Gilbert Sun News: Community - April 2016

Emotions high at hearing on repurposing two junior highs

BY SRIANTHI PERERA

Parents, teachers and students packed into the auditorium of Mesquite High School on March 22 to share their views—some emotional, some stoic—with the Gilbert Public Schools’ Governing Board on the possible closure and boundary changes of Mesquite and Gilbert junior highs to accommodate Gilbert Classical Academy.

Fifty-three people signed up to speak, and GPS Superintendent Dr. Christina M. Kishimoto extended the two-hour meeting by another hour to accommodate the voices from the stakeholders of all three schools.

The board plans to make a decision at its regular meeting on April 26.

Community embraces task of designing South Gilbert park

BY SRIANTHI PERERA

Multiuse trails and sports fields are the two features residents say they would prefer most for Gilbert’s new 272-acre park on Chandler Heights Basin.

Residents have also indicated strong support for a recreation center, picnic ramadas and a fishing lake, and support for an amphitheater, aquatics, playgrounds, nature area and a splash pad. These preferences were gathered from three design workshops— entitled “Creating the Vision,” “Refining the Vision” and “Presenting the Vision”—that were held several times by the Town’s Parks and

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Recreation Department earlier this year to help draw up conceptual plans for the site.

Located south of Queen Creek Road and west of Higley Road, the 225-acre Chandler Heights Basin is used to collect water during heavy rains.

Last fall, following an agreement between Gilbert and the Flood Control District of Maricopa, the Town received the go-ahead to develop the area for recreational use. Additionally, Gilbert owns about 47 acres immediately adjacent to the basin. Together, the acres are to be developed as a 272-acre regional park in South Gilbert.

Incorporating the preferred facilities chosen by the residents and well as other features, Town-hired consultants have drawn up three design concepts.

Gilbert plans to present the three concepts at a 15 percent design level to the Parks, Recreation and Library Services Advisory Board (with 100 percent being a design ready to be bid and built) during its upcoming meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 5, at the Council Chambers.

Management Support Analyst Melanie Dykstra indicated that the meeting would be another good opportunity for residents to find out more on the project.

So far, the new park has received an enthusiastic response from residents, staffers said.

Nearly 190 residents came to all three events of the first workshop,

while more than 400 individuals provided online feedback.

“We were very excited about the participation from the community because to have that many people physically attend and commit twoand-a-half hours of their time to participate in this was excellent,”

Dykstra said.

Each workshop was held more than once and presented to five focus

groups, including Town staff and the Mayor’s Youth Advisory Committee.

Dykstra said that everybody’s comments will be taken into consideration and that the overall vision will continue to be refined.

“People had some excellent ideas,” she said. “It’s great to see the different ideas come from all sections of the community, all age groups from the community and to know what’s

important to them.”

John Courtney, a consultant from California-based RJM Design Group, which is handling the public input aspect of the project, said that he also analyzed Gilbert’s 10-year Parks Master Plan, completed in 2014, and the Sports Field Needs Assessment done last year.

Both these documents were formulated following extensive public participation. Then, there’s the new input coming in almost daily.

“We’re continuously getting more feedback and making revisions and adjustments,” Courtney said.

Residents are also concerned about the cost, Courtney said.

While the cost estimate cannot be determined until the design is final, the Town is looking at various ways to raise the funds, Dykstra said.

Among them are using system development funds and selling two parcels of vacant land—60 acres on the southwest corner of Greenfield and Germann roads and 80 acres just south of the park site located on Chandler Heights Road. However, the sale has to be first approved by voters in an election, she said.

For residents, it will take a few years before the first ball may be tossed or the first picnic can get underway. In the meantime, there’s the participation.

“We’ve been excited to hear that synergy and get the comments from everyone...so that they can have a sense of ownership of the park as it goes forward,” Courtney said.

Gilbert Historical Society elects board, looks to new challenges

BY SRIANTHI PERERA

The Gilbert Historical Society has elected long-standing volunteer Katie Stringham as its new president.

