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By Pete Rios
Pinal County Board of Supervisors
Approximately 20 people invited by the Oracle group met at the local fire station to gather information and discuss some of the limited, inadequacy power issues in the area. Representatives from San Carlos Irrigation Project (SCIP), Arizona Public Service (APS), and TRICO out of Marana were also present.
The group’s goal is to try to ensure adequate power capacity for Oracle and Mammoth for their future growth and development. San Manuel is served by APS.
Enormous amounts of information, both historical and current was presented on a very convoluted, expensive and complex issue. I personally wish the Federal Rural Electrification Funds (REA) form the 1930’s and 40’s were still available.
This group will reconvene in approximately a month, after SCIP and APS run some rough cost numbers on the feasibility of improvements to the system. In the interim, Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick’s staff will continue their research, as SCIP comes under the BIA and Federal Department of the Interior.
In the meantime negotiations between the Town of Mammoth and the Pinal County Sheriff’s continue. The Town has increased its offer some, but not yet to the Sheriff’s minimum of $320,000. If Pinal County (versus the Sheriff’s Office) needs to step up with close to $100,000 to help pay for a fourth deputy, I would request the Sheriff make the fourth officer “at large.” By this I mean he or she can be housed at the Mammoth PD, but still respond to calls outside the town limits to Oracle, San Manuel and Dudleyville. I assume this could be the “graveyard” officer’s shift. This way the all the area taxpayers in the Tri-Community would be served by the officer paid by county taxpayers and not solely by the Town of Mammoth. My proposal is for the Mayor and Sheriff to ponder.
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