Suzanne Adams
Miner Staff Writer

Water seemed to be the topic on a lot of residents' minds during the first meeting of the Northwest Highway 93 Area Plan Committee at the Dolan Springs Community Hall. The committee is one of two formed to discuss the creation of an area plan that will control growth along the route from the Nevada state border to the Mohave County line. Resident Bobby Martin was the most outspoken about the situation. Martin is also the vice chair of the Central Sacramento Area Plan Committee.

Martin pointed out a number of recent commercial developments in the area, including Griffith Power, the prison in Golden Valley and a new outlet mall and warehouse distribution center that was approved by the Mohave County Planning and Zoning Commission."You don't care what happens to us because you don't live here," he said. "And none of you seems to care what we think. I would be so happy that I would jump up and down and sing and dance if I thought you did." "Why don't you plan what we want? Just one time, plan what we want."

County Planner Kevin Davidson tried to explain that the purpose of the meeting was to gather input from the public and create a committee so that the county knew what the public wanted. Martin also accused the county of giving away all the water in the area. He said if the residents weren't careful, they were going to end up having to haul water to their homes. "We've always got enough to keep the golf course green; no matter what. If you start to build and you don't get a drop, that golf course is going to be green," he said. "These guys'll give it to another industrial group."

Davidson pointed to a study completed before the revision of the county's General Plan in 1995 that showed that the area had plenty of water. Another resident pointed out that plan was completed before Griffith Energy, the prison, the Interstate 40 corridor and several master-plan communities such as Pravada were approved. Davidson agreed that 1995 was a different era, but the county is outside of an Active Management Area, and there are no state or county controls on the amount of water that can be taken from the ground. Areas within AMAs such as Maricopa County have to prove that there is enough water to service the area until the year 2025.

Martin said that any number of groups and organizations could do all the water studies they wanted. "There's just not that much water there," he said. Wells are going down in the area. Residents won't get angry until their wells run completely dry and they have to pay to have water hauled to their property, Martin said. Davidson pointed out that as a resident of Kingman he was linked to the same aquifer as Dolan Springs. Another resident said the concern in Dolan Springs is water and pollution. He said he would like to see a slowdown in construction in the area and the creation of an independent water committee to study the issue.

Davidson said that there is an independent effort to create a water commission in the county and the County Clerk's Office has some information on it. Another issue that came up at the meeting regarded how far the proposed area plan would extend from Highway 93. Davidson said he was figuring on a one- to two-mile wide plan, just wide enough to fill in gaps between existing area plans and Highway 93. Clean air and a dark night sky were also brought up. Residents said they would like to see less bright lights and more paved streets. They also wanted more health care, recreational activities for children and adults and continuing education opportunities in the area.

Truck stops and economic opportunities were also brought up. Residents didn't seem that keen on truck stops. Other residents wanted to know where the Arizona Department of Transportation planned to add interchanges in the area. A resident asked if talking about economic opportunities wasn't putting the cart before the horse, because such businesses would need infrastructure. Davidson said many times commercial developers will put in their own systems until they can tap into a sewer or water system.

He also said that he planned to bring ADOT to a future meeting to explain what its plans were for Highway 93. What types of housing the community would like to see was also discussed. Davidson said he didn't see too many condos or multifamily homes being built in the area. He also asked residents to think about what types of outdoor recreation opportunities the community wants. The group then nominated Wendy Cavalliere to chair the committee with Sue Baughman as co-chair. The next meeting was set for 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 15 at the Dolan Springs Community Hall.