Well, we’re learning and this is a work in progress, but truth needs to be transparent. So if you think we got it wrong. Tell us. One of our readers just did, and we think it important enough to have be a blog unto itself. Our comments our asterisked in the post.
“Just read it. FYI, Carefree bought (not condemned) the Carefree Water Company because the husband and wife who owned it were letting it run into the ground, doing no maintenance other than band aids, and made no provisions for CAP water. They were pulling directly from the aquifer, and the infrastructure was 2 & 4 inch pipes, as opposed to the 6 & 8 inch pipes utilized by the Cave Creek Water Company owned by Jay George at the time.”
*** Not all Cave Creek Water Company infrastructure was 6-8″ main lines. Some of their lines were 2-4″ as well, and some of it was old galvanized iron and quite brittle.***
“When the CFWC totally crashed and burned the couple planned to walk away from it, leaving 2/3 of Carefree without water. Rates skyrocketed because Carefree had to do massive repairs and upgrades, and acquire CAP water to make it sustainable. They paid $4,000,000 for the company. Cave Creek Water, on the other hand, was up for sale for $6,000,000 from Jay George. Cave Creek didn’t have the credit rating to buy it, and Global bought it. Within 2 weeks, Cave Creek announced their intention to start condemnation procedures, supported by the Sonoran News. Global had the knowledge and resources to fix the company, which had been allowed to deteriorate during the time it was for sale. Cave Creek was obstructionist at every level to their doing so. 2 years later, they paid $20,000,000 for it as a condemnation. Sorchych, who demonized Carefree for “overpaying” for the water company, praised Cave Creek for doing what it had to do to achieve much needed “local control”. Cave Creek then had to put around another $20,000,000 into to it, and often as not screwed up the repairs because they had no idea what they were doing. That was “the summer without water” that we experienced. We are on CCW and never knew from one moment to the next if we would have running water when we turned on the tap or flushed the toilet. Yup, I made lots of trips to the pool with the bucket, and learned how to do the bucket flush.”
*** The Chinatown question remains why Sorchych and his Stooges were/are so obsessed with the water company? Thanks for the added details.***
“By the way, Carefree, which has around 1,000 fewer citizens, has a budget this year of slightly over $6,000,000, only because we are doing a major road maintenance project that will cost around $1,200,000. Our usual budget comes in a bit over $5,000,000. It would have been a better comparison than the one with Fountain Hills, as we share the area, and are not that different in size. Cave Creek’s debt service, from what I understand, is around $7,500,000, and that is just for interest. It doesn’t start to pay down the debt or run the town. And Carefree offers more services. We do not have any local property tax, and anticipate none. We have over $6,000,000 in the bank. So, taking that little jab at Carefree and the water company was way off base. If you want to fact check about Carefree, I know a lot of the history and the issues. You screwed the pooch on that one.”
***Thank you for pointing out our shortcomings and feel free to correct us in the future. It was not our intent to “take a jab at Carefree,” only to demonstrate how Cave Creek was following a pattern. Carefree is better managed and given the incompetence of Cave Creek, one wonders why have two towns? Were Carefree and Cave Creek banks, the FDIC would throw out the management of Cave Creek, deem the Bank insolvent, and structure an acquisition by Carefree.***
“By the way, are you aware of the General Plan and zoning for the Cave Creek annexation area down Carefree Highway? 240 acres, more than Desert Ridge and City North combined, will be high density commercial, and the area around the commercial will be high density multi-family housing. It will look like the area around the Paradise Valley Mall, and will forever change the voting demographics of Cave Creek. Morning Star Rd. is the least of Cave Creek’s future worries.”
***Yes, we are aware of this annexation intention and we have concerns regarding these intentions. Simply put, the leadership and management of Cave Creek are not in step with the community– they are on a power trip. Their power trip will impact Carefree as the Cave Creek Rd. south becomes more congested, and getting out to I-17 on “Carefree Highway” becomes an impossibility. So Morning Star is the back door to the north for Cave Creek and Carefree residents and provides Anthem access to whatever remains of the reason why Cave Creek became a town in the first place. ***