Ready, Fire, Aim….

When I had a furniture business in Tucson many years ago, I made a business plan – after four years into the business. Up to that point I had simply proceeded from one happenstance to the next, growing from an idea I shared with my partners to re-cycle office furniture into what became a large warehouse operation. Originally we simply wanted to inventory companies’ furniture assets and give them an idea of re-sale value so they could make better decisions about either trashing an item or re-furbishing it. This proved to be a good service, but one which was hardly profitable. What turned out to be profitable was helping clients re-sell the furniture they no longer needed, to folks who were happy to save money and get a great value on second-hand furnishings. And here is where a good business plan could have helped from the beginning. It is not enough to have a good idea. Even one that somebody likes and is willing to pay for. It has to be profitable to survive.

And to do that it helps to ask yourself some basic questions from the beginning like, WHO is my customer.

Here’s a hint. The answer is NOT everyone. It is not even “Anyone who will give me money for my idea or gadget or good looks.”

Any of this sound familiar to you?

The Copyblogger, one of my favorite blogs that I’d highly recommend to any business person wanting ideas and tools to communicate,  recently posted a piece on the ‘remarkably simple plan,” which helps you get over the hump of making this harder than it really is. The big thing, as Sonia point out, is to get something down on paper (or your computer) today…now. Start with the idea that not everyone is your customer. So who is? You’ll be amazed once you define who is your customer, how much easier is is to answer …. the rest of the questions.

The 2011 Miami Boomtown Spree was considerably different than those of years past.  The major difference was the moving of the event from Sullivan Street to the Bullion Plaza property.  This decision was one that was met with mixed feelings by most local people I talked to.

Boomtown Spree was held at Bullion Plaza Museum & Cultural Center this year.

Most, I would say, did not like this move, either because they liked it as in the past, or because of the issues that became apparent as the event went on such as parking, scheduling, and problems with the facility itself.

The Haul Pack Stage was kind of neat in one sense but there was no seating and a total lack of shade in the area where an audience would have sat for performances.

One good thing was that the weather was very cooperative other than some occasional wind.  Saturday morning the temperature for the start of the race was 61 degrees with a predicted high of 84.  This is the kind of weather we live in Arizona for! I personally feel that the Boom Town Spree should be utilized to showcase the historic downtown area, promote tourism and assist those who have invested in our town’s main street.

Copper Crawl Hill Run…

Of all of the events, The Annual Copper Crawl race was the most successful with a total of 204 participants essentially doubling the numbers from years past.  Kudos to Brandon Parker who, according to what I learned, was largely responsible for this increase.  The only issue was the delay of the awards ceremony because they had so many more participants to deal with.

Rene Lazos, from Superior, took 1st in the 13K in his age group (40-50yr) and 1st OVERALL with a time of 1:00:34. The 2nd fastest time of the day was put in by Aaron Bechdolt in 1:02:25. Third fastest time was,Mark Babieracki ,of Globe, in the (30-39 age group) with a time of 1:04:58

The 5K race was completed in a time of 24 min and 31 sec by Brandon Thompson, age 17!  A huge surprise was a time of 30 min 09 sec recorded By Aakala Hatch, age 9!  The fastest time set in the 13K race was 1 hr 34 sec by Mr. Rene Lazo, age 41.  Crossing the line second was Aaron Bechdolt at 1 hr 2 min 25 sec.and third was Andrew Salcido just two seconds behind Bechdolt.  The first woman to finish was Carley Breman, age 25 at 1hr 17 min 30 sec followed by Janet Gensler age 58 at 1 hr, 17 min 58 sec. Go Janet, can you imagine beating out the rest of the field at 58 years old!  Janet is from Queen Creek and was running the Copper Crawl for the first time.

The contestant who traveled the furthest I’m told was from Switzerland!  Check the GMT for complete race results and stats:  Copper Crawl Hill Run Results

Arizona Mining Championships…

Matt Decker, All Around Mining Champion 2011

The Arizona Mining Championships were entertaining and included eleven men with a crew of four miners from the Gold Road Mine in Kingman AZ.  The All Around title was secured by Matt Decker who placed 1^st in Hand Mucking, Hand Drilling, Spike Driving and Team Drilling and 2^nd in Machine Drilling.  Eight ladies competed in the women’s events with Billie Parish finishing first in Hand Mucking and Sheryl Cormack in Spike Driving.