Other officers in the board for the fiscal year starting April 1 are Cherie Scott, vice president; Tabitha Dumas, secretary; Marty Tomljenovic, treasurer; and Joan Kruegar, past president.

New members Sara Lidman and Mark Newman were also appointed to the 16-member board.

Stringham, who has served on the society’s board for six years, takes on the position during a time of change and challenge.

“I am excited to be leading this dynamic organization into a new future,” said Stringham, a Gilbert resident who works as a communications coordinator for a nonprofit serving Chandler youth.

The historical society, which is the governing entity for Gilbert Historical Museum, is expanding its outreach and programming through the “Communities for All Ages” model, which builds inter-generational bonds. One of the initiative’s main goals is to become self-sufficient at a time of dwindling public and private support for museums.

To further its plans and to fulfil the museum’s quest to become a selfsufficient entity, a capital campaign may be the way forward, officials say. But before the group begins one, it has hired Phoenix Philanthropy to conduct a feasible study.

Stringham said that civic engagement and social capital, two subjects she focused on for her recent master’s thesis, are lacking in Gilbert.

“While Gilbert has many fine

attributes as a community, I feel that we are lacking in those areas and I am confident that Gilbert Historical Society can fill that void, along with expanding our arts and culture footprint,” she said.

The museum, which has a contract to receive an annual funding of $50,000 from the town until 2017, has been in the black during the past few years. Its annual fundraising gala, held in March, also contributes to its success.

With the gala behind it, members are looking to the work to come.

Stringham said that the board members were selected “strategically.”

“We’ve been trying to get a diverse group of folks that are dynamic and really passionate about our new vision and about our new program model,” she said. “These folks fall right into that as do the current board members.”

Expansion set in motion for water facility

BY STEVEN SOLOMON

Countless cars drive by it on the way to the nearby Gilbert Soccer Complex, the occupants not giving a second’s thought to the iconic egg-shaped domes that have defined its presence since it opened nine years ago. But big things are in store for the Greenfield Water Reclamation Plant, jointly owned by the City of Mesa, Town of Gilbert and Town of Queen Creek, located at 4400 S. Greenfield Rd. in Gilbert.

A $1.2 million contract has been awarded to the Southwest division of McCarthy Building Companies for pre-construction services, which will be followed by an expansion project costing between $145 million and $165 million to nearly double the plant’s capacity. McCarthy constructed the original plant in a joint venture with Sundt Construction.

“The plant is nearing its treatment capacity,” said C. Renee Powell, a spokesperson for Mesa, which operates and maintains the facility for the three municipalities. “The residents will benefit from this expansion by continuing to have uninterrupted and issue-free sewer services.”

The plant treats waste material, such as human urine and feces, which is carried away from homes and other buildings in a system of pipes. The process consists of grit removal, primary clarifiers, activated sludge basins with aerobic and anoxic zones for biochemical oxygen demand, total suspended solids, and nitrogen removal, secondary clarifiers, filtration, disinfection and anaerobic digestion. The two large domes are the digesters. What comes out are biosolids used as fertilizer and reclaimed water for agriculture.

The reclaimed water is rated “A+ quality” by the Arizona State Department of Environmental Quality. Mesa’s portion of the reclaimed water is sent to the Gila River Indian Community as part of a long-term water exchange agreement to deliver reclaimed water to the community in exchange for Central Arizona Project water. The exchange is a 5 to 4 ratio, meaning Mesa gives Gila River 5 gallons of reclaimed water and receives 4 gallons of CAP water back in return.

McCarthy will assist in developing the design of the plant expansion and will begin assembling the resources to actually construct the plant. According to Mesa’s engineering department,

Gilbert native participates in NROTC ship selection draft

BY RICK BURKE, NAVY OFFICE OF COMMUNITY OUTREACH

Navy Midshipman Christopher O’Rourke from Gilbert participated in the Navy Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) ship selection draft as a future member of the U.S. Navy’s Surface Warfare Officer (SWO) community.

