A city project designed to benefit both residents and visitors is moving forward following a unanimous vote by the Sedona City Council.
On June 22, council approved a construction contract with Paul R. Peterson Construction Company Inc. not to exceed $1,352,872 for the Posse Ground Park Parking and Soldier Pass Road Shared-Use Path Improvements Project.
The item was on council’s consent portion of the agenda and there was no discussion. In the days following, City Engineer Andy Dickey explained the project.
“The project will provide a safe route between the Soldiers Pass Trailhead and Posse Grounds Park, which residents and visitors will benefit from,” he said. “Visitors, and residents from other areas of the city, will have parking at Posse Grounds Park and a safe route to take to the trailhead.
“Residents in the Rim Shadows area will have a safe route to take to Posse Grounds Park without needing to drive a vehicle. This improves safety, removes parking congestion from Rim Shadows, and reduces cars on the road in this area.”
Construction is set to begin in July and is anticipated to be completed by February.
“By investing in bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, the city of Sedona is showing a commitment of providing safe and convenient alternative transportation options,” a report states. “Accessibility to active transportation infrastructure encourages healthier lifestyles. In addition, this pathway will create a safe route for travel outside the roadway.”
Like the new parking lot, the 3,850-foot-long pathway will be made of stabilized decomposed granite, beginning at the new parking area and ending on Shadow Rock Drive. This material was also used to construct the Sunset Park shared-use path.
The contract for the project includes:
■ A 10-foot-wide shared-use path along the east side of the road from the current Sunset Trail crossing at Soldier Pass Road and heading north to Rim Shadows Drive — nearly a half-mile. The majority of this trail will be attached to the roadway. A short section will be detached from the roadway and separated by a curb.
■ Signage along the shared use path for safety.
■ Pet waste stations and trash receptacles.
■ Residential road crossings will be striped to delineate the crossings.
■ Miscellaneous drainage improvements and culvert extensions to provide the area needed for the shared-use path.
■ Boulders will be installed along the roadway which will restrict parking along the project trail.
■ A raised trail crossing will be installed at the Sunset Trail and Soldier Pass Road crossing to the Vultee Arch Road aka Forest Service Road 152. This safety feature is expected to add to other improvements in this area that have had a traffic calming effect.
Department Changes
Staff announced at the council meeting that David Peck, one of the city’s associate engineers, would soon be retiring after 20 years with the city.
“It has been an honor to serve this community for the past 20 years with such a professional and cohesive team at City Hall,” Peck said the day after the meeting. “My career with the city encouraged and allowed me to grow both personally and professionally.
“I will certainly miss my coworkers. I will miss being the lead on large construction projects. I will also miss the interactions with those citizens and business owners who are willing to be friendly and respectful to city employees and collaborative, encouraging and supportive of improvements within the city. I will leave knowing that I made many friends and completed several wonderful projects for our parks, for our major drainage courses, and for our citizens and visitors.”
Dickey said over the years Peck had gone from a Public Works inspector to right-of-way specialist to assistant engineer and finally to his current position.
“David has been able to carry his experience in several positions into new positions, as he progressed within the department,” he said. “This allowed him to be a key resource for new staff through mentoring and consultation, and his institutional knowledge has been invaluable.
“David has been one of our top achievers along the way, deservedly earning Employee of the Year in 2018. Since I’ve worked with David during 15 of his 20 years, I’m privileged to have not only supervised David but also know him as a co-worker and friend. He will be significantly missed by me, the Public Works Department, and all city staff that have been able to work with him. He will certainly leave some big shoes to fill.”
Staff also announced that Sandy Phillips was hired as the city’s new assistant director of public works and assistant city engineer. She will take over Peck’s area of stormwater services, as well as the public works side of development services.
“She has her work cut out for her in covering David’s position, after such a tenure,” Dickey said. “I believe Sandy has the experience and drive needed to be successful in her position. She has 30 years of experience in the public and private sector, most recently serving as the Navajo County floodplain manager and assistant county engineer, and she has a track record of getting things done.”