No Bed Races…

On Sunday, the only event which came to fruition was the children’s mining events as the ever popular Bed Races were canceled.  I heard several different reasons for this canceling but I believe it was because there were issues regarding where the races would be run as cars were lining all of the streets surrounding the Bullion Plaza property.  In any case, there were quite a few kids who participated in the Children’s Mining Events of Mucking and Spike Driving and a good time was had by all.  I was told by the organizers that about 8 different vendors did not return for Sunday but all of the food booths were open.

Despite the issues which arose mainly from the moving of the event from its original location, the Miami Boomtown Spree for 2011 was still a success.  I’m sure discussion will continue for some time regarding the move and I would like for the organizers to at least consider returning the event to the original location next year.

There is a feeling I get when I have a moment of acute awareness. My breath catches, I tingle, and sometimes I even giggle. Well that is exactly how I felt as I got in my car to leave Vida E Cafe 157 W. Ceder Street, Globe, Az. I had just attended their First Friday Open Mic, and I was a bit jittery from my triple shot latte, which might account for the catchy breath, tingling, and even the giggling. Yet, I knew I was on to a dawning realization of why I so enjoy the open mic events in our community. It is not just those individuals who fearlessly go forward to perform, it not just the delicious coffee and food that I crave, no, it is the fellowship, the camaraderie, it is the love that keeps me coming back. The erasing of imaginary boundaries between young and old, genres, styles, words spoken or sang. On this First Friday, I watched as musicians exchanged ideas, equipment, stories, and a deep appreciation for each others musical endeavors. I watched as family and friends, and musicians and poets not performing came to support the evening’s performers in a delightful attitude of fun. A sense of joy swirled around the room, intermingling with music and the warm reassuring scent of coffee.

Sleep did not come to me easily that night, thanks to my lack of restraint concerning my penchant for lattes, dark and strong, and my usual racing mind. So with sleep eluding me, my thoughts went back to my lingering impressions of the evening. I thought of Mitchell Brown singing and playing harmonica and guitar to the great folk songs of the 1960s. He played Creedance Clearwater Revival’s Have You Ever Seen The Rain, then Jackson Browne’s After The Deluge, and finally People Get Ready by Curtis Mayfield. I enjoyed Mitchell’s commentary between songs. He was from that time, singing songs from that time and that experience was evident. He had a wealth of information, and I watched, as young and older musicians came to him after he played to talk to him. There were some technical difficulties in the middle of Mitchell’s first song, a loud pop came from the speaker, and it seemed to be broken. But this did not seem to hinder his playing at all. Jared Spencer, the ever diligent and delightful MC raced home to get his equipment, as did the masterful Jim Vandine. Soon the equipment was switched over and the show went on.

This camaraderie, continued on beyond our local community, to people like, Linda Watson, a poet who resides in Fort Thomas, who came all the way to Globe with a friend to enjoy Vida E’s First Friday. Linda read two poems, A Single Rose, and Darkness. A Single Rose was a beautiful metaphor for the cycle of life. Darkness, was filled with vivid imagery. I so appreciate fellow poets. It is a perk for me to attend these events where poets read. I recalled being impressed by a young man offering his chair to a lady. The place was packed, truly, standing room only. I was struck with just how caring our community is, how eager to help, and appreciative of all the good our community has to offer.

I reflected, as my mind was still reeling, on the other musicians like Chris Mathews, a young musician playing the guitar and harmonica, with a nice wavering voice, reminiscent of the lead singer of the Desaparecidos, Conner Oberst. Chris played two original songs, which were nicely fleshed out. His words held intense imagery, poetry with music. He finished his set with the classic Resolution Road by Bob Dylan. His youthful exuberance made me think of how important it is that our local schools teach music and art. Our community needs to stand behind our schools in finding ways to have music and art education for all grade levels. We need more hot shot music educators like Mr. Franco at Globe High School. So, mindful folks in our community, jump on the bandwagon for music and art education, and let’s give our would be musicians and artists opportunities to develop their talent and skill. And speaking of educators, this leads right to Mr. Adam Creary, a Globe High science teacher, who is also a musician.

