Carefree Truth
Issue #684, August 25, 2018
Councilman Mike Farrar reported that he worked with Councilmen Gene Orrico and Stephen Hatcher with the goal to provide a community-wide Veteran's Memorial in the Carefree Gardens as a symbol of honor and recognition of the men and women who served and sacrificed their lives in military service. Across the country and around the world, U.S. War, Military and Veterans Memorials stand to honor those who served in uniform and the battles they fought to protect our nation's freedoms. As shown by the attendance of the Veteran's Day and Memorial Day events, many veterans live in this community. The Memorial Day event invigorated him to start work on a Memorial monument.
The committee partnered with the Sonoran Arts League (SAL), a non profit volunteer based organization dedicated to actively advancing art, artists and art education. Executive Director Pat Bell-Demers put out a call to the artists. The committee chose Mark Carroll, owner of the Sculpture Studio in Cave Creek. With over 30 years of experience, he designs and creates contemporary sculpture in stone, metal and wood. He designed and made the stainless steel rearing horses at the 2 entries into Cave Creek. The black onyx stone will be graciously donated by Wayne Helfand, owner of the Rare Earth Gallery in Cave Creek. The designs presented were made of black onyx and steel. The designs and descriptions can be viewed on the video. Mr. Farrar estimated the finished cost at $7,000-8,000. It could be finished and installed by Veteran's Day. American Legion Post #34, in Cave Creek, offered to donate $2,000. Mr. Farrar asked the Council to choose a design and to render an immediate vote to approve the project, so it could get started. He asked if there were any questions.
Vice Mayor John Crane said that, as the only veteran on the Council, he would lead off on the discussion. He certainly sees a need and interest in a Veteran's or Memorial monument, for a space for people to honor veterans, or to pray, or to contemplate. There is nothing like that in the Carefree/Cave Creek area. It would be unique. He thanked the artist who put in the effort and resources to create the designs, American Legion Post #34 for their offer of a donation, and everyone else involved. But he wanted to share one thought.
A memorial is a personal thing where people go to to think, to pray, or to remember that which is important to them. Vice Mayor Crane felt it should be a "bottom up" approach, rather than a "top down" one. Bottom up means it comes from the citizens who live here, rather than from a small group of people. When he heard that this would be on the agenda, he reached out to a few veterans in the community who he considers to be leaders in the veterans' community.
He talked to Mike Wold, a Carefree citizen and strong advocate for veterans. Mr. Wold has spoken at Council meetings, has participated in the Veteran's Day event, and is very involved with the Healing of Memories program that has taken place at Spirit in the Desert for the past several years. Healing of Memories helps veterans with PTSD and other damages stemming from their military experiences. He also spoke with Charles Reaux, who assists Mike Wold with these programs, and with Marine Corps veteran Bob Jenkins, who has a construction company called VetsBuilt that hires veterans. Mr. Jenkins is very veteran focused. None of these men had been part of the Memorial monument discussion, but to a person, they all wanted to participate and all had ideas.
The Vice Mayor thought it was very important to reach out to veterans, Gold Star moms and dads, or families in our community that have lost family members or have family members who were injured serving our country. Anyone who wants to participate or has an idea should be given the opportunity to share that idea. It goes even beyond the design. It starts at the very beginning, because they are the people who will use it. They should have a feel for it and should "own" it.
One comment Vice Mayor Crane hears about the Carefree gateways is that they were designed without much public input. The Town held public meetings but did not solicit much public input. We could have done a better job. But gateways are not personal. A place to honor veterans is very personal. That's all the more reason why there is a need to solicit input from citizens who want to participate. With that in mind, he asked the Council to consider having the Mayor initiate an ad hoc committee that would facilitate getting these ideas together, and that is not driven by the Council. It would form an infrastructure, allowing people to participate and share their ideas. He made a motion to form this committee.
Town attorney Mike Wright reminded the Vice Mayor that the agenda stated this item was for presentation and discussion, so no action may be taken. Vice Mayor Crane amended it to suggest that the Mayor take this on to form a committee, and was not asking for a vote.
