Growing pains

Pinal County, Ariz., sandwiched between the ever expanding Phoenix and Tucson, is experiencing a road and traffic crisis with no easy and cheap solution available.

How?

Part of the reason was the two major Arizona cities north and south of Pinal County are expanding so fast toward each other that the rural county of farms, desert, quaint small towns and copper mines is now overrun with housing developments and inadequate services — primarily roads to handle the growth.

In addition to the phenomenal growth, the lack of land-use planning is being blamed for the county's lack of ability to adjust to the problem. Sales tax increases to fund needed roads are being considered, which means the locals will be paying for the growth.

Lincoln County is not sandwiched between two expanding metropolitan areas but we are located dead center of two fast growing rural areas that are drawing national attention — North Idaho and the Flathead. We used to talk about seeing the "slop-over" from those two places but what's happening here is more than spill.

We've always been popular with a certain type of retiree looking for an inexpensive place to settle where their California or other West Coast state home equity would set them up comfortably. These folks were living out in the woods away from the incorporated areas of the county.

I remember we had county snow plows running two and half miles up what was a Forest Service Road and then a county road all winter for six families. There was also bus service from the school district. That's an added expense to the county and the school district to operate services. Now there must be over 30 families living in the same area and the need for services is expanding.

I remember in Gunnison County, Colo., there were these large subdivisions scattered in the mountainous remote areas of the county that had to have special sheriff's patrol because most of the residents were seasonal. That was an enormous cost to the county.

When the density of people living in a remote area increases enough, who pays for the sewer system that may be required by state or federal law? The county taxpayers?

These are problems caused by growth that could raise the cost of doing business for the county and you know who foots that bill.

There are safety issues as well. How much traffic can a rural road handle? What natural hazards threaten or restrict the use of those roads? With deputies based in Libby, Troy and Eureka, how fast can they respond to some of these new subdivisions? Is it safe?

The county commissioners are considering these things.

On Wednesday, Jan. 25, at 3 p.m., they are holding a public hearing on a proposed county planning board. This is not unusual in the West and can be extremely helpful to existing landowners and new property owners. Keep your mind open and find out what the commissioners have in mind before you fly off the handle. We have the opportunity to shape whatever growth policy or procedure evolves here.

We also have the opportunity to shape our own future before we are forced to react in an expensive fashion with fewer options such as Pinal County, Ariz. We can act intelligently or we can keep our heads in the sand until we are forced to pull them out and wonder what happened as we reach for our wallets.

We're seeing amazing growth and development and its just the beginning. — Roger Morris