President Susan Barber called the meeting to order at 9:00am with a quorum of 13 member organizations and 10 guests. (10 in person/13 via ZOOM). She emphasized the importance of meeting etiquette and equal voting rights for both in-person and Zoom participants.
Guest Speaker: Yavapai County Supervisor, District 3, Donna Michaels
Supervisor Michaels expressed her excitement about the resumption of in-person meetings, thanking the Council for their support, and noting that it’s been an extraordinary journey. She emphasized that she has loved every moment of serving the Council, her District, the County, and the State, noting her appreciation for that opportunity. She’s worked with many of the Big Park Representatives on a variety of issues, and it’s been her great pleasure to do that. She announced her departure from her official capacity at the end of December but assured the community that she would continue to work for their benefit.
She has already been invited to work with the Legislature on our rural water and is continuing with the development of the 44 acres with regenerative Agriculture practices process and proof of concept with the University of Arizona. She expects that it will become a center of excellence. She will also be working in partnership with the US Department of Agriculture and Farm Services Agency.
She then discussed ongoing negotiations with the Sedona Oak Creek Unified School District (SOCUSD) regarding the acquisition of the Big Park School and the potential for public-private partnerships within that facility. In noting that on the November ballot, the School District would be requesting permission to sell the property privately, Supervisor Michaels emphasized that a letter of intent with Yavapai County is in place. The County has done its due diligence and is waiting for the school district to come and talk about what would be a price that they would be willing to begin a negotiation with. Until that occurs, she has no information to take back for further County review. She encouraged the community to continue providing feedback on the potential uses of the Big Park School.
In answer to a question, Supervisor Michaels reiterated that the County needs to know what are the prices and the costs that the School District needs so that they can begin negotiations. The County is waiting for that.
Business Meeting
The business meeting resumed with roll call affirming a quorum, and approval of the agenda on a motion by Mary Morris, seconded by Paul Sullivan. Susan then reminded the Council about the rescheduled October Council meeting to the 17th due to travel.
Secretary’s Report: Mary Pope presented the draft minutes from the August 8 meeting, which were approved without any corrections on a motion by Don Groves, seconded by Paul Sullivan. Changes in representatives were announced, including Nina Joy Rizzo becoming the new president of the Pine Creek 2 HOA. Mary thanked Oouida Dorr for her service.
Treasurer’s Report: Patty Reski, detailed the expenses and the current balance. She noted that the Director’s & Officers annual insurance premium has been paid as has the Owl AI camera in use at today’s meeting. Payment of the final Earthrise invoice will be on the September report.
Unfinished Business: Pat Robles discussed the need for a more organized approach to maintaining the Council’s digital media platforms, including Facebook and the website. She highlighted the importance of keeping the platforms up-to-date and aligned with the Council’s brand, and the need to effectively communicate the Council’s mission, vision, initiatives, and activities to the community. She also emphasized the importance of ensuring the accuracy and relevance of the information posted. The conversation ended with a proposal for the Council to approve the digital media committee’s purpose and scope.
Purpose: The purpose of the Digital Media Committee is to increase the visibility, impact and engagement with the community of the Big Park Council through the effective use of digital media platforms. The Committee will do this by creating and sharing timely content that aligns with our mission and is of interest to our community. By using the benefits of digital media, our goal is to connect with our community, promote our activities and initiatives and to help support the achievement of the Council’s vision and purpose.
Scope
- Ensure that content is consistent with the Council’s brand image, mission/values and approved positions
- Define parameters for content use on the Council’s digital media platforms
- Create and post content on the Council’s digital media platforms
- Collaborate with internal representatives/committees and external organizations/individuals to identify and post content, including content provided by outside, public sources
- Ensure that content and links across platforms are accurate and up-to-date
- Use analytics to increase the effectiveness of digital media content
- Stay aware of new/innovative digital media platforms to determine their potential use by the Council
- Limit the scope of the Council’s digital media presence to align with the resources available to adequately manage them
After discussion, the purpose and scope were approved on a motion by Mary Morris, seconded by John Wichert. A standing Digital Media committee chaired by Pat Robles with members Mary Pope and Fred Lenz was then approved, including an update to the Committee Policy document on a motion by Don Groves, seconded by Paul Sullivan. Pat Robles emphasized that additional volunteers for this committee are most welcome.
New Business: Treasurer Patty Reski announced of the formation of the Annual Budget Committee for 2025, with members including Neil Pope, Pat Robles, and Paul Sullivan.
Committee Reports:
APS Transmission line Subcommittee: Joe Skidmore, Co-Chair, discussed the delay in the final Environmental Assessment (EA) from Coconino National Forest (CNF) until January of 2025, which was requested by the regional forester due to their workload. The issuance of the final EA will trigger a 45-day comment period. Joe also mentioned that the EA will likely not require an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), which is a larger document. He noted that the EA will address significant environmental concerns and consider reasonable alternatives. He also mentioned that an objection letter from BPC has already been drafted and is currently being updated. A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request has not been responded to by the Forest Service, and Senator Kelly’s office is assisting the Executive Board to get that information. Joe also discussed the final report from Earthrise, which is confidential (attorney-client legal strategies) that will also guide the objection letter details. $10,000 was raised by the community to pay for this valuable and comprehensive report. In answer to a question, he mentioned that alternatives considered but rejected by the Forest Service include photovoltaic solar panels with batteries, diesel or natural gas generators, and a microgrid. They’ve all been rejected as being financially not viable, or that they don’t fulfill the full requirement of APS which is resiliency in the grid. The real interest for APS is to close the loop and to be able to direct power, both directions and in a full circle for the entirety of the area served by the VOC substation. Lastly, he mentioned the possibility of a lawsuit and Earth Rise’s potential interest in representing them. Despite the delay in issuance of the EA, the committee will continue to communicate with APS and the Forest Service to further the goals expressed by the BPC.
