Mayor Doug Von Gausig

Finding common bonds: Camp Verde Town Council to look at shared issues

by

[Source: Camp Verde Bugle] – At its meeting Wednesday night, the Camp Verde Town Council has a short agenda, with the biggest chunk taken up by proposed resolutions coming before the League of Arizona Cities and Towns. Like other municipalities, CampVerde is being asked which resolutions it is supporting.

The Town of Camp Verde is already a co-sponsor on a couple of the resolutions going before the LACT. Of these, the major advocacy is for legislation “to ensure the viability of Arizona State Parks, including but not limited to allowing municipalities to enter into long-term leases of state parks and the restoration of the Arizona State Parks Heritage Fund.

Yuma and Sedona are sponsors of the resolution, with CampVerde, Cottonwood, Clarkdale, Jerome, Flagstaff, Kingman, Lake Havasu City, Somerton, OroValley and Sierra Vista as co-sponsors.

Mayor Charlie German has also suggested that CampVerde join up with Cottonwood and Clarkdale in sponsoring an application to display the art exhibit “A River Runs Thru Us” at the State Capitol in January. That item is also on Wednesday’s agenda.

The exhibit is the product of a Verde Valley Land Preservation outreach effort that sent scores of artists down the Verde River in CampVerde. Their resulting works are now in a mobile exhibit that will be at the MANHEIM GALLERY in Cottonwood until Aug. 25 and then comes to the White Hills Gallery in CampVerde.

VVLP Community Outreach Director Steve Estes said the exhibit was looking for a quality venue in Phoenix when they saw that the ArizonaExecutiveTowers had an opening that month. A municipal sponsorship is a boost to an application.

“I think it would be a wonderful display of regional support for the Verde River if all three communities along the river co-sponsored this exhibit,” Clarkdale Mayor Doug Von Gausig wrote to German and Cottonwood Mayor Diane Joens.

 

Clarkdale moves ahead with river access project Town and State Parks Board form agreement

by

[Source: Philip Wright, Verde Independent] – The town and the State Parks Board will work together to expand access to the Verde River. The Town Council voted unanimously during a special meeting March 15 to approve an intergovernmental agreement with the state to develop the Tuzigoot River Access. “The IGA is a huge benefit to the Verde River at Clarkdale plan,” said Mayor Doug Von Gausig. “It gives us an anchor location that will be where most people park to be transported up-river with their kayaks, and a place for picnics and community gatherings.” Von Gausig said this access point at Tuzigoot Bridge will once again give Clarkdale an outdoor recreation site like Peck’s Lake was years ago.

In a staff report to the council, Jodie Filardo, community/ economic development director, stated that for the town to move forward with a Heritage Fund Public Access project to expand access to the Verde River for mobility challenged individuals, site control of three parcels owned by Arizona State Parks is required. The town is currently seeking a grant from the Heritage Fund for $40,500. Filardo explained that the purpose of the IGA is to cooperatively manage and operate the site in question to develop enhanced public river access. Under the IGA the town and State Parks Board will work together to accomplish the enhanced river access. Clarkdale will provide for staffing, operation and routine maintenance of improvements made by town.

Von Gausig said that after looking at all possible locations, the town approached Deputy Parks Director Jay Ream with the idea several months ago. “We decided the best and most practical solution for Clarkdale and for State Parks would be a cooperative agreement that allows Clarkdale to manage the 70-acre Tuzigoot Bridge property,” Von Gausig said. He explained that the agreement would provide for Clarkdale to make some improvements and anchor the town’s project at the site.

“He liked it,” Von Gausig said. “We worked with Jay and others to finalize the terms of the IGA. It’s finally done.” Von Gausig said this will be the first in what the town hopes is a string of facilities along the Verde River as it flows through the Verde Valley. He said the facilities would support recreational boaters, hikers, birding enthusiasts and people who just want to get a little peace and quiet in their lives.

“This is a huge step forward for the Verde River at Clarkdale and for the Verde River,” Von Gausig said. He explained that the grant will be used for master planning the area near the Tuzigoot Bridge, to include architectural plans, roadway improvements and some fundamental improvements to the area that will enable better, more accessible recreational opportunities.