Mr. Farrar said with all due respect to Vice Mayor Crane, he has been trying to put together a Veteran's memorial for years. His father was career military and is currently buried in the Arizona National Cemetery. Mr. Farrar is a proud member of the American Legion Post in Cave Creek. He said that the Vice Mayor had been part of the committee but had bowed out. Mr. Farrar would like to continue to be part of it, and was open to opening it up to the community.
Mayor Les Peterson said he fully supported Carefree doing something to honor veterans, but he agreed with Vice Mayor Crane that it should be something that comes from the veterans in the community, something they would consider meaningful, broad based throughout the community. He didn't feel the Council should be in a position to say this should be the memorial. Mr. Farrar repeated that he was not opposed to opening it up. It was a proposal. He had been working with the American Legion on it.
Councilman Mike Krahe applauded the concept. His father was a WWll veteran, now deceased. His image is on a Veteran's memorial in Erie, Pa. That memorial was created by veterans. They led it; they discussed the design. It brought them out and was very meaningful to them. "If I were a veteran and I looked at this, I don't know that I'd say, 'This is what I want' ". He liked the idea of a Memorial monument. He thanked Councilmen Farrar, Orrico and Hatcher, and said Carefree just needs to figure out how to do it.
Vice Mayor Crane said it goes beyond veterans to their families, people who have experienced loss and everything associated with that. Mr. Farrar did not disagree, but he wanted to stay engaged. He asked American Legion Post #34 Commander Ron Terrell to speak. They "collaborated together". These were the proposed designs and Mr. Farrar hoped to get a commitment from the Town to go forward.
Commander Terrell said this had been discussed since last year when Mr. Farrar brought it up. They would be happy just to have some input. There are 550 members with 550 opinions on what it should look like, but there were no real ideas yet. The board decided to go with whatever Mr. Farrar decided and to donate $2000. He added that "the faster the better" because his term is up as of June, and the money could be taken away if it's not spent by then. He thanked the Town for its consideration and for the Memorial Day event in which Post #34 participated. They had a good time.
Councilman Hatcher suggested putting something on the Town website that would allow people to give their input. He knows Martha McSally who is running for the U.S. Senate. He asked her to contact some national veteran's organizations for financial support.
Vice Mayor Crane said that in an arts community like ours there will be lots of good ideas to make this work. He was convinced from conversations he'd had with people over the past couple of weeks, with veterans and people who have an interest in this, that it can be funded. He really believed that many small donations will give more people "ownership" and appreciation of this monument. It really needs to be a grassroots program. It needs to come from the people who live here. It will be standing long after this Council is gone. The Town needs to solicit the people. Using the Town website is a great idea, but people need to be made aware that Carefree is soliciting ideas.
Mayor Peterson said he viewed this project as being in a preliminary stage. It came in 2 hours ago, and 4 of the Council people were seeing it for the first time. He was not prepared to make a final decision on it at that point. That's not on the agenda, nor should it be. Mr. Farrar accused the Mayor of making it into a political thing. The Mayor disagreed. Mr. Farrar said it was a proposal. He was trying to get a consensus from the Council, with the intent of moving forward.
Town Attorney Mike Wright reminded Mr. Farrar that the agenda says "discussion". It doesn't talk about any kind of action. He said that what Councilman Farrar was looking for was the approval of a proposal. That was against this agenda. He asked that the Council stay on this agenda. Mr. Farrar responded fine and thanked the Council for the time to allow him to make his presentation. Mayor Peterson thanked Mr. Farrar for the presentation and said he thought it had been an excellent discussion. The Town would pick it up and move forward so that, in rapid order, they can come to some kind of community consensus.
Artist Mark Carroll said these were work sketches, done with a low budget. He agreed 100% with the discussions, and would love to get input from veterans. He can do stone, welding or bronze. If in bronze, he can make a clay model. He is open to and can do whatever is desired. He invited the Council members to visit his studio in Cave Creek.
