Council hears about child care crisis and hospital roundabout project at September 10 meeting

Members of the Globe City Council: Mayor Al Gameros, Vice Mayor Mike Stapleton (District 4), and Council members Freddy Rios (District 1), Mike Pastor (District 2), Jesse Leetham (District 3), Mariano Gonzalez (District 5), and Fernando Shipley (District 6). All members were in attendance at this meeting except Councilman Shipley.

BHP explains the hospital roundabout and buttress project

Representatives from BHP, including Rahul Peroor, the Program Manager for Legacy Assets, and Jim Ryan, a senior civil engineer with Stantec Consulting, presented details about BHP’s “Solitude” project and the work going on at the hospital roundabout. 

The Solitude project involves constructing a buttress to prevent failure during large seismic events, and that the roundabout at the hospital is needed to allow BHP to safely transport rock material for this construction.

Peroor said the roundabout will be used by BHP dump trucks delivering materials to the buttress project through 2026. At the peak of the project, the roundabout will handling 24 trucks per day, making three trips each, for a total of about 75 trips daily – about 10 to 12 every hour.

To facilitate the project, BHP conducted several studies:

• A traffic impact analysis to identify the best route for transporting materials.
• A pavement condition analysis to measure current state of the roads on the routes that were considered.
• A falling weight deflectometer to assess the load-bearing capacity of the roads.
• Ground-penetrating radar to evaluate the roads’ structural section.

Based on this information, BHP selected the route that will have the least impact on the community, which was determined to be Hospital Drive at the east access to the hospital.

The testing also identified that a section of Hospital Drive needed remediation due to its deteriorating condition. This work, including laying new asphalt and installing a water resistant fabric, has already been done and will extend the service life of Hospital Drive by about five years, Peroor said.

The studies also showed some issues with safety at the intersection at Hospital Drive and Besich due to its design. BHP, the hospital, and other stakeholders determined that a roundabout would be the best solution to solve the traffic problems there and allow for BHP’s construction traffic.

After the hauling is complete, BHP will test the road again to ensure it’s still in good condition. At that time, BHP will also cover the roundabout area with vegetation to improve the aesthetics. The roundabout is designed for a 20-year service life.

Related to this presentation, council approved signing a development agreement between the City of Globe and BHP for the roundabout project and agreeing to provide city utility services, pending final legal review. City Engineer Luis Chavez pointed out that the agreement includes conditions providing for road repair if issues arise post-construction.

First Things First offers support for child care in region

Veronica Gossett, Community Engagement Coordinator for the First Things First organization, delivered a presentation about the organization, which supports early childhood development in the regions of Gila and San Carlos Apache in Arizona.

Gossett said 60% of young children in Arizona live in households where both parents work. Child care has become a critical issue, affecting Arizona’s workforce and economy. A recent report stated that Arizona loses $4.7 billion annually due to the lack of available and affordable child care.

“Our economy cannot grow or thrive without more quality dependable, affordable child care.” Veronica Gossett, First Things First

Gossett said in Gila County, there are approximately 920 children under the age of five with working parents, but fewer than 200 child care slots available. The local child care situation has worsened with the recent closure of the Miami Head Start, leaving parents scrambling for child care solutions, and they often turn to unregulated options that pose risks to young children.

Gossett emphasized that child care should be considered essential infrastructure for any community, as it directly impacts economic development. She noted that 48% of Arizona is classified as a child care desert, meaning there are three or more children for every available child care slot.

The cost of child care has outpaced inflation and, for infants, it can be more expensive than in-state college tuition.

Gossett explained that First Things First focuses on children from birth to age five. Established in 2006 as a voter initiative, it aims to provide parental support, improve children’s early learning experiences, and lead to healthier outcomes for children.

The organization advocates for early childhood issues through community engagement coordinators and regional partnership councils. FTF also works with government affairs at the state legislature to fund local programs that prepare children to enter kindergarten healthy and ready to learn.

