11/8/2006 9:28:00 AM Council hears from Minutemen, residents Group calls for ordinance against hiring and renting to illegal immigrants
Citizens, developer reach agreement on proposal
KINGMAN - There was a happy ending for both residents of the Hualapai Foothills Estates and the developers of the Retreat of Boulder Creek subdevelopment at Monday night's City Council meeting.
During the meeting, Retreat developer Scott Dunton announced that he was able to talk with John Gilman, one of the residents along Seneca Street, and they were able to come to an agreement that satisfied all the residents.
Dunton agreed to increase the size of the proposed lots that border the Hualapai Foothills Estates lots from 20,000 square feet to 40,000 square feet.
In exchange, Dunton would not have to build the 3-acre detention pond. Council is set to approve the plat for the development during its next full meeting.
"We're pretty happy with the resolution," Dunton told Council.
Gwen Gilman also spoke during the Council meeting. "Mr. Dunton has been a gentleman. We are very pleased with the outcome," she said.
Mayor Les Byram commended both groups for working together to get the problem solved.
One issue remains unresolved. The city wants Dunton to connect the development with Dakota Road. The Hualapai Foothills Estates residents do not want the connection opened. They are concerned about a possible increase in traffic on Seneca Street, which already has traffic problems, they said.
"I don't understand why Dakota has to be opened," John Gilman said.
Both Gwen and John Gilman praised Dunton after the Council meeting. John Gilman said he was finally able to talk with Dunton on Nov.1. The two were able to come to an agreement and talk with City Planner Rich Ruggles on Nov. 2.
John Gilman said neither he nor Dunton were able to get a hold of any of the Council members, the city manager or the acting city attorney to discuss the situation.
"Nobody at the city would return our calls. We got 20 people together with 40 signatures. What does it take for the public to get recognized?" John Gilman asked.
Residents of Hualapai Foothills Estates first brought their concerns about the development to the attention of Council in September. They were worried about increased traffic along Seneca Street, the possible size of lots and a 3-acre detention pond in the new subdevelopment. Residents were also opposed to making Dakota Road a connecting street into the new development. They pointed out then that not everyone was notified of the proposed development by mail.
The developer, Dunton and Dunton, was planning a development with 238 lots ranging in size from 6,000 to 20,000 square feet. The development is to be located north of Hualapai Mountain Road and west of Seneca Street.
Dunton will now have to submit revised plans to the Council for their approval before going ahead with the project.
Residents brought their concerns before Council again during the Oct. 2 meeting.
At that meeting, Council asked the developer and the residents to meet to discuss their concerns and work out an agreement.
KINGMAN - Members of the Mohave County Minutemen appeared before Kingman City Council at Monday night's meeting.
Mayor Les Byram limited the group to two speakers.
Hualapai Mountain Road resident Joyce Barks was first to speak. She asked Council to consider adopting an Illegal Immigration Relief Act similar to one the city of Hazelton, Penn., adopted recently.
Barks said the ordinance would accomplish three things: it would fine landlords who knowingly rent to illegal immigrants, fine local businesses that employ illegal immigrants and declare English the official language of the city.
"I am very angry about illegals marching in our streets demanding their rights," she said. "Not only do American workers have to deal with the outsourcing of jobs but also the rising cost of health care, housing, fuel to get to work. Now they have to compete with their own citizens who want cheap labor. And the good old American taxpayer picks up the tab," she said.
She said many workers cannot afford their own medical insurance or health care.
But their tax dollars go to provide free health care and education to illegals.
"We of the Mohave County Minutemen will fight for the future of our children and our grandchildren.
"This is the greatest country in the world, and we will not allow it to become a third world country," she said.
Italian immigrant Luka Zanna also spoke to Council about the issue of illegal immigration. He warned Council that English would no longer be the spoken language of this country if something wasn't done soon.
He said that he used to live in California and moved to Golden Valley in order to get away from the gang violence and other issues that cropped up in his neighborhood due to illegal immigration.
"The federal government is not going to do what we need to do," he said. "We are not going to deport anybody. We have to give them the chance to deport themselves."
Zanna told the Council that illegal immigration is a homeland security issue as well as an economic issue. The 9/11 highjackers were all illegal immigrants, he said.
He gave the Council documents that he said were from the federal Department of Homeland Security showing that members of Hezbolla, an Islamic terrorist group, were crossing the Arizona border into the United States.
"We cannot permit one mistake. All we need is one mistake, one bomb," he said.
If people stop renting to and hiring illegal aliens, they will go back to where they came from, back to California, he said.
In other business, the Council:
• named the new city attorney, Carl Cooper. Cooper is the assistant city attorney. He has been acting as the city attorney since the previous attorney left at the end of April.
• approved the acceptance of an escrow assurance for sidewalks for the Southern Vista II development.
• approved a preliminary subdivision plat for Mission Hills development.
• approved renaming part of Airway Avenue Rimel Road between North Diamond Street and North Apache Street.
• authorized the mayor to sign an agreement for a $15,555 grant from the Oversight Council on Driving or Operating Under the Influence Abatement for the Kingman Police Department.
• authorized the purchase of playground equipment for the Pawnee Neighborhood Park. The equipment is expected to cost $27,172.59.
• approved the Community Development Block Grant Housing Rehabilitation Guidelines.
• authorized the Kingman Airport Authority to apply for federal and state grants for capital improvement projects.
• approved water service to a parcel on Hualapai Mountain Road.
• awarded a construction contract to Mecom Construction for the Central Commercial Rehabilitation project.
• awarded a construction management contract to Otwell and Associates for the Central Commercial Rehabilitation project.
• awarded a contract for two booster pump controllers and motors for the Public Works Department to Keller Equipment.
• awarded a contract for two booster pumps for the Public Works Department to Gilbert Pump.
• approved a request to rezone 10 lots along Slaughterhouse Canyon Road south of Granite Bluffs from Open Space to Residential Single Family. The land is part of the Indian Camp.
• approved a conditional-use permit for a downtown resident to extend an addition to her home into a commercially zoned area.