Councilwoman Cheryl Kroyer said she has visited his studio and thinks his work is beautiful, but would like to explore some Carefree artists to see if they can come up with something better. She favored supporting our community. If no one came up with something that meets Mr. Carroll's standards, then she would be happy to go along with some of his designs. Mr. Farrar repeated that the committee had worked with SAL, and a number of artists had submitted proposals. The committee chose Mr. Carroll. No others used elements like stone. Mr. Carroll is the only stone cutter up here.
Mayor Peterson noted that this was developed without the bulk of the Council being involved. He wanted to develop a game plan that would involve the Council, as well as individuals. Vice Mayor Crane added, "And the community". Mr. Farrar said he had spoken with the Mayor about talking to SAL, and that the Mayor was aware of that plan. The Mayor agreed but said it was done "underground" after that.
Carefree resident Phil Corso pointed out that this is for a good purpose but that it's a matter of public art, and formal Requests for Proposals (RFD) should be issued to design people. He realized it was done with SAL, but he only sees one designer. He does great work, but this is public art. That means it has to grow from the bottom. People here don't know about it. You have to have a design that people see and say, "Oooo, ahhh, and congratulations, you got the best!" It must be broad based in order to get public support. He commended Mr. Farrar for getting it going, but it seemed to be inside a bubble. Bring it out of the bubble with formal RFDs. Tempe dedicates 1% of their development fees to the arts, and they have done amazing things. The cause is obviously there, but it must be done by the public. The good news is that it's already started. Broaden it now; get more people involved.
Mayor Peterson suggested that he and Mr. Farrar work together over the next month. Then they can present the progress at the September Council meeting.
https://vimeo.com/285119023
Lyn Hitchon
Prepared by Carefree Truth
Visit our website at www.carefreetruth2.com If you know anyone who would like to be added to the Carefree Truth email list, please have them contact me. Feel free to share Carefree Truth with others on your list.
Visit www.carefreeazbusinesses.com to see more info about businesses in Carefree. Please support our merchants.
Issue #684, August 25, 2018
Councilman Mike Farrar reported that he worked with Councilmen Gene Orrico and Stephen Hatcher with the goal to provide a community-wide Veteran's Memorial in the Carefree Gardens as a symbol of honor and recognition of the men and women who served and sacrificed their lives in military service. Across the country and around the world, U.S. War, Military and Veterans Memorials stand to honor those who served in uniform and the battles they fought to protect our nation's freedoms. As shown by the attendance of the Veteran's Day and Memorial Day events, many veterans live in this community. The Memorial Day event invigorated him to start work on a Memorial monument.
The committee partnered with the Sonoran Arts League (SAL), a non profit volunteer based organization dedicated to actively advancing art, artists and art education. Executive Director Pat Bell-Demers put out a call to the artists. The committee chose Mark Carroll, owner of the Sculpture Studio in Cave Creek. With over 30 years of experience, he designs and creates contemporary sculpture in stone, metal and wood. He designed and made the stainless steel rearing horses at the 2 entries into Cave Creek. The black onyx stone will be graciously donated by Wayne Helfand, owner of the Rare Earth Gallery in Cave Creek. The designs presented were made of black onyx and steel. The designs and descriptions can be viewed on the video. Mr. Farrar estimated the finished cost at $7,000-8,000. It could be finished and installed by Veteran's Day. American Legion Post #34, in Cave Creek, offered to donate $2,000. Mr. Farrar asked the Council to choose a design and to render an immediate vote to approve the project, so it could get started. He asked if there were any questions.
Vice Mayor John Crane said that, as the only veteran on the Council, he would lead off on the discussion. He certainly sees a need and interest in a Veteran's or Memorial monument, for a space for people to honor veterans, or to pray, or to contemplate. There is nothing like that in the Carefree/Cave Creek area. It would be unique. He thanked the artist who put in the effort and resources to create the designs, American Legion Post #34 for their offer of a donation, and everyone else involved. But he wanted to share one thought.
