Category Archives: City

Kaibab National Forest proposing fee increase to rent Spring Valley Cabin

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WILLIAMS — Managers of the Kaibab National Forest are proposing to increase the fee for renting Spring Valley Cabin north of Parks, Ariz., on the Williams Ranger District.

Spring Valley was added to the popular “Rooms with a View” cabin rental program in 2001. Since then the site has undergone significant upgrades and renovation including new foundations for both buildings, all new plumbing, all new bedding, a new furnace and hot water heater, a new water system with pressure tanks and pumps, new decking around the exterior, an accessible bathroom, a new kitchen, and exterior and interior paint.

With the updated features and the fact that the cabin and bunkhouse can house up to 17 people, the current rental fee is lower than other rentals offering similar amenities. The cabin has a full kitchen with modern appliances, hot water, walk-in shower, propane heat (with woodstove backup), on the grid power, and running water year-round. Fees are assessed based on the level of amenities and services provided, cost of operation and maintenance, market assessment, and public comment. Fee receipts generated from the rental of Spring Valley Cabin are used for the operation and maintenance of these recreation sites.

The Kaibab National Forest is proposing that the cabin fee increase from the current $100 per night to $165 per night. The cabin has six bunk beds and two futons sleeping up to 10 people. Visitors may also rent the bunkhouse for an additional fee of $50 per night. The bunkhouse has six bunk beds and a futon for another seven people. The bunkhouse can only be rented combined with the cabin. Currently the cost of renting both the cabin and bunkhouse is $150 per night ($100/cabin plus $50/bunkhouse). The new proposed price for both the cabin and bunkhouse would be $215 per night ($165/cabin plus $50/bunkhouse).

Anyone interested can provide input on the proposed fee increase at any time prior to Feb. 28, 2017. Comments should be submitted to Lisa Jones, recreation program manager for the Williams Ranger District, at lljones@fs.fed.us or (928) 635-5619. Once the public review period has ended, the proposed fee and all comments received will be considered by a Recreation Resource Advisory Committee prior to a final decision and implementation.

Spring Valley Cabin offers spectacular views, unparalleled opportunities to see wildlife, and convenient cross-country ski and hiking trails. The Kaibab National Forest has several cabins available for overnight rental for people seeking a unique camping and outdoor experience. Find out more at Kaibab Cabin Rentals. Follow the Kaibab National Forest on Twitter and Facebook @KaibabNF.

Saving steps is paying big dividends at ADOT’s vehicle-repair shops

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TUSCON — At the Tucson shop where the Arizona Department of Transportation repairs and maintains vehicles, technicians once rolled tires across the facility to reach a machine used for repairs.

Today, that machine is located next to the operation’s tire storage, along with the tools and supplies needed for the work. As a result, far fewer steps are required to repair tires.

Technicians once lost time searching various drawers for the right nuts, bolts, fittings and electronic connectors. Today, drawers are color-coded according to items, sizes and uses, better connecting technicians with what they need for a particular repair.

Rather than lugging containers of wiper fluid, technicians now create it by adding tablets with water to a vehicle’s wiper fluid holder. In addition to being a little less expensive, this approach frees space once required to store all of that wiper fluid.

“The littlest details make a big difference,” said Harry Edwards, the foreman.

As ADOT answers Governor Doug Ducey’s call for state agencies to continuously improve all aspects of their operations, employees at the Tucson Equipment Services shop are identifying ways to do their jobs more efficiently, down to how they organize their workstations.

“One of the things we’re challenged to do as employees is look for opportunities to improve upon what we did yesterday,” said Sonya Herrera, director of ADOT’s Administrative Services Division, which includes Equipment Services. “And I think the Tucson shop is a great example of how small changes, when added together, lead to a huge improvement.”

The payoff goes beyond more efficient repairs and maintenance for ADOT vehicles ranging from trucks to snowplows. Dozens of agencies contract with Equipment Services, including the Arizona Game and Fish Department, Arizona Department of Public Safety, police departments and school districts.

Improvements to date include a tracking system for specialized diagnostic tools that technicians share.

“Rather than spending time looking for it or searching for it, they know exactly who has that tool and can touch base with them to find out when it will be available,” Herrera said.

Devin Darlek, ADOT Equipment Services administrator, notes that applying continuous improvement techniques costs nothing in most cases while producing savings in time and taxpayer money. It’s also spurring a healthy competition among all 23 ADOT Equipment Services shops to identify improvements.

“Process improvements are contagious,” Darlek said. “All employees are excited about this and are working to plug in their own ideas.”

All through the Tucson shop, employees are evaluating processes and procedures to cut down on the steps – and time – needed to perform work. Reducing steps increases the shop’s capacity for other work.

