Sky High Rescue On Superstition Mountain
One rescue leads to another in Superstition Wilderness
By Jill Jones
The News
APACHE JUNCTION- Superstition Search and Rescue (SSAR) and Apache Junction Fire District (AJFD) personnel had just come off one rescue around 4 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon, February 27, 2008 when they were sent into action again after they noticed a crowd in the Peralta Trail parking lot staring up at 1000 foot vertical cliff where two women were waving and yelling for help.
   SSAR had been called out earlier that day to assist David Bester, 68, of Apache Junction, who became ill while hiking in the Bluff Springs area. SSAR team member Larry Hincha located Bester and treated him for dehydration but due to Bester’s weakened condition SSAR also requested that Bester be looked at by an AJFD paramedic.
   Just as Bester was being released, rescuers noticed that several individuals were staring up at a cliff west of the parking lot, where they spotted two females yelling for help.
   According to SSAR Commander Robert Cooper, Hincha didn’t hesitate a moment to respond and was the first to grab his gear and start the climb to assist with whatever problem lay high atop the cliff.

See A-1 and see Rescue, A-6

Ironwood Bridge Opens
Ribbon cutting event held last Wednesday
By Meghan McCoy
The News
APACHE JUNCTION- The much anticipated ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Ironwood Road bridge over the Central Arizona Project (CAP) canal was held last Wednesday, February 27 with Pinal County and Apache Junction officials present before the roadway was opened for public use later that day.
   The bridge dedication ceremony included Pinal County Manager Terry Doolittle, Mayor John Insalaco, County Supervisor Sandie Smith, City Manager George Hoffman, Sundt Official Michael Hoover and Kimley Horn Official Ahmad Omais.
   The Ironwood-Gantzel Roadway Improvement Project began in 2005 between Guadalupe and Baseline Avenue on Ironwood Road and was completed 219 days ahead of schedule.
   The six-phase, 15-mile project designed by Kimley-Horn and Associates and built by Sundt, cost a total of $63.5 million. The funding for the project was provided by bonding through development impact fees from new construction in the surrounding areas, which permitted Pinal County to accelerate the project’s construction to meet increasing traffic demands.
   The project made improvements on Irownwood from U.S. 60 to Bella Vista Road by widening the existing roadway from a two-lane rural road to four and six lanes with new medians, pavement, curbs and gutters, six new traffic signals, drainage improvements and a new bridge over the CAP canal.

See A-1 and see New Bridge, A-5

AJ Water Loan Approved For Mesa Interconnect
Will allow AJ to receive maximum CAP water allocation
By Jill Jones
The News
APACHE JUNCTION- The Water Utilities Community Facility District of Apache Junction has been approved to receive a 20-year low interest loan from the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority (WIFA) for the construction of a water transmission line, which will interconnect with the City of Mesa.
   The Mesa Interconnect project will allow the maximum Central Arizona Project (CAP) allocation to be brought to Apache Junction and delivered to a storage tank on Baseline Road, thereby reducing groundwater pumping in the area.
  The project includes a water booster station and a pump house at Baseline and Signal Butte Roads and a 12 inch water main extending about 4 miles east to Idaho Road, which will connect to the 16 inch Mesa water line.
   According to WIFA, the Mesa Interconnect will be of great benefit to groundwater users in the Apache Junction area by providing current and future water supply for the district’s 12,900 customers.
   “By committing to the development of a CAP water transmission line from the district to Mesa, the (Apache Junction) Water Utilities CFD will help move the district away from its reliance on groundwater and enable it to use its CAP allotment,” said Chairman Steve Owens, who is also the Director of the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ). “This loan will help the district conserve our precious groundwater resources and is a great investment in the community’s future.”
   The WIFA of Arizona provides communities and private water systems with access to low-interest financial assistance and technical assistance needed for basic water infrastructure. For additional information on WIFA, please visit their Web site at www.azwifa.gov.   

AJHS Girls Finish 2nd At Texas Tourney
Terra Ciesielski named tournament MVP as Lady Prospectors go 8-1
By Chuck Baker
The News
The Lady Prospector varsity softball team was cruising through the Fox Country Girls Fast Pitch Tournament in El Paso, Texas played February 21-23, winning their first eight games and then locked in a pitcher’s dual against El Paso Chapin in the tournament championship game. And then the wheels came off.
   Trailing just 1-0 and playing in the fifth inning, the AJHS girls made five errors on defense that led to seven runs for Chapin on their way to an 11-0 victory.
   Still, not a bad showing for the only team from Arizona playing in the tournament. Eight wins, seven of those against schools from Texas and one against a school from New Mexico, twice scoring 18 runs to win lopsided games, advancing to the championship game in the eighteenteam tournament, and senior pitcher Terra Ciesielski being named tournament MVP.
   “In all, it was great showing minus one bad inning,” Lady Prospector head coach Ed Matlosz said about the tournament. “We carried the Arizona flag with pride and had it on display in our dugout.”

See C-1 and see Softball, C-3