Live Safely in Your Manufactured Home: A Factsheet on Home Safety
Fires in manufactured homes claim the lives of 345 Americans each year and injure 765 more. Many of these fires are caused by heating and electrical system malfunctions and improper storage of combustibles.
The United States Fire Administration (USFA) would like consumers to know that there are simple steps you can take to prevent the loss of life and property in home fires.
The Problem
During a typical year, manufactured homes account for 17,700 fires, hundreds of deaths and $155 million in property losses. Manufactured homes have a fire death rate per 100,000 housing units 32-50 percent higher than the rate for other dwellings.
The Facts
Young children account for more than one-fifth of all fire deaths in manufactured homes. A recent study of rural fires showed that smoke alarms were less likely to be present or operating in manufactured homes.
The Cause
Electrical system malfunctions and heating fires are the leading causes of fire in manufactured homes. Together, they account for one-third of manufactured housing fires. Electrical distribution fires occur nearly twice as often in manufactured homes as in one- and two-family dwellings.
Safety Precautions
Have a minimum of two smoke alarms installed in your home regardless of sleeping space arrangements.
Install smoke alarms in accordance with smoke alarm manufacturer guidelines. Test your smoke alarms once a month and replace the batteries at least once a year.
Keep a fire extinguisher on hand and know how to use it. To play it safe, however, call the fire department before you use the fire extinguisher, or have someone else call while you're using the extinguisher.
Sleep with bedroom doors closed to keep smoke and flames out of bedrooms. If you awaken to find a fire already going strong, roll out of bed and crawl - don't run. If your clothing ignites, roll on the floor to smother the flames.
Make sure your house numbers are clearly marked so that the fire department can find it easily.
Maintain your home heating system by having it serviced at least once a year by a professional.
Do not store combustibles or flammables near heat sources.
Never overload outlets, extension cords or electrical circuits. If the circuit breaker trips or fuses blow, immediately call a licensed electrician to check your system.
Have an escape plan and practice escape routes with your family.
Space heaters need their space. Do not place portable space heaters close to drapes, clothing or other combustible materials.
Install skirting material to keep leaves and other debris and combustible items from blowing under your manufactured home.
When considering a new home, ask if residential sprinklers are available as an option.
If there is a fire - get out immediately, go to a neighbor's and notify the fire department using the 911 system or the proper local emergency number in your area.
Home Fires
Every year nearly 4,000 Americans die in home fires and approximately 20,000 are injured. Children and the elderly are especially at risk in home fires because they are less able to escape when fire strikes. You can improve the chances that your family will survive a home fire by making sure that they can escape quickly if necessary.
Smoke Alarms are Life Savers
The primary fire safety strategy for any home is to warn the occupants early. The best way to get the earliest warning of danger is by installing enough smoke alarms. Homes should have a smoke alarm near the bedrooms, but not so close to the kitchen that you have problems with alarms from cooking. It's a good idea to have a smoke alarm in each bedroom, especially if you sleep with the door closed.
Planning Your Escape
The other part of the fire safety plan is for everyone to get out quickly. When you are awakened in the middle of the night to a fire, your thinking may be confused, so it is important that you practice your escape plan ahead of time. That way, your whole family will know what to do. Manufactured homes have more ways to escape than most other homes. There are always two doors, and every bedroom has an emergency escape window. Make sure that everyone knows how to open the emergency windows so no time is wasted when fire strikes. These windows are labeled with operating instructions. Everyone in the family, as well as frequent visitors and babysitters, should practice the escape plan, including opening the escape windows.
Can You Beat the Clock?
Most people do not realize how quickly fires can grow. A home fire can become a killer in as little as 3 minutes. Can your family get out this fast? Consider that it may take one minute for the smoke alarm to sound and for you to recognize the danger. If you have young children or you are elderly and move more slowly, you may need another minute to get ready. This leaves only 1 minute for you all to get to an exit, open it, and get out. By practicing your escape, you can make every second count.
