Supervisor Snider’s November news and events

As both nighttime and daytime temperatures moderate, and the true signs of the arrival of fall and winter can be seen as license plates driving our streets change colors, it’s time to reflect on those things for which we’re thankful.

My partial list contains: my family; their (and my) health; the opportunity to serve the people of Pinal County; my friends and their families; the many civic and community organizations that labor so hard to help those less fortunate; those who serve and protect us at home and abroad; the hard working, dedicated men and women who labor on our behalf in local, county, state, and federal government; and the honor and privilege of living in the greatest country in the world – the United States of America.

Speaking of gratitude, the annual Casa Grande Veterans Day Parade takes place on Nov. 7 at 9:30 a.m. Please consider making this a “must be there” event for yourself and your family: America’s warriors have set aside their families and lives to defend our country (and in many instances, paid the ultimate price to protect us) – they deserve our thanks and gratitude. The parade is a great opportunity to join your neighbors and friends in saying “Thank you for your service!”

The veterans of Pinal County will also be recognized in a special ceremony at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 10 in front of Building A in the county complex in Florence. And, there is a dedication event for the newly constructed Flag Retirement Memorial – a special facility designed to respectfully cremate U.S. flags that have seen better days – slated for the 11th at 5:30 p.m. at Mountain View Cemetery in Casa Grande.

There’s another local institution that is also worthy of our praise and gratitude – and they’re celebrating their 40th Anniversary in mid-November. Central Arizona College (aka the Pinal County Community College District) has been providing quality education for the students of our county and the world for four decades, and it’s time for a birthday and anniversary party all rolled up into one big event on Saturday the 14th. The festivities start with a small dinner Friday night for those distinguished graduates who’ll be inducted into the Wall of Success. Two of the graduates to be so honored in this first ever Wall of Success are Wanda Kartchner, Executive Assistant to the Pinal Board of Supervisors, and the Honorable Judge Garye Vasquez, Arizona Appellate Court Division Two. They will join an impressive list of CAC graduates that include Pinal County Superior Court Judges William O’Neil and Janna Vanderpool, Mike Candrea, Ernie Feliz, Senator Rebecca Rios, Tom Pagnozzi, Doug Jones, and Rep. Frank Pratt, among others.

Saturday afternoon will be full of celebratory events: a theatrical production, men’s basketball game, indoor and outdoor musical performances, an astronomy night at the Peak event, various student demonstrations, a campus-wide open house … and fireworks at 7:30 p.m. as the grand finale. I hope to see you there, and congratulations to all current and past CAC graduates!

As long as we’ve focused on Nov. 14, here’s something for residents living in unincorporated areas of the county: that Saturday is one of the semi-annual Free Dump Days sponsored by Pinal County. Residents are invited to haul their trash (unwanted furniture, bulk trash and other household waste) to a participating landfill. These landfills will NOT accept tires, appliances, motor oil or paint or hazardous materials (propane tanks, etc.), and commercial loads will not be accepted as part of this day’s event. For District 3 residents, both the Butterfield Station landfill in Mobile and the city of Casa Grande landfill are participating. In addition to these two sites, the Recycling Association of Maricopa (46250 W. McDavid Road, Maricopa) will be taking the usual recyclable materials – no household trash.

Update on the draft Comprehensive Land Use Plan: the county’s Planning Commission spent most of its meeting on Oct.15 reviewing the changes made by the Board of Supervisors in the draft document. A good deal of time was devoted to discussion about the water element, part of Chapter 7 (Environmental Stewardship). As you may remember, the Board (on a split vote) removed the draft water element’s language in toto and said: “let stand the language in the current (2001) version of the Comp Plan.” The Planning Commission met again on Oct. 30 to more fully discuss the water element issues prior to finalizing their recommendations to the Board. We are scheduled to take up that almost-final document and those recommendations during the Nov. 18 Supervisors’ meeting.

David Snider
Supervisor, Pinal County District 3

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