At last: An ASU-Payson story with just the facts

Hurdles remain, but ASU and Payson talking

Mogollon Connection Editorial
By Matt Brabb
Editor

(Gazette editor's note: At last, an article about ASU and Payson that focuses only on the facts as they exist today. Unlike Pete Aleshire's articles in the Roundup promising $550 million in funding with absolutely no verification, Connection editor Matt Brabb tells you only what is known at this time -- nothing more.  Enjoy.  This is what we journalists call journalism.)

We at the Mogollon Connection have resisted running articles about the potential for an Arizona State University satellite campus coming to Payson because until now, we had been unable to get confirmation from ASU that talks were indeed progressing.

Fortunately, that has now changed.

Terri Shafer, Associate Vice President in the Office of Public Affairs at ASU, was kind enough to expand on a number of issues regarding a potential ASU campus in Payson.

She said that though Payson and ASU continue to be in a “quiet period” with regard to media announcements, they had agreed to update their general progress by saying that “we were on target and on track,” and she affirmed that good progress was being made. Payson Mayor Kenny Evans has also often cited the fact that negotiations were in a “quiet period” when asked about the progress of bringing ASU to Payson.

Shafer acknowledged that there were significant hurdles that remained to meet a 2012 target date, but that they were working diligently and deliberately to insure that the process would move forward as quickly and smoothly as possible. She intimated that critical milestones would have to be met to accomplish the target date, and the date could change if those milestones were not met.

She also noted that the ASU team was less certain than the Payson planning group that the original target date, envisioned some two years ago when discussions began, could be met. Despite a few potential roadblocks, the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Payson and ASU is being finalized for signatures, and details should be available in the coming weeks.

We find this news heartening, and we look forward to an official public agreement between the two entities. It is our belief that a college, particularly one dedicated to using environmentally friendly technologies will be a tremendous benefit to the community, culturally as well as financially.

The question of who will be financing the project remains a mystery to us. Mayor Evans has made every assurance that the funding is in place, but we do not have any specifics to report.

Certainly, a few areas of concern around town will need to be addressed should this vision become a reality. College students will be college students after all, and that comes with some challenges that will have to be faced, but the benefits far outweigh the costs.

Also, and we hate to always be thinking about water, but should a large influx of new residents come to town before the C.C. Cragin Pipeline is completed, it is likely that the Town of Payson will actually need to make use of the Tower Well in Star Valley at levels heretofore unseen. We may finally get definitive proof on what effect, if any, large scale pumping from the well would have on neighboring wells in Star Valley.

But these details we believe can be ironed out through ongoing negotiations. Today, we are simply happy to be able to report that those negotiations are underway.