Sedona AZ (February 15, 2016) – At its annual Achievement Awards luncheon, Keep Sedona Beautiful presented eleven honors for exemplary service and environmental accomplishments throughout 2015. The event was attended by 105 awardees and residents and emceed by popular local entertainers Tom and Shondra.
Community Service Awards were presented to the Verde Valley Caregivers Coalition, Steve and Connie Segner, Norm Sunstad, John Cornelius, and the Yavapai Food Neighbors Project. Special awards went to Page Springs Cellars, Bell Rock Plaza, the Jewish Community of Sedona and the Verde Valley, and Susan Munill. Joanne Kendrick and Birgit Lowenstein earned KSB’s prestigious Norman McGee Award.
Eileen McGee, widow of Norman McGee, was a special guest at the KSB event.
The Verde Valley Caregivers Coalition was recognized for its volunteers who provide programs and services to adults needing assistance in maintaining independence and quality of life at home.
The Segners, owners of El Portal in the city of Sedona, were honored for providing teaching gardens for Sedona residents to raise food, utilizing energy saving hotel rooftop green plantings, and sponsorship of the uptown “Walk Thru Time” historic signage project.
Mr. Sunstad received recognition for his volunteer work at the Forest Service Visitor Center, as a KSB Litter Lifter, with the elderly, and other activities.
American veteran John Cornelius (center) was presented in 2012 with a Yavapai County Unsung Hero Award for his fundraising work on behalf of American veterans.
John Cornelius was especially honored for his years of fundraising efforts to help the veterans in the Northern Arizona Health Care System, specifically the Veterans Administration hospital in Prescott. To date, Mr. Cornelius has raised more than $180,000 to help fellow veterans, and hopes to make it over $200,000 this year with help from the public.
The Yavapai Food Neighbors Project builds community support for meeting the needs of the hungry. Its volunteers fill gaps in the emergency food supply, support local sustainable food sources, and reduce hunger. Its green bags collect food donations from residents and make them available to Verde Valley families in need.
Page Springs Cellars was recognized for its 6600-square foot solar array which produces an average 15,000 kilowatt hours per month – about 88 percent of the winery’s overall electric needs. This energy saving plays its part in reducing climate change.
Bell Rock Plaza in Sedona’s Village of Oak Creek removed 16 parking lot lights generating 29,000 lumens and replaced them with eight LED lights. The LED lighting reduced electricity demand and resulted in an 85% total light output reduction, while maintaining safe lighting levels and its impact on local treasured night skies.
The Jewish Community of Sedona and the Verde Valley temple was recognized for its highway sign whose beauty and simplicity fit the spectacular view of its surroundings.
Susan Murrill earned KSB’s 2015 Volunteer of the Year Award for hundreds of hours of work on varied KSB activities. The KSB Norman McGee Award, named after KSB’s 1972 founder, was earned by Joanne Kendrick and Birgit Lowenstein for their prodigious efforts on preservation of dark skies and help in research and drafting the new U.S. Forest Service Management Plan. Only twenty six others have been so honored since 1972.
Keep Sedona Beautiful, Inc. is a nonprofit organization that, by acting through the stewardship of its members and volunteers, is committed to protecting and sustaining the unique scenic beauty and natural environment of the Greater Sedona Area. KSB is the proponent of the Sedona-Verde Valley National Scenic Monument designation.
Read www.SedonaEye.com for daily news and interactive views!
Proof Sedona Times walks the walk & talk? Steve Segner gets kudos here & not edited out, KSB article published & support for national monument noted, plenty of space given to many points of view.
Steve Segner is one of the four candidates selected to be interviewed on March 3rd for the Council vacancy. He stated on his CITY COUNCIL APPLICATION that he’s been a resident of the City of Sedona for 17 years. The work phone he lists is for El Portal, which he and his wife own. His Home PHONE and PHYSICAL ADDRESS in Sedona (on El Portal Lane?), have been blacked out by City Hall.
But, wait a minute. Hasn’t Steve Segner been a resident of Oak Creek Canyon for around the same number of years? Here’s a revealing quote taken from Steve Segner’s recent post on Sedona.Biz under their “Council Approves Parking Meters in Uptown” article:
Steve Segner says
January 16, 2016 at 11:52 am
“Ron, I come to work every day early and I see the same cars parked in the A.M., and see the same cars later in the afternoon. Employees from local hotels are parking in the city owned and rented parking spaces on Jorden rd. And there is one large adventure company up town that picks up and drops off in the loading zones, and where do you think there customers park? and for how long?”
GET THIS. According to the State Statutes, a Council candidate can have only one residence (in combination with an intent to remain).
A.R.S. 16-101. QUALIFICATIONS OF REGISTRANT, DEFINITION.
B. For the purposes of this title, “resident” means an individual who has actual physical presence in this state, or for purposes of a political subdivision [e.g., City of Sedona] actual physical presence in the political subdivision, combined with an intent to remain. A temporary absence does not result in a loss of residence if the individual has an intent to return following his absence. An individual has only one residence for purposes of this title.
Let’s hazard a guess why his address and phone were blacked out? Likely it showed the Oak Creek Canyon address – because he has stated that the rules say he can choose any address and vote and run elsewhere? Is it right to wonder who received those forms and “helped” him “correct” his mistake – after all readers, do YOU walk around with your office supplies that include a black felt tip pen ?
Steve is a nice guy and likely not council material. Some of us have skills and his is best served where he works and what he does now. Thanks to Steve for all that he does, you’re a good guy.
On February 13th, our Yavapai Food Neighbors Project received the Keep Sedona Beautiful 2015 Award of Excellence for Community Service. We are honored to be recognized for our team effort meeting special community needs.
Yavapai Food Neighbors Project is a neighbor-to-neighbor system that makes it easy for people to get involved and donate food throughout the year for those in need. During 2015 the Yavapai Food Neighbors Project distributed
more than a half million meals in Yavapai County. Our 2016 year is off to a great start with more than 23,000 lbs of food collected in February, which equates to just over 54,000 meals.Read the February 2016 collection information.
Learn more about the Yavapai Food Neighbors project and how you might get involved to make 2016 an even better year.
Our sincere thanks to Keep Sedona Beautiful for this award and for this commemorative plaque.