New town map Christmas arts

will be available and crafts festival

Palo Verde Valley Times
& Quartzsite Times
in about two
weeks/A6
is a success /B4

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and Facebook/BlytheNews

Times
PVVT.com
Todays high: XXX
Details on A3

50 CENTS Wednesday, December 7, 2016

A new curb-to-curb connection

bY cATHYLEEN rICE As a lone voice from in, shes able to train treme rural setting, who must help each oth-
Times Reporter Quartzsite, transit man- transit workers from Transit General Manag- er, to improve the sur-
In August, an idea ager Janet Collier said Blythe. er George Colangeli said, rounding neighborhood.
she helped work with the Having a reciprocat- Blythe and Quartzsite Another area which ben-
that never worked in the
other cities with one goal ing relationship, Blythe have always worked efits from these lifeline
past, came to life.
in mind; benefiting the Transit Agency in turn, together, transcending services is the commu-
A collaboration people and connecting allows the Quartzsite nity of Ehrenberg where
typical limitations faced
formed between neigh- them regionally. team to attend safety by communities along we see an increase in the
boring communities in What we wanna do, is training meetings, to fi- state borders. older population, veter-
the desert was set forth get the word out, that this nesse their safety abili- Colangeli feels that ans and the potential for
to bring people from re- is happening,Collier ties. without these partner- future growth in areas
Photo by Cathyleen Rice/Palo mote areas and connect
said. I think its nice hav- ships supplying an alter- adjacent to Interstate 10.
Verde Valley Times them by bus.
Working as a one- ing that insight from native for mobility and With the addition of win-
Fresh out of the Therefore, Blythe, Eh- woman team, Collier is meetings George allows quality of services, the ter visitors and migra-
box, these new signs will renberg, Lake Havasu tion of Millennials over
her own grant writer, me to attend, Collier economy in both areas
be placed around town soon. City, Quartzsite, Parker dispatcher and safety said. Im very grateful will struggle. the coming months, my
Partnering with Blythe Transit, and Yuma began work- trainer. to George and Dale for In such close prox- hope is that this partner-
the Camel Express has ing together, to help She also is certifiably being pretty gracious imity, Colangeli said, ship bus service is em-
already been catering to the get people places, they trained in safety and de- about accepting us. Quartzsite and Blythe braced by both commu-
people of Quartzsite. couldnt get to before. fensive driving, where- Being in such an ex- are typical neighbors See TRANSIT/A2

Music Town Town Manager

U.S.A.:
Quartzsites
Jim Ferguson
coupled stars goes on record
By Jackie Deal By Joyce Lobeck
Special to the times special to the Times

