The “High Roller” rollercoaster that wraps around the Stratosphere at 111 stories has been closed since January. Recently, construction crews have been taking the track apart in pieces at night! Have you seen those nocturnal daredevil dismantling crews up there? Talk about a job with a view! What are they making way for? How about a 6,880 square foot nightclub with a revolving outdoor deck and VIP Sky Boxes! Yup, that’s the plan. The Stratosphere just keeps on trying to reinvent itself into something that works and makes sense. Next up, 360 degree dancing at 900 feet! MS Las Vegas Real Estate has spent some time at the Top of the World Restaurant on the 109th floor and we can see the appeal of the idea. We’ll send our next report from a skybox at the club!

They hit the top about ten days ago! The concrete has been completely poured for the twin 18-story towers that comprise phase one of the One Queensridge Place Luxury Condominium community. Exterior work on Tower One is approaching the 6th floor and you can already get a feel for how magnificent these buildings will be when you drive by. The first two towers are 75% sold and the first residents are due to arrive in early 2007. Starting price? One million six hundred thousand dollars. No question, these are sumptuous Las Vegas luxury homes of the first order.

Centennial Hills real estate is about to offer up something new and exciting for residents of the northwest section of the Las Vegas Valley. SBA Homes is developing a unique “urban village” mid-rise residential community named Echelon. Located at the junction of I-95/I-215/Durango Drive, Echelon provides a location that makes for easy travel throughout Las Vegas. In addition Echelon will share the neighborhood with numerous retail and dining venues, the new Centennial Hills Hospital and the huge new Mall of Las Vegas.

Las Vegas homes at Echelon will be spread across a 15-acre site and divided into eleven mid-rise buildings. Units range from 1,064 to just over 4,000 square feet. The interior design of each home is decidedly feng shui and features a personal terrace with a glowing two-way fireplace. Secured WiFi and high speed Internet are provided and many units come with a computer alcove to facilitate at-home business. Guard gated entry and 24/hour security ensure that your privacy is undisturbed and common areas provide pools, parks and recreation.

Las Vegas luxury real estate at Echelon allows you to indulge in a comfortable lifestyle that is steeped in style and functionality, while avoiding extravagance and pretension. Interested in learning more? The Sterling Team at Red Rock Canyon Realty is at your disposal. We can be reached at 888-349-2595 at your convenience.

All lenders ARE NOT created equal!

Especially in a thriving home market like Las Vegas, it is imperative that you align yourself with a reputable local lender who is used to doing business in the area.

Sterling Team member Didier Ciambra (pictured to the left) gives practical tips and advice below on choosing and working with lenders:

Thank you Didier for this helpful report!

Didier’s contact information is below. Please contact him if he can be of any assistance to you when buying or selling a home in Las Vegas.

Didier Ciambra
Email: ciambra@mslasvegasrealestate.com
Cell: 702 232 6048
Fax: 702 617 9793

Transportation in Las Vegas is big business. Just look at all of the Limousines and Taxis running up and down the strip 24 hours a day. There are probably thousands of Limousines and cabs on the strip at any given moment, considerably more on a weekend night.

Someone has got to be making a ton of money off of this wouldn’t you think? Of course they are! But probably not who you think! The people making the SERIOUS money (pure profit with ZERO expenses) are the REAL transportation power brokers in Las Vegas: The Doormen. You know, the loud guys standing next to the cab line in front of the hotel dressed in the funny looking uniforms, big hats, and white gloves which are always outstretched in your direction looking for money.

First off, don’t confuse the bellmen with the doormen, the bellman are the ones who carry your baggage to and from your room. Most doormen wouldn’t be caught dead doing this, they have much more important business to take care of outside the hotel, making money!

To understand how how and why doormen make so much money off of transportation in Las Vegas, you first have to understand the dynamics which go on in front of practically every hotel/casino in Las Vegas. The doormen control everything that occurs outside the front door of the hotel. EVERYTHING. A doorman personally opens EVERY cab and limousine door the hotels guests get into. This goes well beyond just giving good service to the guests leaving the property. By personally escorting EVERY guest into a cab or limousine, the doormen essentially control what form of transportation guests use to leave the hotel.

