Nye County gets $75,000 for Pahrump Fairgrounds environmental review

Nye County secured $75,000 to update the environmental review for the Pahrump Fairgrounds. The money was part of a larger $3,099,545 rural Nevada funding package Gov. Joe Lombardo announced for seven Community Development Block Grant projects across the state.

Gov. Joe Lombardo announced the 2026 awards for projects in Ely, Fallon, Lovelock, Elko County and Esmeralda County. Nevada’s Rural Community Development Division administers the Community Development Block Grant program, which is overseen by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Nevada has awarded more than $110 million in rural CDBG funds since 1982.

For Nye County, the $75,000 pays for an environmental review update at the fairgrounds, not construction itself. BEC Environmental was retained to perform an Environmental Assessment and Phase I Environmental Site Assessment for a 75.5-acre project area at 4670 South Highway 160. Its summary found no recognized environmental conditions, the Nevada State Historic Preservation Office concurred that no historic properties would be affected, and the review found no effect on threatened or endangered species concerns in the project area.

That work sits inside a much larger fairgrounds plan. The site covers about 427 acres near Dandelion Street and State Route 160 and is intended to become a major recreational hub with an off-highway vehicle track, ball fields and a rodeo arena. A Nov. 15, 2024 presentation titled “Pahrump Fairgrounds: A Community Destination” and a draft environmental assessment were opened for public comment.

The property’s legal and planning history has already shaped what Nye County can do next. The Pahrump Fairgrounds 2015 Plan of Development was approved by the Bureau of Land Management, and the land was patented to the Town of Pahrump in 1999 with a reversionary clause limiting use to fairgrounds purposes. In May 2024, county paperwork sought an amended plan of development and stated BLM agreed leasing fairgrounds property is permissible if the revenue benefits the fairgrounds.

More recent work points to the infrastructure still needed before the site can host larger events and heavier use. In late 2025, officials were seeking additional block grant funding for a pipeline between two water wells at the fairgrounds. In April 2026, county staff posted a bid opening for Pahrump Fairgrounds Well #2 and described water reliability as the gating issue for full-field irrigation and expanded restrooms. Nye County and local entities had also secured an MOU with Valley Electric Association that could provide up to $1 million for trenching and related infrastructure.