Desert Messenger

June 14, 2017 www.DesertMessenger.com 9 MOUNTAIN QUAIL C AFE Open 7am - 7pm 7 DAYS/ WEEK 928-927-8890 & Gift Shop 500 N. Moon Mt. Ave., Quartzsite (corner of Moon Mt. & Quail Trail) B-10, Main St. Moon Mountain X Quail Trail N Hwy. 95, N. Central • DAILY SPECIALS • Friday FISH Special • Sat. PRIME RIB • Sunday POT ROAST Enjoy our Famous Bread Pudding ! Home Style Cooking! 175 W. Main St. 928-927-5585 www.sillyalspizza.com SILLY AL'S PIZZA Famous Gourmet Pizza TUES. THURS. FRIDAY • 7PM • KARAOKE Serving Quartsite Since 1987 NOW SERVING ARIZONA CRAFT BEERS ON TAP! TUESDAY LADIES NIGHT! All ladies get $1 Well Drinks 7-11 pm WED & SAT. • 7PM • DJ w/Kevin James BARB I' S PL A C E Quartzsite's Home of Great Take-Out Food 455 E. Main at Pattie's RV Park (Look for Barbi's Pink Jeep on Roof) Bigger, Better Menu! NEW HOURS! Mon-Fri 8-2 Call, Text, or Visit our Facebook Page Call in Orders & Delivery 928-322-2862 $ 1 IN-TOWN DELIVERY! Daily Specials! ASTA LA TACO TUESDAYS! 3/$5 TACO SALAD $6 SUMMER SPECIALS 10AM-10PM Sunday - Spaghetti Dinner $5 Bloody Mary $2 Monday - Beef Taco Salad $5 Domestic Bottle Beer $2 Tuesday - Fettuccine Alfredo $5 House Wine $2/glass Ladies Night $1 Well Drinks 7pm-10pm Wednesday- Chicken Dinner Salad $5 Tequila Sunrise $2 Thursday - Ground Beef Taco $1 In-House Only & Margarita $2 Fri. & Sat. $5 Sandwich-Cook‛s Choice HAPPY HOUR Everyday 10-noon & 3:30-5:30pm Chicken Quesadilla Quail Burger Arizona Omelet Crepes Arizona Burger Refried Potatoes Fresh Fruit Plate We now offer Avocado! Add to any dish for $ 1! ~ Free Wi-Fi ~ Ask About our Delicious Desserts! CAP Water Lease update By Shanana Rain Golden-Bear On Thursday, June 8 the Central Arizona Project (CAP) Board Unanimously Approved, on Behalf of Central Arizona Water Conservation District (CAGRD) a Water Right Lease Agreement between the Town of Quartzsite and CAGRD. This was the be- ginning of the required regulatory process. A bit of history: Monday, May 1st during a spe- cial meeting Quartzsite Town Council voted 4 to 2 to approve a lease of the Town's Colorado River Water Entitlement to the Central Arizona Water Conserva- tion District (CAWCD) with an initial 25-year term. Council members Gerald Kinkade and Steve Schue voted against the lease, wanting to wait until snow- birds return. February 1990 – ADWR recommended to USBR that a Colorado River Contract for an Entitlement be issued to the Town of Quartzsite for 1,070 af/yr . November 10, 1998 – Town by Resolution No. 98-15 authorized execution of Contract for entitlement of Colorado River. Quartzsite has a 1,070 Acre Feet (the amount of water covering 1 acre to a depth of 1 foot) of Colorado River Entitlement that it has never used because of the high cost to build a pipeline to transport the water roughly 20 miles to the east and to treat it for potable use. The lease agreement requires one-time cash payments of $1,819,000.00 and an additional $30,000.00 for engineering a new well at Kofa. The Town relies solely upon groundwater, but needs cap- ital to fund improvements to its water system and to meet future demands. The Town's annual Wa- ter Consumer Confi dence Reports indicate that the groundwater supply is safe and meets all federal and state requirements. Council Member Steve Schue initally voted against the lease told Desert Messenger, "This is money that, until now, is money that Quartzsite would not have to use. When asked why this is important Schue stated, "Water is always going to be an issue for desert in- habitants. Basically water is life and it shouldn't be taken lightly. Although the town has had this water allocation since the 1990's they have never attempted to actually acquire it. The current Town Council is very proactive and pro-growth. Their efforts in this matter will help insure Quartzsite's fi nancial future." When asked about the controversy, he said, "I would like to clear up a couple of half-truths at this time. First the Town is not selling our Colorado River Al- location; it is being leased. And secondly this is not at all affecting the ground water that we have always used and will be using in the future. There is ample water now and in at least the next 25 years based on our current growth." "It is important to check the facts before making judgment. One way of doing that would be to attend town council meeting at 7:00PM on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month. You can also contact your Town Council directly with any questions or concerns. We are there for you. You may also contact the Town directly at 928 927-4333. I will have to say The Town of Quartzsite could do more to communicate with the public and we are working on that. "Another reason people are upset is that much of what has been done with the Colorado River Allocation has been spent in executive session and not in public. How- ever, I can say that the council's efforts have been to ob- tain the best possible deal on the Allocation Lease." Schue concluded, "The main reason that Quartzsite is here to begin with is that the original settlers found an abundance of water here. That is not to say that we shouldn't be prepared in case of catastrophe such as pollution. However, unless we are able to come up with between 20 – 30 million dollars we won't be able to obtain Colorado River Water anyway. We have 25 years to accomplish this. It is my hope that between now and the end of the lease that someone will come up with a solution to this problem." "In the meantime let's all try to become unifi ed and work together to make Quartzsite a better place to live." For latest updates visit Desert Messenger: www.Facebook.com/DesertMessengerNews.

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