Creek Walks and Politics

Sedona, AZ  March 12, 2012   “Little brooks make great rivers”, says the fortune cookie proverb.  The only thing is the wisdom contained in this little nugget was 20 years too late.

Living in my waterfront condo in 1987, water lapping under the boardwalk outside my window, I said to myself: “I’ll never move from the ocean”. Having spent my entire life along California’s coastal communities, the thought of the Arizona desert being my home never crossed my mind. Then I came to Sedona. From the moment I took my first breath looking across the runaway at Cathedral Rock, my life was never the same. They call it Red Rock Fever. I got it, and never looked back. But what was I to do about the ocean? Again, on the very day I got the fever, I saw Oak Creek. My dilemma was solved.

Fast forward 5 years to winter 1993. I bought my house on the creek. I could see it, I could smell it, and I could hear it. Paradise found. Then, on the night of February 20, 1993, I was awakened by a thumping on my front window. I walked to the front room and saw water coming in under the door. Quickly, I ran to get a mop and some towels to stop the watery intruders.  The moment I laid the towels down, there was one loud thump. Water flowed in through the broken window and in barely a heartbeat, the entire house filled with water. That little brook became a great river.

At first light I ventured into the yard. It looked like I was on another planet. Nothing was the same. Where there were trees, there were none. Where there were flower beds, the ground was scoured two feet deep. Where there was once a stone fence, it was broken and scattered in the yard. The hot tub managed to wedge itself between two trees. Sycamore Cove Mobile Park was my upstream neighbor. Sections of mobile home littered the landscape. Contents from the park were everywhere. Clothes, refrigerators, a toy train collection, steel beams from wrecked mobile homes wrapped around trees. And my neighbors walked around like zombies, searching for something, anything, they might recover from their previous lives the day before.

All this flashed through my mind recently as I attended one of the Sedona City Council election forums. One by one the candidates gave their promises to the citizenry. “I’ll take better care of the infrastructure” said one. I’ll give more money to the chamber so we can build tourism” said another.   “What about building a creek walk so tourists can enjoy the creek?” Moderator John Conway asked.  One by one, all 5 candidates chimed in. “I brought it to the council twice, and both times it was voted down”, said Mayor Adams sourly.

Of the five candidates there that night, only one, John Miller, lived in Sedona when the February 21, 1993 flood washed through Sedona. Miller told the crowd he was asked years later by the city to provide a report about the feasibility of creating a creek walk. After that report, the council voted the idea of a creek walk down. Good vote. John Martinez cautioned against building in the flood zone. Since then, the creek walk idea has been presented to the council and been debated among the citizenry.  With the average residency in Sedona hovering at 4 years, there have been 4 generations of residents come and go since the idea was first floated. Each time the idea washed down the creek like flood waters and forgotten.

In this writer’s 25 years here we have seen four 500 year flood events. Little brooks make great rivers says the fortune cookie proverb. And true it is.

Everyone loves a walk along a brook, just like everyone loves a puppy. The joys of both are sometimes short lived. Not wanting to throw water on someone else’s ideas, I did some digging and found some interesting issues.

If you build it, they will come… until it washes away. High waters tend to scour and uplift anything in it path. Huge multi-ton boulders roll down the river bed at storm levels and crush whatever they roll over. Oak Creek has changed its channel numerous times. What is today creek frontage could be a quarter mile away when the water resides. Look at the creek behind Center for the New Age. There was once a nice beach there.

Liability is always a concern. Who would walk along the creek at flood levels? Same people who walk across Highway 89a in the dark. The costs of insurance could be higher than the flood water themselves.

The Coconino Flood control District has strict rules about building anything in the flood zone less than 3 feet below the established flood zone boundary.  And nothing is allowed to be built in the floodway. The path could be hundreds of feet away from the creek.

If it’s public, it must meet all ADA requirements. Disabled individuals like creek walks, too. Hand rails, wheel chair accessibility and parking are a few considerations.

The Army Corps of Engineers has issues with construction in waterways: “CWA Section 404 establishes a program to regulate the discharge of dredged and fill material into waters of the United States, including wetlands.”

The costs associated with construction could be enormous, even if permits could be acquired. The costs of a simple park like Barbara’s Park have risen exponentially.

And, lastly, whose land shall we use for public enjoyment? L’Auberge has creek side dining  for their guests. Arroyo Roble has time shares on the beach? Which brings us to The Preserve on Oak Creek. Now in bank ownership, this is the last undeveloped creek front property in the uptown business district in Sedona. Development of this property could be conditioned with an easement for a city park. It is a beautiful property and also very expensive. Could the city purchase the property? That’s a decision for the community to make. Anyone want to buy a highway in West Sedona?

There is the possibility for small pocket parks with creek access, however the same challenges still remain.

While the idea of a beautiful creek walk in all its glory is inviting and seemingly heavenly sent, a careful examination of the realities should be investigated before making campaign promises. But wait, we have already investigated the idea. What do you say to uninformed campaign rhetoric? Believe what the fortune cookie says: Little Brooks Make Great Rivers. And what have we learned from history? We never seem to learn from history, and history repeats itself.

Give us your solution to the creek walk challenge. We welcome your comments.