More than 280 midshipmen at 70 Navy Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) units around the country have selected to serve in the Navy as surface warfare officers. Each selecting midshipman is ranked according to his or her grade point average, aptitude scores and physical fitness.

“Located in Tempe, the Arizona State University NRTOC unit is a relatively new unit,” said O’Rourke. “Having started just a little over six years ago, we focus on developing midshipmen morally, mentally and physically in order to commission college graduates as some of the finest officers.”

McCarthy will look at the best value for construction and advise the designer on those cost considerations.

The costs will be split between the three municipalities, computed based on the anticipated utilization of the plant. For this expansion it is just under twothirds for Mesa. The remainder of the cost will be split between Gilbert and Queen Creek based on the final design.

According to McCarthy, the plant will remain operational during construction, which it said is expected to begin in spring 2017 and be completed in late 2019. Mesa, however, believes a more realistic timetable will see construction starting in early 2018 and completion in mid-2020.

The plant can handle 24 million gallons per day of solids, with a liquids capacity of 16 million gallons per day. The construction project adds a 14 million-gallon-per-day expansion of liquids and solids treatment that will allow the facility to treat up to 30 million gallons per day of liquids on a maximum monthly basis.

It’s expected that local subcontractors will be utilized for this large-scale

expansion, although it has not yet been determined how many. It will depend on what activities are taking place at the time. Construction hours will vary, depending on the activity and the time of year. The contractor will be required to follow Gilbert’s noise ordinance.

“We do not expect noise abatement issues during construction,” Powell said. “The project is separated from the nearest residential area by Greenfield Road, a site wall and a landscaped ‘buffer area’ that was installed with the original construction of the plant.”

While expanding the treatment capacities, the project will also enhance operations of the plant, including replacement, repair and rehabilitation of aging equipment.

And what about those nearby soccer fields?

“The project will not directly affect the soccer fields,” Powell promised. “There are no permanent construction aspects of this project that are planned for areas outside of the current plant site (wall). The plan is to keep traffic away from the soccer fields.”

According to their rankings, midshipmen provided their preference of ship or homeport to the junior officer detailer at the Navy Personnel Command in Millington, Tennessee. If these preferences were available, they were assigned as requested.

“I am excited to finally serve my country’s Navy combat team, something that I have been preparing to do for the past four years,” said O’Rourke. “I am looking forward to continue challenging myself so that I can keep growing as a commissioned officer and as an individual.”

O’Rourke, a 2012 Higley High School graduate, has selected to serve aboard the USS Hopper (DDG 70). O’Rourke is majoring in astronautical engineering while attending ASU. Upon graduation, he will receive a commission as a Navy ensign and report aboard Hopper as a surface warfare officer. USS Hopper, a guided missile destroyer, is a warship that provides multimission offensive and defensive capabilities. Destroyers can operate independently or as part of carrier strike groups, surface action groups, amphibious ready groups, and underway replenishment groups.

The midshipmen’s selection of their ship is not only a milestone for them but also an important day for the ships in the fleet. Not only do the midshipmen choose where

they are going to start their Naval career, but the ship they choose will also gain a motivated, eager, young officer to help lead and improve an already great team.

“This is an exciting day,” said Rear Adm. Stephen C. Evans, commander, Naval Service Training Command (NSTC), which oversees the NROTC program. “We have some of the finest talent in our nation and we have the opportunity to marry them up with some of our finest teams in our fleet.”

Evans also told the midshipmen that they should be excited, because they have a great future ahead of them on some of the Navy’s best platforms around the world.

While NROTC units are spread out across the country and vary in size, they all teach midshipmen the values, standards, abilities and responsibility that it takes to become a Navy officers and lead this nation’s sons and daughters in protecting freedom on the seven seas.

“NROTC has taught me how to become a leader and how to lead my peers more effectively,” added O’Rourke. “Participating in this program has given me a greater confidence in my abilities and has impressed on me how important it is to keep learning even after school is over.”

