Yarnell Hill Memorial Site Board

Transcription

1 Committee Members Bryan Martyn, Chairman Senator Steve Pierce John Flynn Dan Fraijo Glen Hopkinson Mayor Marlin Kuykendall Amanda Marsh Yarnell Hill Memorial Site Board MINUTES OF THE MEETING Representative Karen Fann Scott Hunt, State Forester Brendan McDonough Lenora Nelson Ben Palm Supervisor Rowle Simmons Chuck Tidey Darrell Willis YARNELL HILL MEMORIAL SITE BOARD November 24, 2014 The Chairman called the meeting to order at 3:30 PM, Monday, November 24, 2014, at the Prescott City Council Chambers located at 201 South Cortez Street, Prescott, Arizona. Board Members Present Bryan Martyn, Chairman; Representative Karen Fann; Scott Hunt, State Forester; John Flynn; Dan Fraijo; Glen Hopkinson; Amanda Marsh; Brendan McDonough; Lenora Nelson; Ben Palm; Supervisor Rowle Simmons; Chuck Tidey; Darrell Willis Board Members Absent Senator Steve Pierce; Mayor Marlin Kuykendall Staff Members and Presenters Present Jay Ream and Tera Scherer, Arizona State Parks; Bill Boyd and Max Masel, State Land Department Attorney General s Office Brian Luse, Assistant Attorney General A. INTRODUCTIONS OF BOARD MEMBERS Each Board Member introduced themself and stated how they came to be a member of the Yarnell Hill Memorial Site Board. B. DISCUSSION ITEMS 1. Discuss Compensation of the Yarnell Hill Memorial Site Board Members. Mr. Martyn explained the Board does have authority to compensate members for travel associated with Board meetings only. Reimbursement for travel expenses will not come from the $500,000 appropriation, but from the

2 - 2 - donations fund only. Currently that fund has a zero balance and has not yet been fully set up to receive donations. 2. Discuss the Yarnell Hill Memorial Site Board delegated authority. i) Establishing a memorial dedicated to the fallen members of the Granite Mountain Hotshot Crew at the location where they lost their lives Mr. Martyn advised Board members that they are to determine the best course of action relating to establishing a memorial. He advised that no decisions would be made at this first meeting. Mr. Martyn would like everyone to weigh in on their individual opinions regarding memorializing the Granite Mountain Hotshot crew, how they think it should be done, and where it should be done. He invited everyone to discuss their thoughts at the next meeting, once everyone has time to think about what they d like to see happen. ii) Purchase of land by Arizona State Parks Board, or private entity, for the purpose of establishing a memorial site Mr. Martyn explained that should the Board choose to purchase the property it would go through a very long, cumbersome process as defined by the Arizona Constitution through the State Land Commission. Mr. Martyn called on Bill Boyd, Legislative Policy Administrator with the State Land Department, to briefly walk the Board members through the process and the amount of time it may take for the land to be deeded over. Mr. Boyd explained that it is a long process and they are looking at approximately one year. It was asked if work of any type could begin on the site and he advised that because of the auction process involved with the sale of State Trust Land that would not be recommended. Representative Fann reiterated that it is State Trust Land that was set aside long ago in the state s constitution to help fund things such as education so there are very strict rules involved. She had originally envisioned a acre site to keep preserved but Vanessa Hickman, the State Land Commissioner, had told her that the Land Department did not want to carve out a acre parcel. The appropriation of $500,000 came to be because an initial off-the-cuff estimate of the value of the land based on surrounding land sales came to about $2,000 per acre. Mr. Boyd said that since that approximation another look had the land coming in at just under $1,000 per acre. Representative Fann stated that there are a lot of factors involved with the purchase of this land and that they needed a figure to set aside for legislation. Representative Fann also stated that another option is for a private individual to come along and purchase the land and potentially donate the 10 acres to the site and later on access to the site, all things to consider. Representative Fann asked if there is anything in the bill or statute that

