COMMUNITY NEWS –
MEETING HIGHLIGHTS FOLLOW –
Big Park Council is now approved as a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization !!
Yavapai County General Election – November 7, 2023
Early Ballots from Yavapai County Voter Registration are in the mail.
Question 460 – Shall the Governing Board of Sedona-Oak Creek Joint Unified School District No. 9 of Yavapai and Coconino Counties, Arizona (the “District”) adopt a General Maintenance and Operation Budget that includes an amount that exceeds the revenue control limit specified by statute by 15% for fiscal year 2024/2025 and for six subsequent years as described in your election materials?
See BPC meeting highlights below for the point of view of Mr. Randy Hawley, Board President of the Sedona Oak Creek Unified School District (SOCUSD) on this question.
Contact: bigparkcouncil.inquiry@gmail.com
HOLD THE DATES !!
FARMERS MARKET in the VILLAGE
October 27th, November 24th and December 22nd from 4-7pm
To be held within Village Yoga at Vista Village, at the corner of SR 179 & Jacks Canyon Road
Fourth Friday event featuring local artisans, growers and other specialty goods!
Seasonal Prescribed Burns Resume
Click HERE to view or download a PDF of the 10-11-23 USFS Notice of Prescribed Burns in the Flagstaff area
Here’s the latest email (PDF) from the Library (Oct. 19 – 6:30pm)- Sedona Creatives, Get Ready to Launch Your Business Ideas
Find out more at the Sedona Public Library website
Sedona Chamber of Commerce
Click HERE to view or download the PDF Local News from October 13th
Click HERE to view or download the PDF Business News from October 9th.
OCTOBER 21/22 Weekend Events
Hosted by the Verde Valley School
See BPC meeting highlights (Verde Valley School Report) below for Dr. B. Lee’s report and additional details and logistics of these events.
Click HERE to go directly to the Ladies All Ride Bike website for additional information.
Click HERE to go directly to the Red Rocks of Sedona Trail Race website for additional information.
SEDONA GEM & MINERAL SHOW
October 21/22nd – At Sedona Red Rock High School
Click HERE to go directly to the Sedona Gem & Mineral Club website for additional information.
2023-2024 Concert Season
Click HERE to go directly to the Sedona Symphony website.
2nd Concert is November 19th at the Sedona Performing Arts Center.
BIG PARK REGIONAL COORDINATING COUNCIL
MEETING HIGHLIGHTS
OCTOBER 12, 2023
A video recording of this meeting is available.
President John Wichert called the meeting to order at 9:00am, and introduced Randy Hawley, Board President of the Sedona Oak Creek Unified School District (SOCUSD) as guest speaker.
Sedona Oak Creek Unified School District Report
Mr. Hawley reported that the West Sedona School held its Fall Fundraising Festival last Saturday, which went very well. They had a very good turnout with lots of games and activities and delicious authentic Mexican food. He then recognized the SOCUSD Business Office noting that they received an achievement of excellence award in financial reporting from the National Government Financial Office Association. Mr. Hawley went on to remind the Council that a major focus for the schools is participation in a nationwide program (WestEd) to help improve and diversify instruction and to increase student engagement. They come into the schools and work with teachers and administrators. An upcoming school district event is their “Love Our Schools,” initiative on November 3rd, the purpose being to encourage the community and schools to work together on a variety of projects. He then emphasized that Arizona is 49th in the United States, in educational funding. The Budget Override vote is coming up November 7th noting that override funds are used for elementary and secondary music programs, physical education and a full-day kindergarten. The school uses these funds to hire three guidance counselors for the district. A yes vote will keep override funding at 2018 levels and not increase taxes. In response to a question, Mr. Hawley noted that since the previous Superintendent Denny Dearden came into the district 5 years ago, he changed the focus, organization, and some personnel to provide greater opportunities for students. The new Superintendent, Tom Swaninger will continue to move the district forward and Mr. Hawley is proud to be a part of these efforts.
John thanked Mr. Hawley and introduced Dr. Ben Lee, Head of the Verde Valley School (VVS) as the next guest speaker, noting that Sergeant Horn of the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office was called to attend a serious traffic accident and would not be able to speak to the Council this morning.
