Year passes, still no Red Rock decision on Union Pacific facility
By Phil Riske, managing editor, Rose Law Group Reporter
On July 12, 2013, the Arizona Senate Republican Caucus announced a one-year study period to investigate the sale of state trust land for use by Union Pacific (UP) for a switching yard just north of the community of Red Rock.
It’s now 13 months later and no decision by the Arizona State Land Department (ASLD) whether to sell a 950-acre tract of trust land, which would end the frustration of Pinal County officials, who have waited years for the project to get on the tracks.
The Union Pacific’s Red Rock Classification Yard project continues to move ahead, say state and local officials, in a positive direction with hiring of consultants.
But the state now says setting a date to auction the property won’t be until later this year or early in 2015.
A false alarm went out earlier this month when a erroneous notice of auction (seen at top) surfaced, followed by an apology and explanation from a state land official.
“Sorry for any confusion, Bill Boyd told Rose Law Group Reporter. “We have been receiving a lot of inquiries that seem to stem from someone incorrectly concluding that the document . . . was an actual auction notice.”
