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Arizona Department of Public Safety Lieutenant Dennis Young on left with new Interim Chief of Police for Superior Sergeant Edward McNeill on right. McNeill will lead the Superior Police Department while the council searches for a permanent chief. (Nina Crowder photo)
By Nina Crowder
Superior Sun
Changes are coming to Superior.
Last week, the Superior Town Council held a special hearing on the rezoning and approval of the site plans for the proposed Circle K property which will be located at 1113 W. US Highway 60. The property is currently zoned as R3 multi-family residential. The proposed change is to C-2 General Commercial.
Neighborhood meetings have been held regarding the rezoning of the property and to discuss any issues the community may have concerns about the new store. Mike Spavaro from MV Partners spoke to the council and public on behalf of Circle K about the proposed zoning change.
“In preparing the site plan layout, we have taken a lot of things into consideration,” he said. “We tried to orient the store and facility towards US 60 for good visibility. Vendor deliveries are pushed to the east side of the property to mitigate some of the noise. We have offered to put in a six-foot block wall and landscaping to help mitigate issues the neighbors expressed concerns over. Side lights will be put up but will not be lighting up beyond the property. The new store is significantly larger than the current store and will have commercial grocery needs and services as well as 10 gas pumps.”
Following the hearing, the council approved the rezoning for the proposed Circle K store. The council agreed that the plan complies with the requirements of the zoning ordinance and incorporates the additional landscaping and screening in deference to the concerns of adjacent property owners.
The council also approved the hiring of an interim police chief through an intergovernmental agreement with the Arizona Department of Public Safety.
DPS Sgt. Edward McNeill was named as the interim Chief of Police. Sgt. McNeill will be starting immediately.
DPS Lieutenant Dennis Young said “(McNeill) is a 17-year veteran of DPS and has a diverse background with our agency in many different areas and he is a long time resident of Pinal County.”
In other business, the council approved a joint proclamation with the Superior Optimist Club naming the Red Bear Outfitters the 2013 Spirit of Optimism Community Champion. The Red Bear Outfitters selfless actions and generosity have left a positive impact on the residents of Superior, the council said. The Red Bear Outfitters group tends to the needs of residents and are considered an icon to volunteerism.
Red Bear Outfitters announced that they were contacted by some generous people who are donating more than 500 toys to the children of Superior. The Red Bear Outfitters will hold a Christmas Event with refreshments and Santa on Dec. 24 at the Magma Club at 2 p.m. to distribute the toys to children and families of Superior.
“Thank you very much for all you do in the community,” Superior Mayor Jayme Valenzuela told the representatives of Red Bear Outfitters.
The council also approved an alcohol beverage permit request by Joseph Lopez III for a horseshoe tournament at Superior Park to raise money to send his daughter to the National Academy of Future Physicians.
The council approved the sponsorship for the third annual LOST Eco Tourism Festival.
During the call to the public, a few members of the public spoke regarding seeing the Town Council moving along with issues for the town and not for personal gain of the Council members; the events that are held in Superior and how the money is used to invest in the town so it is important to keep events coming to Superior and keeping things affordable; the Town of Superior needing a stable environment; and the Superior Chamber of Commerce is now linked to the Town Council website.
The council voted to go into an Executive Session (secret) for discussion regarding the open meeting law violations of Feb. 7, 2013, Feb. 21, 2013 and March 7, 2013 and possible legal options for a resolution of claimed violations. No action was taken after the Executive Session.
Mayor Valenzuela announced that CAG is working on a project for the Town of Superior and has been out taking pictures of homes and properties. He also told those present that the Town of Superior does have an Angel Tree up for anyone interested in helping out just obtain a tag from the tree and help make someone’s Christmas a little brighter.
The Town of Superior Offices, Library and Public Works will be closed Christmas Day and
New Year’s Day. The next Town Council Meeting is scheduled for Dec. 19, 2013 at 7 p.m. all the public is encouraged to attend. The Town Council meeting scheduled for Jan. 2, 2014 has been cancelled.
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