February 1, 2017 • Vol. 15, No. 9
POSTAL PATRON CAVE CREEK
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Anthem | Black Canyon City | Carefree | Cave Creek | Desert Hills | New River| North Phoenix | Tramonto | Vistancia
Board votes to advance plans for Merrill Gardens cottages, HonorHealth facility ELIZABETH MEDORA STAFF
ANTHEM – Plans for a new HonorHealth medical facility moved forward at the Anthem Community Council Board of Directors meeting on Jan. 25, after the board unanimously approved amending the supplemental declarations on the site to allow for a medical facility on that property. The facility has been approved to include a helipad. Merrill Gardens at Anthem’s request to build 13 cottages adjoining the retirement community is also moving forward, as the board approved amending the supplemental declarations for the property
Commenters debate BCHS parody video at DVUSD board meeting ELIZABETH MEDORA STAFF
Pictured: A conceptual plan of the new HonorHealth medical center.
on which the cottages would be located. Also at the Jan. 25 meeting, the board approved another request for an amendment of
the supplemental declarations, this one for Crossroads Church,
BOARD MEETING continued on page 3
ANTHEM – A parody video featuring Boulder Creek High School administrators Lauren Sheahan and Jay Kopas sparked debate after the video, which was intended for BCHS staff, was made public. The video depicted Kopas as President Donald Trump and Sheahan as advisor Kellyanne Conway. Throughout the approximately 7-minute video, the administrators parodied well-known Trump quotes, with phrases like “Build a wall” and “Make Boulder Creek great again”.
Some community members took issue with the video. It was shared with national media, eliciting a firestorm of responses on social media. As the issue of the video grew, a petition asking for the firing of Kopas and Sheahan was created, and a petition to save their jobs was created, as well. Both administrators are currently on paid administrative leave, according to a Jan. 26 email from DVUSD, pending results of an investigation into the matter. No timeline for a decision has yet been set.
VIDEO
continued on page 6
Construction continues on The Enclave at Anthem; informational meetings set for Feb. 7 and Feb. 8 ANTHEM – Construction at The Enclave at Anthem retirement community is moving along swiftly, and deposits for the apartments are being taken now. The Enclave, which will be located on Venture Dr., will host two informational meetings next week to share details on the new community and show renderings of the apartments. The meetings will be held at the Ironwood Country Club in Anthem on Tuesday, Feb. 7, at
9 a.m. and Wednesday, Feb. 8, at 5:30 p.m. Interest in the new retirement community has been strong, and approximately 25 percent of the apartments are already spoken for. “It’s going very well,” said Kathleen MacDonald, Spectrum Retirement Vice President of Marketing said in a phone interview with The Foothills Focus. “Right now, the goal is that we will hopefully be getting our Certificate of
Photo courtesy of Spectrum Retirement
THE ENCLAVE
Pictured right is the ongoing construction at The Enclave.
continued on page 9
THEATER:
STUDENT SUPPORT:
EVENTS:
Desert Foothills Theater’s
Valley students offer advice
Pet Adopt-A-Thon to be held
latest play opens Friday
to combat bullying
in Anthem on Feb. 11
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OTHER : • Bluhm Column
7
• Service Directory
15
• Classified Ads
18