FHCCA, Chamber to host sanitary district forum

For the first time in over a decade, the Fountain Hills Sanitary District has more candidates than seats available for the 2017 election.

The Fountain Hills Sanitary District board election is for 2 seats and four candidates have submitted.

While the District’s new director Dana Tromke will tell you they quietly operate 24/7, the Sanitary District has been the subject of discussion with regard to water quality at Fountain Lake, the world famous fountain overspray and the proposed crystal lagoon feasibility study.

However, it’s important to understand the Fountain Hills Sanitary District is not owned by the Town and does not run the Fountain. They do clean waste water and have two treatment plans in Fountain Hills along with pumps throughout the Town to keep the water flowing back to their facility.

The candidates running for office are Gregg Dudash (incumbent), Scott Sommer, Tom Reski (incumbent) and Tony Finocchio.

The last Sanitary District Board election occurred on November 8, 2005. There were two candidates for two positions (473 votes were cast). The last time there were more candidates than positions was in 2003 (4 people ran for 3 positions) and 2,047 votes were cast.

The Sanitary District Candidate Forum, sponsored by the FHCCA and Fountain Hills Chamber, will be Thursday, September 21 from 7:30 am to 8:30 at Eagle Mountain Golf Club. Tickets are free to attend and include breakfast. Registration is required in advance. No admission at the door.

According the sanitary district website they’re a governmental entity separate from the Town of Fountain Hills. The District’s sole purpose is to collect, treat, and dispose of wastewater and its byproducts within the Town of Fountain Hills and a very small portion of the City of Scottsdale. There has been conversations whether or not there would be a new medical waste disposal service implemented in the City of Scottsdale, the number of medical practices that have been set up is on the rise and this could be a good extra source of income for the District. The District operates in accordance with Title 48 of the Arizona Revised Statutes and is governed by an elected five-person board of directors. Daily operation of the District is overseen by the District Manager.

The District was established in 1969 and constructed its first wastewater treatment facility in 1974. Today, the District operates a 2.9 million gallon per day wastewater treatment facility, 18 raw wastewater pump stations, over 200 miles of sewer lines, and an advanced water treatment facility. The District provides sewer service to over 13,000 residential connections, 300 commercial connections, and reclaimed water for irrigation to three golf courses and three town parks. The District employs a staff of 43.