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kwb wrote on Dec 16, 2009 3:13 PM:

" Tom G. I see the numbers you are quoting on the dept. of Commerce site and now understand them. The numbers pertain to the entire county not just LHC. And even then some of these numbers seem suspect.[8700 govt. emp. in the county seems blouted]. "




tomgarven wrote on Dec 16, 2009 1:27 PM:

" You are correct - the data is for "County Employment 2008". Big difference and I apologize for the error.

Tom G. "




tomgarven wrote on Dec 16, 2009 1:20 PM:

" kwb wrote [in part] "Tom G. once again you post a bunch of laughable numbers that are not based in reality ...

Tom G. responds: I also find some of the numbers hard to believe and don't know where the Dept of Commerce is getting their data from.

The data came from the "Arizona Department of Commerce" website. Of course we can't post website links here on this site so the best I can do is direct you to the website by doing an internet search. Type "Dept. of Commerce, lake havasu" into your search engine and it should be the first listing at the top of the page. I just cut and pasted the information into my posting.

I am also not quite sure what point "Sameo Sameo" is trying to make? Is it that regardless of the type of business it would be it would not be welcomed because it would clutter up the landscape? Or are some types of businesses o.k.? If some are o.k. what are they?

I hope Sameo Sameo writes me an e-mail so I can better understand what would be acceptable.

The point I was trying to make kwb was this. I used to have several friends in the construction industry that are no longer employed or even in our town. Also some of my other friends who were at one time in business have also left town. This is a truly sad state of affairs don't you think?

If you don't like the Arizona Dept of Commerce data maybe you could write them an e-mail saying you think they are also "just alot of hot air." Good luck with that positive message, LOL

tomgarven@hotmail.com "




kwb wrote on Dec 16, 2009 6:35 AM:

" Tom G. once again you post a bunch of laughable numbers that are not based in reality. 8700 LHC goverment employees[reality 424 ft and 162 pt]little off there. There are 6 elem. 2 middle 1 h.s. 1 c.c. 4 charter schools in LHC which would be and average of 450 teachers per school. Your numbers add up to about 51k in jobs in LHC and there is about a 17K work force in LHC . For awhile I thought your post though long winded were pretty good but after the last couple I think there just alot of hot air. "




Sameo Sameo wrote on Dec 15, 2009 11:48 PM:

" Mr. Garvin states that according to Dept.of Commerce statistics 41,200 Havasuvians were gainfully employed here in 2008. Assuming a 50% unemployment rate that still leaves 20,600 with some kind of income. So whats the big deal about not having enough jobs and wanting to clutter up the landscape with factories and pollution??? "




O'really wrote on Dec 15, 2009 11:43 AM:

" brightone, Nobody bashed the cops at all. Telling the truth is not bashing and only rats and roaches do not like light shined on them. ACLU is not my favorite organization but sometimes they are expose corruption and that is a good thing. "




tomgarven wrote on Dec 15, 2009 9:00 AM:

" Got my survey yesterday and returned it today. It is a simple one-page listing of business names. Just pick the ones that tickle your fancy and return with your water bill or send or drop off at city offices. Simple enough.

Tom G. "




MN wrote on Dec 15, 2009 4:22 AM:

" It would be nice to have a mix of a couple high end stores, for the "rich" old blue hairs that some of you dislike and a couple good discount stores for the "poor" old blue hairs that some of you dislike..I prefer Target and Kohls for my discount stores! and I don't even have blue hair! "




resident wrote on Dec 14, 2009 3:40 PM:

" exceptional geriatric specialties would include physicians (a clinical team) who specialize in the care of older adults, how about an Alzheimer’s research center, how about a patient recovery and rehabilitation center that focuses on (acute) care for our Elders. Is our city already knowm for this? I don't know but all I ever hear/read is how inadequate the hospital performs.

I say exceptional because it needs to be better than average in order to differentiate ourselves. Building upon something we already have (a retirement community) will bring additional jobs. All that I ever read is how healthcare is the place to be if looking for a job.

Obviously, I don't imagine the city becoming a manufacturing hub but, here again, why can we not build upon our inherent strengths. Keep the boat manufaturing community alive and create more (service) business for them with more customers. "




victoria wrote on Dec 14, 2009 2:20 PM:

" Resident, you are right on target but many post that they want all of these new stores, restaurants etc. which prompted my comment. Sorry I blended the two responses as one to your statement. "




moviegal wrote on Dec 14, 2009 2:04 PM:

