By Mike Schroeder
Sedona, AZ — Well, here we go again. It is like the never-ending story. And this once again centers around the holy third rail of Sedona City Government, Home Rule. Because without Home Rule, staff and council would actually have to use their heads to protect assets and help the community, instead of their egos and cover up their incompetence.
This so called “state of the art facility”, a building that would do Scottsdale proud, is proposed to be located by the Sewer Plant on 89A. Yes, you heard me right. Normally, maintenance buildings are metal construction, and can easily last 50 plus years if properly maintained. I built 3 metal builds, some with 2nd story offices and a call center (always cheaper to go up – someone should enlighten the city “engineer” writing the specifications). The one below is 41 years old, 10,000 square feet, 24ft clear, photo taken May 2026. Looks pretty much like the day I built it. I also gutted and renovated a 140,000 square ft. chip manufacturing plant, (had a level 2 environmental cleanup) which became the home office to my 10 warehouse distribution locations and a 50 seat call center. My airport hangar, built in 1994 in Sedona, looks pretty much as it did when we built it.
Why do I mention this? It is obvious from this proposed monstrosity from the City of Sedona, that I have forgotten more about building service facilities than these people have ever done. Not to mention, my aircraft maintenance facility in Lake Havasu (a rather hot place in the simmer) which can fit 4 King Air turboprops and a couple small planes in one hanger for maintenance and service. And NOTHING like the fancy and ridiculous facilities you will see below.
This “Taj Ma Garage” is not a maintenance facility, it is a monument to someone’s ego thanks to unlimited Home Rule Funds. OR…Maybe we will hear that this facility going to be paid by “a grant”. Like wasting taxpayer money is OK if it comes from somewhere else. Who pays after the “Grant”, if that is the case? This Boondoggle, for busses we should NOT EVEN OWN, has personnel stations and offices for 26 people, NOT INCLUDING MECHANICS! You do know we have great tourist transportation companies here in Sedona that would be happy to contract to run our trailhead busses – but ego got in the way, so they were never given the chance. City loves to ignore our local businesses.
I learned that lesson a long time ago. You do what you do best, and if you do not do it, and need it, you CONTRACT it, so if it does not work, you terminate the contract. You do not create a monster in and area that you are not the expert on. Common Sense – 101. I had trucks for about 6 months to deliver goods to dealers and warehouses – that was an expensive lesson. We are NOT Phoenix with fleets of city busses. And even big city’s subcontract services.
The city does not know how to issue a contract and keeps using the same staff and contractors. Forest Road Extension, Council Approved estimate, $2.772 million, cost, $18.2 million, 650% over. Eminent domain settlements, terrain (gee they built it on the side of a mountain), and STILL have an outstanding lawsuit pending.
Uptown Garage, Council approved $17,5 million, final cost…maybe, $26 Million. Net REDUCTION of Uptown parking spots. Oh, they didn’t mention that?
Uptown, added roundabouts, median, fencing in the center, $2.8 Million. Ruined northbound traffic flow OUT of SEDONA.
City is securing $5.4 million for a Brewer/Ranger road roundabout wiping out the businesses in that area… because they say they care about the locals? Right.
$914,278 in Upton to create a “zipper lane” that does not work and backs up traffic on SR179.
A council and staff with TOO much money, little talent and forethought, and bad engineering advice from staff and contractors.
The projected cost of the Taj Ma Garage is $36 MILLION, with 3 bays, 6 vehicles.
THAT’S 12 MILLION DOLLARS A BAY. Freightliner in Avondale, west Phoenix, heavy truck repair does not have a facility like this. Yes – I use them, so I am familiar with their operation and facility.
Do you remember what I just said above? I just listed 5 items that were either GROSSLY mismanaged, contracts that were so open-ended that the contractors made out like bandits or did not get the results intended. (HINT UPTOWN – Get rid of the fancy plants and laser cut fence (you already have a lawsuit on that one), give us our two lanes out of town back and relive the pressure on the Y that backs up 179N way past Tlaquepaque – oh, and would allow the EMER vehicles to go northbound on 179 from station 6. Waiting for that lawsuit. Hope the city insurance premiums are paid up.
Maybe clean up the Forest road STOP sign issue?
