BUCKEYE MAN GETS 25 YEARS FOR MURDER, PAGE 2
westvalleyview.com — the newspaper of Avondale, Buckeye, Goodyear, Litchfield Park & Tolleson, AZ 50¢ Wednesday, June 22, 2016 (623) 535-8439
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W.V. park closed for upgrades
DIGNIFIED DISPOSAL
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Friendship Park project includes splash pad, picnic shelters, restrooms, landscaping by Glenn Gullickson staff writer
MARK YOUR CALENDAR Looking for something to do? Check out the 9 Days a Week calendar — Page 22.
THE WATER’S FINE Litchfield Park pool participating in World’s Largest Swimming Lesson — Page 10.
APPEAL DENIED Arizona Supreme Court upholds Baseline Killer’s sentence — Page 2.
DAILY UPDATES! News Updates and fresh Classified ads posted Monday - Friday at 4:30 p.m. online at www.westvalleyview.com Volume 31, No. 11 32 Pages 1 Section Circulation: 73,391 INDEX Classifieds .................... 27 Editorials & Letters .......... 6 Obituaries ...................... 24 Sports ........................... 13 Briefcase ....................... 11 9 Days a Week............... 22 Recycle this paper
View photo by Ray Thomas
MILES BENSON of Buckeye disposes a U.S. flag during a retirement ceremony June 11 at American Legion Post 53 in Buckeye. Several flags were disposed of in accordance with the United States Flag Code, which states when a flag is in such a condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem for display, it should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning. To see all photos from this shoot, go to www.westvalleyview.com/pictures.
View food drive ends Total weight comes in at half of last year’s; lighter foods, heavier grocery costs cited as reasons by Jack Hines III special to the view
The View’s 11th annual summer food drive has concluded, with donations weighing in at 2,122 pounds — less than half of last year’s 4,204 pounds collected. “It’s definitely been scary this year,” said Cassie Wilkins, director for All Faith Community Services Food Banks, which has locations in Buckeye and Goodyear. “We have seen a drop across the board.” Some of her theories for the drop in weight include a lack of heavier food items donated and
a focus on more cost-efficient items, such as dry soups. “A lot of the product we’ve seen coming in are things like dried foods and snacks,” Wilkins said. Ramen soup was one of the most donated items this year, with a low price tag for its offered yield. “I have almost half a bay that is full of nothing but crates of ramen soup,” Wilkins said. She cites the increasing prices of groceries as one of the biggest concerns for food donations. “With the cost of groceries being what they are, we aren’t seeing the same food items that (See Food drive on Page 5)
Construction on a $3.5 million renovation project at Friendship Park means that Avondale’s largest and busiest park that attracts walkers, anglers, children and ball players has closed for the summer months. “We know we’re displacing individuals for a short period of time, but when we reopen, it’s going to be so much better,” said Kirk Haines, Avondale’s director of parks, recreation and libraries. The 55-acre park at 12325 W. McDowell Road closed June 20, and while the reopening date hasn’t been set, Haines said it’s expected to occur on Labor Day weekend in early September. When the park reopens, it will have a new splash pad, picnic areas, additional restrooms and improved landscaping, Haines said. “When the community comes back to the park, it should look brand new,” he said. “It’s really exciting. Everything’s coming together.” Haines said safety is the primary reason the park has been closed during construction. “We’re going to be renovating many things that are going to leave trenches and unsafe conditions,” he said. “We don’t want people walking around the park when there’s a hazard.” Completed earlier was the replacement of equipment at two of the park’s three playgrounds. Last month, staging areas were set up for the contractor and work started on underground installations necessary for the splash pad and new restrooms. “The feature of the park will be the splash pad,” Haines said. “Kids will run and play, get wet and cool down.” The 1,800-square-foot splash pad will feature a mosaic tile design of a tortoise created by a youth art project. Haines said the city wanted to complete the work so residents could enjoy the splash pad by the end of the summer. He hopes to keep the water feature open as long as possible into the fall. Near the splash pad, new restrooms will be constructed along with four new picnic shelters. Haines said the picnic shelters, which will be rented, will each accommodate 35 to 50 people. Larger groups could arrange to use multiple shelters, he said. One of the multi-use athletic fields on the south side of the park will be eliminated to make space for the new features and create some open space for play, something Haines said was lacking in the park. Two other picnic shelters will be installed near the playground near the park’s lake and the restroom there will be renovated, Haines said. The park’s entrance will change with a traffic light installed that’s part of a street project on McDowell Road, Haines said. (See Park on Page 5)