3 - 3 - states when the $500,000 appropriation expires. She asked for our assigned attorney to look into this for the Board. Lastly, Ms. Fann wanted to address the issue of the $500,000 appropriation towards the memorial site when the General Fund is broke. She stated that with it being State Trust Land the purchase of the land will go back to the state s coiffeurs by transferring from one pot to another. iii) Location and access of site Mr. Martyn stated that another point the Board needs to be aware of is that the money cannot be used to purchase the access to the site from the owner of the land surrounding the State Trust Land and the money for this would have to be raised. Mr. Martyn asked that any of the Board Members that are friendly with the current land owner, Mr. Rex Maughan, to discuss his thoughts in regards to this as this may help guide our discussion. Further discussion on the subject revealed that there is other property in the area that has easement granted across Mr. Maughan s land, as well as separate property currently for sale. Without easement granted it would be a three or four mile hike or drive via 4x4 vehicle to access the site. Mr. Martyn reiterated that these discussions are what we will get into in more detail once everyone delves into what are the available options. Ms. Fann stated that the Helms Family lives very close to the site and many of the board members have already given them their word that they would do their best to make sure their property is minimally impacted. Director Martyn asked for Mr. Tidey and Supervisor Simmons to speak with Mr. and Mrs. Helms and get their opinions or invite them to a future meeting to speak with the Board. Director Martyn asked the Board who might be best to speak to Mr. Maughan and it was recommended that Senator Pierce contact him. iv) Design and construction of memorial Mr. Martyn showed pictures of existing firefighter memorials including Mann Gulch in Montana and Storm King Mountain in Colorado for examples of what other areas have done. He asked the board members to come to the next meeting with what their preference is for a memorial, should they even decide to build a memorial. Mr. Tidey stated they will be memorializing four things in town: the Granite Mountain Hotshots, the 1,300 people in the area that had to evacuate, the 127 homes that were lost and the fire crews and police officers that came to Yarnell to fight the fire and maintain law and order. He stated the Granite Mountain Hotshot memorial will be the human pyramid photo from

4 - 4 - the Dosie Fire and a few other photos engraved into rock or a steel plate. This memorial will be on the corner of Highway 89 and Shrine. Director Martyn stated that further discussion should include the number of memorials already out there, how many memorials the committee should pursue and location of any monuments as well as the design. Supervisor Simmons was inundated last year with people wanting to do various memorials throughout the county and have had a hard time slowing down the momentum at which they were pursuing their cause. Director Martyn believes that the committee won t be able to stop these people from creating their own monument, but knowledge of plans will help to guide the decisions of the body. Representative Fann stated that another thing that needs to be mentioned is who should be able to visit the memorial. Potentially we are dealing with hundreds if not thousands of people and it becomes a liability issue, not to mention the need for trails and bathrooms. We would then have to get into issues of access and ADA laws. Another thought is whether the site should be restricted to firefighters and family members to avoid these types of issues. Another option would be to have the monument in Yarnell where there is ample parking and access. Mr. Tidey had brought the idea to her of having cameras at the site and a separate viewing area so people are not causing damage to the site. These are some of the ideas that have been brought up previously. A member stated there will be no way to keep people out of the area. Regardless of how far they have to hike in to pay respect to the fallen people will still go. Director Martyn stated that the issue is finding a way that it won t impact the public or in this case, the private landowners in a negative way. 3. Discuss the Yarnell Hill Memorial Site Board Reporting Requirement. Mr. Martyn informed the board that a progress report of the memorial is to be submitted to the legislature by the end of next year. 4. Discussion of the Flagpole Currently Erected on the Site. Mr. Tidey had requested this item be placed on the agenda. Mr. Martyn said the board does not have authority to take down the flagpole currently on site, but the board does need to discuss it. Mr. Tidey stated that his concern with the flagpole is the Helms family as they see the flag every day and the light that is lighting it. He suggested that the flagpole be moved back to hide from their view or even move it to the memorial park in town with a plaque stating where the flag was flown

5 - 5 - previously. The Yarnell Hill Recovery Group owns the flagpole that was erected by APS. The State Land Department didn t comment on the flagpole, but did issue a Right of Entry for the Yarnell Fire Department to maintain the area. Director Martyn reminded the members that helping the plight of the Helms family is not in the purview of the body. C. CALL TO THE PUBLIC Mrs. Deborah Pfingston, mother of Andrew Ashcraft, wanted to thank the Yarnell Hill Memorial Board for their participation on the committee. She wanted to let us know that it is very important that we notify the families of upcoming meetings as this is a topic that is if much interest to all. She believes the site itself needs to be memorialized because the land is sacred and important to them because of those that were lost. G. ADJOURNMENT the Yarnell Hill Memorial Site Board adjourned at 4:52 PM.