" Resident ~ I am curious as to what kinds of "exceptional geriatric specialties" you would want to see come to Havasu? As for the marine industry, that does not benefit the entire city. As for RV and other manufacturing, where exactly should those plants go? Do you realize what industrial plants do to the surrounding environment? We don't want to become the new manufacturing capital of the US. Besides with down turns in the economy the first businesses to suffer are manufacturing plants most especially autos, RV and boats. People cannot afford to continue to purchase new toys. Look at what is going on with the auto manufacturers in Detroit. I agree that chains of retail stores will not bring in the highest paying jobs, but they will bring in jobs not to mention provide an alternative for residents to shop instead of going to Bullhead or Las Vegas. I think we need to make sure things come to town that will keep revenue local. I think another alternative for a business to come to Havasu would be something like a Castles & Coasters type of place. A place with miniture golf, go-karts, video games, waterslides, or roller coasters in one location. It would be a huge draw for families with children because of the activities they could do with them. Plus, there are a lot of adults who would enjoy miniture golf. I know we have had miniture golf in town before and still currently have a go kart track (but the prices are not affordable) and if you have a range in children's ages there is nothing for the younger ones to do there. Just a thought. Give us some more entertainment options. "




resident wrote on Dec 14, 2009 12:56 PM:

" Victoria, I'm not saying that the city needs more shopping, recreational and dining choices. We have enough shopping/dining.

I am saying that taxpayer money will have a better return if targeted to these areas:
1-the city should invest in bringing exceptional geriatric specialties to the area.
2-the city should invest in the marine industry (boat mfg, marine related mfg, upgrade lake ammenties, what about rv mfg...) "




tomgarven wrote on Dec 14, 2009 11:09 AM:

" LosTacos wrote on Dec 13, "Filled out my survey, "Come on Olive Garden!" We all ready...".

Tom G responds: Very well written post and I agree with 99.9% of what you said. "




tomgarven wrote on Dec 14, 2009 11:02 AM:

" n2havasu09 wrote on Dec 12, 2009 11:47 PM: "I think people took my words the wrong way."

Tom G. responds:

I was trying to show that possibilities do exist for people with degrees in Havasu. Also hopefully you continue to ignore people who have developed a negative attitude towards our community.

We need young people just like yourself with college degrees. Hopefully you check the jobs banks daily which you probably do, go to mixers and town events as much as possible and volunteer to help with special events whenever you can. Someone will notice you.

Also your idea of getting your CNA is excellent. One of the HUGH growth sectors right now is HEALTH CARE so that could be a very smart career path.

Good luck with your job search and don't forget to practice your interviewing skills LOL "




tomgarven wrote on Dec 14, 2009 10:39 AM:

" resident wrote on Dec 13, 2009 [in part] "one of the largest, if not the largest, employers in lhc is the city... In my opinion, the city has two unique niche markets: the lake and the retirement community.

tomgarven responds to 'resident': I agree we should try and build and encourage every possible strength our community has. Here is where my thinking is taking me. The following breakdown of jobs in Havasu is from 2008 Dept. of Commerce data.

Trade, Transportation, and Utilities 11,500
Government 8,700
Educational and Health Services 6,100
Leisure and Hospitality 6,100
Construction 5,100
Professional and Business Services 3,900
Manufacturing 3,300
Financial Activities 2,600

You are correct that government is right up there near the top. My concern is that manufacturing at 3,300 jobs is near the bottom. Remember when we had about 600 of our fellow citizens working at a chain saw manufacturing plant? They made good money and I bet there are lots of people in town right about now who wished we had some of those jobs back.

At the present time we have LESS THAN 10% of our community involved in the manufacturing sector MAKING something and it doesn't have to be solar. But, it just so happens that we live in the best state in the entire country for solar energy and solar related products. We are going to be building hundreds of solar power plants in Arizona within just a few hundred miles of our back doors. Why not some solar conferences for Havasu. Why not some manufacturers who build solar power plant components? Besides; the lake is too darn cold now to go swimming anyway, LOL.

It's not that we can't or shouldn't support and encourage our tourist, marine and retirement community activities – we should and we need to. I just believe we can do MORE with what we HAVE to work with if we plan our future correctly; and that is my goal. If we are going to SEARCH for businesses to support what our city will look like between now and 2020, then we need to think seriously about what our PEOPLE will be DOING. Do we want them to be making $10/hour in the Service Sector or $20/hour in the Industrial Sector? Which would be better for our city and yes I believe we can have both if we do it right.

I don't know about you, but I believe that if only 1 or 2 of the following things come true in the next few years, they could create some serious problems for our community.

+Gasoline and Diesel fuels will again be more than $4/gallon by ????

+Job recovery in the small business sector will be slow due to a shortage of available capital.

+Cap and Trade will pass Congress and increase the cost of almost everything we buy.

+Utility rates will 'necessarily skyrocket' as stated by our President.

+Inflation could again become a problem due to excessive government spending.

+ Peak oil and/or global warming may be true and finally;

All of these things will have some affect on how we spend our capital budget dollars.

So how does solar fit into the above? Well it could help diversity our economy, reduce some of the impacts of the above and help get our community get back to work.