A memorial is a personal thing where people go to to think, to pray, or to remember that which is important to them. Vice Mayor Crane felt it should be a "bottom up" approach, rather than a "top down" one. Bottom up means it comes from the citizens who live here, rather than from a small group of people. When he heard that this would be on the agenda, he reached out to a few veterans in the community who he considers to be leaders in the veterans' community.
He talked to Mike Wold, a Carefree citizen and strong advocate for veterans. Mr. Wold has spoken at Council meetings, has participated in the Veteran's Day event, and is very involved with the Healing of Memories program that has taken place at Spirit in the Desert for the past several years. Healing of Memories helps veterans with PTSD and other damages stemming from their military experiences. He also spoke with Charles Reaux, who assists Mike Wold with these programs, and with Marine Corps veteran Bob Jenkins, who has a construction company called VetsBuilt that hires veterans. Mr. Jenkins is very veteran focused. None of these men had been part of the Memorial monument discussion, but to a person, they all wanted to participate and all had ideas.
The Vice Mayor thought it was very important to reach out to veterans, Gold Star moms and dads, or families in our community that have lost family members or have family members who were injured serving our country. Anyone who wants to participate or has an idea should be given the opportunity to share that idea. It goes even beyond the design. It starts at the very beginning, because they are the people who will use it. They should have a feel for it and should "own" it.
One comment Vice Mayor Crane hears about the Carefree gateways is that they were designed without much public input. The Town held public meetings but did not solicit much public input. We could have done a better job. But gateways are not personal. A place to honor veterans is very personal. That's all the more reason why there is a need to solicit input from citizens who want to participate. With that in mind, he asked the Council to consider having the Mayor initiate an ad hoc committee that would facilitate getting these ideas together, and that is not driven by the Council. It would form an infrastructure, allowing people to participate and share their ideas. He made a motion to form this committee.
Town attorney Mike Wright reminded the Vice Mayor that the agenda stated this item was for presentation and discussion, so no action may be taken. Vice Mayor Crane amended it to suggest that the Mayor take this on to form a committee, and was not asking for a vote.
Mr. Farrar said with all due respect to Vice Mayor Crane, he has been trying to put together a Veteran's memorial for years. His father was career military and is currently buried in the Arizona National Cemetery. Mr. Farrar is a proud member of the American Legion Post in Cave Creek. He said that the Vice Mayor had been part of the committee but had bowed out. Mr. Farrar would like to continue to be part of it, and was open to opening it up to the community.
Mayor Les Peterson said he fully supported Carefree doing something to honor veterans, but he agreed with Vice Mayor Crane that it should be something that comes from the veterans in the community, something they would consider meaningful, broad based throughout the community. He didn't feel the Council should be in a position to say this should be the memorial. Mr. Farrar repeated that he was not opposed to opening it up. It was a proposal. He had been working with the American Legion on it.
Councilman Mike Krahe applauded the concept. His father was a WWll veteran, now deceased. His image is on a Veteran's memorial in Erie, Pa. That memorial was created by veterans. They led it; they discussed the design. It brought them out and was very meaningful to them. "If I were a veteran and I looked at this, I don't know that I'd say, 'This is what I want' ". He liked the idea of a Memorial monument. He thanked Councilmen Farrar, Orrico and Hatcher, and said Carefree just needs to figure out how to do it.
Vice Mayor Crane said it goes beyond veterans to their families, people who have experienced loss and everything associated with that. Mr. Farrar did not disagree, but he wanted to stay engaged. He asked American Legion Post #34 Commander Ron Terrell to speak. They "collaborated together". These were the proposed designs and Mr. Farrar hoped to get a commitment from the Town to go forward.
Commander Terrell said this had been discussed since last year when Mr. Farrar brought it up. They would be happy just to have some input. There are 550 members with 550 opinions on what it should look like, but there were no real ideas yet. The board decided to go with whatever Mr. Farrar decided and to donate $2000. He added that "the faster the better" because his term is up as of June, and the money could be taken away if it's not spent by then. He thanked the Town for its consideration and for the Memorial Day event in which Post #34 participated. They had a good time.
