AJ’s Smithson Picked For Supervisor
Will fill Bryan Martyn’s vacated seat until the end of 2012
By Betty Swanson &
Ed Barker, The News
   Apache Junction City Councilman Clark Smithson has been chosen by County Supervisors Peter Rios and David Snider to be the District 2 representative to the Pinal County Board of Supervisors until the end of the year 2012. The Board of Supervisors made the decision in a Special Session, a public open meeting, held last Friday afternoon, May 11.
   The vacancy was created when Supervisor Bryan Martyn resigned his seat, effective April 30, to accept the position of Arizona State Parks Director.
   Smithson was chosen from among a field of 12 candidates who had tossed their hats (and resumes) into the ring when the vacancy occurred.
   Rios, Snider and Board Clerk Sherri Cluff each offered their individual ‘top three’ recommendations. There were seven total candidates nominated to the list because there was some overlap.
   Rios moved Tisha Castillo of San Tan Valley but no one seconded his nomination. Snider moved Randy Stricker but there was no second. Cluff moved Smithson, Snider seconded and the vote was unanimous.
   Smithson is currently a member of the Apache Junction City Council. He was elected last year in a recall election when he opposed former Vice Mayor R.E. Eck, Jr.
   Smithson must resign his position on the City Council before he can be sworn in as a Pinal County Board of Supervisors’ member. The City Council office is non-partisan, but Smithson enters the office of Supervisor as a Republican. His oath is likely to be administered this week by a person of his choosing.

See A-1

Legislature Approves Pinal Rail Project Proposal
Union Pacific plans facility on state land near Picacho in central Pinal County
   The Union Pacific Railroad first announced plans to construct a classification yard in the Picacho area in 2006. In April, 2012, Arizona’s state Senate and House approved a resolution in support of the project. Senate Concurrent Resolution 1044, sponsored by Senator Al Melvin, (SCR1044) passed the House with a 46-4 vote and passed the Senate 19-9.
   A bi-partisan group of Pinal County and state leaders have thrown their support behind this proposed 950-acre project, a classification yard at which Union Pacific will sort rail cars thereby making its operation more fuel efficient and cost effective. The proposed Red Rock project is strategically located in Pinal County, which is bisected by two major interstates and adjacent to the Pinal Air Park and Phoenix and Mesa Foreign Trade Zones.
   “This project would be a tremendous economic engine for Arizona. By being able to efficiently transport products to market, Arizona companies would benefit. It would bring immediate employment as well as sustainable, livingwage jobs,” said Pinal County Board of Supervisors’ Chairman Pete Rios. “I am proud of my colleagues at the Legislature for recognizing the importance of this to the state of Arizona and to the West as a whole.”
   A classification yard is a way for the rail company to optimize efficiency and reduce the number of trips it makes hauling empty cars. Tucson and Flagstaff are Arizona’s biggest rail towns, with Phoenix in the middle. UP’s Tucson facility is land-locked and therefore cannot expand. The Red Rock project would enhance efficiency and create growth opportunities for Union Pacific while also creating jobs.
   The project would be situated along Interstate 10, just north of Park Link Drive. The land at the site is nearly perfectly flat, making it ideal for construction of a consolidation yard.
   The next critical step is for the Arizona State Land Department to put the land up for auction. There is no specific timetable for that to happen but Rios is hopeful that significant progress can be made this calendar year.

A Little Help From Friends
Building materials needed for new study/art classrooms
By Betty Swanson
The News
   The Apache Junction Boys and Girls Club is more than a place for youngsters to go after school and have supervised fun. It is a place of opportunity, providing kids with a chance to learn and experience, build their talents, learn the value of contributing to others, and realize their dreams.
   Locally, it now also serves as a place for young people to study, do their homework and obtain tutoring, if necessary, for one hour per day. The mandatory hour each attendee spends studying has been dubbed “Power Hour” by the staff, and educational benefits are already being seen through students’ higher grades, better test scores and increased confidence.
   A paramount dream since “Power Hour” was initiated last fall, according to Boys and Girls Club Director Laurie Armstrong, was to have additional classroom/study hall space and an art projects room. The space for this project was available, what was needed was a remodeling project that would enclose the south portion of the huge space that currently serves as “the game area,” (what used to be the cafeteria/ auditorium area when the facility was an elementary school). Kids can’t concentrate and study when the noise of sports and games fills the air, and visual stimulants are going on all around them - hence, the enclosed classroom.
   Staffers have found that the kids love art projects and engaging in such projects promotes cooperation and self esteem. A separate art room would allow for much more art instruction and many more creative undertakings to take place.

See A-1 and See Boys and Girls Club, A-8

Apache Trail Softball Falls In 2A Semifinals
By Chuck Baker
The News
    Playing their inaugural season of softball in the 2A Conference of the Arizona Charter Athletic Association, the Lady Wolfpack of Apache Trail High School won a first round state playoff game over Mesa Sequoia last Tuesday at Prospector Park, ensuring themselves a winning record in their very first campaign.
   Although the Lady Wolfpack were eliminated in the semifinals on Thursday with a 19-0 loss at 2A defending state champs, Mohave Accelerated Learning Center in Bullhead City, Tuesday’s 8-7 win over last year’s state runner-up, Sequoia, was a significant milestone for the Apache Trail girls.
   Even with Thursday’s loss at M.A.L.C., the Lady Wolfpack still finished the 2012 season with a 7-6 overall record. And when you consider that more than half of the girls on the team had never played softball before this year, that’s quite an accomplishment for a rapidly improving and young ball club.
   Apache Trail led 6-1 through four innings on Tuesday but Sequoia came back with six runs over the next three innings and took a 7-6 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh.
   Christine Emmons led off the seventh for Apace Trail with a double to deep center
field. She would then tie the game, 7-7, scoring from third base on a wild pitch.

See A-9 and See ATHS  A-11