Presentation by Mineral County Planning Commission Mark Nixon, Chairman Hawthorne, Mineral County Nevada And the Intermountain West Corridor I-11 1
The Hawthorne town site was founded in 1881 as a diversion point on the Carson/ Colorado railroad. Originally located by mules used by work crews to grade the right of way for the railroad, they found the most sheltered spot in the valley to forage for the winter. The Hawthorne town site was established by Henry Yerington, President of the Carson- Colorado Rail Road. In 1883 Hawthorne was named the County seat of Esmerelda County. In 1911 Mineral county was organized and Hawthorne was named County seat of the new county. Hawthorne was centrally located to the surrounding mines and a gateway to the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Hawthorne has always been a multimodal transport hub, from the early days transporting supplies to the mines and surrounding town sites from the railroad, to transporting ore from the mines to the mills. Present day Hawthorne supports the mission of the local base utilizing highway, railroad and air infrastructure. Hawthorne boasts 300 plus days of sunshine a year with mild temperatures. Hawthorne s valley location surrounded by mountain ranges shield the area from most extreme weather. This environment combined with a convenient location is ideal for a variety of commercial and even Government expansion possibilities and is extremely well suited for new construction. 2 D-2
In 1926 there was an explosion in the east that resulted in Hawthorne becoming the largest Ammunition Depot of the world. After the establishment of the Naval Ammunition Depot Hawthorne served a vital role in shipments to and from the western ports of munitions to support the war efforts. During World War II the Depot had approximately 6000 people working. After the war, Hawthorne had a slow time but again became active during the Korean and Vietnam Wars. The Hawthorne Ammunition Depot has 219 miles of railroad, 147,000 acres of land, and an airport capable of landing a C-130 cargo plane, on site fire and emergency response capability, and 24 hr. security. The Hawthorne Ammunition Depot is the only facility west of Independence Missouri that is part of the US Army s Armament retooling and Manufacturing Support (ARMS) program making significant buildings and ground available for private enterprise. There exists 18,000 acres designated as the Hawthorne Technology Industrial Park available for private lease. 3 D-3
Hawthorne and the history of the Highway system At the time the base was established US 95 had not been dedicated but was instead a series of State Routes. The original plan for US 95 was adopted by the American Association of State Highway Officials in 1926 however action was deferred due to incomplete sections in Oregon. AAHO reconsidered the idea at its meeting on June 28, 1939. US 95 was officially established throughout Nevada effective January 1, 1940. 4 D-4
In 1956 the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highway Act was approved and called for the construction of a 41,000-mile system of Interstate Highways. In September of 2014 the Nevada Department of Transportation Board voted to designate US 95 as the proposed I-11 corridor as the route from Phoenix AZ to I-80. In December 2015, the 114 th Congress passed the Fixing Americas Surface Transportation Act, (Fast Act). Included in the Act was a designation as a high priority corridor on the National Highway system, as part of the Interstate route I-11, The Intermountain West Corridor from the vicinity of Las Vegas, NV, extending north along US Route 95, terminating at Interstate Route 80. I-11, Why Hawthorne and Mineral County? In 2015 a plan was developed to identify a Public Involvement and Stakeholder Outreach Plan for the development of a Nevada State Transportation Freight Plan. This stakeholder plan specified a focus on identifying short and long term goals and objectives for multimodal freight transportation including corridors, facilities, and hubs where modes intersect. The plan was to identify freight transportation hubs and facilities that are critical to Nevada s economic growth and give appropriate priority to investments in such hubs and facilities and to reduce adverse environmental and community impacts. Public and stakeholder outreach was identified as an essential part of this planning process. The Public Involvement and Stakeholder Outreach Plan was developed to inform public agencies, industry stakeholders and the public about the Nevada State Freight Plan and provide a conduit that NDOT may 5 D-5
obtain stakeholder input to help ensure that the NSFP is well-aligned with industry needs and economic development goals of local government and regional planning agencies. Mineral County Planning or County Government was not contacted or involved in this process. Mineral County and Hawthorne have been multimodal since it was established. Hawthorne serves as Nevada s gateway to Yosemite and the eastern Sierra Nevada mountain range. We are 130 miles from Reno, 300 miles from Las Vegas and is strategically located to provide excellent highway access to surrounding states and the West coast region. Infrastructure and distribution space can be thought of as a pull factor that draws economic activity to the state from many regions. In the Winter of 2010 the local base became part of the US Army s Armament Retooling and Manufacturing Support program that provides a wealth of tools and resources to both large and small companies by offering commercial space for rent. This one-of-a-kind facility is poised for success due to its unique assets and location. It is the only facility in the program west of the Mississippi river. Existing infrastructure and reduced rents allow growing companies to power up their businesses, especially at time when traditional leases might be cost prohibitive. ARMS also allows for the use of a variety of facility use techniques to suit the needs of an industry. 6 D-6