Steps to a Safe Escape
Have at least two working smoke alarms, test them monthly.
Plan two ways out of every room.
Practice your escape plan twice yearly.
Practice crawling low under smoke.
Have a pre-arranged meeting place outside your home.
Call the fire department from a neighbor's home.
Once outside, stay out.
For more information and a fun kids fire safety education page visit the U.S Fire Administration website.
I am proud to say that there were many Rainbow Valley residents in attendance at this meeting on August 1st. There were a lot of great questions, but unfortunately, not a lot of great answers. Below is a summary from one of our residents that attended as well as an email I received from Katie Wilken, AICP, Planner II City of Goodyear, Community Development Department.
Letter from: Nancy Watkins, Southwest Desert Estates, Rainbow Valley
Hi All,
I and a few others from our neighborhoods attended the planning and zoning meeting last night. I think the presenters (city people and P&Z people) soon found out that the majority of us were there with concerns about the 303 rather than as many about the sale of the State Trust Land. We were informed that the meeting was really about the sale of the State Trust Land. They are going to sell the chunk of land on the East and North side of Elliott and Rainbow. To whom?? For what?? When?? there were a lot of unanswered questions.
Anyway, the maps that they had, all showed the "proposed" 303 coming right down Rainbow Valley road. When we asked why it was shown this way, when we had 3 other proposal maps from 2004, and none of them showed the 303 coming down Rainbow Valley Rd, Katie Wilken (Goodyear P&Z) responded that this was the recommendation from the City of Goodyear, and Maricopa County had not voiced any objections to it. She said this general plan was approved in 2003, which would have been before the 2004 proposals that we had.
They said that the building of the 303 was not in the Prop. 400 budget of money that had been approved a few years ago. So, new/additional funding would have to be found. They said that ADOT is putting much more emphasis on the 303 building that is North of the Gila River. And that we should pay attention to which plan is approved for the North portion of the 303 because that would be an indicator to us as to which direction (off to the East or straight South) it would take when it came South of the Gila. They all said that they "think" the building of the 303 S. of the Gila is at least 10 years off, but funds could magically come from somewhere which would speed the process up.
Once ADOT is ready, they will begin studies and proposals on which route would be the most cost effective and best route for them to build on. ADOT has not even started looking at this area yet. Goodyear and the County will give ADOT their recommendation for where they want it to go (up Rainbow) and then ADOT begins their studies.I am going to ask Katie who we should contact to schedule a meeting only in regards to the 303 S. of the Gila. I think we need to start to let them know now that we don't want it down Rainbow Valley, and let them start to think of other alternatives. If we say nothing, and do nothing, we cannot complain when the final decision is made. Remember, the original plan was to send this up through Estrella Mountain Ranch. It doesn't look like that is going to be happening. I'll keep you posted.
Stan John (GVR1) is going to email us with more information in regards to what he thinks we should do.
I told both gentlemen that I talked to last night, that I think we should all meet (GV1, GV2, SWDE) together at least once or twice per year. I know we all do our own separate block watches, but we also have issues that effect all of us, and we all need to watch out for each other.
You can email Katie Wilken at Goodyear P&Z, and she will send you the proposals for the sale of the trust land, and the map that shows the proposal for the Loop 303. katie.wilken@goodyearaz.gov
Nancy Watkins
Southwest Desert Estates
Letter from: Katie Wilken, AICP, Planner II City of Goodyear, Community Development Department
Thank you for coming to the citizen review meeting on August 1st regarding the Arizona State Land Department General Plan Amendment. We appreciate all of your input and are currently working on gathering the information we received so we can pass it on to our Planning Commission and City Council.
We would first like to address Loop 303.
Please visit the following webpage for contact information for the Southwest team at AZDOT, who deals with the Loop 303 project.
We will make it clear to the Planning Commission and City Council that there were over 40 people at the meeting last night concerned with the current Loop 303 alignment. Staff is still working on gathering more information and as soon as we have it we will share it with you.