“The child care system is a broken system, and parents and families simply cannot pay more. We need more investment on every level to help families and our economy to thrive.” Veronica Gossett, First Things First

Gossett urged local leaders to help raise awareness and engage in conversations with businesses and government officials about the child care crisis. She highlighted that Councilmember Fernando Shipley, Mayor Gameros, Linda Oddonetto, Melissa Steele, and others are already involved in addressing the issue, and asked for continued support.

Carolyn Haro, FTF’s Regional Director for the Gila region, added that the closure of the Miami Head Start was due to a workforce shortage. She said a task force is working on initiatives to “grow our own” early childhood educators and child care workforce, with ideas like creating a pipeline starting in high school.

First Things First is considering offering training for family members and neighbors who may be caring for children informally. Haro invited input and ideas from the community to strengthen the local child care system.

Mayor Gameros emphasized that child care is a local, state, and national issue. He highlighted the need to elevate the discussion to the federal level, given the impact of unaffordable child care on economies and communities.

City receives ‘Safe Streets and Roads for All’ demonstration grant

Globe has received a grant from the US Department of Transportation that will pay for installing temporary safety improvements in Globe to demonstrate their effectiveness.

The grant, in the amount of $124,846, is part of DOT’s 2023 “Safe Streets and Roads for All” grant program. It requires a City match of $31,212, for a total project amount of $156,058.

The grant will allow the City to implement temporary improvements, such as narrowing road corridors, adding crosswalks, using recycled materials, and installing signage and plastic delineators. The demonstration area will be the Broad Street Corridor and the downtown district.

Grant Manager Connie Callaway explained that this is an important demonstration grant aimed at improving pedestrian safety and adopting the Vision Zero initiative. The goal is to gather data and engage the public to support a future implementation grant, which could be worth millions of dollars and would fund permanent citywide improvements. Public input is crucial, as it will help shape the final plan for the larger implementation grant.

Callaway highlighted that this is the first DOT grant in about ten years, bringing direct federal funding to the city. Mayor Gameros pointed out that the grant application included participation by ASU students who provided ideas and renderings for the project.

Paint scheme approved for downtown building after tense discussion

Council approved a request by the owners of the Gibson building, located at 150 N. Broad Street, to apply a new exterior paint scheme and install an awning. However, there was a lengthy discussion about the difficulties the owners had experienced due to not being informed about the requirements of owning a business in the historic district.

Zoning Administrator Dana Burkhardt explained that the owners had requested to make changes to the appearance of the building, including adding a new awning in a color referred to as Sunbrella Jockey Red and painting other parts of the building in “Rocky Mountain Red” and “Viva Las Vegas,” a yellow tone. The Historic Preservation Advisory Commission recommended approval of the request.

Councilman Leetham pointed out that the owners started work before they had the proper approvals, leading to a stop-work order. They then did follow the necessary procedures with HPAC, and HPAC provided the recommendation to approve the colors.

Mayor Gameros suggested the awning color should fit well with the existing colors of the historic district and should be a dark color. He pointed out that owners of downtown buildings have to follow guidelines from HPAC to maintain the historic integrity of the downtown area.

Councilman Gonzalez noted that Globe has had to fight in the state legislature for the right to exercise local control – such as setting standards for the appearance of buildings in the historic district – when the legislature wanted to give developers carte blanche about what they can do with properties.

“We’ve been fighting very hard across the board, in all subject-matter areas, to alert the state legislature that we want to be left alone to control our own destiny. And this is one of those examples why.” Councilman Mariano Gonzalez

The owners of the building, Paul and Virginia Milberry, spoke about their ongoing struggle to get the building painted and to install the awning. Mr. Millberry described a frustrating process of being cited by code enforcement and then being unable to make progress on painting the building because of approval delays due to the meeting schedules of HPAC and Council, including Council’s decision to cancel its August 27 meeting. 

Milberry also said new guidelines for historical buildings, approved in March 2023, had not been published or distributed to building owners or real estate agents.

Millberry assured Council he does want to use historical colors, and suggested better communication and prior conversations between the city and building owners could have prevented the delays and frustrations he experienced. He also criticized the city’s failure to publish and distribute the new guidelines on time, which he believed contributed to the confusion and delays.