Doormen do NOT want guests leaving the hotel in taxi cabs. If a guest leaves in a taxi, the doormen aren’t making any money. Even though you might give the doorman a dollar or two for opening the cab door, he still is not happy. He might have received 100 dollar bills during his shift from people just like you, just for opening up the cab door. That $100 is pocket change for him. The doormen make the REAL money from working the cab line, talking to the guests waiting to get into cabs. The longer the doormen can make people wait in the cab line, and the longer the cab line becomes, the more money the doormen are about to make. Doormen are notorious for putting people into taxi cabs real slowly, to keep the line long.

The two or three doormen working out front do this together, working as a team. They do this so the doormen not loading the guests into cabs can work the cab line talking to everyone in it. They appear to be real friendly people, asking how you are doing, how you are enjoying your stay, and most importantly where you are headed this evening. All the while they are sizing you up. Do you appear to have money? Are you with your wife or girlfriend? Are you part of a large group all going to the same place? Are you part of a bachelor or bachelorette party? Are you going to a strip club (a doorman’s dream!)? Once they have this information they will always then try and sell you on the idea of travelling to your destination in either a limousine or a “super stretch luxury SUV or hummer”. They even promise to get you a “super good price, just a little bit more expensive then riding in a cab”. More often then not, they will even tell you the price right there on the spot. If you are heading to a strip club, they often will tell you that you can ride in that big beautiful H2 Hummer parked at the curb FOR FREE, as long as it drops you off at the strip club of your choice!

This is how the doormen make the vast majority of their money (some people have overheard doormen at major strip hotels brag about making $5000 PER WEEK IN CASH!). Every time they load you into a regular or SUV limousine they are given 20% of the total price you paid for the ride by the limo driver. So if the doorman quoted you a price of $50, the limo driver gives the doorman $10 for setting up the ride. If the doorman is REALLY lucky and you and your 20 friends are going to a strip club, he might still try and sell you the super stretch Hummer H2 limo ride for $100. If you balk and tell him you will just take cabs, he will ALWAYS give you the limo ride for free. Here’s why: Strip clubs in Las Vegas pay taxi and limo drivers $20 per head, YES TWENTY DOLLARS PER HEAD, for each and every customer they deliver to the front door of the strip club in their vehicle. Twenty guys getting out of a Hummer H2 limousine, multiplied by $20 per head, is $400. The limo driver has to give HALF of this money to the doorman. That’s $200 each!

Limo drivers HATE having to give this money to the doormen. But if they don’t, the doormen will NEVER load that limo driver with passengers again. He will never get another ride from that hotel again. For all intents and purposes limo drivers are held hostage by the doormen, they can’t make a living without them. Either pay the extortion or don’t make any money, that’s the limo drivers dilemma. Cab drivers (some of the hardest working and honest people in Las Vegas) also hate this practice. Whenever a doormen diverts customers going to a strip club from a cab (cab drivers do not kick back money for rides or strip clubs to doormen) to a limousine the cab driver loses money. Cab drivers and doormen are usually at each others throats over this issue. Cab drivers feel that doormen are stealing money from them by engaging in the practice of diverting customers from cabs to limousines.

So, the next time you are in line in front of your favorites casino with 20 of your closest friends heading out for a night of strip club hopping, and the doorman asks you where you are going, tell him the truth. Tell him exactly where you are going. When he starts drooling, you know you have him hooked. Tell him you want a free ride, AND you want half his strip club kickback. Tell him to hand you $100 in cash right there on the spot and you’ll LET HIM load you and your friends into a big stretch SUV limo. The funny part is he’ll do it. Funnier yet is watching him cry as he is handing you the money!

Yeah yeah, I know…..Mother’s Day was a few weeks ago. I’m a little late.

But I just ran across this “Mother’s Day Video” two sons we’re making for their mother. It’s classic!

Click here to watch the video for yourself, just make sure to turn the volume up so you can hear it.

Any of you who have a brother or sister around the same age as you will definitely think this looks familiar!

As previously reported here Las Vegas will host the 2007 NBA All-Star game.

While this is certainly a very nice feather for Las Vegas to put in it’s cap, I have to ask why we don’t already have a major professional sports franchise? By major I mean either Major League Baseball or the National Football League. I’m a big believer that the NBA has lost it’s mainstream appeal to the masses. Sure there are still fans of the game left, but they are pretty hardcore fans (like hockey) who would watch the game no matter who was playing. How often does the casual sports fan tune in to watch the NBA finals? Who won the NBA title last year? The year before that? Now tell me who won this years Super Bowl or World Series. See my point?