We also would like to share our schedule for Planning Commission and City Council meetings:
August 15, 2007 Planning Commission Worksession Location: City of Goodyear Justice Facility Time: 7:00pm
September 4, 2007 City Council Worksession Location: City of Goodyear Justice Facility Time: 6:00pm
October 3, 2007 Planning Commission Public Hearing Location: Starpointe Residents Club Time: 7:00pm
October 17, 2007 Planning Commission Public Hearing Location: City of Goodyear Justice Facility Time: 7:00pm
November 26, 2007 City Council Public Hearing Location: City of Goodyear Justice Facility Time: 6:00pm
The City of Goodyear Justice Facility is located at 986 South Litchfield Road, just north of Yuma Road. The Starpointe Residents Club is located at the southwest corner of Estrella Parkway and Elliot Road. Although we will share all of your comments with City Council and Planning Commission you are invited to attend these meetings as well. Please visit the City's website for agendas, meeting minutes, or to watch a meeting live or recorded:
The entire Arizona State Land Department application is now available on our website. We also have the Area 3 and Area 6 ownership and land use maps up separately. The land use maps and existing vs. proposed land uses are all part of the application book. You can find these here: http://goodyearaz.gov/index.asp?NID=1140
If you are having trouble accessing the documents online let us know and we can e-mail them to you or mail you a hard copy.
Please look over these materials and let us know if you have any additional questions or comments. You can either e-mail us at katie.wilken@goodyearaz.gov or brett.burningham@goodyearaz.gov or you can call 623.932.3005 and ask for either Katie or Brett. We would be happy to talk with you and are still taking comments to forward to the Planning Commission and City Council.
Thanks,
Katie Wilken, AICP
___________________________________________
Planner II
City of Goodyear, Community Development Department
195 N. 145th Avenue, Building D - Goodyear, AZ 85338
623.932.3005
Rainbow Valley Zoning Meeting Results - Thursday January 4, 2007
As expected there were just a few of us at the meeting today. That was expected due to the short notice and location of the meeting. We did make some progress and were happy that the board readily listened to our concerns and expressed understanding that we were trying to protect our current lifestyle. I think the board (and developer) were surprised that we had collected so many signatures in just a few short days as they had not had any calls opposing the rezoning and plat.
We know we can't stop progress and there will continue to be new homes built and probably some day we will see retail and other businesses in Rainbow Valley. That is just a fact of urban sprawl.
Today the board did approve both applications to be submitted to the Board of Supervisors meeting. We were told that even though it was approved we can still attend the Board of Supervisors (BOS) meeting and state our position. Today was a first for the three of us that attended and up till now we had no solid information to base or opposition on, other than we want to protect our lifestyle. We now have the time and opportunity to research and organize our requests so that when we attend the BOS meeting on February 7th and present our position we will have the information and community support to back up what we want. So........it's not over yet!
The good news is, the developers approached us after the meeting and offered to hold a community meeting and provide information and answer questions.
We also learned that the developers are not going to be building the homes, rather they are selling the lots and the homes will be built according to their established plans. This is where the community meeting comes in. This will be our chance to see what they have planned and ask our questions. If we still oppose their plans then we have the right to attend the BOS meeting and voice our opinion.
The Community Meeting with the developer will be at Rainbow Valley Elementary School in the cafeteria. We are working on the exact date but it will probably be either Tuesday the 23rd or Thursday the 25th of this month and will be held in the evening so more people can attend.
If you would like to be part of the Rainbow Valley Residents Committee or have previous experience/information that would help us prepare for this meeting, please contact: Kiara Mitchell at azkiara@yahoo.com or 602-561-7638. We are planning to get together sometime in the next few days to establish what it is we want to see happen.
Thanks again to everyone for gathering signatures and pulling over to sign our petitions the last few days. I am encouraged and excited to see so much support and willingness to get involved. I also feel this is a "heads up" for us to continue to meet and monitor what is planned for our community so we can be involved in the planning instead of reacting to it.