Milberry said even though he owns two buildings on Broad Street and has owned one of them for over 10 years, he had not known about the HPAC process and was unaware of the guidelines until recently.

Councilman Leetham pointed out that when someone purchases a property, they need to do due diligence about their responsibilities, because the City can’t be responsible for making sure every one of the hundreds of business owners in Globe knows everything they need to know.

“We’re not dictators, but we’re in there to keep the integrity of our downtown district, and there’s a process for it.” Mayor Gameros

Councilman Rios noted that the City has been working to improve transparency and communication with local businesses. The city has developed processes and guidelines to help businesses understand requirements, including creating a packet for new business owners, which is available on the City’s website and includes historic district guidelines and an approved color palette.

Economic Development Director Linda Oddonetto said the City has established a PDM – pre-development meeting – process to help business owners do their due diligence, and has delivered hard copies of the historical district guidelines to all the local real estate agencies, as well as PDM applications and business license applications.

The request for the paint color and awning was approved on condition that the owners provide a swatch of the proposed awning color so council can ensure it will fit in the historic district.

Motions approved

Council also approved motions for the following:

• Accounts payable in the amount of $2,492,603.02. Councilman Rios pointed out that this amount is unusually high, with $1.4 million going towards paying down the debt owed to the Public Safety Personnel Retirement System (PSPRS). Years ago, the state shifted responsibility for funding this retirement plan to cities and municipalities, a burden that was previously handled by the state. The city is paying down this debt, which is costly now but will save taxpayers a significant amount of money in the future. Councilman Rios pointed out that the City is not only making the required payments but also adding extra funds to pay off the debt faster. The funding for the PSPRS pay-down comes from an additional 0.3% sales tax, and once the debt is fully paid off, this tax will be removed.
• Ratifying a Letter of Interest to request the US Army Corps of Engineers provide follow-on design and construction assistance to complete the Apache Peaks waterline replacement, for a total request amount of $6,520,000.
• Ratifying a Letter of Interest to request the US Army Corps of Engineers to provide a feasibility study for the McCormick Wash Diversion Tunnel, located in the City of Globe, for a total request of $100,000.
• Approving an engagement letter with Colby & Powell, PLC Certified Public Accountants, to provide the City’s FY22 Single Financial Audit and Annual Expenditure Limitation Report.
• Approving a contract with Matrix New World in the amount of $28,997.21 for project management, underground sampling, bioremediation evaluation, and reporting relating to the underground storage tank remediation at the Public Works yard. Travis Ashbaugh explained that in December 1991, the ADEQ assigned a leaking underground storage tank (LUST) file number due to petroleum hydrocarbon contamination found in soil samples. Various mitigation efforts have been undertaken since then, with the last major efforts in 2020, when retesting showed no current contamination. To prevent future issues, Matrix installed equipment to manage underground vapors. Funding from a $1 million mitigation grant ran out in July 2023, putting the project on hold. Recent discussions with ADEQ and Matrix led to the contract being approved today, which aims to retest the site and plan further remediation if needed. Ashbaugh noted that the tanks were removed years ago, and only the vapors have needed to be managed since then.
• Approving Globe becoming an additional party to an existing Good Neighbor agreement between Resolution Copper and the Town of Superior. Resolution’s Bryan Seppala explained that the agreement facilitates communication and support between the parties for the life of the Resolution project, and doesn’t involve political matters. Councilman Rios will be representing the city on the committee for this agreement.
• Approving receipt of a Resolution Copper Corporate Giving Grant Award in the amount of $6,000, which will go toward funding the Annual Disc Golf Tournament for $1,000 and City of Globe First Friday Events for $5,000. Connie Callaway explained that the fund for the disc golf tournament will cover the cost of portajohns, and the First Friday money will pay for an event trailer. Seppala pointed out that the Resolution grant is available to nonprofits, municipalities, and schools within a 40-mile radius, and the city is eligible to apply twice a year.
