Jeremy DeGeyter and Stephen Craver of the Northcentral District of ADOT presented to the Council on the District’s activities.  Slides were provided that explained the structure of ADOT; the Northcentral District is one of seven districts in the state and covers 23,000 square miles, 2800 lane miles and employs 140 people who perform activities such as maintenance, construction, development and design.  Within the District, the Little Antelope Maintenance Unit, located on I-17 at MP320.5 performs work such as plowing, emergency response, drainage management, guardrail repair, mowing, paving/patching, crack/fog fill and litter pick up programs on 73 miles of SR89A, 30 miles of SR179 and 164 miles of I-17.  Jeremy explained the “Planning to Programming “ (P2P) process that guides how projects are identified, prioritized, and incorporated in ADOT’s Five Year Construction Program: this process includes input from many stakeholders, including the public.  ADOT targets for project funding are 78% for preservation of existing resources, 15% for modernization (primarily safety focused), and 7% for expansion (new projects).  He noted that the public comment period on the Tentative 2027-2031 5-Year Facilities Construction Program, ends May 22 for 2027-31 projects; see the ADOT website for information on projects (https://azdot.gov/planning/transportation-programming/tentative-2027-2031-five-year-transportation-facilities-construction-program).  The status of local current and upcoming projects is:

• Cornville Rd / Tissaw Rd Roundabout: This is a Yavapai County project that ADOT is administering; excavation is complete.  Curb/gutter work is upcoming.  Completion is expected in October.
• I-17 @ SR179 southbound bridge deck rehabilitation: Will start April 26.
• SR89A Oak Creek guardrail replacement (switchbacks section): Started April 1.  On April 13 temporary signals for single lane use will commence during work; this will take three weeks.
• SR89A & Page Springs Rd intersection realignment: Will start in 2027.
• SR179 pavement rehabilitation/life extension from Ranger Station to Chapel Rd: Will start this summer; work will be performed at night.
• I-17 northbound from McGuireville Rest Stop to SR179 new signs: Electronic signs will be installed to notify travelers of snow closures.  This project will start in 2027.

Comments/questions included thanking ADOT for the safety improvements at the I-17/SR179 interchange, additional details on the Cornville Rd Roundabout and SR179 paving projects, and the prioritization process that left the District’s #1 priority (I-17/SR179 interchange) off the state’s priority list.  Jeremy explained the multiple rounds of the prioritization process and that many factors influence final selections, and encouraged the public to provide comments on the 5-Year Program.
Business Meeting:  President Joe Skidmore called the meeting to order at 9:40am.

1. Roll Call: By Secretary Bridget Bero at 9:43am.  Seventeen members were present and the requirement for a quorum was met.
2. Agenda: Bridget Bero motioned to approve the agenda with minor changes; Bob Marriott seconded.  The agenda was approved at 9:46am with none opposed.
3. President’s Report: Joe noted that we will continue to reach out to Senator Finchem’s office regarding VOC standing to receive the the APS wildfire mitigation plan but that we will request the document from Yavapai County or the City of Sedona if we do not receive a copy.  Joe will attend the May 15 ADOT Transportation Board meeting in Cameron; he will work with Liaison Jeff Swan to update the report on the I-17/SR179 interchange project request.  This update will include thanking the Board for recent improvements.  He reported that Vice President and Chair of the Digital Media Committee Pat Robles has resigned due to relocation out of the area; he thanked her for years of wise counsel to the BPC.  He called for volunteers to fill the VP and Chair positions, and noted that the VP position must be filled within 30 days.
4. Secretary’s Report: Recording Secretary Bridget Bero called for changes to the Draft March BPC Meeting Minutes; Carolyn Fisher said she would send comments on typos, and moved to approve as appended; Pat Robles seconded. The minutes were approved at 9:51am with none opposed.  Bridget noted that JR Campbell and Alex Rudisill are the new representative and alternate for Lee Mountain Rd West.
5. Treasurer’s Report: Treasurer Lisa Holly reported that March expenses were $11.67 for the email service and $47 for required ACC filing; income was $160 (from dues).  Two members’ dues are currently outstanding.
6. Unfinished Business:  None.
7. New Business:  None.
8. Committee & Liaison Reports:
   1. Planning & Zoning – Bob Marriott mentioned that the Committee is still seeking new members, and that the County approved lights at the Hilton that were not compliant with the new lighting ordinance.
   2. Digital Media – Pat Robles mentioned that the first quarter update of the website has been completed.  She mentioned the other members of the Committee (Mary Pope, Fred Luntz) and reported that Mary Pope is willing to be a Co-Chair should someone not want to take on the Chair role alone.  She explained the work of the Committee, thanking those representatives who provided support, and stressed the importance of the website in its role of educating and informing the community.  She volunteered to train someone, and to assist with twice monthly posts to Facebook.  Discussion regarding a high school intern occurred, but the benefit to the intern was deemed minimal, and Mary Pope stated that a person who will be able to serve for several years is desirable.
   3. VVTPO – Jeff Swan mentioned the ADOT “Listening Tour” is designed to hear comments on needs, as opposed to answering questions.  More details on this tour are forthcoming.  Jeff attended a charette on Apr 2 w/ NACOG regarding transportation needs at the strategic level, and stated that the major concern is funding.  Jeff may attend the upcoming Transportation Board meeting in Cameron, and will assist President Skidmore in crafting a new letter to ADOT regarding the I-17/SR179 interchange.
   4. USFS – Mary Morris reported the following items:
      1. On April 3, the USFS updated its National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) process.  Some of the changes include (1) public notices will now only be located on the USFS website (https://fs.usda.gov/r03/coconino/projects) (and not in newspapers); (2) public comment periods are reduced from 30 days to 10 days for the environmental assessment (EA) process, and from 45 days to 20 days for the more detailed environmental impact statement (EIS) process, and that public comments now have page limits; (3) objection periods for the EA process are reduced from 75 days to 15 days.
      2. At the same time, the agency is undergoing a national reorganization.  The Washington DC office is moving to Salt Lake City; regional offices are being eliminated and a new model will have 15 state directors including one over Arizona.  Forest Supervisors and District Rangers may gain more discretion in decision-making as some authorities currently held at the regional level are distributed to the field.  (https://fs.usda.gov/sites/default/files/organizational-realignment-factsheet.pdf)
      3. Locally, the Red Rock Ranger District is authorized to hire 17 seasonal employees this summer and expects to fill most of these positions, which should increase on-the-ground recreation staffing and allow Fossil Creek, which will start the season being open Friday-Sunday, to “scale opening to staffing” and add more open days later in the summer.
      4. An approximate 250-acre prescribed burn was completed near Stoneman Lake on April 9; the Verde Valley did not experience significant smoke impacts, but more burns are planned on the Coconino National Forest in the coming weeks, depending on conditions.  Residents can find up-to-date information on planned and active burns at InciWeb (https://inciweb.wildfire.gov).

9. Announcements: Dave Norton reported that he attended a District 3 Town Hall
where evacuation information was passed out. He recommended that BPC
reach out to Supervisor Check’s office to obtain this information.

The business meeting was adjourned at 10:24am.

Reminders: