Please feel free to send us any pictures you'd like included. Here is the link to this week's Pictures of the Week.
http://carefreeazbusinesses.com/pictures-of-the-week-52118.html
http://carefreeazbusinesses.com/pictures-of-the-week-52118.html
Photo by Herbert Hitchon
Here is your bonus round from Herbert.
http://aneyeonyouproduction.com/51318-am.html
Here is your bonus round from Herbert.
http://aneyeonyouproduction.com/51318-am.html
Photo by Herbert Hitchon
Town of Carefree Marketing newsletter
http://www.carefree.org/336/IN-THE-NEWS
CITYSunTimes link:
http://news.citysuntimes.com/
For those of you who knew Blaine Keith and are interested, here is a little video that Herbert made using some still shots he took before and after Blaine's funeral service. They are overlaid with John Crane explaining the history of "Taps" and then reading the words to it while "Taps" is played by Don Morosic. We know that Blaine would have loved that touch. The audio is from the 2016 Carefree Veteran's Day event. Herbert also made a video of the entire service for the family. It was a lovely service. Blaine will be missed by many.
Lyn
Town of Carefree Marketing newsletter
http://www.carefree.org/336/IN-THE-NEWS
CITYSunTimes link:
http://news.citysuntimes.com/
For those of you who knew Blaine Keith and are interested, here is a little video that Herbert made using some still shots he took before and after Blaine's funeral service. They are overlaid with John Crane explaining the history of "Taps" and then reading the words to it while "Taps" is played by Don Morosic. We know that Blaine would have loved that touch. The audio is from the 2016 Carefree Veteran's Day event. Herbert also made a video of the entire service for the family. It was a lovely service. Blaine will be missed by many.
Lyn
MAYOR CONTINUES TO ADDRESS WATER ISSUES FOR ALL CAREFREE RESIDENTS
In recognition of the long-term importance of water to Carefree, two years ago Carefree Mayor Peterson assembled a task force to analyze the water service and water availability for all Carefree residents and commercial customers to assure that all were receiving water service to support a high quality of life into the long-term future. Headed up by Mayor Peterson, the Carefree Water Committee included Carefree vice Mayor John Crane, Carefree Council member Stephen Hatcher, Carefree Water Company General Manager Greg Crossman and Carefree P & Z Vice Chairman Tom Cross. This committee has been working and meeting regularly, analyzing data and meeting with the Central Arizona Project (the source of most Carefree water) to chart the path to the most appropriate water future for Carefree.
Approximately 80% of Carefree homes and businesses today receive water and water service from the Carefree Water Company system. The remaining 20+%, over 500 homes and the retailers, Lowe’s and CVS Pharmacy, on the west side of Carefree are serviced by the Cave Creek Water Company. These homes and businesses are referred to as being in the “Carefree Service Area” of the Cave Creek Water System. These homes and businesses in the Carefree Service Area have been identified by the Carefree Water Committee as an area not consistent with the Town’s long-term goals for its residents. These Carefree homes and businesses have questionable service today and uncertain water service and availability in the future.
To identify the water infrastructure currently utilized in the Carefree Service Area, Carefree recently commissioned an intensive study by an outside engineering firm that specializes in these types of assignments. This study is well underway and the Carefree Water Committee Meets with them regularly. “The interests of the affected Carefree residents are our main priority, and once this study is completed we will take action in concert with the findings,” Mayor Peterson shares.
In the meantime, Mayor Peterson, whose experience in working with utilities includes a twelve year battle to close the Carefree Wastewater Treatment Plant, a project that went all the way to the Arizona Supreme Court for resolution. This closure will save Carefree residents between $2.5 to $3 million dollars.
Mayor Peterson, the Carefree Water Committee and the Town of Carefree will be hosting two comprehensive discussions about water service in the Carefree Service Area. These meeting will be held in the new Carefree Town Council Chambers at 33 Easy Street at 5:00 PM on Tuesday, June 26th and Monday, July 9th. If neither of these dates is convenient, the Mayor, members of the Carefree Water Committee and the Town are prepared to meet with residents individually or in groups.
