BUCKEYE WOMAN STABBED TO DEATH, PAGE 2
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Tonopah to get pseudo substation
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MCSO deputies to occupy shutdown Winters Well Elementary School by Chris Caraveo staff writer
that there’s opportunities out there and that they really can do that if they want to,” Davis said. Davis started her professional life in another career, but realized the firefighting industry spoke to her louder, she said, adding if there had been a program such as this one when she was a teen, she would have heard those calls earlier. “I think I would have started my career in the fire service sooner. I got out of college and started my career as a teacher, so I taught for five years and then I decided it wasn’t what I wanted to do forever. Then I had a couple of people in my life who were firefighters and were good examples for me and kind of mentors to me. That led me in this direction,” Davis said. The camp trained the girls in various firefighting skills including certifying each girl for CPR, Davis said. “The whole purpose of it is to encourage them to get out of their comfort zone and know that they can do whatever they want to do,” Davis said. “They’re conquering some of their fears and being exposed to some females who are in positions that are not necessarily traditional female jobs.” Hannah conquered her fears by climbing the
The bell last rang out for Winters Well Elementary School in Tonopah about five years ago. Soon, however, the school will be back in session. Well, for sheriff’s deputies at least. The Saddle Mountain Unified School District approved a facility use agreement with Maricopa County and the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office at its June 8 board meeting. The deal calls for MCSO to occupy a space at Winters Well — which has been closed since 2012 — after multiple reports of vandalism at the school. The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors approved the agreement at its June 21 meeting. “It’s kind of a win-win,” Saddle Mountain Superintendent Paul Tighe said. “Having MCSO deputies working from office space at the Winters Well campus will provide a law enforcement presence in an area previously prone to vandalism, and will benefit the community in providing shorter response times to calls for assistance in the Tonopah area.” The closest stations to the area are in Avondale and Gila Bend, both more than 25 miles away. The District 2 Substation at 920 E. Van Buren St. in Avondale serves Maricopa County south of Northern Avenue and west of Central Avenue. MCSO’s space at Winters Well will consist of three work stations inside one of the rooms, serving as a stopping point for deputies to get out of their vehicles, eat a meal and take care of paperwork and administrative tasks. With the county’s approval June 21, it is only a matter of time before MCSO begins using the school. “There is no hard date at this time,” according to MCSO officials. “We are in the process of finalizing agreements and once complete, will move towards moving office equipment into the area to be used. Optimistically, we would like to be in place before the school year begins.” The term of the agreement is effective for five years with three automatic renewals for one-year terms. MCSO will have access to the space at all times along with the parking lot.
(See Fire on Page 4)
(See Substation on Page 3)
View photo by Jordan Christopher
NO PLACE LIKE HOME Agua Fria standout returns to Valley; plays four games at Chase Field as a Philly — Page 10.
GOODYEAR FIREFIGHTER SHEYNA MCCLURE, right, and Hannah Smock, 17, perform an extended ladder climb during the Goodyear Fire Department’s annual Camp Fires program June 21 at Goodyear Fire Station 183. To see all photos from this shoot, go to www.westvalleyview.com/pictures.
(Fire)fighting like a girl Goodyear introduces teenagers to fire department job by Kourtney Balsan special to the View
CELEBRATING OUR INDEPENDENCE Fourth of July festivities set in West Valley — Page 9.
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‘Fighting like a girl’ has a whole new meaning as girls train to join a male-dominated industry. Goodyear held its annual all girls Camp Fires June 19 to 23 to introduce teen girls to the job of firefighting. “People think of firemen — men — as if it were only a guy thing. It’s for women, too, but that’s not why we’re doing it — we don’t need to prove ourselves. Girls have been firefighters before. Again, we don’t need to prove ourselves, we just think it’s interesting and want to do it,” camp participant Hannah Smock, 17, of Goodyear said. Lora Davis, Goodyear firefighter and program lead, has been fighting fires with the city since she began her career 11 years ago and wanted to introduce girls to a career they may not have considered before, she said. “There’s not a ton of diversity as far as females to males ratio goes. We only have five women on the Goodyear Fire Department out of 90 or so line guys. It’s not necessarily about wanting all these girls to become firefighters, but I know when I was in high school, I didn’t have anything like this and so this is showing them
Buckeye city attorney retires after 17 years by Chris Caraveo staff writer
The city of Buckeye said goodbye to a top official after 17 years of service. Scott Ruby retired as the city attorney with a short ceremony at the June 20 City Council meeting. “Scott has been our friend and legal mind for more than 17 years,” Buckeye Mayor Jackie Meck said. “We thank you for your service, dedication and guidance over the years. We will truly miss you and wish Scott Ruby
you much relaxation in retirement.” Ruby started as Buckeye’s attorney in 2000 through a contract with Gust Rosenfeld, PLC, and helped it move from “town” to “city” status in 2013. “Scott has been instrumental in guiding Buckeye to the success we are currently enjoying today,” Communications Manager Annie DeChance said. Ruby reviewed the guidelines and application procedures for community facilities districts, and also pre-annexation and development agreements with Caterpillar on a property north of Interstate 10 at Verrado Way. The property was called White Stone, but is now known as Verrado. He continued to develop and lay the groundwork and documentation to form 11 community
facilities districts throughout the city. Ruby’s success recouping the city’s true costs covered spurred developers to work for years to get the law changed to limit what can be charged to establish CFDs. He also created the districts that were put in place and used for the 2008 election, and helped negotiate the terms to bring Jones Ford to Buckeye. “Scott, thank you for your service and knowledge of Buckeye,” Councilman Eric Orsborn said. “You’ve been instrumental in helping council understand the history of various projects and you’ve had a big impact on the city.” Chris Caraveo can be reached at ccaraveo@westvalleyview.com.