City Council approves technology and permit for ethanol plant; welcomes Attorney Joseph Estes to the council

Maricopa’s City Council met in regular session Tuesday evening to hear several staff requests for technological improvements for the city, an industrial use permit for a proposed ethanol plant and to witness the swearing in of the seventh member of the council.

Attorney Joseph Estes, who was recently appointed to serve the remainder of a vacant two-year term, was installed at the beginning of the session and then seated. The Honorable Judge Scott Sulley administered the oath of office.

Judge Scott Sulley (right) administers the oath of office to new councilman Joseph Estes while Mayor Kelly Anderson looks on.

Requests for Technological Improvements
Council approved a contract and budgetary adjustment in the amount of $25,357 per year to execute a contract with Qwest Communications for a T1 line to City Hall. The line will provide 23 direct telephone lines plus a fax line. Replacing the current five phone lines, this system will enable customers to reach personnel directly rather than going through the switchboard each time.

Councilman Stephen Baker asked, “Is this adaptable to increases later on?” He was assured that the system would be able to accommodate additional needs.

Management Assistant Paul Jepson, with the assistance of Information Technology Manager Richard Terrell, presented a proposal for a custom-built software application. This GIS Permit & Plan Review Tracking System would have the ability to track all permitting and plan review functions, including building permits, engineering, planning and zoning applications, and code violations through one comprehensive database system.

According to Jepson, “Engineering Mapping Solutions (EMS) will build a customizable solution to fit Maricopa and to grow with us.” He added, “EMS has been in business since 1995 and has many major municipalities as clients, including Phoenix, Mesa, Surprise, Peoria and Chandler, to name a few. The system allows the delivery of city services efficiently and effectively while increasing staff productivity.”

Will Dunn, after hearing that the program allows off-site customer and citizen look-up ability, asked, “Are we letting out information we shouldn’t be?” City Manager Rick Buss indicated that all such information is a matter of public record already.

Terrell explained, “In a real common sense world, this is our electronic file cabinet. We’ll be there with our data and ready to move to the next level.”

Council approved the purchase of the system for an estimated $170,000. The inputting of the last two years’ plans, permits and zoning will cost $30,000, which is already budgeted. Senior Accountant Corrine Cornn told the council, “It cost Queen Creek $100,000 for 15 years worth of information.”

Permits
Melissa Croft‘s request to hold a New Year’s Eve block party on Griffis Drive from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. was approved.

A request by KB Homes for approval and rezoning of the 358-acre residential development called San Travasa was granted. Fronting on the Maricopa / Casa Grande Highway, the housing area is located at the southwest corner of White and Parker and Bowlin Roads.

Canterra Contracting received approval to increase lot size from 40% to 55% in order to accommodate covered patios, front porches and oversized garages on 84 sites in the Villages at Rancho El Dorado.

Ole Solberg‘s Chemical and Environmental Engineering received approval for an industrial use permit on behalf of Pinal Energy, LLC. The permit is to be used for a proposed ethanol plant to be located on Cowtown Road. The plant will be designed to produce 50 million gallons per year of denatured ethanol for use as a fuel additive for automobiles to lower emissions. No current ethanol producer exists in Arizona.

“Essentially we’re going to make corn liquor out there, convert it and put it in your gas tank,” explained Solberg. “It’s pretty exciting to be first in something like this.”

Kazi Haque, the city’s new Senior Planner, and Solberg presented pertinent information to the council and the audience. Using the rail spur, corn will be brought in as raw feed for the plant, which is a $60 million investment. The corn is supplanted by a byproduct called “distiller’s grain” that can be fed to cattle.

Due to the fermentation process, utilizing corn mash and yeast, there is a “bakery-like” odor, which, said Solberg, “is a slight improvement over other odors in the area at the moment.” Exhaust will be processed through a regenerative thermal oxidizer for emissions control and to control air pollution.

During the 12-month construction period, 250 construction workers will be employed. The plant will have 35 employees working three shifts, 24 hours per day. They will be chemists, highly skilled operators and crafts persons. The payroll will be approximately $1 million each year. A dry ice manufacturer has also shown some interest in using the carbon dioxide byproduct. That company would employ 15 or more individuals.

A representative from the Clean Cities Coalition indicated that E-85 stations are open in Tucson and would welcome an ethanol supplier closer than the Midwest. E-85 automobiles pay $2.15 per gallon for gas currently and will pay $1.82 during the winter months.

Steve Cooper, attorney for the applicant, told the council, “It is critical that we get approval. We lose credits with the Department of Agriculture, and we are at the mercy of the weather and must get in line for construction. This is a clean industry, a green industry. We are not going to pollute.”

Ken Dickey from Eagle Grain indicated that the granary and Arizona Milling had about 85 trucks a day going out and would expect another 35 from the ethanol plant. However, according to Dickey, many of the trucks go south and east and not through Maricopa.

The proposed plant will go next to the site plan approval phase.

Resolution of Support
Council unanimously passed a measure supporting the Memorandum of Understanding between the Maricopa Fire District and the Professional Firefighters of Pinal County Local 3752, represented by its vice president Mark Boys (see related story). Boys thanked the mayor and the council members for the countless hours they spend “for the betterment of the community and the fire department.”

Committees and Commissions
Wells Fargo Bank, in conjunction with the Maricopa Rotary Club, had proposed a sign design for the water tower adjacent to the Union Pacific tracks in downtown Maricopa. A review of the sign by staff indicated that it did not meet code standards. Mayor Kelly Anderson suggested that a committee be formed to review the issue and try to make it a community project.

Council moved to reappoint previous Parks, Recreation and Libraries (PRL) advisory committee members David Aviles, Dawn Madden and Mary Lou Smith, who have all served effectively. The two other finalists, Richard Reeves and Lee Ann Rezac were urged to apply for the Public Safety committee, which has two openings, or the Planning & Zoning Commission, which also has a vacancy.

With Estes being appointed to the council and the terms of two other members of the Planning & Zoning Commission expiring, council moved to open the application period for 30 days, from November 16 through December 15. Applicants for one to three positions will come before the council at the first meeting in January.

Founder’s Day sponsors (see related story) and the members of the Planning Committee were recognized and given framed certificates for their efforts on behalf of the PRL Department and Director Martin McDonald. Members of the committee were Melinda Medina, Alicia Kenney, Joyce Hollis, Erin Abbadie, Carolyn Struble, Emily Zaiser-Bradbury, Dawn Madden, Winnie Hayes, Nancy Smith and Marisa McDonald.