Councilman Hatcher suggested putting something on the Town website that would allow people to give their input. He knows Martha McSally who is running for the U.S. Senate. He asked her to contact some national veteran's organizations for financial support.
Vice Mayor Crane said that in an arts community like ours there will be lots of good ideas to make this work. He was convinced from conversations he'd had with people over the past couple of weeks, with veterans and people who have an interest in this, that it can be funded. He really believed that many small donations will give more people "ownership" and appreciation of this monument. It really needs to be a grassroots program. It needs to come from the people who live here. It will be standing long after this Council is gone. The Town needs to solicit the people. Using the Town website is a great idea, but people need to be made aware that Carefree is soliciting ideas.
Mayor Peterson said he viewed this project as being in a preliminary stage. It came in 2 hours ago, and 4 of the Council people were seeing it for the first time. He was not prepared to make a final decision on it at that point. That's not on the agenda, nor should it be. Mr. Farrar accused the Mayor of making it into a political thing. The Mayor disagreed. Mr. Farrar said it was a proposal. He was trying to get a consensus from the Council, with the intent of moving forward.
Town Attorney Mike Wright reminded Mr. Farrar that the agenda says "discussion". It doesn't talk about any kind of action. He said that what Councilman Farrar was looking for was the approval of a proposal. That was against this agenda. He asked that the Council stay on this agenda. Mr. Farrar responded fine and thanked the Council for the time to allow him to make his presentation. Mayor Peterson thanked Mr. Farrar for the presentation and said he thought it had been an excellent discussion. The Town would pick it up and move forward so that, in rapid order, they can come to some kind of community consensus.
Artist Mark Carroll said these were work sketches, done with a low budget. He agreed 100% with the discussions, and would love to get input from veterans. He can do stone, welding or bronze. If in bronze, he can make a clay model. He is open to and can do whatever is desired. He invited the Council members to visit his studio in Cave Creek.
Councilwoman Cheryl Kroyer said she has visited his studio and thinks his work is beautiful, but would like to explore some Carefree artists to see if they can come up with something better. She favored supporting our community. If no one came up with something that meets Mr. Carroll's standards, then she would be happy to go along with some of his designs. Mr. Farrar repeated that the committee had worked with SAL, and a number of artists had submitted proposals. The committee chose Mr. Carroll. No others used elements like stone. Mr. Carroll is the only stone cutter up here.
Mayor Peterson noted that this was developed without the bulk of the Council being involved. He wanted to develop a game plan that would involve the Council, as well as individuals. Vice Mayor Crane added, "And the community". Mr. Farrar said he had spoken with the Mayor about talking to SAL, and that the Mayor was aware of that plan. The Mayor agreed but said it was done "underground" after that.
Carefree resident Phil Corso pointed out that this is for a good purpose but that it's a matter of public art, and formal Requests for Proposals (RFD) should be issued to design people. He realized it was done with SAL, but he only sees one designer. He does great work, but this is public art. That means it has to grow from the bottom. People here don't know about it. You have to have a design that people see and say, "Oooo, ahhh, and congratulations, you got the best!" It must be broad based in order to get public support. He commended Mr. Farrar for getting it going, but it seemed to be inside a bubble. Bring it out of the bubble with formal RFDs. Tempe dedicates 1% of their development fees to the arts, and they have done amazing things. The cause is obviously there, but it must be done by the public. The good news is that it's already started. Broaden it now; get more people involved.
Mayor Peterson suggested that he and Mr. Farrar work together over the next month. Then they can present the progress at the September Council meeting.
https://vimeo.com/285119023
Lyn Hitchon
Prepared by Carefree Truth
Visit our website at www.carefreetruth2.com If you know anyone who would like to be added to the Carefree Truth email list, please have them contact me. Feel free to share Carefree Truth with others on your list.
Visit www.carefreeazbusinesses.com to see more info about businesses in Carefree. Please support our merchants.