President’s Report: Camille Cox reported on the two public forums that were hosted by
the Big Park Regional Coordinating Council: June 21 on the Regional Broadband
Initiative and July 7 for County Supervisor Donna Michaels. Both attracted attendance
of more than 50, split evenly between in-person at the Sedona Arts Academy and via
Zoom. She reported that as we practice and experiment with the format, problems with
Zoom audio will be resolved. At the August meeting cost items associated with
transitioning the monthly Council meetings to the live/virtual format will be reviewed.
In light of the positive feedback from the two forums, other topics such as regional water
issues may be offered in coming months. Supervisor Michaels is open to a quarterly
schedule. Suggestions from the community are encouraged.
We are seeking two volunteers to help with the live/virtual meetings to keep the
microphones moving in audience and assist with setup and teardown. Another
volunteer who is adept with the Zoom platform is also needed, ideally someone who is
neither a Representative or Officer.
Click here for the article on the Regional Broadband Initiative forum published in The
Red Rock News View.
Click here to read recent article in the USA Today Network on funding for broadband in
rural communities.
Council members were reminded that next month we will call for 3-4 volunteers to serve
on the Nominating Committee. The assignment for this committee is short (90-days).
Camille and Mary Pope are creating a “how-to” guide for the committee. The committee
chair must be a Representative or Alternate, other committee members may be
Representatives, Alternates or members of BPRCC Member Organizations. Officers
may not serve. Individuals interested in serving are encouraged to send an email
to info@bigparkcouncil.org.
Camille read a letter of resignation from Mark Moorehead to the Community Plan
Committee, explaining that he is moving from the Village. Mark was an inaugural
member of the Community Plan Committee and served as P&Z chairman in 2018 and
2019. She expressed the Council’s appreciation for his years of service.
Secretary’s Report: Mary Pope reminded the Council that committees need to send
her their meeting minutes. All minutes are available to Representatives and Alternates
by request.
Treasurer’s Report: Patty Reski reported that the routine expenses have been paid
and the bank balance is approximately $5,000. This total includes monies budgeted for
the Community Plan Committee.
New Business: The president introduced Gwen Hanna of the Sedona Village
Partnership, to speak on the need for an emergency preparedness plan in our
community. Gwen explained the vision of the Sedona Village Partnership, emphasizing
their role in “Connecting the Community” and addressing emerging needs. She posed
the questions: As a community, she questioned, are we Ready-Set-Go; Are adequate
plans in place to assist the elderly, deal with pets and large animals; Is signage
sufficient; Do we have a mechanism to alert absentee homeowners, short term renters,
tourists; Is there a plan to coordinate with businesses and/or hotels in an emergency
situation?
Gwen noted that there is an abundance of scattered information available, and this can
be overwhelming. The Big Park Council provides a cohesive representation of a
significant portion of the community and has contacts within government and the
community. She emphasized that just having a plan isn’t enough, citing the tragedy in
Paradise, California. She explained the need for a pro-active strategy with clear
coordination and transmittal of information as well as known roles and responsibilities
for effective emergency actions and coordination with public safety agencies.
Horse Mesa Ranch’s connection with equine evacuation was noted to be an available
resource for animal evacuations of other areas as well as a staging location for local
evacuation if needed. In the recent Backbone and Rafael fires they received horses, as
well as smaller animals.
Other comments raised traffic control and evacuation signage issues as well as the
potential for telephone chains to be sure all residents are informed and accounted for in
a disaster. There is great value in a centralized point of information distribution, with
acknowledgement that our community is constantly changing with people moving, part-
time residents, short-term renters and tourists.
Emergencies could be natural disasters such as fire and flood, or security issues such
as a shooting, bomb or other man-made danger.
A plan and an active stewardship team is recommended to ensure community safety in
the event of natural disasters such as fire and flood, or security issues such as a
shooting, bomb or other man-made danger.
The creation of a BPRCC committee on Emergency Preparedness was then discussed at length.
It was approved for a working group to develop a concept of an Emergency Preparedness
Committee under the guidance of Gwen Hanna and Dave Norton; permitting a small
group to gather for the development of the committee’s draft Purpose and Scope for
Council review and approval, potentially creating an Emergency Preparedness
Committee.
The recommendations of the working group will be circulated as part of the Council
meeting information, to allow Representatives to share and discuss it with their
members prior to a BPRCC vote.
Motion passed unanimously. Volunteers for the initial group include Gwen Hanna, Dave
Norton, Camille Cox, Lenore Hemingway and Mary Pope.
Committee Reports
Planning & Zoning: Committee Chair Mary Morris presented the results of her
inquiries to Yavapai Development Services on three properties which may have near
term developments. The properties are Plaza Del Sol, (405-27-324, 6050 SR 179), La
Plaza (405-40-020G, 6560 SR 179) and 1525 Lee Mountain Road (405-33-005M). The
rumored Change of Use for these properties are all allowed by current zoning, no public
participation hearings would be required. Mary also explained the limitations to the
proposed uses. It was clarified that building permits would be required by Development
Services. The P&Z Committee currently monitors the County permit logs and will keep
BPRCC informed. Clicking to view presentation slides: Planning & Zoning Presentation.
The next P&Z Committee meeting will be July 16th at 10:00am via Zoom. Topics for
discussion are the Horse Mesa Ranch Use Permit and AT&T Las Piedras wireless
proposal. P&Z meetings are open to the public, RSVP by email
to info@bigparkcouncil.org.
Community Plan: Camille reported that eight of the committee’s 10 topic drafts have
been presented and in August the committee will begin formatting for presentation to
the community. Yavapai County has created two new surveys for the County
Comprehensive Plan Update – Environmental Elements and Energy. The surveys will
be distributed via email next week to the BPRCC email list, and she encouraged all to
take them and share with others. The next Community Plan committee meetings are
Monday July 19th and Monday Aug 2nd at the Sedona Arts Academy. Please send an
email to info@bigparkcouncil.org if you’d like to join.
Announcements
* Camille noted that the Sedona Oak Creek School District board would like to
report in August or September.
* A boutique hotel has been proposed at the rear of Bell Rock Plaza. No public hearing
or input is required.
* The Sedona Library and Sedona Oak Creek School District board are in
negotiation on a lease agreement to move the Village library location (currently in
Bell Rock Plaza) to vacant library space in the Big Park Community School.
The next meeting of the Council is August 12th, 9am via ZOOM
The next meeting of the Executive Board is August 3rd, 2pm, location TBD
The next meeting of the P&Z Committee will be July 16th, 10am via ZOOM
