July 16 2010 Update: Read Mayor Rob Adams response to Jerry Reynolds comment below! The City Council met this week and asked for more research to be presented by Staff along with an engineering consultant’s input at the August 10 Council meeting. Look for Eddie Maddock’s story about the Turnback issue in our Weekend Edition. Want to read other articles about the Turnback? Use the Home Page Search field and enter “Turnback.” Do you have a comment? Let us hear from you. (sedonaeye.com Editor)From: Liz Smith <savesedonanow@gmail.com>Date: July 12, 2010 6:53:45 AM MSTSubject: Will the City of Sedona Take Back HWY. 89-A from ADOT?The Sedona City Council is Considering a Turnback of Hwy 89A(Sedona would take ownership and liability for all of Hwy. 89-A)
What Does That Mean?
SEDONA WINEFEST – 2010
Al Comello/Shondra Jepperson/Sandy Moriarty
Sedona Fair, Inc. • www.sedonafair.com
September 25-26, 2010
928-862-0210
Liz:
May I ask where you got the numbers you used in your post? In fact, if the City were to take over SR89A from the West end of Uptown to say, the City limit near Lower Red Rock Loop Road, ADOT would have to give the City a “dowry” representing what ADOT would not have to spend over a certain (negotiable) length of time as well as other funds (somewhat mysterious). If Sedona is to have a say about how this road is developed, it must own it!
Whoa! Why is the City of Sedona looking at information received from other communities that have completed route transfers when City Hall has its very own turnback track record which trumps anything that has been done elsewhere?
Two blocks of Hwy 89A through Uptown Sedona were turned back around five years ago. ADOT paid the City approximately $1.7 million, while the Uptown Enhancement Project that ensued cost the City $3.6 million.
Besides the financial catastrophe, this project made traffic jams in Uptown Sedona more frequent and last longer. In addition, on busy weekends, traffic backs up past Midgely Bridge several miles into Oak Creek Canyon now.
Before the turnback, drivers could pull out of 89A traffic to wait for a space to park in, and drivers who were parked had room to back up without blocking thru-trffic. But ever since the ADOT turnback/Uptown Enhancement Project, drivers who wait for a car to back out of a space — as well as drivers exiting spaces — must do so impeding Hwy 89A incoming and outgoing traffic. Why? Because sidewalks were made wider and the road made narrower.
Also, before the enhancement project, southbound drivers turning right where Jordan Road dead-ends had an extra lane that allowed them to merge in with Hwy 89A traffic. Now that extra lane is a part of the new sidewalk.
Should a wildfire sweep through the Uptown area, workers, residents and tourists evacuating via Jordan Road will be in more trouble than ever before. I do not believe the City of Sedona can successfully claim it would not be liable should a devastating wildfire happen and a class-action lawsuit result.
When you list the members of the City Council on this issue of Sedona Times, you forgot the most get-it-done person on the council! He’s the Vice-Mayor, Cliff Hamilton!!! Please add his name!
ST.com Editor’s Note: Thank you for pointing out that the author of the above email omitted Vice Mayor Hamilton as a point of contact. Vice Mayor Hamilton’s email address is: chamilton@sedonaaz.gov
Cliff Hamilton is the main guy pushing this idea.
A 27 year citizen’s response to the city council……..
You have got to be kidding!
First you open the can of worms by crying to the Arizona Dept of
Transportation that over a period of 30 years a couple of drunks were
hit while crossing Hwy 89 A in the middle of the night and they should
do something to mitigate the danger.
Then ADOT, fearful of a lawsuit, responds with a plan for over 70
streetlights. However, if we want them to be painted our ‘color of
choice’ we’ll have to pay $1,000,000.00 for them to paint them….and
you are considering this?
Then ADOT says if we don’t like their solution we can have ADOT turn
over the responsibility for the liability, maintenance and care of the
Hwy…and you are considering this?
Are you the same people who argued against ADOT’s original plan for a
four lane divided highway for Hwy 179, the result of which resulted in a
two lane $100,000,000.00 bike path? The bottleneck that existed before
the new highway will still exist after it is completed. After all, your
are trying to get the whole world to visit Sedona down our Hwy 179 and
into what we fondly refer to as ‘Uptown’…a place local residents never
go anymore. (No place to park)
Are you the same people who promised to sewer the entire city of Sedona
if we would just vote for incorporation…then proceeded to approve the
hook-up of hundreds of time-shares and new commercial (without adequate
parking) using up the capacity of the treatment plant thus abandoning
the citizens of Sedona who still have no sewer service…and you are now
going to charge property owners of vacant lots or homeowners who have no
sewer line in their streets a monthly sewer service fee?
Are you the brilliant minds who approved the redevelopment of the old
Shugru’s property at Rodeo and 89A without requiring the developer to
widen Rodeo, resulting in the bottleneck which will be with us forever?
Are you the people who redeveloped uptown ‘twice’ and still have
inadequate parking for the zillions of tourists you are trying to
attract to our little community, but haven’t the foresight to provide
them a place to park? “Visibility, access and parking”- the cardinal
rule of retail has been completely ignored by our wise planning
commission and city council and apparently the ‘chamber of commerce’,
funded by the city, doesn’t seem to possess the business savy to demand
the commission abide by these vital rules for success.