I had to chuckle as I thought of Adam. I thoroughly enjoy exchanging ideas with Adam. He makes me laugh, smile, and think. I always felt we held similar philosophies in education. Adam definitely wants to be approachable by his students, knowing that fostering community in the classroom, gives a beneficial boost to what students learn. And here he was at Vida playing with Josh Dobbs, a Globe High School student. I chuckled more as I thought of all the fun Adam and Josh seemed to be having. They power played Bob Dylan’s Knocking On Heaven’s Door, and Eric Clampton’s, I Feel Wonderful Tonight. I was thrilled to watch Josh and Adam and I hope to see them play again in the future.

As I continued to reflect of the events of the evening, I remembered how the place was filled with old friends, and potential new friends. I did take time from my note taking to talk to people. I had the pleasure to meet a very astute eleven year old, Sarah. She certainly had the vocabulary and soul of a poet. We conversed on a variety of subjects. She wanted to read a poem she had written, but it was getting late and she needed to leave. Perhaps she will read to a packed room in a future First Friday.

A young woman, Candice Hainey, accompanied by guitarist Ken Nandez, sang three moving hymns; Revelation Song, You’ll Come, and Hosanna. Her clear voice sang praises that received praise as well. And if my rewind is accurate, Amy Schugar played next. Amy has great stage presence. She involves the audience. Her strong bluesy voice and guitar, lifts everyone around her. She is a professional, and a pleasure to watch. I must of gotten lost in the moment, because my notes are a bit fuzzy as to who she was covering. I do know she sang the beautiful song by Susan Tadishy, Little by Little. I remembered feeling a sense of urgency building around this time. It was drawing near closing, but patrons and performers were holding tight after almost two hours of performances. There was still an eager expectation for more.

And more is what we got! Jim Vandine played next. Wow! Now there is someone who keeps the fellowship and camaraderie alive and well in our communities’ open mics and musical events. Jim attends most all the events. He speaks with everyone. He encourages musicians young and old. His lovely wife Gloria, photographs the performers then shares her pictures with them. They are a tireless dynamic duo for our community. I mused at how long I have listened and watched Jim with a great appreciation for his talent, and I really think it has been at least five years. Jim and Gloria, thank you! Jim sang the blues that night. A departure from his usual classic guitar. He played Albert King, and a great tune by ZZ Tops, Blue Jean Blues. Jim’s fingers worked hard with great effect. I like this new musical diversion.

Well I sucked it up and read next. I have to giggle when I think about reading my poetry. I have a greater empathy for all those that let their feelings of embarrassment go, and get up there and perform. I had fun, and I was glad Jared urged me to read. John Shultz was next. John doesn’t need any urging. It is obvious by listening to him sing his original songs that he is inspired to share his thoughts and talent. John sang, Great Creator, Grandma, and I Didn’t Know You. I was glad to see that John was still in town. He is looking for a home to rent, for himself and family. It is good to have new families moving here that support the fine life experiences that our community offers.

It must be winter, because Earl Knoob is back in town with our very own Copper Spike train. He dropped in to sing Anna on a Memory, All Time Woman, and Moon Glow Highway. Welcome back Earl. It is good to have you in town again. The evening had turned into night, and Jared took the mic as the dedicated Vida workers waited for the finale. Jared has been the perfect host, from rescuing the equipment to keeping the show going seamlessly. Jared has had a busy evening running First Friday, but as usual, he did it with a joke and a smile. Jared closed the evening recounting his 27th birthday experience. It is good to be alive. It was way past closing, so we only got a bit of Jared’s impromptu art of words and music. I was happy as I began to feel sleep encroaching upon me. I was honored to take part in an experience of town fellowship. Our town’s fellowship. A group of people who believe in and support the arts knowing that art is what elevates a town. Positive communal experiences that enrich, making life joyous and fun. Kudos to all those in our community who support the arts and our artists. We are a community that develops many varied artists. I know. I see it in all our schools, around our town, and events like this. The talent and future talent of our communities is something to be noticed. Our future is in our artists and thinkers. Somehow our area has been blessed with an abundance of talented individuals encompassing all means of art and thought. We should recognize this and promote these talents with opportunities for more cottage industries in our towns. Or, industry that need employees who are artists. It is time to think out of the box for our town. Time to recognize that our greatest financial reward for this town is in its people. Oh no! I almost started to get jazzed up again! I took a few meditative breaths reminding myself to never drink more than my share of espresso, ever. But I went to sleep with a smile on my face filled with the joyous togetherness of musicians, poets, and those that came to experience them. As I drifted off to sleep, my heart sang.