That's my opinion – what's yours? "




Victoria wrote on Dec 14, 2009 10:11 AM:

" Resident, you are absolutely right, tourism and retirees are a huge asset to this community. However, we need to grow our employment base with better paying jobs as part of the overall development strategy. More income means more spending which in turn will build a better tax base. A better tax base will provide the City with needed revenue to make improvements to attract more visitors in addition to providing a better quality of life in LHC. I agree that Havasu needs more shopping, recreational and dining choices, however better paying jobs are needed so residents can afford to support new businesses. Large Chain businesses will not build in LHC just because a survey shows a couple hundred people are in favor of them locating here. Decisions like that are based on demographics and profit analysis. "




resident wrote on Dec 13, 2009 11:44 AM:

" tomgarven, interesting data but unfortunately one of the largest, if not the largest, employers in lhc is the city.

Like it or not, the reality is that the city is not a knowledge based community. In my opinion, the city has two unique niche markets: the lake and the retirement community. Hopefully the city will exploit these two strengths - grow the marine industry and cultivate impressive geriatric services in order to promote our fair city to the fullest extent. "




victoria wrote on Dec 13, 2009 9:44 AM:

" Tritoon, Our comany name is Clean Power Resources, Inc. CPR! You may have heard our ads on the radio "If you just opened your utility bill you probably need CPR!". We are in the Red Local Phone book, our website is cleanpowerusa.com. Thank you for your interest and as as always, when hiring a contractor get at least 3 bids and check them out with the Better Business Bureau and State License board.We Look forward to hearing from you. "




tomgarven wrote on Dec 13, 2009 9:44 AM:

" Victoria wrote on Dec 12, 2009 [in part]: “I would think with all of the resources available here in the US, we should be building grid tie solar energy farms everywhere possible. “

Tom G. says: I agree; lets put together a community action plan and get some of our unemployed people back to work. We CAN DO THIS if we all work together!

Lets build or find a home in Havasu that is powered by solar where we can all go see how solar can work for us. Anybody have a solar home out there they would volunteer to hold an open house at? I will come and help make it a success. This waiting around for our 'government' to fix things is a big waste of time. Lets not wait for our electric bills to increase 25-40% under the Presidents vision of Cap and Trade. "




havasumama wrote on Dec 13, 2009 9:37 AM:

" Costco or Sam's, Johnny Carino's, Joes Crab Shack, Popeye's Chicken, Sonic, Cracker Barrel, CiCi's pizza(kiddo came up with), Bass Pro Shop, Barnes and Nobles, Borders, Target, Best Buy, Toys R Us, Circuit City, Play N Trade, Chick fil A, Fuddruckers, Jason's Deli, Whataburger, Hobby Lobby, TGIF just off the top of my head. lol "




LosTacos wrote on Dec 13, 2009 8:35 AM:

" Filled out my survey, "Come on Olive Garden!" We all ready have too many hamburger joints and pseudo(fake) mexican ie Del Tacos, Taco Bells. Funny I know for fact, some of these Restaurants: Red Lobster, Ponderosa Steak House(East coast didn't make the survey list:()The district managers, store and assistant managers all can gross between $80,000.00-120,000.00 which makes them "minority." atleast in Havasu LOL. Managers are always always insourced from outside the community or state.If these are private owned and not franchised such as some McD's and BK, The managers make even more $$. (you know your at a private owned vs franchised cause the big mac cost $2 more then at the rest of them and the manager in the fry section drives a Beemer. Keep in mind the state of AZ has not paid COLA or given raises in over 20+ yrs where as all other states/private sector get %.22-.32 COLA every year as fed law requires (thumb my nose at AZ legislature for this).Most state and gov. employees fall in the less than $32,000 13%, manager make just a little more. Of course this doesn't apply to City managers on the council and LHMA, because in Havasu the rules don't apply. Sorry I digress. What this city needs is Science/technology industry,Solar companies, Computers(like Silicon Valley)($30+hr)pharmaceuticals($20+/hr, Military ie Lockheeds and such($20+'hr) and a 4 yr college Since these companies that actually pay are now requiring that Entry level employees in production at least have a BS. vs their counterpart low paying factory jobs where you push a button all day for Min wage that requires a GED or HS diploma....And nobody wants to work for pennys. Havasu needs to catch up with the times before it becomes a Dinosaur, ie another Salton Sea. Havasu WAS considered a retirement community(back in 1980)Move over and let the younger folks take over! They aren't afraid of change and aren't afraid to think outside the box(Havasu Bubble). If you want a retirement community, move to Florida! "




kwb wrote on Dec 13, 2009 5:49 AM:

" Tom G. don't know where you got your numbers but even by them only 20.2% make more then 50k not 39+%. "




n2havasu09 wrote on Dec 12, 2009 11:47 PM:

" I think people took my words the wrong way. It wasn't meant to mean that college graduates should/could only get jobs here, when infact it's the exact opposite. Hard work and putting in the hours is why people can afford to live here, because there isn't industry here that can support everyone (like many wish there were).

I'm just saying, that because I don't have "experience" in anything in the eyes of a hiring manager, in this town I'm kind of SOL. Add in the fact we're new here so I don't know anyone who can give me an "in" like it seems you may need here. I'm originally from a town this size, and that's how it works there too.

