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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022.0419.TCRM.Minutes TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING
OF THE FOUNTAIN HILLS TOWN COUNCIL
APRIL 19, 2022
1. CALL TO ORDER AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE — Mayor Dickey
Mayor Dickey called the Regular Meeting of the Fountain Hills Town Council held April
19, 2022, to order at 5:30 p.m.
2. MOMENT OF SILENCE
A Moment of Silence was held.
3. ROLL CALL—Mayor Dickey
Present: Mayor Ginny Dickey; Councilmember Mike Scharnow; Vice Mayor Gerry
Friedel; Councilmember Sharron Grzybowski; Councilmember Peggy McMahon;
Councilmember Alan Magazine
Absent: Councilmember David Spelich
Staff Town Manager Grady E. Miller; Town Attorney Aaron D. Arnson; Town Clerk
Present: Elizabeth A. Klein
4. REPORTS BY MAYOR, COUNCILMEMBERS AND TOWN MANAGER
A. RECOGNITION: Stellar Students of the Month for March 2022
B. PROCLAMATION: Declaring April 17 - 23, 2022, as National Volunteer Appreciation
Week.
C. RECOGNITION: Outgoing Board and Commission Members
5. SCHEDULED PUBLIC APPEARANCES/PRESENTATIONS
A. PRESENTATION: Update from Marissa Dailey, new Library Manager for the Fountail Hills
Library
6. CALL TO THE PUBLIC
Pursuant to A.R.S. §38-431.01(H),public comment is permitted(not required)on matters NOT listed on the
agenda. Any such comment(i)must be within the jurisdiction of the Council, and(ii)is subject to reasonable
time, place, and manner restrictions. The Council will not discuss or take legal action on matters raised during
Call to the Public unless the matters are properly noticed for discussion and legal action. At the conclusion of
the Call to the Public, individual councilmembers may(i)respond to criticism, (ii)ask staff to review a matter,
or(iii)ask that the matter be placed on a future Council agenda.
Town Council Regular Meeting of April 19, 2022 2 of 5
7. CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS
All items listed on the Consent Agenda are considered to be routine, noncontroversial matters and will be
enacted by one motion of the Council. All motions and subsequent approvals of consent items will include all
recommended staff stipulations unless otherwise stated. There will be no separate discussion of these items
unless a councilmember or member of the public so requests. If a councilmember or member of the public
wishes to discuss an item on the Consent Agenda, he/she may request so prior to the motion to accept the
Consent Agenda or with notification to the Town Manager or Mayor prior to the date of the meeting for which
the item was scheduled. The items will be removed from the Consent Agenda and considered in its normal
sequence on the agenda.
MOVED BY Councilmember Sharron Grzybowski, SECONDED BY Councilmember Alan
Magazine to approve Consent Agenda Items 7-A and 7-B.
Vote: 6 - 0 Passed - Unanimously
A. CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION: Request to apply and take receipt of Prop
202 Grant Funding
B. CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION: on the proposed Communications Strategic
Plan and Community Engagement Plan.
8. REGULAR AGENDA
A. CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION: Appointments to the Community Services
Advisory Commission, McDowell Mountain Preservation Commission, Planning and
Zoning Commission, Sister Cities Advisory Commission, and the Strategic Planning
Advisory Commission.
MOVED BY Vice Mayor Gerry Friedel, SECONDED BY Councilmember Alan Magazine to
reappoint Ron Ruppert and Natalie Varela to the Community Services Advisory
Commission, terms expiring April 30, 2025; appoint Sherry Irwin to the McDowell Mountain
Preservation Commission for the unexpired term ending October 31, 2022, and the full
term ending October 31, 2025; reappoint Susan Dempster, Clayton Corey, and Dan
Kovakewicz to the Planning and Zoning Commission, terms expiring April 30, 2025, and
appoint Patrick Dapaah to the Planning and Zoning Commission, unexpired term expiring
April 30, 2023; appoint Marlene Fahrenbach to the Sister Cities Advisory Commission,
unexpired term ending October 31, 2023; reappoint Patrick Garman and Bernie Hoenle,
and appoint Kevin Beck, to the Strategic Planning Advisory Commission, terms expiring
April 30, 2025.
Vote: 6 - 0 Passed - Unanimously
B. CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION: Approving the Master Trail Plan for
Fountain Hills McDowell Mountain Preserve.
Town Council Regular Meeting of April 19, 2022 3 of 5
Written comment cards in support of approval were received from Jeff Esposito, Jude
Martin, James Janya, Steven Nurney, Steven Ehrlich, Fred James, Sherri James, Sylva
Leduc, William Hinz, Stan Johnson, Lynn Locklear, Clifford King, Peter A. Michell,
Nathan Sorenson, Pam Cissik, Dennis Johnson, Janice Holden, Cheryl Piccirilli, Bill
Jaeger.
MOVED BY Vice Mayor Gerry Friedel, SECONDED BY Councilmember Sharron
Grzybowski to approve the Master Train Plan for Fountain Hills McDowell Mountain
Preserve.
Vote: 6 - 0 Passed - Unanimously
C. CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION: Resolution 2022-10 approving the
construction of the North Leg Trail.
Written comment cards in support of approval were received from Pam Cissik, Steven
Nurney, William Hinz, Bill Jaeger, Steven Ehrlich, Fred James, Sherri James, Sylva
Leduc, Jeff Esposito, Jude Martin, James Kanya, Bill Myers, Denise Clark, Lynn
Locklear, Clifford King, Stan Johnson, Nathan Sorenson, Janice Holden, Dennis
Johnson, Cheryl Piccirilli.
MOVED BY Vice Mayor Gerry Friedel, SECONDED BY Councilmember Sharron
Grzybowski to adopt Resolution 2022-10.
Vote: 6 - 0 Passed - Unanimously
D. CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION: Approving the PlaySpace Designs
Contract 2021-048.1 Amendment for the addition of two ramadas at Four Peaks Park.
MOVED BY Councilmember Peggy McMahon, SECONDED BY Councilmember Sharron
Grzybowski to approve the amendment to PlaySpace Designs Contract 2021-048.1 for the
purchase and installation of two ramadas at Four Peaks Park
Vote: 6 - 0 Passed - Unanimously
E. CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION: regarding an amended site plan for Park
Place Phase II (16845 E. Avenue of the Fountains) and Phase III (13000 block of N. Verde
River, west side).
A written comment card in support of approval was received from Betsy LaVoie.
MOVED BY Vice Mayor Gerry Friedel, SECONDED BY Councilmember Mike
Scharnow to approve the amended site plan for Park Place Phases II and III subject to:
a)providing a complete site plan package as required by Section 2.04 of the Zoning
Ordinance; and b) meeting all requirements Town policies, codes, and ordinances
Vote: 5 - 1 Passed
NAY: Councilmember Alan Magazine
Town Council Regular Meeting of April 19, 2022 4 of 5
F. CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION: Resolution 2022-16, Second Amendment
to the Development Agreement between the Town and Palisades Resorts, LLC regarding
an extension of time for further development of Copperwynd (aka Adero Scottsdale)
Written comment cards in support of approval were received from Jay Schlum, Bill Craig,
and Sarah Nolan.
MOVED BY Vice Mayor Gerry Friedel, SECONDED BY Councilmember Alan Magazine to
adopt Resolution 2022-16.
Vote: 6 - 0 Passed - Unanimously
G. CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION: of approving the Second Amendment to
Cooperative Purchase Agreement C2022-027 between the Town and Franklin Striping,
INC for pavement marking.
MOVED BY Vice Mayor Gerry Friedel, SECONDED BY Councilmember Mike
Scharnow to approve the Second Amendment to contract C2022-027 with Franklin
Striping, INC, in the amount of$100,000.00, annually.
Vote: 6 - 0 Passed - Unanimously
H. CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION: on proposed policy suggestions to submit
to the policy committees of the Arizona League of Cities and Towns for consideration by
the Resolutions Committee.
DISCUSSION WITH POSSIBLE DIRECTION relating to any item included in the League
of Arizona Cities and Towns' weekly Legislative Bulletin(s) or relating to any action
proposed or pending before the State Legislature.
Discussion.
9. COUNCIL DISCUSSION/DIRECTION to the TOWN MANAGER
Item(s)listed below are related only to the propriety of(i)placing such item(s) on a future agenda for action, or
(ii) directing staff to conduct further research and report back to the Council.
None.
10. ADJOURNMENT
MOVED BY Councilmember Sharron Grzybowski, SECONDED BY Councilmember Mike
Scharnow to adjourn.
Vote: 6 - 0 Passed - Unanimously
Town Council Regular Meeting of April 19, 2022 5 of 5
The Regular Meeting of the Fountain Hills Town Council held April 19, 2022, adjourned
at 8:11 p.m.
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS
ck�Gc,/
Ginn Dickey Mayor
ATTEST AND PREPARED BY:
liza .,, :i.„),__'
be . Klein, Town lerk
CERTIFICATION
I hereby certify that the foregoing minutes are a true and correct copy of the minutes of the Regular
Meeting held by the Town Council of Fountain Hills in the Town Hall Council Chambers on the 19th day
of April, 2022. I further certify that the meeting was duly called and that a quorum was present.
DATED this 17th day of May, 2022. ,
izabeth . lein, Town Clerk
TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS Page 1 of 66
APRIL 19, 2022 REGULAR TOWN COUNCIL MEETING
Post-Production File
Town of Fountain Hills
April 19, 2022 Regular Town Council Meeting
Transcription Provided By:
eScribers, LLC
Transcription is provided in order to facilitate communication accessibility and may not
be a totally verbatim record of the proceedings.
* * * * *
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APRIL 19, 2022 REGULAR TOWN COUNCIL MEETING
MAYOR DICKEY: Good evening, everyone. Welcome. Please stand for the pledge
and remain standing.
[Pledge]
MAYOR DICKEY: Thank you. Please remain standing for a moment of silence. Thank
you.
All right. Roll call, please.
TOWN CLERK KLEIN: Mayor Dickey?
MAYOR DICKEY: Here.
TOWN CLERK KLEIN: Vice Mayor Friedel?
VICE MAYOR FRIEDEL: Present.
TOWN CLERK KLEIN: Councilmember McMahon?
COUNCILMEMBER MCMAHON: Here.
TOWN CLERK KLEIN: Councilmember Scharnow?
COUNCILMEMBER SCHARNOW: Here.
TOWN CLERK KLEIN: Councilmember Magazine?
COUNCILMEMBER MAGAZINE: Here.
TOWN CLERK KLEIN: Councilmember Spelich?
COUNCILMEMBER SPELICH: (Indiscernible).
TOWN CLERK KLEIN: Councilmember Grzybowski?
COUNCILMEMBER GRZYBOWSKI: Present.
MAYOR DICKEY: Thank you so much. We start, as always, with our reports. Town
Manager and Councilmembers?
MANAGER MILLER: Mayor, I'm sorry. You caught me off guard, and I have no -- I
have no report though. Thank you.
MAYOR DICKEY: Sorry about that.
MANAGER MILLER: It's okay.
COUNCILMEMBER MCMahon: Good evening, everybody. I would like to thank
Mayor Dickey and Grady Miller for inviting me to participate in a meeting with the
County Assessor, Mr. Cook and his chief of staff It was a great meeting, and we learned
what a valuable team he has there and how they're improving the County Assessor's
Office.
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APRIL 19, 2022 REGULAR TOWN COUNCIL MEETING
And I would also like to remind everybody that this Thursday night, at 6:30 in the
Community Center, we're going to have a Cares educational forum evening about living
with dementia. We have a great speaker, and it's going to be a very informative session.
And also, at the end of the month, on Saturday, April 30th at the Community Center,
we're going to host the annual Sister Cities annual session, so I hope all of you attend as
well. It's really an honor to be selected to host this convention. Thank you.
COUNCILMEMBER SCHARNOW: Yes. Thank you, Madam Mayor. Kind of two
Easter-related events, I guess. I was at the tremendously successful Eggstravaganza. The
Noon Kiwanis Club had our food booth there offering pancake breakfast, and it seemed
like thousands and thousands of kids, and it was over in two minutes. And it went very
well, so kudos to the Community Services Department for pulling it off once again.
And the other event was a Sunrise Service at Fountain Park, and that's always a
motivating and inspirational event, and you know, beautiful weather. So thank you.
MAYOR DICKEY: Thanks, Mike. Councilwoman?
COUNCILMEMBER GRZYBOWSKI: I attended the Phoenix East Valley
Transportation, Infrastructure meeting a couple of weeks ago.
And this morning, I also had the pleasure of attending the virtual Medical Reserve Corps
awards. Our own Maricopa County Department of Public Health Medical Reserve
Corps -- and I can get you notes on that in case you didn't type that fast -- they received
the Community Response award, COVID-19: Multi-Mission category. Also noteworthy,
our Maricopa Medical Reserve Corps program received a $10,000 grant for Operation
Readiness and a$75,000 award from RISE, which stands for Respond, Innovate, Sustain,
and Equip. Both of these awards came from the National Association of County and City
Health Officials. The money will be used for training and equipment for the Maricopa
volunteers.
MAYOR DICKEY: Thanks very much. I wanted to -- I got a message on behalf of our
neighbor, the Salt River Maricopa-Pima Indian Community, President Harvier, regarding
the terrible accident that was on Beeline that took the life of Firefighter Brendan Bessee
and critically injured Firefighter Tyler Packer. So this is what he wrote.
"As a community, we ask for your thoughts and prayers for the families of these two
firefighters. Also prayers are needed for the Salt River Fire Department as they navigate
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through this very difficult time, losing one of their own, and thinking about their brother
in the hospital. I also want to acknowledge that outside agencies have been and will
continue to be in the community helping to respond to emergency calls for service during
this difficult time."
The president said he appreciates very much the extensive support that Fountain Hills
Fire and Chief Ott are provided for the community. The services were held on Saturday
in Miami, Arizona, and I very much want to thank Chief Ott and the others because they
were very much involved with this.
Most of what I did had to do with economic activity and development. Boys & Girls
Club meet about some partnerships there. Did a tourism video. I think this week or next
week is Tourism Week. And Earth Day, one that's, I think was just posted yesterday.
Bo, thank you.
They had the ribbon cutting at Mathnasium, so that was good. Sharron was there for that.
As a math major, I appreciated that one.
And did an interview on -- it's going to be on Channel 10, but it's kind of a show about
real estate and having people attracting them to the State of Arizona, so that was pretty
good too.
Next, so we have our Stellar Students of the Month for March. I will do like I always do.
I read everybody's stuff up here, and Angela gives you your certificates, and we'll line up,
and Bob from the Times will take a photo.
So let me start with -- we always start with McDowell Mountain, so Eloise Robinson; is
she here? Yay. I'm so proud to nominate Eloise Robinson as a Stellar Student. Eloise
goes above and beyond expectations in her art through her creative ideas, assistance to
students in need, and quality craftsmanship. She's a model student for respect and
responsibility by showing care in her space and her peers. She's so kind to others, not
just in the art room, but throughout McDowell Mountain Elementary School.
Congratulations to Eloise on being a stellar student and person. Yay.
All right. Next is Pablo Michel from McDowell Mountain; are you here? Yay. Go up
there, honey. Oh, there you go. Yeah. And she's going to give you your certificate.
It's an honor to nominate Pablo as Stellar Student. Pablo is kind and helpful to others in
art class and around McDowell Mountain Elementary School. Pablo puts his best effort
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into everything he does and takes pride in the art he creates. Pablo also is not afraid to try
new things and explore new ideas.
Congratulations, Pablo, on being a stellar student and person.
Next, we have the middle school. Claire Stumpf, are you here? Yay.
Claire is a joy to have in class with her hardworking attitude and her great smile. She is a
friend to everyone and always does her best while here at Fountain Hills Middle School.
We're so lucky to have Claire in our classes and see great things for her moving forward.
How about that?
Also from the middle school is Ryder Slodownik. Yay. Ryder has had a great year here
at Fountain Hills Middle School. He continues to grow as a student and as a classroom
leader. Ryder has made a strong commitment to his studies and living the Falcon way
while here at Fountain Hills Middle School.
Thank you, Ryder.
