PRESCOTT - The question on the table is whether a new full-service Yavapai County Sheriff's Office substation is an appropriate use for office space at the Old Stage Stop store.
Sheriff Steve Waugh met with local residents Tuesday evening at the Central Yavapai Fire District station on Outer Loop Road to talk about his plans.
Waugh was fulfilling a requirement of the county's zoning ordinance.
The history of the store is a rocky one. The Yavapai County Planning and Zoning Commission and the Board of Supervisors approved the conditional zoning map change in January 2005. Neighbors opposed the idea of commercial business in the area, but reluctantly stopped fighting when the developer, John Hunt and Old Stage Properties LLC, agreed to include a community meeting room in the building.
The issue of a meeting room came under fire in 2007 with a request to change zoning to allow for business offices, banks and similar uses. At that time, residents learned that the 2005 stipulations did not include a community meeting room.
When a realty office opened at the site in January 2007, residents filed a complaint with the county. This past August, the Board of Supervisors refused to amend the conditional zoning map change and the realty office moved out of the building.
Waugh said before he presents the idea to the planning and zoning commission and the Board of Supervisors, he wants to know he has community support.
"If the citizens don't want the substation located here, we will look elsewhere," the sheriff said.
Waugh said the main reason for the substation is to reduce response time in the northwest area of the county.
The sheriff explained that full-service does not mean 24-hour service. He said one civilian employee would work normal working hours Monday through Friday. The substation would provide walk-in services, including the ability for deputies to complete reports, take statements and conduct interviews.
Local residents, Waugh said, could talk to deputies, get copies of reports, be fingerprinted, get dog licenses, turn in property and file complaints.
Waugh said he chose the location after searching for property for three years. He said it meets certain requirements, including fiber optic cable and easy access to Highway 89.
The sheriff anticipates a rental period of three to five years, at a cost of $2,000 a month.
When residents complained about losing the meeting room, Waugh said the room would remain available to the community.
"Another issue is that a number of folks didn't want the county to subsidize (property owner John Hunt). The community will have weigh that against quicker response time," Waugh said. "We are not here to force this on anyone."
While the majority of people supported the substation, several residents though it would be more cost-effective to construct a new substation or expand the small office the sheriff's office currently uses at the fire station.
Waugh said he would look at the cost of those options.
"It is obvious that Sheriff Waugh has turned over every rock," Mark Meredith said. "Even if the sheriff's office co-locates at the fire station, based on the square footage it would cost between $300,000 and $400,000. If you do the math, renting the space would cost less than $100,000 for a five-year period. The dislike of the Hunts is no reason not to put in a substation."
Hunt declined to comment, except to say, "Sheriff Waugh talked to us. We did not seek him out."
The sheriff said he would post the answers to questions about comparative costs, and the number and type of calls for service, on the department's web page.
The sheriff asked those attending Tuesday's meeting to vote yes or no with regard to locating the substation at the store at www.ycsoaz.gov.
Reader Comments
Posted: Thursday, March 20, 2008
Article comment by:
Mike Williams
I know of no one that dislikes the Hunts. They continue a great tradition of hard working families. Provide a great service to the people of Williamson Valley.