Las Vegas is one of the fastest growing cities in the entire country. Thousands of new people move to Las Vegas EVERY month. The fan base is here. The corporate sponsorships are here. The MONEY is here. Everything is in place to support a professional team. But there is one small problem holding everything back: Gambling.

The mere thought (aghast!) of people actually gambling on a team that is based in Las Vegas makes the power brokers of the major sports leagues squirm. They worry that the “integrity” of their sport would be compromised by the betting that would take place in the teams home city. I find this pretty laughable. Right or wrong, gambling goes on in every city, county, small town, village, and hamlet in the United States. In pretty much all of these places the gambling that is taking place is illegal. In Las Vegas, that is not a problem. Gambling in Nevada is pretty regulated, to say the least! What is the difference between a Las Vegas casino accepting bets on an NFL game for a team playing in Buffalo and one playing in Las Vegas? There isn’t any.

Boxing is the only sport that can see the forest through the trees when it comes to staging it’s events in Las Vegas. You want to see a spectacle? Walk around the MGM Grand or Mandalay Bay the night of a big Oscar De La Hoya fight (or ask someone who was there when Mike Tyson, in his prime, was fighting in Las Vegas) and you can literally feel the energy pulsate around you.

Imagine that occurring 8 weekends (plus the playoffs) a year with a Las Vegas based NFL team. What about the grand daddy of all spectacles in the HISTORY of sports - The Super Bowl being played in Las Vegas. Do you think they would have trouble filling an 80,000 seat stadium? I don’t.

What are your thoughts? Should Las Vegas get a professional sports team?

Where I come from, directions might be given like this: “Turn right on Main St, keep going for about a mile then take a left at the light on Town Rd. At the second stop sign take a right, and the building is the third one on the left.” The residents of Las Vegas have a slightly different way of giving directions!

In Las Vegas, it’s more likely to go like this:
“Head south on Las Vegas Blvd for 5.27836 miles past the Mandalay Bay, then turn east on Silverado Ranch. Keep heading east, until you reach Maryland Parkway. Then turn south. The store is on the west side of Maryland Blvd.” I’m not exaggerating!

The first time someone gave me directions this way, I was like, what the #$%^ are you talking about? North where? South on what? What is the matter with you people!

If you’re new to Las Vegas, get used to it. This is the way EVERYONE gives directions. Everything is by the compass! It really starts getting confusing when they start throwing in terms like “south-east corner of Rainbow”. But don’t worry, after you have been CONDITIONED to think like this (yes it’s definitely conditioning / brainwashing / mind alteration however you want to think of it) it doesn’t take long to get into the “Las Vegas” way of giving directions.

Maybe I can help speed up the learning curve a little bit. When I first came to Las Vegas a friend gave me a quick primer on how to start thinking like a compass.

Let’s start with Las Vegas Blvd, parts of which are also known as “The Strip”. This is basically the center of the universe in Las Vegas. Las Vegas Blvd runs North and South. Basically, everything on the east side of Las Vegas Blvd is known as “the east side of town” and everything to the west of Las Vegas Blvd is known as “the west side of town”. Easy right?

OK, lets add in some of the major arteries which cross The Strip. Let’s start at the south end of The Strip (subliminal conditioning taking place). The first major road which bisects The Strip is Tropicanna Ave, heading east and west. The MGM Grand, New York New York, Excalibur, and Tropicanna casinos all lie at the four corners of Las Vegas Blvd and Tropicanna Ave. The next major road to cross the strip is Flamingo Ave, also heading east and west. Caesars Palace, Barbary Coast, Bellagio, and Ballys all lie on the corners of Las Vegas Blvd and Flamingo Ave. We have a great map which shows the strip and it’s main arteries here.

That’s it! What you just learned are the building blocks for getting ANYWHERE in the entire Las Vegas Valley. Within a few months you’ll be giving directions that would make any cab driver in Vegas envious.

So, the next time someone asks you how to get from the Thomas and Mack Arena to the Bellagio, your answer might go something like this: “Head west on Tropicanna Ave, then turn North on Las Vegas Blvd. The Bellagio is on the west side of Las Vegas Blvd. Turn west into the driveway of the Bellagio. Valet parking is right at the front of the hotel.”

