Council hears about water sustainability study at 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 Pastor.

Water sustainability study moves forward

The City of Globe is working with a contractor to study the City’s water sustainability. The contractor, Paul Hendricks of EUSI LLC explained that the study will evaluate the pumping capacities of the City’s groundwater wells. 

The study will include: 

• collecting, reviewing, and analyzing hydrologic data
• determining groundwater quantity
• assessing groundwater quality, including checking for contaminants such as arsenic, fluoride, and others
• identifying potential new well sites in the Cutter Basin and Aliso well fields
• performing an analysis to determine the long-term sustainability of the Cutter Basin well field and other City wells.

Hendricks pointed out that Council has an interest in staying decades ahead of any possibility of running out of water - a necessity that was mentioned at Council’s last meeting. He mentioned that the water table in the Cutter Basin has gone down. 

The study will include predicting long-term pumping rates and looking at the possibility of deepening existing wells. Hendricks said new technology makes it possible to make pilot holes with a small bit so they can determine the feasibility of deepening individual wells before the wells are drilled deeper.

A company called Matrix, formerly Southwest Groundwater, will be part of the study team, and is already very familiar with the Cutter Basin.

The study will take about 15 weeks to complete, and then City staff will need two to four weeks to review the results.

Council approved a task order for a contract with EUSI LLC to perform the water sustainability study. The budget for this study is $60,000 plus direct project expenses, and the City hopes to receive reimbursement through WIFA or another grant.

Employee recognitions

Council recognized the following employees for their years of service to the City of Globe:

• Michael Peterson, Fire Department, for 25 years of service. Chief Robinson said Peterson has had a great impact in the technical rescue program, where he has served as an instructor and has worked diligently to learn new skills and techniques. Chief Robinson praised Peterson for his dedication.
• Karl “Bo” Bowsher, Firefighter, for five years of service. Chief Robinson said Bowsher brings a positive and willing attitude and praised him for his dedication.
• Rayel Starling, Library Director, for 5 years of service. City Manager Paul Jepson praised Starling for performing a wide variety of roles, especially during the difficulties of the pandemic. 
• Dale Walters, Chief of Police, for five years of service. Jepson said Chief Walters has made a significant difference since he took the reins and has made Globe a safer city. Jepson praised him for rapidly turning around the department’s organizational culture and said Chief Walters has raised the bar in Gila County for organizations to match.

Motions approved

Council also approved motions for the following:

• Accounts payable in the amount of $453,249.56
• Setting aside $750,000 for possible use as matching funds for a $3 million WIFA Water Conservation Grant the City hopes to receive for its water meter project, discussed at a previous meeting. The grant is awaiting approval by the WIFA board.
• A change order for a contract with HT4 for the Pasquale Water Line Project in the amount of $3,000. During the work on the water line, the City discovered an existing sewer line issue that needed emergency repairs.

To view this meeting online, visit https://www.youtube.com/GNuI8kRleSg.

To view documents related to this meeting, click here.

Full minutes can be found by going to the City Hall website .

The Globe City Council meets every second and fourth Tuesday of the month at 6:00 p.m. at City Hall. Members of the public can also participate in City of Globe public meetings by viewing the meeting live on YouTube. To view the Council meeting live stream, go to the City of Globe’s YouTube channel (search for City of Globe Arizona). Or click on the “Live Stream on YouTube” link at the top of www.globeaz.gov.

To speak to agenda items before or during the meeting, call or text (928) 200-0154 or email council@globeaz.gov.