New school leadership takes over, RoadRunner dies, improved community pool opens, State Route 89A ownership saga, chamber purchases Sedona Marathon, SFD recall

January

■ 89A route transfer — The city of Sedona held numerous public meetings throughout January to discuss the possible transfer of State Route 89A from Arizona Department of Transportation control to city ownership. ADOT said it would install roadway lighting sometime in 2011 should council vote not to take ownership of the state highway.

■ SFD audit committee — Members of a newly formed Sedona Fire District audit committee held their first meeting Jan. 18. The committee, formed to examine the budgets, accounting practices and more within SFD, included members Joe Demme — who lost a bid for a seat on the SFD Governing Board — Trent Cosse, David Zirinsky and Bill Spring.

Governing Board Clerk Charles Christensen named Demme chairman of the committee.

■ Earthquake — A 3.5 magnitude earthquake rumbled Sedona on Jan. 23. No injuries or damage was reported as a result of the incident.

■ Parade marshal — The St. Patrick’s Parade committee chose Arianna Thorne, a 17-year-old Sedona Red Rock High School student, as its 2011 Grand Marshal in honor of her being named a top qualifier from the U.S. Western Region to compete in the World Irish Dance Championships in Dublin.

February

■ Medical marijuana — Sedona City Council voted to add dispensing medical marijuana to the city’s land development code Feb. 8. Arizona voters approved the measure, known as Proposition 203, Nov. 2, 2010.

■ Sedona Marathon — Runners returned to Sedona for the sixth annual Sedona Marathon on Feb. 12.

■ New superintendent — The Sedona-Oak Creek School District Governing Board voted to appoint Dave Lykins superintendent Feb. 16. Lykins, a 12-year district employee, assumed his new duties in July.

■ Excelling school — Sedona Red Rock High School received Arizona Learns Achievement Profiles “Excelling” label four years in a row. “Excelling” is the highest of the five labels a school can receive.

■ 89A ownership — Sedona City Council voted to take ownership of State Route 89A on Feb. 22. Council members voted 4-3 in favor of ownership. Councilmen Dan McIlroy and Mark DiNunzio voted with Mayor Rob Adams to oppose the route transfer. Vice Mayor Cliff Hamilton, along with council members Barbara Litrell, Dennis Rayner and Mike Ward voted in favor of ownership.

According to a survey conducted by Behavior Research Center Inc., 56 percent of residents surveyed said Arizona Department of Transportation should retain control of the highway and 30 percent believed the city should take ownership of the road. The other 14 percent were unsure. Survey results were released prior to the vote.

March

■ Sedona Marathon — Sedona Marathon Director Karen Livesay announced March 16 the sixth annual race, run in February, would be the last one. Livesay cited the costs of fees, permits, police overtime and insurance went into her decision to put the race on indefinite hiatus and completely cancel any 2012 race. Livesay said the race typically loses money and this year cost between $80,000 to $100,000 but only brought in $60,000 to $80,000, leaving organizers to cover a loss of around $20,000.

■ Film festival — The 17th annual Sedona International Film Festival screened 145 films with an attendance of nearly 10,000 from Feb. 19 through Feb. 27.

“Sedona: The Movie” attracted the most people to ever see a single film with more than 2,500 attendees. “The First Grader” won both the Directors’ Choice and Audience Choice for Best Feature Film. Special guests Rip Torn, Nicolas Cage, David Rasche, Phil Rosenthal and Rita Rudner received awards, along with Gary Sinise and Jonathan Winters, who could not attend.

Executive Director Patrick Schweiss said the festival added several screenings because many films sold out.

■ SFD audit committee — The SFD audit committee came under fire after board members learned committee chairman Joe Demme’s wife worked for one of the companies bidding on the audit. Bids for the audit were eventually tossed in favor of starting the process over again at a later date.

■ 2010 Census — Following the 2010 Census, the need to add two districts to Yavapai County, for a total of five, was confirmed. Those results were announced in March and Yavapai County was listed as the third-fastest-growing county in the state of Arizona. The population for Yavapai County came in at 211,033, up 26 percent from the last census conducted in 2000.

■ Sedona Performing Arts Center — The Sedona Performing Arts Center won the 2010 Best Education project from Arizona Commercial Real Estate Magazine. The awards recognize the biggest, best and most notable commercial real estate projects in Arizona during the year.

