A local partner in the development group approved to develop the city owned fairgrounds property is no longer involved in the project after raising concerns.
Attorney General Brnovich Announces 4 Individuals Indicted in Fraud Scheme Related to Higley School District Published: 24 July 2021 24 July 2021
Phoenix, Arizona - Attorney General Mark Brnovich announced today that a State Grand Jury indicted Denise Birdwell, Gary Aller, Steven Nielsen, and Kay Hartwell Hunniuctt for their alleged role in the procurement for construction of the Elona Ranch and Sossaman middle schools in Higley Unified School District (HUSD).
HUSD was required to follow the procurement process when issuing Request for Proposal 013-203. The procurement process prohibits any party that provides input on a project from receiving any direct or indirect benefit from the project. The indictment alleges that in 2012, Birdwell, who was HUSD Superintendent at the time, was aware that Aller and Nielsen had participated in the pre-bid process which provided a competitive advantage to a bidding company owned by Aller and Nielsen, Education Facilities Development Service