And the high school; Oliva Sopeland. Liv is active, playing sports during three seasons.
She prioritizes well, making sure to get her work done prior to doing anything else when
she's in class. She's helpful to the students around her and willing to help them learn
difficult concepts.
Thank you, Oliva.
And also, from the high school, Tyler Langer. Tyler here? Well, we'll talk about him
anyway. Tyler, Ty, is involved in many sports and always remains on top of his work. If
he misses a day of school, he comes in to get his missing work as soon as he can, and
then he gets it turned in right away. He's able to successfully juggle many different
responsibilities. Tyler Langer.
All right. We'll get a picture taken, and then you guys are welcome to stay of course, but
you can also go out and celebrate, too. So do that. All right. Guys, let's squeeze in a
little bit. Okay. Look at Bob. All right. Thank you, guys so much. (Indiscernible).
Thank you. Thank you, (indiscernible).
MAYOR DICKEY: All right. So next we're going to do National Volunteer
Appreciation Week. And I'll ask Kim to come up, please. You here, Kimberly? Yes.
There you are.
So Kim Wickland is our Volunteer Coordinator, so she's going to be accepting this on
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behalf of all of our wonderful volunteers here in Fountain Hills, and I have a
proclamation to read. And then you can say a few words if you like for thanks.
Whereas National Volunteer Week was established in 1974 -- you can come closer-- and
has grown exponentially each year with thousands of volunteer projects and special
events scheduled throughout the week; and whereas National Volunteer Week is an
opportunity to recognize the impact of volunteer service and the power of volunteers to
tackle society's greatest challenges, to build stronger communities and be a force that
transforms the world; and whereas their stories serve to inspire others to take action,
realize their power to make a difference, and be a force that transforms the world. And
National Volunteer Week is an opportunity to recognize and thank volunteers who lend
their time, talent, voice, and support to the causes that they care about.
And today, as people strive to lead lives that reflect their values, the expression of civic
life has evolved. Whether online, at the office, at the local foodbank; whether with a
vote, a voice, or a wallet, doing good comes in many forms, and we recognize and
celebrate them all. So therefore I, Mayor Ginny Dickey, proclaim the week of April 17th
through the 23rd as National Volunteer Appreciation Week in the Town of Fountain Hills
and encourage all citizens to observe this week by celebrating the important work that
volunteers do every day throughout the community.
So thank you, Kimberly, so much, and I'm sure -- yes, let's clap.
[Applause]
No one knows better than she the value of everything that happens here in this town with
our volunteers. So if you'd like to say a few words.
WICKLAND: Well, no. I think it's well said. I thank you. It's an amazing town, and it's
such a privilege to work with such a prideful, dedicated group. So no.
MAYOR DICKEY: Yay.
WICKLAND: Thank you for all your service.
MAYOR DICKEY: Thank you. We appreciate it so much. Oh, sorry. Do you want to
go --
Thanks again. We all know that volunteers run our town.
MAYOR DICKEY: And we also have a recognition for a Strategic Planning Advisory
Commissioner who is retiring, Chad Bernick. Okay. Come on up. You get one too.
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BERNICK: Thank you.
MAYOR DICKEY: Thank you.
So we would like to recognize Chad who was appointed to the Strategic Planning
Advisory Commission by the Council on August 2019. Chad was actively involved for
all Commission projects and initiatives, including development of the 2022 Strategic
Plan. The Council and your fellow commissioners appreciate Chad's knowledge,
dedication, and contributions to the Commission and to the Town of Fountain Hills.
Thank you so much. Would you like to say a few words?
BERNICK: No, I (indiscernible).
MAYOR DICKEY: Well, we appreciate all of your work on the -- again, it's a volunteer,
right, so thank you so much.
BERNICK: Thank you.
MAYOR DICKEY: Thank you, everyone. Next we have our scheduled public
appearances and presentations. And tonight, we're going to hear from Marissa Dailey,
who's our new manager for the Fountain Hills Library. Yay. Welcome.
DAILEY: (Indiscernible)?
MAYOR DICKEY: Yes. That's great. Yeah. The camera will be on you, so that'll be
good. Thanks.
DAILEY: Okay.
[CROSS TALK]
DAILEY: Hi. I'm Marissa Dailey, the library manager for the Fountain Hills branch, a
branch of the Maricopa County Library District. Our 15,000 square foot building is
across from the Centennial Circle from the Community Center. We are open Monday
through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
All Maricopa County residents are invited to join the library for free with valid ID.
Nonresidents are welcome for a small fee. Please come and say hi.
So when you think of a library, what comes to mind? A typical answer,books,
obviously. So libraries, as you guess, are more than a building of bookshelves.
Fundamentally, today's libraries provide access to information, access to assistance, the
internet, equipment, and experiences. The mission of the library district is to provide
access and services so residents experience an improved quality of life. Our vision is as
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the vibrant community front porch, we aspire to meet the changing need of our diverse
and connected residents. So what does this mean? What exactly does your local library
provide? Great question. I'd love to tell you.
We have a few --just some of the few resources I'll talk about today. Ancestry Library;
it's a genealogy database that covers billions of records from census data to directories
and photos and family trees. It gives you access to more than 9,000 databases and 200
billion images from the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Europe, and
Australia. Once the records you need are located, you can email them to yourself It's a
read-only database and can only be accessed within the library. But it's a powerful search
engine, and it'll help you pinpoint genealogical records.
Second is Flipster. Flipster is a digital newsstand with on-demand access to your favorite
magazines. It offers hundreds of titles and categories like science, technology, lifestyle,
current events, entertainment, and more. Magazines are available using a web browser,
Android, IOS, Kindle Fire device. You can read offline by downloading issues to a
mobile device. Current and back issues are available on demand, which means there are
no holds lists or waiting periods.
Lastly, Rocket Languages. It's a language-learning website, an app that teaches you
practical real-world conversations in a new language. Start with interactive audio lessons
where you learn basic conversational phrases, explore the culture and structure of a
language, or practice writing with easy-to-follow directions and explanations. You can
also take this on the go with a Rocket Languages app.
The next two resources I have highlighted here, Brainfuse. Brainfuse is an incredible tool
with a variety of uses. Brainfuse HelpNow provides help with homework, foreign
language assistance, writing labs, and adult learning content, such as GED, and live
professional assistance in resume/cover letter writing.
I've tested this. I submitted my resume just for fun to see how long it would take. It was
quick, and I had great suggestions on organization and format. It was really, really cool.
Let's see. In addition, U.S. citizenship prep, Microsoft Office essential skills, and more.
In addition we have Brainfuse JobNow, which provides live job coaching, also real-time
interview practice, and full-service resume lab and job hunting help. And then, lastly,
Brainfuse VetNow, which is a resource to connect with an expert to learn more about
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eligible VA benefits and community resources.
Lastly, Gale Courses offer a wide variety or a wide range of highly interactive instructor-
led courses that you can take entirely online. Courses run for about six weeks, and there's
a new one every month. Some of our popular courses are Discover Sign Language,
Accounting Fundamentals, and Introduction to Interior Design.
So physically,back to the books-ish, the library houses over 31,000 physical items, saved
books, DVDs, music CDs, and audiobooks. We also have Chrome Books, mobile
hotspots, telescopes, sign kits [sic], and seeds, all to borrow.
As we've seen over the past two years, the need for digital equity has been exposed. It is
estimated that 1.3 million Arizonans need internet. Connected @ Your Library brings
technology and internet access into our communities. Library customers can check out a
Chrome Book or a hotspot to use at home and get access to the library's online services
and resources.
The Town of Fountain Hills is a member of the International Dark-Sky Association. As
such, we have three loanable telescope for community use. And lastly, purchased from
an Arizona vendor, generously donated by the Fountain Hills Friends of the Library, a
seed collection. We have a rotating variety of fruit, vegetables, and native flower blends
that are rotated by recommended planting season.
So another really wonder resource at the library are streaming options. Between all the
streaming services that are available, you may be spending close to $600 annually. But
with your Maricopa County library card, you have access to over 44,000 streaming
digital media. One for example, Kanopy provides access to thousands of movies.
Hoopla hosts a variety of comic books, movies, television, audio books, and more.
Continuing eresources, some of our most popular resources are Libby, hoopla, Kanopy,
and Freegal. Libby is the most popular, formally OverDrive. Libby can house several
library cards from different library systems and keep all of your borrowed and held
material in one place. So as a resident of Maricopa County, I have my library for
Fountain Hills, Maricopa County Library District 10B, Chandler, Phoenix, all of my
libraries in one spot. That way I can find the shortest hold. It's really neat.
Additionally, access to The Great Courses is available through Libby. The Great Courses
Library Collection video streaming service is brought to you by The Great Courses, the
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leading global media brand for lifelong learning and personal enrichment. This
collection includes more than 250 courses led by the world's top experts, covering a
broad range of subjects such as science, mathematics, philosophy, history, literature, fine
arts, music, travel, business, and personal development.
hoopla is another customer favorite. A benefit to borrowing your items with hoopla is if
you find an item you want to borrow, there are no holds. Your item is available
immediately. So if you're familiar with holding items through the library, sometimes
there's a little bit of wait to get to the newest popular titles.
Kanopy, an incredible resource for streaming content, documentaries, movies,
performances. There is a section specifically for children. Kanopy provides a lot of
content you would find on costly streaming services.
And then last on the list is Freegal. Freegal offers access to about 15 million songs,
including Sony Music's catalog of legendary artists and over 40,000 music videos.
In total, the collection is comprised of music from over 40,000 labels with music that
originates from over 100 companies. And a bonus is there's no software to download.
So we are very fortunate in Maricopa County Library District to partner with a 501(c)(3)
called Act One. Act One provides culture passes that provide access to the arts for
students, retirees, families, or anyone that would otherwise not have the financial
capabilities to visit Arizona's arts and cultural treasures. Cultural passes will provide you
with admission for two people at each participating organization. They must be checked
out at the library. Customers are limited to one pass per family at a time. And they are
not renewable or cannot be requested in advance. You can always check the catalog to
see if they're available.
So some of the great places you can see for free with your library card, the Fountain Hills
Library's Culture Pass is for the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, the Phoenix
Art Museum, and the University of Arizona Museum of Art, Arcosonti, the Superstition
Mountain Museum, the Pueblo Grande Museum, Cave Creek Museum, Sedona Heritage
Museum, Desert Caballeros Western Museum, the Reid Park Zoo, the Heard Museum,
and the most popular right now, can't keep on the shelf, is the Desert Botanical Garden.
So our talented librarians work on an incredibly diverse range of programs that are
available virtually. I have a short video that was made by the library district in April of
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2021 that highlights the work that our staff has been working on. I don't want to hurt
anybody's ears. It's a really loud video. Oh, can't hear it. Just keep going? The opposite
problem.
[VIDEO]
DAILEY: You're really good at that.
Okay. In October of 2021, Maricopa County Library District partnered with the
Maricopa County Department of Public Health to distribute COVID-19 at-home tests.
The County Department of Public Health were specifically interested in making the kits
available in areas with few affordable options for residents to get tested for the virus. We
recognized this as an opportunity to do what libraries do best, remove barriers to access
to help our residents experience an improved quality of life. We knew that there are
customers at each 18 of our libraries that may face challenges in purchasing an at-home
test kit.
The Fountain Hills branch was steadily distributing at-home tests via curbside until
demand outgrew our supply, and unfortunately, there was a national shortage of
availability around the holiday season. During this shortage, we had two strategically
timed distributions on a first come, first serve basis. If anybody can remember, we had a
line of cars from the curbside drive all the way down to Saguaro Boulevard. Between
both days, we handed out about 282 test kits in less than 30 minutes. While we were able
to assist a lot of people, we had to turn a lot of people away as well.
Fountain Hills was able to resume distribution in February of 2022, and beginning April
18th, all Maricopa County libraries will resume distributing at-home COVID tests. Since
our original launch, Maricopa County Library District has distributed over 45,000 at-
home tests which contain over 90,000 tests. We are so fortunate to be able to help our
communities in this way.
Branches started offering a small fleet of programs in December of 2021 and added more
programs in January 2022. We plan to start small and grow the number of programs as
we go, but I am proud to say that the Fountain Hills is safely rolling out several incredible
programs for the community. We have had free yoga on the River of Time patio -- River
of Time Museum patio, Preschoolers Story Time With Ms. Christie (ph.), and much
more. There is a film club, reading to miniature therapy horses, the Arizona Science
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Center will be at our library on May 2nd from 5 to 8 p.m. And we've got a lot of other
really exciting things, things in the works for teens, tweens, and young adults. All of our
events can be found online at mcldaz.org.
You can start your own book club. Each book club box contains materials for you and up
to nine others to read all the same book. Also included are prompts for engaging
discussions and more. Each book club box contains the same amount of titles for you
and your club members to read. And then they can be checked out two at a time for up to
six weeks. So we have fiction and nonfiction available.
Summer and winter reading programs. Our reading programs create a reading life-long
habit. We can encourage -- we can encourage reluctant readers that may be drawn in by
our activities and prizes. Reading over the summer helps children keep literacy skills.
Furthermore, these programs can generate or regenerate interest in library and books.
Maricopa County Reads is the award-winning, online, summer reading program provided
by the Maricopa County Library District to all public libraries within Maricopa County.
So we just finished, in February, our winter reading program. The theme was Discover
Winter Tales. It's an online reading program specifically geared for adults. It runs
December through February. The goal of the program is to foster a love of reading and
promote the value of adult literacy.
Additionally, we collaborated with the Maricopa County Sheriffs Office to offer a paper
version of the program in an effort to encourage literacy among adults experiencing
incarceration. This winter we had 1,468 participants read 1,590,573 minutes, and 762
participants completed the program, which is about 52 percent, so that's good.
This summer, please sign up May 1st. That's when sign ups start. We have our summer
reading program. The theme is Oceans of Possibilities. There are two main goals of a
summer reading program. One is to interrupt the summer slide, the common term given
to learning loss experienced by children when transitioning between school years; and
two, promote literacy among children and their families. So as children and families
recover from the unpredictability of the 2020/2021 school year and move into another
irregular school year, accomplishing these goals became more important.
So some of our objectives are challenging all participants to read at least 20 minutes a
day, build a home library -- and this is encouraged by reading minutes, get a free book--
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communicate literacy messages in simple, easy-to-understand ways, emphasize the fun of
reading-- we have lots of programs, lots of decoration that's coming, very exciting-- and
reconnect participants with community experiences through prizes, virtual programming,
and challenges.
So this year, summer reading 2021, 2,707 participants filled out a survey upon the
completion of their program. 87 percent of respondents learned something new from
what they read or experienced. 84 percent of respondents enjoy reading more. 84
percent of respondents read more often. 82 percent of respondents want to use the library
resources more often. 83 percent of respondents maintained or increased their reading.
And then 99 percent of respondents plan to participate next year.
So again, Oceans of Possibilities, registration opens May 1st. We have some really
exciting prizes this year. And I have to say thank you to the Fountain Hills Friends of the
Library for all their generous support. They work tirelessly, stocking the bookstore and
supporting other causes. They're incredible. Yes.
Citizen Science Kits. So a Citizen Science Kit is a small box that contains everything
you need for a specific science experiment. Each kit includes a printed activity guide,
helpful tips, and any specialized tools or materials you need to complete the project. All
Maricopa County libraries have five different Citizen Science Kits available for you to
check out. We have exploring biodiversity, document and identify plants and animals
around you; measure light in the night, help gather light pollution data-- so that's a really
fascinating one for Fountain Hills -- monitoring air quality, capture measurements using
an air beam sensor; and zombie hunting. Is the zombie flu attacking bees in your
neighborhood? And then, stream mapping. Use wet/dry mapping to help chart streams
near you. There are three ways to request a Citizen Science Kit. Stop by the library,
place a request online, or give us a call, 602-652-3000.
Okay. So why am I here? I'm here to reintroduce the community to the library. Before
March of 2020, we had more guests. But as you can see, we're really getting back there.
Come see what has changed, what hasn't changed, or just come say hi. Staff will extend
a warm welcome the second you enter the library. We have so much to offer and truly
something for everyone. We want you.
So that's all. Please come sign up for a library card if you don't have one. And then I
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have contact information I will leave up if anybody needs it. Thank you, guys, so much
for your time.
