The Camp Verde Town Council chambers were packed on the night of June 19, with barely any free seats. After quickly getting through some of the minor matters on the council’s docket, the council got to the topic that had brought dozens out from the community with strong opinions: A resolution opposing the county’s Verde Connect road project connecting State Route 260 and Cornville Road.
“Could I just have you raise a hand if you something that you would like to say in favor of the road?” Mayor Charlie German asked to start off the discussion. The crowd laughed. No Camp Verde residents raised their hands. For months, a group of Camp Verde residents, largely from the Middle Verde Road area of town, have expressed opposition to the road project, due to the plans to build a road over the Verde River just north of the neighborhood, and the intention to connect the road to Middle Verde Road.
Two ad hoc citizens’ groups, Verde Disconnect and Save the Middle Verde, formed with an intention to stop the project and protecting the rural character of the Middle Verde neighborhood. On June 4, Verde Connect unveiled its seven potential routes, two of which it mostly ruled out of contention, that would connect to State Route 260 at one of three locations: Thousand Trails Road, Coury Drive or Old Highway 279.
The roads would cross the Verde River, and meet Cornville Road at the intersection of Beaverhead Flat Road. Opposition to the road did not abate with the revelation of the new routes, which mostly avoids any Camp Verde land, as all routes would include a connection to the Middle Verde area, and a potential new bridge across Grandpa Wash.
“A bridge across that wash yards from our private property and our barn where we have a horse set up there — it’s going to significantly negatively affect our lifestyle and our quality of life. Just even the construction phase will be horrendous,” Dr. Rick Brady, a resident of Middle Verde Road, said at the meeting. “It’s going to deter us from being able to use the wash the way we do. A lot of people in the area hike the wash, they walk their dogs, we ride up there. It’s just an area of activity that is really nice to have available to the community.”
German expressed one of the few statements in support for parts of the road, highlighting the value it could have for public safety in the case of an emergency. He brought up the potential of a fire in the Middle Verde area and the difficulties of having to get the disabled adults at Rainbow Acres out quickly in the time of an emergency.
“That’s one of the things that I have to sit here and weigh to see whether that has a valid point,” German said at the meeting. “I was thinking about the possibility of having an emergency mass evacuation.” Still, German ended up supporting the resolution in opposition — proposed by Councilman Joe Butner — in addition to all six other council members in a unanimous vote.
“My take on this is that if you don’t connect to Middle Verde Road, you don’t get to build your bridge,” Councilman Bill LeBeau said, addressing the $25 million BUILD grant that the county received from the U.S. Department of Transportation in order to pay for the bridge over Verde River. “I can tell you from just asking as many people as I see around town, not just from asking these folks here, Camp Verde does not want Middle Verde Road connected anywhere.”
But the resolution passed by the Camp Verde Town Council was somewhat amended at the request of Yavapai County Supervisor Randy Garrison [District 3], who has been a consistent advocate for the road. At the meeting, Garrison pointed out that language in the proposed resolution prevented town staff from being involved in future discussions about Verde Connect if it does happen and possibly even other transportation projects in the future.
Council changed the resolution to allow for town staff to continue working with the county on Verde Connect and other projects, though it still advocates for a “No Build” option with regards to Verde Connect.
Garrison expressed disappointment in the town’s choice to oppose the project, but remained resolute that the county will still move forward with the road to connect State Route 260 with Cornville Road. He pointed out that with the only part of the proposed routes that would actually cross Camp Verde land being the connection to Middle Verde Road, the biggest change that this could lead to in the potential route would likely be the new road connecting to Middle Verde Road in a manner less amenable to the desires of residents.
“Any time you lose community support for a regional project it’s not a good thing,” Garrison said. “But this isn’t a Camp Verde road. This isn’t a Camp Verde project. It’s a county project. “We’ve invested a great deal of time and money into this project, and the resolution at the end of the day won’t stop the project. The county’s dedicated to moving forward.”
Jon Hecht can be reached at 634-8551 or email jhecht@larsonnewspapers.com
