Safety concerns?

Jim Brown says a Hualapai tourism official first contacted him in 2004 about building an Old West town as an extra activity for visitors to Skywalk, which was still in the works.

The project evolved into Hualapai Ranch, with wagon and horse rides, cowboy games, cabins and dining. The Browns’ business, Western Destinations, signed an agreement to spend more than $1 million building the project in return for a share of revenue. The ranch opened in 2005, more than a year before Skywalk.

The Browns’ Fact Sheet says business flourished until Vaughn began promoting a notion that “the Hualapai should be completely self-supporting, and (he) spearheaded a campaign to ‘take’ the Skywalk,” spawning an atmosphere of “paranoia and distrust.”

Last March, the Browns allege, tribal officials condemned and seized a barn at Hualapai Ranch, then began planning new developments “as if GCRC completely controlled the management of Hualapai Ranch.”

GCRC issued a “Notice of Default and Termination” in December, declaring that the Browns, like Jin, had violated construction provisions in their contract. The notice called for replacement or remodeling of buildings within 30 days, plus development of new sewer systems, water lines and other services identified in the contract as tribal responsibilities.

The Browns said leaders of GCRC and the tribe refused to meet or explain the alleged violations.

Instead, in a Jan. 14 letter, GCRC Executive Director Jennifer Turner announced that Hualapai Ranch “constitutes a health and safety risk for members of the tribe as well as members of the general public.”

On Feb. 1, GCRC took over Hualapai Ranch. Although the seizure was based on public welfare, the attraction remained open to thousands of clients daily.

The Browns said Hualapai Ranch’s modular cabins and other buildings were purchased from a Las Vegas company at the urging of tribal officials who said the structures met code specifications.

They said identical structures were installed at Skywalk, and they cannot understand how both attractions continue to operate if the GCRC believes the public is at risk.

Dave Cieslak, a public-relations spokesman for the Hualapai Tribe, said in an e-mail that some ranch structures have been closed to the public, and buildings that remain open are not hazardous.

However, Vaughn, GCRC’s safety director, said he is not familiar with the alleged hazardous conditions at Hualapai Ranch, and he issued no orders to shut down buildings because he lacks the authority to do so.

Cieslak also said Western Destination had “ample time” to remedy problems, but he did not provide records verifying that assertion.

“This situation didn’t need to happen if Jim Brown and his staff had simply honored the terms of his contract with GCRC,” Cieslak wrote. “They chose to ignore warnings, continue to rake in millions of dollars in profit, and not make simple corrections that would have ensured a safe and enjoyable experience for tourists.”

Western Destinations has retained legal counsel while awaiting results of the tribal recall election.