Story County proposes buying two small parcels at Gold Hill Depot for park and event space

Story County officials asked the Nevada Commission for the Reconstruction of the V&T Railway on Wednesday to consider the potential sale of two undeveloped parcels at Gold Hill Depot so the county can develop a small outdoor recreation area for local events and visitor amenities.

The parcels under consideration were identified in the meeting as assessor parcel numbers 02-063-22 and 02-063-24, each described by Story County staff as about 0.13 acres. Lisa Maciel, Story County administration officer, said the sites could provide restrooms and space for educational plaques or monuments and would create a mid-point recreation option between parks in Silver City and Miners Park in Virginia City.

The request was presented as an opening for discussion rather than a request for immediate action. “If this commission is interested and willing to entertain that, fair market value would be determined by a yellow book appraisal,” Maciel said, noting Story County would also contact adjacent owners to see if additional parcels might be available to create a more contiguous site. She added that the Story County comptroller asked that, if rail funds were considered, the commission discuss the parcel’s priority relative to other capital work because rail-fund balances, while healthy, are not unlimited.

Story County grants manager Sarah Sturtz cautioned that any monument or non-recreational structure placed on the new site would need to be coordinated with the National Park Service and other grant requirements. “If we really want to do this monument, that's in the documentation and that's communicated with the park service,” Sturtz said, explaining that previous conversion of part of Miners Park constrained its use as a recreation area and that the county is seeking alternate space to replace that recreational capacity.

Public commenters and local stakeholders discussed history, access, and past investment in the depot. Kim Fager of the Gold Hill Historical Society described decades of preservation work on the depot, including roughly $350,000 in grant-funded work and volunteer labor, and urged preservation-minded site improvements such as adding a restroom that would serve both train passengers and the public without harming the historic structure. Denny French (Carson City) asked that access and nearby easements be clarified during any purchase negotiations.

Commission members indicated general support for further study and recommended follow-up steps including title investigation, a market appraisal, and coordination on budget timing if the county pursued purchase or if rail funds were proposed. No motion or formal vote was taken; the chair said the item could be agendized for a future meeting if the commission wanted to take action.

If presented formally in the future, staff said Story County would seek a yellow-book appraisal and would work with the commission on prioritizing the purchase among other capital requests so the expense could be considered in upcoming budgets.