They noticed, for example, that a machine used to remove, repair and mount light tires was in great demand. But it was located in the north end of the shop, while new tires were stored at the south end. Fetching the right supplies and tools for tire repairs involved more trips.

The employees’ review found that mounting and balancing a tire required 277 steps.

Moving the machine in question to where tires are stored, and next to the right supplies and tools, reduced the number of steps required to mount and balance a tire to 28.

Employees saved more steps by taking a close look at each technician’s workspace, and then reorganizing – rebuilding workbenches in some cases – to focus on the tasks each person performs most often as well as ergonomics.

After employees assessed which items in the parts area were in highest demand, Kevin Potts, the facility’s equipment parts supervisor, moved those items closer to the entrance. Where it once took 10 steps to dispense one of the faster-moving parts, it now takes just three.

That improvement also has reduced inventory, which in turn reduces overhead costs, and made accounting for inventory much more efficient.

“Instead of having three months of inventory sitting on my shelf, I’ve got just two or three weeks of inventory sitting on my shelf because I have really good vendors 20 minutes away,” Potts said.

Technician Shane Blasdel said the many improvements to date at the Tucson shop offer benefits beyond saving steps.

“Shop’s a lot cleaner, a lot more efficient, a lot safer,” Blasdel said.

Because continuous improvement is, by definition, continuous, accomplishments to date are just a start.

“No idea’s too small,” said Edwards, the Tucson shop foreman.

ADEQ Awards a $72,489 Brownfields Grant to Pine Forest Education Association

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adeq-1FLAGSTAFF — Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) officials announced today a Brownfields Grant award of $72,489 to the Pine Forest Education Association (PFEA) to perform an asbestos and lead-based paint abatement at a vacant church located at 2257 E. Cedar Ave in Flagstaff in support of the Pine Forest Charter School (http://pineforestschool.org/) expansion plan to accommodate increased enrollment. Constructed in 1967, the 23,000-square-foot multistory, multi-material building is located on an approximate 3.5-acre property. The charter school plans to modify the existing structure as well as construct new buildings to provide its K–8 curricula to more students.

Redeveloping brownfields has the potential to reduce environmental hazards, mitigate public health threats, create new business opportunities, increase tax revenue and restore habitats and blighted areas to productive use. Program funds are limited and available to eligible applicants in the order that they apply and qualify.

Established in 2003, ADEQ’s BAP conducts projects through Arizona’s State Response Grant using funds provided by the Environmental Protection Agency. The program has funded more than 70 projects, assisting entities from local governments, schools, hospitals and nonprofits to tribes in completing environmental assessments, cleanup and restoration.

Strong thunderstorms possible tonight

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WILLIAMS — The NOAA warns of severe thunderstorms possible through tonight. The issued a severe weather warning which reads:

MOISTURE IS BEING DRAWN NORTHWARD AHEAD OF A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM
AND WILL BRING INCREASING CHANCES OF SHOWERS AND A FEW
THUNDERSTORMS TO MOST OF NORTHERN ARIZONA THROUGH TONIGHT. ISOLATED
STRONG THUNDERSTORMS COULD DEVELOP WITH SMALL HAIL AND GUSTY
WINDS.

ON FRIDAY, THE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL MOVE SLOWLY NORTHWARD
ACROSS ARIZONA. SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
WILL CONTINUE, WITH THE GREATEST COVERAGE OVER NORTHEASTERN
ARIZONA. ISOLATED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE WITH SMALL
HAIL AND GUSTY WINDS. MINOR FLOODING WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THE
HEAVIEST SHOWERS. EVENT TOTAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 0.50″ TO 1.50″
ARE FORECAST, WITH THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL OVER SOUTHERN NAVAJO AND
APACHE COUNTIES.

It is recommended that you keep pets indoors.

Forest restoration work near Williams to increase log truck traffic

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WILLIAMS — As two additional timber sales supporting forest restoration efforts begin on the Williams Ranger District of the Kaibab National Forest, members of the public can expect to see an increasing number of log trucks traveling through the Williams community and heavy, mechanized equipment in the project areas on the forest.

The 1,108-acre Shiner Timber Sale is located about 4 miles south of Williams in the vicinity of Sevier Flat and Shiner Tank. It is bounded on the north by Forest Road 140, on the east by FR 48A, on the south by FR 3258 and on the west by County Road 73.

Log trucks traveling from the Shiner Timber Sale will start on FR 140 or FR 3258, travel north on County Road 73 to Railroad Avenue in Williams, continue west to enter Interstate 40 at the 161 interchange, then travel east to exit at Garland Prairie for the Newpac Fibre mill. During the height of operations, as many as 11 trucks per day could be traveling the route from the forest to the mill Monday through Saturday. Log trucks could begin operations as soon as this week.

