What isn’t moved is going to be “used up” by the town’s
Public Works Department for road maintenance purposes, according
to Gunn.
While
The Desert Advocate was on‑site Monday, several truckloads
of rock and debris moved at high speeds over the unpaved
road. Gunn said he is looking forward to change, but noted
there haven’t been many complaints.
“The
trucks, the dust, it’s amazing how few complaints we get
on it,” said Gunn.
As
if to prove him wrong, a couple from Omaha, Neb., Butch
and Angie Gathye, said they hadn’t noticed the piles of
debris as they came back from their morning hike, but did
notice the Public Works trucks.
“What
we noticed was they were driving really fast down the road,”
said Butch.
“And
then the noise, the beeping,” added Angie.
Town
Engineer Wayne Anderson, once informed, said he would address
the situation. “Our guys are supposed to follow the speed
limits,” he said.
Mayor
Vincent Francia was upset to hear about the truck speeds,
pointing out the access road into the ranch area is neither
paved nor wide enough to safely move large trucks at a high
rate of
speed.
“The
county approached the town about eventually paving it, but
the dirt road is more conservation‑minded.
But with the amount of people using it, it could happen,”
he said.
With
the unveiling last week of a conceptual plan for redevelopment
of the town’s Phoenix Mine site adjacent to Spur Cross (see
‘Former mine site’ above), Gunn hopes the future for the
area is bright.
“It’s
a pity–it’s such a pretty place,” said Gunn, noting there
already has been a lot of work done and that, despite the
former cyanide leaching process used to mine gold in the
1980s, the area is clean.
“This
is all the remnants of the mid‑80s gold mine,” said
Gunn, pointing to the heaps of dirt and rock. “This happened
to be a big one. They did their work and left the material.”
As
for the Gathyes, Gunn made sure they knew where to find
the best sightseeing opportunities and the best times to
see the abundant wildlife.
“I
was hoping to see a rattlesnake out there,” said Butch.
“It’s
about two weeks too early,” replied Gunn. “Come back in
a few weeks, you’ll see plenty of them.”
