Dewey-Humboldt's Town Council Tuesday approved a $67,460, one-year contract with a Phoenix design firm to develop a town Open Space and Trails Master Plan.
In a 5-1 vote, with Vice Mayor Nancy Wright absent and Councilman Terry Nolan dissenting, council approved A DYE Design to work on the first phase of the plan, which will proceed in five stages.
The first two stages will include inventory and mapping of trails and open space within town limits, vision and goals for the plan, as well as a public outreach program.
The council also gave staff members the go-ahead to accept applications for an ad hoc Open Space and Trails Advisory Committee. Council will appoint the members of that committee, which most likely will include recreational enthusiasts who are involved throughout the planning process.
Nolan said he likes the plan but he didn't vote for it because Town Manager William Emerson did not bring the design contract to the council for its review first.
"All we saw was the summary and the scope of work to be performed," Nolan said. "The plan is needed, but it's not direly needed. The roads are needed more than the trails system. The budget's going to get tight in the next couple years before it starts turning around."
Nonetheless, Emerson said Wednesday that A DYE Design brings a level of expertise to the preparation of the plan that will make it much more persuasive to the Bureau of Land Management, or BLM, and the State Land Department when the town wants to acquire open space for future trails and parks.
A DYE will work with the trails committee to find sensible trail alignments for all recreational enthusiasts, including bike riders, equestrians and runners, as well as seniors who need flatter, firmer trails on which to walk and/or run. The firm also is delving into where to place motorized trails for All-Terrain Vehicle riders.
Most of the population in D-H is retired, and many of those folks are seeking ways to stay physically fit.
"We're looking at long-term sustainability and health for the town's residents," Emerson said. "Right now there's really no place for our seniors to go to be active."
Emerson added that the entire plan should be complete no later than September 2010 so the town's Capital Improvement Program Committee and the council can budget for trails projects. A DYE will piece together the actual design of the trails and the trailheads and develop a topographical map of where they will go.
"The location of trails is wide open, except that they're intended to connect people to the open spaces of the town and the neighboring area," Emerson said. "We don't know where the alignments are going to be. Council has made it very clear that they do not intend it to go on private property against the will of the property owner."
The design firm will communicate extensively with the community to come up with a plan that residents embrace.
D-H's 2009 General Plan includes an open space and trails map, which highlights areas of open space and their connections with schematic trails.
Emerson said A DYE will locate suitable places throughout town for trailheads that could include parking, potable water and bathrooms. D-H also might build parks with grills, benches and ramadas on pockets of open space.
He added that the General Plan designates all of the BLM property in the town as appropriate for open space, which is consistent with the BLM's desires.
The State Land Department additionally has designated State Trust Land south of Highway 169 and west of Highway 69 for preservation.
"We're agreeing with that designation," Emerson said. "All of the BLM land and all of the state land in the town, except for the state land north of 169 and east of 69, we hope to see as public land."
When the master plan is complete, the town can move on to the next stage - designing and building trails and parks. A DYE will prepare the overall master plan first before moving on to a BLM acquisition project.
BLM follows the Recreation and Public Purposes Act, which allows the federal agency to lease as many as 6,400 acres of BLM land per year to any city, town or state agency for recreational purposes at no cost.
"That's when you're able to get grant funds (from the federal and state governments)," Emerson said. "If you don't have a master plan, then the money won't be available."
Council agrees to annex split parcels on town’s northern border In other business from Tuesday night's meeting, the Dewey-Humboldt Town Council:
• Approved annexing the remainder of the split parcels between the town's incorporated area and an unincorporated area of Yavapai County along the so-called 200-foot strip on the town's northern border west of Highway 69. The annexed land is about 3 miles wide, continuously adjacent to the existing town limits and 200 feet in depth. Thirty-three privately owned parcels and a 25-acre parcel of state land comprise the strip.
• Appointed Yavapai Deputy County Attorney Ethan Wolfinger as D-H's new town attorney. He is retiring from the county Dec. 15 and replaces former Town Attorney Kenton Jones, who is becoming a Yavapai County Superior Court judge.
• Postponed approval for an emergency abatement ordinance so that council members can discuss the topic further at a study session in January. The ordinance would give the town legal authority to go onto private property to clean up "an imminent threat to life or the public's health, safety or welfare," such as improper storage of flammable materials.
• Agreed to appoint the Prescott law firm of Boyle, Pecharich, Cline, Whittington & Stallings to perform the town's conflicts attorney duties for two years at a cost not to exceed $52,500. The firm will represent the town only when the town attorney determines that a conflict of interest has occurred. D-H's former conflicts attorney, Anna Young, is now a judicial officer with the Prescott Justice Court.
Reader Comments
Posted: Friday, November 06, 2009
Article comment by:
No name provided
Tom, Stuart, I live in Dewey and trails are what I want in the community that I chose to live in. I am glad that this town actually understands what effect an adequate trail system can do for a community. I want to live someplace where if I did have horses I would have trails to ride on along with roads. Not just roads. For those who want just roads, there is always Prescott and Prescott Valley. And Mr. Emerson, thank you for the information.
Posted: Friday, November 06, 2009
Article comment by:
William Emerson
The Trail Plan is intended to benefit the entire community, which is why Council is asking for volunteers for the Open Space and Trails Committee. The committee will help the Council and the trail experts prepare a plan that will serve all of the Town's potential trail users, including ATV's, bikers, hikers, walkers, the disabled, elderly, and horse riders by designing many different kinds of trails. Unfortunately, the Town does not know of any legal trails within the Town or close to the Town's borders, but there are plans for many trails in the BLM's and Yavapai County's trail master plans. If any one has any questions about the potential trails and open space, or about why a Master Plan is needed, please contact Town Hall at 928-632-7362.
Posted: Friday, November 06, 2009
Article comment by:
Humboldt resident
The trails plan looks like it's for hikers, bikers, horse riders, and atvs. Who says its just for horses? There are lots of trails in the lands outside of the town, but I have not found any in town that were not trespassing -- where are they?
Posted: Friday, November 06, 2009
Article comment by:
Mike
As a long time Dewey resident I have enjoyed exploring the many existing trails by horse, ATV, and 4X4. The trails plan wants to allow only horses and hikers on the major trails. My experience is that most of the people using these trails respect each others rights and don't cause problems for each other or the land they are using. It is not right to cater to a few special interest people and close the trails to motor vehicles. Enforcing the dumping laws would do more good.
Posted: Friday, November 06, 2009
Article comment by:
Stuart
I agree with Mr. Nolan that roads are needed more than trails. If people want it easier for their horses to get around than their cars,that's their choice, I'm just glad that I live 2 blocks away from the highway so this decision doesn't affect me much.
Posted: Friday, November 06, 2009
Article comment by:
tom
We need roads not trails. Everthing is about the east side of the highway 69. How much chip seal could been layed with the money from sidewalk to no where so the town manager can walk to work. New street signs so they are all the same color. Now trails study this sounds more like what the town manager wants then the people. No wonder people want the town to fail.