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Crawford named ‘Man of the Year’ by Chandler Men of Action

The Chandler Men of Action, an African-American youth empowerment organization, has awarded the 2016 Coy Payne Man of the Year Award to Dr. William H. Crawford III, vice president of student affairs at Chandler-Gilbert Community College. The presentation took place at the organization’s fourth annual banquet and fundraiser at the Chandler Community Center.

The award, which recognizes men who embody the CMOA mission of creating an environment of hope and opportunity for African-American youth, was given to Crawford for his commitment to educational leadership and the academic success of students in and outside of the classroom.

“Dr. Crawford exemplifies leadership in the educational community and beyond through his support, encouragement and participation in activities and programs that promote educational equity, which aligns with the mission and goals of both the Maricopa Community Colleges District

and the Chandler Men of Action,” said Pastor Victor Hardy, CMOA president. Crawford is chairman of the City of Chandler Merit System Board and chairman of the Si Se Puede Foundation’s board of directors. He is a board member of the East Valley Partnership, East Valley NAACP, and CMOA. He was previously employed with the Phoenix Police Department for more than 23 years, where he held numerous positions, He has doctorate and master’s degrees from Northern Arizona University and a bachelor’s degree in justice studies from ASU.

“Bill is an invaluable leader both at Chandler-Gilbert Community College and in the community,” said Dr. William Guerriero, interim president of CGCC.

“He is a consummate professional and a mentor to many at the college, ensuring that every action and activity taken at the college contributes to student success. The college is appreciative that he is being recognized with this honor.”

Dr. William Crawford, second from left, was recently honored with Coy Payne Man of the Year Award. He is pictured here with Dr. Craig Gilbert of Chandler Unified School District and past recipient of the Coy Payne Man of the Year; Micahel Abramson, recipient of the Victor Marquis Cooper Scholarship and Hamilton High School student; Evans Adusei, recipient of the Saunders Montague Scholarship and a Hamilton student; and Floyd Galloway, community advocate and past recipient of the Coy Payne Man of the Year Award. Submitted photo

TOP RATED ORTHODONTIST IN GILBERT

Those connected to the two schools that may be repurposed spoke strongly against letting go of their neighborhood school to pave the way for the highperforming academy—ranked by U.S. News and World Report as the No. 10 school in the nation and No. 3 in Arizona in 2015—which is on temporary digs on Greenfield Road.

Tamra King, a parent of four children, all of whom are associated with Gilbert Junior High, said that closing either school would bring hardship to many families because the two schools service some of the lowest income families in the district.

“Our kids go to school with holes in our shoes because we’re waiting for our tax money just so that we can get the shoes.” she said. “If you were to close our school that makes it so that we have to travel a farther distance. I know they’ll be taking a bus, but if they wanted to go to sports, how would they go to sports? Now they ride the bike to sports.”

Sandra Park, a mother of six schoolchildren, said that her kids have different schedules and bus times, “which is a struggle, to say the least.

“My mornings have to run like clockwork in order to get all of my children to their buses at the various

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times. Sending my daughter to another school that is much farther away will not only have an impact on my ability to get the other children to their buses on time, but will greatly increase the amount of time my daughter will be on a bus,” she said. “She’s already gone from our home for eight hours a day and we live a mile and a half from her school.”

Meanwhile, the stakeholders of the Gilbert Classical Academy, who have been denied of a proper high school for many years, were in favor of moving into Mesquite Junior High because of its high school infrastructure, such as the auditorium and athletic fields, and because they perceived that the school could handle the increased traffic and parking demands.

Parents of the academy’s students pointed out that their children, who work extremely hard on their academics, are denied of the facilities available to other high schoolers in Gilbert. For athletics, they use the resources of other high schools.

Michelle Bowers, a mother of two students attending the academy, pointed out that the school will enroll 570 students for the next school year and has 140 students on a waiting list, a significant percentage of whom are from other cities, and thus represent money lost for the district.

