1986 was perhaps the biggest year for news in the history of the community and that will be the topic of this week’s Fountain Hills History Lesson.

As I mentioned last week, with all the growth, it is usually accompanied by a certain amount of complaints or protests. 1986 was no different.

The Arizona State Land Department initiated discussions involving a trade of 1313 acres of state-owned land north of Fountain Hills with MCO Properties for 160 acres it owned in Lake Havasu City. MCO was the master developer of both communities.

Residents living along Fountain Hills’ northern border were upset over the possible trade and subsequent development of the property by MCO. Many had said they bought their property on the basis that nothing would ever be built on the property.

The transaction was on an indefinite hold at year’s end.

The biggest outcry came when Chaparral City Water Company sought a Special Use Permit from the county to finish construction of its Central Arizona Project water treatment plant.

Area residents with a view of the 3.5-million-gallon water storage tank west of Fountain Hills Boulevard and north of Shea Boulevard, protested to the county board of supervisors because they said the tank was unsightly.

The permit was issued after Chaparral agreed to a landscaping plan around the tank.

There were also protests lodged against Chaparral’s proposed water rate hike. In December, the Corporation Commission approved rate increases ranging from 55 percent for residences to 83 percent for the golf course, the system’s largest user.

Another flap in the community was over Bed and Breakfast, whereby residents could offer overnight accommodations to community visitors for a fee out of their homes.

The Committee of Architecture finally ruled that Bed and Breakfast would be allowed as long as it did not create any traffic or noise disturbances for neighborhoods.

In other news, MCO Properties announced it was eliminating 50 local jobs at its complex on Palisades Boulevard. Those departments were removed by the end of September with the firm’s operations consolidated into one building.

McDowell Mountain Park, a 21,099-acre recreational area between Fountain Hills and Rio Verde, was dedicated in February.

Central Arizona Bank opened a branch in the community and another bank, The Bank of Fountain Hills, was being organized.

Two firms located in the Fountain Hills Business Park, the first in many years, were U.S. Currency Protection Co. and G. William Larson & Associates landscape architects and land planners.

Paul’s Hardware, one of the community’s oldest businesses, relocated to the former Bashas’ location revitalizing the La Montana Shopping Center.

Daily commuters to Phoenix were provided bus service by Phoenix Transit on Dec. 1.

Annual meetings were held by the two largest organizations in the community, the Chamber of Commerce and the Civic Association. Elections saw Maureen Pignataro and Bill Raddatz elected president of their respective organizations.

I have divided the remainder of the 1986 news into a third column. Part three will be in the next time my column runs.