April

■ SFD fire marshal — After 17 years as fire marshal for the Sedona Fire District, Will Loesche resigned April 15 and took a new job as fire marshal in Oro Valley. He started at SFD in 1994. Loesche cited the political climate in the district as part of his reason for leaving his position in Sedona.

■ New principal — Darrin Karuzas, former assistant principal of Sedona Red Rock High School, was promoted to principal following the appointment of Principal Dave Lykins to Sedona-Oak Creek School District superintendent. The SOCSD Governing Board voted to appoint Karuzas to the position April 18. Four candidates expressed their interest in the job.

■ 89A referendum — Signatures for a referendum allowing voters to decide whether the city of Sedona should take ownership of State Route 89A from the Arizona Department of Transportation went to Yavapai County for verification. A final tally of 1,170 signatures were verified following an audit of the signatures by city staff. A total of 1,295 were turned in by the grassroots organization Let the People Vote on 89A.

ADOT did not transfer $10.6 million to the city, per an agreement made between the city and ADOT following the Feb. 22 City Council decision to take ownership of the roadway. City officials, meanwhile, received a letter from ADOT expressing concerns over the agreement in light of the pending referendum election that would leave the decision of ownership up to voters.

■ 20th anniversary — Red Rock State Park celebrated its 20th birthday with a day of walks, talks, games, food and birthday cake. The Benefactors of Red Rock State Park threw the party. Gov. Bruce Babbitt came up with the idea to build a state park at that location while hiking along Oak Creek in 1980.

May

■ Vandals strike shrine — Vandals caused between $1,000 and $3,000 in damages to the Shrine of the Red Rocks sometime between May 1 and May 7. A podium at the popular tourist landmark was destroyed as a result of vandalism. The site is managed by members of the Central Arizona Lodge No. 14 of the Free & Accepted Masons.

■ 25th anniversary — Sedona Community Center celebrated its 25th anniversary with a 25-minute, drive-by party May 13. Staff and volunteers handed out goodies to anyone who drove through the center’s parking lot. Executive Director Susan Barrington said the party gave the center a chance to give back to the community.

■ City pleads to ADOT — Sedona City Councilman Mike Ward traveled to Flagstaff on May 20, where he asked the Arizona Department of Transportation to consider waiting until after a proposed November referendum election before making any decision regarding ownership of State Route 89A and whether to implement safety measures on the road, particularly street lighting. Ward spoke to the State Transportation Board. The item, however, was not on the board’s agenda, preventing it from taking any action on the matter.

■ Sedona Community Pool — The refurbished Sedona Community Pool opened May 28. The project cost nearly $700,000. The pool is 7 feet at its deepest and 4 feet at the shallow end and holds over 177,000 gallons of water.

■ Teacher of the Year — The Yavapai County Educational Foundation named West Sedona School junior high science teacher Scott Fray as Teacher of the Year. Fray taught seventh- and eighth-grade science for five years at the school. He also placed in the top 10 for the state award.

June

■ Sedona RoadRunner makes last trip — The RoadRunner circulator in Uptown and along State Route 179  made its final run June 5. The service was offered by a joint agreement between the Northern Arizona Intergovernmental Transportation Authority and the city of Sedona, but was eventually discontinued due to low ridership. The vehicles in the RoadRunner fleet were eventually transferred to the Arizona Department of Transportation and taken to Lake Havasu City.

■ SFD chief resigns — Sedona Fire District Fire Chief Nazih Hazime resigned June 2, though he said he plans to keep his residence in the Village of Oak Creek. SFD Governing Board Chairman Dave Blauert called the resignation a “great loss to Sedona.” Hazime had been in the position for a little under two years. He came to Sedona from Dearborn, Mich., where he served as fire chief. Members of the public chanted “resign” at a Governing Board meeting toward members following news of Hazime’s departure. Over 50 people attended a June 8 work session to voice their dissatisfaction of Hazime’s resignation.

■ 89A roadway lighting — The Arizona Department of Transportation State Transportation Board voted to fund continuous roadway lighting along a stretch of State Route 89A in West Sedona. The board voted to add the lighting component to a request for bids for pavement preservation planned for the city. The lighting is planned for a portion of the roadway between Airport Road and Dry Creek Road.

