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Celebrating 38 years of service
Vol. 40, No. 19
Ahwatukee Foothills News
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2016 Today: High 80, Low 51, Mostly Clear Tomorrow: High 84, Low 54, Sunny
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COVER STORY
Real Estate
LOOP 202
Loop 202 partnership finalized, highway to be finished by 2019
Tips for sellers ; p25
COMMUNITY:
Local Runner
By James Gingerich AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS
Ahwatukee runner and the Phoenix half marathon; p8
GETOUT:
Undefinable
RenFaire’s Tartanic; p33
Drake helps Hamilton ; p37 Neighborhood p5 Calendar p6 Community p8 Money p16
Opinion p21 GetOut p33 Sports/Rec p37 Classified p39
>> See Loop 202 on page 10
Lakes Golf Course clubhouse burns down, sparks debate By James Gingerich
Soccer
>> See Lakes Golf Course on page 10
The Lakes Golf Course clubhouse caught fire on Feb. 28. [Photo by Ethan Fichtner/Special to AFN]
AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS
SPORTS:
erupted into an inferno of its own, with Phoenix Councilman Sal DiCiccio, an Ahwatukee resident, making claims that it was negligence on behalf of the current owners of the course, The True Life Companies (TTLC), that was the cause of the fire. “The True Life Companies (TTLC), the course owner, had been warned repeatedly that the structure was a hazard,” said DiCiccio.
The Loop 202 will be constructed for less money and faster than previously expected, according to representatives from the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT). ADOT announced that the freeway is planned to be finished by 2019, three years sooner than previously projected, and for $122 million less than expected, all due to a partnership between ADOT and Connect 202 partners that was finalized at the end of February. “This first-of-its-kind highway contract in Arizona has not only reduced the overall cost but allowed ADOT to accelerate the entire project, meaning motorists will be able to benefit from this critical freeway sooner,” ADOT Director John Halikowski said. “That’s especially important in light of transportation needs today and into the future.” The partnership between Connect 202 Partners and ADOT, a private-public partnership, will be the first of its kind in Arizona history, with Connect 202 Partners approved in March 2015 and the
At a point when the controversy surrounding the Lakes Golf Course appeared to have reached an apex, with a lawsuit pending in federal court and a community divided on the purpose and value of the property remaining a devoted recreational and drainage area, emotions were further enflamed as the course’s clubhouse caught fire last week. The clubhouse, which has been
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closed since the course closed in 2013, was severely damaged by the fire. Crews from the Phoenix and Tempe fire department’s arrived at the blaze around 11:45 p.m. on Feb. 28. Although putting out the fire proved difficult at first due to the location of the fire hydrants, the crews comprised of 38 total firefighters were able to extinguish the flames with no injuries. Within hours of the fire being put out, the community had already
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