MAYOR DICKEY: Well, thank you much. Wait. Wait. Wait.
DAILEY: Oh, my gosh.
MAYOR DICKEY: I'm sure we have questions or whatever, but let's say thank you.
[Applause]
MAYOR DICKEY: I do wish you were a little more enthused about this. Anybody have
any questions or comments?
Yes, Vice Mayor?
COUNCILMEMBER FRIEDEL: So if somebody has misplaced their library card, what
do they do?
DAILEY: Come in. We'll help you, absolutely. Yeah. We can get you a new one.
COUNCILMEMBER FRIEDEL: Yeah, asking for a friend.
COUNCILMEMBER FRIEDEL: Asking for Mike.
DAILEY: There's no shame. As long as you come back, that's our goal.
MAYOR DICKEY: Well, thank you so much. There's so much about this we didn't
know.
Oh, yes? Go ahead.
TOWN MANAGER MILLER: I just wanted to just tell you that this is just a great
community partnership. And a lot of people don't realize this, but the library, as you
know, is provided by Maricopa County. We all pay this on our tax bill. So we really
have the best of all worlds. We have a community library in our own community. A lot
of other cities and towns in the valley don't necessarily have a library that is either their
own or provided by Maricopa County Library District, so we're very fortunate with that.
And they actually do a great job of partnering with the community and our staff to always
be like an extension of the town as if they are our own town library, so we really do
appreciate it. Thank you, Marissa.
DAILEY: We do too.
MAYOR DICKEY: Thank you so much.
Yes, ma'am.
COUNCILMEMBER GRZYBOWSKI: Every time I hear you guys speak, I swear I
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learn something new.
DAILEY: Oh, that's good.
COUNCILMEMBER GRZYBOWSKI: You have book club boxes? Who knew that was
a thing? Thanks, Marissa.
DAILEY: No. Thank you.
MAYOR DICKEY: Thank you so much.
DAILEY: Thank you, guys.
MAYOR DICKEY: Okay. Our next item is Call to the Public. Do we have speaker
cards? Okay. Thank you. I was asked to --
MAYOR DICKEY: I'm sorry. I was asked to remind that to say your city or town but
not your address, please. Thanks.
CLERK KLEIN: First one is Barbara Smith (ph.). Is she here? This came in online--
MAYOR DICKEY: Oh, okay.
CLERK KLEIN: -- last week, but she said she wanted to speak tonight, but she's not
here.
Okay. Next one is Verona Barts.
BARTS: Hello. My name is Verona Barts, as you just heard. And I live on 16947 --
MAYOR DICKEY: Give just your city. Just --
BARTS: Pardon me?
MAYOR DICKEY: Just your city not your real -- not your actual address, please.
BARTS: Oh, okay.
MAYOR DICKEY: For your own privacy.
BARTS: Okay. All right. That's great. But anyway, the area is in a neighborhood on
Shea Boulevard right across from the Comfort Inn. And I'm sure you all know where that
is. It's by Denny's. And there's a Circle K gas station there. And the reason I'm here
today is to call attention to the general deterioration of the area. And the reason I'm here
is I've noticed it walking. We've walked twice a week in this area.
And in a nutshell, I'll tell you that it's deteriorating. The shopping area about Target, the
surrounding neighborhood. There is trash buildup along the wash in front of Target there
along the wall. There is overnight parking that says no overnight parking allowed. There
is poor street sweeping. They sweep in the center of street instead of the sides in a lot of
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areas.
There's a stop sign down in the shopping center on one of the drives where you come in.
It's been down there for probably four months. Nobody sees it. It's hidden. Somebody
knocked it down, and they never put it back up.
There's homelessness. There's pillows and blankets along Technology Drive. There's,
along the Unnamed Alley(ph.) -- they call it the Unnamed Alley-- there's stones and
brush accumulation. And so I kind of gave a sheet of paper. I don't want to go too long,
but there is deterioration that we've noticed over the year.
The wash near Saguaro Drive has trash. There's trash in the shopping in the shopping
center area, all over on Technology Drive in the washes along-- we walk all through that
area, about two and a half miles, so it's not just in Target. It's all along that neighborhood
area.
The Target store has some people picking trash up,but they're trying to do a good job,
but it's above what they're doing. There's not enough trash barrels located there. There's
two or three clothing areas along for collection of shoes and clothing, and right along
those, there's just trash already accumulated. If you go there, you'd see it. And I'm sure a
lot of people don't notice it because they don't walk there, but it is getting worse.
Okay. There's homeless vehicles there. There was an overnight vehicle there. Today,
there is cars there with dogs in them, and they're staying overnight, and they're barking
when we walk by. This violates the property sign, and I don't know who manages that
property, but it's not just that property. It's areas around there too that that's happening.
The entrance to the-- that's the entrance to the sandwich shop. That's where the stop sign
is. Okay. I don't know if you know where the sandwich shop was or not, but that's where
it is. It's on that corner there. Okay. Throughout there -- and I already mentioned about
the street sweeper is not doing both sides of the street. And the gutters have an
accumulation of brush and leaves along Technology Drive and bushes.
MAYOR DICKEY: Thank you. We have a -- the red light went on, but the noise didn't
beep, so sorry.
BARTS: Oh, I'm so sorry.
MAYOR DICKEY: There's like a three-minute thing, so --
BARTS: Okay.
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MAYOR DICKEY: But we do have your written -- and I think we will definitely--
MANAGER MILLER: Mayor, if I can get from the resident -- if you could provide me
the written documentation that you were reading from, if that's okay, then I will have the
staff follow up on it.
MAYOR DICKEY: I think we have it. I think we have it.
MANAGER MILLER: Okay. I don't think I saw it.
BARTS: Yeah. Yeah. I do have it. Yeah.
MAYOR DICKEY: Thank you. Yeah.
MANAGER MILLER: Thank you.
BARTS: But in a nutshell, I just kind of told you the beginning of it. Okay.
MAYOR DICKEY: Yeah. Got it. Thank you.
BARTS: And I would appreciate your attention to that. Thank you very much.
MAYOR DICKEY: You bet. Thanks.
CLERK KLEIN: Next is Christine McGinn.
MCGINN: Good evening, Fountain Hills residents and registered voter, person presiding
officer, rather than adhering to the oath of office you swore to uphold: be dedicated to
the highest ideals of honor, ethics, and integrity in all public and personal relationships,
we shall conduct ourselves as to maintain public confidence in town government and in
the performance of the public trust. Instead, several of you are sending the message that
this is your new oath of office: we shall hide behind the guise of an executive session
and attorney-client privilege to sweep unethical and egregious behavior by a sitting
councilmember under the rug, not listen to the voters of this town.
Instead, we shall listen to business owners -- do not live here or vote here, not listen to
the advice of commissions appointed to serve us -- that would be irresponsible
behavior-- allow sitting councilmembers to implicate one another in unethical behavior
at a local business even when there is no reason to be there; pretend to be nomination
petition enforcement officers; continue to pretend we are all about residents first and
transparency even when evidence supports the contrary; continue to be complacent and
condone unethical behavior, particularly if an independent attorney finds one of us guilty
of multiple violations.
We agree to conspire together to protect our lives. In doing so, we accept and agree we
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are similarly in violation of the town ethics we were swore under oath to uphold. But we
must protect each other.
And finally, we will listen to baseless legal opinion that is contrary to case precedence at
the federal and state levels. We have lost confidence in many of you. Don't bother with
excuses or rebuttal because in the words of your brethren, frankly, it falls on deaf ears.
This isn't personal. It's demanding that you manage this town ethically and under the
oath you swore to uphold.
This means listening to the majority and having the balls to stand up for the residents.
Try listening independently instead of blindly following your ringleader. We need more
independent thinkers like Senator Sinema who votes in the interest of the people not party
lines or false bravado. Thank you.
CLERK KLEIN: Sheryl Stiles.
STILES: Good evening, Mayor and Town Council. Thank you for the opportunity to
speak tonight. I'm Cheryl Styles, and I am a homeowner over the El Lago Cavern Arroyo
602A school property. On February 23rd, an investment company presented to the
school district a proposal to bulldoze and raze Arroyo 602A and build 155 high-density
homes.
According to the board minutes, they will be coming to the Council to discuss with you
the best use of the arroyo. The homeowners would like you to know our position. The
homeowners have appeared twice before the school board recently with over 50
homeowners in attendance, and we have asked them not to sell the property but to
consider alternatives to not put the 155 homes which are in a V-shaped arroyo that have
an elevation change from the top of over 100 foot drop down to the bottom of Cavern
with slopes up and over 15 percent in some areas and over 25 percent in other areas. Our
homes are on this ridge. Homeowners of the ridge are greatly concerned over the
proposed development, resulting in the destabilization of our foundations and our
properties.
Fountain Hills, as you know, was founded in 1970. C.V. Wood was designed to -- was
hired to design Fountain Hills to preserve the beauty and the nature of our hills. Our
original town masterplan and declaration of reservations also supported the retention of
the beautiful nature contours of the land, our rolling hills, wide boulevards, and scenic
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vistas, as you know. How do I know this? I'm actually the second generation of my
family owning the same property over the arroyo.
The development battle has gone on between the town and homeowners '86, '87, '90, '95,
and now again. Prior proposals of 85 properties were dismissed, but now the proposal's
155 properties at the school. Let alone the cut and the fill which will destabilize our
existing homes and foundations and devastate, more importantly, the natural drainage of
the Sunflower Wash.
If you look at FEMA flood maps, that's actually a wash. It's very steep. It goes down,
goes across Cavern. When it rains, El Lago is a river, and so is going down the arroyo.
Now we're asking that -- we're concerned that the 155 properties of not-like size,
comparable nature to the existing neighborhood, let alone the cut and the fill problems,
will disturb the entire neighborhood.
We would like to stop battling and determine an acceptable solution. Let's not go a third
generation for this. Remember Arroyo 602A is Sunflower Wash. Cut and fill changes
change the typography of the land and drainage, and it puts at risk the existing homes on
the flood map. (Indiscernible)preserves the natural arroyo slope, do not destabilize our
homes, and put drainage, rainwater, and monsoon water in our homes. And we ask you
to guide the school district not to sell the property but to use it as parkland as was
originally shown on the plat maps that I have. Thank you very much. Thank you.
CLERK KLEIN: Marilou Russo.
RUSSO: Good evening, Madam Mayor, Town Council. It's quite the week. This
evening I come to the Council with the ask for help in the near future. Of recent, I and
my neighbors became aware of the FHSD wish to call in their rainy-day fund. Sell
Arroyo 602A El Lago, 203 Arroyo Vista Drive, 506C Aspen Arroyo. We are beginning
to gather.
I live by 602A, the property between El Lago and Cavern. I'm sure this topic is not new
to you so I'm not going to jump into details. We're going to have a lot of time together
I'm sure.
I feel the proposal to sell the properties belonging to the school district, which is
somewhere around 71 acres, will be placed on the next voting ballot. I also feel there's a
developer knocking on 602A Arroyo's door.
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I have lived in Fountain Hills for six years. We are a tight group, and we stand together.
I believe in our heart -- in my heart we will come together again. Daybreak sits on the
forefront of my mind.
I've recently learned the school board has the right to word the vote on the ballot as
needed to confuse the voter, obtaining the vote in their favor. The Fountain Hills School
District has the right to sell the land, using the land for sale for several uses to benefit the
students, use for school properties, or building new schools. However, several of the
items I saw on the school agenda is trying to -- for a Fountain Hills School District,
they're trying to resolve by selling this property. It's not a viable solution by sale.
The three vacant properties owned in the school district are currently zone school and
secondary zoning as a potential residential site. Currently it may be a reasonable
assumption the arroyo's maximum allowable residential density will be very difficult to
achieve. However, a slightly higher density, about 75 percent, may be possible. It's also
mentioned that there may be requests to rezone, allowing for a higher residential density.
I bring the above into play because repeatedly I hear Fountain Hills is different; we're
special, and we're unique. Our general plan supports we, the people, as written. Fountain
Hills community speaks as part of the community involvement process conducted at early
stages of planning process, community shared by values and aspirations summarized
herein.
At Fountain Hills, we celebrate our environment by living in harmony with our desert
setting. Under Arizona sun and dark, starry skies, our mountainous and urban
surroundings provide adventure and inspiration. We celebrate our culture by embracing
neighbors and traditions, both old and new, creating a welcoming, safe, enjoyable
community together. The knowledge and experience we share across generations from
varied backgrounds encourages invitation.
I can go on, but you all know our general plan, and anybody who wants to read up on it,
it's real easy to find. I'm going to save a lot of time. If we take all of this away with
greed, mass home building, and yes, destroying every beautiful piece of land left, we
won't have the beautiful town of Fountain Hills. I thank you for your time.
MAYOR DICKEY: Thank you.
CLERK KLEIN: Joshua Gridley.
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GRIDLEY: Hello. I apologize for not having a presentation nearly as good as theirs.
Happy almost Earth Day. And as I was pondering Earth Day, I naturally found myself
flipping through the Times archive of covers from 1923 on. I don't know why. But as I
did, I noticed a theme. Most of the pictures were of portraits of people. And then
somewhere around the '70s there was some kind of weird experiment that happened
where it was off the rails. And around this time, 1976 to be exact, there was a cover
that's been mummified apparently and been disputed as far as what was on the actual
cover as far as global warming versus nonglobal warming; global cooling versus
nonglobal cooling.
It doesn't really matter to me. I can't profess to be intelligent enough to understand any of
it. But I understand that, like, we've gone through the Build Back Better. We have the
Green New Deal, all these different things that are being proposed to help the children, to
help the generations after.
But coming back here after not being here for a long time, having grown up here, I just
notice the same thing. It's predominantly older people. No offense to the older people
but, like, running into my friends and stuff, like, all of them have moved out to other
towns in Arizona because they can't afford it here. It's so expensive, and it's unfortunate
that they're just building up these mass communities that are just kind of just -- I don't
know. They don't give anything to nature. They don't give to the youth. They don't
inspire in any way for me.
Like, being around the town and walking around the fountain, seeing the amazing path,
like, that wasn't there as a kid. And that is beautiful. Like, I love that path. I can walk
around it endlessly. The foliage of the plants and the succulents and the art work is
amazing. I love it. And I wish that more of that kind of creativity could go into our town
rather than just let's put up more houses, let's bulldoze more land, and let's do the same
kind of thing. I mean, we are a different, unique town that is very beautiful, and we have
a lot of great things that are going for it. And I think it would be a shame to just continue
to put up more houses as our solution to that. And that's about all I have to say. Thank
you for your time.
CLERK KLEIN: Liz Gildersleeve.
GILDERSLEEVE: Good evening. Liz Gildersleeve, Fountain Hills resident, registered
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voter. I am here tonight to discuss a troubling lack of transparency by this Council in a
couple of recent matters. The first pertains to Councilman Magazine's recent ethics
complaint where an independent attorney found that Mr. Magazine violated three codes
of ethics during his interaction with the owner of Pearl Nutrition in January.
It's worth noting that this is the second time that Mr. Magazine has been in violation of
the town's code of ethics. Last week we learned that the findings of the independent
attorney were discussed during an executive session, and a decision was made by the
Mayor and Council not to allow a public discussion at a Council meeting nor render any
consequences to Mr. Magazine for his behavior. As a result of this secrecy, social media
has exploded on these decisions across multiple platforms and numerous pages as the
perception is now that the Mayor and Council condone and in fact protect unethical
behavior.
The second recent matter where we have witnessed a lack of transparency was during the
April 5 Town Council meeting concerning the discussion to adopt the planning and
zoning recommended ordinance for group and sober homes. Several of you said, quite
vehemently, that adopting the reasonable ordinance suggested by P&Z would be
irresponsible due to the potential for lawsuits, which of course is debatable. But there
was much handwringing about the financial burden to the town.
Remarkably, soon after the April 5 Council meeting and quite by accident, we learned
during a budget open house that the town has a substantial legal defense coverage for
lawsuits and a deductible of only$10,000. Not one of you mentioned that. In a $10,000
deductible, that's a drop in the bucket to protect our town from greedy sober home
owners and detox special interest groups. This Council spends twice as much and more
on endless studies and customer satisfaction surveys.
