To the Editor,
Cave Creek faces many issues. A recent challenge has been crafting a sign ordinance we can all live with, and that will be enforced. The currently version is available through the town staff or the web site. It is open for your comment before the second, and final, reading in mid-January. A similar effort will soon be applied to protect our dark skies.
Our utilities manager is in the process of upgrading our water treatment system. Other issues such as uneven water pressure will be addressed in the next few years. This is a difficult issue in a town with so much differences in elevation among the various parts of town.
Cave Creek has a limited supply of Colorado River water. Developers coming to Cave Creek must now supply the water to support their projects. Planning, new water rates, and education about living in the desert will also address that issue.
We have just one one water line from the Central Arizona Project Canal near Deer Valley Road in Phoenix. Phoenix will give us back-up with an interconnect as they construct a looped system to service their own businesses adjacent to Cave Creek.
Over the past decade concern has been expressed about debt incurred in the purchase of the water system and in building a wastewater treatment plant. They have been been a good investments that support financial security through business growth. Our debt has been considerably reduced. We anticipate that Sprouts and the adjacent businesses will open in February. That should add nicely to our financial security.
The new Council is functioning as a good team with each other and with the staff. Each Council member brings important skills and ideas to help us establish policies that will enable the town to serve the needs of our citizens, and to grow intelligently. Town Manager Carrie Dyrek has taken on issues of staffing, services, and the growth of the Town even better than I anticipated. That’s why I worked hard over the past decade to put her in this position.
My dozen years on the Town Council have not been easy. I appreciate the support of the voters. A strong community has always been my only goal.
I recently took a business trip to Rochester, NY. My taxi driver told me what a good time he had in Cave Creek on his recent visits to family in Phoenix. Cave Creek has a wide reputation as a tourist destination, as well as a great place to live in. Can we do even better? Just watch.
Thomas McGuire
Councilman, Cave Creek