So yes, having a larger industry in town that may take a "chance" on someone with a college degree, and a resume that consists of a few part-time jobs and an unpaid internship, would definitely benefit me. However, just because I would hope something like that would come to town doesn't mean it will because I don't think the demographic could really support that. In the mean-time I'm trying to pick up odd jobs like babysitting and dogsitting while searching for part-time jobs around town with no luck. I'm also considering going back and getting my CNA certificate, but I'm not even sure if that would help here since the town is fairly small. Atleast my hubby has a job.... :D "




tomgarven wrote on Dec 12, 2009 12:07 PM:

" n2havasu09 wrote [in part] “And in case someone wants to jump all over my motives for saying that, I am an unemployed college graduate, so I want those jobs here just as much as everyone else!...lol "

Tom G. responds to n2havasu09

Percentage of Havasu workers by Income $0-$14,999 2,763 11.0% $7.21
$15,000 - $24,999 3,383 13.5% $12.01
$25,000 - $34,999 3,803 15.2% $16.83
$35,000 - $49,999 4,791 19.1% $24.04
$50,000 - $74,999 5,061 20.2% $36.06

I don't what your degree is in but it looks like it will probably help you work into some of the higher paying jobs here in Havasu. I checked the demographics information for our city and learned a lot.

# Only about 24.5% of the people living in Havasu are in the two categories that make less than $25,000 or between $7.21/hr to $12.01/hr.

# The biggest majority or 54.5% are individuals who make between $35,000 & $50,000 or between $16.83/hr to $24.04/hr.

The biggest surprise to me was how well some jobs pay or how well some businesses must have been doing back in 2007.

# There were 39.3% in the top two income categories between $50.000 & $75,000 which I think is very good for a small community like Havasu. There are of course individuals making more than this but the percentages drops off quickly above $75.000.


#based on working 2080 hours/year and 2007 demographics data. "




Victoria wrote on Dec 12, 2009 10:24 AM:

" As participants in the SCORE Baja 1000 off road race we have traveled the Baja peninsula from the US border to Cabo many times over the last 15 years. In the last 5 years or so we have seen a huge increase in community solar energy plants in remote areas of Baja. Although these are off grid systems that store power in batteries (not grid tie like most would use in the US), the technology has brought power to many small villages that ran on diesel generators or had no power at all. I would think with all of the resources available here in the US, we should be building grid tie solar energy farms everywhere possible. Some say it is too expensive but think about how much it cost to bring in foreign oil, mine coal, search for, drill and extract oil in the US. In addition, these resources are not renewable whereas energy from the sun is a constant reliable form of clean energy. Solar, fuel cells, wind generators and other new technologies should be embraced as they are our future power sources. LHC needs to take a long serious look at how to utilize and benefit from these technologies to grow our city all the way around. "




tritoon wrote on Dec 11, 2009 11:53 PM:

" Victoria,
Please post a business website or phone number where we can contact your local solar company. "




dunhavasu wrote on Dec 11, 2009 8:10 PM:

" n2hava- welcome, hate to be a a$$, but collage grad. dont mean crap welcome to a $8 an hour town. "




tomgarven wrote on Dec 11, 2009 5:29 PM:

" tomgarven@hotmail.com responds to Victoria who wrote [in part]: The reason companies lease solar systems is that it is very profitable for them.

You are absolutely correct Victoria. Leasing a solar system can be a very profitable business if the company happens to have an adequate source of capital. It can also be a good solution for people who don't have access to several thousand dollars up front to invest in their own system or for those who can't afford to wait for their next tax credit check to arrive.

Here is an article I found some time ago you might find interesting. You can find the whole article by doing a Google search for: “community solar energy parks”. The search will also give you lots of other examples of what other cities are doing to build their own economies. I only copied a couple of short paragraphs from the article as a teaser.

“The community solar park continues that forward-thinking tradition and has evolved into a project that now draws frequent visitors and inquiries from around the country, not to mention South Korea, West Africa and Australia. [Boy that would sure help fill some of our empty hotel rooms M-F].
“And the project just got sweeter. The U.S. Department of Energy recently announced a $600,000 grant that includes the city's renewable-energy park in a regional effort called the Pacific Northwest Smart Grid Demonstration Project.”.

Yup, $600,000 - I'll take that and build a community solar energy part as well. Wonder how many jobs that means for their community? That's the type of forward thinking and planning I believe we CAN and NEED to be doing for our future. I find if very hard to IGNORE the words of our President who said this:
“Under my plan of a Cap and Trade system, electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket." -- Barack Obama, January 17, 2008”

I'm listening – how about you?