And speaking surveys, a couple of months ago you commissioned an outside company to
conduct a 20,000 or so customer satisfaction survey. One of the big takeaways from that
survey was that residents believed there was a lack of transparency by their officials. A
couple of you had a hard time accepting that.
Tonight, I've given you a couple more examples to consider free of charge. This is what
lack of transparency looks like by elected officials. Thank you.
CLERK KLEIN: Chrystal Cavanaugh.
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CAVANAUGH: Obviously, we're on the same wave length, but it's worth repeating. I
live in Fountain Hills, and I too am a Fountain Hill registered voter. After the paid
citizen survey indicated that transparency needed improvement, some here acted
surprised and offended about that perception. However, lack of transparency was still on
full display as recently as the April 5th Council meeting.
The public heard many on this day state that the biggest barrier to passing the P&Z
ordinance as written were concerns about lawsuits resolving in a financial burden to the
people of Fountain Hills. Many in the public had spent a lot of time learning about the
issues, court case rulings in various areas of the country, and about the regulations
already allowed by our own state, including setting occupancy and commercial insurance
requirements. Some of us have the impression that you are ignoring extensive research
that has been provided to you over the past year as well as the attention to detail and the
professional resources used by our P&Z to develop this ordinance.
Two councilmembers were particularly dismissive. With one accusing residents of being
demanding, which made him chose to turn a deaf ear and go 180 degrees in the opposite
direction, while the other one unwisely minimized all other recommendations except
those from the town lawyer and staff by labeling the rest as outside opinions based on
irresponsible behavior.
Not one of you on April 5th even bothered to mention our liability policy. Imagine my
surprise when I learned the following day that we did have that $10,000 deductible and
then litigation was covered. Did you know about this minimal deductible? If not, why
not? The Town Manager certainly did. The attorney certainly did. And if you did, why
was this never stated on the record when lawsuits were mentioned?
I guarantee that an overwhelming number of people would authorize you to spend that
money in a heartbeat for the benefit and protection of the community. That's how badly
we the people want you to step up and lead the way in passing these solid, protective
regulations. You can continue to look for reasons not to pass this ordinance, but that is
not to our benefit.
Nothing in this ordinance is blatantly illegal, which is the only reason coverage could be
denied. It is fairly standard policy language according to the professionals I spoke with.
And those filing a lawsuit would first need to show why they need any accommodations
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other than what is allowed in the ordinance.
You don't seem to have nearly as much concerns about spending money on studies,
unwanted parks, roundabout designs, do-overs of mismanaged projects, potential lawsuits
from developers, or the lack of fiscal monitoring of some of our contractual services.
You are well aware that there is overwhelming community support to pass this as written.
And since your number one concern of financial burden to the citizens has now been
discredited, I assume you will have no further concerns preventing you from passing this
ordinance on May 3rd. Make sure there are qualified litigation attorneys available to us.
You can lead the way. And remember, big egos lead to bad decisions. Thank you.
CLERK KLEIN: Lori Troller.
TROLLER: Good evening. Good evening, Madam Mayor, and Council. This is a tough
topic. I'm going to switch everything up on you. Let's see. I didn't realize there was a
race going on in town, but there's one going on right now, and it's between AT&T and
Verizon. They're putting up 5G towers and antennas faster than the sun rises each
morning. And that's literally. There's lots of information on the web about this. And my
concern is about how many hours it takes before being in the vicinity of the microwaves
before it causes fatigue, irritability, warm feeling in the body, difficulty sleeping, nose
bleeds, balance problems, increased ringing in the ears, skin problems, concentration
problems, inspire-- or impaired short-term memory, confusion, heart and lung problems.
You know when you go to a concert and you feel all that music on your clothes and your
skin. That's exactly what microwaves are, but they do it a very micro level. And it's
extremely violent to your body. This constant shaking over time is what causes -- it
causes constant stress and eventually disease.
The information's on the internet. But how ironic it is to use a service that's making you
ill to understand how to be well. But I can present a lot of the information, but I can't
understand it for you. You're going to have to do the research.
So 5G, here's what it's going to do for you. The bandwidth and the speed you need to
race a Tesla down Fountain Hills Boulevard at 100 miles an hour and know that your
brakes are going to come on in a millisecond when that javelina runs across the road,
that's what 5G is doing for you. You can do that. You can also fly thousands of drones
over your head in formation all with that anti-collision going on, no problem. And you
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can build a huge factory with the big robotic arms and build cars and have millimeter
accuracy. I don't see any of us doing any of that.
So from my home, there's major software development done for Apple corporate. My
need for high-speed interne probably outweighs the average resident in Fountain Hills.
And I'll tell you on my Apple team of 12 people, my service is faster and more reliable
than anybody else. And these are people sitting in corporate. Well, not in corporate, in
Cupertino. So I'm just saying that my service is reliable, fast, capable, and more
adequate. So I'm not seeing the need for it.
5G microwaves, they alter every living thing in its vicinity. For AT&T and Verizon to
have full coverage in Fountain Hills, it going to take upwards of 106,000 towers and
antennas. 106,000 just in our community. It's like every 3 to 500 feet, which means
they're going to have to go on residential property.
So the schools have already sold out. There's now two very large 5G towers on the
lighting poles for the high school football field, and there's four today across the street
from the middle school. And those are literally 200 feet higher, over the heads of little
preschool kids. And just a mind -- point out, little kids -- they're more effective because
their skull's not as thick.
CLERK KLEIN: Oh, sorry the beep didn't go again.
TROLLER: Okay. One more sentence? So what I'm here is -- why I'm here is that I'm
requesting a permit to halt a-- I'm requesting a permitting halt be placed on the right of
way for tower and antenna installations until a study's made. Sorry guys, but that's it.
Thanks.
MAYOR DICKEY: And I would just mention --because a lot of things that are on the
agenda. Obviously we sit here, and we don't -- we can't respond. But either at the end of
the meeting or I think we're taking note on things that we can, I'll check into, so.
TROLLER: Yeah.
MAYOR DICKEY: And we have your name and stuff, so we can do that.
TROLLER: Awesome.
MAYOR DICKEY: Thank you.
TROLLER: Thank you.
CLERK KLEIN: Ed Stizza.
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STIZZA: Good evening. Madam Mayor, Council, staff I've got a bunch of notes as
usual. I'm sorry I dressed up for the occasion. I had to rush here.
So you're going to hear a lot of problems tonight. Boy, oh boy. And I'm sure looking
forward to somebody waking up and really doing something about it for real. It's about
time, and I hope you certainly get Mr. Shay's (ph.) project. I hope the lawyers work that
out, and that's going to go forward, hopefully.
So there's a couple things that have been going on. Lori, the previous speaker,just talked
about the 5G situation. I am running around town all the time. If any of you have not
seen what's happening, you need to wake up. And it is happening so fast. It's happening
faster than any construction project that I've ever seen, except blowing up Adero Canyon.
So that's the only one that's going faster. So it's time to do something about it. There's
ordinances being written all across the country, and it's very important.
The first instance that I've seen was the two towers being basically enclosed with the
radars over-- or with the transmission towers over at the high school. I was shocked.
And I went to the school board meeting to ask who was responsible for that. And they
asked me where the towers were. And I was like, you've got to be kidding me. So step
outside the building at the school board meeting and take a look. They're right outside
your door.
So at the last meeting, I said everybody's got to take some accountability here. Is
anybody-- I mean seriously, whether you've done something wrong, whether you've said
something stupid, whether you're trying to move something forward and it's not working.
I mean, there's got to be some accountability. Everybody's got to start working together.
We are losing what we are all here for. And that is a fact.
So we can sugarcoat it. We can make it all nice and dandy, but the reality of it is,
Fountain Hills is going away fast. And unless you guys all step up for the rest of your
term, it's going to be gone. You're not even going to have to worry about staying here.
So all this property that's getting decimated, you laughed at me when I said we should rob
that property or we should have found a way to buy that property where there's a car
storage unit going. Tell me where the next park's going to be in that five acres in the
middle of Desert Canyon. So where's the next one going to be? We don't have any land
left. How are you going to fix that? So I suggest everybody get on that. So the
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responsibility is on your guys' shoulders.
And the dismantling that happened with the ordinance that was presented to you was
appalling. And you guys did it publicly. If you would have done it behind closed doors
and kept it in the executive session, maybe we wouldn't all feel so bad. But you did it
publicly. And that showed that's where it all turned. You no longer-- you're not trying
to protect the residents. I mean, it's clear. It's clear. So why is that?
MAYOR DICKEY: I think, Ed, sorry the--
STIZZA: Oh.
MAYOR DICKEY: I don't know. It's just not working.
STIZZA: Oh, it didn't go off?
MAYOR DICKEY: Sorry, thank you.
STIZZA: Okay. Thank you, guys.
CLERK KLEIN: Wendy Williams.
WILLIAMS: Good evening, Madam Mayor and Councilmembers. I just moved -- oh,
my name is Wendy Williams, and I reside here in Fountain Hills, and I'm a registered
voter. I just moved here a year ago from Wisconsin. And I happened to see on the
Facebook for Fountain Hills that there's concern regarding development of the compact
houses, 150 or more possibly. And I just wanted to let you know that I like birds and
lizards and snakes and bats and flowers and bunnies and all the wonderful things that
nature can give us here, living in a desert climate.
I love Fountain Hills. I feel safe here. The air is clean. The traffic is very little. And I'm
concerned that perhaps if this were to go through and become developed land with lots of
homes, that our traffic will get heavier, that we'll have more stoplights, that the air
pollution is going to get worse, like Scottsdale.
And also I'm concerned about the water tables and how that's being addressed or
investigated. I know that the Colorado River has been down for the last few years. They
haven't received as much water. And let's not destroy the Fountain Hills environment and
our lovely, free way of living here.
One last thing, Stephen Hawking said that we are going to destroy the Earth, and I don't
want to destroy Fountain Hills through greed and stupidity. Just something to think
about. Thank you.
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MAYOR DICKEY: Thank you very much, everyone. Next we have our consent -- did
anybody want to say anything about any of the items that we're allowed to? We can't, so.
All right, consent agenda. Unless you want to remove anything, can I get a motion?
COUNCILMEMBER GRZYBOWSKI: Move to approve.
COUNCILMEMBER MAGAZINE: Second.
MAYOR DICKEY: Thank you. All in favor, please say aye.
IN UNISON: Aye.
MAYOR DICKEY: Aye. We'll move onto our regular agenda. Our first item is
appointments to our commissions. So I just want to remind everyone what we do here.
We have six council, Three on each subcommittee. They take the different commissions,
and then the year-- the next year they switch. And then they do the interviewing. Then
they send the recommendations to us today. So that's what you're going to hear. I think
I'm going to read -- I'll read when the terms expires because we have a little bit of an
anomaly that I have to ask about to be in the motion.
So first we have our Community Services Advisory Commission. And the committees
recommended Ron Ruppert and Natalie Varela. And both of their terms expire 4/30/25.
For the McDowell Mountain Preservation Commission, we have-- this is the one. So we
have one recommended person, Sherry Irwin.
Now, Sherry is fulfilling only a few months left, and then the other term would go to
October 31 st, 2025. So please consider making that motion-- or maybe me stating it now
is enough -- so that her term would actually go to October of'25. Planning and zoning,
we have the recommended names Dan Kovacevic, Clayton Corey, Susan Dempster, and
Patrick Dapaah. And for Sister Cities, Marlene Fahrenach.
Oh I'm sorry, Dan, Clayton and Susan go until April 30th of'25. And Patrick to April
30th of'23. Marlene for Sister Cities goes to October 31 st, '23. And then for SPAC,
Strategic Planning, Patrick Garman, Bernie Hale, and -- Hoenle, sorry, and Kevin Beck.
And all of those terms go through April 30th, 2025.
Thank you, all of you, who were on those subcommittees and did the interviews. Can I
just ask for a motion that states what I just said?
VICE MAYOR FRIEDEL: Move to appoint to the various boards and commissions as
stated by the mayor.
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COUNCILMEMBER MAGAZINE: Second
MAYOR DICKEY: Thank you. Thank you. All those in favor, please say aye.
IN UNISON: Aye.
MAYOR DICKEY: Aye. And thank you, everyone who applied and everyone who's
appointed. And we really appreciate your work. And again, volunteers rule the day.
Next we are talking about -- I think the green shirts here are master trail plan for Fountain
Hills. Who's --
MANAGER MILLER: Rachael Goodwin, the Community Services Director will be
giving a brief staff report on this.
MAYOR DICKEY: Rachael and some guy that --
GOODWIN: (Indiscernible) on this. It's not necessary.
COUNCILMEMBER MAGAZINE: I think we have a councilmember who should
recuse herself
COUNCILMEMBER GRZYBOWSKI: There's no income generated.
MAYOR DICKEY: Nope, we're all volunteers. Thank you.
GOODWIN: All right.
MAYOR DICKEY: Rachael.
GOODWIN: Mayor and Council, I'm actually here tonight with our MMPC Chair, Scott
Grzybowski. He's actually going to be leading the conversation regarding the Preserve
Trail Master Plan. I'd like to take a second just to thank all of our commissioners. We
have a number of commissioners and a number of trailblazers here this evening, to be
part of this presentation. I know a lot of work and a lot of background has gone into this
effort. With that, I'm going to turn it over to Chair Grzybowski.
MMPC CHAIRMAN GRZYBOWSKI: All right, good evening. Good evening. It's a
special occasion today. I actually have long pants and shoes. So those that know me, it
was a very special occasion today. We have a few quick slides just to give you a set up,
kind of set the background of what we tried to do with the Trail Master Plan. And with
that, I'll go to the first slide.
As a reminder, the guiding principles of the MMPC, McDowell Mountain Preservation
Commission, are these, right? We want to maintain the natural beauty of the preserve.
We want to minimize human impact within the preserve, including, nonessential facilities
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within the preserve, commercialization in the preserve, prioritization of conservation over
development. And then finally, we have to provide public access to and within the
preserve that encourages a positive and safe experience. That's been the guiding
principles since it was established in 1997. So with the Trail Master Plan that's in front
of you today-- hopefully you've had some time to review it -- I want to hit a couple of
highlights.
Number one would be that this is consistent with the 2004 Trail Master Plan from our
predecessors. It is also consistent with the Parks and Recreation Master Plan that
recently has been done. Thirdly, we collaborate with the Sonoran Conservancy of
Fountain Hills. Sadly, that actual input was not provided as an addendum. But trust us, it
was a very well thought-out collaboration from the Sonoran Conservancy, right.
And with that Trail Master Plan, we're identifying trails for future growth. I think that's
important to state that with the master plan, we're looking out ten years or more in the
future. What we're saying in the master plan is that that's it. That should be it for
everything we see in the McDowell Mountain Preservation Commission, in that preserve,
I should say.
And then finally, I think one of the most important points here is that we're creating a
detailed vetting process for all the trails of the future, right. So every trail that is listed as
a potential future has to go through the vetting process and brought forward to you as a
council in the future. But I think it was very important to have that all established in
writing in that master plan.
So we, the Mountain Preservation Commission, ask for your approval of the plan. And
with that, I'll take questions.
MAYOR DICKEY: Thank you.
Any questions? I want to mention that -- so you said the Commission and staff are both
recommending approval, correct?
CHAIRMAN GRZYBOWSKI: Correct.
MAYOR DICKEY: All right. Well, if there are no questions, the motion's on page 35.
Oh, we have a bunch of--
CLERK KLEIN: Yes.
MAYOR DICKEY: I'm sorry. We have a bunch of people that are in favor of it, right?
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CLERK KLEIN: Yes, I did want to add, we had nine written comments come in in
support on the online version. And then we also received ten more comments of support
tonight from individuals. So all together, we've got 19 people in support of this.
MAYOR DICKEY: Thank you. All right, go ahead.
VICE MAYOR FRIEDEL: First I'd just like to say, thanks for all the hard work you
guys do. We really appreciate it. And I know a lot of the -- as witnessed, a lot of the
residents in the town appreciate it as well. So with that, I'd like to move to approve the
Master Trail Plan for Fountain Hills McDowell Mountain Preserve.
COUNCILMEMBER GRZYBOWSKI: Second.
