Gold Canyon Arizona Blog

Gold Canyon Disaster Training Workshops Planned

benjaminteam — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 22:33:42 +0000

Gold Canyon Arizona has two (2) of the All Hazards Community Partnership Training events that have been planned by the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office.

Currently scheduled upcoming events to be held in the Gold Canyon area include one at the Gold Canyon Golf Resort and one at Mountain Brook Village.

Saturday March 6th — Gold Canyon Golf Resort
Thursday March 11th –Mountain Brook Village

For more info about these and other similar events to be held in Pinal County keep reading.

These are unique training opportunities are designed to educate communities and their leaders on how best to prepare and respond to a disaster when emergency responders are overwhelmed.
Hurricane Katrina has taught us that citizens may be left to cope with a crisis on their own for the first few hours or even longer. This free training opportunity will include:

How to create a Family Disaster Plan
What to include in a Family Disaster Kit
Developing a Community Resource Database
Crisis Response
Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, & Explosive information
Terrorism Awareness
Desktop Exercise

Besides the Gold Canyon events listed above , there will be another event to be held at Encanterra in San Tan Valley.

Tuesday March 16th –Encanterra/ San Tan Valley

At all locations the all day seminar is FREE and includes breakfast and lunch.

Registration will start at 7:45 am and the seminar will run through 4:30 pm.

If you are interested in attending the Gold Canyon or Encanterra/San Tan Valley seminars,please contact Admin Assist. Joan Mueller at 520-866-5133.

If you are interested in attending the Mountain Brook Village Seminar, please contact Dave or Julie at Mountain Brook Village as they have graciously printed tickets to reserve a spot in the seminar.

Those specifically suggested to attend the seminars are community leaders, community volunteers, fire/ems first responders, law enforcement first responders, business owners, hospital personnel, members of the media and community members.

It is important to be better armed with information and prepared in the event a disaster strikes. The better prepared everyone is, the better we can help those who may not be and the safer we will remain.

The events are expected to fill up quickly so plan to register soon.

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A.D.O.B.E. – March 2010 Meeting

benjaminteam — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 22:16:54 +0000

Don’t forget the next upcoming A.D.O.B.E. meeting that will take place March 18th, 7:00 pm at the Best Western, located at Kings Ranch Road & US 60. This is a great way to keep current on what is happening in the Gold Canyon Arizona area.

The “Meet & Greet” starts at 6:15 pm. The format for this particular meeting will be a round table discussion with several local Pinal County government representatives. This is slated to be an informative and engaging event.

If you have not yet joined ADOBE or just want to take a look at the organization you are welcome to attend, even if you are not a member.

For more information about A.D.O.B.E. visit them on line.

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School Closures Affect Gold Canyon and Apache Junction Arizona

benjaminteam — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 18:10:05 +0000

Thunder Mountain Middle School in Apache Junction and Gold Canyon Elementary School will be closed after this school year. The governing board for the Apache Junction Unified School District voted unanimously in late Feb 2009 to close both of these schools.

The board also voted to reconfigure the grades at its remaining schools. The four remaining elementary schools will go from kindergarten through fifth grade to kindergarten through sixth grade. The remaining middle school will convert to a junior high school for seventh- and eighth-graders.

If you are planning to buy a home, double check with the school district where you plan to buy to determine the status of the schools if you have children affected.

Declining enrollment as well as tough economic times have brought about these closures. The district lost about 5 percent of its students from the 2008-09 school year to the current school year. Next year’s projects are still being worked on.

The closings will affect about two-thirds of Thunder Mountain’s current enrollment of 630 students because the eighth-graders are moving to the high school next year. Gold Canyon currently has 333 students.

The district will redraw boundaries for all elementary and middle schools.

Plans include for the high school to also undergo a change, creating more “professional learning communities” — schools within schools — and adding a project-based learning curriculum, in which students take what they’re learning and create written reports, digital presentations, oral reports or multimedia projects.

These closures will affect teachers as well. The the district will lose about 40 teachers through a reduction in force. The district says it hopes to let teachers know by mid-April.

Several other Arizona school districts are planning to close schools next school year in light of an economic crisis, and Apache Junction School District is just another of the districts with financial issues.

