County set to discuss Ave. E extension

The Yuma County Board of Supervisors might approve an alignment for a potential Avenue E extension near San Luis that skirts east of Rolle Airfield.

A county consultant recommends aligning the Avenue E extension, which would run from State Route 195 to County 18th Street, to the east of the airfield. The new roadway, recommended within the Yuma Metropolitan Planning Organization Regional Transportation Plan because of projected traffic volume on the existing north-south corridors nearby, would provide the area with a new north-south corridor to Somerton and Yuma.

Two similar alignments were identified during the scoping of the project, with one running to the east of Rolle and the other to the airfield's west. According to a county staff report, there was no preference environmentally or culturally for the east alignment over the west. But the Yuma County Airport Authority favors the eastern alignment due to the possible future expansion and development of Rolle Airfield. The cities of San Luis and Somerton concur with the airport authority's preference.

The supervisors will take up the matter when they meet on Tuesday. (The Supervisors normally meet on Mondays but scheduled this week's meeting for Tuesday because of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday.) Other items on their agenda include:

• The supervisors will consider lending their support to bringing the “Housing for Heroes Project” to the Yuma area. The project provides traditional housing for veterans.

Dr. Miguel Olivas of National Community Health Partners approached the supervisors at their meeting on Jan. 7 and sought to include individual letters of support with a grant application to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for the housing project. Instead, the county drew up a resolution endorsing the effort.

According to the resolution, Yuma County has about 1,687 “very low-income” veterans and 1,164 veteran families at risk of homelessness.

• Chairman Greg Ferguson is seeking authorization to sign a letter asking the Legislature to restore transit funding that it swept two years ago.

Yuma County's share of the Local Transportation Assistance Fund, generated by monies from the Arizona State Lottery, was used to help offset the costs of running the Yuma County Area Transit bus system. The allocation of about $150,000 per year paid for half of the bus system's operations, with the balance paid for by the Federal Transit Administration. However, the lottery funds were swept into the state general fund in fiscal year 2011, leaving the county to fill the gap itself and divert resources away from other programs, including public health, safety and welfare.

• The supervisors will hold a work session to check in on the county's animal control program, which was launched in July 2012, and possibly direct staff on future facility development. The work session immediately follows the regular meeting.

The meeting starts at 8:30 a.m. at the Board of Supervisors Auditorium, 198 S. Main St.

Hillary Davis can be reached at hdavis@yumasun.com or 539-6857. Find her on Facebook at Facebook.com/YSHillaryDavis or on Twitter at @YSHillaryDavis.