Sedona.Biz – The Voice of Sedona and The Verde ValleySedona.Biz – The Voice of Sedona and The Verde Valley
    Sedona.Biz – The Voice of Sedona and The Verde Valley Sedona.Biz – The Voice of Sedona and The Verde Valley
    • Home
    • Sedona News
    • Business Profiles
    • Opinion
    • Mind & Body
    • Arts
    • Elections
    • Gift Shop
    • Contact
    • Advertise
    Sedona.Biz – The Voice of Sedona and The Verde ValleySedona.Biz – The Voice of Sedona and The Verde Valley
    Home » Highways Define Communities
    Arizona

    Highways Define Communities

    May 16, 20112 Comments
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Email Reddit WhatsApp
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email Reddit WhatsApp

    Healing Paws

    It’s De Déjà Vu All Over Again


    Sedona, AZ (May 16, 2011) – In a startling revelation by one Sedona City Councilor, a slip of the tongue has ignited what the community thought was a democratic solution to the SR (State Route) 89a continuous roadway lighting issue.

    In early March, 2011, a number of signature gatherers for Let The People Vote on 89a, canvassed the town pitching voters on the value of the democratic process of Referendum for voting up or down on an issue. Now, in a bombshell revelation at a public meeting, the truth be told: nope, the underlying motivation was not to get the issue of highway ownership and continuous roadway lighting in front of the populace for the final determination but rather to blow up the agreement the City entered into with ADOT (Arizona Department of Transportation) to turn back ownership of SR 89a in West Sedona. ADOT, most likely unwittingly, provided the firing pin to the bomb. As they stated publicly ), they’ve had enough of Sedona shenanigans regarding the continuous roadway lighting on SR 89a. ADOT most likely is saying: Swing in the wind, Sedona, we’ll keep our money and you’re getting lights, and when we’ve had our way, you’re going to own the highway anyway. And, they have every right to feel as they do.

    Flash back 10 years to SR 179: same scenario, different road. This time it will be different. For those new to Sedona, SR 179 didn’t just happen. For the 10 years prior to rebuilding SR 179, the community and ADOT were embroiled in a tug of war about what kind of highway would be built. ADOT wanted to build a 4 lane expressway from the Forest Service Visitor Center to the Y in Sedona. Many Sedonans wanted a more leisurely 2 lane highway winding sinuously through the red rocks. The 2 Laners versus the 4 laners. And it got ugly. The solution? A series of community meetings (google Charrettes) where the entire community was invited to come together and design the highway. Cookies and milk were served. The result? An award winning highway. Some liked the roundabouts, some didn’t. ADOT said you’re getting traffic control, which do you want? We were given a choice: stoplights or roundabouts. Sedona made the decision. When the highway was finished we asked those displeased people: did you attend any charrettes ? If you didn’t participate, your vote didn’t get counted. But Sedona had a choice and she voted. Fast forward to today…

    A group calling itself “Let the People Vote on 89a”, many of whom are former four laners, filed a Referendum calling for the question: who wants Sedona to own SR 89a, accept the $15 million from ADOT and design her own highway or who wants ADOT to keep the highway and its $15 million, and install the continuous roadway lighting? Once again we have the community- gets-to-decide a la SR 179. Only one giant wrinkle in the democratic process this time: ADOT has withdrawn its proposal so, in effect, the decision has been made for Sedona. The four laners win, this time without a vote.

    Sedona Gift Shop

    We have an unprecedented case facing the voters : they have expressed their constitutional Will and Right to Vote, and ADOT, by their decision to not allow time enough for the vote before the agreement dies, have denied the citizens their right to have their votes mean anything. An election on a referendum that has no meaning or effect is a waste of time and a waste of money. What makes most sense is to allow time for the citizens of Sedona to vote.

    At the May 10 meeting the Sedona City Council voted to publicly ask ADOT to postpone its decision to let the agreement expire. Allowing the agreement to expire would effectively disenfranchise the Sedona citizens of their right to vote on this monumental issue. The firing pin for the next bomb could be removed by waiting. “Highways define communities” said eminent highway engineer Walter Kulash during the SR 179 debate. Asking ADOT to wait a short 6 months is not an unreasonable request to allow Sedona to vote, once and for all, how the highway will define the future of Sedona.

     

    2 Comments

    1. P. Revere on May 16, 2011 7:22 pm

      Great title that says it all. Nothing is new here and as long as certain people retain political power and pose a financial stranglehold on subsidized funds, nothing will ever be new.

      It is almost impossible to ponder the amount of time and resources that can be wasted by our elected officials who continually try to hijack any reasonable process by allowing tangential fantasy of “shadow government,” or “will of the people,” or “unintended circumstances” regarding any important issue to distract the voter long enough so that we hardly notice we’ve been had, yet again.

    2. Betty Jane Haddock on May 21, 2011 12:31 pm

      We voted [sedona] a year ago to take back 89A..we are in a contract with ADOT to do so. We should honor that contract….It is a good one. The council voted for a take back and negotiated a good contract with ADOT . I hope both parties honor this contract as it is a very good one. The referendum makes no sense…we had an election to put the council members in…that favored the take back. Why all this other senseless referendum is not right!!!!! What was our vote for ? only to be overturned by some persons who lost the election? I can’t believe what is taking place!!!!!lizeden@esedona.net


    Analyzing City’s Legal Right to
    Ban OHVs on Public Roads

    By Tommy Acosta
    Mea Culpa! Mea Culpa! Mea Maxima Culpa! I screwed up. Blew it. Totally made a fool of myself. Missed the boat. I am talking about my editorial on the OHV fight, No Legal Traction on OHVs. I assumed that it was ADOT that would make a decision on whether the city could legally ban off road vehicles from our public roads like S.R. 89A and S.R. 179. Man was I off. ADOT has nothing to do with allowing or disallowing the city to do so. ADOT’s response to me when I asked them to clarify their position, was curt and to the point. “ADOT designs, builds and maintains the state highway system,” I was told. “It is not our place to offer an opinion on how state law might apply in this matter.” It was a totally “duh” moment for me when I realized that that the decision or judgement on the OHV ordinance, would involve the state and not ADOT. Chagrinned I stand. The crux of the matter then is whether the city can effectively use a number of standing state laws that can be interpreted to determine whether the city can legally ban the vehicles or not. Read more→
    Recent Comments
    • JB on Mayor & Council Deserve Kudos For Chamber Oversight
    • Richard Kepple on Analyzing City’s Legal Right to Ban OHVs on Public Roads
    • Mary on Analyzing City’s Legal Right to Ban OHVs on Public Roads
    • JB on DORR Hosts Talk on Gun Violence Prevention
    • Sheila Jackman on Remembering Sedona Sculptor John Soderberg: A Tribute to a Creative Genius
    Categories
    © 2023 All rights reserved. Sedona.biz.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.