Also in the East Phoenix Valley, the Mesa Unified School District’s governing board voted in January to close Powell Junior High School and reconfigure the curriculum at Alma Elementary School. The district will also put Hendrix Junior High and Frost Elementary School under one administration and turn it into an International Baccalaureate academy. In addition, Mesa will add ninth-graders to all of its high schools in the next two years.

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Gold Canyon Arizona Real Estate Stats – January 2010

benjaminteam — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 18:17:06 +0000

For month ending January 2010 this is how the Gold Canyon Arizona real estate market was doing.

Information is provided by Benjamin Realty, your local Gold Canyon and East Phoenix Valley Realtors.

January 2010 – Real Estate Stats – Gold Canyon Arizona at a glance.

The average sales price per sq foot jumped a bit higher than past months to $121.24, but this jump can be attributed to the fact that a large and pricey (above $1mil) home sold. When the luxury market category has home sales in a given month it always skews the price averages a bit higher. The average price per square foot of sold homes in December 2009 was $103.83.

The average price of sold homes in January in Gold Canyon was $313,839. The average price of homes sold in December 2009 was $216,632. Again, the fact some higher end homes were in the mix has moved the average sold price upward.

The number of homes sold in January 2010 was 41, which is a decrease over the 52 sold in December 2009. (Of the 41 sold, 19 of the properties were “distressed”.) A year ago, January 2009 saw 17 homes sold with 12 of those being “distressed”. So the number of Gold Canyon homes sold in a 30 day period continues to be better than a year ago.

During January 2010 there were 417 homes on the MLS in Gold Canyon Arizona. January 2009 saw 504 homes on the market, as comparison. Based on current sales activity the 417 homes on the market are considered to be a 10 month inventory of homes in the area.

In January 2009, 504 homes were listed for sale on the MLS in the Gold Canyon Arizona area. So the 417 number of homes listed for sale on the MLS for January 2010 is less than we saw for the same time period in 2009.

In Gold Canyon, and elsewhere, there continues to be a large “shadow inventory” of homes that the banks have moved to foreclose upon, but they have not released them into the MLS inventory. Some home owners have moved out more than a year ago with the banks taking over the homes, but the banks are still sitting on the inventory and not putting it back into the marketplace. This “shadow inventory” will continue to play a role in home prices.

(** A “distressed” home means either a home is a “short-sale” or one that has foreclosed. This data is compiled from the Phoenix ARMLS for the time period that is referenced. Data is deemed to be accurate, but not guaranteed.)

If you need real estate assistance, contact Bob and Carolin Benjamin at 480-201-3001.

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Renaissance Faire Comes to Gold Canyon Arizona

benjaminteam — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 22:57:21 +0000

The Arizona Renaissance Faire is coming again to the Gold Canyon area. This year (2010) the faire runs every Saturday and Sunday from February 6th through March 28th. The faire is also open for President’s Day (Monday). Opening times are 10am through 6pm. Open rain or shine, there is free parking, but do not bring your pets.

What is the Renaissance Faire?

The Arizona Renaissance Festival is a medieval amusement park, a 12-stage theater, a 30-acre circus, an arts and crafts fair, a jousting tournament and a feast — all rolled into one non-stop, day-long family adventure!

Located at 12601 East Highway 60, Apache Junction AZ 85118 which is just to the East of Gold Canyon it is easy to reach from other Arizona locations.

From Metro Phoenix:

Take the Superstition Freeway (US Hwy 60) East, past Gold Canyon Golf Resort to the Festival.

From Metro Tucson:

Take the Tucson shortcut, The Pinal Pioneer Parkway (Hwy 79) to Florence Junction. West 7 miles on US Hwy 60 to the Festival Village.

From Casa Grande:

Take the Exit 185 to Hwy 387 connecting to 87/287 to Florence turn North on Hwy 79 to Florence Junction, West 7 miles on US Hwy 60 to the Festival Village

From Flagstaff/Northern Arizona:

Take I-17 South to Phoenix connection to I-10 then East on Superstition Fwy (US Hwy 60), past Gold Canyon Golf Resort to the Festival Village.

For more information about this happy annual event, prices, etc visit their website.

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Gold Canyon Arizona Real Estate Stats – December 2009

benjaminteam — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 22:59:27 +0000

For month ending December 2009 here’s info about how the current Gold Canyon Arizona real estate market was doing.