Just remember to tip the valet $20 for a good spot!

The MS Las Vegas Real Estate Blog continues the thankless task of chronicling the sad saga of the Las Vegas Monorail. How are things going this year? Well, it depends on how you look at it. The number of passengers is down again although by some miracle the monorail itself isn’t. Revenue is actually up slightly however, and this is due to a fare increase from three dollars up to five. One thing is for sure, the cab drivers continue to laugh hysterically. Once upon a time, they were highly concerned that the monorail would eat into their business considerably. Not any longer! The $650 million privately financed monorail has not turned a profit since opening in mid-2004. The monorail is believed to have lost around $20 million in 2005. What does $20 million buy here in the Las Vegas Valley? Well, let’s just say that the most expensive piece of Las Vegas luxury real estate sold to date went for $14.5 million. Twenty million is serious money and you can bet they wish they had it back. Why? Monorail officials are still trying to line up financing to run the thing from MGM Grand out to the airport despite hideous losses!

The City of North Las Vegas put together a new budget last week that increases spending by just over thirty percent, yet maintains a balanced budget. How did they do it? The same way so many other amazing things happen in Southern Nevada, spectacular growth!

Here’s additional good news for owners of North Las Vegas homes, property taxes were actually decreased slightly. I know what you’re thinking, how much growth could there have been to pull this off? As it turns out, North Las Vegas is now the third fastest growing large city in America. Overall tax revenues are up, way up. North Las Vegas has adopted a highly positive pro-business approach to the municipality and it’s working. Centex homes has made a major commitment to North Las Vegas real estate with the Ardiente community. The master-planned community of Aliante homes continues to be one of the most popular in the valley. Overall infrastructure continues to improve and the added investment from the budget boost will benefit residents and businesses alike. If you’re thinking of relocating yourself and/or your business to Southern Nevada, by all means consider the advantages presented by the City of North Las Vegas.

The second quarter Manpower Employment Outlook Survey was released last week for Greater Las Vegas. How do things look? Southern Nevada businesses plan on hiring additional workers in the coming months for sure. A full one third of firms surveyed expect to add staff while two thirds have every intention of holding steady. Here’s the amazing part of the story, none of the companies surveyed had any intention of decreasing employment whatsoever!

The Las Vegas housing market sits on a very solid foundation of strong economic growth. Better yet, intense competition for skilled labor of all kinds is creating natural upward pressure on wages and benefits. Any narrowing of the gap between the median price of a Las Vegas home and the median income level of Vegas wage earners is a definite plus! For those who like to prognosticate about the Las Vegas real estate bubble, consider this; Las Vegas has lead the entire nation in employment growth for the last three years running.

AFAN is getting ready for AIDS WALK LAS VEGAS 2006. Please help us in the fight against HIV/AIDS here in Southern Nevada. Join thousands of people on April 23, 2006 as we take to the streets to support those living with this disease. Together we can make a difference!

Founded in 1984, Aid for AIDS of Nevada (AFAN) is the oldest and largest AIDS service organization in the state of Nevada. AFAN provides direct client service programs, food programs, prevention and education programs, and community outreach. This year will be the 16th Annual AIDS Walk. Last year, more than 5,000 people walked and over $250,000 got donated! Corporate and community teams accounted for 60% of the total funds collected. Please speak to your co-workers and get a group together! Participation includes some of the leading corporations and organizations in Southern Nevada. Expect to see names like MGM Mirage, Macy’s, Pinnacle Health System, M.A.C Cosmetics, UNLV, Wells Fargo and many more. Make a team or join a team and walk with us on Sunday, April 23rd at 10am!

Construction on The Residences at MGM Grand, another Las Vegas luxury high-rise condo development, is moving ahead rapidly. Tower One is slated for completion in May of this year! Tower Two has progressed all the way to the 32nd floor and Tower Three has just hit the seventh floor.

