By Aaron Dorman | Examiner
COOLIDGE — Farmable property in Coolidge is in demand, even when it’s adjacent to a wastewater treatment plant.
What was meant to be a straightforward bid award on city-owned farmland became complicated by an impassioned defense from the current tenant at Monday’s City Council meeting.
Local farmer Bruce Bartlett had maintained the roughly 300 acres of property for almost 20 years until December, when his lease ran out and the city voted to open the parcel up to the highest bidder. That particular property plays an important role in Coolidge’s effluent disposal system.