Tom G.

p.s. I just saw Victoria's other post. Excellent post and it seem that interest is starting to build. Maybe we are on to something here? "




Victoria wrote on Dec 11, 2009 4:05 PM:

" On another note: I have been an electrical contractor for 35 years and a solar energy contractor for 10+ years now. Although somewhat new to Havasu, we are not new to Solar Energy. I truly believe that solar and other alternative energy applications are the future of power as well as a growing manufacturing industry. Why wouldn’t an alternative energy manufacturer consider LHC for a plant? LCH is a beautiful place to live and is close to major trucking and rail shipping avenues. With the right marketing we could lure manufacturing industries to our unique city. There is a wide variety of housing and recreation for executives as well as workers. LHC is also quite affordable compared to some cities. Shopping and entertainment needs some improvement but that would follow development of our industrial base. To try to bring them and fail is far better than never trying at all. Havasu could become the solar energy capital of the US! "




Victoria wrote on Dec 11, 2009 4:01 PM:

" Tom, The reason companies lease solar systems is that it is very profitable for them. For the most part leasing is used by large entities such as campuses and large commercial buildings because of the tax breaks and write offs they can get. It is possible that the average homeowner could come out ahead on a lease program but it is very important that they read and fully understand the entire contract as they are not all the same. Just like leasing a car, once your lease is up you have a buyout option. The customer should be very mindful of all costs involved. It is very affordable to buy a solar system right now if you qualify for the Federal Tax Credit. That combined with Unisource’s generous rebate can pay for 50 - 60% of the purchase price. And as always, support your community by shopping locally. There are several well trained licensed solar contractors in LHC so shop and compare. But, most importantly whether buying or leasing read and fully understand what you are getting before agreeing to a contract. "




Roco wrote on Dec 11, 2009 1:42 PM:

" " tomgarven@hotmail.com responds to Roco and anyone else who is interested."

Thanks for the information about the solar panels and I will start researching them. I also noticed you seem to get a lot of slack from certain posters on other articles concerning your informative responds. Don't let them stop you from voicing your opinion because they disagree or because their attention spans aren't long enough to comprehend anything positive about LHC. Keep up the good work. "




tomgarven wrote on Dec 11, 2009 1:08 PM:

" havasuvian wrote:[in part] "Since the survey specifies "Retail Recruitment" seems we should stick to their format".

Very good point and I recommend the Olive Garden and Old Navy and both would get my business :-)

Of course at this point in time I would support almost anything given our current under employment and unemployment levels. On another story by Nathan which talked about the cities plans to do a 10 year capital improvement plan and a community survey I posted a piece about the difference in wages between the service sector and the industrial sector. The industrial sector paid about $10.00/hour more if I remember correctly.

I certainly want our Mall and any other business in town to thrive and be successful but by the same token, I don't want us to miss what I see as an opportunity for our community to become more balanced between service sector and industrial sector jobs. I may be old fashioned, but I believe that someone making $20.00/hours is going to have more money to spend at a car dealer, boat dealer or clothing store that someone making $10.00/hour. Diversity is important and good for a community.

I see the installation of solar panels on our homes as a good way to quickly put a lot of people back to work if we do it right. There are warehouses full of solar panels just gathering dust as I write this because of the downturn in our economy. Prices are more competitive now than at any other time. I can see the day in the not to distant future when Lake Havasu City is more than just a Bridge, an English Village, a weekend boating destination or a winter retreat for our snowbirds. There is nothing wrong with having those things it's just not enough to base the future of our city on. We could become a destination for solar energy conferences to make sure our hotels are filled EVERY day of the week. We could conduct tours of our community solar power plant if we had one. We could salvage our city budget by having millions of dollars more spent locally. We can become a 365 day city instead of a 4 day weekend trip.

Tom G. "




tomgarven wrote on Dec 11, 2009 9:49 AM:

" tomgarven@hotmail.com responds to Roco and anyone else who is interested.

Good morning Roco. I recommend you start your investigation into solar leasing by doing a Google search for 'solar leasing' or 'solar panel leasing' or some other search phase. Solar leasing is not for everyone and is a very personal financial decision. You are talking about a 15-20 year financial commitment to saving money. Also I don't think it would be appropriate for me to recommend any one specific company on this site.

When you do the Google search what you will get is a listing of about 10 different companies like - Rec Solar, Sun Run, Sun Power, Solar City and American Solar Electric. Some of the websites will show you how much you can save if you put in your address, zip code and the amount of money you are currently spending for electricity.
Some of these companies will do leases in Lake Havasu and others may not.

Also I RECOMMEND you sit down with our local phone book and call every one of our LOCAL solar contractors in the book and see if they can arrange a solar lease for you. Let's keep our local contractors busy if we can.

I did get on the phone early this morning with a Phoenix company and had a very interesting conversation with them. They indicated that if we were able to get maybe 3 or 4 homeowners together they would consider doing solar leases for Lake Havasu City. I asked them to e-mail me a quote for a 3.5 KW system installed under their lease program and should receive it in about 2-4 days. That sized system would be considered large enough to service most home in Lake Havasu. Who knows, if we get enough homeowners interested we might get some very competitive offers from one of these companies or one of our OWN LOCAL contractors. Right now there are warehouses sitting full of solar panels just waiting to be installed.

So we now have at least two homeowners interested, you and me. Are there other homeowners out there that are following this solar story who are also interested?

