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Saturday, May 9, 2026 at 6:15 AM

Volunteers dig in at Main Street Art Park

Volunteers dig in at Main Street Art Park
Fernley General Services Foreman Randy Gahr helping 16 volunteers from the Step Ahead Preschool. Photo by Kerry Lyman

By Kerry Lyman

Volunteers trickled in and out of Fernley’s Main Street Art Park most of the morning on Tuesday, August 12 to help install 95 plants in newly irrigated planters and among new artwork installed along the linear park.

The artwork and landscaping effort was mostly funded by a federal Community Development Block Grant, a $1,200 donation by Twisted Steel and a $2,500 donation by the Fernley ACES, according to Lydia Altick, deputy city manager, noting that Trex also donated an eight-foot by eight-foot tree planter.

At about 11 a.m. last Tuesday, Jessica Murdock, development coordinator for the city manager’s office, said about 20 volunteers had shown up earlier, but the growing heat of the day made many of them disburse and only a few were left at that time, before two small school buses from the Step Ahead Preschool drove into the parking lot and disgorged 16 young and eager volunteers.

Seven city employees also helped out at the planting event, Murdock said.

The block grant funds were also used to pour an asphalt walking path along the length of the park, extend electrical lines to provide nighttime lighting to some of the displays and self-watering irrigation to the planters, costing about $60,000, Murdock said.

Pointing across the street to the barren yard by the train depot, Murdock said improvements to that landscaping effort will be done at a later date. At an earlier city council meeting, Altick had said block grant funds had also been used to purchase a planter for that site, as well as a 9-foot metal flower bouquet and three 5-foot sculptures of flowers and insects.



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Comment author: Alan ReederComment text: Great guy, laughed easily, had fun with his students, enjoyed our time together at FHS!Comment publication date: 4/23/26, 10:23 PMComment source: Howard David JacksonComment author: Jack & Nancy CookComment text: Wonderful man. Created a precious family with Linda. Will always respect and admire his contribution to teaching at FHS.Comment publication date: 4/18/26, 10:27 AMComment source: Howard David JacksonComment author: JeffDickersonComment text: Very well reported, even though our motion was denied.Comment publication date: 4/15/26, 11:05 AMComment source: Judge allows Fernley City Council to proceed with corrective agenda item in Lau expulsion caseComment author: Todd fossumComment text: Hi my name is todd fossum i'm clarence's stepson, I was wondering if he had any siblings. I think he said he had a sister that just survived cancer. If she can get ahold of me or any buddy, my number is 916. 3 4 3 1 1 7 7.Thank you have a blessed dayComment publication date: 1/16/26, 4:33 PMComment source: Clarence L Shields C Comment author: Carl HagenComment text: So just curious, what is the point of a franchise agreement if it is not exclusive?Comment publication date: 12/15/25, 4:18 PMComment source: Council approves non-exclusive franchise agreement for waste collection C Comment author: Christine S GleasonComment text: In the first photo, the woman in the middle, wearing the black shirt, is SaraH Jean Gleason. She is not an FHS Leadership Student but is the person who is responsible (with the help of her father) for starting the Fernley Community Thanksgiving Dinner in 2011. She attended this year's dinner while home from Arizona State University, where she is working on her PhD.Comment publication date: 12/8/25, 8:52 PMComment source: About 400 meals served at Community Thanksgiving Dinner
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