Kudos to those who are gutsy enough to get out there and share a bit of their soul. And kudos to all those that come out to support them. Great coffee, company, and fun.
Thanks to the Bakers and the friendly efficient staff of Vida E Cafe for creating a warm environment for these happenings.

Vida E Cafe First Friday Open Mic February Fourth
Jim Coates Picture Mine Cafe Second Friday Open Mic February Eleventh
Vida E Cafe Second Saturday February Twelfth
Does anyone know if the Second Saturday will have a love theme in honor of Valentine’s Day? Leave a comment. Help me promote community events by dishing on what is up and coming.

Hope to see you there!

By: LCGross

Several years ago I spent time in Alaska hiking the Resurrection Trail which stretches through 43 miles of wilderness and makes you forget all civilized notions of comfort and human-scale.

This is nature on a grand scale in all it’s glory. The trail head ends up just outside of Seward, Alaska, which is where my friends and I spent the last several days before flying back to sunny Arizona. The landscape everywhere you look in Alaska is breathtaking. That is, until you arrive in Seward, a town which was devastated in the ’60’s when a tsumi rolled in and sucked everything which man had built for the last hundred years back into the sea.

Seward re-built, but as you can imagine the re-building took on a more utilitarian approach.Concrete replaced wood and tilt-up buildings and tin sheds were erected quickly where once there had been ornate cornices, native stone buildings and wood porches.

Where once the town’s legacy involved character and content, lending a thread of continuity between the old and new, there is now function over form.

Historic Downtown Globe, Az still functions as the community's primary shopping and social hub

Coming this March, the Globe Miami Chamber of Commerce, will once again host a thousand visitors for Globe’s popular Historic Home and Building Tour.

Most locals consider it a ‘tourist event.’ Something for outsiders.  It certainly is well attended by visitors who flock to our little community to look at old homes and “try out” our small-town community for the weekend.

But consider for just a moment… what if Globe-Miami had a “Seward-Event” – something that wiped out all our old buildings and houses with their history, family ties and community character?

Just ask Seward  Alaska.  The old buildings represent a heritage that can never be replaced – once lost.

Whether you are a visitor or a local resident, be sure to put the Home Tour on your Calendar and help us celebrate the buildings – still standing.

27th Annual Globe Historic Home & Building Tour

March 5- 6th

9am – 3pm

Tour begins at Oak & Sycamore: Downtown Globe

For more information, please contact the Globe-Miami Chamber of Commerce   928-425-4495

The Historic District looking north. A majority of Globe's buildings were constructed between 1904-1916 during the boom days of Copper.

The Conductor calls Aaallll Aaboaard! for the afternoon train

The Globe Miami Times has teamed up with the Copper Spike Excursion Train and Cable One advertising to film a commercial for the new 2010-2011 Train Season. Thursday, Dean Seyfferle with Cable One was in town and spent a good part of the day shooting in the Depot, on the Train and North of Globe where the train winds its way through low desert scenery.

The 30-sec commercial is scheduled to run on CNN, Fox News, A& E for the next 5 months and will be seen by audiences from Apache Junction to Safford. It is part of GMT’s year-long ad campaign featuring the tag line :

“GlobeMiamiTimes and GMTeconnect  bringing Globe-Miami to you!” The Copper Spike ad will rotate with GMT’s latest testimonial ad: Community_2.

Filming inside the Old Depot

This will be the third full season of the Copper Spike and the first season they will be offering meal service on-board. The trip has been extended by a half hour, making each trip two hours long. A lunch menu is offered on the train 4 days a week, with a Dinner Car on Fridays and Saturdays. Bar service is now available.

The train brings in thousands of visitors to the Globe community each season and serves as an economic boost to the local shops, restaurants and hotels. With the addition of meal-service and new events it is anticipated to be another great season for all!

Globe Miami Times and GMTeconnect will be hosting an Events Page for the Copper Spike on their website to help visitors navigate the community while they are in town for the train. The new page will include special offers from local merchants and hotels for visitors riding the train, as well as local railroad history and how the Copper Spike came to be!

