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Henderson to sue opioid makers in Nevada courts

The Henderson City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to follow other Nevada cities in hiring a law firm to pursue opioid-related litigation.

The city hired Eglet Prince, which is representing Clark County, North Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Reno and other Nevada municipalities in similar lawsuits.

“The misuse and addiction to opioids is a serious national health crisis that affects not only public health, but also our social and economic welfare,” Henderson City Attorney Nicholas Vaskov said during the meeting. The cost of the opioid crisis can be hard to measure because it is spread across numerous agencies, he said.

Opioids played a role in 12.8 deaths per 100,000 Nevadans in 2016, according to state data.

Henderson will not be on the hook to pay any fees from the litigation. If damages are awarded, Eglet Prince would receive a 25 percent cut.

The firm will file the lawsuit in state court and decide which opioid manufacturers, distributors and doctors to sue. Attorney Robert Eglet said his firm has set aside $18 million for opioid-related litigation statewide.

City spokeswoman Kathleen Richards said city officials have not decided how any potential money awarded in the lawsuit would be used.

Fire station

Council members also voted to approve contracts with CORE Construction Services of Nevada and Carpenter Sellers Del Gatto Architects for design and pre-construction of the city’s newest fire station.

This phase of the project will cost nearly $1 million.

The station was one of the key points of Henderson’s budget this year. Its addition will cut one of the city’s busiest fire districts — serving about 53,000 people — virtually in half.

“We knew we had a need there,” Henderson Fire Department Chief Shawn White said.

The design of Station 85 will echo that of existing Station 91. The 11,000-square-foot station will be built at Hidden Falls Park, near Horizon Ridge Parkway and Horizon Drive.

White anticipates the station will open in 2020. Before construction on the station can begin, the city must relocate a dog park, he said.

When Station 91 opened last year it became the city’s first new station in 15 years.

Charter school in west Henderson

The council unanimously approved a development agreement with Pinecrest Academy for a campus in west Henderson, an area that is expecting to rapidly grow in coming years.

Plans for an elementary, middle and high school in the area were approved by council members last month. With the approval Tuesday, the school developers agreed to pay the city for a portion of the upfront infrastructure costs to expand in the area.

The schools will be built near the Henderson Executive Airport and future headquarters of the Raiders.

Contact Blake Apgar at bapgar@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5298. Follow @blakeapgar on Twitter.

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