Supervisor Snider: the countdown to Christmas, county planning and events

And the countdown to Christmas continues – measured in minutes and seconds if you’re still a kid at heart and shopping days if you’re the “deep pockets” and/or the Logistics Officer of the family!

However, before I can return to the matter of this holiday season, there are several issues that I’d like to address before we slide through the end of calendar year 2007 and emerge into the shiny new year of 2008.

On a somber and reflective note, in the waning days of November I attended the dedication of Pinal County’s Fallen Officer Memorial, which is located in Florence next to the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office Building on Jason Lopez Circle. The Memorial is the brainchild of former Pinal County Sheriff Frank Reyes, DPS Director Roger Vanderpool (then DPS Lt. Vanderpool in charge of the Casa Grande District office), the late Don Maxon (Casa Grande Police Chief at the time), Superior Court Judge Carter Olson (Pinal County Attorney at the time) and former Eloy Police Chief Ed Ciberelli: the public safety leaders met over coffee – after participating in a funeral for PCSO Deputy William Livingston who died while on active duty in 1996 – and decided that the County needed a better and more visible way to remember the contributions of these brave officers who gave their lives to serve and protect our residents.

I think it unfortunate and a sad commentary that such a memorial is needed since I know we all feel that all our public safety warriors should return home safely each and every day they serve in order to protect us – would that we all lived in such a perfect and safe world. Regrettably, that’s not the case, and, therefore, I’m proud to have participated in even a small way in the funding of this memorial which commemorates the 31 law enforcement officers who perished in the line of duty: 16 PCSO deputies (starting with Deputy E.L. Drew, 5/15/1911 and ending – I hope – with Officer Richard Gowanlock, 1/29/2004), five local law enforcement officers (the most recent being CGPD Sgt. Tate Lynch, 10/25/2007) and 10 public safety officers from various state and federal agencies.

Please take some time during the next several weeks or months to travel to Florence and pay your respects to the memories of those brave officers – it’s an experience that will stay with you. And should you be inclined to help to defray costs to improve or fully complete the design of the Memorial, please contact the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office (520) 866-6800 to learn about opportunities to participate.

Since December is a time of remembrances and planning for the future, I’d like to change gears in order to talk a bit more about the twin major planning efforts that the County has underway: the Comprehensive Land Use Plan revision and the revision of the 1962 Pinal County Zoning Ordinance. The County’s consultants, Partners for Strategic Action, and the County’s Planning staff have been hard at work distilling public input connected to the Comprehensive Plan revision process. They now have a draft edition of the newly revised vision statement, which is available for comment at http://www.pinalcountyplan.com/. In addition to the new draft vision statement, the results of the six design charrettes (held in various locations around the County in October) are also posted on that same webpage.

And in keeping with the Board of Supervisors’ determination to make this Comprehensive Plan revision process as inclusive and public-friendly as possible, we are now launching two new input processes: Meetings in a Box and Youth Outreach. MIAB is designed to put Comp Plan resources into the hands of folks who haven’t had a chance to personally attend one of the previous planning input sessions – more information is available at http://www.pinalcountyplan.com/. Youth Outreach is a plan (already in play) to visit local area classrooms at the high school level and solicit their input on parts of the proposed plan. Presentations to students in Casa Grande and Coolidge schools are already in the works.

As for the process to consider revisions to the County’s 1962 Zoning Ordinance, the public’s response to various elements has been a mixture of positive and negative to date; therefore, the Board and planning staff have agreed to extend the review and comment period well into 2008 in order to allow a thorough dialogue on all of the issues. Certainly the discussion of rural lifestyles, land uses within new and more tightly focused zoning categories and other matters have generated lively discussions which can only result in a stronger and more responsive product for future growth and development in Pinal County.

Speaking of growth and development, the City of Casa Grande is starting up its 2008 Leadership Academy this month, and the Latino Familia Initiative is soliciting enrollees for its 3rd Annual Hispanic Leadership Institute. Both programs seek to provide citizens with a better overview and understanding of the civic and governmental processes that keep America, Arizona, Pinal County and Casa Grande strong and vital. For information on the Casa Grande Academy, go to http://www.ci.casa-grande.az.us/ and for information on the Institute, call either Lisa Navarro Fitzgibbons (520) 426-3824) or Adelphia Sisson (520) 836-2758). In either case, we need to grow the leaders of tomorrow today, and both of these programs are excellent vehicles for interested citizens.

Finally, returning to the spirit of the holidays, I want to wish everyone the very best of the Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa holidays. It is a very special time of the year, and I urge us all to think of those not with us (for reasons of military service or other needs) and those less fortunate than we are. Give from your heart to help those who must be away or in dire straits – and drive carefully during the holidays so that our children are safe while they’re not in school.

God Bless Pinal County and the U.S.A.