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Superior, Arizona
But new air conditioning system for Town Hall meeting room wins applause from attendees
Changes in the Superior Sewer Code that would make the town responsible for maintaining more of the underground sewer lines was unanimously approved by the Superior Town Council during the June 23 meeting.
Ordinance 16-137 amended Section 9-5-1 of the Town Code so that Superior is responsible for all repairs to sewer pipes up to property lines, with homeowners retaining responsibility for repairs for pipes between their homes and the property line. Previously, Superior was only responsible to repair problems in the mainline, with homeowners paying to correct all other lines leading to their home.
The property line is defined as the edge of the sidewalk running parallel with the street before each house.
During debate on the ordinance, Councilman Gilbert Aguilar expressed his support, saying the change in responsibility would help beautify Superior.
“Private contractors hired by property owners to repair sewer pipe leaks up to the mainline often don’t do a good job restoring the street asphalt and sidewalks to their original state, which makes the town look bad,” Aguilar said.
Town Attorney Stephen R. Cooper agreed, noting that he has seen several places where the dirt put back into the area dug up to get at the sewer was not compacted properly, resulting in the sinking of the street and sidewalk put back over it.
Cooper added in response to a question from Councilman Stephen Estatico how the town will determine who is responsible for repairing a sewer line leak, that camera-equipped sewer snakes, which Superior will have to acquire, will determine on which side of the property line a leak is occurring.
Ordinance 16-137 was the last order of business enacted at the meeting, during which actions were taken to boost business redevelopment in Superior.
Council members approved a revision of Article VII on Commercial Zone Districts to enable the acquisition of two lots along South Ray Road for building a mortuary and crematorium in this otherwise C-1 zoned area. These lots are adjacent to the Superior Funeral Home, which can now apply for a permit to proceed with this project.
The Council also gave the go-ahead to a company planning to open a restaurant at 112 Main St. to use the concrete stage from a recently demolished theater for an open air entertainment venue on which bands would perform. The restaurant does not yet have a name.
And the Council gave a unanimous thumbs-up to the Superior Beautification Project to build a decorative wall along Besich Park, pending approval of plans by the designers.
New Standard Operating Procedures governing the use of town credit cards also were approved. Each head of a Superior Town Department will be issued a credit card, but they will be restricted from using the card only for budgeted and approved purchases. Department heads must sign the cards out from the Town Hall before a planned use, and must check them back into storage afterwards. Cards may not be taken home for any reason.
“With these procedures, we can more easily and efficiently track credit card use by each department in real time,” said Town Manager Todd Pryor said in reading the regulations to the Council. “And we can more easily detect card misuse and place responsibility on who misused it.”
The Procedures were drafted in response to the local scandal where Mayor Jayme Valenzuela was accused of misusing a town credit card for his personal use amounting to $2,300 over a more than two-year period. An investigation to determine if Valenzuela should be criminally charged with the misuse of town funds is still ongoing. Originally put on paid administrative reassignment by the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office from his job as a commander in charge of contract and supplies with the County Detention Center in Casa Grande due to the probe, Valenzuela was recently reported to be on a paid leave of absence from the Sheriff’s Office for reasons of stress.
A recall election to determine if Valenzuela will remain as Superior Mayor is set for August 30. He is facing Councilwoman Mile Besich-Lira, who is running as the alternative candidate.
Although Superior Town Council meetings have been host to many hot debates, the room at the Town Hall at 199 Lobb St. where the meetings are held will no longer be unbearably hot during the summer months. The June 23 meeting was the first after an extensive air conditioning system was retrofitted into the room, which had originally been built as an auditorium for the Roosevelt School nearly 100 years ago. Visible as a long cylinder with cooling vents near the wall where Council members sat, the now permanent system, reported to have been donated by the Elks Club, kept the room reasonably comfortable despite the 93-degree weather outside.
While attendees universally praised the new air conditioner, they were divided as to how it appeared. “The industrial look similar to a restaurant I visited in Phoenix,” said one woman. “Steampunk décor,” countered a young man.
James J. Hodl is a career journalist who has worked for newspapers, magazines and trade journals. A graduate of Southern Illinois University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism, Hodl began his career as a reporter with the Palatine (IL) Herald and the Morton Grove (IL) Review before becoming editor of the trade publication Appliance Service News. In recent years, Hodl has had articles published in Consumers Digest, Good Housekeeping, Home Remodeling, Kitchens & Baths and Salute; and has contributed to trade publications serving the home furnishings, restaurant and casino markets. A native of Chicago, Hodl relocated to San Tan Valley in 2013.
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