If you are interested, please send me an e-mail and if we get enough people interested maybe we can get one of our local solar contractors to take a proposal to our local B of A, Wells Fargo, Mohave Bank or Credit Union and see if we can do some local lease financing. We can do this if we choose to. By the way - I do not own a solar business, don't want to start one but yes would work for one part time, LOL.

My only objective is to do something of value for the community.

Please put SOLAR LEASE on the subject line of your e-mail.

tomgarven@hotmail.com

p.s. Before I forget Roco, we are currently enjoying some of the cheapest electric rates in Arizona from Unisource. Only problem is we use a LOT OF IT with our very hot summers and cool winters. If we lived in California and were on 'time of day metering' we might be paying $.14 per KW hour. That is twice [2X] as much as we are paying here in Havasu. However, the low rates we are currently enjoying may soon disappear if Cap and Trade passes or the EPA slaps a $40 per ton tax on the coal used by Unisource to generate some of our electricity. So to make a long story short - if you have every considered going solar - now might be a good time.

Tom G. "




DUSAN wrote on Dec 11, 2009 2:00 AM:

" I would like to see a new City Council,,the Mayor can stay "




Roco wrote on Dec 10, 2009 7:40 PM:

" tomgarven@hotmail.com responds to moviegal: "Another big thing in today's tight financial markets is to not BUY a solar system but to just LEASE your solar system. You can pay either $0 dollars down or $1,000 down and then just continue to pay the same amount as your current electric bill"

Can you direct me into the right direction to inquire about a leasing a solar unit? A while back, I heard of this, but could not locate any company dealing with leases. All I heard were installation which was out of my price range. I would appreciate it greatly because I feel Unisource is such a ripoff!!! "




n2havasu09 wrote on Dec 10, 2009 7:18 PM:

" I really don't think Havasu needs another grocery store...lol But I would like to see some chain restaurants come into town like Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Applebee's, etc. Also, a Target and Old Navy would be flippin' great!

I don't know if Havasu really could bring in those "high paying" jobs and industry, because the town doesn't necessarily have a large amount of college graduates that would attract such a company to the city. It would be nice to have that here, but in reality I don't think it will happen anytime soon. And incase someone wants to jump all over my motives for saying that, I am an unemployed college graduate, so I want those jobs here just as much as everyone else!...lol "




havasuvian wrote on Dec 10, 2009 6:02 PM:

" Since the survey specifies "Retail Recruitment" seems we should stick to their format, although I agree that we need to attract other industries as well. So, in that regard, I'd like to toss in a vote for Menard's---hopefully to go on the South end of town---and a few good auto repair/service shops. Pity a commercial airline or commuter jet is not "retail" enough for the survey. Nor, I suppose, is scheduled shuttle service out to the mall. a "retail" venture. "




tomgarven wrote on Dec 10, 2009 1:19 PM:

" tomgarven@hotmail.com responds to moviegal:

Your comment about “minority” is right on target. Oh and thank you for your complement regarding my post, I think, ??? This one is also a little long but since I am unemployed like 20% of the rest of our city I didn't have anything else to do, LOL.

As an old retired engineer who had a wonderful career working in corporate American for 40 years I have learned that the old saying of “Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance” [5P's] is true in a lot of cases. This is also true about solar and as you correctly stated it will not be right for everyone. I also agree that we need ANY business and EVERY business we can get. I would also like to go back to work, at least on a part time basis but the job market is currently pretty tough. O.K. so let's talk just a little bit more about solar so we can all learn about what's going on outside our city limits.

First let's talk just a little about the cost of solar. The cost of a solar energy systems for homes has dropped about 50% in just the last 2 years. Two years ago you would have paid $8.00 per watt for something that is now $4.00 per watt. If we were talking about a larger power project like a community solar energy system that I will talk about later, you could probably get your solar panels from First Solar here in Arizona for about $1.30 per watt.

I will give you about 3 different ways that individuals and businesses can afford solar TODAY.

Did you know that if you happen be a retired person[s] with $50-150,000 sitting in the bank drawing 1-5% interest you could actually install a solar system and become what is known as an “Independent Power Producer [IPP]”. As an IPP you get all kinds of tax breaks and you can sell the electricity you make back to Unisource Energy for about $.18 per kilowatt hour. This is about twice [2X] as much as you and I NOW pay Unisource for our electricity. Not a bad rate of return huh? What this means is that it is now possible to MAKE MONEY and QUITE A BIT OF MONEY selling power to our local utility.

