North Las Vegas council delays vote on middle school-park swap

The North Las Vegas City Council on Wednesday night delayed a decision on whether J.D. Smith Middle School can swap places with neighboring Hartke Park.

The council likely will discuss the matter next month, after Councilman Isaac Barron expressed concerns about the amenities proposed for a rebuilt park.

Specifically, Barron said he would rather see a skateboard park at Hartke than a proposed tennis court.

“I know it’s a little more expensive than a tennis court, but it would be used,” said Barron, who also requested a formal presentation from the Clark County School District.

The district wants to demolish the dilapidated middle school at Bruce Street and Tonopah Avenue, and rebuild it next door at Hartke Park within the next two years. In turn, the district would pay for a new park at the current site of J.D. Smith.

The North Las Vegas Public Works Department has negotiated the deal for more than a year with the school district, interim City Manager Ryann Juden said.

Separately, the City Council on Wednesday approved special-use permits allowing for the construction of two schools in North Las Vegas.

A private high school, Cristo Rey St. Viator Las Vegas College Preparatory, is expected to open by the 2019-20 school year at the northwest corner of Van Der Meer Street and Las Vegas Boulevard North. The council also approved a zone change for the 11.3-acre parcel from commercial property to a semipublic area for the Catholic school.

Plans call for three structures at the Cristo Rey campus: a two-story, 55,565-square-foot building for classrooms and administrative offices; a 25,160-square-foot commons building with a chapel, library and mixed-media rooms; and a 20,348-square-foot gym.

A second campus, Las Flores Charter School, will be built in three phases at Carey Avenue and Hamilton Street.

Plans call for an initial K-8 school by the 2019-20 or 2020-21 school years, city officials said. After that, the campus will expand to include a high school with a large field for football and soccer. The the third phase includes a gym and cafeteria.

When finished, the charter school will have 78 classrooms, administrative offices, three multipurpose rooms and two auditoriums.

Las Flores will take up 12 acres, neighboring a 22-acre parcel that will be developed into a commercial retail center and anchored by a movie theater, according to a city report.

Contact Art Marroquin at amarroquin@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0336. Find @AMarroquin_LV on Twitter.