Around the Arch Blog

The Recover Program is all about economic development and helping small businesses get off the ground. Learn more about the program and loans that are now available. [video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGPCYxUdoTM

Reno Council Member Dan Gustin read a proclamation declaring Monday February 1st Sparks Florist Day in Reno. The Council helped Tony Fiannaca and his family celebrate the shop’s 50th anniversary. The Sparks business is on Pyramid Highway and the Reno shop is on Smithridge Drive.
After 50 years, and opening the store in Reno in 1988, The Sparks Chamber of Commerce recently awarded the Sparks Florist’s owners the lifetime achievement award.
Today, the Sparks Florist founder has handed the everyday business dealings over to his daughter, son and two grandsons.

Other cities have streetcars and light rail systems…is the City of Reno poised to have them too?   Work continues to make it happen!

The new head of the Washoe County Regional Transportation Commission told members of the Reno City Council a number of significant transportation projects are continuing to move forward including efforts to build a mass transit system along Virginia Street that could include street cars and eventually a light rail system. 

RTC Executive Director Lee Gibson said work continues with the area’s congressional delegation in Washington D.C. to secure as much federal funding as possible for the project.

 The Reno City Council has already approved a four phase concept to implement the plan as well as seven steps to move the project forward. 

The first phase of the project is underway with the introduction of Bus Rapid Transit in the downtown core.  The new RAPID buses began service in October of this year and Lee notes so far, the new buses have increased ridership by 10 % from downtown to the Meadowood Mall from a year ago.      

To learn more about this project go to the newsroom on the City’s website at www.cityofreno.com

Reno prides itself on being a unique, 24 hour town.  That is why many of us love living here!  But some are spoiling the downtown scene by drinking too much and creating all sorts of problems.  What’s the solution to these rowdy, sometimes annoying and sometimes potentially dangerous people? 

If you think  you have a solution that would make the bars, restaurants, downtown residents and downtown businesses happy, you might be a perfect fit to serve on the downtown Alcohol Advisory Committee. Read the rest of this entry »

If you’re thinking about expanding your business or starting a new one, you already know how tough it is to get financing right now. Fortunately, thanks to action taken by the Reno City Council today, you now have another option if your business is in the City of Reno.  Check out the small business loan program that will now be administered through Nevada Microenterprise Initiative (NMI). Read the rest of this entry »

The City of Reno and the Reno Redevelopment Agency will help struggling local businesses weather the economic downturn through a program called the Reno Community Vitality and Economic Recovery (RECOVER) program.  It is designed to ease the impacts of the recession and stimulate the local economy to create new jobs at the same time.  Read the rest of this entry »

During the recent discussions about the RSCVA’s new marketing tagline, I’ve heard some people express concern over the possibility of losing the City’s nickname, “The Biggest Little City in the World.”

I want to reassure everyone that no matter what direction the RSCVA takes in their marketing campaign, the City of Reno is committed to protecting and promoting its 80 year-old slogan. In fact, part of the action plan for this year’s Communications Priority includes updating intellectual property policies and procedures and making sure we’ve got appropriate copyright protection. Read the rest of this entry »

If you own a business or are a developer, there is a stimulus program you should know about.  Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Recovery Zone Facility Bonds are being made available.  The bonds offer tax exempt rates for projects that would otherwise be financed on a taxable basis. This makes the debt service repayment more affordable as compared to General Obligation bonds. It should be noted the new bond program must be re-paid and the issuer must identify repayment sources as part of the qualification process.  Read the rest of this entry »

The Reno City Council agreed to turn over most of its $43.7 million in Recovery Zone Economic Development bonds to the Washoe County School District to rebuild new city schools and to the University of Nevada, Reno to build a new medical building to train physicians. Members also decided to keep $10.6 million for energy conservation projects throughout the City.

The City of Reno is authorized to issue up $43.7 million in Recovery Zone Economic Development bonds under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The bonds must be repaid by the issuer; however, the federal government makes the repayment more affordable by providing a 45% subsidy on the interest costs. The projects selected are all ready to go and have repayment sources identified. The City of Reno will not issue the bonds but will convey that authority to the School District and the University so that they can issue the bonds for their projects.

The Washoe County School District will receive the largest allocation of bonding authority of $21,930,000. The money will be used for renovations at older city schools.

The University of Nevada, Reno will receive $11.2 million in bonding authority for a new medical school building. The project has already received $31 million from the Nevada Legislature. The State Board of Examiners is expected to vote on issuing a construction contract for the new building on November 7th.

The Reno City Council approved a proclamation naming October 4-7 as International Economic Development Council (IEDC) Days demonstrating the City’s support of the group’s 2009 Annual Conference to be held at the Silver Legacy during the above mentioned dates.

The International Economic Development Council is a non-profit membership organization dedicated to helping economic developers do their job more effectively, which is to bring high-quality jobs to their communities.

The theme of the IEDC’s 2009 conference is “Renewable Communities: Leveraging Your Competitive Resources” and the proclamation notes the event will be hosted in one of America’s premiere renewable communities-namely the Greater Reno, Tahoe and Sparks, Nevada area!