Big Park Council update

by Dorothy O'Brien, President Big Park Council

Village of Oak Creek, AZ - Jan 15, 2009 - Greetings Neighbors! The Big Park Regional Coordinating Council began its 2009 Session on January 8th by presenting a Community Service Award to outgoing Vice President Tom Graham. Tom served 2 years as Vice President of the Council and continues to contribute many hours of time on Council and community projects.

I would like to share the remarks Tom made to the Council and audience after accepting his award:

�The Big Park Regional Coordinating Council has become very special to me over the past few years. It is the truest form of American grassroots politics, untainted by money and fostered only by a strong sense of volunteerism among good neighbors and good friends in this wonderful place in which we live.

I especially want to thank Bert Berkshire for first giving me the opportunity to serve on the Council. When I picked up the phone and was asked to be the Council VP, I innocently asked what the position required & was told all I had to do was prepare & circulate the monthly agenda. Well, that sounded simple enough so I accepted. I like to think that if the person who gave me that simple answer had told me how much time I would really spend on Council matters over these past 2 years, I would have accepted anyway, but must admit it might have been a closer call.

Seriously, it has been rewarding and most of the time has been fun. I have formed new friendships and become a better citizen. I do recommend to all Council representatives service on the Council beyond just attending the monthly meetings.

So, thank you all again and though I have nothing here this morning with which to raise a glass and toast, I�ll close with one of my father�s favorites: �Here�s to goodbyes � that they never be spoken! Here�s to friendships � that they never be broken!� �

I can�t say it better than Tom and I am so proud to serve with this year�s Officers:
Vice President Mel Copen; Secretary Henry Reiter; Treasurer Dave Norton and Past President Bert Berkshire.

Please take Tom�s words to heart and get involved with the Council and its committees. Right now the Community Plan Review Committee, chaired by the Hon. Norm Murdoch, is looking to fill a variety of subcommittees focused on all areas of our community.

Go to our website www.BigParkCouncil.org. You�ll be part of what�s going on in Big Park and help create the kind of community we all want to live in now and in the future.

The future of our community is a topic I would like to speak of this month.

In our Verde Valley Region, there are four other organized unincorporated communities which have formed an organization similar to our Council to address community issues. Those unincorporated community organizations are the Cornville Community Association (4800 residents), the Beaver Creek Association(4300 residents), the Bridgeport Community Association (1,000 residents) and Verde Villages Property Owners Association (16,000 residents). In Big Park we are 6,200 residents (all figures are approximate). This is a total of about 32,000 residents who reside in these unincorporated communities in the Verde Valley. It�s important that we all work together for our common issues to be heard. This month the leadership of these organizations will be meeting with Supervisor Davis to discuss our common issues.

Your Council leadership, with Supervisor Davis, has fostered strong ties among these groups to help create mutual cooperation and collaboration. Positive working relationships with all our neighbors including Mayors, Unincorporated Community Leaders, the United States Forest Service and the Yavapai-Apache Nation are critical to moving forward together in a way that makes good neighborly sense.

Big Park has many good neighbors in the Verde Valley region. Population growth and demographic changes shape the character of each community. When we advocate our community, we need to be prepared on a range of community and regional issues. There are currently no state legislators that live in the Verde Valley. We must, therefore, take action to ensure that our voice is heard by those who now represent us in Phoenix.

There are changes coming that will be triggered by the decadal census in 2010. The Yavapai County population is already over 200K people and the next Census will provide the data to trigger a change to 5 Supervisors for Yavapai County. We need to know and understand how the boundaries of those Supervisor�s Districts will be decided. In the Prescott area, people are already telling me don�t bother, we have it all decided already. That�s not very neighborly. Let�s get enlightened and then let�s take action so that we have a voice at the table when these decisions are made.

Only you and I can get in front of this and other issues like splitting Yavapai County into two counties � one of which would be in the Verde Valley. The Council isn�t advocating any one of these scenarios, but we are advocating that we engage and learn what it means for our Community. Stay tuned for more information about how these issues will be discussed and decided by, �We the People.�

At the February 12th Council meeting, Past President Don Beard will be presenting a program at 10am on Public Safety in Big Park. Don is the Chairperson for the Yavapai County Sheriff�s Volunteers in Protection and has invited Sheriff Waugh�s office to update us on our Community�s safety issues and what we can do to help each other.

It would be a great pleasure to see you at a Council meeting on the 2nd Thursday of each month at 9am in Sedona Fire District Station #3 on Slide Rock Rd. (next to the Post Office) or send an email and get involved on a committee or subcommittee:
communityplanreview@bigparkcouncil.org or visit www.BigParkCouncil.org.