THE RIM COUNTRY’S NEWS SOURCE
payson.com
PAYSON ROUNDUP FRIDAY | JULY 10, 2015 | PAYSON, ARIZONA
Payson may help Houston Mesa FD
Hellsgate Fire rescued
by
Alexis Bechman
roundup staff reporter
The Payson Town Council last week gave the go-ahead for Payson’s fire chief to negotiate a management agreement with the Houston Mesa Fire District. The small volunteer fire district that covers Mesa del Caballo and several other communities recently lost its chief after he took a position with the Gila County Sheriff’s Office. Instead of hiring a replacement, the district is looking at alternative management plans. Partnering with the Payson Fire Department is one option, but still in the preliminary planning stages, said Randy Norman, Houston Mesa Fire board president. Houston Mesa has asked for a oneyear interim agreement, which could turn into a long-term commitment depending on how things go, said Payson Fire Chief David Staub.
Roundup file photo
The Hellsgate Fire Department avoided crippling layoffs with news it has received a $1.6 million federal grant. Hellsgate protects Star Valley and other communities, but also provides crucial backup for the Payson Fire Department as illustrated by Hellsgate’s response to this fire several years ago in Chaparral Pines.
Layoffs averted by $1.6 million grant by
Alexis Bechman
roundup staff reporter
Big news for the struggling Hellsgate Fire Department came at the perfect moment. On Wednesday, a staff member from Rep. Paul Gosar’s (R-Prescott) office hand delivered the news — the department will receive a $1.6 million Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) federal grant. Hellsgate Chief David Bathke, who is on vacation currently, said he let out a huge “woohoo” and then breathed a sigh of relief when he received word. “This is really, really good for us,” he said.
Bathke recently presented two budgets to the Hellsgate Fire board, one with and one without the grant. Without it, Bathke said they could not hire a replacement battalion chief or engineer and would have to lay off several firefighters. With the grant, the department is solvent for at least the two-year term of the grant. Bathke hopes by then revenues will stabilize as assessed values rise. Hellsgate won a $607,000 SAFER grant in 2012, which saved the jobs of four firefighters and brought Bathke on as a battalion chief. Payson also won a SAFER grant in 2012 and hired several new firefighters,
by
Alexis Bechman
An out-of-control campfire at the Windy Hill Campground on the shores of Roosevelt Lake that started on Wednesday night spread to 46 acres. The fire started around 8 p.m. at one of the Roosevelt Lake campgrounds, jumping from the campsite fire ring to the surrounding brush, including several dead trees and snags, according to the Gila County Sheriff’s Office. “It was pretty spectacular when they lit up,” said Tonto Basin Fire Chief Steve Holt. The camper told Holt that when he started the fire, the winds were calm, but then things picked up. The man tried to put the fire out himself, dumping some six gallons of water on it and subsequently burning the hair on his legs, but the winds were blowing hard and the fire spread rapidly. THE WEATHER
Weekend: Mostly sunny with highs around 90, lows in the low 60s; 30 percent chance for rain starting Sunday, followed by a slight chance Monday and Tuesday. Details, 9A
“It is aptly named Windy Hill,” Holt said. The U.S. Forest Service and Tonto Basin Fire got the fire under control by 10 p.m. There were no injuries and no buildings or property were damaged. On Thursday night, fire crews had the blaze 50 percent contained. The gate leading into the Badger and Ringtail loops boat launches is currently closed to the public. Watercraft can still launch at Cholla or the marina and See Wildfires, page 9A
•
• See Houston Mesa, page 2A
Alexis Bechman
roundup staff reporter
A 20-month-old baby is recovering in a Valley hospital after being severely beaten, according to police. Shauna Eubanks, the mother of baby Dorame-Ruiz Isabella, dropped the infant off with a friend so she could go to work at McDonald’s. When she picked Isabella up, she found the child with extensive injuries. Isabella was flown to a Valley hospital in serious McBride condition. Police later arrested Eubanks’ friend, Kaylen Diana McBride, 19, and her boyfriend, Manuel Adrian Dorame-Ruiz, 24, both of Payson, Photo courtesy of Amber Schlis on charges of child abuse. Police Chief Don Engler said they are still trying to figure out what happened. So far, McBride and Dorame-Ruiz have only been giving false information and trying to cover up what happened, he said. Eubanks left Isabella with McBride at a home on Juniper Street and later received a call from the couple telling her to come pick up the child. Eubanks took the child to the hospital where staff alerted police. “It was very clear from the beginning that this was not accidental,” Engler said. Eubanks has cooperated with police and is not facing charges. Dorame-Ruiz and McBride, however, have not cooperated. “It has been a challenging investigation,” he said. Engler said the abuse may have occurred over several days. The two suspects are in custody with McBride facing a $100,000 cash only bond and Dorame-Ruiz with no bond. Debbie Schlis, a friend of Eubanks, visited the child in the hospital earlier this week. She said it is unimaginable how someone could hurt Isabella. Schlis is setting up an account for donations at National Bank of Arizona in Eubanks’ name.