MAYOR DICKEY: Thank you. All those in favor, please say aye.
IN UNISON: Aye.
MAYOR DICKEY: Aye. Thanks so much. And I'll put the next --
COUNCILMEMBER GRZYBOWSKI: Chair Grzybowski, don't you have one more
slide there that you wanted to show?
CHAIRMAN GRZYBOWSKI: Oh. This is very important.
COUNCILMEMBER GRZYBOWSKI: Thank you. I'm looking at it.
CHAIRMAN GRZYBOWSKI : Thank you. Right, okay. Hold on. All right. So yeah,
with that I wanted to point out, like-- so first of all, you may wonder how our trails
actually developed and built here in Fountain Hills -- as soon as I get the mouse down
here. Hold on.
MAYOR DICKEY: It's not magic, huh?
CHAIRMAN GRZYBOWSKI: Yeah, it is not -- well anyway, you get the point. It's not
magic, right. So this is important. If you notice here -- so Bill's going to be up next
speaking. What we've learned with Bill, working with him -- I'm a journeyman on this
trail-building process. We've learned that Bill, when he sees a rock, his first thing is, ooh,
I like that rock. We should move it, right.
So what we see here is that this is myself and Nate here. And then there's that rock. And
this is also Jim here helping us. And that rock is now no longer there and has moved
here. And that was done manually, as you see here, right? They like me because I'm the
rock mover. I tend to help move rocks. It's all done manually here in Fountain Hills. So
thank you, Jerry. It is very much appreciated that we do this all by hand. So thank you.
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MAYOR DICKEY: Thank you, Council.
GOODWIN: Somebody's got to keep him straight.
MAYOR DICKEY: So Rachael, are you up for this next one too?
GOODWIN: Briefly, I'm going to hand the baton to yet another one of our MMPC
members, Bill Craig. So Bill, if you'll join us. As part of the master plan that was just
adopted, there are four outlined trails, one of which is noted as the North Leg Trail,
which is what Bill is going to speak on tonight. Bill's been -- how long have you been on
the MMCP?
CRAIG: Forever.
GOODWIN: I was going to say. He's been around a while. He's our primary trail
builder and designer.
CRAIG: About ten years.
GOODWIN: I was going to say. So Bill knows all there is to know about the trails and
why this is the next proposed trial for the preserve. So with that.
CRAIG: Thank you.
GOODWIN: Thank you.
MMPC COMMISSIONER CRAIG: Good evening. Bill Craig. As mentioned, I'm an
appointed member of Council, appointed member of the Commission. I'm on the board
of the Conservancy. Resident for at least a dozen years. I was appointed lead of the
Trailblazers from the Conservancy and approved by the town also, thanks to work with
Rachael and Kevin and Ken Valverde. I'd like to start with showing where this is that --
the trail is that we are talking about, and then I'm going to talk a little bit about the impact
of the trail and then make a request.
The green is the preserve. To the left is McDowell Mountain -- or is Scottsdale. To the
top of that is McDowell Mountain Park. This is Shadow Canyon here. Right over in this
area is where Adero Resort is. And in the middle, if I can stop shaking, is the trailhead.
The red line here is the proposed new north leg. We have the south leg and the north leg
of the preserve, and you can see why we call it that.
Further, orientation-wise, this gives Google Earth view of what the trail is. Right in here
is the trailhead. This is the Promenade or the Jeep road that you see from town. Over
here is the start of the Ridgeline Trail, with this being the south leg. And this ridge being
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the north leg of the preserve.
Shown more from west looking east,. this is Shadow Canyon development. The light
lime green line that you see is the border of the preserve. All of the land in there is town-
owned land, part of the preserve.
Okay, help me in backing up. Let's see.
[CROSS TALK]
MMPC COMMISSIONER CRAIG: Impact. And maybe it's better I show from here.
The trail will make an impact on two areas of neighborhoods. This is Eagles Nest. This
being what is termed parcel two, undeveloped. These are all lots. Six lots here going
from street level up to the boundary of Eagles Nest and the preserve. Point out relative to
the impact of this, the elevation change from this area, which is the beginning to the top
of that lot, is 100 feet, ten stories. The similar type thing with this lot is 280 feet.
The reason I'm pointing that out is the relative closeness of the red, the North Leg Trail,
to these properties. But I'd like to point out that the development envelope, the part
which the town approves for housing to be built is, on almost all of these, down very
close to the street level. Looking almost due east, this once again was what I just pointed
out.
Now we look at the closeness to the other neighborhood here, Shadow Canyon. The
closest point from the proposed trail down to the boundary is 550 feet. The distance to
the first home in Shadow Canyon is 650 feet.
One other thing to point out, at the end of this trail, there is a knob -- as you can see, there
are a number of knobs relative to this range, this ridge. What I have done in the design of
this trail is go to the saddle before that knob. Because the other side looks almost directly
down onto homes down below. I'm trying to say we're trying to be considerate, at the
same time utilize the land which belongs to us and can be very readily enjoyed.
Why do we want this trail? The land is there. It is a beautiful area. The hills part of
Fountain Hills provides quite a variety in the valleys and hills that you see throughout our
town. And each one of them is unique. And there are areas of this which are unique to
the other areas of the preserve, not only the rock structure but the plants that are there.
Consideration of animal life. We looked at that in terms of are we making a negative
impact on the wildlife? Made contact with Scottsdale who has been at this longer than
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we have and has done more in the way of surveying, contacted McDowell Mountain
Preserve, contacted Game and Fish, and all of them indicate that with what development
there is already, and not only development neighborhoods but the trails in the preserve,
we are not making any further negative impact on the wildlife and the use they make of
the area.
We have an area which draws people to Fountain Hills. This beautiful little part of
Fountain Hills has a health--both physical and mental health aspect to it: the exercise
which is provided, the solitude which is provided. There are many studies -- and I could
show you these or provide these, which do indicate all the positive benefits, not only to
individuals but to the community. This area draws people tour community.
The Conservancy has also a host program in addition to the Trailblazer program. They
have volunteers also, which provide information to people coming up to the preserve at
the kiosk, Friday, Saturdays, and Sundays. And the reason I'm putting this out other than
to give them a little positive also, is the comments that they pass along to my
Trailblazers, all positive. They tend to indicate that we have some of the best maintained,
most beautiful trails that there are in the area.
Let me end by saying our town has a very good reputation for having safe, scenic, well-
maintained trails. The recent town survey indicates that having trails is one of the main
amenities desired in our town. This trail will be a very nice addition to the recreation that
draws people to our town. I ask for your approval to build this trail. If I can answer any
questions, I would be glad to try to.
MAYOR DICKEY: Thank you.
Questions? Comments?
COUNCILMEMBER MAGAZINE: No,just a comment. When I brought to the
attention of the Council several weeks ago, the idea of health and wellness as a key
aspect of Fountain Hills, an individual shared this with me. It's called the Economic
Value of Trails in Arizona. Technical report done by the University of Arizona
Cooperative Extension. Are you familiar with this?
MMPC COMMISSIONER CRAIG: Not that one in specific, no.
COUNCILMEMBER MAGAZINE: Well, all you have to do is take a look through this,
and you're absolutely convinced of the total positive impact of trails on our town. So I'd
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just mention this to you.
MMPC COMMISSIONER CRAIG: Thank you. I might.
MAYOR DICKEY: Councilman?
COUNCILMEMBER SCHARNOW: Yes, thank you, Madam Mayor.
Bill, I don't know if you can go back to your first or second slide showing the -- yeah.
We just passed, obviously, the master plan. You don't have a map showing all five
additional trails you guys want to put in, do you? I'm just --
MMPC COMMISSIONER CRAIG: No.
COUNCILMEMBER SCHARNOW: -- relatively --
MMPC COMMISSIONER CRAIG: I don't. I will say that one is potentially in this area.
COUNCILMEMBER SCHARNOW: Uh-huh.
MMPC COMMISSIONER CRAIG: One is in this area, right in here. One is a potential
loop back from the end of this down over to the trailhead. And the final one is a potential
coordination with Scottsdale to go over the twin peaks that are up there and meet up with
the Courts Trail (ph.) of Scottsdale. All of the others have not been vetted --
COUNCILMEMBER SCHARNOW: Uh-huh.
MMPC COMMISSIONER CRAIG: -- yet by the Commission or looked at, at the
Conservancy level. This is the only-- the north leg is the only one which has been
thoroughly vetted.
UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Well, I know when Scott was up there, so he mentioned
ten years, so kind of the vision is to do the rest of these within the next ten years; is that
my understanding of-- Uh-huh.
MMPC COMMISSIONER CRAIG: We would like to propose those over time.
COUNCILMEMBER SCHARNOW: Urn-hum. I know when-- I guess it was a year
ago when we were interviewing for different commissioners, and I think -- I don't know
which commission, but there were several individuals that were, you know, active hikers,
and they were talking about our trailhead and the parking lot, and obviously during the
busy, nice winter months, the parking capacity had been exceeded, and it was just
causing issues up there. And I note at the end of the master plan here, it said additional
entry point to preserve maybe desirable.
I guess, I'm just wondering about capacity of us being able to handle all this going
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forward and if this is enough or -- I mean, I know these are desired in terms of, like you
said, the rock outcroppings and the vegetation and the views, and I get all that. I'm just
wondering about our-- would we limit visitors at some point if parking's an issue and
not -- maybe this is a question more for Rachael, but I guess I'm just kind of concerned
about that it's going to be so popular that we won't be able to accommodate --
MMPC COMMISSIONER CRAIG: One thing-- I'm sorry.
COUNCILMEMBER SCHARNOW: Yeah.
MMPC COMMISSIONER CRAIG: One thing I can point out is we have looked at that
also. We looked at it five years ago and made suggestions at that point for extending the
parking. Monetarily, it wasn't possible.
Right now, the times at which there is parking difficulties, Saturday morning, Sunday
morning. And we figured it was something like nine percent --
COUNCILMEMBER SCHARNOW: Less than ten.
MMPC COMMISSIONER CRAIG: Less than ten percent of the time, the total use time
of the preserve, that there are parking problems. And with the allowance of parking on
the downside of the Eagle Ridge Road, right now, that is what is going to continue to
help in terms of the parking.
COUNCILMEMBER SCHARNOW: Uh-huh. I guess just long term, that was my
concern in terms of how much of this will be needed in terms of how much it will be used
and versus too much, and that type of thing. I mean, I've always been a big proponent of
looking at some of the major washes in town that already have trails and utilities in them
and in doing something connection-wise in that manner, but seems like it always gets
shot down for one reason or another.
So I'm not opposed to this at all, I'm just kind of-- it's kind of like how much is too much
kind of a thing, but I mean I trust you guys, and you obviously know what you're doing,
and I just wanted to bring that up as far as my perception of it.
CRAIG: That will be part of the vetting process when we look at the other potential
trails, very definitely, because we understand that concern.
COUNCILMEMBER SCHARNOW: Yeah, I mean, because I've been out here forever,
of course, as has the Mayor, but Roy Kinsey obviously was the heart and soul of getting
this created and getting the trailhead in and all that kind of stuff, and I obviously can't
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speak for what his vision was, I mean, I would assume he would be all in favor of this. I
just don't want the preserve -- a preserve to be overrun. That's the only thing, so.
CRAIG: Well, one small thing with this, overrun in terms of parking, yes, that's concern.
With this new trail, it allows us to sort of diffuse people so that they're not all using the
same trail. That was another thought in doing this.
COUNCILMEMBER SCHARNOW: Yeah. Yeah. I get that. But I would imagine
some trails are more popular than others --
MMPC COMMISSIONER CRAIG: Yes.
COUNCILMEMBER SCHARNOW: -- and more heavily used, and that kind of thing.
Some are longer so you're going to get more experienced folks doing those and that kind
of thing, so.
MMPC COMMISSIONER CRAIG: Well, one of the reasons for this also is the hosts for
new people coming to the trailhead often suggest the Town Overlook Trail, a half mile
trail that is easier to start with. This will be a half mile down the Promenade and then
three-quarters plus mile back. I see it as a step up for people instead of necessarily
having to go six miles or so down the longer trails.
MAYOR DICKEY: Councilwoman?
COUNCILMEMBER MCMAHON: Thank you. Thank you both for your presentation.
I second Mike's concerns. I have concerns about overbuilding the preserve so that it's
almost no longer a preserve. It looks to me like the only access is through the Adero
Canyon parking lot up there, the small one.
MMPC COMMISSIONER CRAIG: There are two other accesses.
COUNCILMEMBER MCMAHON: Okay.
MMPC COMMISSIONER CRAIG: Through the Andrews/Kinsey Trail --
COUNCILMEMBER MCMAHON: Um-hum.
MMPC COMMISSIONER CRAIG: -- which goes over and joins with the Sunrise Trail
of--
COUNCILMEMBER MCMAHON: Um-hum.
MMPC COMMISSIONER CRAIG: -- Scottsdale. And bikers and hikers use that to
come in.
COUNCILMEMBER MCMAHON: Um-hum.
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MMPC COMMISSIONER CRAIG: And also, our second trailhead at the end of Golden
Eagle--
COUNCILMEMBER MCMAHON: Urn-hum.
MMPC COMMISSIONER CRAIG: -- Drive (sic), that was the only access we had
until --
COUNCILMEMBER MCMAHON: Urn-hum.
MMPC COMMISSIONER CRAIG: -- this was built, and we still have that coming in.
COUNCILMEMBER MCMAHON: Okay. I guess my concern also is the negative
impact on the environment. I mean, if all these things get approved -- I know we don't
have a crystal ball. We don't know what's going to be approved. I'm concerned about the
traffic. And as this town grows and there's more and more traffic up there with all those
homes being built, I'm just concerned that there's going to be enough traffic. And like I
understand with Camelback Mountain, they reached a saturation point where they're not
even adding any trails, but yet it still remembers to be a-- still remains to be a popular
hiker's destination.
So are you guys just looking at this area for additional trails, or are you looking at other
places as well? Is the concentration just here?
MMPC COMMISSIONER CRAIG: Right now, we're talking as part of the Commission.
COUNCILMEMBER MCMAHON Okay.
MMPC COMMISSIONER CRAIG: The Commission only deals with the preserve.
COUNCILMEMBER MCMAHON: Okay.
MMPC COMMISSIONER CRAIG: Other trails --
COUNCILMEMBER MCMAHON: Right.
MMPC COMMISSIONER CRAIG: -- have been talked about and suggested to --
COUNCILMEMBER MCMAHON: Right. We have --
MMPC COMMISSIONER CRAIG: -- the Town. We've talked about an addition to the
Lake Overlook Trail.
COUNCILMEMBER MCMAHON: Um-hum.
MMPC COMMISSIONER CRAIG: We've talked about using the washes.
COUNCILMEMBER MCMAHON: Right.
MMPC COMMISSIONER CRAIG: We've talked about using some of the town-owned
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areas to connect the present --
COUNCILMEMBER MCMAHON: Um-hum.
MMPC COMMISSIONER CRAIG: -- FIT trails on the sidewalks to make connections
with those.
COUNCILMEMBER MCMAHON: Right. Yeah. We have discussed that. I know that.
I'm just concerned about the eventual impact that it might have, but maybe you guys see
that more than we do from sitting here, so.
MMPC COMMISSIONER CRAIG: The only other thing I would mention-- maybe
Scott has something else, but in the original 204 master plan, the concept of a preserve
was not mentioned as preserve the land -- pristine land as it is --
COUNCILMEMBER MCMAHON: Um-hum.
MMPC COMMISSIONER CRAIG: -- but preserve it for use --
COUNCILMEMBER MCMAHON: Urn-hum.
MMPC COMMISSIONER CRAIG: -- of the community.
COUNCILMEMBER MCMAHON: Okay. And do --
CHAIRMAN GRZYBOWSKI: And I just want to add one thing about --
COUNCILMEMBER MCMAHON: Um-hum.
CHAIRMAN GRZYBOWSKI: -- densities. If you think about -- so an acre has 43,560
feet, right? A mile has 5,280 feet. Our trails are about two feet wide. So a mile of our
trail is about 10,000 square feet, right? And we have 820 acres in our preserve. I can't do
that math on the fly, but 820 acres times 43,560, right? Our trails end up being-- we
have about nine miles of trails now, so we may have 20,000 square feet out of a lot,
right? So right. So I'm just saying from a density perspective, it's not that dense, right.
