Tough test
Passing the test
Payson faces Blue Ridge: 1B
Catholic Radio
Surprising praise for AZMerit test: 6A
Payson gets a new radio station: 8A
PAYSON ROUNDUP
75 CENTS
FRIDAY | OCTOBER 2, 2015 | PAYSON, ARIZONA
payson.com
Officials demand backup after cable severed
Forest Service accidentally severs CenturyLink fiber optic
‘It’s just unacceptable’ says Payson mayor of outage, lack of response by
Pete Aleshire
by
Alexis Bechman
roundup editor
roundup staff reporter
Goaded by the third communications blackout in a year, Payson Mayor Kenny Evans is pushing for a backup, high-speed cellphone and Internet connection. Fortunately, the federal government has invested some $54 million in building a network of microwave towers. The towers can beam from the top of Mt. Ord 50 times as much information as can the CenturyLink cable, which was cut by a Forest Service employee installing a culvert along Fossil Creek Road near Strawberry. “We cannot continue to be vulnerable at this level,” said Evans of the 13-hour outage on Monday and Tuesday that cut off Internet, most cellphone service and some landlines in Rim Country. He expressed frustration at CenturyLink’s refusal to explain what happened to local officials — including police and fire departments. “All we got were rumors. I would have thought that a company the size of CenturyLink having left a community the size of Payson cut off would have provided some sort of explanation.”
Less than a 100 feet from a post warning of underground lines, a Forest Service construction crew severed a fiber optic cable Monday afternoon near Pine, knocking out service to the region for 13 hours. The road crew was working off West Fossil Creek Road, some 3.5 miles west of State Route 87, 500 yards into the Tonto National Forest, when the line was cut while the crew dug a trench across the road, said Pine-Strawberry Fire Chief Gary Morris. The CenturyLink line provides phone and Internet service to Payson, Pine, Strawberry and Tonto Creek. Verizon, Suddenlink and CenturyLink Internet customers were impacted while Sprint and T-Mobile customers still had service as well as those with landlines through CenturyLink, said Todd Whitney with Gila County Health and Emergency Management. The fiber optic line runs west to the Camp Verde area and then to the Valley. Verizon and Suddenlink rent space on the line from Century-
• See Payson mayor, page 2A
Provided photo
Workers put casing around a repaired fiber optic cable owned by CenturyLink which a Forest Service worker accidentally cut on Monday, knocking out Internet and cellphones for 13 hours.
• See Backhoe, page 2A
Domestic violence – 1,300 deaths yearly Michele Nelson
roundup staff reporter
Michele Nelson/Roundup
Edna Welsheimer operates the only domestic violence shelter in Rim Country and hopes to take advantage of October’s Domestic Violence Month to raise public awareness.
E C N E L O I V
one in three women and one in four men will experience rape, stalking or physical Edna Welsheimer’s violence at the hands of an greatest goal: Put herintimate partner, according self out of a job. to the federal Centers for So the executive Disease Control. Second in a series director of Time Out Domestic violence also domestic violence shelremains the most common ter will spend October — and most dangerous — crusading to put an end to the most common call Payson police officers answer. Although violent crime in Payson — and the nation for domestic violence arrests dipped to 171 in that matter. Payson last year, arrests have risen sharply “When I go out and tell people the one in recent months. thing I’d love you to do is put me out of a job Both the president and Arizona Governor they look at me totally surprised,” she said. Doug Ducey have signed proclamations Alas we have a long way to go. Nearly this year designating October as Domestic by
Intimate
Violence Awareness Month. In his Sept. 30 proclamation, Barak Obama encapsulated the threat and the reason for the month: “Domestic violence impacts women, men, and children of every age, background, and belief. Victims are deprived of their autonomy, liberty and security, and face tremendous threats to their health and safety.” Payson has its own place to help the victims of domestic violence escape the cycle of abuse — the Time Out Shelter. Time Out will sponsor a candlelight vigil and march for the victims of domestic violence on Oct. 14.
• See Domestic violence, page 9A
County’s modular money pit gobbles another $1.2 million by
Teresa McQuerrey
roundup staff reporter
The county’s big plan to save rent money has turned into a money pit — at least temporarily. A year ago, the Gila County Board of Supervisors approved buying a used modular building for $482,095 to place on county property to house the probation, finance, human resources, library district departments and personnel. It
would also free the county from rent payments of about $60,000 a year for facilities scattered around Globe. The county, this January, approved at $1.95 million financing package for the purchase, relocation and refurbishment of the modular, dubbed the Copper Administration Building. Now, a year after the initial decision, county staff told supervisors at a Sept. 29 work session they need another $1.2 million to get the building move-in
ready. The staff proposes pulling the additional funds from the $3.6 million in the county’s capital projects reserves. Supervisor Tommie Martin, who represents Payson and most of Northern Gila County, asked if taking the money from the capital projects reserves would impact any facility improvements in her district. County manager Don McDaniel said the cost overrun would have no impact on North County projects.
The county spends far more of its capital budget in the south, but is currently working on an upgrade in office and court facilities in Payson. McDaniel told the supervisors, “The primary contributing factor in the discrepancy between the initial estimate and a revised estimate relates to the level of refurbishment to the interior of the modular building. The initial estimate was made with the understanding that the building could be used ‘as is’
without any significant modification. “During the design phase of the project it was determined by the proposed occupants of the building that the offices and spaces as configured would not meet their needs. Efficient and effective use of the building could only be achieved through a complete internal demolition and rebuild. “Additionally, the amount originally
• See Gila County, page 10A
Kendra doesn’t make cakes, she creates art
by
Michele Nelson
roundup staff reporter
Kendra Lewinson has a history in food and art, so what did she do? She started an art cake baking company. Lewinson’s family has been in the food industry since she was born. “My grandfather was a master baker,” she said. “I have aunts who still own restaurants ... (and) we ran the concessions stands for the Cubs for almost 38 years.” So, working with brides, birthdays and baby showers poses no problem for the professional baker who’s more artist than cook. A birthday cake for her mother started it all. “I did a cake for my mother and got the bug and never looked back,” she said. THE WEATHER
Weekend: Mostly sunny, highs in the upper 70s, lows around 50; chance for rain Sunday. Details, 9A
volume 25, no. 77
She trained with Scott Clark Woolley, of Cakes By Design. “He’s done stuff for the Kennedys,” she said. But Lewinson said Gerardo Moceri has helped and supported her business locally. “Gerardo has been a huge supporter of us and our bakery,” she said. Just as Gerardo has a family business, so does Lewinson. She said she and her family, from her husband to daughter Maureen, son Spencer and her mother, work together now to make dreams a reality. Whatever a customer can dream up, from garden flowers to a Southwest theme or butterflies, Kendra and her family make cakes almost too beautiful to eat. Somewhere in its fifth year running, Kendra’s Country Bakery has made a wedding cake nearly
every weekend. “We’ve done hundreds of cakes,” said Kendra. “We do anything, but our main thing we love to do is wedding cakes.” She has a whole routine set up for a bride. Giving Kendra at least a month’s lead time, the bride can call to set up an initial visit with Kendra to see if it’s a right fit. Kendra can also be contacted through Facebook. Kendra then offers a taste of four cake flavors with a dozen types of frostings. “You come to my home,” she said. “The consultation is $25 and that goes towards your order.” Yet Lewinson has also made cakes for birthday parties, baby showers and graduations — all from scratch.
• See A sweet fondant, page 10A
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