New RTC member has unique qualifications

Chuck Davies is uniquely qualified for his new position on Lyon County's Regional Transportation Commission.

He already serves on the Lyon County Planning Commission, which is trying to manage all the new growth in the county.

Not only that, his regular job is to manage construction materials for Granite Construction, a mover and shaker in the building of many things, including roads.

"I'm very familiar with roads and road construction and transportation issues," he said. "I think I have a pretty good, common-sense approach to things."

Davies believes transportation is becoming a big issue in the county. "We need to do a transportation plan along with the master plan," he said.

What makes a busy, self-described senior citizen work so hard for the county?

"Well, I moved out to Dayton about six years ago from Carson City, because Carson City is getting too crowded and now Lyon County is beginning to grow and grow rapidly," he said. "You have the choice of doing nothing and standing around and complaining about it or getting involved and making sure you have the best growth you can."

He sees the county's transportation needs in terms of roads, not public transportation.

"Maybe someday, but that's a long way off because the county is so spread out," he said. "Maybe along the Highway 50 corridor, or up to Fernley, if they put the new road through. Or maybe some kind of transportation from Silver Springs to that industrial area (Tahoe-Reno Industrial Park in northern Storey County)."

Solving the problems of Highway 50 is high on the list of needs, though Davies pointed out that Highway 50 is a state highway and under the jurisdiction of the Nevada Department of Transportation.

He plans to become more involved in the ongoing Highway 50 study that is looking at the corridor's needs from Carson City to Silver Springs.

"One of the things that comes out of this whole evaluation system is to devise some alternative routes to Highway 50 to get east and west," Davies said. "We really need that. We have to identify that and try to get the right-of-ways before we get so much development that it becomes a horrendously expensive project."

Davies has been on the planning commission for four years and said the growth of the county is unstoppable.

"When I got on the planning commission the growth started and (the county) didn't have the staff you need," he said. "The county has made a lot of progress getting staff and a planning director. It's come a long way in preparing to deal with the growth and having the developers pay for the things they need to pay for."

Sticking to the master plan is key to successful growth management, Davies said. "That gives you the road map for the future; what the people want," he said. "Stick with the master plan and you get the kind of growth that the people in the different areas want."

He said he spends about two days a month on planning commission business, and doesn't know how much he'll have to devote to the RTC, but he's sure he can juggle both along with his job.

"Granite is very understanding about letting employees get involved with their communities," he said. "And I'm not happy unless I'm doing stuff."

-- Contact reporter Karen Woodmansee at kwoodmansee@nevadaappeal.com or 882-2111 ext. 351.