Cities and towns are vital to Arizona’s economic recovery

by

[Source: Arizona Capitol Time.com, Guest Opinion, 2/10/12] – While Arizona has endured one of longest and deepest recessions in American history, the League of Arizona Cities and Towns has stepped forward to be a strong partner with Gov. Jan Brewer and state lawmakers as they sought solutions to reverse our fiscal crisis. Arizona’s 91 cities and towns cut their spending by nearly 30 percent on average. We have responded to this crisis by doing more with less.

Now that our state’s economy is starting to emerge and grow again, cities, large and small, will be absolutely vital to Arizona’s economic recovery and future prosperity. From Tucson to Phoenix to rural towns like Clarkdale — where I’m proud to serve as mayor — Arizona cities and towns have provided healthy economic environments that generate 93 percent of all state sales tax revenues. That business-friendly climate helps drive Arizona forward.

Those dollars enable families to enjoy the most efficient and directly accessible services provided by government — like police and fire protection, safe roads, clean water, parks, senior centers, pools and reliable garbage collection. It sounds like a cliché, but only because it’s true — healthy cities make a healthy Arizona.

The good news is our cities and towns are well positioned to do the heavy lifting. Our state, especially in rural Arizona, is open for business and creating jobs. But we must be careful not to impede our recovery by limiting local control or hurting the quality of life that makes Arizona so attractive to entrepreneurs. Local elected leaders stand on the front lines of business recruitment efforts, and they help create the healthy and profitable business environments that attract new employers. For example, if you search for “Payson economic development” on the Internet, you are directed to the town’s website.

I am excited that both House Speaker Andy Tobin and Senate President Steve Pierce represent rural Arizona. I trust they understand, like I do, that imposing unfunded mandates only hurt our ability to attract and retain high quality jobs. In fact, unnecessary mandates only make us spend taxpayer money on things that don’t benefit the public’s quality of life. The best decisions are the ones made at the local level in response to residents and taxpayers. We deliver the daily services that people count on every day.

Since 1937, the League of Arizona Cities and Towns has stood for the principle that local government is the most efficient, most responsive and most economical way to provide services to our residents. We have never wavered from those principles in good times or bad.

So, as the Legislature goes back to work, the League of Arizona Cities and Towns once again stands ready to partner with our state lawmakers to preserve and protect what matters most to residents in our cities and towns. If we work together, I’m confident we can make this happen.

— Doug Von Gausig is mayor of Clarkdale and president of the League of Arizona Cities and Towns.

Meeting will brainstorm Verde River @ Clarkdale Ideas sought to protect, restore and sustain river

by

[Source: Philip Wright, Verde Independent, 2/2/2012] – The Verde River @ Clarkdale project gained traction in July as a means to help the local economy by improving public access and expanding recreational opportunities along the 2.2 miles of the river through Clarkdale. The project is expected to become an integral part of the Sustainable Clarkdale vision.

To that end, the town is inviting the public to bring ideas to a Verde River @ Clarkdale brainstorming meeting Feb. 16 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The goal of that meeting is to begin creating a framework for a comprehensive master plan for preservation, protection and restoration of the river and its habitat in Clarkdale.

According to a press release from the Community Development Department, meeting participants will work in groups to address various topics regarding the project.

Those topics include:

– Increasing recreation such as kayaking, hiking and birding.

– Expanding public river access within Clarkdale to include outfitter support, comfort stations and parking areas.

– Creating educational opportunities, which would include access and interpretive signage.

– Exploring alternatives to current ditch diversions to enhance the river’s flow.

The Verde River @ Clarkdale project got started last summer when Mayor Doug Von Gausig and Town Manager Gayle Mabery spent time making an inventory of underperforming assets in Clarkdale.

During a July council meeting Jodie Filardo, director of community and economic development, told the council that what Von Gausig and Mabery discovered was that key resources – the Verde River and related areas – are underutilized, inaccessible, and as a result, economically undervalued by the town and its residents. Filardo further reported that she and Von Gausig had already made contact with representatives of the American Rivers Blue Trails program. She explained that the American Rivers program would open up many possibilities, and possible funding sources, for a project such as the Verde River @ Clarkdale. At that meeting, the Town Council directed staff to pursue ideas for the Verde River @ Clarkdale project.

In late September, the council approved having staff go after two grants from the Heritage Fund of the Arizona Game and Fish Department. Filardo reported to the council that the state had $112,500 available for Urban Wildlife and $50,000 for Public Access grants. She told the council that the Verde River @ Clarkdale project aligns well with both of those granting focus areas.