By Jodie Newell | Pinal Central
CASA GRANDE — Building more infrastructure in Pinal County was the recurring theme from a panel of experts during Friday’s Biz Outlook Luncheon held at The Property Conference Center.
With a topic of “Growth Readiness in Western Pinal County,” the panel comprised local infrastructure experts, moderated by Kevin Connors, director of the Small Business Development Center at Central Arizona College. Participating were Caroline Varela, supervisor of service planning at Arizona Public Service Co.; Terri Sue Rossi, vice president of water resources for Arizona Water Company; Brittney Schmidt, manager of district operations at Southwest Gas; Laura Grignano, manager of the Central Arizona Groundwater Replenishment District, Central Arizona Project; Maria Roberts, director of the Salt River Project Desert Basin and Coolidge Generating Stations; and Sheena Conner, government affairs manager, market expansion at Cox Communications.
Attendees of the Casa Grande Chamber of Commerce event heard that Pinal County is having rapid population growth with increased housing development and attraction of large businesses, which is posing significant challenges to water management and on other local infrastructure such as better roads and a greater need for high-speed broadband services. Discussion was also held on the role that local governments play in assisting the roll-out of those needs.