Studio, one and two bedroom residences are available in Tower Three. Prices start from $600,000 and elevate to more than $2.5 million. Interior design features include crown moldings, raised-panel doors and high-speed voice/data connectivity. Luxury amenities include granite counter tops, Snaidero kitchen cabinetry, Sub-Zero refrigerators, Miele appliances, Jacuzzi tubs and flat-screen HDTVs. All three Towers will feature 24-hour front desk/concierge services and around-the-clock security. Residents will also enjoy state-of-the-art fitness centers and swimming pools. How are the neighbors? How do you feel about the fabulous MGM Grand Las Vegas! Please contact MS Las Vegas Real Estate for more information at 888-349-2595.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal recently conducted it’s annual Best of Las Vegas reader’s poll. This is serious business for Las Vegas business establishments. Winners are very aggressive about letting their customers know that they have been chosen. This year’s survey was especially anticipated due to the arrival of Wynn Las Vegas. Despite this fact, Bellagio again took top honors for the best Strip Hotel. Best coffee in Las Vegas? Yup, it’s Starbucks. The best burgers in Las Vegas? In-N-Out burger blows away the competition. If you don’t have one in your part of the country, grab a cab on your next visit and tell the driver…..hit the In-N-Out drive thru! Angel Park took top honors as the best public golf facility and it’s The Orleans if you like to bowl! Pure at Caeasar’s was without question the coolest club and Ghost Bar was rated the hottest place for singles. Andre Agassi is our most popular local celeb and Ben Affleck is our favorite celebrity tourist. Who was voted the worst celebrity tourist? Paris Hilton…Yikes!

Dear Connie,
Sounds like a good Realtor and a high level of due dilgence would be in order. Please don’t hesitate to contact me directly for additional information and guidance.
Sincerely,
The Michelle Sterling Las Vegas Real Estate Team

It’s incredibly fortunate for both parents and teens in Southern Nevada that we have the Driver’s Edge Program. Former professional race-car driver Jeff Payne is the founder of what has to be one of the most incredible non-profit programs in our entire community! Based at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Driver’s Edge provides truly expert instruction for teens with new licenses. This is real world stuff and covers important topics like defensive driving techniques, paying close attention to the road, warning signs that spell risk and quick reaction to dangerous situations. This free course is given about 10 weekends a year out at the Speedway. Over 20,000 teens and parents have benefited from the generosity of this program since 2002. How incredible is that! The MS Las Vegas Real Estate Blog salutes a real local hero…Jeff Payne and Driver’s Edge.

If you enjoy the excitement of major sporting events, Greater Las Vegas is a great place to live. Our NASCAR track is one of the best in the country. Residents also enjoy Arena Football, Wranglers Hockey, 51’s Baseball, The PGA Tour, National Finals Rodeo and much, much more. Now we’re about to add another world-class event to the schedule! The PGA Grand Slam of Golf will move to Coyote Springs, Nevada from Hawaii beginning in 2007. The Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority has approved a three-year, $4.5 million sponsorship for the made-for-television event that will run from 2007 through 2009. The Grand Slam is a tournament that features the winners of the four majors from the year. I wonder what they do if Tiger wins all four? In any event, you’re probably wondering where Coyote Springs is? Coyote Springs is a 42,000-acre golf community in-the-making that is about one hour north of Las Vegas. Plans include as many as 10 golf courses, the first of which (a Nicklaus design) will host the PGA Grand Slam. The development will also be home to the PGA Village, which will include a PGA learning facility and historical center. Stay tuned to the MS Las Vegas Real Estate Blog for more information in the coming months about the PGA Grand Slam and the residential opportunities that are taking shape just north of Las Vegas in Coyote Springs!

The regeneration of Downtown Las Vegas is nothing short of astounding. From the Arts District on Charleston Blvd to the bright lights of Fremont Street, Downtown is rapidly developing into the ultimate mixed-use business/residential/recreational district. A case in point is the new Juhl, a 15 story contemporary glass cube that provides authentic urban loft-style living. Located at the corner of Bonneville and Fourth Street, Juhl is truly in the middle of the action. Starting at 600 and increasing to 2,500 square feet, loft units at Juhl feature exposed concrete and building mechanicals. This is the real thing. Ten foot ceilings, full scale glass and interior walls if you want them and none if you don’t, that’s the Juhl scene. Walk out of the building and walk into a bustling montage of cafe’s, shops, art galleries, premium office space and The Golden Nugget! Not a bad mix of choices. Downtown Las Vegas, the best of what it used to be, combined with the finest in contemporary living. Contact MS Las Vegas Real Estate for more information at 888-349-2595.

