North Las Vegas neighborhood news

NORTH LAS VEGAS UNVEILS NEW ELECTRONIC BILLING SYSTEM FOR UTILITIES

The city of North Las Vegas' utilities department is offering a free online service for electronic billing. Sign up for the new E-Bill at tinyurl.com/NLVebill. Once you have subscribed to the online service, an email notification will be sent that contains a link to the secured website to sign in, review and pay your utility bill. Once you sign up and return an email confirmation, all utility bills will be electronically generated every month, and paper bills will no longer be mailed. For more information about the electronic billing process, call 633-1484.

CITY MANAGER POSITION FILLED

Timothy Hacker, a former Mesquite city manager, will replace Acting North Las Vegas City Manager Maryann Ustick, who has accepted a job as city manager in Destin, Fla., pending negotiation of a contract. The North Las Vegas City Council is expected to take action on Hacker's appointment Sept. 21, pending final contract negotiations.

NORTH LAS VEGAS PLANNING COMMISSION SCHEDULED TO MEET WEDNESDAY

The North Las Vegas Planning Commission is scheduled to meet at 6 p.m. Wednesday at City Hall, 2200 Civic Center Drive. For more information or to obtain a copy of the agenda, visit online at cityofnorthlasvegas.com and click on "Meetings & Agendas" on the left-hand side.

SKYVIEW YMCA SCHEDULED TO HOST GRAND OPENING EVENT SATURDAY

From 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, individuals of every age and fitness level can try out the new 36,000-square-foot SkyView YMCA, 3050 E. Centennial Parkway, for free. There will be family activities, bounce houses, classes and the debut of Les Mills BODYPUMP . Attendees can receive free giveaways and refreshments while supplies last. Grand opening prizes are set to include Y memberships, swim lessons, sports items and an iPad2. Anyone who joins the Y on Saturday can enroll with no joining fee and receive a free program, a $150 value.

While the grand opening festivities are scheduled to end at noon, the event will be available to new members through 4 p.m. at all Y locations, including Heinrich YMCA, 4141 Meadows Lane; Durango Hills YMCA, 3521 N. Durango Drive; and the Centennial Hills YMCA, 6601 N. Buffalo Drive. The Y was awarded the contract to operate the city's SkyView Multi-Generational Center in the spring. It's the Y's fourth branch operation. For more information, visit lasvegasymca.org or call 522-7500.

FRIENDS OF THE NORTH LAS VEGAS LIBRARY DISTRICT MEETING Set FOR SATURDAY

The Friends of the North Las Vegas Library District group is scheduled to meet at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the Aliante Library, 2400 W. Deer Springs Way. For more information, call 633-1070.

NORTH LAS VEGAS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BREAKFAST SCHEDULED FOR WEDNESDAY

The North Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce is scheduled to host a breakfast meeting from 7:30 to 9 a.m. Wednesday at Santa Fe Station, 4949 N. Rancho Drive. There will be small business experts in accounting, business law, human resources, insurance, information technology, marketing and public relations. For more information, call 642-9595.

NORTH LAS VEGAS WINS MORE THAN $700,000 IN ENERGY GRANTS

NV Energy recently awarded the city $149,200 as part of the utility's SolarGenerations Incentive Program for using renewable resources in the new North Las Vegas City Hall project, 2250 Las Vegas Blvd. North. The city also was awarded $612,000 in Federal Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grant funds to construct solar panels on the LEED-certified building, which is expected to generate 12.5 percent of the total building energy. The city anticipates $250,000 in annual energy cost savings compared to the energy costs on the existing City Hall campus, 2200 Civic Center Drive.

City officials said they expect to move into the new building in December and consolidate most departments under one roof. The building also will include a 300-seat council chambers and technology to broadcast council meetings on cable television or the Internet. For more information, visit cityofnorthlasvegas.com.

NEVADA COOPERATIVE EXTENSION OFFERS INFORMATION ON INVASIVE SPECIES

University of Nevada Cooperative Extension Master Gardener volunteers are working with community members to maintain the health of Nevada's urban forests. Through the Citizens Monitoring for Invasive Bark Beetles program, Master Gardeners provide information on maintaining tree vigor by recognizing problems as they first arise, before extensive damage occurs.

The information is offered free. Homeowners, landscapers and community groups can arrange to have a Bark Beetle workshop on their site or at the Cooperative Extension office in Las Vegas. For more information, contact Dr. Angela O'Callaghan at 257-5581 or email ocallaghana@unce.unr.edu.

NV ENERGY ACCEPTING SOLAR REBATE APPLICATIONS

NV Energy is accepting applications Friday through Sept. 28 for its solar rebate program. Customers who submit their application within that two-week time period will be part of the application process Sept. 30 for the available rebates. More rebates will be available in the first half of 2012; customers also can take advantage of other rebate programs, including solar hot water heating and wind and hydro rebates. Visit nvenergy.com and click on "save energy" then "solar, wind and hydro rebates."