Navigating QC’s home market / P. 16
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Town Council OKs Colorado River deal BY MARK MORAN Tribune Staff Writer
NEWS ..................... 3 Town approves Olive Mill expansion plan.
BUSINESS............ 19 QC Banner CEO a small-town healthcare pro.
Sunday, September 25, 2022
T
he Queen Creek Town Council last week gave final approval to the purchase of Colorado River water from GSC Farm in Cibola. The vote on Sept. 21 completed a deal long in the making that will result in 2,033 acre feet of new water flowing to Queen Creek after the first of the year, every year, in perpetuity.
Schnepf Farms busily prepares for Pumpkin Party
Town officials are doing that with $27 million borrowed from the state. They’re seeking a loan from the Infrastructure Finance Authority of Arizona to cover the purchase agreement, said authority spokesman Garrett Corral. Among the benefits of the loan, he explained, is that “instead of taking out a traditional loan, this would also cost the ratepayer less money and increase savings.” Queen Creek will pay 3.25% on its loan as
opposed to 4.75%. “If you were to compare that to the open market, probably a savings of about $6-million, probably a little bit higher,” said town Finance Director Scott McCarty. While Queen Creek will pay less interest on the money it borrows from the state, thus saving money, the town is in turn also helping smaller communities that can’t afford to
see WATER page 6
BY MARK MORAN Tribune Staff Writer
GET OUT.............. 24
Where to get your Oktoberfest on.
REAL ESTATE ........................16 COMMUNITY.........................18 BUSINESS...............................19 OPINION..................................21 SPORTS....................................23 GET OUT..................................24 CLASSIFIEDS.........................26
H
illbilly Bob’s Pig Races? Yes, Hillbilly Bob is a real guy, and they really do race pigs – which are said to enjoy the experience but like the Oreo cookies they get at the end even more. The pigs, Swingin’ Lady Bugz, hayrides, a petting zoo, the Stuntmasters dog show and a brand-new ropes course, are just of the few of the more high-profile attractions that Schnepf Farms is working frantically to ready for its 26th annual Pumpkin and Chili Party that
see SCHNEPF page 8
Mark Schnepf stands on a path of one of the two corn mazes he’s prepared for Schnepf Farms’ annual Pumpkin & Chili Party, which begins Oct. 1. (David Minton/Tribune Staff Photographer)
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