding it, right?

And so then also I think the we need to be clear as to what they said they were gonna use the funds for, and if they came back and they demonstrated that the funds were used to accomplish the goal that furthers the mission of this commission.

And so we need to have that accountability piece in place, and if we just start just giving the money out without expecting results and accountability, I think we're gonna lose the mission of the commission.

And so I just want to make sure that if let's say there's now gonna be I'm just making this up.

Um who was one of the Bob Stodal, why am I having uh um one of the first Spaniards that came through Vegas?

I don't know.

Rafael Rivera.

Let's say we're gonna have a Rafael Rivera parade now, and someone comes and presents a Rafael Rivera parade that hasn't traditionally been done.

Are we gonna go out there and give them funding for two years without even having seen what that one?

So that's why I'm just saying.

I don't I don't think that's unless I'm mistaken, they're not saying this is they just need a little guidance so that it uh because I think at one time I was told the um commission was encouraging three years, and then uh then the commission kind of changed its mind and said maybe three years is too long, we need to have some oversight.

So I think staff is uh just asking, give us a little guidance.

If you don't like the three years, we'll not we won't do three years.

If you think the two years, if it's proven uh and and they've been before us before and we know what they do and what they're capable of, then we can go up to two years.

And I think unless I'm mistaken, is that what staff is asking?

Yes, Mayor Setler for the record, that gives us I think what we were looking for.

And also I just wanted to clarify there are they for a minute there we're talking about two different there are multi-year grants where they're asking for two grants in one, basically.

There where they want two years of the same grant, like a parade that happens twice.

And then there could be single grants that cover multiple years.

So for example, a documentary it's possible may not be done in one year, and that would be handled through the grant agreement the length of time.

So if they need if they said we need to do a documentary, but it's gonna take us a year and a half to do it, we would build that into the timeline.

One thing that could happen with this guidance is if you had a new group that came in with a uh request for two years, they would ask for the two.

You can always approve something smaller than what's in the original request.

So you could approve it for one, but you can't go bigger.

Yes, right.

I would like to I'm sure if we could have actually a written policy that the that the centennial commission could read.

I think that would be very helpful.

Just uh outlining what what the what our policy is regarding multi-year uh um contracts, thank you.

Uh can I direct the staff to come up with a policy that reflects the views of the commission members?

Ryan.

Yeah, I I don't know if it's necessary, but I I feel like the point's being missing or missed.

Can't even talk.

Um word.

New word, I'm creating some.

Scary parties we all understood you.

I know everyone's nodding.

Yeah, listen.

It's very simple to me.

If we have a new applicant coming in and they're asking for multiple years, we've never seen or heard from them before.

No, if it's a documentary, yes.

I mean, and it extends.

A period of time, I get it.

But if it's some sort of reoccurring thing, we want to vet them.

We don't want the option on the table immediately for two years or three years or whatever it is.

That's I think it's that clear cut.

Okay.

If it's something that's been before us and we keep approving it, yeah.

Give them the chance.

Okay.

Look good.

Mayor just Seth Floyd, let me just summarize some because we will we will write this up.

So uh a new request, it's it's for one grant.

It may last more than a year, but it's one grant.

You can't ask for multiple grants in one.

If it is a repeat uh requester, they can ask for up to the two, uh, just like the parade has gotten in the past and some other events.

Is that so we can write it up that way?

Okay.

Absolutely.

Yeah, that that's helpful because we get and and we get a lot of people who want to know hey, what's how should I present this to the commission?

What's the best practice?

And you know, we've evolved a bit, but this gives us some clarity, so I think that will be very useful.

Okay, and Cedric will uh bring it home, Cedric.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

Uh I just want to say if we do put in the um, if you're gonna create a policy that it has to have some type of review after for each year, whether the reviews administratively or if it comes in front of council to present what happened that year with the dollars.

Um they need to come.

Like I said, I'm administratively or in front of the commission.

Yeah, Seth Floyd for the record.

So we do that all I can't remember how it's written in the grant agreement, but you'll notice like if if we were to give Doc Duckshed, for example, that was brought up, uh, multiple years, they would come after each year to do, even though they're approved for two years, you would get a report at the after their event that particular year.

Yes, so we'll we'll continue to do that.

Okay, thank you so much.

Agenda item 13 report by the executive director of the commission for the Las Vegas Centennial regarding completed projects and announcements relative to the commission for the Las Vegas Centennial.

Thank you.

Uh C Bart for the record.

I don't have any announcements um other than just to say the projects that the commission has funded are all still um in production or pro pre-production that includes the home and history, which will be in April, the rodeo in November, uh the website content creation.

Um I'm going through those now.

Um, the UNLV oral sports history and the documentaries, which include the Paul Revere Williams 1990s, 1980s, and Fremont Street.

So everything is is moving along as it should.

Thank you so much.

Does anybody have any questions of our executive director?

Seeing no questions, item 14, discussion regarding topics for future agenda items, comments made during this portion of the agenda by individual members shall refer solely to proposals for future agenda items.

Any discussion shall be limited to whether or not such proposed items are within the purview of the commission and/or whether such proposed items shall be placed on a future agenda.

No discussion regarding the substance of any proposed topics shall occur, and no action shall be taken.

Does anybody wish to speak under this agenda item?

Bob.

Yes, thank you.

You're quite welcome.

I know I overstated.

I can't help it.

No, not at all.

You've been good.

I've been too involved in this thing.

By the way, I took a little time to look up Mr.

Marble.

Uh and you should be aware of this.

He was really big here.

And he had been a newspaper man in Nebraska.

Left that went to work for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, moved out to the Southwest.

He had his wife did.

His daughter had come here on her own, met and married Archie Grant, who owned the Ford dealership.

Big big guy in town.

Yeah.

So he worked for Archie Grant.

And is his daughter?

And uh so yes, he he was quite well known and prosperous and a hard worker.

And a great photographer, documented Native American life here and in the Southwest.

So thank you.

I'd say I can't do that.

Thank you for inviting me.

That's great.

Yeah, he's worthy.

Thank you.

Oh right.

Uh is there I see nobody uh wanting to speak under agenda item 14.

Agenda item 15, citizens' participation.

Public comment during this portion of the agenda must be limited to matters within the jurisdiction of the commission.

No subject may be acted upon by the commission unless the subject is on the agenda and scheduled for action.

If you wish to be heard, come forward, give your name for the record, the amount of discussion on any single subject, as well as the amount of time uh any speaker is allowed, may be limited, it'll be limited to two minutes.

Would anybody care to address uh the commission under citizens participation?

Seeing none, this meeting of the Centennial Commission is adjourned.

Adjourned.