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Changes have been coming for the Superior Police and Fire departments with Mark Nipp and Todd Pryor at the helms.
The biggest change, so far, is the manner of dispatching for both departments.
In the past, the town has contracted dispatching through Pinal County. “All 911 calls were answered by PCSO and then transferred to the Superior PD Dispatcher,” Nipp told the Sun in a press release. “This transfer took time and delayed our response to emergency calls,” he explained further.
While PCSO will still answer 911 calls from Superior residents, the PCSO dispatcher will talk to the Superior Police Officers directly rather than go through another dispatcher in Superior.
Nipp tells residents not to worry when they call 911 and a dispatcher announces that they have reached Pinal County Sheriff’s Office. “Please understand that you have reached the right place,” Nipp said. “They will dispatch Superior Police Officers.”
New phone numbers have been established for non-emergency and business at the police department.
For any police, fire or medical emergency please dial 911. For police non-emergency, the number to call is 520-866-5111 and the police department business office can be reached at 520-689-5255.
Nipp told members of the Superior Town Council last week that he hopes the new dispatching services will cut off two to three minutes off reaction time to current calls. This is a new will system to allow the Superior Police and Fire Department to be more efficient.
Pryor, who is chief of the Superior Fire Department, was also in attendance at last week’s meeting to update and seek approval from the council on changes in his department.
Pryor has been busy preparing a Fire Department Standard Operating Guidelines which he presented and which the council approved. He also requested and received approval to submit a grant to the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety for the department in the amount of $34,917.
The Superior Police Department also requested and received approval to submit a grant to the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety in the amount of $80,000. The monies from the grant will be used for police vehicles, modern equipment, training equipment, training materials to motorists, and other items. This grant if awarded would help the Superior Police Department in many ways.
Nipp, too, will be preparing a Standard Operating Guidelines packet for the police department as well.
Tonto Basin/Timber Camp Fees
Neil Bosworth and Rebecca Huffman from the US Forest Service, Tonto National Forest Recreation attended the Superior Town Council meeting and discussed at great length the proposed change in fee schedules for the Tonto Basin and Timber Camp.
The proposed fees for daily use would be $8, increased from $6 daily; the annual pass would decrease from $95 to $85; and the camping sites would increase from $6 to $15. There would not be a fee at sites that currently do not charge fees. The fees for group camping would increase from $75 to approximately $150 depending on the amount of people in the group. There are senior citizen discounts available.
The US Forest Service, Bosworth and Huffman explained, was seeking a letter of support from the Town of Superior and Town of Globe. They currently have obtained a letter of support from the Town of Payson.
After the explanation, questions and answers, the Superior Town Council asked to have more time to think about this issue so it was tabled for one to two months.
Other Business
The Superior Town Council approved the sale of approximately 15 acres (the property south of Airport Road) to the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) for the upcoming construction project on Highway 60. The total amount of the sale is $75,199. ADOT has agreed to move the Superior sign as well.
The council held a public hearing and later approved amendments to Ordinance No. 15-125 which governs zoning in the town’s building code regarding exterior alterations or additions, as well as restoration, preservation and rehabilitation for older buildings.
A special event liquor license was approved for the local Veterans of Foreign Wars Post with the additional requirement that a security officer be present during the event.
The council approved of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Pinal County Attorney’s Office and the Town of Superior for the Aquatics Program for the amount of $2,500. which would be applied to the Superior Swimming Pool and help pay for lifeguards this year and other need for the swimming pool.
Town Manager Margaret Gaston received several quotes for audit proposals from several different firms. The cost varied from $25,000 to $11,500. After the discussion the Town Council agreed to award the firm of Hinton Burdick the sum of $14,750 for the 2010/2011 fiscal year audit.
The council held an executive session (secret) with the purpose to consult with the town’s attorney, Steve Cooper, regarding settlements to avoid or resolve litigation; the status of negotiations with Resolution Copper Company on the mutual benefits agreement; the status of rental tax payments; and the potential annexation of real property. No action was taken after the council resumed the open meeting.
Under council comments, Mayor Jayme Valenzuela spoke at length about the changes he would like to see in the future of Superior.
“Our town is changing,” he said, “and there is much we can do to change the future of our town. I would like to see community centers for the young and the old. I would like to see a library that gains necessary resources to be utilized in many different ways to help our citizens expand their knowledge and skills. I would like to see new ballparks for our children and a bustling, diverse economy that respects our natural environment. We are capable of making these changes if we can look at our past objectively and into the future without fear together.
“I would like to thank you all for your time, concern and input. To the citizens, volunteers, businesses, groups, organizations and employees who have dedicated their time and efforts, your hard work has not gone unnoticed thank you!”
He added that all the people who work for the town continue to do their very best and have not received raises for over eight years now. All efforts are truly appreciated by the citizens of this community and the Mayor and council members, Valenzuela said.
The next regularly scheduled Superior Town Council meeting will be held March 12, 2015 at 7 p.m. and upcoming current events include Apache Leap Mining Festival, March 13-15, 2015.
The Mayor and council members look forward to your attendance and participation at the Superior Town Council meetings.
There are news or informational items frequently written by staff or submitted to the Copper Basin News, San Manuel Miner, Superior Sun, Pinal Nugget or Oracle Towne Crier for inclusion in our print or digital products. These items are not credited with an author.
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