A review of Sedona’s news from 2008 reveals an underlying theme — 2008 was a year for change — as the city, the City Council, the fire district and the school district all saw change in leadership and Sedona’s physical landscape was changed through extensive road construction.
By Alison Ecklund
Larson Newspapers
A review of Sedona’s news from 2008 reveals an underlying theme — 2008 was a year for change — as the city, the City Council, the fire district and the school district all saw change in leadership and Sedona’s physical landscape was changed through extensive road construction.
City of Sedona
On Jan. 4, 2008, the city of Sedona celebrated 20 years of incorporation.
On May 27, new members of City Council were seated — Councilmen Marc Sterling and Cliff Hamilton for four-year terms and Dan Surber won the two-year seat.
Mayor Rob Adams was seated after a run-off election and a recount of votes between he and incumbent Pud Colquitt. On June 5, the recount determined Adams won by four votes.
That didn’t end Colquitt’s role on City Council though. On Sept. 16, council unanimously selected Colquitt to fill the seat vacated by former Councilman Ramon Gomez. Gomez resigned Aug. 4 to move to California.
Lights stole the stage in 2008, when council approved to move forward with roadway lighting along Highway 89A from Airport Road to Dry Creek Road on Aug. 13.
Council agreed to short-term options on June 10, and to install a traffic signal and 10 lights in the Andante Drive area. Council reopened the motion June 24, putting all options back on the table.
The Arizona Department of Transportation is currently conducting the scope of lighting.
Distaste for lighting from one side of the public was shown through protests and on Sept. 29 when Keep Sedona Beautiful’s former President Barbara Litrell filed complaints with the Arizona Attorney General’s Office.
Litrell asked the Attorney General to look into possible Open Meeting Law violations committed by four council
members surrounding their decision for lights.
In November, the accused councilors stated either as a group, or individually, they would seek legal counsel to fight the accusations.
On Dec. 2, the city lost its city manager when Eric Levitt moved to Janesville, Wis., to become its city manager.
Assistant City Manager Alison Zelms took the role of interim city manager until City Council chooses a permanent one.
Despite some Chapel area residents speaking out against sewer in their neighborhood, the city began the $10 million Chapel sewer project in August with Tiffany Construction.
On Jan. 15, the city strengthened an ordinance banning rental of property for less than 30 days that has been in effect since 1995. The 2008 Enforcement Provisions extends the ban to include owning, arranging or advertising the rental.
Foothills Property Management owners, Sue Meyers and Paul Kanter, sought a lawsuit against the city for at least $50,000 in damages after it strengthened the ban on vacation rentals, demanding “a trial by jury.”
Sedona Police Department
On July 31, Sedona Police Department detectives found the Oak Creek Canyon car burglars right where they thought they’d be — Walgreens.
Robert Woods Glover and Jamie Alfonso, both 23 from Flagstaff, ran to the same places to spend other people’s money — Walgreens, Bashas’, Bealls Outlet — after breaking into cars in the canyon throughout June and July.
On July 23, the Arizona Governor’s Office of Highway Safety awarded SPD for its outstanding contribution to decreasing numbers of collisions, injuries and fatalities in Sedona by almost 40 percent from 2004 to 2007.
SPD received a $561,180 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice of Community Oriented Policing Services. The grant money will go toward laptops for the officers and to improve the radio infrastructure.
Sedona Fire District
Former Fire Chief Matt Shobert resigned April 18 to move to Hemet, Calif., where he would become fire chief.
Assistant Chief Bill Boler filled in
as interim chief, but declined to
become permanent chief in August, provoking the board to go out for a nationwide search.
On Nov. 12, the board asked Boler to step down as interim chief and filled the top spot with an interim management team — Boler, Business Director Karen Daines, Assistant Chief Terry Keller and Fire Marshal Will Loesche.
After some public protest, plans to build the district’s sixth station in the Chapel area were put on hold at least until April.
Don Harr and Charles Christensen won the two Governing Board seats up for grabs in the Nov. 4 election.
After threats of a possible recall for claims of not listening to the public and a conflict of interest, former Governing Board Chairwoman Caryn Maxwell resigned Nov. 20. The deadline to apply for the vacated seat is Friday, Jan. 9.
After putting out flames at a foreclosed house on El Camino Drive on Oct. 10, firefighters were called back Oct. 12 to fight a bigger blaze at the same empty home. Fire officials suspect arson and the investigation continues.
An extension cord sparked a fire June 10, destroying a home on Mountain Shadows Road. Homeowners Glenn Scarpelli and Jude Belanger, owners of “Sedona Now,” said everything was lost expect the dog and customers’ hard drives.
A cabin, worth $300,000, at L’Auberge de Sedona was destroyed after it caught on fire twice within 14 hours. The first fire was caused by an overheated heat lamp.
Sedona Oak Creek School District
Months after public criticism began about former Sedona-Oak Creek School District Superintendent Kim Randall, she resigned Feb. 22.
The district selected Blue Ridge School District Superintendent Mike Aylstock on May 20 to replace her.
SOCSD didn’t have to hold an election this November to fill school board seats. With three seats open, only three people ran.
