Foothills anti-freeway group picks up steam

Corinne Purtill
The Arizona Republic
Dec. 20, 2005 12:00 AM

About 80 people packed a meeting room at the Ironwood Branch Library for the second official meeting of Protecting Arizona's Resources and Children, the grass roots anti-freeway group gaining momentum in Ahwatukee Foothills.

Only two weeks ago, PARC was two dozen people gathered in a Lakewood park. Sunday's meeting featured an address by Councilman Greg Stanton and a renewed sense of determination to make the group's opposition to the proposed South Mountain Freeway heard well outside the boundaries of Ahwatukee.

"How many signatures do we need to make the governor say this is wrong?" founder Melanie Pai asked the group in regard to their ongoing petition drive. "When we get (elected officials) to do that, then we'll stop getting signatures."

In the past two weeks, the group has collected hundreds of signatures from people opposed to the South Mountain Freeway. The group formed in protest to the freeway's potential effects on public health, nearby schools and South Mountain Park.

Before signing the petition, Stanton reiterated his opposition to the Pecos Road alignment and encouraged the group to broaden their argument to make it a Valley-wide issue.

"We're not going to win this fight if we base this just on the quality of life in Ahwatukee Foothills," Stanton said.

Attendees peppered Stanton with questions about the ongoing negotiations with the Gila River Indian Community. Daniel Pinkstaff said he was skeptical of the seemingly closed-door nature of the Arizona Department of Transportation's discussions with the tribe.

"The people building are the ones negotiating? Huh. That doesn't seem right, does it?" Pinkstaff asked during the meeting.