7/13/2007 9:31:00 PM NO! to widening: Group takes legal action to stop project
The Daily Courier/Jo.L. Keener
Carol Spangler shows her support for The Friends of Williamson Valley Friday at the Yavapai County Courthouse Plaza. The organization filed a lawsuit against the Yavapai County Board of Supervisors for noncompliance of the General Plan on the Williamson Valley road project.
The Daily Courier/Jo.L. Keener
Protest signs rest against a park bench Friday at the courthouse plaza after a brief protest demonstration.
PRESCOTT - The Friends of Williamson Valley Friday morning filed a complaint in Yavapai County Superior Court to stop the Williamson Valley Road widening project.
The complaint alleges that supervisors Carol Springer, Tom Thurman and Chip Davis violated the county General Plan and County Road Ordinance 2005-1 in its attempt to widen Williamson Valley Road.
Approximately 100 people gathered at the courthouse to lend their support to the Friends of Williamson Valley Inc. Board of Directors.
"The county is not complying with the General Plan. It has ignored the road ordinances. They cannot show us where and when a five-lane road was approved. However, they continue to press ahead," attorney Gil Shaw said.
Shaw said Williamson Valley Road "hasn't fallen below an acceptable service level. A five-lane road is premature and the board is ignoring the will of the people."
Friends of Williamson Valley President Georgene Lockwood said, "We have been fighting this for two-and-a-half years. We have written letters, sent e-mails and attended countless meetings asking the Board of Supervisors to not only listen but to hear us. That is what has brought us here today."
Shaw said Friends of Williamson Valley is asking the court for a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction to stop the Board of Supervisors and other county officials from "moving forward with the Williamson Valley Road project until they are in compliance with the General Plan."
Shaw said court officials would deliver the papers to the Board of Supervisors Monday and the board has 20 days to answer the complaint.
"We expect the first thing they will do is file a motion to dismiss," Shaw said.
In a July 10 Friends of Williamson Valley press release, Shaw said "the lawsuit will test whether the General Plan can be truly relied upon as a planning and development tool. We think government must at the very least act consistently with an approved General Plan - one that has been through the public input process mandated by law. Too often it's ignored for the 'What you can get by the board without the people knowing' approach. We believe the courts will ultimately tell this board it has to act in a way that's consistent with the mandates of the General Plan."
The members of the Board of Supervisors were unavailable for comment Friday afternoon.
A complete copy of the complaint is available on the Friends of Williamson Valley Web site at www.wvroad.com.
Posted: Saturday, July 14, 2007
Article comment by:
Gary Acosta
Here we go again! This group has and still is costing the county tax payers our money for there short and single minded interest.One tenth of one persent does not represent the areas people.
Posted: Saturday, July 14, 2007
Article comment by:
kramerc
More coverage regarding Williamson Valley Road is needed. The Board of supervisors does not listen to it's people. There is a plan and they will not let up. The truth be told we need a group in office that represents the people not the individual needs of the Board of supervisors. This is all being done for monetary reasons which include those of the developers, real estate mogels and investors. Find another route leave us alone.
Posted: Saturday, July 14, 2007
Article comment by:
Tom Steele
Thank God for "We the People." Clearly the Yavapai County supervisors yielded to power over the needs of the people. This case will be yet another test of our system of government.
Posted: Saturday, July 14, 2007
Article comment by:
bhilb
Shaw says the county is ignoring the will of the people. Not at all, the will of the people is expressed through the election process. He represents a small group of self-centered loud mouths who try to justify their position by referring to an outdated, biased survey that they sent out and which was answered by a very small percentage of the county (they selected who they sent it to). Carol Springer represents me not these yahoos.