Under the ARMS program the local base can offer significant assets as follows: Several Groups of warehouses above ground clear span buildings primarily 50 feet by 100 ft. Several Groups of earth covered warehouses also 50 feet by 100 ft. These building all have docks. The ability to provide rail head service which will entail the temporary or permanent storage of commercial materials and supplies. Approximately 150 miles of unused rail track which is suitable for long term commercial rail car storage and intermodal transportation and Cross- Docking. Available Client Services as follows: Facility Maintenance Facility Modification- upon approval Receiving Shipping Storage management Accountability and Inventory Project Planning Security Services Fire and Emergency Services 7 D-7
The Hawthorne Industrial Airport (HTH) is an integral part of our County as it expands in industrial activity as well as aircraft operations. The location itself is north of and adjacent to the town of Hawthorne located in an industrial park. The airport is in excess of 900 acres with two runways, a 6000 foot long by 100ft wide paved runway, and a 3.500-foot-long by 130 ft. wide dirt runway. There is room in the complex for expansion in the future. The airport is a dual usage airport with general aviation being the main user, but the military also uses it for military traffic, training, and fueling. The facility has the capability to land a C-130 Cargo aircraft. 8 D-8
The existing primary corridors traversing Nevada I-15 and I-80 provide only east west access and are not functionally connected. Hawthorne is ideally located with existing railroad and the capacity for multimodal transfer of freight as specified in the Nevada Freight Transportation Plan. Paralleling the existing US 95 route there exists a dedicated rail bed from Hawthorne to Tonopah. Given the demand for lithium in today s technology and the abundance of the mineral in Mineral and surrounding Counties the railroad would allow for expansion of the industry and allow the transfer of freight connecting I-15 and I-80. The I-11 corridor allows for the railroad and a utilities corridor. Mineral County has large resources for renewable energy in Geothermal and Solar technology. Existing facilities have maximized the available infrastructure for transmission of energy to other markets. Construction of transmission lines would greatly impact the economic stability of Mineral County and Nevada. Building Infrastructure as specified in the corridor is expensive. When the original interstate system was built, it provided a tremendous boost to business productivity. Economists estimated that from the initial phase of Interstate construction in 1956 to 1970, the annual rate of return for every dollar of public investment was 54 cents, which meant that investments recovered their costs in two years. Originally, they were not building to existing facilities that can handle the requirements that exist today. In Mineral County, we have the existing assets, to bypass them would not be economically justifiable, not to mention the loss of tax revenue from the demise of the existing assets. In Mineral County, we have been proactive in preparing for and attracting the I-11 corridor. We have collected public input from town hall meetings and workshops to identify assets and acceptable routes for our County. We have reached out to surrounding Counties and stakeholders to ensure that our needs and expectations align with them. 9 D-9
We have met with the Congressional Delegation and had many discussions regarding the I-11 Corridor. Nevada Congressman Mark Amodei met with Mineral County government and suggested a phased approach to mapping and building the Corridor. As a result, we met with Churchill county to agree on a route from the North to South. We have mapped the route through our County into Churchill County to accommodate the future expansion of the Navy air base. There have been serious inquiries about the area for industrial expansion with new business and relocates of medium to large existing business if the I-11 corridor comes to Hawthorne. There have been private investors inquiring on building the railroad to the area in an effort to utilize the Army ARMS program. 10 D-10
(Map courtesy of CEM Works Consulting) 11 D-11
Exhibits Letters of Support D-12
TODD E POLAND PRESIDENT Mineral County Planning Commission Attention: Mark Nixon Dear Mr. Nixon: I'm writing this letter in show of our support for the proposed 1-11 corridor coming through the Hawthorne community in Mineral County. We are a transportation company looking to start rail business in the Hawthorne area. A big part of getting and growing rail business in Hawthorne will rely heavily upon the availability of trucks that can be loaded for transportation of goods going into the West Coast markets. The 1-11 corridor will increase the speed and efficiency of trucks getting into and out of Hawthorne and the California markets. Additionally, the proposed rail project connecting Las Vegas and Reno would help open the number of rail opportunities available to Hawthorne. Should you have additional questions, please contact me Sincerely, Todd E. Poland President/ CEO Top Rail Solutions, Inc. D-13