Queen Creek Beat

Queen Creek has posted the following traffic alerts for the week of May 14 through 21:

Empire Blvd. east of Crismon Road - Crews will be completing electrical service improvements in this area. Drivers may encounter flaggers or other restrictions.

Rittenhouse Road east of Ellsworth Road - Crews will be closing the eastbound right travel lane to complete widening for a right turn lane for the new commercial development on the southeast corner of the intersection.

Power Road - Chandler Heights to Riggs roads - Crews will be working on the east and west shoulders. No traffic restrictions are expected.

Rittenhouse Road - Cloud Road to Combs Road- Crews will be working on the east and west shoulders. No traffic restrictions are expected.

Chip Seal operations will be occurring in the locations below the week of May 18 between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m.

• Power Road: Ocotillo to Riggs roads
• Chandler Heights Road: Power to Hawes roads.
• Hawes Road: Rittenhouse to Ocotillo roads.
• Hawes Road: Chandler Heights to Riggs roads
• Sossaman Road: Queen Creek to Riggs roads

Residents looking for fresh produce, unique homemade items and creative gifts are invited to enjoy the handmade and homegrown products available at the Queen Creek Farmers’ Market this Saturday.

Live music and food demonstrations will take place throughout the morning and food vendors will be selling prepared products as well as fresh produce.

The market runs from 8 a.m. to noon May 16 at the  Queen Creek Library, 21802 S. Ellsworth Road, Queen Creek. For more information, visit www.queencreek.org.

Public relations and branding for your business is the topic of this month’s Queen Creek Chamber of Commerce lunch meeting.

Meetings are conducted in a business seminar style. All chamber members and business owners are welcome to attend the meeting and have lunch for $5.

The meeting starts at 12 p.m. May 12 at the Queen Creek Library, 21802 S. Ellsworth Road, Queen Creek.

RSVPs are encouraged by e-mailing president@queencreekchamber.org or calling (480) 888-1709.

Queen Creek has posted the following traffic alerts for the week of May 7 through 14:
Rittenhouse & Hawes roads - Crews will be working near the intersection installing conduit for a new traffic signal. Drivers can expect some restrictions on Rittenhouse Road.

Empire Blvd. east of Crismon Road - Crews will be completing electrical service improvements in this area. Drivers may encounter flaggers or other restrictions.

Ocotillo Road west of Ellsworth Loop Road - Crews will be completing street work in this area, which will require a closure of the eastbound right travel lane.

Rittenhouse & Ellsworth roads - Crews will be closing various lanes in the area while they complete utility work.

Ellsworth Road - Cloud to Chandler Heights roads - Crews will be closing the north and southbound left travel lanes to complete work in the raised median.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention publicly confirmed five cases of the H1N1 virus, also known as swine flu, in Pinal County on Tuesday. All five individuals reside in Pinal County or on tribal land within county borders.

Pinal County Public Health officials have been in touch with medical providers and the affected individuals. All five individuals are either feeling better or are fully recovered.

The youngest individual affected by H1N1 attended a school in the Casa Grande Elementary School District. The test was taken on April 27. The 12 year-old has fully recovered and the period he or she was contagious has passed.

In response, and in accordance with CDC guidelines, Pinal County Public Health officials have consulted with the superintendent of the Casa Grande Elementary School District. Following the latest guidance from the CDC and state, and in consultation with Superintendent Dr. Frank Davidson, the decision was made to focus on community containment strategies rather than school closure.

Information on the swine flu and its symptoms is available on the CDC’s Web site at http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/. The Arizona Department of Health Services is keeping its Web site up to date with the latest state-specific information at www.azdhs.gov/phs/oids/epi/flu.

For more information on swine flu,  call the Pinal County Citizen Contact Center at 1-888-431-1311, or the Pinal County Public Health Services District Information Hotline at 1-866-763-7252 or visit http://www.pinalcountyaz.gov.

Registration for Queen Creek’s Youth Basketball League is now open.

