LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – The Flamingo Arroyo Trail is over six miles long and Clark County has decided it will add new gates to close off a portion of Desert Inn at night with hopes of combatting the homeless problem.
However, not everyone is pleased about it. Including Ayanna who lives nearby at Cottonwood Creek Apartments.
“Now that they’ve posted a gate up on the bridge, it’s inconvenient and I have to find a park to take my dog or take myself,” Ayanna said. “It’s really inconvenient because I pay rent over here and I should be able to use the different amenities available.”
County Commissioner Tick Segerblom said the gates will be locked from dusk till dawn.
“I’ve asked my staff to look into putting gates on both ends of the bridge at least during the nighttime so the homeless can’t go in and camp,” he shared.
Over the past few months, 8newsnow.com has followed Commissioner Segerblom as he has teamed up with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, Clark County Public Works, and Public Response, along with Clark County Park Police to clear portions of the trail after residents from all across the valley have voiced concern about the homeless population taking over their neighborhoods.
“It’s frustrating,” Segerblom said. “Down on Nellis and Sahara, it’s a disaster so that’s why we need more park police, which is a part of the upcoming budget.”
As for the portion of the Flamingo Arroyo Trail near Pecos, McLeod, and Desert Inn, other residents said they felt that the addition of gates was a good move.
“When you have people who have no place to go and they start to take up residency on the bridges, so it wasn’t walkable any,” a resident of Cottonwood Creek Apartments shared.
That resident stated that while it’s not fixing the problem in its entirety, it is a step in the right direction.
“I’m happy to see that they are locking the bridge at night, just for general safety purposes,” she added.
In May, Clark County will unveil its Navigation Center on Boulder Highway which Commissioner Segerblom described as an intake center to help those who suffer from homelessness find intermediate and long-term housing.
