For $35 million, you would think taxpayers could get a nice piece of parkland. You'd be wrong, very expensively wrong.

In 2006, four Republican Washoe County Commissioners did exactly that. An earlier board had begun the process to purchase, at fair market value, the last pristine large parcel of open space in the Truckee Meadows, the 1,019-acre Ballardini Ranch in southwest Reno, adjacent to the Toiyabe National Forest. Acquisition could have created a swath of wilderness from the Mt. Rose Highway to Verdi on Interstate 80.

Alas, 'twas not to be.

The entire history of the fight to save the Ballardini Ranch may be accessed via ProtectOurWashoe.org/ Washoe County commissioners caved to developer pressure and settled legal action brought by Minnesota speculators. Only then-Commissioner Pete Sferrazza voted not to fold the county's quite proper condemnation case.

Now-Judge Pete said he could not support a deal whereby the public got nothing. Turned out, we got less than nothing.

The four other commissioners agreed to a settlement of $15 million plus exorbitant attorney fees. I was shocked to recently learn that they went into debt to finance that deal and we are still paying on it. The tab has since ballooned to more than $35 million and counting.

Zounds.

As I reported on July 25, 2018 ("Ballardini black hole: Let's get our millions back"), I saw for-sale signs on the property fronting S. McCarran. They were chain-sawed a few months later, probably because somebody bit.

I wasn't too worried 14 years ago after our public officials chickened out just because the developers hired killer lawyers. Half a century of experience in these parts teaches that many grandiose projects fade away after being announced and played like poker chips.

Indeed, the 2007 economic collapse stopped previous development and a plethora of parked bulldozers disappeared from the Ballardini skyline. Now, I hope at minimum that GreatDepression2 will stop any disturbance of that pristine wildlife area. The Reno City Council will be reviewing the latest speculator poker chip on May 27.

More than 15 years ago, I was given a tour of a small portion of the Persighel/Ballardini/Caramella family expanse and came away amazed and mortified that I had disturbed the critters. I hope never to go there again and want it left alone. I guess random hikers are OK, but do watch out for bobcats and bears.

Evans Creek LLC, the Minnesota bandidos who stiffed and stuffed us, have applied for annexation into the money hungry City of Reno. I told the city council face-to-face in February that they have my admiration for wanting to serve in the face of a looming recession after having been handed a city in default.

Despite rosy press releases, the hard fact remains that Deutsche Bank, Czar Donaldov's favorite financiers, and Goldman Sachs, which pretty much started the 2007-08 recession dominos falling, can foreclose on Reno anytime.

Decades of corporate welfare have left the city struggling to avoid financial collapse. (See the Barbwire corporate welfare archive.)

One way to get more cash flow into city coffers is to annex county land, which usually means tax increases for property owners. Annexation is the first step toward subdivision. Once again, the Ballardini bears, birds and bunnies are in jeopardy.

Activist Richmond Breen said "The Truckee Meadows is blowing apart at the seams in every direction you look. Saving an incredible parcel of land for future generations to enjoy as wild land and open space is an admirable goal. It is my vision and goal to create a consortium of individuals and organizations that will purchase this land and set it aside in perpetuity for the future generations to enjoy as open space/wilderness, as well as creating a connected wildlife/habitat corridor to our (Toiyabe) National Forest lands which border the western boundary. In the interim, we can certainly lobby our council members to consider changing the zoning to open space/conservation easement as we work toward negotiating a fair and exceptional outcome for all concerned."

Been there. Done that. Time to saddle up and tilt at those big-bucks windmills one more time.

You may view the May 27 council proceedings at Charter Spectrum Cable Channel 194 or on the city's website, Reno.Gov/ You may also e-mail or call (775) 393-4499 (messages received prior to 4:00 p.m. on the day before the meeting will be transcribed, provided to the council for review, and entered into the record). You may Zoom live on the public comment agenda with the usual three-minute per person limit. Do it. The meeting begins at 10:00 a.m. PDT. [Pre-register for Zoom participation. Council agenda item C.3.]

We rarely get a second chance to save something precious. Once it's gone, it's gone.

"Try making a mackerel from scratch," George Burns advised in his magnum opus movie "Oh, God!"

REMINDERS THIS WEEK. Longtime Nevada Assemblymember Bob Price, D-North Las Vegas, was born May 23, 1936, in Deland, Florida. He and his wife, former University of Nevada Regent Nancy Price, retired to Sparks many years ago. The former business manager of Las Vegas IBEW Local 357 was inducted into the César Chávez Nevada Labor Hall of Fame in 2011. He stands as the greatest advocate of working people ever to serve in Nevada's lower house. He died at his home in Sparks on Jan. 4, 2019.

Former Reno-Sparks NAACP president and matriarch Dolores Feemster was born in Reno on May 24, 1929, and died in Sparks on May 25, 2018. Someday, this valley will have a school named after my dear friend Dolores. For now, I proudly take my seat next to her in the back of the bus.

Travus T. Hipp, the greatest talk radio host ever, died on May 25, 2012. We were colleagues on the air and in this newspaper. He resides forever in the political dead poets society of the Barbwire Molly Ivins Memorial Columniator Hall of Flames.

Tom "Stony" Stoneburner was born on May 27, 1944. The great union organizer died in Sparks in 2005. He founded the Nevada Alliance for Workers Rights, advocating for the nine in 10 Nevada workers not union-represented. He was the reason that the Security, Police and Fire Professionals Union won the first-ever election for security personnel at Circus Circus-Reno, which led to the unionization of security staff at the Grand Sierra-Reno.

Archives about the distinguished contributions of these true Nevadians may be accessed with the expanded web edition of this column at NevadaLabor.com/

CHANGE THE DATE / SAVE THE DATE — Friday, October 23. For obvious reasons, I've moved César Chávez XVIII from March 31, the great labor leader's 93rd birthday. The event will be held at the Atlantis Resort, sponsored by Laborers' Union Local 169, the Reno-Sparks NAACP and the usual suspects. Doors open 5:30, dinner 6:30-ish. I don't know how I'll top my greatest hits of a cherried-out Aretha Franklin 1965 pink Cadillac convertible (with suitable live music) followed by Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak with suitable politics, but I'm working on it. Ex-Tribunite Dennis Myers will become the first journalist inducted to the César Chávez Nevada Labor Hall of Fame. In addition to the HOF, nominations remain open for union organizer, employer and project of the year. Reservations at CesarChavezNevada.com/

This is the second time I've moved it and will do so again if necessary. I'm even shopping for union-made Christmas pIñatas. Maybe I can get one that looks like Mitch McConnell.

Be careful out there. Stay safe and take care of each other.