New BELL 429 tests in Lake Havasu City

Residents of Lake Havasu City may have noticed an impressive fire-engine red helicopter hovering in the skies. It’ll be up there for two more weeks as part of “high temperature testing” Working out of D-2 Aero, a team of testers, including two pilots, are spending their time working out any possible kinks in the development of the Bell 429 chopper. The 429 team has set or "frozen" the final exterior profile design, verified through months of development flight testing. Since the introduction of the 429, a light twin-engine helicopter, at the Heli-Expo in 2005, two prototypes have accumulated over 400 hours of rigorous flight testing. Besides the one in Lake Havasu, the other is in Colorado performing high altitude testing. Robert Fitzpatrick, Sr., Vice President for Marketing and Sales said, "This is one of the most significant events in the development of an aircraft. This means our design meets the aesthetic and in-flight handling specifications we set long ago. These are specifications we promised we would deliver to our customers. This moves us much closer to our certification and beginning delivery goal of the end of 2008."So far, Bell has received over 240 customer purchase agreements for the Bell 429. With first delivery slated to occur at the end of 2008, Bell plans to ramp production to 60 aircraft per year by 2011. Thierry Hingray, the test director in Lake Havasu told TSN it is “particularly suited for emergency medical evacuation missions.” It has a large cabin, easy access doors and a rear-door entry option. Also, law enforcement agencies have found that the 429 will efficiently carry the people and equipment necessary for their vital missions. Hingray says “it has huge cargo space for the weight of the aircraft. and his team have been in Arizona for about six weeks

Turkey Trot Tourney

The Lake Havasu City Parks and Recreation Department and Havasu Foot and Ankle Surgi-Center are holding the 19th Annual Havasu Turkey Trot to benefit the Child Enrichment Fund Saturday, November 17. The 5K run or 2 mile fun run/walk will be held at SARA Park in the parking lot adjacent to the racetrack. Early registration may be completed at the Foot & Ankle Center (90 Riviera Dr.), or at the Community/Aquatic Center (100 Park Ave.). Registrants receive an event T-shirt and are eligible to win a $300, $200 or $100 gift cards. Allied Waste Services and KFC help make this race possible through their donations. Pre-registration fee for the Turkey Trot is $18 and $22 on the day of the race. Race day registration will be 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. Race begins at 9 a.m. Arizona time.Race Divisions are:~ 12 years and younger~ 13-19 years~ 20-29 years~ 30-39 years~ 40-49 years~ 50-59 years~ 60-69 years~ 70 years and older~ 215 lbs. and over

U.S. Real Estate Attracting Foreign Buyers

With the slide of the U.S. dollar against currencies like the euro, British pound sterling and even the Canadian “loonie,” it should come as no surprise that a just-released report from the National Association of Realtors -- 2007 NAR Profile of International Home Buying Activity (PDF 297k)-- shows that international home buying activity in the U.S. remains significant, despite the U.S. housing market slow down.
American real estate is an attractive package for the foreign buyer. Political stability, lifestyle options, lots of inventory, and a favorable currency conversion rate are helping to draw buyers from around the world. The report indicates that even more foreigners would buy if Visa restrictions did not limit “time in country” to just six months.
NAR’s survey, conducted this spring and summer, reports that one third of U.S. Realtors have done business with international clients and seven percent of agents say that more than half their transactions are with foreign buyers. While these buyers come from all over the globe, 33% are from Europe, 24% from Asia, 23% from North America (other than the U.S.) and 16% are from Latin America. Drilling down to the country level, the top five sources of foreign buyers are Mexico, The United Kingdom, Canada, India, and China.
Many of these international clients are luxury home buyers. Twenty eight percent of recent foreign buyers purchased with cash, one in four paid at least a half a million dollars for their property and seven percent spent more than a million dollars.

English Village Zoning Approved

LAKE HAVASU CITY, AZ - Another step forward regarding the future of the English Village took place at Tuesday night’s Lake Havasu City Council meeting. However, everyone wasn’t happy about it, thus a 5-2 decision by the council. The vote allows owner/developer Chris Read to legally have 80% residential and 20% commercial zoning, and go vertical with a total of 5 stories in mind. The condition of his property in the north end of the village has a dismal appearance and he can now zero in on the specificity of his plans. Councilmen Dennis Schilling and Allan Sturtevant voted no on the issue. Both wanted more specific plans from Read on his goals. However, Councilwoman/Vice Mayor Margaret Nyberg told TSN “hopefully we will see something in the next few months.” She strongly supported giving Read the ok. “It probably will be more like 30%” commercial. She says a restaurant will happen and that “time shares” will probably be built, giving the city a better deal on taxes.

Tennis, Anyone?

The Lake Havasu City Parks and Recreation Department and USPTA certified tennis pro, Matthew Scott, have teamed up to offer tennis clinics in September and October. All classes are conducted at the public tennis courts located at Lake Havasu High School, 2675 Palo Verde Boulevard South. Beginners - Players new to the sport or have very little experienceAges: 6 to 9Dates: Tuesdays - September 18 and 25, and October 2 & 9Time: 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.Fee: $40 for all four classesIntermediate - Players with some experienceAges: 9 to 13Dates: Mondays - September 17 and 24, and October 1 & 8Time: 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.Fee: $40 for all four classesHigh School Students - J.V. and Varsity players invitedAges: Varies by skill levelDates: Mondays - September 17 and 24, and October 1 & 8Time: 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.Fee: $40 for all four classesSpace is limited and players are encouraged to register now by calling Matt Scott at 486-9028. Private and semi-private lessons are also available. Contact: Steve Plaza, Lake Havasu City Parks and Recreation, 453-8686.

Who Is It?Havasu's Next “Pioneer?”

LAKE HAVASU CITY, AZ - There’s a new special purpose zoning district in Lake Havasu City. The council voted in full agreement last night -- 7-0 showing solidarity for hopeful economic development to revitalize Main Street. (It’s primarily the section of McCulloch Boulevard between Acoma and Smoketree, the original center of the city.) The ordinance allows mixed use development and is expected to offer new opportunities for developers. However, who is stepping forward first? That’s the big question Jim Salscheider, Executive Director of Lake Havasu City Main Street wants answered. He believes the individual or group that takes the initiative will be a true “pioneer” and another Robert McCulloch.This morning, Salscheider told TSN, “the mall will impact downtown,” so he says he’s going to go to Flagstaff and see what lessons it learned from changes 12 years ago that affected the downtown area and the city “managed to revitalize it.” He wants to know what worked and what didn’t. Salscheider believes the city must decide “whether to put every nickel into the sewer or make some investments in our community.” Finally, Salscheider says the first developer who comes with significant plans for revitalizing Main Street must be given concessions by the city. He says it will spur other development and pave the way for the future.

Arizona #2 in Rapid Housing Growth

ARIZONA - The U.S. Census Bureau has just released new stats. At the state level, four of the five states with the most rapid housing growth are in the West: Nevada (with a growth rate of 4.5 %,) Arizona (3.5%,) Idaho (3.4%,) Florida (3.3%,) and Utah (3.1%.). Nevada's rate of growth was more than triple the national average. The South dominated the states adding the highest number of housing units. Florida gained 273,000 homes during the period to lead all states, followed by Texas (198,000), California (181,000), Georgia (101,000) and North Carolina (89,000). Louisiana was the only state to experience a decline, with the number of housing units falling by 110,000, or 5.7%. The estimates are based on Census 2000 counts supplemented by administrative records such as building permits. Pinal County, of the Phoenix metro area, had the highest growth rate of housing units of any county in the nation. Meanwhile, neighboring Maricopa County was the biggest numerical gainer.