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Dear Editor: Hand Grenade Found

As of this weekend, our group recovered 149 bags of someone else’s Trash on our 15 mile section of Scenic Highway 89A between Cottonwood and Sedona. We cleaned the garbage from that area in mid-November 2010. Four months of trash divided into 149 bags — do the trash math!
 
I had ADOT Supervisor reporting the recovery of a hand grenade on the highway (not on our highway as far as I know) and I hope the media covers this story. We can no longer turn a blind eye to what’s happening in our own back yard, not to mention what it costs the tax payers to deal with these issues!
 
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Leave your comments now.
 
Gary Chamberlain
www.Folksvilleusa.com
 
 

2 Comments

  1. Eugene D., Prescott Valley says:

    noticed on the last trip from cottonwood the trash along the roadway and its a nightmare that we should all be mad as heck about

    thank you volunteers for picking up this ugly mess

    we like your information about sedona and area, easy to read good news

  2. ADOT Risk Management Letter says:

    April 25, 2011
    To: Sue Olson, ADOT Risk Management
    Custodian of Records
    1324 N. 22nd Avenue
    Phoenix, AZ 85009

    Dear Sue,

    We have made much progress on the cleanliness of our Scenic Highway 89A between Cottonwood and Sedona over the past two years but we still fall short of our effort to have a functioning ADOT Adopt-A-Highway Program (ADOT AAH).

    The ADOT AAH requirement for the Permittees is to clean their highway section three times per year minimum or more for a “SCENIC Highway” needs improvement. The attached ADOT document plus ADOT’s web site information confirms this ADOT requirement and the amount of highway litter supports our claims of a ineffective ADOT AAH Program.

    Several of our ADOT AAH Permittees claims that they are only required to clean their “Scenic Highway 89A” section twice per year as directed by Chuck King (ADOT) in the Flagstaff office. ADOT’s documents claim that only the “Highway Engineer” can change the frequency and it appears that the change would be a greater frequency not lesser.

    Is Chuck King a Highway Engineer? We have repeatedly requested the “DOCUMENT” from Stephanie Brown and Chuck King to support this twice per year claim and it has fallen on deaf ears. Even if this document exists, twice per year doesn’t keep our highways clean, if you want proof go drive Scenic Highway 89A between Cottonwood and Sedona and it is very clear who cleans their sections twice per year!

    A group of us are trying to make the Arizona ADOT Adopt-A-Highway Program a functioning program and not a joke! The ADOT Program statewide is failing, just look at the trash on any of our highways and review the ADOT “Activity Reports” to confirm our opinion of a failing program. Our “Arizona Veterans Highway I-17” is a dumping ground and dishonors our military, veterans and communities. Our state employees who mismanage the ADOT AAH Program and the Permittees ignoring their obligation should be dismissed immediately for they collectively damage the image of the state by not performing their duties and obligations to the tax payers of the state.

    We will be doing a film documentary on the I-17 very soon and it will be billed as the “Highway Shopping Network”, promoting anything you want for your home, yard, etc. is on the “Arizona Veterans Highway” and it’s free for the taking.

    The tax payer funded ADOT Adopt-A-Highway Program, if properly managed could promote the cleanliness of the state as a place to live, bring new families and encourage new businesses to move to Arizona.

    Stephanie Brown, Arizona Adopt-A-Highway Program Coordinator’s evaluation of the AAH Program as being successful is without evidence to support her claim. The evidence more clearly represents another “low-bar” performance by a bureaucracy.

    As Arizonans and tourists travel our Arizona highways, we all should all take note of what we see, is there any indication of a highly functioning Adopt-A-Highway Program that shouts “Don’t Trash Arizona”? The ADOT AAH Program claims to educate the public through their efforts, is this educational effort working?

    Yes, the people who volunteer their time to clean our highways are volunteers but they signed a agreement to participate in the AAH Program that costs “We the taxpayers” for their signs, sign management and the bureaucratic RED TAPE and the state employee management of a program that isn’t user-friendly.

    The Verde Valley can be increasingly and cautiously very proud of our ADOT Adopt-A-Highway Permittee’s on Scenic Highway 89A between Cottonwood and Sedona plus Highway 260 between Cottonwood and Camp Verde. Very soon, segments of I-17, Highway 169, Highway 69, and segments of Highway 89 will be included in our efforts.

    As of the beginning of 2011, 13 of the 15 groups (86.6%) on Scenic Highway 89A between Cottonwood and Sedona have committed to cleaning their sections of highway at least 3 times per year or more. Last year it was 35% and in 2009 it was 25%. As of February 19, 2011, 95 bags of someone else’s trash have been recovered from this 15 mile section of 89A. Please consider that every piece of trash that blows onto this section of highway or any highway, adds up. Since February 25, 2009, 1250 bags of Trash have been collected between Cottonwood and Sedona at a huge cost to the tax payers and the community (see attached 2009/2010/2011 documents) Is this how we want to spend our tax dollars and time?

    In summary, please provide the “document” and name of the ADOT person and agency that supports the claim that two times per year cleaning frequency. We all need to ask the question, “Why would we want to bring our family or our business to Arizona with so much highway and recreational TRASH?”

    ADOT promotes Partnering so let’s be partners in our efforts to restore the beauty to America the Beautiful, Arizona and honor our military, veterans and communities. The time to act is now!

    Thanks for your consideration and I will say that you and your Risk Management Department have always been very responsive.

    Gary Chamberlain “Point Man” Arizona veteran
    •Folksville USA (Virtual Town with real people)
    •The American Trash Warriors (Veterans & Soldiers)
    •The American Litter Locust (Citizens)
    CC: ADOT Management, Governor Brewer, Arizona
    Politicians, Arizona Media, National Media and Americans

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