The 839-acre Round Mountain East Timber Sale is located about 13 miles southeast of Williams in the vicinity of Round Mountain. It is bounded on the north and west by FR 138, on the south by FR 105 and on the east by FR 11.

Log trucks traveling from the Routh Mountain East Timber Sale will start on FR 11 or FR 138, travel FR 105 east to FR 110, follow FR 110 west to County Road 73, travel north on County Road 73 to Railroad Avenue in Williams, continue west to enter Interstate 40 at the 161 interchange, then travel east to exit at Garland Prairie for the Newpac Fibre mill. During the height of operations, as many as 21 trucks per day could be traveling the route from the forest to the mill Monday through Saturday. Log trucks are expected to begin operations in mid-November.

At the project locations within Kaibab National Forest, visitors will see tree thinning operations that will include use of feller bunchers, skidders and processors. Members of the public are urged to use extreme caution near timber removal and hauling operations. Besides the presence of heavy equipment and log trucks, there will also be trees being felled and stacked into log decks, which can be unstable. Visitors to the area should not camp near nor climb on them, as they often shift and have the possibility of collapse.

The goals of the Shiner Timber Sale are forest health and wildfire risk reduction, with a special emphasis on restoring a historic antelope migration corridor. Work in the Shiner area could continue until June 2018, but forest managers expect it to be completed sooner than that. The overarching goal of the Round Mountain East Timber Sale is the restoration of a ponderosa pine, oak and juniper forested area. Forest managers expect work to continue in the Round Mountain area for the next several months.

Besides the Shiner and Round Mountain East projects, tree removal also continues on the 3,571-acre McCracken Task Order, which is located about 6 miles south of Williams in the vicinity of Coleman Lake and McCracken Knolls. A contractor recently started harvesting operations off of roads 108 and 728. The McCracken project area is bounded on the north by FR 122, on the east and south by County Road 73, and on the west by FR 42. Log trucks are hauling from both FR 108 and FR 728, feeding into County Road 73 and then following the haul route into Williams and onto eastbound Interstate 40.

The objectives of the thinning operations in the McCracken area are to reduce fuel loading and the potential for future high-intensity wildfires, to improve forest health and watershed conditions, and to provide wildfire protection for the City of Williams and its surrounding residences.

“We have a lot of great work getting accomplished on the Williams Ranger District in terms of improving forest health and reducing wildfire risk through these projects,” said Tom Dauenhauer, timber sale administrator. “However, we also need members of the public to be aware that there is going to be a significant increase in the number of log trucks traveling near and through the Williams community. We urge people to use caution and be aware of this traffic over the coming months.”

All of this logging and thinning work on the Williams Ranger District is associated with the Four Forest Restoration Initiative. The goal of the Four Forest Restoration Initiative is to accelerate the pace and scale of restoration within 2.4 million acres of ponderosa pine forest in northern Arizona to increase resilience and proper functioning. Restoring this fire-adapted ecosystem is accomplished with a suite of restoration activities – from watershed maintenance and habitat improvements to prescribed burning and thinning.

Nov. 3 is deadline to update credit card information for online spring draw

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PHOENIX — The Arizona Game and Fish Department reminds hunters who applied online for 2017 spring hunt permit-tags that 11:59 p.m. (MST) Thursday, Nov. 3, is the deadline to update their credit card or debit card account information, as well as purchase PointGuard to protect coveted bonus points.

Online applicants are responsible for keeping their account information current. If a credit card or debit card is invalid for any reason at the time when the computerized draw is performed, an online application could be rejected.

Online applicants who have been issued a new credit card or debit card, a new expiration date, or had a change to their card’s number should visit https://draw.azgfd.gov/. Scroll down the page, select “Update My Payment Information” and follow the prompts. Note: It is important to update payment information for each species for which an online application has been submitted.

If payment has been declined, the department will make three attempts within two business days to contact the payee and/or “Applicant A” on the online application. That individual then will be afforded a means of providing alternative payment within a specified timeframe. If payment has not been received by the end of that specified timeframe, applicants will be rejected. No exceptions will be made for online applicants who do not respond to the department’s attempts to contact them.

Meanwhile, applicants can purchase PointGuard, as part of their online application, through 11:59 p.m. (MST) Thursday, Nov. 3. All applicants must sign up for a free AZGFD Portal account to purchase PointGuard (visit www.azgfd.gov, click on the “Sign in to Account” button in the upper right-hand corner of the home page, then select the “Create an Account” option). PointGuard is $5 per species, per applicant.