This Taj Ma Garage projected cost is $36 million. Wonder what the real cost is. You know, maybe these low-ball numbers from the city are intentional. Telling you Forest Road is $2.77, you say “not bad”, then comes in at $18.2, or a garage at $11million, now $26 million. “Gee, we are sorry we screwed up, but we are in so deep we have to finish it”. Or, we “Built in” change orders. Has anyone reading this ever issued a construction or a performance contract? I have, and if written properly, if under preformed, you pay LESS not MORE. Try negotiating a space craft build for $445 million or a rocket launch for $75 million just to name a few.
How much confidence over zero do you have in existing council or staff to pull this off? And why would you want it at all. Just look at the Shelby road Apt project, they just wiped out additional parking ,so only 1 car space per unit.
SOME NUTS AN BOLTS – AND HARD QUESTIONS
(
THESE QUESTIONS WERE ASKED OF THE CITY…
- Why is there a gas station at the bus barn? Pink Jeep has over a 100 vehicles and doesn’t see the need for a gas station, we have half a dozen… Aside from just cost, there’s all sorts of environmental issues and other problems, would you consider removing that. NO, WE NEED IT!
- Would you consider having less bays because it’s a bit much for our size. NO WE NEED IT, EVERYONE WANTS TO FIX THEIR VEHICLES WITH US! (uh, maybe not)
- Would you consider doing the garage at a more basic level that just satisfies fundamental needs like a covered parking area and perhaps one repair bay. NO!
- There was zero flexibility on anything, it was Taj Ma Garage or nothing.
The biggest frustration was how inflexible the city was, but is anyone really surprised? IF this is indeed GRANT MONEY, that does not mean continued grant money coming in to run this monstrosity. But then, that’s another council’s problem, right?
This isn’t a “maintenance facility – it’s a resort
Please “zoom in” on this diagram, look at the detail. If you can’t zoom in here, go to the website below.
This is NOT a facility; this is a monument to STAFF and an irresponsible Council – and if it is GRANT money – it is NOT well Spent. AND, if something happens, who shoulders the liability. Sedona has NEVER won a lawsuit.
- Why are we getting so little maintenance capability for the money?
- Why do you need a fitness facility?
- Why do we need two break rooms?
- Why is there a shared restroom with only one shower? (Insane)
- Why is there a gas station? Wouldn’t that take money away from local businesses? What happened to the EV strategy?
- What is a “Huddle Room” and why do we need 3 of them?
- Why is there a CONFERENCE ROOM and a TRAINING ROOM, and storage for each?
- Why is there a BREAK/LUNCH ROOM and a DAY/LUNCH ROOM?
- Why is there a TIRE SHOP when we have several tire shops in SEDONA?
- Why is Sedona competing against local businesses?
- Why is there a QUIET ROOM – is the a DAY SPA?
- What is a “Wellness Room”?
- A DATA COM ROOM, an IT SHOP/STORAGE ROOM, FACILITY MAINTENANCE office?
- Fleet and Maintenance Manager Office?
- Facility Manager Office?
- Compliance Service Supervisor Office?
- Transportation Supervisor Office?
- HR Manager? Don’t we have one of those in Sedona, or does this person actually work 5 days a week instead of 4? (that’s another letter to the editor)
- Compliance Officer Office?
- Admin Director Office?
- Operations Manager Office?
- 8 OPEN OFFICE Workstations for Administration?
- 8 OPEN OFFICE Workstations for Operations?
- What is a DISPATCH Suite? – with DISPATCH Storage and LOST AND FOUND?
All these people, and you have not turned 1 wrench to work on 1 vehicle for a system we should NOT even have.
You want to build something at the Dells, across the street from the Sewer plant? Put in an affordable housing project, LET someone build it that knows what they are doing and lease them the property for $100 bucks a year on a 100-year lease.
If you vote NO on Home Rule, you put the brakes on nonsense like this, and the cost overruns and the waste. That does not mean you have to stop capital projects, but it means that you can’t run this city with the exiting council and many of the staff. And that is obvious.
You get to make that choice NOW and on the 21st.
If you want a LOT more back up detail on this post, downloadable facts, numbers and figures, go to:
You will also find the candidates, their videos, their websites and their vision to turn the city around and create a responsible government that actually cares about the CITIZENS and not themselves and the monuments that are being built that serve little purpose but to feed egos.