Mountain’s Edge adds fire station

The master-planned community of Mountain's Edge in the southwestern valley recently broke ground on a $5.1 million fire station, and work continues on a second elementary school for the 3,500-acre development.

Clark County Fire Chief Steve Smith, County Commissioner Susan Brager and Randy Brown, the director of community development for Focus Property Group, the developer of Mountain's Edge, were in attendance at the Oct. 11 groundbreaking of Fire Station No. 66. When completed in mid-2008, the station will boost emergency capabilities and improve response times in the southwestern part of the Las Vegas Valley.

Fire Station No. 66 is being built as part of a cooperative agreement between the county and Focus Property Group, which provided 5 acres and more than $3.4 million toward equipping the 10,500-square-foot facility and funding its design and construction costs. Clark County will pick up the remaining costs, including personnel.

"This new fire station allows us to meet the demands of growth while demonstrating a commitment to public safety," said Brager, who represents the area. "Providing fire protection is an essential public service. This new station brings greater protection for our residents and businesses and should result in lower insurance rates for them."

Smith agreed that adding vital services goes hand in hand with population growth.

"The opening of this station gives us a significant upgrade in response capability in one of the fastest-growing areas in Southern Nevada," Smith said.

The firehouse itself is configured as a three-bay station and will contain one fire engine and one rescue unit. Station 66 will represent a new design compared to stations of the past. It will feature a dormitory, kitchen, training room, workout room and a room for cleaning medical equipment. It will house a captain, two engineers, two firefighters, one firefighter paramedic and/or one firefighter EMT I.

Station 66 will have a priority response area bounded by Rainbow Boulevard, Pebble Road, Starr Avenue and Fort Apache Road, Smith said.

For Focus Property Group, the addition of the fire station is an important part of the growth of Mountain's Edge, Brown said.

"As a representative of Focus Property Group, and a resident of Mountain's Edge myself, being a part of this groundbreaking made for an exciting and important day," Brown said. "Starting construction on the fire station within our community illustrates the progress and growth that's being made here."

Brown said Mountain's Edge will celebrate the opening of Carolyn S. Reedom Elementary School next year. Reedom Elementary will join the William V. Wright Elementary School, which is already open, serving children in the area.

According to the Clark County School District, Reedom Elementary is scheduled to welcome its first students for the 2008-2009 school year.

"Wright Elementary School has made a tremendous impact on the lives of families and their children here at Mountain's Edge, and the opening of Reedom Elementary is certain to have the same positive effect," said Brown, whose wife teaches fifth grade at Wright Elementary.

Focus Property Group has been a strong supporter of Wright Elementary, donating thousands of dollars for books and musical instruments.

Prior to Wright's opening last fall, Focus donated $16,000 to the school to purchase a complete set of new instruments for the school's music program. And when Focus learned that the school was in need of additional books, the company and its team members raised money and donated $55,000.

When complete, Mountain's Edge is planned to have four elementary schools, two middle schools and a high school.

Builders with actively selling subdivisions are Amstar Homes, Avante Homes, Beazer Homes, D.R. Horton, Engle Homes, KB Home, Kimball Hill Homes, Lennar, Meritage Homes, Pardee Homes, Pulte Homes, R/S Development, Ryland Homes, Toll Brothers, Warmington Homes Nevada and Woodside Homes. Other builders, including Astoria Homes, Phillips Homes and StoryBook Homes, are expected to begin sales in the coming months. For more information on Focus Property Group visit focuspropertygroup.com.

Those looking to learn more about Mountain's Edge may visit the development's Home Search Café, located at the community's entrance on Buffalo Drive and Blue Diamond Road, or visit mountainsedge.com. The Café is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., seven days a week, and can be reached at 898-5777.