City Cites Goals For 2010
By Christina Fuoco-Karasinski
The News
After a challenging year that saw budget cuts and a reduced workforce, the City of Apache Junction is looking forward to 2010 and citing its plans for the new year.
  The Apache Junction Parks and Recreation Department has set its sights on updating its master plan, which will be a chapter in the new General Plan, according to Jeff Bell, Parks and Recreation director. It will ensure the park system’s development plans align with community thinking.
  Bell explained his area will continue with improvements at Silly Mountain Park, in partnership with Superstition Area Land Trust (SALT).
  “An ‘interpretive trail’ will be completed at the base of the mountain and will provide an educational experience on a fairly flat, easy trail,” Bell said. “SALT secured a $30,000 grant for this project.”
  Parks and Recreation will also expand its efforts to obtain volunteers “in the hopes of maintaining service levels during times of shrinking resources.
  “We will be piloting a program in January utilizing court- assigned community service workers to maintain street right-of-ways free of litter and debris. Although, we have used ‘community service’ workers in the past, this program is much more structured and should provide a constant labor pool to help keep our streets litter free.”

See A-1 and see City Goals, A-9

Meetings Set On Possible School Closures
Jan. 19 at GCES and Jan. 20 at TMMS
As a first step toward a restructuring of the school district to better serve students and achieve the goal of making sure that all graduates are readied for post-secondary educational opportunities, the Apache Junction Unified School District governing board has directed district administration to work out the cost savings and details of closing two schools next year.
   The schools proposed for closing would be Gold Canyon Elementary and Thunder Mountain Middle schools.
   By law, when school closures are being considered, a public meeting must be held for input from the community.
   Notice of public meetings to solicit citizen input regarding the possible closures of the two schools was mailed home to parents of students at both schools on Dec. 18.
   The meetings will be:

• Tuesday, January 19—Gold Canyon Elementary School, 5810 S. Alameda Road, Gold Canyon—6:30 p.m.

• Wednesday, January 20—Thunder Mountain Middle School, 3700 E. 16th Ave., Apache Junction—6:30 p.m.

   A special dedicated section of the AJUSD Web site www. ajusd.org that will carry more information on this situation and offer a chance for citizen comment is currently under development and will be going up the week of January 4.
   For more information, call (480) 982-1110, ext. 2005.

City Sponsors Tree Recycling
Drop-off sites open through Jan. 24
A live or freshly cut Christmas tree is a wonderful way to spruce up the holiday season, and it doesn’t have to be detrimental to the environment.
   Instead of sending a live tree to a landfill, give a gift back by recycling the freshly cut Christmas tree (treecycle).
   The City of Apache Junction is participating in this Christmas tree recycling effort by providing two free drop-off points in the city.
   The Apache Junction sites available to accept trees for recycling will be open 24 hours/day for free drop-off through January 24.
Those sites are:

• Prospector Park, 3015 N. Idaho Road

• Animal Control, 725 E. Baseline Ave.  

Residents are asked to remove all nails, stands, tinsel, lights and ornaments from trees. Flocked trees will not be accepted because the flocking does not break down in the environment.”
   Please direct any questions about this program to the City of Apache Junction, Public Works Department at (480) 982-1055.

Lady Prospectors Place 3rd In Holiday Tourney
By Chuck Baker
The News
   The Lady Prospector varsity basketball team placed third overall in the 9th Annual Valley Christian High School Tournament played December 28-30. After losing their very first game on Monday to the host school, Valley Christian, by a 47-17 score in “pool play,” the Apache Junction girls came back with a 49-26 win over Higley, a 41-27 victory over St. Johns, and a 56-33 win over Scottsdale Coronado to finish pool play on Monday and Tuesday with a 3-1 record. Apache Junction then went up against Bourgade Catholic, the second place team from a separate five-team pool, in the tournament’s 3rd-4th place game on Wednesday and came away with 54-34 victory.
   In the championship game of the ten-team tournament, Valley Christian defeated Arizona Lutheran 41-28 to capture their own tournament title and improve to 13-0 on the season.
   Although just a 2A school, Valley Christian is a very good 2A school. In fact, in the last four years of the 2A State Tournament, Valley Christian lost in the semifinals each year. Valley Christian is currently ranked number one this season in the 2A division.
   Counting the 4-1 record in the Valley Christian Tournament, the Apache Junction girls improved to 12-4 overall on the season.

See B-1 and see HOOPS, B-2