Information is provided by Benjamin Realty, your local Gold Canyon and East Phoenix Valley Realtors.

December 2009 – Real Estate Stats – Gold Canyon Arizona at a glance.

The average sales price per sq foot continued to hover just above the $100.00 point, but was down a tad from November’s average price per sq foot stats of $108.02. December 2009 saw the average price per square foot land at $103.83 for homes sold in Gold Canyon in December 2009.

The average price of sold homes in December in Gold Canyon was $216,632. The average price of homes sold in November 2009 was $270,969.

The number of homes sold in December was 52, which is an increase over the 36 sold in November. (Of the 52 sold, 28 of the properties were “distressed”.) Seems a number of folks were making sure they closed on their homes before the end of 2009 in order to get their tax credits for year 2009. A year ago, December 2008 saw 17 homes sold with 4 of those being “distressed”. So the number of Gold Canyon homes sold in a 30 day period continues to be a lot better than a year ago. But as you can note from the stats, the number of “distressed” homes has risen rather significantly since a year ago.

During December 2009 there were 411 homes on the MLS in Gold Canyon Arizona. December 2008 saw 432 homes on the market, as comparison. Based on current sales activity the 411 homes on the market are considered to be an 8 month inventory of homes in the area.

In November 2009, 423 homes were listed for sale on the MLS in the Gold Canyon Arizona area. So the December 411 number of homes listed for sale on the MLS is slightly less for a 30 day period.

If you need real estate assistance, contact Bob and Carolin Benjamin at 480-201-3001.

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Lost Dutchman State Park in Apache Junction to Close

benjaminteam — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 19:39:20 +0000

Arizona state parks keeps nine parks open – thirteen Arizona state parks will close.

Lost Dutchman State Park in Apache Junction will close June 3, 2010. Thirteen Arizona state parks to close due to funding. Boyce Thompson to remain open.

On January 15th, 2010, the Arizona State Parks Board today voted to keep nine parks open and close the remaining thirteen State Parks in a phased series of closures starting February 22, 2010 due to lack of funding that is adequate to keep them open. Additionally four parks previously closed will remain closed due to budget reductions.

The nine parks that will remain open are ones that generate the most revenue back into the parks that would provide enough funds to keep them open. The parks that will remain open include Buckskin Mountain State Park in Parker, Catalina State Park near Tucson, Cattail Cove State Park in Lake Havasu City, Dead Horse Ranch State Park in Cottonwood, Fool Hollow Lake Recreation Area in Show Low, Kartchner Caverns State Park in Benson, Lake Havasu State Park, Patagonia Lake State Park and Slide Rock State Park in Sedona.

The remaining parks will be closed in a phased sequence starting on February 22, 2010 and include Homolovi Ruins State Park in Winslow, Lyman Lake State Park in St. Johns and Riordan Mansion State Historic Park in Flagstaff.

The next park closings will occur on March 29, 2010 and will include Fort Verde State Historic Park in Camp Verde, Roper Lake State Park in Safford, Tombstone Courthouse State Historic Park, Yuma Territorial Prison State Historic Park and Tubac Presidio State Historic Park.

The final phased closings will occur on June 3, 2010 and will include Tonto Natural Bridge State Park near Payson, Alamo Lake State Park in Wenden, Lost Dutchman State Park in Apache Junction, Picacho Peak State Park and Red Rock State Park in Sedona.

The remaining parks will continue their agreements with other entities or will be passively managed by an adjacent park. These include Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park in Superior, Sonoita Creek State Natural Area, Verde River Greenway State Natural Area and Yuma Quartermaster Depot State Historic Park.

Four parks would remain closed. These include Jerome State Historic Park, McFarland State Historic Park in Florence, Oracle State Park, and San Rafael State Natural Area.

For more information about the 27 Arizona State Parks, statewide hiking opportunities, off-highway vehicle trails, and other outdoor recreational and cultural opportunities in Arizona, call (602) 542-4174 (outside of the Phoenix metro area call toll-free 800-285-3703) or visit AZStateParks.com.

