BY LINDA BENTLEY | AUGUST 14, 2013
Carefree approves IGA with Cave Creek for bike lane design grant
CAREFREE – As the Aug. 6 council meeting came to order, Mayor David Schwan (r) stated Councilwoman Melissa Price was absent. He said they attempted to have her appear telephonically but due to technical difficulties they were unable to make that happen.
Before council unanimously approved it, Schwan removed item three, acceptance of cash receipts and disbursements for June 2013, from the consent agenda and explained cash receipts for FY 2012/2013 were down 3.73 percent from the prior year while pointing out the reductions were in the categories Construction and Accommodations.
During Current Events, Schwan announced the next meeting would be held on Sept. 10 due to the Labor Day holiday.
He also said Rural/Metro has entered into Chapter 11 bankruptcy to reorganize its debt.
However, Schwan added that the company will continue to provide uninterrupted services to the town.
Questions from council about the bankruptcy went unanswered because the item was not agendized for discussion.
Council unanimously approved a resolution to enter into an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) with the town of Cave Creek for a $320,000 Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) grant to design bike lanes through both towns with matching $9,671.50 from each.
Town Administrator Gary Neiss said this grant was in addition to the framework study already underway.
Neiss said the towns do not have a dedicated bike lane and the study will look at cost effective ways to develop them through both towns along Cave Creek and Pima roads and Tom Darlington Drive.
Councilman Marty Saltzman questioned how the bike lane would be dealt with where Tom Darlington Drive becomes Scottsdale Road in Scottsdale.
Neiss said Scottsdale would be working on that aspect of continuing the bike lanes.
To address the question of how Cave Creek would be paying its share of the matching funds, Cave Creek Planning Director Ian Cordwell said he has been working with Neiss on this grant and the town would cut a check immediately to ADOT and that the IGA was on the town’s Aug. 19 agenda and was already budgeted.
Cordwell said the design grant would have to happen before construction could take place and it would follow the framework study.
Councilman Glenn Miller questioned drainage.
However, Neiss said he didn’t see a problem.
Council also unanimously approved the recommendation for two special event liquor licenses for the Thunderbird Art and Wine Festival in November.
Vice Mayor Les Peterson questioned why two licenses were required for the same festival.
Schwan explained one was for a vendor to sell wine from a booth at the fair while the other license was for the entire premises so people could drink wine anywhere within the fair.