Of course not everyone has $50,000 laying around or would even want to be an IPP. Here is another way to get on the solar band wagon. Let's say your roof doesn't point South, or you don't like the looks of the panels, don't want to bother cleaning them every 6 months or live in a condo or an apartment but you still believe that solar is the way to go. There are now many cities in the U.S. and yes even in Arizona who have formed community solar energy farms. Many use different financial models but they all have one thing in common. Their electricity costs less than what you and I currently pay Unisource Energy. It is quite common for these community solar energy farms to sell their electricity to customers for $.03-.07 per kilowatt hour. We could do this in Havasu since we have lots of open land we just need to have a plan. I know you must have lots of questions like how can this be? Well the federal government grants and tax credits pays for about 30% of the project. Unisource WANTS and NEEDS the Renewable Energy Credits REC's] so they MIGHT pays for another 20-40% of the project depending on how badly they want or need the REC's. And if CAP AND TRADE passes and Unisource gets hit with a $40 per ton tax on coal; you can bet they will be very interested in buying our REC's. Then of course there are the State of Arizona credits which can pay for another hunk of the project and oh don't forget about the property tax waiver we get. As you can see, going solar at a price equal to what we are paying now is very possible. Is also possible that it could be cheaper.

Of course you can now buy a Do-It-Yourself homeowner solar kit, get a city permit, do the installation work yourself, hire a local licensed electrician to check your work and sign off the permit and probably still beat your current electric bill over time.

Another big thing in today's tight financial markets is to not BUY a solar system but to just LEASE your solar system. You can pay either $0 dollars down or $1,000 down and then just continue to pay the same amount as your current electric bill. The difference is your Unisource bill is less but you lease payment brings it back up to where you are today. What makes this leasing program so valuable is that you are basically freezing the cost of your electricity at what you are now paying for the next 15 or 20 years. After that you can either buy the system, renew the lease, or just have it removed. If you move you can sell it to the new owner, consider it added value to your home or just have it removed. This sounds like a no brainer to me for a lot of Havasu residents who want to go solar but can't afford to purchase their own system. Oh and did I mention the leasing company installs, maintains, cleans, guaranties and automatically services your solar system. Did I mention you don't even get your hands dirty with a leasing plan, LOL.

“ I for one am not sure that I want to see a bunch of cars lined up down main street "pluged in" to get recharged.”

I agree and did a poor job of trying to explain my thoughts. What I envision are a few parking spots with charging stations at grocery stores, shopping centers, restaurants and other business locations with lots of traffic. Something like the percentage of parking spaces we now have for handicapped persons and their vehicles. The current plan by most vehicle manufacturers for 2012-2025 model years is to have most hybrid and electric vehicles capable of driving at least 10 miles before needing a charge. That mean that many people who live in Havasu will never plug-in their vehicles to go to a barber shop, corner store or local hardware store. But when they drive 12 miles to the Mall it might be a smart thing for businesses to consider a few electric or plug-in hybrid vehicle charging spots.

In the future, maybe 2015 when these types of vehicle become more common, you will plug them in just so the electric motor driving the air conditioner can run while you shop. When you return to your vehicle is will still be cool - wow no more burned hands from steering wheels.

This is already too long but in closing I just wanted to say that I agree 100% with our statement on jobs. Let's encourage ANY KIND and EVERY KIND of business we can. We need to get our community and country back to work.

In the mean time can we also plan for the future which is just around the corner. I have only briefly mentioned the affects of Cap and Trade and haven't even touched on the control of greenhouse gases by the EPA and what affect that is going to have on our city.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. That's my opinion - what's yours.

Tom G. "




Desertrat wrote on Dec 10, 2009 10:37 AM:

" Brightone- sorry to disappoint you. If 'really' spends lots of her time with cops and courts, well, sounds like it is her problem and not the city's! Cheers! "




moviegal wrote on Dec 10, 2009 8:26 AM:

" havasulover...I am really hoping that your comment about"minority" managers does not mean what it sounds like it does. If that is the case then just find a little island all by yourself where there would be no diversity.

As for the actual question at hand I would love to see an Old Navy, Ross, and a Hallmark store.

As for Tom Garven...you make some interesting points, but I think you have some what missed the mark. Yes, in the future you will see more electric cars and solar paneled homes, but not everyone in this town or in the world will be able to afford this options. I for one am not sure that I want to see a bunch of cars lined up down main street "pluged in" to get recharged. The solar panel issue is one for individuals to make for themselves and their finances. It is not the responsibility of the city to make this happen for them. I think what we need to focus on at this point is to bring in as many businesses of any kind to continue to grow our population and provide jobs, be them minimum wage or not. Do you know how difficult it is for a 16 year old to find a part time job as it is now! The more that we can build our community up via businesses and jobs the other things that you mentioned will gradually come into play for individuals. The plans for the new Havasu 280 project shows that the city needs to have their priorities straight before we let them run hog wild with what land and space is still available in Lake Havasu. "




fish wrote on Dec 10, 2009 7:47 AM:

" A Trader Joes here would make me real happy. "




tomgarven wrote on Dec 9, 2009 4:18 PM:

" Posted by tomgarven@hotmail.com

Title: Why I believe renewable energy should be a part of our Havasu future and the 10 year capital improvement plan.

I also post information on other websites but the News-Herald is still my favorite since it is all about our community. But there are things going on outside of Havasu that we should not ignore. Here is just a small sampling of headlines from other sites.