N
ot all stars in the sky can Longtime public ser-
vant Jim Ferguson had
be the North Star. Photos courtesy of Jackie Deal
Jack and Virginia Howe, originally hailing from Idaho, have been married for 66 retired three years ago,
Nor can all Quartzsite
but couldnt resist when
musicians be former years and play a lively form of country for the townsfolk of Quartzsite.
handed the challenge of
luminaries on the professional
taking on the job of town
stage. It takes millions of stars to manager for Quartzsite.
fill the nighttime sky and it also Jim Ferguson, town manager
It came at a good time,
takes many musicians to make the he explained recently as prised, Ferguson said.
Quartzsite desert ring with good he reflected on that deci- Skylor came in and took
country-western music. Lets meet sion. With an improve- care of things so the town
some of these stars. ment in his wifes medical wasnt excessively in
Virginia Howe sings soprano, condition so she needed debt. It has a decent bud-
a rarity in country music, and less of his time, I was get. The town could use
her husband Jack plays a lively LEFT: Frank and Jo Thompson, with Cajun and blue grass influences, play their looking for something to more staff but I under-
harmonica. hearts out in front of fun-loving locals around the town of Quartzsite. RIGHT: Patti do when the opportunity stand it had to tighten its
Virginia and Jack both grew up and Larry Hunziker, originally from Washington State, both learned to play guitar at came up in Quartzsite. belt. But its in good fiscal
in Idaho and went to school togeth- Initially, the job offer shape and employee mo-
65-years-young and have been belting out fun tunes for locals in Quartzsite since.
er. He walked her home holding was to serve as interim rale is good.
hands in 2nd grade. Jack told his Larry Hunziker at a Death Valley a tune in a bucket when I was manager for three or four However, theres al-
mother Im going to marry her, event. younger. months until a perma- ways some unfinished
and, sure enough, he did! Patty and Larry are an example However he could whistle on nent replacement for for- business, Ferguson said.
To date, theyve been married of what happens when cute meets key. Patti was having trouble find- mer town manager Sky- Skylor had his plate full
66 years. Time may have touched handsome! Patti is cute, lively and ing her key when she was singing lor Miller was found. and he left some of it on
their bodies but it hasnt dimin- full of fun; Larry is handsome, and Virginia told her she needed I got over here and the plate for me.
ished their love or their sense of more reserved and looks at Patti to play an instrument and then she started working on One of the more criti-
humor. as if hes not quite sure what to wouldnt have that problem . So, things, Ferguson said. cal issues still facing the
Virginia asks, Any idea how expect next! Virginia taught Patti and about 6-7 And quickly found him- town is the need for im-
boring his life would have been Patti is from Yakima, Wash- others to play guitar in a class that self drawn to the com- provements to its infra-
without me? ington, where her family has was out in the desert. munity and its residents, structure, in particular
Virginia sang with her sister lived since 1860. She met Larry in Larry says Patti was having the challenges facing the its wastewater treatment
and in church and taught herself school but they married others. way too much fun and he wanted town and its dedicated system, Ferguson said.
to play the guitar more than 30 They went to their 25th year class to play too. So she taught him at employees. It needs upgraded and
years ago. reunion; she was in Washington home to play the guitar. Patti was I realized how much I probably expanded, he
Jack was in the service from State and he was in California. playing on a borrowed guitar, missed doing what I had said, adding that a num-
1952-1956, then farmed in Washing- One year later they were married. and Larry took her to buy a new been doing, said Fergu-
ber of homes are still on
ton for 10 years. He was also a far- Larry says, We ended our mail- guitar. She tried out about 10 son, whose career has
septic systems and the
rier (horseshoer) and for 10 years box romance. guitars before she found the sound spanned decades in elect-
towns groundwater has
worked for the Irrigation District. Patti worked 22 years at JC she wanted. That was in 2003. ed office, various city
positions in Yuma and a nitrate plume.
Virginia says, We came to Pennys and Larry was an itiner- They were 65 years old when they Ferguson denied ru-
Quartzsite for one week the first ant printer. He retired from the learned to play guitars. Somerton, a short stint
as interim president of mors that the town had
time, then 2 weeks, then a month Tacoma Tribune. They both love Quartzsite and been given a moratorium
and now we live here fulltime. Patti always liked to sing but Patti wonders Is there any other Greater Yuma Economic
Development Corpora- on new development by
Virginia and Jack met Patti and Larry says, I couldnt carry See couples/A2 the Arizona Department
tion and most recently
city administrator in of Environmental Quality
in an agreement reached
Quartzsite Library to hold blowout book bargain
Winslow.
I talked it over with with the state agency.
my wife and decided to Ive read the docu-
go back to work. My in- ment several times and
By Cathyleen Rice & Uriel
Avendano $1 per bag sale slated for Dec. 8 to foster knowledge and
interest in library items.
tent is to give the town (of
Quartzsite) my full atten-
its not a moratorium,
he said. That doesnt
Quartzsite Times Fowler, the Quartzsite profit organization Weve been so busy tion for a couple of years mean there isnt a need
The Town of Quartz- Public Library manager. dedicated to support this very morning, I feel to ensure things are mov- to improve the system.
sites Public Library, lo- Weve done it in the past the Quartzsite Library, like we have a very good ing in the right direction. (ADEQ) does want us to
we have it every year items on clearance will library here and we get a It takes time to put things improve the system and
cated at 465 N. Plymouth
() Mysteries, science be paperbacks, hard- lot of compliments about in place. get people hooked up to
Ave., will be hosting an- fiction, just regular fic- backs, audio, CDs, it, said Fowler. We the sewer system.
Thats not to say he
other $1 per bag of books tion and a lot large print; magazines and more.have a lot of readers in found things in bad He said the system was
blowout sale on Dec. we have a good selec- Through its promo- town; we also have people shape, a situation he at- built in 1992 to standards
8, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. tion of that here, for the tion of education and lit- who do the e-books. We tributes to the leadership of that time and is show-
We usually have a very local (senior) patrons.eracy, TQLF continues do a monthly report and of Miller during his two- ing its age and the need
good turnout. A dollar Sponsored by the to cultivate friendly re- theres usually around year tenure as town man- for maintenance. Now
a bag, any (book) in the The Quartzsite Library lations and tries to find 22-2500 e-books checked ager. underway is one such
room goes, said Billie Friends (TQLF), a non- the most opportunities See books/A2 I was pleasantly sur- See ferguson/A2