Contact Town Hall at 480-488-3686 to set-up a meeting or if you have any questions. www.VisitCarefree.com.
I am a resident of Carefree, broker, property owner and business man for the past 45 years. I have had many dealings with the present and past administrations of the Town of Carefree, and it behooves me to state that my relationship with the present administration, especially Mayor Les Peterson, is outstanding and I would support Les Peterson for our next mayor as well.
Citizen Harry S. Vardakis
Palm Desert Realty
Please publish in Carefree Truth:
Tony Geiger is right; it was an embarrassing display of behavior by Mayor Peterson and me during a council session over a small festival. I am sorry for my emotional display; my frustration got the better of me that day. The Mayor and Council must focus on the more significant issues of water and road infrastructure planning and servicing in our community as our top priority. I respect Mr. Geiger immensely, and we have had a few meetings together recently on critical water issues in Carefree. Again, I apologize for my display of emotions and not focusing on more substantial matters, it's not me, and won't happen again. Additionally, I look forward to speaking to any of our citizens about their concerns, my door is always open.
~Michael Farrar
(Lyn's note: Tony Geiger's letter made no mention of Mayor Les Peterson displaying embarrassing behavior. The letter, which also made no mention of Councilman Farrar's festival, is reprinted below.)
Lyn,
I just read the letter written to the Sonoran News by Councilman Farrar. I was one of the few citizens in attendance at the budget meeting mentioned in his letter and I think it is important to set the record straight.
Gary Neiss did not refer to Councilman Farrar as a rogue councilman. What he said was that it is difficult for Town Staff to do what is asked of them in planning events when people do not follow the Town's adopted procedures for setting up the event and go rogue. There is a difference. In no way were Gary’s comments a personal attack on Councilman Farrar. Mr. Neiss is a consummate professional who is constantly put in the situation of being stuck between the rock and the hard place by people like Councilman Farrar. The Town of Carefree and its citizens are fortunate to have a Town Administrator the caliber of Mr. Neiss.
All that said, the fact is Councilman Farrar DID GO ROGUE at the budget meeting by the following actions:
1) Constantly interrupted the presentation by town marketing director, Gina Kaegi.
2) By taking the discussion away from the marketing budget to a town marketing philosophy that multiple other Council members had to remind him were inappropriate for the discussion at hand.
3) By criticizing the work done by the Town Marketing Director relative to online media work done in conjunction with re-branded Civana resort and contradicting information she presented as representing the resort's feelings about the Town’s cooperation.
4) By grandstanding and focusing on himself and the two “pet” events he has an interest in.
The Town of Carefree is at a critical crossroads. We are transitioning from our growth mode where we could depend on construction sales taxes to fund our budget to a mature, built out community. The current Mayor has led a strategy, that Ms. Kaegi is developing and implementing, of re-branding the Town and promoting our festivals and life style. The Mayor has also led the charge in developing our sales tax base, making sure our water and sewer infrastructure and roads are adequate and in the proper position for the long term, and doing what can be done to keep the quality of life we enjoy in Carefree. All without a local property tax. The purpose of the budget meeting and presentation was to outline the tools that would be required to fund the vision.
What I saw from Councilman Farrar at the budget meeting was self serving and did not show a grasp of the big issues impacting our Town and how the budget would drive the Town’s objectives. It came across as an outburst centered around a personal agenda that was neither civil nor promoting any kind of unity on the Council. It was a disappointing performance.
Tony Geiger
AS IT RELATES TO MR. MIKE FARRAR I'VE ALWAYS HEARD THAT IF YOU HAVE NOTHING GOOD TO SAY ABOUT A PERSON IT'S BETTER TO SAY NOTHING AT ALL...THANK YOU ...PREFER TO BE ANONYMOUS
For my senior experience at Horace Greeley High School, I’m interning with the wonderful local organization 914 Cares raising awareness of sex trafficking and women’s enslavement. As the crux of this internship, I’m doing a campaign: 48 to Educate.
What is #48toEducate? It is a campaign raising $48,000 in 48 days to build a 3-room school in Cambodia (with the organization World Assistance for Cambodia) to promote women’s education.