For several years, the GPS governing board has had a goal to find a permanent location for the 500-plus student school. After considering 16 options, it has decided to choose from the following three:

Moving Gilbert Classical Academy to Mesquite Junior High and moving the junior high’s students to Gilbert Junior

High to be combined

Moving Gilbert Classical Academy to Gilbert Junior High and moving the junior high’s students to Mesquite Junior High to be combined

Making Mesquite Junior High a school within a school by incorporating Gilbert Classical Academy within it. The change would be effective in the

GILBERT

81 S. McQueen Rd. Gilbert, AZ 85233

480.300.5100

2017-2018 school year.

A recurring allegation during the evening was that the attendance figures—and the accompanying waning enrollment in the two junior high schools—was a myth.

According to the district, the enrollment at Gilbert Junior High is 506 and total capacity is 963, while the enrollment at Mesquite Junior High is 661 and total capacity is 1,156.

Michael Horne, who has taught at Gilbert Junior High for 17 years, quoted GPS data and said that neither of the two schools are in low enrollment. Gilbert Junior High is at 73 percent capacity and Mesquite Junior High is at 80 percent capacity, he said.

“According to the latest census and current school enrollment projections, in three short years, Mesquite Junior High would be at almost 90 percent capacity and Gilbert Junior would be at a 105 percent,” he pointed out.

Lisa Nicita, who has three children studying in Gilbert schools, alleged that “the district superintendent has knowingly manipulated the campus figures in an attempt to sway public opinion...”

Nicita said that Kishimoto is being unfair to parents, who supported last year’s bond and override (Gilbert schools asked for and received an $18.6

million override and a $98 million bond at last year’s elections), and that her persuasive, yet fraudulent use of capacity figures should not rule governing board members.

“Please, please call her on it. Your reputations are at stake,” Nicita said, addressing the rest of the board by their first names.

While parents bemoaned longer commutes, scheduling difficulties, financial hardship and traffic/parking issues, students spoke of disrupted lessons and relationships and also having less use of facilities.

“We may not all be the doctors and lawyers of tomorrow, but we have the potential to be some of the greatest leaders of tomorrow,” a student said.

Kim Villella, a teacher at Gilbert Junior High with four decades of teaching under her belt, said that local neighborhood schools that anchor communities matter. If students have to take long bus drives across town, they will survive but not thrive, she said.

“I know we want better for all of our students in Gilbert,” Villella said.

“Local neighborhood schools are the heartbeat of the community. Cut out the heart and what happens to the brain?”

Write to Gilbert Public Schools at gcamove@gilbertschools.net.

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Railroad enthusiasts model their dream layout in museum

BY SRIANTHI PERERA

The town of Gilbert was built around a rail siding.

Thus, it seems fitting that a model railroad should be developed a stone’s throw from the original town site, in the basement of the Gilbert Historical Museum.

The Gilbert Model Railroad Club was founded in 2006. Since then, a dedicated handful of club members have been working quietly and

painstakingly to depict not just the railroad operations in the town, but in the entire Central Arizona, in the 1950s. The model represents parts of the Santa Fe Railroad and the Southern Pacific Railroad going through Arizona: a portion of the Santa Fe Railroad from Phoenix to Drake and the Southern Pacific Railroad, which served the Greater Phoenix and its surrounding localities such as Williams Air Force Base, the Magma/Superior Mining

area, Randolph, Coolidge, Poston and Sacaton.

Gilbert, with its cluster of historic buildings, orange groves and patchwork of farmland, is its centerpiece.

In 1902, Arizona Eastern Railway asked William “Bobby” Gilbert whether they could put a siding on a piece of land that he owned to establish a rail line between Phoenix and Florence. Gilbert said he would sell it if they would name it after him.

Gilbert, the town, was incorporated in 1920.

to see it go as fast as it can,” Martin said.

The hobbyists love it when children visit. While train travel is not that frequent in today’s world, they want to instill the thrill of seeing the locomotives’ movement and the typical railway environment, even in a simulated manner.

“We want to get them interested in a hobby; we want to brainwash them, if you will!” Hunt said.