We are making a difference!
COMMUNITY MEETING: 1-23-07
Thank you to all the wonderful people who showed up at the Community Meeting on Jan 23rd. I was amazed that we had such a great turn out and proud to be a part of such a wonderful community!
The rezoning meeting held at Rainbow Valley School was attended by over 100 residents anxious to hear from the developers. Information on what exactly R1-35 and R-43 zoning means plus pictures of Rainbow Valley Past, Present and Future were posted on the walls for everyone to see and feel the impact this rezoning may have on our beautiful Rainbow Valley.
The developer spokesperson Mike Malais attempted to quiet some of the fears but most of the items were referred back to the County and State, stating that traffic signage and house height, for instance, would be dictated by them. One of the few questions they did answer was that they are going to limit the new home construction to single story homes! Restricting to single story homes is very important and crucial to maintaining the look and feel of our community.
After having a question and answer time of approximately 40 minutes, residents left with renewed hope of being able to stop the rezoning and at least being able to voice an opinion and possibly make an impact at the February meeting downtown.
The meeting is February 7th, 2007, 9:00 AM at 205 W. Jefferson St. BOS Room. We need to make as good a show as we did on the 23rd so everyone, please mark your calendars and try, try, try to attend this very important meeting. It IS going to affect our very country way of living. This is not a "Done Deal". But we can't stop now.
We encourage everyone to attend the Board of Supervisors meeting and write a letter to express how you feel about things. It doesn't matter whether you are for or against the rezoning, we all have a right to be heard.
Keep checking back as we are going to post additional information about the meeting last night, materials that were handed out as well as possible transportation to the meeting downtown.
Thank you again!
Loop 303 - General Plan Amendment Meeting
I am proud to say that there were many Rainbow Valley residents in attendance at this meeting on August 1st. There were a lot of great questions, but unfortunately, not a lot of great answers. Below is a summary from one of our residents that attended as well as an email I received from Katie Wilken, AICP, Planner II City of Goodyear, Community Development Department.
Letter from: Nancy Watkins, Southwest Desert Estates, Rainbow Valley
Hi All,
I and a few others from our neighborhoods attended the planning and zoning meeting last night. I think the presenters (city people and P&Z people) soon found out that the majority of us were there with concerns about the 303 rather than as many about the sale of the State Trust Land. We were informed that the meeting was really about the sale of the State Trust Land. They are going to sell the chunk of land on the East and North side of Elliott and Rainbow. To whom?? For what?? When?? there were a lot of unanswered questions.
Anyway, the maps that they had, all showed the "proposed" 303 coming right down Rainbow Valley road. When we asked why it was shown this way, when we had 3 other proposal maps from 2004, and none of them showed the 303 coming down Rainbow Valley Rd, Katie Wilken (Goodyear P&Z) responded that this was the recommendation from the City of Goodyear, and Maricopa County had not voiced any objections to it. She said this general plan was approved in 2003, which would have been before the 2004 proposals that we had.
They said that the building of the 303 was not in the Prop. 400 budget of money that had been approved a few years ago. So, new/additional funding would have to be found. They said that ADOT is putting much more emphasis on the 303 building that is North of the Gila River. And that we should pay attention to which plan is approved for the North portion of the 303 because that would be an indicator to us as to which direction (off to the East or straight South) it would take when it came South of the Gila. They all said that they "think" the building of the 303 S. of the Gila is at least 10 years off, but funds could magically come from somewhere which would speed the process up.
Once ADOT is ready, they will begin studies and proposals on which route would be the most cost effective and best route for them to build on. ADOT has not even started looking at this area yet. Goodyear and the County will give ADOT their recommendation for where they want it to go (up Rainbow) and then ADOT begins their studies.I am going to ask Katie who we should contact to schedule a meeting only in regards to the 303 S. of the Gila. I think we need to start to let them know now that we don't want it down Rainbow Valley, and let them start to think of other alternatives. If we say nothing, and do nothing, we cannot complain when the final decision is made. Remember, the original plan was to send this up through Estrella Mountain Ranch. It doesn't look like that is going to be happening. I'll keep you posted.
