Rim’s hidden jewels: P-2 • She loves dogs & rodeo: P-8
ARIZONA NEWSPAPERS AND NATIONAL LOCAL MEDIA ASSOCIATIONS’ NEWSPAPER OF THE YEAR
PAYSON ROUNDUP FRIDAY | SEPTEMBER 23, 2016 | PAYSON, ARIZONA
payson.com
75 CENTS
Beat the system Fires grow ... Judge lets woman out of health plan
(and that’s a good thing)
after doctor, hospital drop contract by
Michele Nelson
roundup staff reporter
A Rim Country resident has won the right to apply for health insurance mid-year on the Affordable Care Act Health Exchange — because the insurance she purchased didn’t cover local doctors. The case started when Susan (not her real name) broke her foot (the Roundup reported on Susan, her foot and insurance challenges in July). When she needed help with her medical crisis, she found that both her primary care physician and the A SICK hospital would not cover her. SYSTEM Why? Because the insurance she had picked on the exchange in December renegotiated its contracts in January and decided to longer cover Banner Hospital and Susan’s
Surviving
• See Woman wins, page 5
Pedestrian killed Tragedy claims Tonto Basin man
by
Michele Nelson
roundup staff reporter
On Monday, Sept. 19 at 9:28 a.m., Bethany Cheney, a Tonto Basin resident, hit and killed Ted Morton as he jogged along Highway 188. “He was pronounced dead upon arrival at Banner Payson,” said a DPS public information officer. The sheriff’s office has not yet released details on the cause of the accident. Morton, a longtime Tonto Basin resident, was known around the Rim Country for his days as a fishing guide on Roosevelt and Apache lakes, said Dennis Pirch. Pirch also knew of his high-flying days. “Ted Morton was the private pilot for Phil Mickelson,” said Pirch. “He
flew him all over the world.” He was also a pilot in the Vietnam War. Tonto Basin resident John Dryer said he knew Morton from the Marine Corps League. “He was a Vietnam helicopter pilot and survivor,” said Dryer. Dryer also said Cheney’s father was a former DPS officer. Her mother now works as the superintendent in Young. DPS said the cause of the accident is still under investigation, but this is not the first tragedy to strike the Morton family. In 2008, the Roundup reported that Ted’s wife, Mary Lou, took a wrong turn while driving home from a friend’s home. She drove off a boat ramp and drowned in Roosevelt Lake.
Nearly ready to build Improvement district will clear way for 150-home project near Walmart by
Peter Aleshire
roundup editor
Payson took the first step toward setting up an improvement district to provide roads and infrastructure for a proposed subdivision on West Rumsey Drive, near Walmart. The Timber Ridge Improvement District would allow the developer to pay the town to issue bonds to provide low-cost financing for the various improvements for the 150-home subdivision. The improvement district would raise money through a property tax assessment to repay low interest rate bonds used to pay for a roundabout at the intersection of Rumsey Drive and North McLane Road and Forest Park Court as well as street lighting, landscaping, sewer, water and other infrastructure for the subdivision. The town would pay for the cost of setting up the improvement district initially, but then sell some $2 million
in bonds to recover the upfront money and pay for the infrastructure. The money for the facilities themselves would come from the developer, with repayment from the bonds funding with taxes paid over time by the homeowners. The improvements to Rumsey Drive will cost about $855,000. The roundabout will cost about $256,000. The improvements for Forest Park Road will cost about $548,000. True Life Companies is developing the 27-acre subdivision, the first new subdivision approved since the Great Recession relented. Developers have promised a community park, walking paths, sidewalks, streetlights and the roundabout at Rumsey Drive near the Payson Public Library. The development would also connect Rumsey Drive through to Walmart to the east and on the south end. Protests from residents blocked a plan to also make Forest Park Drive a through street instead of a dead end.
THE WEATHER
volume 26, no. 78
Weekend: Sunny and breezy with highs in the mid to upper 70s, overnight lows around 50. Pollen count in the medium-high range. Details, 10
See our ad and upcoming events on page 20
Photographer DJ Craig captured this dramatic photo of the flames at night from the Fulton Fire, burning below the Rim. Forest Service crews have taken advantage of a lightning-caused fire to set a series of backfires to thin the forest during the cool, moist weather.
Firefighters set backfires by
Peter Aleshire
roundup editor
Wildfires burning across Rim Country continue to alarm many residents, while dramatizing the shift in the Forest Service approach to managing fire. The lightning-caused Fulton Fire this week grew to 1,138 acres, but firefighters spent more time lighting backfires than trying to douse flames. A wet monsoon season that tapered off but kept temperatures low and humidity high has prompted fire managers to turn lightning strikes to their advantage. Crews working the Fulton Fire all week have set backfires to expand — but direct the flames as they burn through damp, downed wood, brush and saplings. The crews have used backfires and some clearing along
Forest Road 9512J, the area cleared by the 2009 Bachelor Fire, to contain the fire. The fire advanced to just north of Colcord Estates, where crews established another fire line. The fire did give crews some anxious moments, mostly as it burned near a major APS power line. To reduce risks to firefighters, APS shut down the line — which left the community of Forest Lakes without power for more than a day. Some from the fire also intermittently forced the Arizona Department of Transportation to reduce traffic on Highway 260 to a single lane, causing backups. Projections of a drying trend into the weekend have prompted crews to consolidate fire lines and let the fire burn relatively unmolested within those lines. Some 349 firefighters continue to man the fire lines, with just 15
• See Wildfires, page 5
APS makes case for rate hike Utility wants 8 percent increase – new peak charges by
Michele Nelson
roundup staff reporter
It’s a challenge to run a multi-million-dollar electric company — especially when requesting a rate increase. So APS will hold open houses throughout the state to reassure customers their bills will not go out of control with the new rates and rate structure, which feature an overall 8 percent increase, a “demand charge” for using electricity at certain hours and a big reduction in the benefits of installing solar energy panels. On Sept. 15, APS came to Rim Country. APS executives, public relations specialists and staff rolled out the red carpet at the Mazatzal Hotel & Casino to answer questions and concerns from local residents. Not many showed up.
But 40 or 50 people who dropped by during the threehour event, were treated to an appetizer table and access to APS staff. Some of the staff explained the numerous graphs and charts throughout the room. Another table had computers where staff pulled up bills to do an analysis on how the changes would affect the customer’s bill. So, why a rate hike? Supervisor of Revenue Requirements Kelly Hawert explained that APS spends about a billion dollars a year to operate the system, including the poles, lines, power generators and staff. She also said the rate increase would help to fund modernization projects such as the natural gas Ocotillo Power Plant to generate peak power. “It’s
APS dark money tale takes another turn: See story, page 3
• See APS seeking, page 5