PointGuard ensures that if a successful applicant is unable to participate in a hunt for any reason, the accumulated bonus points that were expended to draw that hunt permit-tag will be reinstated. Information: https://www.azgfd.com/hunting/pointguard.

The department will post an announcement on its website when results of the spring draw become available. All hunt permit-tags will be mailed by Dec. 14; all refund warrants will be mailed by Nov. 30.

For more information, call the department at (602) 942-3000.

You can now print duplicate temporary driver licenses or IDs at home

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PHOENIX — The Arizona Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division has added another transaction to the growing list of things drivers can do at home to avoid lines at MVD offices.

Customers applying for a duplicate driver license or ID card can now print their temporary credentials at home using plain paper. MVD has eliminated the requirement that those credentials be printed on special blue-tinted stock used only at MVD locations.

“There was a misconception that the paper used by MVD to print temporary credentials added a level of security, but that wasn’t the case,” Motor Vehicle Division Director Eric Jorgensen said. “Making this change means people can do this from the comfort of their home on ServiceArizona.com and MVD staff have more time to serve people who need to visit an office. It’s one more way that MVD is getting customers out of line and safely on the road.”

A temporary credential, a receipt showing that the customer has applied for a duplicate driver license or ID, is used until the customer receives the permanent credential through the mail.

Processing duplicate or replacement credentials is the second most common transaction in MVD offices. Lowering the number of transactions that must be done in person helps the division reduce office waiting times and serve customers more efficiently.

The change doesn’t entirely eliminate the use of the blue-tinted MVD credential form, which will still be required for commercial driver license and permit applications. Customers obtaining their first driver license or ID or who need a photo update will also need to come to an MVD location.

A tale fit for Halloween: ADOT’s bat man to the rescue

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bats-th-spe_cropJust in time for Halloween, we have a not-so-scary tale of bats, a bridge project and an ADOT biologist.

It begins a day or so after Labor Day, just before crews are to start rebuilding the State Route 92 bridge over the San Pedro River between Sierra Vista and Bisbee, Arizona Department of Transportation crews make one last check under the bridge to be sure we’re good to go.

We were not. Two lesser long-nosed bats had made a temporary home under the bridge. The photo above shows them in their perch.

The bats are an endangered species, which means we had to stop most work to avoid disturbing them. Most of the time, these migratory bats head to Mexico and farther south well before Labor Day, but our friends decided to hang out a little longer in southern Arizona.

ADOT and the Federal Highway Administration, in consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, decided it would be best to wait until cooler weather encouraged the bats to move on. Our best estimate for that to happen was mid-November.

Enter Josh Fife, a biologist with ADOT Environmental Planning who made several visits to the remote, 61-year-old bridge to check on the bats. The other day, he noticed that they appeared to have flown on. After three straight bat-free days, he gave the OK for work to resume.

In addition to protecting the bats, Fife’s checks saved a month of delays on the project, which is expected to be complete by early summer, and the costs associated with waiting.

As Bill Harmon, ADOT’s district engineer for southeast Arizona, put it, “Josh batted 1.000 on this one.”

Plan for US 180 restrictions north of Flagstaff during controlled burn Tuesday and Wednesday

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FLAGSTAFF — Traffic on US 180 will be restricted to one lane on Tuesday and Wednesday, near Kendrick Park, approximately 17 miles north of Flagstaff, as forest crews conduct a controlled burn in the area.

The scheduled burn will begin at 9:30 a.m. and is expected to last throughout the day and potentially through Wednesday if conditions allow.

Fire managers will be coordinating with ADOT, which will provide pilot vehicles to lead traffic through the restricted area and determine when to lift the restriction. ADOT will be on scene during ignitions and monitoring smoke impacts to the highway overnight, if necessary.

Drivers should allow for extra time for travel, slow down and proceed with caution with the potential reduced visibility conditions in the area.

Coconino County to hold hearing on user fee increases

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Coconino-County-4FLAGSTAFF — The Coconino County Board of Supervisors will hold a Regular Meeting and Public Hearing on Tuesday, January 10, 2017 at 10:00 am in the County Administrative Center First Floor Meeting Room, 219 East Cherry, Flagstaff, Arizona

The Coconino County Board of Supervisors will hold a Regular Meeting and Public Hearing on Tuesday, January 10, 2017 at 10:00 am in the County Administrative Center First Floor Meeting Room, 219 East Cherry, Flagstaff, Arizona, to hear any taxpayer wishing to comment for or against any proposed fee increase. Following the Public Hearing the Board will consider adoption of a revised fee schedule. Here is a PDF with the proposed changes.