Daily Archives: February 9, 2016

Sheriff’s Detectives Responded to Death at Antelope Point Marina

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PAGE — Coconino County Sheriff’s Deputies and Detectives are investigating the death of 54 year-old Michael Murphy of Page, Arizona who collapsed on the houseboat dock at Antelope Point on Lake Powell.

On February 8th at approximately 1:50 pm personnel of the National Park Service at Glen Canyon received a report from Antelope Point of an unresponsive person lying on the marina dock. National Park Rangers, Coconino County Sheriff’s Deputies, Page Fire Department, and Guardian Air Helicopter responded.

According to a coworker, he and the victim were laying carpet on a houseboat when the victim stepped off of the boat and onto the dock and collapsed. An employee of Antelope Point Marina who is an Emergency Medical Technician immediately responded and administered a defibrillator and began CPR. Upon arrival, medical personnel from the National Park Service and Page Fire Department continued administering lifesaving procedures. Shortly after 2:30 pm Murphy was declared deceased on scene.

The cause of death is currently under investigation by the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office and the Coconino County Medical Examiner’s Office. At this point in the investigation Detectives do not believe that foul play was involved with this death.

Roundabout construction will impact drivers on SR 89 at Perkinsville Road in Chino Valley today

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CHINO VALLEY — The Arizona Department of Transportation will restripe the roadway at the intersection of State Route 89 and Perkinsville today between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. to allow crews to begin construction of a new roundabout.

In addition to the restriping of the roadway, crews will close Perkinsville Road for the next five weeks and drivers will need to use alternate routes, to access SR 89 until the work is completed on the east side of the project. Traffic will be shifted to the west side of the roadway on SR 89 to make room for construction activity.

Drivers may have minimal impacts during work hours and ADOT advises drivers to allow additional time to reach their destinations and to proceed through the work zone with caution, comply with the reduced speed limit, and be alert for construction equipment and personnel.

This $1.5 million project consists of a new roundabout at the intersection of SR 89 and Perkinsville Road between mileposts 328 and 329. Additional work includes removal and replacement of existing pavement, drainage improvements, new pavement markings and lighting.

This project is expected to be complete by September.

ADEQ Issues Renewable Energy Permit to Facility in Rural Arizona Creating New Jobs and Protecting the Environment

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PHOENIX — Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) officials announced today issuance of a first of its kind air quality permit in Arizona to Concord Blue Eagar, LLC (Concord) for a new facility in Apache County, to produce renewable electricity and wood char using innovative processes. In record time for a class II permit, it took ADEQ only 85 days to complete the process from an administratively complete application to issuance, which gives the company authorization to construct and operate the facility.

Located in rural Arizona, the new facility is expected to create more than 40 new jobs – 30 during construction and 12 full-time once operation begins – benefitting the local economy, community and the environment. According to Concord, the facility will process 75 tons per day of wood fuels to operate.

“The Concord Blue facility in Eagar, Arizona offers the potential to increase the market value for small diameter ponderosa pine stands that we need to thin in order to create fire adapted communities and resilient ecosystems in the forested regions of our state,” said the State Forester, Jeff Whitney.

Using a unique technology that heats wood to create a natural-gas-like fuel, Concord plans to generate electricity from materials collected during forest thinning operations, as well as community plant trimmings and sawmill wood debris. Applying this technology at its Eagar plant will produce one megawatt of electricity for the Navopache Electric Co-Op Incorporated, as well as generate enough power to run the plant.

“Concord’s plan to use wood from forest thinning would help foster healthy forests, reduce excess wood that could fuel larger forest fires, clean up unwanted wood debris, and promote community safety,” ADEQ Director Misael Cabrera said. “Swiftly permitting the Concord facility also is an outstanding example of how ADEQ is working with industry to support environmentally responsible economic growth in Arizona.”

Concord Blue Vice President Project Management Scott Noll stated, “Throughout the permitting process, Arizona Department of Environmental Quality air permitting staff provided very helpful guidance regarding air dispersion modeling and did an excellent job expediting their review process once our full application was deemed complete.”

Thanks to significant process improvements implemented agency-wide, ADEQ now issues air quality permits 70 percent faster than just four years ago. Governor Ducey has challenged all state agencies to operate at the speed of business and ADEQ is delivering with faster, cheaper, better government without sacrificing environmental protection. Additional examples include:

  • A 25 percent reduction in vehicle emissions testing fees for more than one million Maricopa County residents;
  • A more than 50 percent reduction in the average time required to return facilities to compliance; and
  • Reducing the time it takes for customers to obtain public records by 70 percent by being the first Arizona agency to leverage technology to make its public record metadata available through an online application called MegaSearch.

Concord plans to begin operating the power plant by the end of 2016 and is working to secure the necessary wood fuel contracts. For more information about the Concord technology, please visit: http://www.concordblueenergy.com/