Puma Press: April 2001 Lynx

Vincent Francia has the look of a man in control of his space and at peace with the world. However, underneath the cool exterior of this mayor of Cave Creek lies a driving desire to preserve the desert landscape surrounding his township.

From saving sacred Native American burial grounds to working at replenishing Cave Creek’s water supply, Francia has proven himself a fighter for environmental causes in the face of the steady push of development north from Phoenix into the desert.

Re-elected in March as mayor of Cave Creek, Francia considers his office, "a community honor and an awesome responsibility." The single parent of PVCC student Anyada Francia, 18, and Elias Francia, 13, moved his family to Cave Creek about 20 miles from the heart of Phoenix in 1990 when he began working at Turf Paradise, 1501 W. Bell Rd., where he is currently the director of marketing and media relations.

Francia quickly joined forces with the local Cave Creek citizens on the front lines dealing with the town’s present and future problems. After being elected for two consecutive two-year terms to the town council, Francia was elected mayor and is currently serving a non-contested second term.

What is it about the Cave Creek community that has inspired Francia to such commitment? "Cave Creek has a strong sense of family, is environmentally conscious and has a serious concern for preserving the natural landscape," he says.

Francia describes Cave Creek as a unique mixture of artsy-craftsy, country-western, open minded, free thinking, yuppie, biker, new age kind of folks, who manage to walk side by side.

The desert township sits dead in the way of the two hottest words in Arizona… "growth" and "development." Mayor Francia, and the Cave Creek Town Council, have been circling the wagons to meet these issues head on in an effort to preserve the desert landscape.

One of the boldest moves by Francia and the Cave Creek Township, working with $15 million of state and county funds, was the purchase for preservation only of the over 2,200-acre Spur Cross Ranch. The Cave Creek voters passed a bond to come up with $6.3 million (in the form of a property tax) of the $21 million total purchase.

The land, now safe from developers, was once the home of the Hohokam Indian tribe and is covered with ancient archaeological sites (90 identified so far), full of artifacts and sacred burial grounds. Francia refers to the battle to reserve the ranch as "a very emotional and spiritual experience to have a lasting effect for generations to come."

The mayor has a "master plan" to establish the Spur Cross legacy. To begin with, Mayor Francia, together with Maricopa County, is in the process of forming the Inter Governmental Agreement to make the historically and environmentally rich Spur Cross Ranch open and accessible to the public.

The mayor predicts that this plan will take a year to fully implement. A ranger station is a priority overlooking designated trails. Francia also foresees the possibility of guided tours connecting to a series of historically important archaeological sites in a park environment.

In addition, special rest areas and possible campsites will be set up along the way, offering required facilities and amenities. In the meantime, visitors, and especially the residents of Cave Creek, will have access to "their" land as it connects to the Tonto National Forest.

Of the Spur Cross project, Francia says, "the spiritual ancestors of the Hohokam Indian tribe buried on the Spur Cross Ranch must surely feel pleased and relieved to know their ancient sacred land is safe once again."

The mayor says that preserving the area in its natural state is good news for everything growing and living on Spur Cross Ranch. As a father of two, Francia knows that preserving the environment is the ultimate gift to pass on to future generations.

The list of environmental and preservation projects on the mayor’s agenda goes on. Francia is quick to point out that each project is in progress. The efforts to control growth and development around and within the township on this short list are continually expanding.

Fleming Springs Area: The Cave Creek Town Council has recently approved by a large majority the annexation of two sections of land bordered by 64th St. on the west and 80th St. on the east. At last count, 63 percent of all property owners have offered support for annexation set for the first part of April. This action is intended to preserve the community’s rural desert lifestyle and stop developers from trying to re-arrange the landscape.
Continental Mountain: Included in this annexation is a decision to protect the use of Fleming Springs Rd. as a right of way to Continental Mountain. Cave Creek property owners already living on and around the mountain find themselves entangled in an on-going tug-of-war with developers determined to move forward with construction plans. Francia, together with the town council and the long-standing property owners, have determined to dig in for the long haul, believing that when they win, so does the mountain.
Black Mountain: Efforts have been redoubled to preserve over 500 acres on Black Mountain. Already up to 150 new homes have been projected for construction over the next 10 years. According to the Sonoran News, the resident property owners are saying that "Black Mountain already has scars from careless builders and construction crews that can be seen from miles away and last for years to come."

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The spiritual ancestors of the Hohokam Indian tribe ... must surely feel pleased and relieved to know their ancient sacred land is safe —Vince Francia
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In addition to these "live" projects, Cave Creek’s two biggest concerns today in dealing with growth are supplying water and securing the city’s borders, Francia says. Cave Creek gets its water from an underground aquifer that serves over 400 wells. Cave Creek’s water supply is being steadily depleted, and the mayor says the township must find a way to replenish its aquifer in order to meet needs now and in the days to come.

Again, Mayor Francia says, help is on the way. Cave Creek has secured a grant from the state to fix the problem in a two-part plan. Working with the Arizona Department of Water, the plan will take up to six months to implement and complete. The first part will be to go back and determine how much water has been depleted from the underground aquifer over the past 10 years.

The second part will be to make adjustments by using the area’s 20 washes like dams or dikes. The plan is basically to back up the washes, creating natural water barriers and to engineer the arroyos so that water will seep back into the underground aquifer, gradually replenishing and maintaining the water supply to meet growing demands.

"Growth is predicated on water," says Francia. "You can’t have one without the other." Regarding Cave Creek’s borders, the township stands secure in at least three directions. The purchase of Spur Cross Ranch provides private access to Tonto National Forest, which also serves as a natural border to the north of Cave Creek. The town of Carefree serves as a solid man-made borderline to the east at Scottsdale Rd., while 26th St. borders the west.

The only directions of concern at present are the southeast border facing Scottsdale and the southern border facing Phoenix. Francia says a jagged borderline running along the vicinity of Lone Mountain Rd. can appear confusing to the naked eye, but then Carefree Highway ultimately stops any major development from the south.

Francia strongly emphasizes the importance of educating and preparing young people to build on the environmentally sound foundations being set in place today.