The Copper Spike makes it's way over the trestle at the south end of Broad street , Globe Az

Since launching its own website a year ago, GlobeMiamiTimes has seen traffic on the site increase every month. And Google now recognizes many of the feature articles and postings about the area because of the on-line presence of GMTeconnect.com. The site also includes a business directory with over 700 business where local businesses can list for free, or pay an annual fee for a host of services including a full business page and net-tools. Business owners such as Sarah Bernstein, who owns Simply Sarah’s, acknowledge the importance of having a web presence…even if she herself does not spend any time on-line.

Promoting good business and fun times in Globe-Miami. Come ride the Copper Spike and explore all there is to do and see in the area at gmteconnect.com

By: Linda Gross

The name, Good Junk Bakery ,stems from all the other “good junk” businesses Sam Palmer has owned , including a recycling business in Miami and a used furniture store in Globe. He has always been able to turn a profit on offering “Good Junk” for sale. So, he kept the name when he decided to open the Bakery. Nothing pretentious or oversold here. He simply wants to ‘make a living’ as he says, and produce fresh, baked goods to go with his freshly ground coffees. He starts his days at 4:30 am now when the skies are pitch black and not a soul is stirring on Broad Street. By 6:45 am Sam is pulling out piping hot cinnamon buns, and 20minutes later, he is pulling out hot loaves of bread.

Good Junk Bakery on Broad Street starts baking when most of us are still sleeping!

Cinnamon, walnuts and raisins go into Sams rolls.

He usually sells out of the cinnamon buns by 10am, and the best time to get yours is, of course, right around 7am when the heat is still rising from them.

There is a choice of those with cream cheese frosting, and those without. The Cinnamon Buns sell for $2.00 each. And if you want to pick up a dozen for the office, it’s a good idea to put in an order the night before.

Phone #   928-812-2953

The Bakery is also beginning to supply the Copper Spike with fresh baked breads for their meal service and will be offering mini-loaves of rosemary/basil bread for Joe Wilson’s new restaurant venture next door.

Baker, Sam Palmer, produces cinnamon rolls and fresh bread daily

Sam’s Good Junk Bakery is an old storefront on Broad Street, right across from McSpadden Ford and next to the Copper Parrot on the south end of the Historic District. Tables and Chairs are scattered and mismatched, but make a welcome place to visit with friends.

Sam Palmer considers himself his own apprentice baker because he is learning as he goes. The large commercial oven he bought on E-bay and the exact mix of ingredients for his various breads and cinnamon rolls are one part science and one part inspiration.  To be a baker whether you are born into it or come to it through a more circuitous route like Sam, is a process you learn by doing. Sure you have to have the equipment and the basic ingredients, and a rudimentary understanding of your craft. But it is only in the hands of a baker that those things come together for an “Aha” experience.

Sam prepares his first batch of cinnamon rolls

To get your “aha” experience of the day – stop in early and get your fresh baked goods piping hot from the ovens of Good Junk Bakery – on Broad Street in Globe.

The Bakery is open 4:30 am – 4:00pm 6 days a week.

The morning begins when Sam brews up freshly roasted coffee from his own stock (which he also sells by the lb). In fact, this is the only place you can get great coffee at 5 in the morning! And, while the latest batch of rolls aren’t due out of the ovens until about 7, he always has a nice selection of day-old breads at half price for the really early birds who come in for coffee on their way to work.

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By: Linda Gross

Last year I  discovered Pod-Camp Phnx and am signed up again this year to go. If all this tech stuff tweaks your interest, then this is the place to be on November 14th and 15th. It is where you can learn about blogging, podcasts, makin’ videos, facebook, twitter etc. Maybe these things have application for your business. Maybe, you’re just curious. Here’ is the best part:  It’s FREE!

It’s also engaging, educational and the most creative brain-dump of ideas you’ll get in 48 hours. 

As one blogger (who is also one of the organizers) said in a piece published in azcentral:

Who is Podcamp for? Just about everyone. Do you blog? Go to PodcampAZ. Podcast? Go. Video? GO. Are you a journalist? Writer? Real Estate Agent? Gamer? Musician? Student? Professional of just about ANY type? Stay-at-home Mom? How about a stay-at-home-Mom-who-rants-about-politics (hehehe)? All of you will get something out of PodcampAZ.

