Elko New Market City Council — Transcript
Sunday, August 23, 2026
Story
Elko New Market approves Pete's Hill monument sign unanimously
Parks & Recreation Updates
Pete's Hill Recognition
City Staffing Challenges
Marijuana Retail Sales
Votes (2)
Community Garden Discussion
Moved by Paul [0:59] · Seconded by Angela [0:59]
Staff presented a recommendation against pursuing a community garden at this time due to low community interest, lack of identified funding, potential interim nature of sites, and staff bandwidth limitations. Commissioners shared extensive past experiences, detailing issues with vandalism, animals, high setup/maintenance costs, and particularly the challenge of sustaining volunteer commitment over time. The Lions Club's struggles to maintain their existing garden on Webster Street were cited as a contemporary example of these difficulties. The overall consensus was that while a good idea in principle, the necessary infrastructure, funding, and consistent volunteer support are not currently present.
Pete's Hill Monument Sign
Moved by Paul [1:18] · Seconded by Angela [1:18]
Commissioner Paul proposed installing a monument sign at Pete's Hill to recognize its status as the highest elevation in the county, a fact he researched extensively. The sign itself is low cost, with the total installed cost estimated under $500. Discussion also touched on the history of the flag at Pete's Hill, its maintenance by public works, and the reduced visibility from Xerxes due to tree growth. Concerns about sign drilling and vinyl coverage were addressed.
Notable Quotes (6)
The staff recommendation is that while in the future future, this is something we should not let go and should revisit in the future. At this point in time, staff would recommend that we don't pursue it.
It's a great idea. And but there's a lot of ifs to have to consider before you would do that. And they have to have accessibility. So, it's got to be wheelchair accessible. And um Tom mentioned uh parking, you know, is an issue. And I think, you know, I think it's a great idea. But I think you almost have to have somebody that would get behind it like the Lions Club or somebody that's going to contribute some money.
But it's still like your problem like four people would actually weed the other and every garden was reserved. But some people were better at keeping it up than others and we found a lot of people who wanted to try it for fun.
somebody brought up the idea that it is the highest elevation in the in the county. And so I said, 'Well, that'd be that'd be neat.'
I was looking at something I thought Buck Hill was actually like 10 ft shorter than Pease Hill.
Originally it was uh USA and like blocks or rocks and then um then it might have been tin or other materials and at one point somebody poured a concrete slab and painted it. And then uh previous parks commissioner, previous council member uh Dennis Melgard a number of years ago said we should clean it up.
Ordinances & Resolutions (6)
Prepared by Brandon outlining pros, cons, and potential sites for a community garden.
Governs the Lions Club's full responsibility for the establishment and ongoing maintenance of the Webster Street garden.
Included in the meeting packets for commissioner review.
Used to verify high points and elevations, possibly showing Pete's Hill as higher than Buck Hill.
A statutorily required city planning project that may need to be fully outsourced if the Community Development Director position remains unfilled.
Existing digital documents for each city park that need updating on the city's website.