By Sam Hosler
Mayor, Town of Kearny
Two long-anticipated things for the people of Kearny are finally beginning to come together.
The first thing is news that our income survey, which we started last January and weren’t able to complete until this summer, has been reviewed by the Arizona Department of Housing and, as a result, we are to receive our grant of $224,000 for new fire hydrants and for developing our ten-year plan for the town. I thank everyone who filled out the survey and also the many people who helped conduct the survey. It revealed what we already presumed, that the income level of most of our citizens has declined. The income decline is not good news, but at least our grant processes will take that reality into account and make Kearny eligible for grants in new ways.
The second thing is news that work has begun on the surface of the municipal swimming pool. Workers have already repaired the gutter and installed tiles all along the rim. This week they begin the surface itself. We don’t have a completion date yet, because the work is dependent on the weather to some degree. I’m sure the heavy rain this past weekend put quite a bit of water and debris in the pool.
I thank everyone for their resolve and willingness to help by filling out the income survey and by giving to the pool fund. The survey got the granting process moving along to completion, and your gifts have enabled work on the pool to begin. Just last week we received $2,500 for the pool from Pinal County’s RICO Fund. Individuals, groups, and businesses have all pitched in.
I also think that the people of Kearny have been very realistic. This is a hot summer, and I know that children (and even more so, their parents) didn’t like the pool’s closure. The people who work the pool every summer missed it too, and the lifeguards missed out on earning some money. It affected all of us. I received good-natured chiding about the closure, of course, but everyone also knows that we will have a much-improved pool next summer. Thank you for your patience.