The model railroad is built on a scale of 1/87, but members caution that selective compression—a model railroading term—was used, which means artistic license was taken in the layout, a necessity in the 1,225-squarefoot space.

“There’s not enough room,” said founding club member Dave Hunt. “You can’t really build to actual scale size, so you compress it, especially the distance between cities and towns.”

Modifications aside, the hobbyists have tried to impart the essence and insert catchy details to each city. Thus, a commercial kit of a row of commercial establishments captures the flavor of olden day saloons in Prescott’s Whiskey Row, ASU’s mascot Sparky is shown climbing “A” Mountain in Tempe, and Chandler’s landmark neighborhood bar and convenience store, Last Chance Saloon, indicates the last opportunity to grab a drink before entering the Gila River Reservation.

They were obsessed with it from a young age, and now, it’s a childhood fantasy come true.

“I’ve been playing trains since I was 8 years old,” said Joe Padberg, who sets up the operations and acts as the adviser.

Most members are developing a layout at home, as well.

“There’s an advantage in being in the club,” Padberg said, “because you have so much more room to do things, and you have wider curves, which are a lot less aggravating than in a home, unless you have a huge basement.”

Mike Guinn, a retired elementary school teacher and the club’s vice president, said he gains knowledge by coming here. “I was modeling at home by myself and then you kind of get set in a way and there were a lot of things that I could learn, like the electrical and the operations. So I came down here.”

Then, there’s the camaraderie.

“When you’re home alone working on your own layout, you don’t get any of that feedback,” Martin said.

Each locomotive is fitted with a computer chip that enables it to be controlled and allows multiple trains to move on the same track.

On the third Tuesday of the month, the club simulates real-life railroading: running trains, delivering goods to towns, dropping off and picking up cars and performing other similar actions. Adding to the authenticity is the use of car cards—cards with a pocket— and waybills, forms that help route a car from its point of origin to its destination.

“If that waybill on there tells you that you’ve got to take this car to Wickenburg over at the oil distributor, that’s what you have to do,” said Brad Martin, club president.

On operations night, the pace of the trains is measured, but with one exception.

That’s when Thomas the Tank Engine speeds off in a streak of blue and red.

“One of the reasons we added the Thomas the Tank train is because the kids love to see it go around. They want

The club operates in groups that work on construction, electrical, operations and scenery and are teamed according to their talents. Most members claim not to be artistic and were stumped by having to design and paint scenery. They were relieved to welcome professional artist Howard Scherer to the fold.

“He has no interest in the model trains. He’s here one night a week and paints his heart out,” Martin said.

While the group is not actively soliciting new members—current membership is about 20—it welcomes railroad aficionados. Dues are just $10 a month because the museum subsidizes the club and it does not have to pay rent or utilities.

A decade after starting the club, even though the layout seems nearly complete, they don’t see—or want to see—the end of the journey. There’ll always be something to do.

“So it keeps going,” Martin said.

For more details, visit www. gmrctrains.com.

A decade later, model railroad on track inside Gilbert Historical Museum

Golf tourney to benefit About Care

About Care is gearing up for its ninth annual golf tournament set for Saturday, April 23, with a shotgun start at 7:30 a.m. at the San Marcos Golf Club.

The organization is looking for sponsors, players, auction/raffle and goody bag items. For more information, call Ann Marie McArthur at (480) 802-2331 or email amcarthur@aboutcare.org.

About Care provides free services to folks in Chandler and Gilbert who are homebound, elderly and disabled. This tournament is the organization’s major fundraiser and helps it continue its mission of helping individuals remain independent as long as possible.

to children at the Southeast Regional Library. Submitted photo

Barney reads to kids in honor of Dr. Seuss’ birthday

To highlight the importance of reading to young children, Maricopa County Supervisor Denny Barney started his day on March 2 by reading to kids in honor of Dr. Seuss’ birthday.

Barney read “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” during the library’s weekly “Story Time” program for youngsters, which features books, movement, music and other fun activities. Reading aloud to children early in their lives develops the mind and stimulates their imagination.