Are you the same people who paid $4,500.000.00 for the city hall
building?
The list of bungled management of the city’s business is endless.
Long ago I remember someone saying in the newspaper that Sedona had some
very brilliant people living here…Where are they????
The worst example of incompetence is that of the citizens who voted for
incorporation of our sleepy, happy little town of under 4000 back in
1989. The people were promised so many things including a complete
city-wide sewer system. Who were these people who steered the move for
incorporation? What in the world was their motivation? Why are the
residents needs ignored in favor of the almighty tourist? The ‘business’
of Sedona used to be “a great place to live away from the hubbub of city
life.” Been out on 89A lately? Those of you who have lived here for 20
plus years…have you seen a positive improvement in your quality of
life as a result of incorporation? Remember the Flicker Shack? Curious
minds want to know where we are going………and why?
All is not well in Paradise.
Jerry,
Your entire message is speculative and inaccurate.
We are simply considering a turnback and trying to get educated on the
ramifications. If we don’t do the research, we can’t make educated
decisions. The negotiations do not obligate us in any way. We have 6
months to do our homework. We also need to come up with a preliminary
design of alternative pedestrian safety measures. If the costs,
liabilities, and other impacts to our community do not make sense when
we have all of the data, we will not go down that path.
Rob
There are many of us in private conversations who wonder the following:
1) Does anyone out there get it yet that tourists supporting an economy is a smoke ring of the past?
The economy is not going to recover for many years. The proposed lights are excessive and, in this new economy, ADOT employees are desperate to justify its budget, or face being adjusted by manpower and costs according to need. Yes, Arizona and Sedona, what is the same in other states, is the same or worse in yours. We in Illinois suggest going to the top, the Governor, and using your “we drive a percentage of the state’s economy and we want this albatross of ADOT lights off our backs.” Guaranteed outcome. Lots of road contractors might be unhappy but your Governor is facing a tough re-election. Use your get out of jail card now, not later.
Take back the road. Sedona has an aging population, in a little town which is best enjoyed during the day for its scenic beauty and for its dark skies at night.
Six ADOT employees, two with senior pay grades, at one Sedona city council meeting was an outlandish show of government ineptness and bureaucracy, out of touch with its state economy. Chicago city meetings with the transportation and budget decision-makers–maybe two employees max. We are in a budget crunch in Illinois. How about you in Arizona?
2) To increase quality and competition, a Sedona ordinance should be passed that Sedona is a “Buy Local America” city to increase the quality of Sedona store merchandise (dismal on many levels), which will promote local artists and craftspeople who are desperately trying to eak out a living in a depression-driven city and state. It will raise the cache of goods and services offered in Sedona and vicinity.
Let the number of businesses adjust to reflect the true market.
Several Sedona shops are known as “Chinatown” by employees and locals. Tourists are quickly disillusioned and it reflects on the overall Sedona shopping experience.
Chambers of Commerce are out of touch within padded Spin Rooms, organizations that are fast becoming dinosaurs. China has mass commerce, America has mass service industries.
This city council has its work to do. The first work should be to understand there will be no revenue streams. Sedona and Arizona moneypockets are stitched to the same pair of pants.
Ask ADOT for records of what was expended in the past ten years on the section of roadway being considered for the turnback (caution: watch for inflated costs and speculation/tools of the government’s program justification brigade).
What ever the cost was, it will remain about the same.
The depression will continue to keep tourists at home elsewhere, businesses folding, and less cars on our roads for another decade per the CBO report.
When did everyone forget that you live in Arizona, one of the worst economic disasters of the 50 states? That you are surrounded within driving distance by Worse and Even Worse? For goodness sakes, it’s 5 PM and time to head home for the night. It’s going to be dark soon. And that is a good deal for Sedona.
guess people can talk up around here
Response to Harold Carmean III, Hickory Hills, Illinois:
Excellent observations obviously based on knowledge of government bureaucracy and yes some of us (including new Council members) realize that the overall US economy will not recover for at least five years and maybe longer and most importantly, people’s buying habits have changed drastically due to the “recession” and the Internet.
Some of us have suggested that our local economic paradigm needs to reflect these national changes and focus on the reasons people choose to visit and hike, or bird watch, or paint in our natural settings – the sooner, the better.
Notice how Rob’s reply to my rant concentrated on their ‘study’ and avoided the
many other points of past boo-boos. He has no idea of the history of the town he wants to govern, nor of the real problems which need solving. Slow down folks…think about the consequences of your actions…or lack thereof.
Rob,
By the way. What parts of my rant are “speculative and inaccurate?
During the last election, there were two separate slates of candidates with divergent views of Sedona and it’s future. We elected, by a commanding margin, a slate of people including the mayor who care about ALL residents of Sedona not just the business community. I have confidence they will make the right decision(s) moving forward.
This preliminary decision to conduct a study is the correct course of action. I am confident that the council will take into consideration the will of the people and exercise the foresight to learn from the challenges we faced in the past (especially the recent construction of the 179).
We need a group of people governing this city who are looking at the FUTURE needs of the community. I live right off the 89A and 90% of my business is conducted from Soldiers Pass to Dry Creek.
I have all the confidence in the world that our council will do what is best for all of Sedona and not just the special interests. This is exactly why we elected these people.