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By Sam Hosler
Mayor, Town of Kearny
Several Kearnyites have mentioned to that, since the town cleanup day in January, many people have continued the spirit of the day by working on their yards, maybe doing a bit of painting and fix-up, and others have gone all out and are re-landscaping their yards. As I drive around, I see that it is true. I know of at least one realtor who took time to work with people who are selling their houses to make them “curb pleasing.”
I also had a query about some residents who have two of the big town garbage cans, and who put two out at a time on garbage day. I explored this. I found out that a few years ago the town had several beat-up cans which were offered to people for back yard containers. Yes, sometimes two cans are put out and emptied. However, when this is done a record is kept of it, and people are billed extra for the landfill cost. No one is taking advantage of the system.
This is well and good. I have a deep concern, however, that I want to share with you. It’s our town swimming pool. For years it has operated pretty much on donations and swimming fees. It has been cleaned, patched, painted, re-fixed and patched again many times. Individual citizens, ASARCO, Resolution, and other mines have contributed time and money.
But the pool got to a point where the fiberglass lining was separating from the concrete form, and the edge of the pool was crumbling. With a grant from Resolution Mine, we removed the surface in November. The condition of the concrete, thankfully, is sound.
But the town doesn’t have the money to put the pool back together. The Town Council has approved spending the money if we acquire it, but we have heard nothing from the several places where we applied for grants. Our Town Manager, Anna Flores, has contacted many places seeking donations, and has had some success. She is also developing a network of people who would like to use “crowd sourcing” to raise money for the pool. The network includes many former residents of Kearny.
This is a lot of work, and there are many uncertainties. I am concerned that the pool may be opened late, or not even opened at all, this summer. I ask all citizens to respond as able once we are able to pull things more together, and when I know more I will tell you more.
On another subject close to my heart, the town is meeting this week with Ken Hall of Central Arizona Governments to lay the foundations for making our ten-year plan, a document required by Arizona law before we can apply for state and federal grants. I want to thank everyone who responded to our request for financial information so we can figure out Kearny’s financial future relative to other towns in Arizona. I have to report, however, that so far we do not have enough responses to make up a valid study. Again, I will say more about this later.
All mining towns in Arizona are having a difficult time right now. I tell you this, though, that I think Kearny has the prospects for a happier future. I’m glad to be your mayor.
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