Stan John (GVR1) is going to email us with more information in regards to what he thinks we should do.
I told both gentlemen that I talked to last night, that I think we should all meet (GV1, GV2, SWDE) together at least once or twice per year. I know we all do our own separate block watches, but we also have issues that effect all of us, and we all need to watch out for each other.
You can email Katie Wilken at Goodyear P&Z, and she will send you the proposals for the sale of the trust land, and the map that shows the proposal for the Loop 303. katie.wilken@goodyearaz.gov
Nancy Watkins
Southwest Desert Estates
Letter from: Katie Wilken, AICP, Planner II City of Goodyear, Community Development Department
Thank you for coming to the citizen review meeting on August 1st regarding the Arizona State Land Department General Plan Amendment. We appreciate all of your input and are currently working on gathering the information we received so we can pass it on to our Planning Commission and City Council.Loop 303.
Please visit the following webpage for contact information for the Southwest team at AZDOT, who deals with the Loop 303 project.
We will make it clear to the Planning Commission and City Council that there were over 40 people at the meeting last night concerned with the current Loop 303 alignment. Staff is still working on gathering more information and as soon as we have it we will share it with you.
The City of Goodyear Justice Facility is located at 986 South Litchfield Road, just north of Yuma Road. The Starpointe Residents Club is located at the southwest corner of Estrella Parkway and Elliot Road. Although we will share all of your comments with City Council and Planning Commissionted to attend these meetings as well. Please visit the City's website for agendas, meeting minutes, or to watch a meeting live or recorded:
The entire Arizona State Land Department application is now available on our website. We also have the Area 3 and Area 6 ownership and land use maps up separately. The land use maps and existing vs. proposed land uses are all part of the application book. You can find these here: http://goodyearaz.gov/index.asp?NID=1140
If you are having trouble accessing the documents online let us know and we can e-mail them to you or mail you a hard copy.
Please look over these materials and let us know if you have any additional questions or comments. You can either e-mail us at katie.wilken@goodyearaz.gov or brett.burningham@goodyearaz.gov or you can call 623.932.3005 and ask for either Katie or Brett. We would be happy to talk with you and are still taking comments to forward to the Planning Commission and City Council.
Thanks,
Katie Wilken, AICP
___________________________________________
Planner II
City of Goodyear, Community Development Department
195 N. 145th Avenue, Building D - Goodyear, AZ 85338
It has been a long process and we have learned a lot. I apologize for the delay in getting the results out to you. I will try to summarize the results of several meetings and the involvement of our District 5 Representative Mary Rose Wilcox and her Planning and Development Team.
One of the big points we were are fighting for was to maintain the R-43 zoning. That, in fact, did not happen, it did however pave the way for some good things too happen. This is where we learned a lot.
We found out that because the developer did apply for rezoning we had the opportunity to require additional, reasonable stipulations to what they could build. So, if they don't apply for rezoning, they dont have to apply for plat approval until final plat and they can build anything they want within the the R-43 zoning guidelines.
With the help of our representative we were able to require the developer to include the following six new stipulations in addition to the others already in place (see link to plat plan) to their plat plan.
M.) All homes in the Aurora Valley shall be limited to single story. A note to this effect shall be included on the Final Plat.
N.) Fencing for the subdivision will consist of view fencing to be established along Narramore Road and Tuthill Rd. Masonry walls and solid fencing greater than 36" in height shall be prohibited. A note to this effect shall be included on the Final Plat. Fencing for the subdivision will consist of a combination of solid and view fencing along Narramore Road and Tuthill Road. Masonary walls and solid fencing greater than 48” in height in segments greater than 300’ shall be prohibited. All open areas that have perimeter walls will be restricted to view fencing only with masonary walls no greater than 48” in height. A note to this effect shall be included on the final plat. (When asked if they would consider 2' block with 4' iron over the top they said that it was not out of the question. As it is now the wall will be decided with community involvement before the final plat.
