Parking in downtown Winnemucca is frequently a source of contention, both for those who want to park there, and for nearby downtown businesses who want parking for their potential customers. As such, the closure of a portion of the parking behind the east hall of the Winnemucca Convention Center is an annoyance, at the least.
Winnemucca Convention and Visitors Authority Director Kim Petersen said the partial closure was recommended until a safety study on the parking lot is completed.
"We have a structural engineer evaluating the parking lot," said Petersen. Part of that evaluation process will be a type of "X-ray" of the cement lot to determine the condition of interior rebar and other reinforcing structures.
The surface cement in the portion of the lot that is currently roped off has been deteriorated by ice-melt applied when the standing water turned to ice in cold weather. In part of the area, portions of the cement reinforcing bars are visible.
Once the structural engineer reports on the status of the parking lot, the WCVA plans to do necessary repairs to open all of the parking spaces within the lot.
However, despite continued concerns over the lack of downtown parking, there is no plan to open the parking garage located partly under the cement lot and partly under the East Hall of the convention center. That possibility has been discussed and discarded, according to Petersen. Reasons given include security concerns for both people and mechanical systems in that underground lot. The lot is being used by the city and county for storage of vehicles and other items.[[In-content Ad]]
