Power Play
BY JANE AND AL ANDERSEN
As residents, business owners and citizens of Chandler, we understand progress and growth. Smart growth brings great jobs, an influx of families moving into our city and economic stability. Planning for growth is what SRP didn’t do. SRP had decades to plan for the growth in Price Road Corridor (PRC). The City of Chandler has PRC requirements for growth in their 2008 General Plan document and the Next Twenty progressive agenda for Chandler. Price Road Corridor has been in the planning and building stages for decades, initiated by Intel. By the way, Intel has two dedicated substations, one–Hoopes–was just completed by SRP in 2012. So, what does SRP want to do? What does SRP want us to believe? That the power is all for us, for our 5 square miles of industry, office buildings, innovation centers, call centers, engineering offices, R&D campuses, bioscience labs and future employers of the PRC? SRP wants to take the City of Chandler’s General Plan and throw it out the window. SRP wants to build two 230kV substations/receiving stations–RS-28 and RS-27–within a few blocks of each other on Price Road. Valuable PRC land that could be used for taxpaying employers with thousands of jobs, and instead we’ll have poles, wires, transformers and pollution. SRP also wants to connect Schrader Substation to RS-28 via an above-ground 230kV wire and 150-foot poles.
What is the purpose for all this power, this oversupply? Why didn’t we find out about this project before January? Why not upgrade and retrofit Schrader, Knox and Kyrene to handle the additional power needed for PRC? The infrastructure is already there. It surely wouldn’t cost as much to reconfigure Schrader or Knox as it would to build RS-28 and RS-27. SRP has already placed a third 500/230kV transformer in Kyrene, and a third 230kV transformer in Schrader. How much more power over our existing eight substations does the Price Road Corridor need? Extra high voltage–230kV and up–transmission lines “push” power long distances. They are meant to be the “expressway of power.” We’re distributing power to office buildings, call centers, apartments, restaurants and homes, in a 5 square mile area, not building the next Silicon Valley.
Why does SRP want to push this project through now? Why the sense of urgency? Why not wait and work with the Gila River Indian Community (GRIC), and move the substations, poles and wires to GRIC land, west of Price Road Corridor? SRP can still secure its plans to connect to Pinal County; supply power to the Superstition Vistas Project; and connect to
the Sun Zia Merchant Line, in which SRP has an investment, that will bring renewable wind and solar energy from central New Mexico, through Arizona, on its way to the biggest importer of power, California.
But, to do all this, they need transmission lines. Of course. Now it’s all starting to make sense. Use the Price Road Corridor’s great economic news, all the new employers that are coming into our community, and bundle this news with the “need” for power, so that SRP can get these receiving/substations built and the 230kV transmission lines connected for future growth to the south, southeast and east of us. We don’t need more generation. We need more transmission.
So now where are we? SRP says it’s too costly to bury the wires. They won’t spread the cost over their one million customers–it wouldn’t be fair. But, they will bury the wires if we can come up with the money for it. We’ve also checked with the City of Chandler to see if we could get the project approved for capital funding. But, the city won’t consider it. SRP won’t consider revenue bonds, grants, aesthetic funding, etc. to bury the lines. So, what are we left to do? Can the citizens, business owners and residents of Chandler and Sun Lakes slow this train down, and maybe stop it altogether?
We’re OK with SRP making money, building substations, transmission lines, etc., just not at our expense and in our backyards! Don’t tell us this power is all for us, ruin our community, our property values, our health and our economic stability, when it’s not.
What can the citizens of Chandler and Sun Lakes do? We know we have to band together, stay informed, stay committed. We know we have to act. We’re in the process of planning a citizens’ town hall. This is about saving our community, our lifestyle, our home values, our economic stability and, yes, our health and our children’s health. Do you think it’s worth it? Do you think we should try? We do. Please join us! For more information, contact info@ thegolfrealtynetwork.com or call Al Andersen at 602-684-9300.
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Letters to the editor
Excessive heat takes toll on seniors
With excessive heat again in the forecast, local senior care experts are encouraging families to make sure their aging loved ones are protected. Older adults are particularly vulnerable to the dangers of heat, so seniors are being urged to take a few special precautions during the hot, summer months.
Nobody likes extreme and prolonged heat, but such conditions can be deadly for seniors. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) heat is the number one weather-related killer in the United States. On average, excessive heat claims more lives each year than tornadoes, hurricanes, floods and lightning combined.
“The elderly are often the most vulnerable to severe heat,” says Jeff Huber, president of Home Instead Inc., franchisor of the Home Instead Senior Care network. “Their bodies do not adjust as well as young people to sudden changes in temperature, they are more likely to have a chronic medical condition that changes normal body responses to heat and they are often on a prescription medicine that impairs the body’s ability to regulate its temperature or that inhibits perspiration,” he continues.