O.) If a Final Plat is not approved and recorded within five (5) years from the date of R1-35 zoning approval by the Board of Supervisors then the site may be scheduled for public hearing by the Board of Supervisors to consider reversion to Rural-43 zoning after recommendation by staff and the Planning & Zoning Commission.
P.) All interior street lighting will be shielded and directed downward at least 20 degrees below the horizontal plane. A note to this effect shall be included on the Final Plat.
Q.) A non-vehicular multi-use trail easement shall be provided on the property adjacent to Narramore Rd. to allow equestrian and hiking use for the general public. The easement shall be delineated on the Final Plat.
R.) The Final Plat shall include a note that states "Aurora Valley is located in and surrounded by an equestrian community and thus will be subject to noise, dust, odor, flies, and other potentially adverse impacts associated with the keeping of large animals."
That is where things stand at this point. We are going to schedule another Community Meeting in the next few weeks to go over everything. Boy have we learned a lot, especially that a grass-roots community effort can and does make a difference. Thank you to all who wrote letters, made phone calls etc and helped convince the planning and zoning commission that we are united and know what we want.
Another exciting thing that happened because of all this is that we are now officially recognizes as the: Rainbow Valley Citizen's Group. What this means is now whenever a new development is applied for within the Rainbow Valley Area Plan our group will be notified and provided a copy of the plans for our comment and we will also know when planning meetings are scheduled. This will keep them from "sneaking" up on us. In fact we have already been informed of a new huge subdivision being built that is just outside our community. I have provided a link below for additional details.
Thank you again for all your support and involvement and stay tuned for announcements about another Community Meeting.
The I-10 reliever formally will be known as State Route 801. The route will connect the southern end of Loop 303 with Loop 202 near South Mountain.
ADOT officials have said SR 801 will be a controlled-access freeway intended to relieve some of the congestion along I-10 in the Southwest Valley.
Although no construction has begun for the route, planning documents have identified a study area running roughly five miles south of and parallel to I-10 through largely undeveloped land. In addition to reducing commuter traffic on I-10, SR-801 will run near the industrial and warehouse district in southwest Phoenix, allowing the significant truck traffic that services these districts to avoid commuter traffic, and as such is envisioned as an alternate truck route.
Construction isn't expected to begin on the 801 until around 2021 and not completed until at least five years later.
AND
Phoenix-Tucson Bypass
The study is a preliminary assessment of the need and feasibility for a new transportation corridor that would provide an alternative to I-10, from the Buckeye area to eastern Arizona
Karen Abrams of the Rainbow Valley Cititzens group will be attending the meeting in Buckeye and will give us an update. We need someone to attend the 801 meeting in Goodyear and provide us an update.
There was a meeting Wednesday 3/6/08 at Estrella Foothills with, MAG is Maricopa Association of Governments. Here is there Web Site for more information: http://www.mag.maricopa.gov/display.cms . Basically they are federally funded and will do a study to decided exactly where the new Freeway will go. This is based upon what is best for the environment and communities involved. Here is a blurb on what they do:
MAG is the designated metropolitan planning organization (MPO) for transportation planning in the Maricopa County region. MAG has also been designated by the Governor to serve as the principal planning agency for the region in a number of other areas, including air quality, water quality and solid waste management. In addition, through an Executive Order from the Governor, MAG develops population estimates and projections for the region.
Evidently, there has been a big stir on where the Freeway will go. Therefore, MAG was brought in to find out what is best.
The meeting last night was informational only, no real opportunities to ask questions. They did agree to come out to Rainbow Valley and present to the community and answer questions regarding the 303 and the impact on Rainbow Valley, so stay tuned for a Community Meeting announcement.
We were very excited to meet several people representing BLM/Sonoran Desert National Monument and also a representative from The Wilderness Society. They are as concerned with the potential loss of open, natural desert and habitat as we are. We plan to meet with them in the near future for a tour of Rainbow Valley and a discussion of what we can all do to preserve our community.
