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Investors Withdraw
Downtown Development Proposal
 Group wanted more than city was willing
to give— Offer rescinded while council
was discussing revisions
By Jill Jones
The News
APACHE JUNCTION- After
months of back and forth negotiations
and several “final offers” from
a Real Estate investment group, the
proposal for a new downtown area
for Apache Junction is over. At least
for now.
While city council members were
convened in a special meeting on
Thursday afternoon, February 8,
2007 for the purpose of adopting
an agreement with an investment/
speculator group called AJ Town
Centre, LLC. for a proposed downtown
revitalization project, a Town
Center managing member was
drafting a document rescinding
their offered agreement.
A little after 5 p.m., following the
adjournment of the one-hour city
council meeting, City Manager
George Hoffman received an email
message from Town Center managing
member Michael Rakow stating,
“We are no longer willing to
spend any more time or resources
negotiating this development
agreement with the City of Apache
Junction. We hereby withdraw our
proposed Development Agreement.”
See
A-1
and see Downtown
A-3
Fire District Hires
New Deputy Chief
 Dan Campbell expected to replace
retiring fire chief in November
By Cindy McSperitt
The News
APACHE JUNCTION- The fire
board for the Apache Junction Fire
District gave direction to Fire Chief
John Flynn last week to offer the
position of Deputy Fire Chief to
Dan Campbell of Corvallis, Oregon.
Campbell currently serves as the
fire chief for the Corvallis Fire
Department.
Campbell was one of three final
candidates who were interviewed
by the fire board during the concluding
stages of the selection process
in early January. He will begin
his service with the fire district on
Monday, March 5th, 2007. Deputy
Chief Campbell will work closely
with the senior command staff team
over the next several months. It is
anticipated that he will succeed Fire
Chief John Flynn, who will retire in
November of 2007.
Campbell, 49, grew up in Corvallis,
attending junior high and high
school there. He joined the
Corvallis Fire Department as a
firefighter in 1990. He left in 1995
for a position in Monmouth, OR,
and then returned to Corvallis after
five years. In 2002 he became the
fire chief after having served as an
assistant fire chief and fire marshal.
See
A-1
City Introduces 2 New
Employees
 New police CSI and a Planning Division
Manager
By Jill Jones
The News
Two new employees were introduced
to council at the February 7,
2007 regular meeting, Crime Scene
Technician Stephanie Bourgeois
and Planning Division Manager
Fred Baker.
Police Chief Glenn Walp introduces the
new CSI, Stephanie Bourgeois. At right,
Assistant City
Manager Bryant Powell (background)
introduces Planning Division Manager
Fred Baker.
Stephanie Bourgeois hails from
the State of Vermont where she
worked as an assistant scientist for
Mylan Technologies, Inc. She has
a bachelors degree from St.
Joseph’s College of Maine, with a
major in biology and minor in chemistry.
She also holds a masters in
forensic science with a specialization
in crime scene investigation
(CSI) from George Washington University.
She has experience in programming
and measuring crime scenes,
impression explication, fingerprint
and photographic processing, autopsy
analyses, physical and
chemical testing of pharmaceuticals
and comparison of land and
groove marks and firing print
impressions
on bullets and cartridge
casings.
See
A-1
and see Employees
A-5
AJHS Girls Advance To
State Basketball Tourney
 First trip to the “Big Dance” in
fourteen years; Lady Prospectors tip off
this Tuesday at Bullhead City Mohave
By Chuck Baker
The News
It was back in 1993 when a
Lady Prospector basketball
team last advanced to a State
Tournament. That team,
headed up by former AJHS star
Kelly Honoway, made it all the
way to the semifinals of the 3A
State Tournament before losing
to Window Rock. It was
Apache Junction’s last year in
the 3A Division. The team finished
their season with a 21-9
overall record and Honoway,
who averaged 14.6 points-agame
and 8.2 rebounds-a-game,
would go on to continue her
career at Mesa Community College
after graduating from
AJHS. Other top players on
that team included Sara Frahm
and Nichole Brown.
Fourteen years is a long time
to wait between return trips to
a State Tournament but this
year’s Lady Prospector team,
playing their final season in the
4A-II Division, accomplished
the feat by defeating Scottsdale
Coronado 44-29 last Thursday
in the second round of the East
Sky Region Tournament, earning
the region’s third and final
State Tournament berth.
See
C-1
and see
B-Ball
C-6
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