But wildfires statewide mostly prove beneficial roundup staff reporter
Currently, Houston Mesa Fire has no plans to merge with Payson Fire, but rather consolidate chief duties. Houston Mesa would continue to have a fire board and its autonomy, Norman said. But partnering with PFD would give Houston Mesa’s six volunteer firefighters better access to training, equipment management and maintenance and possibly save the district money. Like most fire districts, Houston Mesa has struggled with declining revenue due to a downturn in property values over the past five years. Norman said the department has cut where it can, but still has to pay a water tender truck loan and an hourly rate for the volunteers’ time when they are on calls. While a captain has stepped up to help the district in the interim, Norman said it needs to get some kind of a management agreement set up quickly.
Baby severely beaten
but has since not applied for the SAFER grant. So far this year, the only other fire department in Arizona to win a SAFER grant is the Desert Hills Fire District in Lake Havasu City. Bathke heard roughly 300 fire departments had applied for SAFER money. With the grant, Bathke said residents can be sure they will continue to receive the same top quality service. Bathke thanked Kurt Bradley of First Responder Grants, LLC for helping Hellsgate with the application. In January, Bradley held a class at the station for public safety/first responder agencies on developing, writing and applying for grants.
Campfire sparks 46-acre brush fire by
75 CENTS
Photo courtesy of Bob Blasi, Kaibab National Forest
Fire activity increased on this fire on the Kaibab National Forest due to higher winds and less precipitation. Statewide, firefighters this year are letting many fires burn to take advantage of cool, damp conditions.
Giving – and receiving in return by
Michele Nelson
Volunteering in Rim Country
roundup staff reporter
It’s a Tuesday and Jim Clayton has on his Forest Service green pants, volunteer shirt and heavy boots to collect trash. He drives a Forest Service pickup truck. He loves it. “I’ve come to appreciate the national forest and I’m (angry) at the way (recreationists) leave it,” said Clayton. But his journey to become a volunteer started out rough. The first time he went out to help, the recreation officers at the time (Chelsea Muise and Rachel Hohl) took him on a vigorous eight-mile hike to find trash. On top of that, he weighed 100 pounds more than he does today. “I think they thought I wouldn’t come back,” said Clayton, now a trim, tanned,
Roger Kreimeyer of JustServe.org says this time of year has more needs than ever. “Summer is a difficult time to find volunteers, but we have 19 projects with more than 200 volunteers needed … to assist the needy and beautify Payson,” he said. “Will you give a little time and make Payson a greater place to live?” Please go to JustServe.org to volunteer or call: Roger Kreimeyer, (928) 4681365 or Jay Phillips, (928) 978-2884. fit retiree. Instead of giving up, Clayton found the outdoor volunteer work invigorating and exciting. “It has now become a calling,” he said.
volume 25, no. 55
Proudly serving Rim Country Since 1969 431 S. Beeline Hwy. (928) 474-2265
www.weinsurepayson.com
http://thewonderfulworldofinsurance.blogspot.com/
AUTO • HOMEOWNERS • LIFE HEALTH • BUSINESS
See our ad and upcoming events on page 8B
Clayton came from a highly sedentary and stressful business background — he even wrote a how to book on executive job searches — the business he used to own. His last job, however, was as the director of the Arizona State University Business Management Center. “I was recruited by ASU because the director liked the book. I was there for 14 years, (but) I ballooned up to 215 pounds,” he said in an earnest yet soft-spoken voice. He discovered the Rim Country while in the process of caring for his father who had dementia. “I took a drive through the area and thought, ‘This is really pretty,’” he said. The skills he brought to the Forest Service volunteer program helped gain the Michele Nelson/Roundup trust of the organization, at the same time Jim Clayton lost 100 pounds when he found the work helped his health. his devoted volunteering for the Forest Service changed his lifestyle. See Volunteer, page 2A
•
STAY STRONG. Physical, Occupational & Speech Therapy Skilled Nursing Services
928-474-6896 • PaysonCareCenter.com
Payson Care Center
Next to Payson Regional Medical Center