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The Superior Sun The ONLY news source dedicated to Superior
Vol. 87 No. 17 Periodicals Postage Paid at Superior, Arizona 85173
Town employees to move to new digs by first Monday in May
Easter themed fete at Besich Park enjoyed by young and old alike
By Cindy Tracy The Saturday BEFORE Easter in downtown Superior, Arizona turned out to be a mellow, oldfashioned kind of spring holiday in advance last weekend. A celebratory and festive crowd with a large percentage of children of all ages turned out around noonish April 23 for the Annual Town of Superior Parks & Recreation’s “Easter in the Park” event. The official start time for the afternoon festival was noon. In a flash somewhere around that time, Besich Park and the Food Court area downtown turned into a holiday party. The focal point of the Main Street festivities was the shady Gazebo where Disney and other spring-like tunes began to play just before the announcement was made that the Easter Egg Hunt for children was to begin. Roy Chavez was the DJ for the afternoon and donated his time, equipment and talent to make the day musical, keep the announcements rolling and everyone informed. Following the egg hunt, there was a tae kwon do class on the park lawn. Superior Parks and Recreation Tae Kwon Do instructor Sheryl Lundgren awarded tae kwon do belts that some of her students had earned. The easygoing afternoon included hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill, an Easter Hat Contest, two jumping castles owned and furnished by the Town of Superior, a hula hoop contest and lots and lots of prizes for all ages. Parks and Recreation Director Barbara Arriola said that the success of the festival was due to the work of many volunteers as well as donations from individuals, businesses and organizations. Included among those who volunteered or donated to Easter in the Park was Christy Hayes, who put in a long, active day running errands on foot and helping out in any way that came up. Also helping in doing whatever they could to keep the day going were the Superior Public Safety Explorers, Hilda Cardenas and also the Town of Superior. The town also donated the use of chairs. A special vote of appreciation went out to the children and teachers of Superior Head Start from Arriola. She said the Head Start children colored all the eggs and their teachers also worked on the “Easter in the Park” project. “They were so nice about helping with the event in so many ways,” said Arriola, who has organized the festival for a number of years. “They were wonderful.” Save Money Market donated the eggs, 15 cartons’ worth, as well as three boxes of coloring supplies. Donations collected during the weeks before the event included a $15 gift certificate from Los Hermanos, $10 pizza from Superior Farmers Market and $40 from Circle K/Sandra. More donors were Dalton Realty/Pam ($25 cash), Triple See EASTER on P. 3
50¢
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Prizes … There were prizes aplenty for winners of various events at Easter in the Park and children got to pick their own item for winning things like the Easter Egg Hunt, small children’s division. Cindy Tracy photo
By Cindy Tracy Having found no toxic mold in the sections of the Roosevelt School Building it hopes to use for offices, the Town of Superior has decided to purchase it. The town has been in negotiations with the Superior Unified School to buy the historic school site at a purchase price of $120,000 to be paid over a period of 30 years at $333 a month with no interest. As discussed frequently in public meetings, the concept is that the town could use the building for the benefit of the town/community. The school district can no longer afford to maintain the site since capital funds cannot be spent on a school district property where there are no students. At the April 21 Superior Town Council meeting, Town Manager Melanie Oliver said the goal is for town offices to be in Roosevelt by the first Monday in May. She said the auditorium could be used for the recreation programs now being held in the senior center. She said while there was mold in the areas the town wanted to use, it
was not toxic and could be cleaned. There IS toxic mold in other parts of the building that will be sealed off. The work of the town government has been conducted out of a trailer and various locations since toxic mold was found to be present in the Town Hall located in the Belmont Building on Main Street. Due to health concerns and issues, the staff vacated the Belmont and set up the trailer. The trailer, located near the swimming pool complex, now contains mold from files moved there, Oliver said at the meeting. Oliver has been working partly out of her home using a computer for remote access. At the call to the public at the April 21 council meeting, resident Freddie Miramon questioned this. “Who does it benefit?” he asked. He said a physical presence is essential for the job of town manager/finance director. The mayor and council need to ask questions, he said. He questioned town agreements regarding workers’ compensation. He asked about specific work hours,
Lest We Forget
duties, non-employee visitation and designation of home/work areas. He said the town should establish a draft policy. Council Member Soyla Peralta said in council comments that she had been approached with questions regarding the town manager. She requested full disclosure of the manager’s status and to inform the public. Council Member Hank Gutierrez said that the decision to move the town staff to a temporary location was not a quick decision. It was made on a health and safety bases. As for working from home and remote access, he said, “We are fortunate that we have the ability to do that.” He encouraged everybody to go and look at Oliver’s portable computer, which she had with her and has set up for remote access to work. He said that people actually work more hours from remote locations than they do from an office. “But I do agree we need to be together,” he said, referring to bringing the staff together in one location for work.