Kids ages 6 to 15 can sign up for the season, which runs from Aug. 1 through Oct. 2. Depending on registration, games may be played Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings as well as Saturday mornings. All games will be played at Queen Creek School District School sites or local park sites.

Volunteer coaches will hold practices on Monday, Wednesday or Friday’s during the week. The registration fee is $68 for residents and $84 for non-residents, and includes a mandatory reversible jersey for league play.

General registration runs April 27 through May 14, with late registration going from May 18 to May 21. Late registrations include a $10 late fee. Registrations received after May 21 will be placed on a waiting list. The waiting list does not guarantee placement on a team.

Participants must wear tennis shoes at all times during games and practices. No boots, sandals or open-toe shoes will be allowed. Volunteer coaches are needed as well.

For more information about the Youth Basketball League or volunteer coaching, contact Anthony Baumann at (480) 358-3709, or go to Queen Creek’s Youth Sports page.

Queen Creek officials interviewed three waste companies last week as the process to offer the first town-wide, curbside trash pickup moves forward.

A contract for trash and recycling service should go to the Town Council for a vote by August, said Deputy Town Manager Shane Dille.

The council will meet in a closed session next week to give guidance on developing the contract, Dille said.

The cost and level of service offered will depend on council decisions like whether to offer residents curbside or community recycling, how often to offer bulk pickup and similar questions.

To help raise awareness about the importance of childhood immunizations,  Pinal County Public Health is joining with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to observe National Infant Immunization Week from April 25 to May 2.

“A fully vaccinated child is protected against 14 serious and sometimes deadly diseases,” Tom Schryer, Pinal County Public Health Director, said in a release. “These are diseases that are completely preventable with immunizations. We are urging all Pinal County families to ensure that their children are up to date on immunizations. Shots are free for children under the age of 18.”

A complete list of Clinic locations and hours is available on the Pinal County website at http://www.pinalcountyaz.gov/Departments/PublicHealth/Pages/OfficeLocations.aspx. To make an appointment, call 1-866-960-0633.

Schnepf Farms’ U-Pick Peach Orchards are open this week for the start of the season.

Visitors can enjoy peachy baked good and collect different varieties of peaches each weekend at Arizona’s largest peach grower every Friday through Sunday now through the end of May.

The farm’s annual Peach Festival, which includes hayrides, food samples, arts and crafts and more, will be May 15 to 17.

Orchards are open 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays through Sundays April through May 31 at Schnepf Farms, 24810 South Rittenhouse Road, Queen Creek. Admission is free except for the festival weekend, when patrons will pay $2 per person to enter and $10 for a ride wristband.

Peaches cost $1.75 per pound when visitors pick and $2.25 per pound when already picked. Charges for peaches apply every weekend.
Cost: $1.75 per pound of peaches picked

Call (480) 987-3100, ext. 6 or visit www.schnepffarms.com for more information.

Queen Creek has posted the following traffic alerts for the week of April 23 through 30:

Rittenhouse & Hawes roads - Crews will be working near the intersection installing conduit for a new traffic signal. Drivers can expect some restrictions on Rittenhouse Road.

Power Road south of Ocotillo Road - Crews will be repairing the wash in this area, which will require some work within the street. Flaggers and other restrictions are possible.

Empire Blvd. east of Crismon Road - Crews will be completing electrical service improvements in this area. Drivers may encounter flaggers or other restrictions.

Sossaman Road north of Chandler Heights Road - Crews will be repairing the wash in this area, which will require some work within the street. Drivers will encounter some traffic restrictions.

Combs Road between Rittenhouse and Gantzel roads - This area will be closed nightly April 26 & 27 between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. Crews from the Union Pacific Railroad will be working on the signals at the railroad crossing. Local access to residential and business areas along Combs Road will be from Gantzel Road. The detour route for this closure will be Rittenhouse Road to either Ocotillo Road or Hunt Hwy., then east to Gantzel Road.