When: November 14 & 15

Where: University of Advancing Technology, Tempe (yeah I looked it up), AZ (btw it does not matter if you don’t live in AZ- we had attendees from 35 states last year! Yes, this could be a business trip if you work it right.)

REGISTER: http://reg.podcampaz.org/

ALL the info you need: http://podcampaz.org/

Related articles

• PodCamp AZ 2010 – November 20-21 (tdhurst.com)
• Mark your Calendars! PodCamp AZ 2010 is Nov 20th and 21st (yuriartibise.com)

Have you ever stood in line at a store, patiently waiting for the geezer in the ‘I WANT MY SENIOR DISCOUNT!’ ball cap to pay up and get out? You know the guy I’m talking about- he’ll try to negotiate the price of a package of Tic-Tacs just for sport. Somewhere along the way he’s assumed that because he’s reached a certain age the world should shift on its axis and eagerly entertain his wildest demands. A septuagenarian on a mission is a man sometimes to be avoided.

As the great Grouch Marx once said, “Age is not a particularly interesting subject. Anyone can get old. All you have to do is live long enough.”

Don’t get me wrong- I love senior citizens. Especially now that I’m considered one of them. While I’m still ten or so years away from retirement age, I qualify for the ten percent cut on merchandise which many businesses offer. Being the cheap bastard that I am, I love it. When I found out that Fry’s Market offers a discount to senior citizens on the first Wednesday of the month- child, I was there on my fifty-fifth birthday. I fought the lurching crowds and threw anything edible into my cart, then rolled up to the checkout lane and loudly, proudly announced, Hi! I’m a senior citizen! Do you need to see my Social Security card, driver’s license or passport? The cashier looked at me as though my nose was running. ‘No sir,’ she said. ‘We’ll just scan your Fry’s card.’ I handed her my Safeway card, and when she glared at me I hurriedly produced my Ace Hardware card. She smiled patiently and said, ‘The Fry’s card, sir.’ Mumbling incoherently- a cute thing us old folks do- I handed it to her and exclaimed, Sorry, Honey! Just testing you hahaha!

I saved sixty-four dollars and twenty-three cents that day, and I now make it a point to do my bulk shopping on the first Wednesday of every month. This discount thing is a perk, you see, and not an entitlement. Sort of like being rewarded for getting wrinkles. Sure, we all love to save a few bucks, and everyone’s chasing a dollar nowadays. I shop locally, and I’m proud of it. If Fry’s can make it up in volume- God love the seniors- then I say, go for it.

Here’s a little secret, and perhaps this would embarrass someone else, but I’m shameless. The only things I buy new are groceries. Well, let’s add undies, tees and socks to the list, too. The rest of it- flannel shirts, kitchen tables, dog bowls, station wagons- I buy secondhand. It’s my nature to recycle, and I enjoy the low carbon footprint which remains after I’ve spent a day junking. In fact, I take the opportunity to brag about it every chance I get because it makes me feel better about myself, especially when a buddy buys a 147” plasma thin screen whatever. I like to think I’m principled and thrifty. Perhaps I’m simply delusional and cheap.

Time for a trip to the store- I’m out of Tic-Tacs.

Gila County property owners received a bit of shock this last week when their property tax bills came in the mail. Due to an error in calculation,  the Globe Unified School District portion of the bill was calculated at $4.88 per $100 of assessed value, or almost double the $2.80%  that it was expected to be.

The Property Tax grew to a monstrous size and caused questions - which led to the discovery of an error

Upset by the large increase, Globe resident Tom Conto called the Globe School District, who was unaware of the error.  “We thank those in the community for alerting us to this problem,” said Globe School District Superintendent Dr. Ron Nelson.

After consulting with the Gila County School Superintendent’s office and the Gila County Treasurer’s office, an emergency meeting was called at the Mofford Center by Globe School Board this morning   to quickly fix the problem. Board members signed a resolution (see below) to request that the Gila County Board of Supervisors recalculate and revise the rate.

Today’s Globe School Board meeting began with a “Truth in Taxation” hearing, where School Superintendent Dr. Ron Nelson explained to the public what had happened.

Globe resident Caryl Fuller asked if they did not need to have a 48 hour notice before this meeting, to which Board Clerk Frankie Dalmolin replied that there only needed to be 24 hour’s notice, which was met.

