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City Dedicates Freeway
Art Project
 Dignitaries hold ribbon cutting
ceremonies on Ironwood Drive exit ramp
By Jill Jones
The News
APACHE JUNCTION- The westbound
Ironwood Drive freeway exit
ramp was closed to traffic on
Wednesday afternoon, March 21,
2007 so a ribbon cutting and festivities
could be held directly on
the ramp to celebrate the completion
of the landscape enhancement
project at Ironwood Dr. and U.S.
60, creating a scenic gateway to the
Home of the Superstition Mountain.
The exit ramp now exhibits a Gila
Monster art feature by artist Mari
Jackson, designed to illustrate the
beauty and fauna of the Sonoran
Desert. The project was made possible
through a Department of
Transportation grant of $407,000.
An additional grant in the amount
of $661,000 has been received for a
similar project to enhance the Tomahawk
Road ramps and is expected to begin in
2010.
Various state and local dignitaries
attended the ceremonies including
State Representative Barbara
McGuire, Apache Junction City
Council members, highway and
transportation department officials,
Director of Arizona Department of
Public Safety Roger Vanderpool,
Mayor Douglas Coleman and special
guest Mari Jackson.
The Apache Junction High School
(AJHS) Band provided music and
the ceremony commenced with the
posting of colors by the AJHS Naval
Junior ROTC, followed by the
Pledge of Allegiance and the National
Anthem sung by AJHS student
Cassandra Bradshaw.
See
A-1
Authority Of Gold
Canyon DRO Challenged Through Co.
Attorney
 Design Review Overlay Committee presses
on
By Jill Jones
The News
GOLD CANYON- The Design
Review Overlay Committee (DRO)
of Gold Canyon, a volunteer organization
which has been working
to assure that commercial structures
built within the community
are of high quality and aesthetically
consistent with the overall vision
for the area since 1994, is now facing
a legal challenge from an unknown
source, suspected to be
within the Gold Canyon community.
The DRO was established by the
county to facilitate the development
of commercial properties
within the boundaries of the county
area commonly known as Gold Canyon,
to include new or existing commercial
properties, multifamily
dwellings, churches, schools or
municipal buildings.
The DRO guidelines provide recommended
architectural styles, colors,
landscape and lighting features,
consistent and compatible
with the uniquely scenic surroundings
and overall vision of the community.
See
A-1
and See Gold
Canyon
A-5
Citizen Leadership
Institute Graduates Ninth Class
 APACHE JUNCTION- The City of
Apache Junction’s ninth Citizen
Leadership Institute has graduated
its recent class of 23 students with
honors. This innovative program
consisted of eight evening sessions
covering diverse subjects of
interest to the community related
to local city government and municipal
services.
In addition, special guest speakers
such as Dr. Greg Wyman, Superintendent
of the Apache Junction
School District, and Apache
Junction Fire District Chief John
Flynn, discussed related topics of
interest impacting every resident
of Apache Junction.
Classes were held two weeks
apart for two and half-hours each
session and covered a wide range
of community and citizen interest
areas.
All students were required to complete
six of the eight regular sessions
and attend a City Council
and Planning and Zoning Commission
meeting.
See
A-1
Leadership,
page
A-3
Resurgent Prospectors
To Begin Region Play
 AJHS improves to 9-2 with win last week
over Cholla
By Chuck Baker
The News
The resurgent Prospector varsity
baseball team is about to find
out just how much they have
improved in one season when
they take on the East Sky
Region’s top two teams this
week. Apache Junction, 9-2
overall pending a double header
played last Saturday up in Page,
will battle Phoenix Arcadia and
Scottsdale Coronado this week
as region play kicks off.
Apache Junction, winners of
only one game all of last season
and just 13-55 overall the past
three years, picked up a 9-8 victory
over Tucson Cholla on
Monday of last week in a game
that went eight innings. The
Prospectors were scheduled to
play Glendale last Thursday but
the game was postponed because
of rain and results from
the doubleheader versus Page
were not available when The News went to
press.
The Prospectors will host
Arcadia this Tuesday, March 27
and will play at Coronado on
Wednesday, March 28. First
pitch is at 4:00 p.m. both games.
See
C-1
and See Baseball
C-6
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