Why is women’s education so important? To that I will answer the campaign’s slogan inspired by the amazing book “Half the Sky” by Kristof and WuDunn: “Empowering women begins with education.”
Please donate if you can! We warmly and graciously accept donations of any size (even $5.00 truly makes a difference), but with a $90.00 donation, you can officially sponsor a child in Cambodia, provide an education for them, and keep them from being trafficked against their will. If you want a link to directly donate, here it is: https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/worldassistanceforcambodia?code=48toEducate. If you want to find out more about this campaign and the cause, please visit my website: https://tlg10620.wixsite.com/48toeducate.
If you would like to check out our social media sites, please do so!
Facebook: 48 to Educate
Instagram: @48toEducate
Twitter: @48Educate
Tova Greene
(Lyn's note: Tova is the daughter of a good friend of Marty Saltzman. Marty is a former member of the Carefree Planning & Zoning Commission and the Town Council. He asked if I would run this for her. He vouches for her integrity and sincerity.)
In recognition of the long-term importance of water to Carefree, two years ago Carefree Mayor Peterson assembled a task force to analyze the water service and water availability for all Carefree residents and commercial customers to assure that all were receiving water service to support a high quality of life into the long-term future. Headed up by Mayor Peterson, the Carefree Water Committee included Carefree vice Mayor John Crane, Carefree Council member Stephen Hatcher, Carefree Water Company General Manager Greg Crossman and Carefree P & Z Vice Chairman Tom Cross. This committee has been working and meeting regularly, analyzing data and meeting with the Central Arizona Project (the source of most Carefree water) to chart the path to the most appropriate water future for Carefree.
Approximately 80% of Carefree homes and businesses today receive water and water service from the Carefree Water Company system. The remaining 20+%, over 500 homes and the retailers, Lowe’s and CVS Pharmacy, on the west side of Carefree are serviced by the Cave Creek Water Company. These homes and businesses are referred to as being in the “Carefree Service Area” of the Cave Creek Water System. These homes and businesses in the Carefree Service Area have been identified by the Carefree Water Committee as an area not consistent with the Town’s long-term goals for its residents. These Carefree homes and businesses have questionable service today and uncertain water service and availability in the future.
To identify the water infrastructure currently utilized in the Carefree Service Area, Carefree recently commissioned an intensive study by an outside engineering firm that specializes in these types of assignments. This study is well underway and the Carefree Water Committee Meets with them regularly. “The interests of the affected Carefree residents are our main priority, and once this study is completed we will take action in concert with the findings,” Mayor Peterson shares.
In the meantime, Mayor Peterson, whose experience in working with utilities includes a twelve year battle to close the Carefree Wastewater Treatment Plant, a project that went all the way to the Arizona Supreme Court for resolution. This closure will save Carefree residents between $2.5 to $3 million dollars.
Mayor Peterson, the Carefree Water Committee and the Town of Carefree will be hosting two comprehensive discussions about water service in the Carefree Service Area. These meeting will be held in the new Carefree Town Council Chambers at 33 Easy Street at 5:00 PM on Tuesday, June 26th and Monday, July 9th. If neither of these dates is convenient, the Mayor, members of the Carefree Water Committee and the Town are prepared to meet with residents individually or in groups.
Contact Town Hall at 480-488-3686 to set-up a meeting or if you have any questions. www.VisitCarefree.com.
I am a resident of Carefree, broker, property owner and business man for the past 45 years. I have had many dealings with the present and past administrations of the Town of Carefree, and it behooves me to state that my relationship with the present administration, especially Mayor Les Peterson, is outstanding and I would support Les Peterson for our next mayor as well.
Citizen Harry S. Vardakis
Palm Desert Realty
Please publish in Carefree Truth:
Tony Geiger is right; it was an embarrassing display of behavior by Mayor Peterson and me during a council session over a small festival. I am sorry for my emotional display; my frustration got the better of me that day. The Mayor and Council must focus on the more significant issues of water and road infrastructure planning and servicing in our community as our top priority. I respect Mr. Geiger immensely, and we have had a few meetings together recently on critical water issues in Carefree. Again, I apologize for my display of emotions and not focusing on more substantial matters, it's not me, and won't happen again. Additionally, I look forward to speaking to any of our citizens about their concerns, my door is always open.