We only have nine. This north leg will add about --he said three-quarter mile, right, so
that may be ten total miles of trails. So it's not that dense.
COUNCILMEMBER MCMAHON: Thank you.
MAYOR DICKEY: You can go to that Mathnasium place any time you want.
So I think we had some cards, but it's the same, right? Do we have any speaker cards
too?
CLERK KLEIN: Yes. Bill Myers.
MAYOR DICKEY: Okay. The other Bill.
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MYERS: Thank you very much. This is my hat. I'll leave that there.
My name is Bill Meyers. I have been on the McDowell Mountain Preservation
Commission for a number of years. I'm not on it now. I had been on the Board for the
Sonoran Conservancy of Fountain Hills. I know the trails fairly well. I know a lot of the
people that were actually suggesting these changes. I am 1,000 percent in favor of both
of these changes, the ten-year plan and Bill's plan.
Just a brief idea about our preserve, our preserve inside of our town is about 1,000 acres.
It's a good chunk of ground. Our town's only 14,000 acres, so it's one-fourteenth of our
whole town.
To get a sense of how big that thing is, I compare it to our Fountain Park. Fountain
Park's about 45 acres; is that right? 45 acres, give or take. So if you put 22 of those
together, that's how big our preserve is. It's a big chunk of ground,just huge, about 1,000
acres inside of our town. I'm in support of this, and I've got five reasons. I'll get through
as many as I can before I get redded out.
One, as Council Magazine indicated, their ASU made 122-page study, and the title of it
was The Economic Benefit of Trails in Arizona. And I read that whole thing. It takes a
year to read the thing, but our town fits very well inside of that economic engine that they
talk about.
Two, our preserve, it has good geomorphological features. That's the biggest word I
know, incidentally. Most of my words are just one or two syllables. What that means is
it has a lot of hills and peaks and valleys and things like that, which is very good for
building trails in. If we had -- our preserve is about one-and-a-half square miles. If we
had one-and-a-half square miles in Kansas or Nebraska, somewhere where it's flat, you'd
build one trail right down the middle, and you'd be done. Our preserve is conducive to a
lot of trails. Good. No red light yet.
Three, we have nine miles of trails up there, and if you go out in front of this building on
the north side, you can see maybe one. And that was a trail, it was actually a car trail,
built maybe 30, 35 years ago.
The rest of the nine miles of trails you can't see very easily. Part of it is because you're
looking up. Here's our town. Here's the trails. You're looking up so you can't see that
two foot of trail, that kind of thing. Maybe you can see some hikers if you've got really
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good eyes and you have a lot close there, from here up or something like that. So even
the trails that are there and the proposed trails, which I've looked at, you're not going to
see much of
Fourth, there is no magic number about how many trails you ought to have for 1,000
acres.
Is that me? Oh, that's me. Oh, rats. Well anyway, there's no magic number.
I've talked to a whole bunch of rangers in our state and other folks.
And the last one, if I can get it in real quickly, is building our trails is cheap. These two
guys up here represent a whole bunch of people. They design, build, and maintain our
trails. The last trail we built was Andrews/Kinsey. We spent a grand total of nothing.
No. I think we got some shovels or something from the town. I'm not criticizing at all.
Scottsdale paid about, I think it was 110,000 for their part of the Andrews/Kinsey Trail.
So that's all. I have more, but any questions?
COUNCILMEMBER MAGAZINE: Bill, I should have given you credit for giving me
that report. He gave me a report and this thick file which I have -- which I shared with
our new economic development director, and I want to return it to you.
MYERS: Oh, all right.
MAYOR DICKEY: Of course.
COUNCILMEMBER SCHARNOW: Personally, I just want to say that I have been to
both trailheads, taken the Dixie Mine Trail all the way through to Adero. And I think
once you get that Scottsdale connector done, you'll see people come from the other side
and maybe park over there. So that might eliminate some of the parking concerns.
But the economic impact, quite frankly, we bring relatives and friends, and we go hike
Adero, and then we go to Adero and have breakfast. So I mean, there is a definite
impact, and I think it's good for the town, so.
MYERS: We used to live in another city here. We moved here. The other city was a
city west of here, I mean, Scottsdale. This is a better city than that.
One more comment to Mike Scharnow's comment about parking. Parking can be a
problem, but the solution's not to limit the trails. It's to get more parking.
J2 was the original architect on this. They had this park -- 50 parking lot we have now,
and in their original plan, they had 15 more parking spots or something up above. There
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is a great area up above that can handle another 50, but that's down the road. Thank you.
MAYOR DICKEY: Thank you. Councilwoman?
COUNCILMEMBER GRZYBOWSKI: A couple of things. First thing I wanted to
mention is when you are actually on the trail, you very rarely see other people on the
trail -- on other trails. In helping with the maintenance that I did the few times that I did
this fall, we were maintaining existing useful trails, and there were not that many people
that we had to pause and wait to pass us, so I don't feel like we're getting to the point
where we have to worry about too many trails. Also, I swear it looks way closer on the
little map here than they are actually when you're out there.
One more thing I wanted to bring up that I don't know that we expected, whoever's in
charge of the roadway up to the trail, no-parking signs suddenly appeared. So I feel like
when this was initiated, we were not expecting no-parking signs, and I'm under the
impression -- I've not talked to just anybody in the know about it, but I'm under the
impression that they kind of took it upon themselves to do it, and then maybe Rachael
followed up on the back end, but I know that that was a surprise to us.
COMMISSIONER CRAIG: I don't know anything about that. Good point. Thank you.
MAYOR DICKEY: Thank you.
COUNCILMEMBER SCHARNOW: Well, isn't that a town road leading up there? I'm
pretty sure --
DIRECTOR GOODWIN: No. I think all that was done by whoever the developers are.
That would be a Justin thing. Sorry, my bad. Not a Rachael thing. Sorry, Rachael. You
were just sitting there.
PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR WELDY: Madam Mayor, Councilmembers, Eagle
Ridge Drive north of the resort is dedicated to the town, so we own that. The no-parking
signs that are on Eagle Ridge Drive are part of the signing and striping plan for the
development. There is a reason for those no-parking signs. It's a bike lane.
So we have made an exceptions, due to the overflow, to allow for the outbound lower
section below the parking lot for on-street parking there because it is less likely that we
will have a conflict between cyclists and automobiles at that short section, but yes, all of
those towns (sic) were part of the original signing and striping plan and were installed as
part of the development.
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MAYOR DICKEY: Thank you.
DIRECTOR WELDY: You're welcome.
COUNCILMEMBER GRZYBOWSKI: The only other thing I want to know is if
Councilman Grzybowski moved any rocks, but --
COUNCILMEMBER GRZYBOWSKI: No. But I was the photographer when my
husband moved that rock, so.
MAYOR DICKEY: Thank you so much. I'm glad you mentioned the FIT because we
have urban trails, and we have walkability, and we just got the -- starting to use the $2
million grant to finish up our sidewalks around here. So with that, would anybody like to
please make the motion on 56?
VICE MAYOR FRIEDEL: Move to adopt Resolution 2022-10 approving the North Leg
Trail.
MAYOR DICKEY: Thank you.
COUNCILMEMBER GRZYBOWSKI: Second.
MAYOR DICKEY: Thanks. All in favor, please say aye.
IN UNISON: Aye.
MAYOR DICKEY: Aye. Any opposed? No. Thank you.
Next Rachael's going to talk to us about Four Peaks Park.
DIRECTOR GOODWIN: I am, maybe. Mayor and Council, we'll keep this one as short
and sweet as we can to keep moving this evening. Four Peaks Park, as you know, has
undergone a number-- a several-year overhaul. We are in year three of four.
So if you recall, the playground portion was opened in December of 2019. It seems
like -- it seems a lot longer ago, but it was. It was very exciting. You can see some of
our photos here.
Since these photos have been taken, you may remember that we've added a pretty large
shade structure over the playground to increase the -- to protect from the sun and allow
more usability. This is kind of an overview of what it looks like today. So all the play's
features are under those two green shade structures.
The next step to finish off this renovation is to add two picnic ramadas. There's currently
no shaded seating or picnic areas. This would complete the phase for this year. This will
be the last project, the park for this year, under this year's capital plan.
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The ramadas are designed to be ADA accessible. We have existing picnic tables and
trash receptacles that will be added under them. And again, this would be consistent with
our existing park standards where we generally have shaded areas near our playground
areas.
Too far. This is kind of a-- this is a sample of what the shade structures would look like.
The request tonight is the use of an existing contract with a budget amendment of
$65,000 to add these two shade structures. These two ramadas would be-- are already
allocated in our funding. We have the funding in our CIP. That's what it was allocated
for. We just need the authorization through the contract. The contract does cover both
fabrication and installation, and it would be expected to be completed before the end of
this fiscal year on June 31.
Any questions I can answer?
[CROSS TALK]
MAYOR DICKEY: Any other comments or questions about this? Any speaker cards?
No? Okay. Thank you. Anybody would like to make a motion, please?
COUNCILMEMBER MCMAHON: I move to approve the amendment to PlaySpace
Designs contract 2021-048-1 for the purchase and installation of two ramadas at Four
Peaks Park.
MAYOR DICKEY: Thank you.
COUNCILMEMBER GRZYBOWSKI: Second.
MAYOR DICKEY: Great. All in favor, please say aye.
IN UNISON: Aye.
MAYOR DICKEY: Any opposed?
Thanks, Rachael.
MAYOR DICKEY: Next, Grady, you're probably going to open this up (indiscernible)
Park Place?
MANAGER MILLER: Yes. I just want to let you know, this is an item that we have
seen before on the Council agenda. And Development Services Director John Wesley is
going to be providing a staff report and overview of the request that's before you.
DIRECTOR WESLEY: Oh, hold on. Oh no, I grabbed the wrong report. You don't
want to see that one again. Oh no, it seems I might not even have it up here. Grabbed the
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wrong on earlier when I was getting these off the --
DIRECTOR WESLEY: (Indiscernible) --
DIRECTOR WESLEY: No, it doesn't mean anything at all.
DIRECTOR WESLEY: (Indiscernible).
DIRECTOR WESLEY: Yeah, I think I -- unfortunately, I think I grabbed the wrong
report, so it's going to take me a minute. Yes, I'm sorry, Mayor. I have to go back here
and grab the right report. And with this funny mouse, it's not always easy. Okay.
[CROSS TALK]
DIRECTOR WESLEY: There we go. Now we got the right one. Okay. Sorry about
that little delay.
So yes, we are here again this evening to talk about amended site plan that we received
for the Park Place Development. Just again, briefly to put things in context, 2016, the
Council approved a development agreement and the overall master land use concept for
this development that would include five buildings, up to 420 dwelling units, and 43,000
square feet of commercial space.
Now, we're talking about Phases II and III, Phase II being the one at Avenue of the
Fountains and Saguaro, Phase III being over off of Verde River. First, we'll look at the
Phase II, get moving in a little closer to that particular location just east of the existing
building and to the -- and to the north of the hotel area.
So some of the changes on the site plan from what you've seen before, they now do have
commercial development facing the Avenue. And you'll see another look at that in a
couple of slides. There was previously a driveway coming in here to a parking lot.
They've narrowed that to just a pedestrian connection.
To replace some of the dwelling units lost here, they've added some in here. There was
parking here. There's now green space. Parking's been moved over here, so the alleyway
that brings -- the (indiscernible) that brings into the underground parking, then also
provides access to the -- to that parking lot. And does show 8,000 square feet of
commercial space that was discussed in the original concept as well as the parking for
that.
So that's a little closer view so you can see, then, those commercial spaces along the
Avenue. Again, direct access to those from the Avenue. The landscape plan for the
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development and then the elevations. This was starting at the Saguaro east end of the
property. The red line on here is the finished floor. The green line is the sidewalk. So
you can see how those compare.
And then, probably most importantly here again, you can see the shop fronts as we come
up with the stairs, either going up a little bit or down a little bit, by the access here at the
north end -- or the west end, excuse me. That's a little over three, almost four feet from
gray to the floor there. So less than what you see at Georgie's (phonetic) today. So very
comparable here in terms of the existing development and to the west of how these
commercial spaces and shop fronts would look and work in this particular phase. And so
here is a rendering of the colors, materials that are proposed for this building.
So it complies with the town center zoning as amended and stated in the DA. It's under
the maximum building height, provides 8,000 square feet of ground floor, nonresidential
and provides parking as required through the DA.
Any questions on this portion of the plan before I move to the next one? Okay.
Then the Phase III piece over here at Paul Nordin and Verde River includes the town
right-of-way and town-owned parcel to the south there. So this one hasn't changed,
except from what you've looked at recently. It has the U-shaped building with the center
amenity area. Parking surrounds the building. There's got covered parking. All the areas
with the Xs are the covered parking, and the New Town Parking Lot, and the Art Walk
area. And the parking's been provided for this consistent with what the DA would
require.
Landscape plan for the development and the building elevation, similar color palette
materials to those in the Phase II. And with this, we do have a prospective rendering
what that would look like.
So again, as complies with the DA, it's under the maximum building, meets the required
parking, provides Art Walk. As kind of, a follow-up item as this moves forward, you'd
see us come in with abandonment of the Paul Nordin right-of-way so that can be properly
used for the town parking lot and some of their parking.
Any question on this piece?
MAYOR DICKEY: I had some conversations with people with historical knowledge,
and they asked me about the footprint of Building B. Is that different than what they
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thought way back?
DIRECTOR WESLEY: So if we go back here to this very first slide, you'll see that there
is some slight difference in them, but it's comparable in size. So before, it was two L-
shaped buildings, and so they've been adjusted a little bit to be a U shape instead. It has
the same number of units in it though.
MAYOR DICKEY: Okay. Thank you. And then the -- well, so what's going to happen
now? Are we going to hear another presentation, or is this where we ask questions?
MANAGER MILLER: This is appropriate to ask questions.
And then, John, you've covered your complete staff report --
DIRECTOR WESLEY: Yes, that was my report.
MANAGER MILLER: -- so the applicant is also here tonight if there's questions of the
applicant.
MAYOR DICKEY: Okay. All right. Any questions?
COUNCILMEMBER MCMAHON: Yes, thank you.
John, I have a couple questions. The parking. At the end of the recommendation of the
agenda, it says that, "Amend the Development Agreement to not require 130 New Town
Parking Lot spaces." So what will be required, and are you confident that that would be
sufficient given where the phase is going to be, given that we have a community garden,
given we're going to have Dark Skies, we're going to have the Community Center, et
cetera, when all of those are open and busy? Are you pretty sure that parking's going to
be adequate for this particular phase?
DIRECTOR WESLEY: Mayor, Councilmember, I believe you're looking in the piece of
the staff report that was from the Planning and Zoning Commission, their
recommendation. So that stayed in there even though some things have changed just a
little bit.
COUNCILMEMBER MCMAHON: Um-hum. Um-hum.
DIRECTOR WESLEY: But at the time, the Planning Commission was primarily
concerned about making sure we maintained the Art Walk as original size.
COUNCILMEMBER MCMAHON: Um-hum.
DIRECTOR WESLEY: And not wanting to decrease that to provide any extra parking.
COUNCILMEMBER MCMAHON: Um-hum.
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DIRECTOR WESLEY: For this to meet that 130 spaces, they're suggesting that, either
amend the DA or find it someplace else to address that. As the Council's continued to
discuss that, I think the Council's maybe been a little bit more aware of what the needs
might be here. The fact that this site plan is showing as many parking spaces for the New
Town Parking Lot as it always has --
COUNCILMEMBER MCMAHON: Um-hum.
DIRECTOR WESLEY: -- the losses really come from the Phase I development that
ended up not being able to provide all the parking. And so whether you really need to
amend the development agreement or not would be up to the Council if we don't get up to
that 130 spaces.
But going back to the main point in your question, in terms of this development --
COUNCILMEMBER MCMAHON: Um-hum.
DIRECTOR WESLEY: -- for these apartments, yes, I believe there will be plenty of
parking. There will be some left over. How much depends upon how many people who
rent here have two cars --
COUNCILMEMBER MCMAHON: Um-hum.