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Gold Canyon Arizona Real Estate Stats – November 2009

benjaminteam — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 06:55:04 +0000

This is information about how the current Gold Canyon Arizona real estate market was doing for month ending November 2009.

Information is provided by Benjamin Realty, your local Gold Canyon and East Phoenix Valley Realtors.

November 2009 – Real Estate Stats – Gold Canyon Arizona at a glance.

The average sales price per sq foot edged its way back up slightly over the $100.00 point to $108.02 as the average sales price per square foot of homes sold in November 2009.

The average price of sold homes in November was $270,969. The average price of homes sold in October 2009 was $205,881.

The number of homes sold in November was 36, which is an increase over the 31 sold in October. (Of the 36 sold, 18 of the properties were “distressed”.) A year ago, November 2008 saw 16 homes sold with 7of those being “distressed”. So the number of Gold Canyon homes sold in a 30 day period continues to be better than a year ago.

During November 2009 there were 423 homes on the MLS in Gold Canyon Arizona, which is exactly the same number that was on the market during November 2008. Based on current sales activity this is considered to be a 12 month inventory of homes in the area.

(In October 2009, 431 homes were listed for sale on the MLS in the Gold Canyon Arizona area.)

If you need real estate assistance, contact Bob and Carolin Benjamin at 480-201-3001.

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Anticipated Pinal County Arizona Job Growth

benjaminteam — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 05:33:37 +0000

A recent issue of CNN Money published an article that Pinal County Arizona is the #1 county in the nation for anticipated job growth.
They say that job growth from 2000-2008 increased 95.9%. And the expectation is that the growth will be continuing.

Here is the magazine quote……….
Don’t be fooled by the ghost towns and Arizona desert landscape, Pinal County is one of the fastest growing counties in the nation.

Historically known for its copper mining, Pinal is forging into new territory by courting retailers, small businesses and medical-research companies. A major shopping center, the Promenade at Casa Grande, has already opened, bringing with it Dillard’s, Old Navy and a multiplex theater. A new hospital in Florence is projected to open in 2011 or 2012.

But not to forget the area’s roots, the Resolution Copper Company has also expressed interest in building a new mine there which could add “thousands of very high paying jobs” for engineers, miners and technicians, says Communications Director Heather Murphy.

Many of us who live here in Pinal County are amazed to read this information in a national magazine as the area is suffering with high unemployment along with the rest of the nation. But the residents who live in the area certainly hope the magazine’s prediction does come true.

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Gold Canyon Arizona Real Estate Stats – October 2009

benjaminteam — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 08:23:12 +0000

For Gold Canyon residents, (or individuals interested in buying homes in Gold Canyon),
here is information about how the current Gold Canyon real estate market is doing.
(This data is for month end October 2009).

This information is provided by Benjamin Realty, your local Gold Canyon and East Phoenix Valley Realtors.

October 2009 – Real Estate Stats – Gold Canyon Arizona

At a glance – there are two items of big news for Gold Canyon real estate in October 2009. For the first time since the real estate market went into its downward spiral the average price per square foot has dropped to under $100.00. Also the number of ***“distressed” homes in the monthly sales figures has risen to a much higher number.

The average price of sold homes in October was $205,881. The average price of homes sold in September 2009 was $327,923. (But remember the average price for September 2009 was skewed upward due to 8 of the 29 homes sold during September being “behind the gates” in Superstition Mountain Properties. Properties in this community are always higher ticket homes than the rest of Gold Canyon and the fact 8 of the 29 homes sold were in that community artificially inflated the monthly average sales price for September 2009.) Looking back to August 2009 the average sales price for that month was $279,003 – an average that was based on sales that were not skewed because of sales “behind the gates” in Superstition Mountain Properties – so can be considered “more the average”.

The number of homes sold in October is up from September with 31 homes sold in October. September 2009 saw 29 homes sold – so 2 more homes sold in October. A year ago, October 2008 saw 17 homes sold. So the number of Gold Canyon homes sold in a 30 day period continues to be better than a year ago.

During October 2009 there were 431 homes on the MLS in Gold Canyon Arizona. Based on current sales activity this would be considered to be a 14 month inventory of homes in the area.

(In September 2009, 395 homes were listed for sale on the MLS.)

If you need real estate assistance, contact Bob and Carolin Benjamin at 480-201-3001.

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