Roosevelt Community Meeting – Gila County (TPD1712054)

Gila County:

• Supervisor Humphrey gives introductions.
  • He asks residents to please write legibly when writing down their email address on the sign-in sheet, as we have had several emails returned due to incorrect email addresses. He asks them to check their Junk Mail boxes as well, to make sure emails from the County aren’t going there. He provides residents with a list of email addresses that have come back returned so that they can see if any of them are theirs and correct it, if so.
  • Copies of the minutes from the last meeting are provided.
  • Supervisor Humphrey gives updates to the residents regarding current County events.
    • He then talks about today’s Gila County Christmas Bike Giveaway, which will also be taking place in Payson tomorrow. Each December, Gila County Recycling & Landfill Management presents the community with nearly 150 better-than-new, refurbished bikes, which get distributed to families in need throughout the county. A fourteen-year-long tradition, each bike giveaway represents a year’s worth of work by county staff, community members, and inmate laborers. The bike program began 14 years ago at the prison in Globe with bikes collected at the landfill and funding from both the landfill and prison. Since then, Gila County has rebuilt and donated almost 1,300 bikes. The program was nearly eliminated in 2009 because of safety concerns around having bike parts at the prison. However, Gila County Public Works stepped up to save the program, providing a bike workshop space at Russell Gulch Landfill.
    • A constituent asked at the last meeting why we closed the transfer stations in Roosevelt and in other areas of the County? Sharon Winters, Recycle & Landfill Management We were losing $100,000 a year on the transfer stations – since we don’t get any tax funds that meant the customers of the landfills were supporting the transfer stations – so yes, we did sell the equipment to private local trash haulers- and yes through the years they have closed – except Tonto Basin – it is open on Saturdays to the public, the Roosevelt station is for Forest Service trash trucks only.
    • Sharon Winters added that in years past, they’ve saved Roosevelt’s share of the County bike giveaways for their annual Easter Egg Hunt. She wonders if Roosevelt is doing the hunt anymore? Sis Otts responds that the Women’s Club would sponsor that event and they are no longer doing that. Sis said she will get Supervisor Humphrey contact information for the women’s club.

Guest Speaker: Steve Sanders, Gila County Public Works Director

• Mr. Sanders says the Road Crew is scheduled to be out in the Roosevelt area in February. They were out her last sometime in October, doing spot work.
• Steve talks about their Dust Palliative Policy. Basically, it requires citizen participation. Homeowners are responsible for 75% of the cost. Winter may post a problem with material used. Supplies are on a first come, first serve basis. Its polymer-based and costs approximately $10,000 per mile. A resident asks if they can spot treat. Steve responds, No, that is the whole reason for the policy.
• Steve says Tom Homan, GIS Coordinator, should have the final product next week on the aerial imaging project for this area.
  • Supervisor Humphrey asks Steve if AB or gravel/granite is an option? Steve responds, No. Once we do that, then we change road grades, road maintenance, and drainage changes as well.
  • A resident asks about the life expectancy of “Gorilla-Snot®”? Does rain shorten the life?Steve does not know enough about that product.
  • When asked about the difference between roads that are County and not County, Steve responds, if a subdivision plat dedicates the roads to Public they are County roads. If not, they are easements owned by the residents.

ADOT:

• Tom Engel distributes their 2018 Projects Calendar.
• He says funding is always a concern.
  • One resident has a concern about the speed limit in front of the Springcreek Store. He says it needs to be lowered. Traffic is too fast and there have been several near misses. Tom says yes, they drive fast, but ADOT works under legislative instruction to post speed limit signs according to speed studies. Tom says he will ask the District Engineer to do a speed study. Residents are upset that ADOT can’t make the change. Supervisor Humphrey says his office re-wrote a letter asking ADOT to revisit the issue and ADOT basically said no. Sanders says for us to point out signage in front of Guayos on the Trail…he believes it’s a 45 mph sign.

Forest Service:

• Kelly Jardine distributes and goes over recent press releases from the Forest Service. Including the Approved Target Types Press Release. He says the forest service has a list of Approved Targets available. He says non-approved types aren’t that bad of a problem in this area.
• He says there are some upcoming planned fire treatments in Pleasant Valley and Payson.
  • The seasonal closure of Bermuda Flats will be November 15^th-February 15^th. Cholla Bay is open. Bachelor Cove will open once there is enough “beach area”. Bachelor Cove is free.
  • He says the Roosevelt Lake Marina project is on schedule and moving right along.
  • A resident tells Kelly that at the last Tonto Basin meeting, Thor Knudson, with the Sheriff’s Office asked if the forest service could paint a bright letter or number on boat ramps so that in the event of an emergency, the S.O. can better locate an individual(s) involved in an emergency at or on the lake.
    • Terry Otts says the forest service trails are overgrown and the weeds really need trimmed. He says especially the trail that gets visitors from the Estates. Kelly says he’ll get the DOC inmates on it as soon as possible.
    • Mr. Sanders offers Kelly the use of the county’s number/letter stencils, if needed.