Verde Valley School Report
Dr. Lee began his report by complimenting the SOCUSD and their programs, noting that although both were educational resources in the community, the VVS is very different as it is highly specialized and primarily a boarding high school. He noted that the VVS was established in 1948, recently celebrating their 75th anniversary. They began the year by taking their resident advisors, assistants and a small group of students in leadership roles on a sunset hike to the Cow Pie rock formation. There are 116 students attending VVS this year, 42 day students and 74 boarding including 22 exchange students from their partner school in Shanghai, China. One of the five founding principles of VVS is service to others, and the school partnered with Manzanita Outreach and students packed 1350 snack boxes for distribution to schools throughout the Verde Valley so that teachers have snacks on hand to distribute if a student needs a bite to eat to stay focused. The school’s commitment to hunger issues continues with their maintenance of the Desert Star Food Pantry and participation in the Green Bag program for families in the area. Dr. Lee emphasized the school’s focus on outdoor education and noted that during the first week of school, every student participated in camping in various places and learning something about our local flora and fauna. The VVS is especially proud that for the second time in three years, one of their faculty, Caleb Kulfan, was recognized as the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program Teacher of the Year. Dr. Lee then showed an image of the inauguration of the student council, which took place at the school chapel. He then noted that the concept of community extends beyond the school facilities to a two-acre organic farm on campus. Produce from the farm is eaten at the school and sold at farmer’s markets. A recent community event involved milling mesquite seed pods and selling jam, herbs, and other products from the gardens. The school recently hosted the live stage-play “Indecent” produced by the Emerson Theatre Collaborative and is hoping to be able to host two more productions this year. He also noted that they’ve recently partnered with Red Rock Wild Schooling, an outdoor school now hosted on the VVS campus. In athletics, the VVS Soccer team is undefeated so far this year. In concluding, Dr. Lee showed images of students in class and science laboratories and encouraged people to donate to the school via the VVSTO, using the Arizona Tax Credit.
John thanked Dr. Lee and asked Secretary, Mary Pope to call the roll at 9:16am. Mary confirmed 16 Member Organizations and 9 guests present.
John then asked for any changes to the agenda, and hearing none, Pat Robles moved to approve the agenda as written, seconded by Carolyn Fisher. Motion passed unanimously by acclamation.
President’s Report: John began his report summarizing correspondence with ADOT on the community’s concerns with safety at the intersection of I-17 and SR 179. He noted that ADOT completed its assessment of the situation and didn’t see a problem as they felt that the recent fatal accident was due to brake failure. ADOT does not plan to do any mitigation of the interchange until the scheduled maintenance/rebuild of the southbound bridge in 2026. With the help of David Gill and Mary Morris, John wrote a letter to the Director of ADOT and sent it last week. The letter requests interim mitigation to make the interchange safer. Mitigation could be as simple as a stop sign northbound on SR 179 to give drivers a chance to see cars coming down the off ramp. John then noted that he’s let the nominating committee know that the Executive Board is a team effort that will have its full complement of five members in 2024. He then mentioned that in conversations with Fred Lenz, he found that in addition to website management, Fred has extensive experience in creating surveys, which can also be beneficial to the Council.
Secretary’s Report: Mary Pope asked if there were any changes to the BPC Minutes from September 14th, hearing none, Mary Morris moved to approve the minutes as written, seconded by Carolyn Fisher. Motion passed unanimously. She then welcomed Larry Koonz as a new Alternate Representative for Village Estates. Mary then reviewed the logistics of the election process to amend the BPC Articles of Incorporation to be in compliance with IRS requirements for a 501(c) 3 organization. The election officially closes at 12:00pm October 12th, however results were confirmed on September 25th at 19 votes in favor, to permit the Treasurer to move quickly with applications to the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) and IRS, keeping to the IRS timetable and avoiding the expense of a reapplication. Results as of October 10th were 21 votes in favor, none negative and no abstentions. After asking if there were any questions or additional discussion, hearing none, as of noon the election will close with the amendments passed. If the remaining two votes are not entered by then, they will be considered abstentions.
Treasurer’s Report: Patty Reski noted that there was an additional expense to expedite the ACC review to meet the IRS timetable. Upon receipt of ACC approval, paperwork was again put together and faxed to the IRS. A week and a half later, a letter arrived from the IRS approving the Big Park Council as a 501(c) 3 non-profit public organization. BPC can now apply for grants and donations to BPC are tax deductible to the donor. She then reviewed the financials as of September 30th noting that the balance appears high because of contributions to the APS Transmission line legal research. Patty also explained that the increased ZOOM fee is annual for two “seats” so that either of two EB members can act as meeting host should one be travelling or otherwise unavailable. She then explained the proposed budget for 2024 in detail, thanking Pat Robles, Joe Skidmore, and Dave Norton for serving on the budget committee. No increase in Member Organization annual assessments is proposed. After asking if there were any questions, Patty noted that the Council will vote to adjust or approve the budget in November.