DIRECTOR WESLEY: -- versus one.
COUNCILMEMBER MCMAHON: Okay.
DIRECTOR WESLEY: But there still should be, again, plenty for this development.
There should be some left over for other town needs. How much, again, it's hard to say.
COUNCILMEMBER MCMAHON: Okay. Thank you.
MAYOR DICKEY: John, do you know would the existing buildings be following in the
same color pattern and all -- like as what we're seeing right here? Would it look all the
same on Avenue of the Fountains?
DIRECTOR WESLEY: Mayor, that would be a good question for the applicant. I
believe so from what he's told us and has discussed doing. But it would be a good
question for him.
MAYOR DICKEY: Okay. Yeah, that'd be great. Thanks. Yeah, could I have, like,
maybe a couple of others, too. So yeah, the consistency or however the --
OKAMOTO: Right.
MAYOR DICKEY: --buildings would look?
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OKAMOTO: Yeah. Madam Mayor, thank you. Vice Mayor, and Councilmembers.
Yes, what we're going to do in connection with this is paint the Phase I and get rid of the
beautiful green that's there. So that's something we'd like to do -- or would like to make
it a very consistent look throughout so that this next phase will really be a continuation of
the phase with basically this sort of a color palette.
MAYOR DICKEY: So before the -- I think it was Building B -- they showed, like, a
kind of, a burgundy color.
OKAMOTO: Urn-hum.
MAYOR DICKEY: I like that color better than the orange. So --
OKAMOTO: Actually, it's supposed to be kind of the -- you know the color of the metal
right now? It's supposed to be --
MAYOR DICKEY: Yeah.
OKAMOTO: -- more like that. It just --
MAYOR DICKEY: Because that one looked a little bit more--
OKAMOTO: Yeah, it's richer.
MAYOR DICKEY: -- dark red-ish, rather than orange.
OKAMOTO: Yeah, it's more -- what we want to make it is more of kind of a desert
neutral type colors. So it's probably going to be a very similar color to that, which is
already--
MAYOR DICKEY: To the railing?
OKAMOTO: -- there. Yes.
MAYOR DICKEY: Okay. Because, I know --
OKAMOTO: That more rust color. Yeah.
MAYOR DICKEY: -- I'm dating myself, but this reminds of the Howard Johnson's.
[LAUGHTER]
OKAMOTO: Yeah, it was supposed to be changed, but you know --
MAYOR DICKEY: Okay, that's great. Then there were a couple of other things from
the original. So one had to do with Wi-Fi for Avenue of Fountains.
OKAMOTO: Urn-hum.
MAYOR DICKEY: Is that still something in the mix or--
OKAMOTO: Yeah, that's something in the mix that we're working with staff on. And
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well, I don't want to go in through all the details, but some of the details has to do with
CenturyLink --
MAYOR DICKEY: Okay.
OKAMOTO: -- who are refusing to respond after-- and we have the email trail of
literally years of trying to get them to respond on this, and their absolute refusal.
MAYOR DICKEY: Okay.
OKAMOTO: So yeah.
MAYOR DICKEY: Well, if everybody's on the same page with that, that's good, right?
OKAMOTO: Yeah.
MAYOR DICKEY: Then one of the other things had to do with the concrete. I know we
discussed this, but kind of the bare concrete and --
OKAMOTO: Exposed.
MAYOR DICKEY: Exposed, yeah. So would that --
OKAMOTO: Oh yeah, that would be painted as well.
MAYOR DICKEY: Yeah, we were either going to paint it or--
OKAMOTO: Yeah.
MAYOR DICKEY: -- because I think that was part of it or screen it? Was that actually
something different?
OKAMOTO: No, no. We'd actually like to paint that. And then also, there's certain
things so that we'd like to actually use some landscaping to screen --
MAYOR DICKEY: Yeah.
OKAMOTO: -- to make it more attractive.
MAYOR DICKEY: That's what was talking about --
OKAMOTO: Yeah.
MAYOR DICKEY: -- something they called a green screen.
OKAMOTO: Urn-hum.
MAYOR DICKEY: Okay. I think I just saw a light. Alan?
MAGAZINE: If this is approved, what do you see as the next steps?
OKAMOTO: Well, the next steps really is workers continue the planning process
through-- with getting the permitting. And also, as you know, I've already met with the
Mayor, the Vice Mayor, and a few of the councilmembers. We continue to solicit
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basically ideas and input. We've done so with the community as well. We do so with our
tenants. And what we want is a project that will be something the town can be proud of.
So that's our intention moving forward.
MAGAZINE: Urn-hum.
MAYOR DICKEY: Councilwoman.
COUNCILMEMBER GRZYBOWSKI: Thank you for bringing back something that is
more in line with the development agreement. I was one of the people that met with you,
and I told you how important that was to me and why that was very important to me. So
I really appreciate you coming back and bringing that commercial back in looking like --
where you can see it and access it. And it's not quite as shady going down into the
basement to get to the commercial areas.
Also, thanks for talking about repainting the existing buildings. Because I got to tell you,
that is the number one complaint I get when people talk about the downtown area, is the
existing buildings. And I told you on the day that we met as well. So thank you for
making that a priority for you as well because it sure is for the -- you will, seriously, hear
cheers when the paint guys come and paint that green away.
OKAMOTO: Okay. Myself will cheer. So --
COUNCILMEMBER GRZYBOWSKI: Okay. Well, we'll all go out for beers. Thank
you.
OKAMOTO: Yeah. There you go.
MAYOR DICKEY: Do we have any speaker cards for this?
CLERK KLEIN: We do. We have one written comment in support of it. And then we
have one speaker, Jay Schlum, would like to speak.
MAYOR DICKEY: Okay.
SCHLUM: Thank you. Mayor, Council, staff, good to see you. Thanks for considering
this and sounding like it's moving forward. So I'm looking forward to getting some
vibrancy to our downtown. And apparently color is going to be very important. You
know, we get a lot of comments on that. But I'm excited to get some more dollars spent
on our downtown to build up that vibrancy downtown. So thanks for having it. And I'm
in favor of the development agreement continuing forward. Thanks.
MAYOR DICKEY: Thank you, Jay.
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Any other-- no? Any other questions or comments? Mike?
SCHARNOW: Yes. Thank you, Madam Mayor. And I just wanted to point out that we
got behind the P&Z Commission on this one and backed them. And that's why we denied
it the first time around. And so I just wanted to point out that they brought forth some
recommendations, and we're behind them.
MAYOR DICKEY: So if there's isn't any further-- aren't any further questions, we have
two suggested motions. We can pick them or talk about them, or somebody can make
one of them. It's up to you. Vice Mayor?
VICE MAYOR FRIEDEL: Move to approve the amended site plan for Park Place
Phases II and III, subject to providing a complete site plan package as required by
Section 2.04 of the Zoning Ordinance and meeting all of the requirements of the town
policies, codes, and ordinances.
COUNCILMEMBER MAGAZINE: I'll second that.
MAYOR DICKEY: Thank you. We have a motion and a second. Is there any further
discussion? All in favor as the motion as stated, please say aye?
IN UNISON: Aye.
MAYOR DICKEY: Aye. Any opposed?
COUNCILMEMBER MAGAZINE: Nay.
MAYOR DICKEY: Thank you.
Did you get that?
CLERK KLEIN: Yes.
MAYOR DICKEY: Okay. Thanks very much. Thanks for all your work.
Our next item is -- I'm sorry. Grady, are you going to open this up? Or John, you want
to just go straight into it? This is about our ADERO.
MANAGER MILLER: Right. Our Development Services Director will give a brief
report on this request before you tonight.
MAYOR DICKEY: Thank you.
DIRECTOR WESLEY: Mayor and Council, Adero Canyon development resort, all very
familiar with it. It was approved with rezoning and a development agreement in March
of 2017. Among other things, it allows up to 300 rooms and 50 feet of building height.
The development agreement associated with that was a ten-year agreement. That first
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phase, 140 rooms and the almost 8,000 square feet of convention space had to be done by
March of 2020. They were able to do that. Phase II, 110 rooms is to be completed by
March of 2023. And Phase III, 50 rooms by March of 2027.
Unfortunately, at the time the first phase opened, a little thing called a pandemic got
started and impacted their ability to get the occupancy levels that they were anticipating
would like to have up front. And it has slowed their ability, then, to move on with the
subsequent phases of the development. So I've requested a five-year extension to that
development agreement with the time frames as shown for Phase II now to be completed
by March of 2028 and Phase III by March of 2032.
So on the service of it, that's a fairly easy and straightforward modification to the
development agreement as the staff has looked at that and had some discussions with the
Council. During this process, they changed from being called Copperwynd to ADERO
Scottsdale. And their website has maybe not advertised as much as we might like the fact
that they're in Fountain Hills. But we have expressed those ideas, concerns to them, and
they have been working with us to make some changes to their website, some of which
are illustrated here.
They have two websites. Aderoscottsdale.com is the first one that we'll look at. So right
on the very top of that one -- we just have to scroll down into the opening banner-- you
see that they do tell the world that they are in Fountain Hills. One of the issues we had
was with this slide where it's talking about being in Scottsdale and Fountain Hills. They
have modified that so it takes out that lead. So it just lets people know that this is in
Fountain Hills.
Another place we'll talk about, Fountain Hills and the festivals that we have. And then
there is another place under the things to do, where I get -- it seems to emphasize
Scottsdale in being in that particular area. But some other changes they've had, they've
added in in this one, thanks to Scotts -- or thanks to Fountain Hills, in that regard to the
Dark Skies. They took out the reference to the Dark Skies making it sound like it was
part of Scottsdale in this particular location and also in this one.
Their other website is the marriott.com website. And I'll get on this very first opening
screen right below that picture, they've taken out the references to Scottsdale and
referenced Fountain Hills. So again, it's more obvious that the hotel is -- the resort is in
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Fountain Hills.
Some of the changes they've made in response to the Council's comments and questions.
There is a representative here who could, maybe, answer any questions you have or give
you further information about what they have done or can do.
MAYOR DICKEY: Thank you. Any questions from Council? Do we have any cards?
CLERK KLEIN: We do. We have one written comment in support. And then we have
two that would like to speak. First is Betsy LaVoie.
LAVOIE: Good evening. I'm speaking in support of the extension of time for ADERO
Scottsdale. ADERO had a time line for its next two phases of development, pre-
approved, that were greatly affected by the COVID pandemic, as you know. It's my
understanding that this is simply an extension of time without any other changes to
height, concessions, or room additions.
With the pandemic closures, the hotel industry was greatly impacted. And this extension
of time allows for not only those years lost due to the global pandemic but also the severe
shortage of building supplies and construction services that resulted.
I understand the rebranding of Copperwynd to ADERO Scottsdale was in question.
However, as the CEO and President of the Fountain Hills Chamber of Commerce, I speak
on behalf of our business community to share that we embrace the addition of the
Marriott name and with it, the Scottsdale naming. This is a marketing effort, and this
marketing effort only supports our town by bringing in visitors and tourists who are
looking for a Scottsdale resort. This is common practice for luxury resorts with eight
Paradise Valley resorts utilizing the Scottsdale name in its name.
The success of ADERO Scottsdale is a success for the Town of Fountain Hills as all bed
tax and tourism dollars are paid to the Town of Fountain Hills not Scottsdale. The
ADERO branding clearly recognizes and shares all that is Fountain Hills in all of their
marketing efforts. And I know it was mentioned that some of the changes were made.
And I believe that all of the changes were made.
So I sincerely hope that this extension of time for the pre-approved agreement passes.
Thank you so much.
CLERK KLEIN: Next is William Hinz.
HINZ: Mayor, Council, excuse this. Part of being born and raised in Arizona is constant
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skin cancer removal.
Thank you. We have been through a tough few years, but it wasn't that long ago we were
in this room approving this project. It was a massive leap of faith for me and for the
town. I promised then we would get it done. And I'm so proud that it's here.
So I'm very proud of the Marriott name. I'm glad of what it is. It's still a boutique hotel
carrying that autograph brand. And it's going to be a smashing success.
But we were really knocked off our feet. We didn't come to the town for anything. We
just fought our way through as well as we could. Staff is back up. We're approaching
100 employees. We're still contributing to all the charities in town. I'm past Chair of the
Chamber of Commerce. I try to give where I can of time or money.
It's been difficult with money, with what we just went through. But I'm really excited for
the future. And it's still going to be everything that we thought it was. We don't want
anything other than a little bit of time. And I just wanted to come here personally to let
everybody know we're still here. The hotel and myself are members of this town. And
yeah, we need a little help. So thanks. That's all.
MAYOR DICKEY: Hey, Bill, I have a couple questions for you.
And I don't if anybody else would like. Do you have questions yet?
HINS: I just had a comment.
MAYOR DICKEY: Yes, go ahead.
UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: I'm happy to see the changes on the website. I think that
shows the effort that's been put forth by you recognizing the Town of Fountain Hills.
And we appreciate you. So I'm all for this. So thanks.
MAYOR DICKEY: So I just want to ask about the actual address saying Scottsdale,
Arizona. So do you ever see any issues with that as far as --because you know, we don't
have a property tax or however, it's actually--
HINZ: Yeah.
MAYOR DICKEY: -- like, literally, legally described.
HINZ: That's a great question. So the way the rules work is you can use whatever city
name as long as you share a ZIP code. So fortunately, we sit in a ZIP code where we're
allowed to use that.
How they're doing it at all the other resorts, I don't understand. If you Google Marriott's
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flagship Camelback Inn, it's so squarely in the middle of Paradise Valley it's shocking.
But the address is Scottsdale.
So I don't know how they do it, but we do it very simply. We didn't go to the post office
and make a change. You can send your letters. You can send correspondence to
Fountain Hills, and it all comes to us. But the post office said, you can also use
Scottsdale in your address because it's shared.
And I remember-- yeah, I wasn't even going to go down this road, but I remember when
it came up that to get the Marriott brand, we needed to be in the sales-marketing area of
Scottsdale. We needed to carry that in our name. And I sat down with the then mayor
and the Council, and I just said I just want you to know you're going to hear about this. I
want to say it first. Is this going to be okay? And they said, where's the tax revenue
going? And I go, it's coming to you. And where are all the customers going to come?
You can't eat at the resort more than maybe one meal a stay. It's extremely expensive.
It's too expensive for me to eat there.
So it's on our TVs. It's on our-- if you go to the front desk and ask them where to go,
they're going to give you a list of restaurants in Fountain Hills. And I watched the food
bags come back in. And I watch the customers flow out the door. So I think we've been
a really good neighbor to Fountain Hills. And I will say-- and I know I've said this
before, my goal -- and I'm not sure if Fountain Hills wants it, but I would love one day to
be able to say just Fountain Hills. I mean, that would be a really neat goal for me that
Fountain Hills was known as a resort town. But I don't even know if Fountain Hills
wants that, so.
COUNCILMEMBER GRZYBOWSKI: A couple of things. First of all, I looked up the
ZIP code. I went to the usps.com website and I looked up the ZIP code for both Fountain
Hills as well as Paradise Valley. And Fountain Hills does tell you that it recommends the
names Fountain Hills, AZ. Other city names recognized for addresses in this ZIP code
are Fountain Hills -- Hills spelled incorrectly-- and Scottsdale. So it is actually on the
usps.com website. Also, Paradise Valley, exactly the same thing.
HINZ: Oh okay. So that's it.
COUNCILMEMBER GRZYBOWSKI: Where the recommended city name is Paradise
Valley, AZ, but then they spell Valley wonky for the alternate addresses. And Scottsdale
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is there as well.
So it is actually officially on the usps.com website. And as a business person, myself, I
completely understand the marketing behind it, and I don't have a problem with it. Of
course, you do want to see it on the website as much as possible that it's Fountain Hills.
Also, I too want to mention I'm a big Yelper. And we have had two people that have
stayed at your place that hit me up via Yelp before they came. Don't know them from
Adam, but they were coming in specifically because you were a Dark Skies resort, and
they asked me where they should go eat.
So it is out there and people know. I realize it's not ideal for us,but I do think it's the
right marketing plan that you guys needed to do. So I don't have a problem with that
myself.
HINZ: Very nice. Thanks.
