The historic U.S. Forest Service Ranger Station house on Brewer Road is in much need of a face lift and the city of Sedona is hoping to provide one.
In 2014 the city purchased 3.4 acres on which the ranger station and other buildings currently sit. The property includes the historic Forest Service Ranger Station house, built in 1917, and barn, which was constructed in 1934. Both are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The city is developing a park master plan to guide future renovations, design, construction and public use of the property. However, the park portion of the project is not anticipated to get underway for at least four years. When it was purchased, it was said that any work would take place later due to lack of funds.In the meantime the city, including the Historic Preservation Commission, is looking at ways to refurbish the historic buildings.
“As is to be expected, two historic structures require regular maintenance and repair, as does any structure,” Assistant Community Development Director Warren Campbell said.
“The age of the structures and their designation as national landmarks increases the need for proper maintenance and repair on a regular basis. Thus far the city has focused projects to prevent the degradation of the properties.”
Campbell said the city has reroofed the barn and installed Plexiglas over broken windows to secure the property from vandals, animals and weather. They also repaired the front deck to the home, remove inappropriate non-native vegetation from the site, removed several non-historic structures and removed lead paint.
“There are areas where degradation is occurring and ongoing, however, staff continues to monitor and address the structures in an incremental approach,” Campbell said.
It is currently anticipated that the exterior restorations to the buildings would cost approximately $250,000 to $300,000 and would likely come from the city budget. However, Campbell said additional funds will be necessary for the remodeling and repair of the interiors for the anticipated future uses. The interior restorations would likely occur in a future year.
“In terms of funding the restoration of the historic buildings and constructing the park, the funds would come from the development impact fees collected for parks and recreation,” he said.
Regarding the Historic Preservation Commission’s role in this project, it helps staff in identifying and prioritizing the smaller projects that the city can accomplish within currently budgeted amounts.
The commission also provides oversight through its processes on the work being performed, Campbell said. Additionally, the HPC continues to advocate for the restoration and repair of the ranger station structures during each budget cycle.
“The Sedona City Council often leans on their expertise, as they are intended to serve in an advisory capacity to council when considering decisions like whether or not to fund the restoration of the exteriors of the structures in Fiscal Year 2020,” he said.
Even though the restoration of the buildings and the creation of the park will take place years apart, Campbell said the city doesn’t necessarily see it as two separate projects.
“The idea of approaching the projects separately has arisen over the past couple of years as a result of the need to plan for the park construction further into the future,” he said.
“Delay of the park construction beyond previously anticipated time frames has resulted in a concern about the physical maintenance and upkeep of the two historic structures on the site.”