If you are a senior or caring for an elderly individual, the following tips, from the local Home Instead Senior Care office, will help them combat the heat:
• Keep a glass of water in every room to quickly and easily access fluids. Drink plenty of fluids, even if you don’t feel thirsty.
• Go through the closet and remove all heavy materials, long sleeves and dark colors. Store them until fall.
• Set fashion trends. If you’re in need of new clothes, check out the latest fashion magazines. Look for short sleeves, lightweight rayons or cottons and light-colored clothing that reflect the heat.
• Stay out of the sun during the hottest times of the day. Fill up your bird feeder in the morning and water the lawn at night. Sunburn makes the job of heat dissipation that much more difficult.
• Save household chores, particularly washing and drying clothes and operating the dishwasher, for evenings, when the weather is cooler.
• Take a nap during high heat times–between 3 and 5 p.m. in the afternoon, for instance–or find a good television program or movie to watch.
• While you’re napping or enjoying a movie, keep shades down and blinds pulled. Keeping a house tightly closed is more energy efficient.
• Invite your friends over for an iced tea break. Replace coffee breaks with iced tea or lemonade breaks in an air-conditioned spot–not the patio. Staying in an air-conditioned dwelling during hot days is safer.
• Go on a shopping spree. If you don’t have an air conditioner, or if yours is broken, spend the afternoon at the mall. You can shop or just enjoy cool drinks and a good book.
• Put away that meat loaf recipe for the summer and track down new recipes for fruit and vegetable salads. Foods like proteins that increase metabolic heat production also increase water loss.
• If increased use of a central air conditioning system causes higher utility bills that are a problem for your budget, consider purchasing a fan or small window unit that can cool down a home at a lower cost. In fact, window fans provide an effective way to exhaust the day’s hot air during the night.
For more information about the heat, visit the National Weather Service Web site at noaa.gov and the Federal Emergency Management Agency Web site at fema.gov. To learn more about Home Instead Senior Care, call 480827-4343 or go to homeinstead.com.
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PLANNING TOWN HALL: Jane and Al Andersen. Submitted photo
Help our students return to school ready to learn
BY COUNCILMAN KEVIN HARTKE
Students may be excited to start the summer break but administrators, teachers and volunteers are already busy preparing for the next school year. One of the keys to achieving educational success is to ensure that every student comes to school ready to learn. Unfortunately, thousands of Chandler students start each school year without adequate school supplies. In an effort to efficiently address this issue, a dozen local organizations are coordinating the Operation Back to School Chandler donation drive.
Education Foundation, Chandler Non-Profit Coalition, Chandler Unified School District, City of Chandler Neighborhood Resources Division, CrossRoads Nazarene Church, Fans Across America, The YMCA, Boys & Girls Club, The East Valley Jewish Community Center, Si Se Puede and ICAN.
In the past, school supply drives have been organized by individual agencies. By pulling resources together, Operation Back to School Chandler is streamlining the process of collecting items and distributing them during one single event. This prevents duplication of efforts by the agencies involved and provides accountability for the receiving parties. Nobody wants to give the second or fifth backpack to a student, especially when there are other needs unmet.
The organizations that have come forward to coordinate Operation Back to School Chandler are: For Our CityChandler, Chandler CARE Center, Chandler Christian Community Center, Chandler
This year’s school supply drive is the largest in Chandler’s history. It aims to provide backpacks, shoes, socks, underwear, uniforms and other supplies to 10,000 elementary, middle and high school students in need. The drive is open and will culminate with the distribution of supplies during a single event on Sat., July 20.
The Chandler Unified School District is dedicated to providing transportation assistance to the donation site on July 20. Anyone needing transportation can ask for information by calling 480-812-7650. Students seeking donations on that day are encouraged to bring an identification card as well as a recent report card. Parents can attend on behalf of their children provided they also bring proof of their children’s enrollment at a Chandler school.
During the event, various agencies will provide information about school-related services and offer opportunities for students to be immunized and take vision tests free of charge.
Individuals or groups interested in donating supplies to support Operation Back to School Chandler can find information online at forourcity.org/ Chandler.html or by calling 480-782-2214. Drop-off sites are located throughout the city and monetary donations are accepted through PayPal at chandlerfoodbank. org by clicking on the “donation” tab and indicating “Back-to-School” in the Purpose section. The Chandler Christian Community Center is also accepting checks and cash donations for the event. There are many opportunities for individuals or groups to volunteer on July
20 as well as weeks in advance. Please sign up to volunteer at the forourcity.org/ Chandler.html website as well. Operation Back to School will be a tremendous success because our Chandler community and the organizations that serve it are amazing. We have visionary leaders who understand that we can do more together by addressing needs that are greater than what any individual agency can accomplish alone. It is our hope that every student in Chandler will enjoy the summer break and come back in July ready and eager to broaden their worlds and understanding.
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Councilman Kevin Hartke