■ Ray trial — James Arthur Ray, the self-help author and speaker, was convicted June 22 for a fatal incident at an October 2009 event outside Sedona. Lizbeth Neuman, 49, of Minnesota, Kirby Brown, 38, of New York and James Shore, 40, of Wisconsin, died in 2009 after participating in Ray’s “sweat lodge” ceremony. Ray would be sentenced Nov. 18 to two years in jail.

■ Election collection — Sedona resident Charlie Schudson’s presidential campaign memorabilia collection will be a featured display during the city’s 2012 state centennial celebrations.

July

■ Sedona Community Center pool — Low membership and costly repair bills closed the pool at the Sedona Community Center for the 2011 season. Low usage was also cited as a reason to close the facility, which shut down in early July. Some members of the center were unhappy with the decision.

■ SFD recall — A group of residents filed paperwork with the Yavapai County Recorders Office for the recall of Sedona Fire District Governing Board Chairman Dave Blauert, Clerk Charles Christensen and member Phyllis Erick. Members of the recall group said in July they sought the recall after they attended a number of heated fire district meetings.

■ Youth orchestra — The Sedona branch of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Northern Arizona and the Sedona Performers Guild created the city’s first youth orchestra teaching children to play violin and cello. The orchestra came about in answer to the lack of strings in the Sedona area. The orchestra formed after an April guild meeting during which Courtney Yeates, a music teacher and local performer, asked about more opportunities to take advantage of Studio Live. “Our whole goal is to foster music education,” Yeates said.

■ Joplin relief — Four Sedona men volunteered to go to Joplin, Mo., to build sheds for victims of the May 22 tornado. Ken Maaske, Nate Dixon, Randy Ponto and Steve Koski acted on a call received from a friend in Joplin. They felt a burning desire to help the survivors. Nearly 156 people died in the tornado.

■ Centennial quilt — Quilters created a Sedona-themed quilt to commemorate the state’s 100th birthday in 2012. The Sedona Centennial Quilt features a large replica of Sedona Schnebly.

August

■ Monsoon floods — Flooding returned to Sedona following an Aug. 1 monsoon storm, which dropped approximately one inch of precipitation in about 20 minutes.

Portions of Tlaquepaque arts and crafts village, the Little Elf neighborhood and city streets, including West State Route 89A, flooded as a result of the storm. The conditions were similar to those produced by a  flood in 2009.

■ Sedona Marathon — The Sedona Chamber of Commerce announced it bought the Sedona Marathon to ensure its continuation in 2012. The chamber planned to only make a few changes, including moving the event back to the first weekend of February rather than the second. The race is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 4, in West Sedona.

■ Red Rock Pass — After a judge ruled in favor of a Sedona resident who fought a ticket for not displaying a Red Rock Pass in 2010, the U.S. Forest Service was forced to redraft its policy. The area where a pass was needed was reduced to seven individual sites and two corridors along busy roadways in Oak Creek Canyon and between Sedona and the Village of Oak Creek.

September

■ Sedona Temple — Sedona Police Department officers served search warrants at three Sedona Temple locations Sept. 7 as part of a sting operation resulting from allegations of prostitution from the Phoenix-based Goddess Temple.

Arrested were Goddess Temple founder Tracy Elise, 50, Tamara Brusso, 53, and Niki Faldemolaei, 51. The three were arrested on charges stemming from the prostitution allegations. Faldemolaei was eventually released on $10,000 bond. In late September, Elise remained in prison on $1 million bond. A number of the temple’s supporters held fundraisers to help pay legal bills for those charged in the case.

■ Homecoming win — After canceling its homecoming game in 2010, the Sedona Red Rock High School football team returned to form Sept. 9 defeating Tuba City High School on homecoming night, 55-23. Senior Bradley Cox had seven carries for 102 yards and three touchdowns, and had two catches for 49 yards and two scores on the night. The win marked the first of the season for the Scorpions, who would go on to finish 4-6 overall for the season.

■ “Sedona: The Movie” — The Hollywood Film Festival accepted “Sedona: The Movie” as a film entry in its October run. Writer, producer and director Tommy Stovall hopes the movie will become a major motion picture and possibly a television series. The 2011 Sedona International Film Festival featured film screened to sold-out audiences in February. The Hollywood festival put the film in the industry’s backyard.

