Springs Reserve- a Rip Off

Channel 8 of Las Vegas, did an investigative report on the continuing rip off of the Springs Preserve. Wolfgang Puck opened up a restaurant in the Spring Preserve and it was a complete waste of taxpayer money. "About $4 million in public dollars has poured into Puck's place, so far. The chef didn't have to pay for a single pot or pan. The public pays for the kitchen equipment, the electric bill, cleaning expenses, and money for the chef totaled $613,000 last year. If Wolfgang breaks a plate, the public pays to replace it. " It would be nice that they have the number of visitors to support the restaurant the the Preserve, but "But the bigger picture is even more bleak. Springs preserve is an ambitious enclave designed to educate locals and tourists about Las Vegas history and the realities of living in a desert. It cost more than $250 million dollars to build. Water officials predicted it would draw 600,000 people though less than 200,000 visitors came last year, and less than half of those were paying customers. " http://www.lasvegasnow.com/global/story.asp?s=10708825 Further, they want you to experience life in the desert, but they put the darn thing in the middle of an urban area. If they had the Preserve on the outside of town, maybe it would be more realistic.
The Preserve is a boondoogle that is in worthy competition of the Las Vegas Monorail. However, the difference is that the Monorail is privately owned while the Preserve is run by the Southern Nevada Water Authority and run by a group of unelected officials. The Preserve is being subsidized by water users in the Valley to the tune of $21 million dollars.
The Preserve is a place that is really for the elitists of the Valley to play and pretend they are environmentalists. The reason people are not coming to the Preserve, in a large part is the price. For a 1 day visit, it costs $30 for a family of 4. An annual pass is $75. For a tourist, it is much more expensive. As far as entertainment expenses in Vegas, that is expensive.
But as long a quasi-government keeps feeding the pig (Preserve), nothing is going to change. Those of us who use water will continue to pay for a money losing operation that benefits very few people.