Tomorrow will be a milestone for Ward 5, as we celebrate the grand opening of the new Neon Boneyard Park! Please join me, Mayor Oscar B. Goodman and officials from the Neon Museum for the ribbon-cutting at 10 a.m. Thursday, May 12. The new park is located at 770 Las Vegas Blvd. North, at McWilliams Avenue, adjacent to the Neon Museum.

In addition to the ribbon-cutting for the new park, we also will participate in a ceremonial groundbreaking for the Neon Museum Visitor's Center. The historic La Concha Motel lobby that once graced the Strip next to the Riviera Hotel and Casino will serve as the visitor's center and entrance lobby to the Neon Boneyard. Construction is expected to begin in September and be completed by the spring of 2012.

The $2 million Neon Boneyard Park includes a covered family picnic shelter with benches, a display area for neon signs with a walking trail, a large open storage area for non-displayed neon signs, and parking. Funding for the park was provided by the Bureau of Land Management through the sale of public lands as authorized by the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act. This act keeps money from Nevada federal land sales in the state for parks and trail projects.