City to apply for grants for older neighborhoods

To be eligible for competitive federal and state grants, city council on Tuesday passed resolutions to designate three of Maricopa’s older neighborhoods as colonias.

A colonia is a rural community located within 150 miles of the U.S.-Mexican border that often lacks basic necessities like potable water and proper sewage.

Colonias must have definite geographical boundaries and have existed as colonias prior to Nov. 28, 1990. They also must have had a lack of potable water and sanitary sewer, along with lack of decent, safe and sanitary housing, prior to Nov. 28, 1990.

No other parts of the city can be classified as colonias, because they did not exist before Nov. 28, 1990.

The Arizona Department of Housing is mandated to set aside 10 percent of its allocations, or $2.4 million, for colonias-only applications.

The three areas the council voted to designate as colonias are the Heritage District, a 3.1-square-mile area that includes the original town site; the Seven Ranches area, south of Honeycutt Road in between Porter and White and Parker roads; and Saddleback Vista, a small rural area off Murphy Road that borders the Gila River Indian Community.

A staff report by Grants Manager Mary Witkofski had ranked the three grant applications by priority with Saddleback topping the list.

Arsenic levels in the water system at Saddleback Vista, where about 100 residents live, currently exceed safe drinking standards, according to the report, and the city will apply for $593,000 for an arsenic treatment plant.

 

The Environmental Protection Agency’s maximum contaminant level for arsenic, which can enter drinking water supplies from natural deposits in the earth or from agricultural and industrial practices, is 0.010 parts per million.

 

Chronic exposure to arsenic, a semi-metallic element, can cause thickening and discoloration of the skin, stomach problems, numbness in hands and feet, partial paralysis and blindness. Arsenic also has been linked to cancer.

The second application is for $400,000 for a water tank and high-volume pump upgrade and for the Seven Ranches area. About 160 residents live in the area.

The last is for $145,000 for a sewer collection and disposal system that is needed to ensure redevelopment of the Heritage District. There are about 300 homes in the district. The redevelopment of the Heritage District will reflect Maricopa’s agricultural and railroad history.

The colonias grant applications are due by Aug. 31 to the Arizona Department of Housing. The housing department is expected to notify all applicants within 60 days of the deadline to let them know whether they are funded.