Committee Reports:
Nominating Committee: Mary Morris reported that the committee felt that for the past few years there haven’t been any in-person meetings and that creates difficulties in developing relationships within the Council which in turn adds complexity to the nominating process. One of the suggestions is a Council mixer even if we cannot have in-person meetings yet. She then noted that she is cautiously optimistic that the committee will have candidates to present at the next meeting. Mary expressed appreciation to John Wichert for explaining his vision of a team format for the EB, so that the responsibilities don’t fall on any one individual. She then asked if anyone in the Member Organizations was interested in an officer position, to please let her know.
John expressed appreciation for the idea of a mixer, having just recently met several Council members in person and being impressed by their talents and dedication to the organization. Ben Lee offered VVS as a venue for a Council mixer.
APS Transmission Line Subcommittee: John Wichert reported that a successful educational forum was held with 35-40 in attendance, thanking Pastor Jim Cunningham for the use of his facility. He noted that the fund-raising goal of $10,000 for legal research has been met and that Earthrise has begun that process with Duane Thompson acting as point person for BPC. The request for information from the regional USFS under the Freedom of Information act is resulting in documents being received. In answer to a question from a local resident, John offered to put him in touch with Duane Thompson and understanding his technical expertise, welcomed him to join the sub-committee. John also referred him to the BPC website which holds a wealth of information on the project. He then explained that because the transmission line extends over USFS land, the USFS is the one dealing directly with APS. Although Duane has had some conversations with APS, inquiries are primarily directed to the USFS.
Verde Valley Transportation Planning Organization (VVTPO): John presented Steve Fiedler’s report, noting that Steve has had to step down from his role as BPC liaison to VVTPO and calling for a volunteer to replace him so that the VVTPO remains aware of transportation issues within the VOC.
Membership: Dennis Bauman reported that the first community coffee event is tentatively scheduled to be at Fire Creek coffee on October 24th. The committee is looking for businesses to team up to be able to join BPC as a Member Organization. He also noted that with John and Colleen stepping down at the end of the year, the membership committee is seeking additional volunteers.
Planning & Zoning (P&Z): Nancy Maple welcomed David Mascone, as the newest member of the P&Z committee, noting that Phil Feiner will be leaving and openings are available for volunteers to join the committee. She then reported that she’s had conversations with Stephanie Johnson, the new Yavapai County planning representative for our area including Camp Verde, Cottonwood, Rim Rock, McGuireville and the VOC. She lives in the Verde Valley and is very supportive of the area. Stephanie shared instructions on how to search the Citizen Serve application for pertinent planning applications and permits being reviewed for the VOC so that BPC can be kept up to date on local planning issues. Stephanie also agreed to send copies of local applications to the BPC email. Nancy acknowledged and thanked Lenore Hemingway who has been keeping track of these applications on behalf of the BPC P&Z Committee. There are no current issues for the BPC to discuss.
Art in the Roundabouts (AiR): Rolf Funk noted the great article in last month’s Villager. He has been in contact with some of the committee that are involved with the City of Sedona Artwork in their Roundabouts and received the guidelines they used on their project which is a great asset to our committee as we move forward. He mentioned that Steve Fiedler met an artist in Vermont who would like to submit to the project and would be willing to fabricate artwork from other artists. There have already been a large number of responses to the committee’s call for artwork. The call to artists went out by direct mail and through the media. Enthusiasm is high.
Announcements:
Farmer’s Market comes to VOC: Mary Pope reported on behalf of Jessica Sweeney and Marianne Langridge. Jessica spoke to the Council in July seeking a venue for a farmers’ market and Marianne has agreed to provide space within the Village Yoga facility in Vista Village. They will be initiating a Fourth Friday event featuring local artisans, growers and other specialty goods from 4-7pm, October 27th, November 24th and December 22nd.
Sedona Symphony: Carolyn Fisher reminded the Council that the first concert of the season is this Sunday with general admission tickets starting at $15. The concerts are held at the Sedona Performing Arts Center. Tickets can be purchased at SedonaSymphony.org.
Novel Night: Carolyn Fisher reported that the Novel Night Fundraiser for our local library was a successful event. The Village Library is a wonderful facility and Carolyn welcomes any other fundraising ideas.
All Ride Mountain Biking Event: Ben Lee announced that the weekend of October 21st, the Verde Valley School is the staging ground for the ladies All Ride mountain biking workshops and a trail run. All parking will be on campus and local residents can expect additional traffic along Verde Valley School Road in the morning. There is a shuttle bus for hikers and trail riders.
Sedona Gem and Mineral Show: Nancy Maple announced that the weekend of October 21st is also the gem and mineral show, held at the Sedona Red Rock High School from 9-5 each day.
Meeting adjourned at 10:30am
|
