Mike Shepston, Charles Spitzer, and several others asked the council why Cave Creek’s Water Master Plan, adopted in April, hasn’t been followed and why the new tank is being built in their neighborhood, when the plan called for it to be built on the former Phoenix Mine Site adjacent to Spur Cross Ranch Conservation Area.

“By all accounts, the Spur Cross location was the location of choice,” said Shepston. “What prompted the 11th‑hour change in location?”

Spitzer cited specifics in his remarks to council, namely the CH2MHill report locating the new tank at the Spur Cross site prior to the town purchasing Cave Creek Water Co., a quote by Town Engineer Wayne Anderson from the March 5, meeting minutes affirming the Spur Cross location, and the actual adopted Water Master Plan.

He then quoted a revised version of the Water Master Plan handed out at the July 11 Water Advisory Board meeting. This version adds the “Gold Mountain” area into the mix, but Spitzer pointed out that no records exist “that indicate this version was adopted by town council.”

Sienna Corp. confirmed to The Desert Advocate last month the developer was working on a development agreement with the town to provide water service to homes the company plans to build on the slopes of Continental Mountain, which currently lies outside the town’s boundaries.

However, access to the site could potentially come through Fleming Springs Road and water service would be more easily obtained if a larger water tank and associated infrastructure were to go in at the site near Echo Canyon Drive and Rockaway Hills Road.

After the meeting The Desert Advocate asked Town Manager Usama Abujbarah when the decision was made to move the tank’s location to the Echo Canyon site. Abujbarah responded it “was an evolving process. We were deciding on the best locations with available sites, and within and owned by Cave Creek.”

Abujbarah went on to say there were two other locations considered but not owned by the town, a site on Basin Road north of the treatment plant and another just north of the American Legion building. He said the town was not able to successfully negotiate a purchase of either site.

Bob Hoghes told council he is against any kind of development on Continental Mountain and doesn’t believe Cave Creek should be extending water service outside the town’s boundaries.

This sentiment was shared by several others, who complained that encouraging development on the mountain would increase traffic and noise, and could strain the town’s water system beyond what it is capable of providing.

The strain on the town’s water system was made even more clear by a half‑hour water outage reported and fixed during the meeting, and Harrold’s Cave Creek Corral owner Bob Vale relating numerous outages this past week that cost him customers and revenue.

Terry Zerkle, one of the first residents to become aware of the apparent discrepancy between what was voted on and the current situation, informed council that, in his opinion, the public process was “flawed,” and the contract between the town and the tank construction company could possibly be “unlawful.”

“This is just one consequence of the town’s decision to sacrifice transparency for expediency in racing ahead with tank construction at this site,” said Zerkle. “A larger consequence is the disenfranchisement of an entire community in a public participation process which they are entitled by law to engage in if they so choose.”

The lack of public notification was emphasized by new resident Sonja Lockman, who pointed out the town personally notified only seven property owners for a tank, as proposed, to protrude at least 16 feet out of the ground, with a very large circumference.

“I had to notify three times as many people as the town notified for a temporary trailer on my property,” she said, adding the trailer will be gone soon when construction on her house is completed, but the tank will be on that site far longer.

Since these concerns were aired during Call to the Public and were not on the meeting agenda, the council, by law, could not comment or discuss the issue.

However, Councilwoman Grace Meeth requested the matter, along with an unrelated complaint about mounted shooting events near the town core, be put on a future council agenda.