June 18, 2014 • Vol. 12, No.31
E!
Postal Patron Cave Creek
ECRWSS Carrier Route PreSorted Standard U.S. POSTAGE PAID Permit No. 371 Cave Creek, AZ
r pe pa ! s ew nty y N Cou l ek a ee p W rico t a es rg h M La ort e N Th in
E R F
• Anthem
• Black Canyon City
• Carefree
• Cave Creek
• Desert Hills
• New River
• North Phoenix
• Tramonto
CCUSD Anthem ER proposal receives mixed reactions planning for bond election CAVE CREEK – The Cave Creek Unified School District is planning to ask voters to approve a bond in the Nov. 4 election. I n a CCUSD gover ning board meeting on June 10, the governing board and district office staff discussed budgetary c o n c e r n s . Tw o s e p a r a t e ballot items were considered: changing the list of capital projects that are authorized by voter approval and a special bond election. The first ballot item would change how funds from the last bond election can be used. “The law says that if we need to use the money for a purpose other than what was in the original pamphlet we can ask voters to repurpose the money,” said Dr. Kent Frison, Associate Superintendent of Operations and Finance. This ballot item would not affect voters monetarily, as it is repurposing funds CCUSD already has. Right now, the money, about 10 million dollars, can only be used for certain projects. This change would allow the district to repurpose the funds for a broader spectrum of use so the money can be spent where it is most needed. The governing board approved this measure unanimously, after reviewing the potential changes. The second ballot item is a
Pictured is a rendering of the freestanding ER Arizona General Hospital is planning to build in Anthem. Elizabeth Medora
ANTHEM – The developers of the proposed freestanding ER in Anthem got pushback, along with positive feedback, at the informational meeting they hosted at the Anthem Civic Building on June 12.
The approximately 6,600 square feet freestanding ER is slated to be built on the corner of Dedication Trail and Daisy Mountain Drive. As a full-service emergency room but not a hospital, the freestanding ER has been described by the Arizona
General group as an “emergency room lite.” Adeptus Healthcare is the parent company of the ER. The freestanding ER would operate under the license of Arizona General Hospital, which is being built in Laveen. It would not, however,
Army celebrates 239th birthday
CCUSD
continued on page 7
Inside: Community............4 Bluhm........................5 Arts.......................... 10 Movie Review..... 12 Editorial.............. 16 Services................. 17 Crossword......... 20 Classifieds.......... 21
ANTHEM – The United States Army commemorated its 239th year of service on June 14. To celebrate the occasion, Army servicemen who are stationed in Arizona brought a cake to the Anthem Community Park to share with other celebrators, many of whom are veterans. The cake-cutting was held near the Anthem Veterans Memorial on June 13. Happy birthday to the Army, and may they see many more years of loyal service.
transfer patients to that hospital. “We’re not intending to have patients transferred from Anthem to Laveen,” said William Comer, CEO of the hospital. “You can be transferred wherever you want.” The refrain from commenters was that since there is a new John C. Lincoln emergency room at Dove Valley Road, there is no need for an ER in Anthem. “Based on our research, this market was in desperate need for ERs,” noted Comer. “John C. Lincoln is not just serving Anthem – they’re serving areas to the south, Cave Creek, Carefree, and areas to the north. Even with that, there’s a need for more.” Comer added that the Arizona General board is having conversations with JCL to form a partnership for patient care. “We (Arizona General and JCL) both feel that there is a need to have these two facilities,” said Comer. Several commenters disagreed. “What’s the economic basis for placing this investment here?” asked one audience member. “If my son had a true emergency, I’m going to take my five minutes to do 80 down the I-17 to get down to JCL,” said another audience member. “Why would we go to your facility instead of
EMERGENCY continued on page 13