Moms organize vs. freeway alignment

Corinne Purtill
The Arizona Republic
Mar. 4, 2006 12:00 AM

About once a week, a group of Laveen moms gathers in the shade of a newly built gazebo while their children play on a nearby playground.

Lately, those informal play dates have taken on a political tone, as the group figures out how to mobilize against a potential threat to their community: the proposed 71st Avenue alignment of the South Mountain Freeway.

Their neighborhood, a Centex Homes development called Trailside Point, off 67th Avenue and Baseline Road, is so new that many homes still have dirt instead of front-yard landscaping.

The proposed extension along 71st Avenue would cut through the western portion of the 1,600-home planned community.

The group has arranged a meeting with the Arizona Department of Transportation on Thursday at the home of one of its members, Stephanie Farrington. For information, e-mail her at stephanie@jsfarrington.com.

The South Mountain Citizens Advisory Team is to choose its preferred western alignment March 30, a decision that could affect Tolleson and, to a lesser extent, Avondale.