Board member Jacquie Cline Griffin thanked the public for pointing out the error. “It’s easy to call the media before us, so I thank Tom Conto for coming to us first,” she said.

The normal procedure for calculating the school district’s tax rate starts with the school district, which sends information based on the annual budget as okayed by the Governing Board to the County School Superintendent’s office. The County School Superintendent’s office then passes the information to the County Assessor’s office, and a tax rate is set. After okayed by the County Board of Supervisors, the County Treasurer’s office sends out the bills.

Where things went terribly wrong was when the State of Arizona skipped their payments to school districts this last year, due to their own shortfalls in this economy. By law, the year’s tax rate must be set on the third Monday in August (August 16 this year). When the State skipped six payments this last year, which was expected to be $750,000 each, the shortfall caused the school district rate to come to 4.88%.  On August 16th the County Board of Supervisors approved the rate, and the County Treasurer’s office sent the bills to the printer. Then on August 27th,  payment from the State in the amount of $1.4-million to the Globe School District,  was received at the County Treasurer’s office!  So now the whole process, beginning with the Globe Unified School District, will have to start over to revise the tax rate. All parties hope to present the Board of Supervisors with a new rate to approve at their next meeting, and revised property tax bills can be sent out.

Dr. Nelson points out that there is really nowhere to “put blame” in this error. “Everybody did what they had to do with the information they had at the time,” he said. He also said he was pleased that all entities involved quickly gathered  and worked together to fix the problem, from the public to the school district, County Schools office and Treasurer’s office.

According to Debi Savage, Gila County Treasurer, revised bills  for those in the Globe School District only, will be mailed out  2-4 weeks after the Board of Supervisors okays revision.  Those who have already paid the first half of their bill will have their second payment reduced from the revised amount. Those who paid their bill in full will be issued a refund. Anyone with questions about their bill can call the Gila County Treasurer’s office at 402-8702.

Gila County property owners will still see an increase in their tax bills, as many portions were raised. The largest of these is for Gila County itself, as their tax rate rose from 3.75% last year to 4.19% this year.

By:  Linda Gross

Many of you will remember the cool restored Fire Engine which participated in many Globe events over the last several years. It led the parade when Channel 3 came to Globe several years ago. It has been in Homecoming Parades, Light Parades & the Gila County Rodeo Parade. What many don’t know is that it started it’s illustrious career right here in Globe in 1953.  Built in 1952, the American LeFrance Engine was used by the Globe Fire Department fro 1953 to 1991 before being retired.

Vernon Perry, representing Gila County Historical Museum, and Globe Fire Chief Al Gameros and Doug Brannan pose with the 1952 Fire Truck

At that time it was purchased by the Biosphere so they could officially have an on-site fire engine, although it was never used. There it sat for 10 years soaking up the desert heat of Tucson, when it was rescued by Doug, and restored to it’s current (pristine) condition.

The ’52 American LaFrance Engine comes from a long line of emergency vehicles built by American LeFrance. The company has been making Emergency Vehicles for 175 years and if you want to see a cool time line of all the styles from then to now, check out the museums’  Historical Time Line.

Doug says it was in researching the Engine’s history that first pulled him to Globe to check out the community and talk to people who could give him any information on the Engine’s history. Turns out, Fire Chief Al Gameros served on this engine in his early days as a fire fighter. The Brannans ended up moving to Globe in 2006 and opening a business on Broad Street; The Rusty Buffalo Traders, and volunteering hundreds of hours for Main Street projects headed up by Kip Culver. Last year, when Doug’s brother got sick, they made the difficult decision to move out of the area. Doug always wanted the Fire Engine to remain with the community, and although he had offers on it from outside parties, and had put over $20,000 into its restoration, he offered it to the Globe Fire Department for $10,000.  With the help of the Gila County Historical Museum who contributed half, the Globe Fire Department was able to raise the other half and and today they proudly handed over a check to Doug.

Doug, airing up the tires last December for the Light Parade

Thanks to Doug and Cynthia who rescued it from obscurity, and to the Historical Museum and the Globe Fire Department, THIS old Engine – which is in pristine condition – has come home to stay.

Members of the Globe Fire Department arrived just in time for a photo op. They had been on a call, so we gave them a pass on being alittle late for the photo op!

The 1952 American LaFrance