If the city of Safford is a large engine, the height modernization network will be the oil that makes it run more smoothly than it ever has before.

From public safety to utilities, every aspect of the city's function will benefit from the aerial maps that will be made following the recent geodetic survey of the Gila Valley, Safford City Manager Huey Long said.

Technicians from Safford worked for several weeks to prepare for the arrival of David Minkel, the National Geodetic Survey state advisor, who arrived last week with a quarter of a million dollars worth of satellite equipment and three days in which to test and record the coordinates of the brass-capped monuments used for surveying land. Ray Brunner, the GIS administrator for the city of Safford, which took the lead on the project, said several of his employees deserve a lot of credit for the preparation work they did.

"At first, we thought it would be easy to find the monuments," Brunner said.

After several days of wading through underbrush in the desert heat with only a few of the hard-to-spot monuments located, Brunner said technicians Sarah Stockton and Richard Nava became determined to find the remaining monuments before Minkel arrived.

"They spent three to four weeks looking intently," Brunner said. Once all of the 28 monuments were found, the small team did the additional prep work of setting up sandbags and other needed equipment in anticipation of the survey.

All of that hard work will pay off in the next few months when the local system is connected to Global Positioning System satellites because aerial maps will be created that have numerous levels to allow law enforcement and firefighters to ascertain entrances, exits and fencing for residences and cut-off valves for utilities in the event of an emergency.

Safford Police Chief John Griffin said his department will benefit tremendously from the technology.

"The aerial photograph of the entire city will be regularly updated," he said. "That will give us an idea where utility lines go in, and if there is a fire, it will help us get to those places more quickly."

The program will allow the utilities department to swiftly locate cut-off valves for power if a line needs to be replaced or repaired. Developers will also be able to better plan for housing and roads because the elevation of the land can be accurately calculated using the new technology.

Another benefit for the Valley will be the flood-plain mapping FEMA will do once the system is in place. Local engineer Michael Dennis said FEMA is looking for communities that have mapping that meets the federal agency's specifications.

Credit given where credit is due

For a project of this magnitude to be successful, it takes the cooperation and vision of the community and its leaders to make it happen.

Minkel said he had never seen such enthusiasm for the height modernization project in any of the communities he had surveyed like he saw in Safford and the Gila Valley.

"You have some local guys who see the future - who see the benefit," he said.

Members of the Safford City Council praised Brunner and his team for their expertise and hard work, while Brunner praised the council for its support and vision. Councilor Ed Ragland and City Manager Huey Long said the city was fortunate to have someone of Brunner's caliber working on its behalf.

Brunner said the project benefited from the advice and direction of Michael Dennis and Minkel.

Engineers from Graham, Gila and Cochise counties, as well as from the surrounding towns and local engineering firms, volunteered to work with the city on the project.

After performing a quality assurance check on the recent survey, Dennis said it appears the data and supporting documentation are complete enough for formal processing by the National Geodetic Survey.