SOCSD President Bobbie Surber ran again to fill her expired seat and board member John Wesnitzer did the same.
Tommy Stovall ran to fill Ben Miller’s expired term. Stovall joined the board shortly after Miller resigned in June to move to Anthem.
SOCSD began its $73 million bond construction. The district’s oldest school, West Sedona School will receive the bulk of the work, while Sedona Red Rock High School’s construction will be the most costly.
The district approved design for the Performing Arts Center at SRRHS for $10.5 million. Work is set to begin April 2009 and to be completed by June 2010.
For the sixth year in a row, Big Park Community School received the “excelling” label from the Arizona Department of Education. Sedona Red Rock High School shared in Big Park’s success, receiving the highest label for the second year in a row.
Crimes
A drawn-out, controversial trial of Dibor Roberts ended May 16 when she was found guilty of two felonies committed almost a year earlier.
The Cornville nursing student was charged with attempting to elude police and resisting arrest after an officer stopped her on Beaverhead Flat Road on July 29.
Justin Lake, 19, of Mesa, died in a shootout with Yavapai County Sheriff’s officers April 27, after leading Arizona Department of Public Safety officers on a chase that started in Sedona and ended in Camp Verde.
Lake shot at two officers who returned fire, killing him. An autopsy revealed he was Tasered and pepper sprayed and shot twice.
Cesar Soto Garcia, 26, of the Village of Oak Creek, was charged with the murder of his 3-month-old son after the infant died in a Phoenix hospital in February.
Soto Garcia was arrested for first and second degree murder and two counts of child abuse after Yavapai County Sheriff’s officers found the infant unconscious and unable to breath at the Village residence Jan. 23.
Doug West, 57, of the Village of Oak Creek, was arrested after Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office raided his barn during a homecoming party around 2:30 a.m. Oct. 11.
West, an active and generous booster of Sedona Red Rock High School’s football team, was arrested on 12 counts of furnishing alcohol to minors and one count of contributing to the delinquincy of minors.
SRRHS’s former quarterback Danny Wyatt, 19, was arrested for underage drinking.
Cliff Ochser, owner of Evening Sky Tours, was charged with harassment by the Sedona City Attorney’s Office. The charge came after a two-month investigation into an anonymous threat letter mailed to mayoral candidate Matthew Turner.
The letter, which had Ochser’s thumbprint on it, threatened Turner with public humiliation if he didn’t drop out of the mayoral race.
The trial is set for Jan. 29.
Cocaine was the drug of choice in Sedona in 2008.
With 19 arrests for cocaine, undercover agents confiscated 9.3 ounces of the narcotic. Marijuana was the second most popular drug, with 18 arrests that brought in 2.8 pounds.
Road Construction
A $39 million road project moved along a 9-mile stretch of Highway 179 between the Village of Oak Creek and the ‘Y’ intersection of Highway 89A.
Phase I in the Village of Oak Creek finished in 2008 and the entire 179 corridor is set to be complete by the end of 2009.
Eleven roundabouts are being installed along with a new vehicle bridge and pedestrian bridge over Oak Creek.
The Special Improvement District, Red Rock Road Enhancement Maintenance District, was unanimously approved by Yavapai County Supervisors on May 29, allowing for enhancements along Highway 179.
County supervisors gave the go-ahead for $956,336 worth of enhancements to be installed with federal and state grant monies.
RRREMD is responsible for maintaining the roadside enhancements, which should be installed by summer 2009.
Plane Crash Update
The pilot of the Saratoga Turbo that crashed at the top of Schnebly Hill Road on Nov. 13, died Dec. 28, after six weeks in the Maricopa Medical Center, a Texas TV news station, KFDM, reported.
Rocky Herring, 51, of Orange, Texas, died shortly after doctors removed his breathing tube, the report stated.
Herring’s brother and one cousin died when the plane went down around 4:45 p.m. after taking off from the Sedona Airport.
BySynergy
BySynergy, developer of Bella Terra on Oak Creek, fought off two possible auctions this summer and is now attempting the same with a looming foreclosure.
If it can avoid foreclosure, being pushed by its biggest single creditor, M&I Bank, BySynergy holds land sale contracts that would generate $6 million to pay down its debts.
BySynergy, owned by Mike and Elizabeth Zito, owes more than $19 million to creditors, roughly $5 million of that to Sedona residents and businesses.
Foreclosure would take away the only asset BySynergy has — 54 acres off Upper Red Rock Loop Road — the planned location for Bella Terra.
County
The possibility of lay-offs for Yavapai County employees was announced Oct. 6 by County Administrator Julie Ayers.
Ayers painted a grim picture of the county’s income and warned if the economic crisis continues there will be a $5.9 million shortfall in the budget.
On Nov. 17, Ayers told the Yavapai County Board of Supervisors that decreasing revenues and increasing expenses will put the board on track for a major budget shortfall if current operating costs are maintained.
Clarkdale saw the installation of a $10 million project, which widened Highway 89A from the cement plant entrance road to Black Hills Drive from two to four lanes and included five roundabouts.