Membership Committee: John Wichert discussed the membership committee’s efforts to increase participation from other residential organizations in the village. HOA names and contact information were received via an Arizona Corporation Commission database search of zip code 86351. John noted that the list was incomplete as several local HOAs/POAs use management companies with addresses outside of the Village. He welcomed any information regarding contacts within those HOAs/POAs. The committee has drafted a letter to be sent to the leadership of these organizations, aiming to provoke conversation and encourage them to join Big Park Council. John also mentioned a scheduled coffee event on October 24th to increase visibility. Mary Morris suggested setting up a table at Clarks to promote the event. In answer to a question regarding reaching out to other service organizations, Mary Pope mentioned the appointment of a liaison from the Rotary Club to the Council. Outreach to local business organizations was also suggested.
Planning & Zoning: John Wichert provided an update on the P&Z committee’s work, including their meeting with Stephanie Johnson to express concerns on current projects. He noted that Bob Marriott and Dave Norton were currently at a meeting with Yavapai County Development Services regarding three recent proposals that include Dark-Sky violations.
USFS Liaison: Mary Pope reported that there has been action on Firewise discussions by the Council regarding management of the forests that are adjacent to our communities. She is pleased to be able to say that District Ranger, Alex Schlueter, and Firewise board Member Lisa Holly are in touch and working together to come up with a proposal for private Firewise clearing of forest land adjacent to local communities. For example, the possible use of woodcutting permits to clear deadwood.
Nominating Committee: Mary Morris reminded the Council that they’d just received a letter from the committee urgently requesting their assistance in finding nominees for recording secretary and treasurer. Nominations are due to be presented to the Council on October 17. She thanked both Susan Barber and Pat Robles for agreeing to stay on another year saying that they’d done a wonderful job in 2024. She also thanked Mary Pope because she’s been handling both the corresponding secretary and recording secretary’s jobs. In 2025, per the bylaws, we’re going to divide the responsibilities and Mary Pope will continue as the appointed corresponding secretary. That appointment helps spread the workload of the secretary. She then noted that with recent bylaw changes, we can cast a wider net for candidates and not just be limited to reps and alternates. Anyone who has the permission of their member organization can be the treasurer or the recording secretary; again, looking to Representatives to help find qualified individuals within their member organizations. Both Patty Reski and Mary Pope will help train the newly elected officers.
Announcements
Candidate Forums: Nikki Check, Candidate for Yavapai County Supervisor, District 3, announced that the League of Women Voters Candidate Forum scheduled for September 30th is not moving forward, but the Sedona Chamber of Commerce is hosting a Community Pulse forum on October 9th which will include the candidates for Yavapai County Supervisor as well as local Sedona positions. Location: Mary D. Fisher Theater the morning of October 9th from 8 to 10am. (See Community News above for addditional details) She will be at the Yavapai Apache Nation this Saturday (Sept 14) from 2 to 5 pm and there will be a meet and greet in Old Town Cottonwood this evening (Sept 12).
SOCUSD/Big Park School: Tom Swaninger, Superintendent of Schools, announced a special board session at the Big Park School auditorium on September 23rd, at 5:00pm where the board will provide an update on the potential sale of Big Park and answer questions from the audience. Tom then discussed the potential sale of the Big Park property, emphasizing that the district is not obligated to accept the highest bid. He expressed his desire for a responsible bid that benefits both the district and the community. He also mentioned that the district remains open to all proposals, but there has been no indication of interest from the County beyond Supervisor Michaels’ proposal, and the school property was not included in the County’s space study. He encouraged feedback from the community and assured that he would answer questions openly and honestly. Tom then reiterated that the purpose of the meeting on September 23 is just to update the community on any information that the School District has about the ballot initiative and the potential sale of the property, as well as to offer an opportunity for people that are at the meeting to submit questions and have those answered.
During the Q&A for Tom, Nikki Check stated that she went to the first Board of Supervisors (BOS) meeting on the County’s space study and was surprised to find that they’d specifically excluded libraries and other facilities from the study. She is in touch with Maury Thompson of the County to better understand the issues and she plans to attend the September 23 SOCUSD meeting. Mary Morris pointed out that the process regarding sale/repurposing of the Big Park School facility appears to be confused. Earlier in the meeting, Supervisor Michaels indicated that the County was waiting for a proposal from the SOCUSD, while Tom said that they were waiting for the County to affirm interest in the property beyond Supervisor Michael’s letter of intent. Tom formally requested the topic of Big Park be placed on January’s or February’s county BOS meeting agenda for discussion, but the request was declined. Dr. Swaninger also signed an agreement, upon Supervisor Michael’s request, to allow the Big Park property to be included in the space study, but that agreement was removed from the board agenda as well. He indicated that hiring an outside firm to appraise the property was an undertaking that SOCUSD was reluctant to do without further interest expressed by the County.
Verde Valley School update: Head of School, Ben Lee reported that they had a wonderful alumni reunion in June, with about 200 alums from around the country and around the world. This is the 3rd week of class, and 105 kids from 17 countries, and the United States are enrolled. They also have some public events coming up that he wanted to put out there to save the date, such as a Speaker series beginning with Shawn Krause, October 3, one of the lead animators for Pixar, followed by a showing of an animated film in partnership with the Sedona International Film Festival on their 30ft mobile screen. He also noted that they are continuing their partnership with Emerson Theatre Collaborative, and Camilla Ross, and their 1st show will be in Brady Hall, the weekend of October 4th through the 6.th Driving Miss Daisy. Then they are having another Farm to Table event on October 30th including a guest chef. He then took the opportunity to invite Nikki Check to visit the school.
Meeting adjourned at 10:24am
Reminders:
