City will host open houses on climate plan2 min read

Larry Farhat, facilities maintenance manager for the city of Sedona, plugs in an all-electric Chevy Bolt being charged at the city’s new EV charging station at City Hall. The city is in the process of completing its first-ever climate plan. Photo courtesy city of Sedona.

The city of Sedona has something new in the works and is seeking further input from the public before moving forward.

The city is in the process of creating its first Climate Action Plan. As part of it, the city is asking the commu­nity to take part in an online survey as well as partici­pate in a pair of online open houses.

“The purpose of the Climate Action Plan is to create a path to a livable future for Sedona,” said McKenzie Jones, the city’s sustainability coordinator. “The plan will take into account the projected climate changes in the Verde Valley, Sedona’s greenhouse gas emissions, community vulnerabilities and the priorities, ideas and concerns of Sedona residents.”

Sedona’s plan will help build resilience to risks like flooding, wildfires and extreme heat, Jones said. As buildings and transportation are the largest sources of carbon pollution, strategies to reduce carbon pollution often include increasing renewable energy genera­tion, moving toward electrified transportation, imple­menting energy efficiency measures in commercial and residential buildings, and creating more walkable and bikeable communities.

As part of the plan, the city is continuing to get public feedback. In light of COVID-19, the city is conducting the planning process virtually and asks that community members participate by joining an upcoming virtual open house and/or filling out an online community survey.

The public is encour­aged to attend a virtual open house on one of the following dates:

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• Monday, Sept. 21, from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.

• Thursday, Sept. 24, from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m.

Registration is required to receive the Zoom open house information.

A draft of the plan is estimated to be completed in late fall.

According to Jones, the virtual open houses will focus on actions and strat­egies in the plan.

“This is an opportunity for community members to reflect on which actions are the most impactful and seem like a good fit for Sedona,” she said. “We will use Zoom breakout rooms to ensure community members have a chance to share their thoughts.”

In terms of the open houses, Jones said she was not concerned about conducting the process virtually.

“The community has been very engaged,” Jones said. “Community members have adapted to our virtual process and have provided thoughtful feedback by phone, email, social media, surveys and open houses.”

The city will take feed­back from open houses and use it to craft a first draft of the plan. Staff will then bring the first draft of the plan back to Sedona City Council and the community for feed­back. The topic is up for discussion only, and no action, at the council’s Wednesday, Sept. 9, meeting at 3 p.m. in the council chambers at city hall.

For more information on the Climate Action Plan, visit www.sedonaaz. gov/climate.

If you have any ques­tions, email Jones at mjones@sedonaaz.gov.

Ron Eland

Ron Eland has been the assistant managing editor of the Sedona Red Rock News for the past seven years. He started his professional journalism career at the age of 16 and over the past 35 years has worked for newspapers in Nevada, Hawaii, California and Arizona. In his free time he enjoys the outdoors, sports, photography and time with his family and friends.

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