COUNCILMEMBER SCHARNOW: Yes, thank you, Madam Mayor.
Yeah, Bill, I'm going to be a reluctant yes on this. It's just, I understand marketing and all
that. And I don't think it's our own pride. I guess it was just kind of like -- seemed like a
somewhat minor slap in the face. So I'm glad these changes were made on the website.
And it's the monument sign at Palisades, is that off limits because I've got a lot of
comments. Says Scottsdale.
HINZ: That's in Scottsdale.
COUNCILMEMBER SCHARNOW: Well --
HINZ: That's one of our-- we have a couple properties as part of the overall --
COUNCILMEMBER SCHARNOW: Yeah.
HINZ: -- that are actually in Scottsdale --
COUNCILMEMBER SCHARNOW: Yeah, I understand that.
HINZ: -- and the sign's one of them. Yeah.
COUNCILMEMBER SCHARNOW: Yeah. It's just if people already booked a room
and they're driving there, they already know it's ADERO. It's just kind of a visible sign
out there that people notice and I hear comments about it. And a lot of people don't
understand just the whole history of that because City of Scottsdale kind of blackmailed
Fountain Hills back in the day. And the 405 acres was annexed by Scottsdale. And that's
why we have the situation that we have today where, like, Hidden Hills and some of
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those other subdivisions on the way to your resort are actually in the City of Scottsdale.
So it's just -- it was a--
HINZ: It's the strangest street I've ever seen.
COUNCILMEMBER SCHARNOW: Well, yeah. And it was the only way they'd give
us permission to have an incorporation election. So I was just -- and a plastic surgeon
was going to build a big resort over there, and it just never materialized. And it just
reverted back to MCO at the time. So it was just kind of a big fiasco. But here we are
today.
And the original developer of Eagle Mountain, he did the same thing too. I was editor of
the newspaper back in that day. And it was Eagle Mountain, 144th Street and Shea,
Scottsdale, and wrote a column about it. And he was all upset.
But yeah, it's marketing. I get it. But I just wanted to get my two cents in there, so.
HINZ: No, and I hear you.
COUNCILMEMBER MCMAHON: I have a comment too.
MAYOR DICKEY: Yes.
COUNCILMEMBER MCMAHON: I agree with Mike. Every time I drive up the hill
there and I see that it's just in Scottsdale and yet you're in Fountain Hills, I think you're
really taking away from Fountain Hills. And I really think it's unfair. While you can sit
there and you can say about the ZIP code and this and that, you made a choice. And this
resort is in Fountain Hills. And I feel like you're robbing Fountain Hills of the identity of
having that to some degree.
And I think you also mentioned that it's part of marketing. Well, marketing is marketing.
People can make decisions, and they can be inclusive or exclusive. And you mentioned
that you hope in the future that this might be changed. Well, to me the future is now. So
I would really like to see that sign on the top of the hill going into Adero Canyon
switched from just Scottsdale to Fountain Hills because it is in Fountain Hills. And I just
don't understand that thinking about it. I would think that you would want to partner up
more and not be exclusive and be more inclusive.
HINZ: I understand. I understand. What's on that sign is just our legal name. It's
ADERO Scottsdale. But I understand totally--
COUNCILMEMBER MCMAHON: I'm not buying it's just a legal name. The very fact
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that it's situated right there in Fountain Hills, it should say Fountain Hills. It really
should.
HINZ: I understand. We couldn't have gotten the brand and we couldn't have built the
hotel. And that's why years ago, we all sat down, this Council and me, and we talked
about it. And they said it's more important we get the project. And it's easier now later to
come back and say, boy, now I wish it was, but I didn't have that choice. So --
COUNCILMEMBER MCMAHON: I hear you but -- excuse me for interrupting. You
said, hopefully, in the near future that that's going to change.
HINZ: If the identity-- if I could ask 100 people in the Midwest how many know --
COUNCILMEMBER MCMAHON: We're not in the Midwest --
HINZ: -- Scottsdale and how many know Fountain Hills, it's not -- when I speak at town
events and I go speak to the realtor association, who am I speaking to? The Scottsdale
Association of REALTORS. Why? Why aren't I speaking to the Fountain Hills
Association of Realtors? It doesn't exist. So I'm just saying, that's -- Fountain Hills may
one day have those names. It's just a name, and I mean that--
COUNCILMEMBER MCMAHON: No, it's not just a name.
HINZ: Okay.
MAYOR DICKEY: So we're moving forward --
HINZ: Okay.
MAYOR DICKEY: -- with some branding and things like that. So you can understand
why it's important for us and --
HINZ: And very important to me too. And --
MAYOR DICKEY: So the three previous and new examples that you had, I would -- I
just wanted to ask you, on the first one, it says, thanks to the Town of Fountain Hills
community preservation efforts. Would you consider putting in, thanks to the Town of
Fountain Hills achieving Dark Sky Community status and the natural screening? That
way, it would be the only place, I think, that identifies us as the actual Dark Sky
Community. It's just a little, small change. And then in that same paragraph, it says,
soon-- or the city will soon be home to the International Dark Sky Discovery Center.
Could we put town instead of that? That's just a--
HINZ: Of course.
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MAYOR DICKEY: That's a natural thing that we have done.
HINZ: Yeah.
MAYOR DICKEY: And then let's see. I didn't think you had to take out the other--
necessarily the other references you had to Dark Skies. I mean, from the only Autograph
Collection resort in a certified Dark Sky Community. I get it ,but it's the truth.
HINZ: Right. No, I agree.
MAYOR DICKEY: But it just occurred to me because that one also is the truth, and you
are in Fountain Hills, and we intend to have you be happy that someday, like you're
saying, that you can market it as Fountain Hills. And this is all part of what we're doing
here. And I think earlier you said something about maybe not wanting that identity, but I
like that. I think this all goes wonderfully with our community to have resorts.
HINZ: Great.
MAYOR DICKEY: So anyway, are there any other questions?
HINZ: Could you write that down?
MAYOR DICKEY: Yeah, I'll send you --
HINZ: Okay. Thank you. Yeah. Thank you.
MAYOR DICKEY: I'll send you a little notice just, like, town, I guess.
COUNCILMEMBER MAGAZINE No, not a question. I share the concerns, but I do
want to congratulate you for successfully weathering the COVID situation because a lot
of businesses haven't. And so I think it's -- I think it's a major asset to Fountain Hills. I
do wish the names were different, but it is what it is. And I'm glad you've been able to
survive the COVID situation. Thanks.
HINZ: Thank you.
MAYOR DICKEY: Yes. Vice Mayor.
VICE MAYOR FRIEDEL: Is there any hope, maybe in the future, to put
Scottsdale/Fountain Hills on that sign? I don't know, down the road or--
MAYOR DICKEY: (Indiscernible) --
VICE MAYOR FRIEDEL: Then you make everybody happy.
HINZ: Yeah. I think overall branding is something we may look at. And I think that's
just a normal process. And it may be to take off both, right? There may be a point at
which we just rebrand the whole thing. That's a pretty extensive process, but yes.
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MAYOR DICKEY: Yeah, we're not looking to add any expenses here to what you're
doing, but it's a goal.
HINZ: Yeah. Yeah.
MAYOR DICKEY: The motion is on page 152. Can I get a motion?
VICE MAYOR FRIEDEL: Move to adopt resolution 22-16.
COUNCILMEMBER MAGAZINE: Second.
MAYOR DICKEY: Thank you.
All in favor, please say aye.
IN UNISON: Aye.
MAYOR DICKEY: Aye. Any opposed?
Thank you. Thank you very much.
Next, Justin, are you up?
MANAGER MILLER: He is.
MAYOR DICKEY: Striping, yes.
DIRECTOR WELDY: Madam Mayor, Vice Mayor, Councilmembers, if I may, a little
bit of housecleaning first. In regards to contracts for pavement markings, we came to the
Council last year and asked for an amendment for a nearly identical contract for the same
services. It should be noted that shortly after that, that company was acquired by a much,
much, larger firm. We were notified that when we requested work related to the Desert
Vista crosswalk that the fee structure had changed. And also, there was a cumbersome
process to procure and secure the services. After a considerable amount of negotiation,
we decided that that contract was no longer in the best interest of this town.
The reason I bring that up is for those that pay attention to the limited funding we have in
streets, it would appear that we now have two contracts totaling $200,000. In fact, we
don't. The previous contract has ended, and we will not be using that.
With that said, and thank you for that opportunity, as noted in the staff report, pavement
markings are a very important part of this town. We do not have many street lights.
Those that we have, historically, are not enough to illuminate our roads.
You'll note that as part of the Pedestrian and Traffic Safety Committee, we take
recommendations and guidance. Those recommendations and guidance have benefitted
this community through enhanced pavement markings, also rumble strips, illuminated
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stop signs, and a whole host of other safety items related to this particular type of
contract.
With that said, we are once again approaching the season when we need to freshen up
some of the stuff so it will be nice and bright and shiny. And we have additional
pavement markings coming up as part of our pavement management plan. We are asking
for the $100,000 increase to be able to accomplish that, not only this fiscal year but into
next fiscal year as well. That said, I'll answer any questions that I'm able.
MAYOR DICKEY: Questions? Anybody have any questions? Do we have an speaker
cards on this item? No? Okay. Thank you.
Oh, is this for this?
CLERK KLEIN: Well, it is and (indiscernible) --
MAYOR DICKEY: Okay. Ed Stizza?
STIZZA: So I have a question. And this has been-- we've all been so busy on bigger
items. But we have -- this was probably the best place to say it -- which is, there's stop
signs throughout town. They blink 24/7. Absolutely unnecessary. So can we get sensors
on them with that money?
So why is that so difficult? Right? I know several people here, those things are blinking
into their homes on a daily basis at night. Very simple. The ones downtown, that's a
different story. But well, actually, might as well do them all. So is it possible to put a
sensor on them?
DIRECTOR WELDY: Mayor and Council, I know it's not related to this topic, but I will
let Mr. Stiza know that they do have a sensor where at night it's not as bright as it is
during the daytime. They actually are brighter during the daytime because during the
daytime with the sunlight, they actually are harder to see. So they are brighter at --
STIZZA: That's great (indiscernible) --
DIRECTOR WELDY: -- during the daytime, but at nighttime they do tone down so that
they're still visible but they're not nearly as bright as what they are during the daytime.
So --
STIZZA: So I'm going to take -- I'm going to show you video. I don't know if you've
camped out and looked at those at night, but I can tell you right now they are absolutely
blowing what you just talked about, which was your Dark Skies.
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DIRECTOR WELDY: So I'll --
MAYOR DICKEY: Okay.
STIZZA: So (indiscernible) --
MAYOR DICKEY: This isn't on the agenda, so we'll get back --
DIRECTOR WELDY: I thought it was part of that because (indiscernible) --
MAYOR DICKEY: Oh no. This is just Striping. Thank you.
STIZZA: Yeah, we'll probably just --
MAYOR DICKEY: Yeah, we'll --
STIZZA: Thanks.
MAYOR DICKEY: Thank you.
Is there a motion for this, please?
VICE MAYOR FRIEDEL: Move to approve the Second Amendment to Contract C
2022-027 with Franklin Striping Inc. in the amount of 100,000 annually.
COUNCILMEMBER SCHARNOW: Second.
MAYOR DICKEY: Thank you.
All in favor, please say aye.
IN UNISON: Aye.
MAYOR DICKEY: Aye. Any opposed? Thanks.
The next two items are related to the League policy committees, next year's legislative
agenda, and then bills that are still kind of hanging out there or dead or whatever. So we
could probably do both of these.
Grady, do you want to do anything? Do you want me to just sort of start?
MANAGER MILLER: Yeah, on the policy committee agenda item, which is the item
that we're on right now, we're just, respectfully requesting any policy ideas that the
Council has.
Each year, during the summer annual conference, there is a resolutions committee that
does consider policy items that come through from the different city councils. And then
those flow to the different policy committees. And in past years -- in fact, I think it's
been like the last two or the last three years -- short-term rentals, as an example, has been
one of the topics that has come through. It's one of the topics that's been part of the
policy agenda of the League.
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If there's anything that you wish to provide, that would be great. We can make sure that
we meet the deadlines that the League has provided us. So if you have any ideas or
suggestions, now would be the time.
We're going to have two deadlines. The first one is next week on April 26th. And then
the final deadline is May 31 st. So I know the hour's late right now. So if you wanted to
at least, provide or send an email to me and to the Mayor, then we'll make sure that we
can provide this on to the League. I don't believe you actually formally have to take an
action on this.
MAYOR DICKEY: I agree. I don't think we have to vote. I just wanted to point out that
we have members, Councilman Grzybowski is on the Budget, Finance, and Economic
Development Policy Committee. And Councilman McMahon is on the Neighborhood
Sustainability and Quality of Life Committees. But that doesn't limit us to what
suggestions are. We can suggest anything we want. We also have Liz on the one about
the general administration, human resources, and elections.
So my suggestion is that zoning is a big issue, whether it's short-term rentals, group
homes. We had a couple of bills this year that were totally going to preempt all of our
zoning so we would not be having any of these conversations. So that bill, itself, died
and was -- well, it didn't die, but it was turned into a study committee. So at this point,
it's a harmless thing, but it's just something to keep in mind.
MANAGER MILLER: Right.
MAYOR DICKEY: But it certainly falls into the short-term rental, group home,
anything else that they may come in to try to preempt our ability to have zoning
ordinances in our own community.
There was a bill also, that I do think is not viable anymore regarding condo termination.
I think we talked about that. But it's stalled in rules, and I don't think it's going to go
anywhere but there's a local connection there. So I'd like us to consider doing something
that would support the effort to make that not quite as easy to do and let corporations buy
condos, make people sell them, and turn them into rentals.
Prop 400 is still not a done deed. And I don't know if the League will care enough about
the county, but Maricopa County is the only county that has to request, from the
legislature, permission to put something on the ballot. So we have MAG go through all
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of this transportation committees, manager committees, regional council, come up with
this balance of everybody's needs. And then you go to the legislature and you have to ask
them to let Maricopa County ask to continue this transportation half-cent tax.
So that's two issues. There's a transportation tax, which I'm assuming is going to happen,
that they're going to give us the permission. And then the other overriding, which is
about Maricopa County needing to ask for that permission to put that down on a ballot.
And then last is as always, the 1487 still exists. They tried to expand it this year. They
failed. But again, as we discussed with our stormwater fee, how much -- $600,00 a year
or so we would've been taking in, it would have helped us tremendously with all of our
water issues.
We've been stalled. We've been asked -- the attorney general was supposed to let us
know. We still don't know if we're allowed to do it. But 1487 is basically something
that, anything any of us do at all is questionable by a legislator in Yuma if he just doesn't
like it.
So I think those are items that I don't know how you write them up or whatever,but those
are things I'd like to see as part of our legislative agenda to ask the League to forward
them. And that's how the process works.
I don't know if anybody else had anything. But as Grady said, we can send it to him.
We've got two deadlines and the form to fill out. And then when we go to the League,
the mayors and such will vote on whether to forward them. But by then they're usually
pretty much a done deal because they've already been vetted.
And then I don't know if you had any other questions about any of the bills that we-- you
got the Lunsford Group in front of you. There really hasn't been a lot going on because
they're doing the budget now. And I think they dropped some budget bills today.
The rental sales tax bill appears to be dead, thank God. That was the one --
MANAGER MILLER: Right.
MAYOR DICKEY: -- where we wouldn't be able to -- 1116. It has not been heard in the
House. So I don't think -- then they're not doing committees any more at this point. And
then, the point-of-sale bill though, which was dead, isn't. And that one is the one that by
not having a Home Depot or Lowe's or whatever, could really hurt us. So those are the
things we're still trying keep track of.
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Anything else? Aaron, do you have anything to add? No?
TOWN ATTORNEY ARNSON: No, Mayor.
MAYOR DICKEY: All right. Well, we'll just keep plugging away.
Anything else for the good of the order? Motion to adjourn?
COUNCILMEMBER GRZYBOWSKI: So moved.
COUNCILMEMBER SCHARNOW: Second.
MAYOR DICKEY: All in favor?
IN UNISON: Aye.
MAYOR DICKEY: Aye. Thank you.
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