Peace in Mohave County among develolpers...

The local version of the Montagues and the Capulets seemed to have settled their differences...

DUNTON-RHODES STRIKE PEACE ACCORD---LAWSUIT SETTLED
DAVE HAWKINS

Kingman businessman Scott Dunton says he’s making peace with Jim Rhodes after repeatedly lambasting the Las Vegas homebuilder as a scoundrel and a crook. Dunton was one of the more visible and vocal opponents of the master-planned community that Rhodes hopes to build in Golden Valley and the truce was announced the morning that the Pravada project was to be considered by the Mohave County Planning and Zoning Commission.

The peace accord was hammered out during an eight hour-long February 12 negotiation session that reportedly ended about eight p.m. The Rhodes contingent included Rhodes, Rhodes Homes Arizona Vice President Chris Stephens and consultant John Gall, while Dunton represented himself along with Don Van Brunt and Travin Pennington.

``I think that the best thing is that the war is over,” Dunton said. ``What they’ve asked is that they just get a chance to start over and that everybody just be friends. The impetus of this is that we’ve got so many things attacking us now between the economy and the foreclosures and maybe if we actually had some positive information coming out of here, and we tried to get along, maybe we can survive.”

Dunton previously pounded Rhodes for a history that included illegal campaign contributions and previous employment of imprisoned “bribesmaid” Erin Kenney. But Dunton told the P & Z Commission that he’s now willing to let what happened in Las Vegas stay in Las Vegas.

``What we’ve agreed to is let’s start fresh today,” Dunton said. And after the meeting, he denied being “bought off” to stop roasting Rhodes.

``On my grandchildren’s lives, not one penny, not one piece of property, not one favor, not one consideration has this man promised me, except that he would honor the contract that he gave me,” Dunton said. The contract involved a Dunton-Rhodes land deal that soured into litigation with Dunton prevailing in court.

Rhodes has ended his appeal of that ruling and parties have settled the dispute. Rhodes will sell Dunton and his partner nearly 5,200 acres in Golden valley for about $5.3-million, minus the more than $100,000 Rhodes was to pay Dunton for attorney fees associated with the lawsuit.

Dunton envisions industrial development of the property that will provide jobs and possible customers for Rhodes’ master-planned community.

Dunton has also agreed to give Rhodes a 1.25 acre Dunton-held parcel that had been carved out of the Pravada development boundary. Dunton said Rhodes also agreed to eliminate a roundabout to ensure high speed access through the Aztec Road thoroughfare that bisects Pravada.

Rhodes has also agreed to offer $400,000 or more if Kingman puts up for auction the six one-acre parcels that the City owns within the Pravada boundary. Furthermore, Dunton said Rhodes would donate six other one-acre sites outside the development that the City could consider tapping for water in the future.

``I think that over the past several weeks, and several days, we’ve worked hard to address Mr. Dunton’s concerns,” Stephens said. ``We hope that this is really the start of being able to bring some healing to the overall community and move forward together in a positive way to bring quality growth to Mohave County.”