We will post a more indepth review of the meeting as well as a link to the presentation complete with "proposed alignments" in the next few days. In the meantime you can find out more by going to www.bqaz.org .
Kiara
Maricopa Association of Governments MAG Meeting
SUMMARY: The Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) is a Council of Governments (COG) that serves as the regional agency for the metropolitan Phoenix area. They are conducting the I-8 and I-10 Hidden Valley Transportation Framework Study. As part of study, this meeting will inform the Rainbow Valley residents on proposed freeways going through our area. Click Here to read the proposal and a link to the full article.
Please join us next week at the Rainbow Valley School on Narramore between Rainbow Valley Rd and Tuthill. Please tell your neighbors about this meeting and the Community Website so we can continue to get the word out. Get Involved!
“The Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) is requesting proposals from qualified consultants for an area transportation study the Interstates 8 and 10-Hidden Valley Roadway Framework Study for the Southwest Maricopa/Western Pinal County, Arizona region. The study area is bounded by the Gila River/northern boundary of the Gila River Indian Community to the north, Interstate 8 corridor to the south, Overfield Road to the east, and 459th Avenue to the west. This study area includes parts of the City of Avondale, the City of Goodyear, the Town of Buckeye, the Town of Gila Bend, the City of Maricopa, the City of Casa Grande, the City of Eloy, the City of Coolidge, the Gila River Indian Community, the Ak-Chin Indian Community, the Tohono O’odham Nation, and unincorporated portions of Maricopa and Pinal Counties. This Study will develop a transportation framework for the study area that will ultimately be implemented at multiple jurisdictional levels. The project will be completed in a maximum eighteen months
from the date of the notice to proceed at a cost not to exceed $770,000.”
Rainbow Valley Zoning Meeting Results - Thursday January 4, 2007
As expected there were just a few of us at the meeting today. That was expected due to the short notice and location of the meeting. We did make some progress and were happy that the board readily listened to our concerns and expressed understanding that we were trying to protect our current lifestyle. I think the board (and developer) were surprised that we had collected so many signatures in just a few short days as they had not had any calls opposing the rezoning and plat.
We know we can't stop progress and there will continue to be new homes built and probably some day we will see retail and other businesses in Rainbow Valley. That is just a fact of urban sprawl.
Today the board did approve both applications to be submitted to the Board of Supervisors meeting. We were told that even though it was approved we can still attend the Board of Supervisors (BOS) meeting and state our position. Today was a first for the three of us that attended and up till now we had no solid information to base or opposition on, other than we want to protect our lifestyle. We now have the time and opportunity to research and organize our requests so that when we attend the BOS meeting on February 7th and present our position we will have the information and community support to back up what we want. So........it's not over yet!
The good news is, the developers approached us after the meeting and offered to hold a community meeting and provide information and answer questions.
We also learned that the developers are not going to be building the homes, rather they are selling the lots and the homes will be built according to their established plans. This is where the community meeting comes in. This will be our chance to see what they have planned and ask our questions. If we still oppose their plans then we have the right to attend the BOS meeting and voice our opinion.
The Community Meeting with the developer will be at Rainbow Valley Elementary School in the cafeteria. We are working on the exact date but it will probably be either Tuesday the 23rd or Thursday the 25th of this month and will be held in the evening so more people can attend.
If you would like to be part of the Rainbow Valley Residents Committee or have previous experience/information that would help us prepare for this meeting, please contact: Kiara Mitchell at azkiara@yahoo.com or 602-561-7638. We are planning to get together sometime in the next few days to establish what it is we want to see happen.
Thanks again to everyone for gathering signatures and pulling over to sign our petitions the last few days. I am encouraged and excited to see so much support and willingness to get involved. I also feel this is a "heads up" for us to continue to meet and monitor what is planned for our community so we can be involved in the planning instead of reacting to it.
