THE NEWSPAPER OF AVONDALE, BUCKEYE, GOODYEAR, LITCHFIELD PARK & TOLLESON
Sewing School teaches basics PAGE
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westvalleyview.com
INSIDE
This Week
NEWS .............. 7 Eddie Eagle teaches kids about gun safety
SPORTS ........ 17 Young Lady Owls spreading wings
9 DAYS ......... 20 Looking for something to do? Check out the 9 Days a Week calendar
LETTERS ........................13 BUSINESS..................... 15 SPORTS ..........................17 FEATURES .....................23 NEIGHBORHOOD......26 SCHOOLS .....................27 OBITUARIES .................31 CLASSIFIEDS................32 SOUTH
Daughters stress history’s importance PAGE
The Voice of the West Valley for 32 years
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September 27, 2017
Cedar trees set to be toppled for Riverwalk By Shayla Hyde
Local leaders say salt cedar trees are invading the Gila River, causing flood and fire hazards and choking native vegetation and wildlife habitats. They say it’s time for the trees, planted a century ago to slow erosion, to make their final stand. Buckeye Mayor Jackie Meck said removing the trees is a priority. Environmentalists worry removing the salt cedar trees without plans to replace them could leave endangered birds homeless. “Today we are faced with fire, with flood,” Meck said. “It’s critical that we get these salt cedars taken out.” It’s taken a decade, $5 million and numerous government officials to come up with plans and permits to topple the 18 miles of trees lining the river in the Southwest Valley. Meck said cutting down and removing the trees is tentatively set to take place by the end of the year. Trying to find money and tackling a complex bureaucracy of filing for federal permits has taken two decades, according to Adam Copeland, a Buckeye senior planner. But workers could finally start cutting down the trees by December. Officials with Buckeye, Goodyear, Avon-
dale and the Maricopa County Flood District are collaborating to replace the salt cedars with other native vegetation. The restoration plan covers the river bed reaching from Litchfield Road in Avondale to State Route 85 in Buckeye. Buckeye officials’ long-term vision – years in the future – Salt Cedar trees can be seen along the Gila River near Gillespie Dam is to develop the Gila Bridge in Buckeye. (Photo courtesy Tynin Fries/Cronkite News) River area into a pubSteven Larson, a Buckeye real estate lic park akin to the San Antonio Riverwalk. agent, said the flood was “horrendous.”
The menace
Salt cedars – which look like oversized shrubs – have grown along swaths of the Gila River bed, stretching from a quarter-mile wide to more than a mile wide in some areas. The 30,000 residents living in the river’s floodplain risk the possibility of flooding during heavy rain, Meck said. A flood in 1978 forced residents in Hopeville, a Buckeye community, to move elsewhere in the area.
Fire is another danger. Copeland said salt cedars burn hotter than other trees and because they are packed so tightly, fires can spread easily. And salt cedar trees suck up water – 200 to 300 gallons of water a day – making it tough for native vegetation to survive. Salt cedars, originally brought to Arizona in the 1800s, take over native plants’
Cedars...continued on page 6
Avondale paracyclist races for national team By Joe Gilmore
Ret. Air Force Capt. David Berling, 37, once again donned the stars and stripes, but this time as an official member of the U.S. National Paracycling Team in South Africa at the Paracycling Road World Championships. The Avondale resident said his selection came as a shock. “Even after I finished, I didn’t think I had ridden fast enough to qualify,” Berling said.
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“I rode well at the qualifying time trial in Keenesburg, Colorado, but I was about a minute slower than I know I can ride.” Before participating in the qualifying time trial in Colorado, Berling competed in three world cups and a national championship. He decided after that to race in the qualifying time trial. “You don’t get to race often with the
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members of Team USA, and this was an opportunity to see where I ranked among all the members who attended the event,” he said. Berling will next compete in Tour de Scottsdale on October 8 as an independent. The U.S. National Team will make selections for the first six months of 2018
Race...continued on page 3
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