In addition to the tremendous amount of ink spent on the so-called housing bubble in the national media, a fair amount has been spent on the demise of the high-rise condo market in Las Vegas. The truth is, a few high profile projects have been cancelled as of late, and should have been. But that doesn’t tell the whole story. The MS Las Vegas Real Estate Blog would like to offer two cases in point. First, let’s talk about Allure Towers on Sahara Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard. At completion, Allure will consist of two 41-story towers and 900 luxury units. Construction on Tower One is in full effect and they just set the concrete for the ninth floor. The development is right on schedule for the November 2007 opening and sales activity has been active to say the least! How about the $500 million Trump International Hotel and Tower Las Vegas? Believe me, it’s full speed ahead on that project as well. Perini just finished a challenging concrete pour for the huge sixth floor recreation deck. Next, it’s straight up to 64 stories. The first residents are scheduled to move-in early 2008 and all indications are that they will! There’s plenty of Las Vegas Luxury High-Rise real estate going vertical without any drama, or any lack of buyers for that matter!

Now in it’s 34th season, the Nevada Ballet Theatre is one of the leading lights of the cultural experience in Southern Nevada. Skillfully led by Artistic Director Bruce Steivel, Nevada Ballet has garnered status on a national scale. The dance company numbers 35 and includes talent attracted and recruited from around the world. Due to the tremendous generosity of the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation and the Howard Hughes Corporation, the Nevada Ballet Theatre is proud and fortunate to call Summerlin their home. Housed in a truly world-class facility of 36,000 feet, students and members of the local community are invited to share in the experience that is professional dance. Next on the performance schedule for the Nevada Ballet Company is Scheherazade. Performance dates are May 12th thru the 14th at the Judy Bayley Theatre at UNLV. Another recent event worthy of mention was the annual NBT Black and White Ball at Wynn Las Vegas on January 28th. This gala event honors a specific individual every year and Rita Rudner was chosen for 2006. Attendees included Paula Abdul, Smokey Robinson and Danny Gans. The event was sponsored by Cartier and guests enjoyed elegant touches and party favors fitting for the occasion. Las Vegas is a real city and the MS Las Vegas Real Estate Blog won’t stop promoting this side of the “Vegas experience” until people nationwide truly understand what we have to offer. This is a great place to start a business, to enjoy retirement, to start a family, to buy a home. We’re proud to be part of the Las Vegas real estate community and thrilled to be living in culturally rich Southern Nevada!

The MS Las Vegas Real Estate Blog has been trumpeting from day one the fact that Las Vegas is so much more than neon and blackjack. Here’s yet another great case in point, UNLV Women’s Basketball! Under the strong leadership of head coach Regina Miller, the UNLV Lady Rebels have become a force to be reckoned with in the Mountain West Conference. The next time you’re thinking about spending an evening at the movies or the mall, try a Lady Rebel game instead! Believe me, unless you’re very familiar with the new face of women’s college basketball, you are in for a surprise! These girls play hard and the action is FAST! It’s exciting and entertaining to watch and a great way to spend quality time with the family. You’re also supporting a great team with terrific heart and a great university that gives so much to our community. The Sterling Team at Red Rock Canyon Realty is in the business of providing professional guidance for buyers and sellers of Las Vegas homes. A big part of our mission is to educate out-of-state buyers about the well rounded and truly diverse lifestyle they can live in Greater Las Vegas. We have so much to offer beyond the obvious attractions that gather so much attention in the national media. Keep reading our blog and learn more and more about the real Las Vegas!

Things are moving right along at the Ardiente age-restricted community of beautiful North Las Vegas homes. Dallas based Centex Corporation has a terrific master-plan in place and progress is brisk to say the least. The first of 788 eventual residents are just now moving in as the community begins to take shape. Ardiente offers eight distinctive residential selections that range from 1,235 to 2,353 square feet. Pricing begins around $289,000. The clubhouse is huge at 13,000 square feet and the building itself is almost completed and ready for interior work. The model homes are open for viewing and activity is brisk. North Las Vegas real estate continues to grow in both selection and appeal. It’s no wonder that the City of North Las Vegas is the fastest growing mid-sized city in America! The Ardiente community is an important part of that spectacular growth. Speaking of steady progress, they’re about to fill the pools with water and the putting greens are finished!