“The more that we can spend time in those early years reading books, the better,” Barney said. “Introducing ideas, thoughts and knowledge at an early age is imperative and affects growth and development, and the way that they’ll respond to information that they receive later in their lives.”

The event took place at Southeast

Woman found guilty of stealing from employer

April Mooney was found guilty of stealing approximately $240,000 from her Gilbert employer using four fraud schemes.

The San Tan Valley woman used the money stolen from J.F. Ellis Corp. a construction business, to pay for personal expenses, dining, shopping and ATM withdrawals at various casinos.

In 2010, Mooney worked as a controller for J.F. Ellis Corp. and her responsibilities included handling accounts payable, bank reconciliations and office administration.

On Jan. 3, 2014, an employee at the business noticed suspicious charges on his company credit card that he did not complete. An internal investigation began and the defendant was confronted by the business owner. The owner told the defendant that he suspected her of stealing from the company and terminated her employment.

The Gilbert Police Department launched an investigation and identified four different fraud schemes that began in 2010. Two fraud schemes dealt with the unauthorized use of company credit cards by the defendant. Another

fraud scheme involved entering checks into the accounting system as a legitimate expense, but then making the actual check payable to herself. The fourth fraud scheme was the issuance of checks to a business identified as “Whitecap.” Whitecap Construction Supply is a legitimate J.F. Ellis Corp. vendor and checks are paid to Whitecap Construction Supply as services are rendered.

The investigation revealed that Mooney reserved the business name Whitecap Confections at the Arizona Corporation Commission and used that information to open a checking account in the name of April Mooney DBA Whitecap Confections. The checks made payable to “Whitecap” were deposited into the bank account for the ghost company Whitecap Confections.

The jury also found one aggravating factor: The offense of theft was committed for pecuniary gain. Mooney was taken into custody and will be sentenced on April 22. She is facing three to 10 years in prison.

Assistant Attorneys General Joseph Waters and Beverly Rudnick prosecuted this case.

Regional Library, the largest of 17 branches in the Maricopa County Library District.

“We have so many resources to offer,” said Troy Reed, branch manager of the Southeast Regional Library. “We have quiet places to study. We have lots of programs going on almost every day of the week, so there’s always something here to do.”

National Read Across America is sponsored by the National Education Association (NEA). Now in its 19th year, this year-round program focuses on motivating children and teens to read through events, partnerships, and reading resources.

Visit www.maricopa.gov/bos for information about each member of the Board of Supervisors.

Police arrest man suspected in attempted sexual assault

Gilbert police arrested a 46-year-old man in connection with a March 5 attack on a 14-year-old girl at a community park in Gilbert.

Carl Wayne Price will be charged and booked into jail for attempted sexual assault, kidnapping and aggravated assault, according to police. Police described Price as a registered sex offender who recently moved to Gilbert in close proximity to where the attack occurred.

On Saturday, March 5, at about 7:40 a.m., Gilbert police officers responded

to a reported attempted sexual assault of a juvenile victim near the community pool area of Cooley Station North subdivision in the 3700 block of East Yeager Drive. The teenaged victim reported an unknown white male in his 40s, with brown and gray slicked-back hair with a goatee, between 5-feet-8 inches and 5-feet-10 inches tall and a muscular build, wearing possibly jeans, attempted to sexually assault her while she was sitting in the park. After the attempted sexual assault, the male suspect then fled from the area.

Yongela Nelvik Ward

jail

Erik Alsaker, 28, was hit by a car traveling west on Queen Creek Road at around 8 p.m. March 21. The driver fled the scene though a description of the car was obtained. Alsaker was transported to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The car was described as a dark-colored sedan or small SUV with possible front end damage and/or windshield

damage caused by the impact. The Gilbert Police Department received a tip from a neighbor about a damaged vehicle matching this description and they obtained a search warrant. They searched a residence less than a mile away from the accident scene and found the matching vehicle in the garage. Ward was then arrested.