Martinez to get promotion
‘Aim carefully!’ … A contestant in the Easter in the Park piñata bust takes aim at a colorful donkey. At one time during the competition to see who could burst the piñata, the donkey’s head was lopped off by a competitor but it had to be reattached so that the part of the paper animal filled with candy could eventually be released. Cindy Tracy photo
“A soldier in Iraq can’t see your ribbon, or the flag at your front door. But a letter they hold in their hands, to them means so much more!” This is about support, not just stuff. A letter or e-mail from you, your children, the kids at church or at school is the best thing to send to our military. Let us not forget the people who are serving our country. If you need information OperationMilitarySupport. com is a great place to start. The Superior Sun is seeking to feature men and women serving in the armed forces and we want to include anyone and everyone with ties to our area, deployed or stateside, but we need your help. Children, grandchildren, aunts, uncles and cousins can be included. Information and pictures can
be dropped off at the Kearny office with attention to Jennifer Carnes or e-mail her at jenniferc@copperarea.com. Y. Edward Martinez “Quito” will be promoted to E-4, Third Class Petty Officer in September. He is currently stationed at Norfolk, Virginia Naval Base. Quito joined the Navy on July 22, 2010 and graduated from Boot Camp on Sept. 17, 2010, and was an Honor Recruit out of 735 recruits. He graduated at the top of his class in A-School (tech school) on March 16, 2011 with a 97.7 percent and was chosen for accelerated advancement. His Naval career is as an Aviation Electronics Technician. Quito is the son of Lisa and Izzy Martinez of Dudleyville
By Cindy Tracy The fire station on Mary Drive will soon have a new solar panel system that is expected to reduce its power usage by 50 percent. Superior received grant funding through an Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant. The grant is administered through the Arizona Commerce Authority and requires no matching funds to be contributed by the town. This “Fire Station Solar Photovoltaic Project” received
a go-ahead from Superior Town Council in the form of authorization for the town manager to enter into a contract with Solar Electric Systems and Products Inc. for $58,659.68. The contract is contingent on receipt and verification of insurance and bonding. In a presentation to the council by Nick Bernoski of Willdan Engineering on April 21, estimated rebates from APS (Arizona Public Service) of $11,340 had been factored in to
Y. Edward Martinez and is a 2003 graduate of Ray High School. He is currently single, but that status won’t be for long – he and his fiancée Britney Topps will be getting married on Sept. 17, 2011.
Solar panels at fire station to be cost free to town, council schedules budget workshop
Man charged with burglary following arrest inside church
‘Focus!’ … Boys and girls of all ages took part in the fun activity of finding eggs at last weekend’s Easter in the Park event on Saturday, April 23. Cindy Tracy photo
By Cindy Tracy An arrest has been made in a break-in of a local church in the town of Superior this past Saturday, April 23. Superior Police Lieutenant Mike Campbell said that David Bechlehimer, age 53, a transient, was arrested and booked into the Pinal County Jail on charges of 3rd Degree Burglary. Bechlehimer allegedly broke into the Presbyterian Church of Superior at 100 N. Magma. He was apprehended inside the church by Superior Police Officer Ken Burnside and Police Service Dog Ajax.
the $69,999.68 base bid for the project. The final cost to the town after reimbursement for this project from the grant will be zero dollars. In other business at the April 21 meeting the council heard and discussed reports on a number of topics, including a budget report. The council will hold a budget review workshop this coming Saturday, April 30, from 8 a.m. to noon.
Weather
Date
Apr 18 Apr 19 Apr 20 Apr 21 Apr 22 Apr 23 Apr 24
High
91 87 88 88 87 87 85
Low Pcp
54 53 52 54 52 52 53
Weather readings courtesy Boyce Thompson Arboretum.