October

■ Oak Creek Canyon robbery — Two people were arrested Oct. 20 after an attempted robbery in Oak Creek Canyon. Kristine Bedonie, 19, and William Alley, 20, were arrested on charges of aggravated robbery following reports the two attacked a man and a woman visiting the canyon from Illinois. After a brief search of the canyon, the suspects were arrested near the Grasshopper Point recreation area without incident.

■ Young philanthropist — Verde Valley School senior Morgan Binder received the Yavapai County Youth Philanthropist of the Year award for her work as a Big Sister with Yavapai Big Brothers Big Sisters. Binder’s volunteer work started in middle school on a field trip to help at Sedona Recycles. As a sophomore, Binder went with a group to Agua Prieta, Mexico, and helped at an orphanage. Her teachers said Binder is an ideal role model.

■ Sedona-Mingus Cup — The Sedona Red Rock High School swim team claimed the inaugural Sedona-

Mingus Cup at the Sedona Community Pool on Oct. 6. Sedona scored 283 total points to Mingus Union High School’s 218. The Scorpions won 15 of the 22 events.

■ SFD recall — Signatures for a Sedona Fire District recall were turned in for verification to the Yavapai County Elections Office in late October. The effort was spearheaded by the Citizens for Safety committee, a group that formed to seek the recall of SFD Governing Board Chairman Dave Blauert, Clerk Charles Christensen and board member Phyllis Erick.

November

■ Cooper signs with UMass — Sedona Red Rock High School senior softball player Whitney Cooper signed her national letter of intent Nov. 9 to play second base for the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. In her first three years for Sedona, Cooper hit nearly .600 at the plate with 41 home runs and 168 RBIs with 32 doubles and 12 triples. UMass has made the NCAA tournament 20 times, with three Women’s College World Series appearances, the last in 1998.

■  89A ownership — Voters made a strong statement against city ownership of State Route 89A following the Nov. 8 special election for Proposition 410 and Proposition 411. According to election results posted Nov. 10 by the Yavapai County Elections Department, 2,981 votes were cast on Proposition 410 opposing city ownership of the roadway, with 1,248 votes cast in favor of city ownership. Voters passed Proposition 411 with 3,226 votes cast in favor of voter approval for future route transfers and 953 votes against the measure.

■ Zelms, Welsh leave Sedona — Assistant Sedona City Manager Alison Zelms and Director of Community Services and Arts and Culture Andi Welsh accepted positions with other cities. Zelms accepted a position with the city of Prescott, while Welsh accepted a position with the city of El Mirage.  

■ New theater — Sedona International Film Festival Executive Director Patrick Schweiss announced Nov. 16 the renovation of a 3,500-square-foot space into a 135-seat, state-of-the-art movie theater.

December

■ SFD recall — The Yavpai County Elections Office confirmed in mid-December the Citizens for Safety committee collected enough signatures to force a recall election of three Sedona Fire District Governing Board members, Chairman Dave Blauert, Clerk Charles Christensen and board member Phyllis Erick. The election is anticipated to occur in March or May. Blauert, Christensen and Erick all said they plan to challenge the recall in the election.

■ Sedona City Council — Mayor Rob Adams will run unopposed since the other contender, Bradley Earle, turned in his paperwork late. Petitions were due Dec. 14.

Five candidates will compete for three seats on the Sedona City Council. Candidates include incumbent Mark DiNunzio, and newcomers John Martinez, Joe Vernier, John D. Miller and Jessica Williamson. The three elected will fill seats currently occupied by DiNunzio, Vice Mayor Cliff Hamilton and Councilman Dennis Rayner.

■ Thousands in coins stolen — Thousands of dollars worth of rare coins, as well as approximately $80,000 in cash, were taken from a Sedona home Dec. 9. Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office detectives eventually arrested Oshin Thomas, 33, of Tempe, in connection with the case. Following the arrest, detectives were able to locate much of the stolen property, including property buried in the desert.

■ Sedona Community Food Bank — Syliva Strobel resigned from the position of Sedona Community Food Bank executive director. Strobel, who worked for the food bank for almost two years, cited differences in her goals and the nonprofit’s Board of Directors as a reason for her resignation. Vince Monaci will fill in as interim director until a replacement can be found.

Monaci worked as the executive director prior to Strobel and has been with the food bank for 17 years.