California cities battle to lure Tesla [electric car manufacturer]

Ford seeks tax credits to begin EV [Electric Vehicle] battery production

Fusion hybrid, Prius, [are] Consumer Reports Buy Again Vehicles

30 percent of Americans support gas tax increase [to help reduce carbon output]

8,000 to 60,000 [Chevrolet] Volts [Electric Cars] per year

Cap and Trade will pass Congress this year [1]

EPA: Greenhouses gases must be regulated [1]

I am quite sure you can see the trend from the above headlines. We are starting to change from a society that uses oil for our transportation needs to a society that will use some form of electricity to power our cars. This is going to be a massive change in the way we choose to live our lives and the structure of our society. It is of course not going to happen overnight but I also don't see any way of stopping this trend either.

Why is this even important to the residents of Lake Havasu? Well for one reason, we will soon have the opportunity to tell the city what type of community we want to live in and pay for 10 years from now. Capital improvement planning is underway. Do we want a city built on service sector jobs or higher paying industrial sector jobs? Also what we recommend now will help them determine what capital improvements we should consider making for our children who are now 8 but will be 18 when the plan is fully implemented.

What types of businesses will we have in our community and what types of capital investments will make these young adults want to stay and raise a family here in Havasu? How about our seniors, what will their needs look like 10 yrs from now when energy prices have doubled?

Will everyone find electric plug-in ports in front of Havasu businesses to charge their electric cars? Will they find solar panels above the parking lots to shade and charge their cars while they shop or a hot sun fading the fabric on the seats of their cars? How about our younger generation? Will they be building and/or installing solar panels or designing renewable energy equipment or products to help improve the energy efficiency of our homes. Will they find courses at MCC that will prepare them for jobs here in town in a hi tech industry or for some job in the service sector? Will they find companies in town who will pay them competitive wages or will they take their skills elsewhere? I hope they choose to stay.

That's my opinion – what's yours?

Note[1]: These two items could have a significant impact on our city. "




BrightOne wrote on Dec 9, 2009 8:01 AM:

" o'really: You did it now. Expect DesertRat to go off on you since you 'bashed' the city and cops. Bring some balance to the world Rat. Havasulover: Yea I'd like to know what you mean about minority too. I'd like to think of us all that post on the forum here to be the insane minority in town. BEERS! "




Captainron wrote on Dec 9, 2009 7:12 AM:

" I would like to see a Costco store built here, it would bring people here from surrounding areas, and they pay their employees well. "




Wildwildwest wrote on Dec 9, 2009 6:03 AM:

" I would like to see a White Castle. "




o'really wrote on Dec 8, 2009 9:07 PM:

" I would like to see an ACLU here to fight the court, council and cop corruption. "




Roco wrote on Dec 8, 2009 8:29 PM:

" havasulover wrote on Dec 8, 2009 9:32 AM: " Bring in businesses that create a solid economic foundation. Bringing in more minimum wage retailers, who like to import their own [minority] managers - from outside of the area".

What exactly do you mean by "[minority] managers"? "




Mr. Havasu wrote on Dec 8, 2009 7:00 PM:

" I think a good strip club would do really well in Havasu! "




mohavemarv wrote on Dec 8, 2009 9:46 AM:

" I feel that Lake Havasu City needs an Auto Wrecking Yard. There are too many abandoned vehicles cluttering residential properties. I would also like to see a War Surplus Store...Thank You....Marv:-) "




havasulover wrote on Dec 8, 2009 9:32 AM:

" Economic Development? Business? All I'm hearing is a bunch of minimum wage retail outlets & restaurants. The city makes all kinds of tax revenue, but the full time residents get little to nothing out of it. Basing the economy on retail outlet investment and housing growth is what got the nation into such a mess to begin with. It's a plan that has failed nation wide.

How about some real businesses? Some real jobs? Why aren't we concentrating on getting some high-wage, 200-plus-employee businesses into the I40 [scam] business center? Like we were promised so many years ago! Bring in businesses that create a solid economic foundation. Bringing in more minimum wage retailers, who like to import their own [minority] managers - from outside of the area - isn't what the area needs to improve the "working-class" economy, or the crime rate.

My opinion is that our "leadership", along with their "consultants", are failing Economics AND Modern History, miserably. "




resident wrote on Dec 8, 2009 9:26 AM:

" how about supporting bashas "




ddssda wrote on Dec 8, 2009 9:16 AM:

" Is this posted online somewhere, and if not why not? I dont even look at the junk mail inserted in my bills!
ditto on the Trader Joe's, mom and pop style resteraunts, Marshall's, Ross's , T J Maxx, Target,Bath and Body
and mostly BARNES AND NOBLE "




hotnhavasu wrote on Dec 8, 2009 8:46 AM:

" I would like Olive Garden Ross or marshalls here I know they are in bullhead but it would be nice to have them here "




Arliss wrote on Dec 8, 2009 7:44 AM:

" I'd like to see a Trader Joe's, Sprouts, Popeye's Chicken, Dik's Sporting Goods and a couple other restaurants. "

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