~Michael Farrar
(Lyn's note: Tony Geiger's letter made no mention of Mayor Les Peterson displaying embarrassing behavior. The letter, which also made no mention of Councilman Farrar's festival, is reprinted below.)
Lyn,
I just read the letter written to the Sonoran News by Councilman Farrar. I was one of the few citizens in attendance at the budget meeting mentioned in his letter and I think it is important to set the record straight.
Gary Neiss did not refer to Councilman Farrar as a rogue councilman. What he said was that it is difficult for Town Staff to do what is asked of them in planning events when people do not follow the Town's adopted procedures for setting up the event and go rogue. There is a difference. In no way were Gary’s comments a personal attack on Councilman Farrar. Mr. Neiss is a consummate professional who is constantly put in the situation of being stuck between the rock and the hard place by people like Councilman Farrar. The Town of Carefree and its citizens are fortunate to have a Town Administrator the caliber of Mr. Neiss.
All that said, the fact is Councilman Farrar DID GO ROGUE at the budget meeting by the following actions:
1) Constantly interrupted the presentation by town marketing director, Gina Kaegi.
2) By taking the discussion away from the marketing budget to a town marketing philosophy that multiple other Council members had to remind him were inappropriate for the discussion at hand.
3) By criticizing the work done by the Town Marketing Director relative to online media work done in conjunction with re-branded Civana resort and contradicting information she presented as representing the resort's feelings about the Town’s cooperation.
4) By grandstanding and focusing on himself and the two “pet” events he has an interest in.
The Town of Carefree is at a critical crossroads. We are transitioning from our growth mode where we could depend on construction sales taxes to fund our budget to a mature, built out community. The current Mayor has led a strategy, that Ms. Kaegi is developing and implementing, of re-branding the Town and promoting our festivals and life style. The Mayor has also led the charge in developing our sales tax base, making sure our water and sewer infrastructure and roads are adequate and in the proper position for the long term, and doing what can be done to keep the quality of life we enjoy in Carefree. All without a local property tax. The purpose of the budget meeting and presentation was to outline the tools that would be required to fund the vision.
What I saw from Councilman Farrar at the budget meeting was self serving and did not show a grasp of the big issues impacting our Town and how the budget would drive the Town’s objectives. It came across as an outburst centered around a personal agenda that was neither civil nor promoting any kind of unity on the Council. It was a disappointing performance.
Tony Geiger
AS IT RELATES TO MR. MIKE FARRAR I'VE ALWAYS HEARD THAT IF YOU HAVE NOTHING GOOD TO SAY ABOUT A PERSON IT'S BETTER TO SAY NOTHING AT ALL...THANK YOU ...PREFER TO BE ANONYMOUS
For my senior experience at Horace Greeley High School, I’m interning with the wonderful local organization 914 Cares raising awareness of sex trafficking and women’s enslavement. As the crux of this internship, I’m doing a campaign: 48 to Educate.
What is #48toEducate? It is a campaign raising $48,000 in 48 days to build a 3-room school in Cambodia (with the organization World Assistance for Cambodia) to promote women’s education.
Why is women’s education so important? To that I will answer the campaign’s slogan inspired by the amazing book “Half the Sky” by Kristof and WuDunn: “Empowering women begins with education.”
Please donate if you can! We warmly and graciously accept donations of any size (even $5.00 truly makes a difference), but with a $90.00 donation, you can officially sponsor a child in Cambodia, provide an education for them, and keep them from being trafficked against their will. If you want a link to directly donate, here it is: https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/worldassistanceforcambodia?code=48toEducate. If you want to find out more about this campaign and the cause, please visit my website: https://tlg10620.wixsite.com/48toeducate.
If you would like to check out our social media sites, please do so!
Facebook: 48 to Educate
Instagram: @48toEducate
Twitter: @48Educate
Tova Greene
(Lyn's note: Tova is the daughter of a good friend of Marty Saltzman. Marty is a former member of the Carefree Planning & Zoning Commission and the Town Council. He asked if I would run this for her. He vouches for her integrity and sincerity.)