• Approving a memorandum of understanding between the Gila County Provisional Community College District and the City of Globe Police Department allowing the college to use police training equipment in their Law Enforcement Training Program. Lt. Steve Williams explained that the MOU is part of an effort to restart a local police academy that was previously successful. The goal is to have the academy operational by January, but it needs support from the police department, including equipment and trainers. The equipment involved is mostly low-cost items such as defensive tactics gear, and the MOU will be valid for one year. The community will benefit from having a local police academy, which will aid in recruiting and retaining local officers and will reduce the need to send officers out of town for training.
• Approving a grant agreement with the Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs in the amount of $333,320 to address human trafficking. Lt. Williams explained that this grant will cover 33% of the salaries for the Advocacy Center director and grant manager, as well as 33% of the salary for a detective involved in human trafficking cases, for two years, plus $38,272 for a victim advocate’s salary over two years, funding for nine license plate reader cameras, and training expenses related to human trafficking, including conferences and software for victim tracking. The grant runs through the end of 2026 and is non-matching, meaning there is no requirement for a local financial contribution.
• Approving a change order to a contract with Meridian Engineering for the Upper Pinal Creek Bridge and Hill Street Corridor Project in the amount of $116,503.30. City Engineer Luis Chavez explained that the money will pay for grade adjustment and additional construction that resulted from miscalculations in the deck elevations. The problem was identified before the concrete was poured but still caused delays of approximately two months for redesign and an additional two and a half months for reconstruction. The City negotiated the amount of the change order down from Meridian’s original request amount of $180,000, and eventually the City will be reimbursed by EPS Group. Chavez said the road closure resulting from this project will last for approximately 10 weeks. This has already prompted complaints from the community, and Council brought up the possibility of opening a temporary lane, opening sections of the road temporarily, or using other measures to reduce the impact on drivers. The goal is to avoid repeated disruptions by completing all necessary work before reopening the road. The public will be informed about the closure via social media, newspapers, and radio.
• Approving a contract for the purchase of a 900-gallon truck-mounted combination sewer cleaner in the amount of $599,432.18. Travis Ashbaugh explained that the previous jetter truck was involved in an accident in July 2023 and was declared a total loss. Since then, each time a jetter truck is needed, it costs approximately $5,000 per call. The new jetter truck will be purchased through the City’s membership with Sourcewell, a municipal contracting agency, which makes it possible to bypass the lengthy procurement process and offers a 3% discount on the truck purchase. Insurance provided $107,318 for the previous truck, which originally cost $250,000 in about 2007. The City expects to receive the new truck in about six to eight months.
• Renewing five contracts for on-call services through June 30, 2025, as follows:
  • With Sunrise Engineering for civil engineering and professional support services as needed,
  • With Sunrise Engineering for engineering survey services as needed,
  • With Richard Powers for civil engineering and professional support services as needed,
  • With EPS Group for civil engineering and professional support services as needed, and
  • With EPS Group for engineering survey services as needed.

Travis Ashbaugh explained that this is the first-year renewal of two possible renewal years for these contracts, and some of the funding might come from WIFA reimbursement or grant reimbursement. Linda Oddonetto pointed out that these renewals are part of the City’s continuing relationships with vendors who assist with major infrastructure projects and help expand the City’s staff capabilities. For example, when applying for construction funds, the City often needs design work done in advance, and on-call professional services are used for this design work or for creating estimates, which helps expedite the process. Each contract is capped at $80,000, regardless of budget status or availability of grants, but Travis said the actual expenditures are usually well below the $80,000 limit.

To view this meeting online, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fo1bXlt0UQ&t.

To view documents related to this meeting, click here. 

Full minutes can be found by going to the City Hall website at https://www.globeaz.gov/government and clicking on Agendas/Minutes in the bottom left-hand corner.

The Globe City Council meets every second and fourth Tuesday of the month at 6:00 p.m. at City Hall. The meetings are currently open to the public at 50% capacity. Members of the public are requested to wear a mask except when seated. Seating is limited to allow for social distancing.

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