At least 300 Las Vegas contractors could be working on an expansion of the 215 but they aren't because of a long court battle between two paving companies. Allegations of child pornography, botched licenses and union bias are all keeping the jobs from happening.
Clark County wants to expand the 215 to four lanes from Decatur to Tenaya. For the last few months, Las Vegas Paving and North Dakota based Fisher Sand and Gravel have been feuding in court to get that job. Las Vegas Paving's bid was higher and they still got the contract. Fisher cried foul after feeling like targets for past discretions and anti-union bias.
The fight over widening part of the 215 has taken a strange path recently. To Fisher's attorney, Stan Parry, it's unacceptable.
"It's ludicrous. Fisher's bid was lower," said Parry, Fisher's attorney.
He says Fisher's bid was $4.6 million lower than the bid submitted by Las Vegas Paving. In court and in person, Parry says the Clark County commission was swayed by a smear campaign by Las Vegas Paving and unions.
Parry says commissioners Steve Sisolak and Tom Collins bought into talk that Las Vegas Paving deserved the contract since they use more union labor.
"The decision of whether you're union or non-union is not an appropriate basis to award a public contract," Parry said.
But Fisher was also dogged by a 2005 child pornography conviction by former CEO and President David Fisher, brother of the current company leader, Tommy Fisher. Parry says it should not reflect on the company.
"At the time David Fisher was engaged in child pornography, he had nothing to do with Fisher Industry. He wasn't an employee, he wasn't an officer, he wasn't anything other than the brother," Parry said.
The swirl of controversy proved too much for the commission. They granted Las Vegas Paving the contract despite a higher bid. Fisher sued and soon the commission will decide for the third time only this time Collins and Sisolak won't vote. They are not participating to calm all sides on the union issue. Collins and Sisolak did not comment for the story or address allegations of pro union bias.
Las Vegas Paving declined to go on camera, but said in a statement, "Hopefully, at the conclusion of the upcoming board meeting, this long-delayed project can commence and we can get over 300 Clark County residents working on this 2 1/2 year project."
This has been going on since October 2008. Fisher and Las Vegas Paving have been in and out of federal court sparring over this. Las Vegas Paving says if they win the contract again, they can break ground within two weeks. That vote will happen sometime in September.
