"Thomas Jefferson said a democracy is dependent on an informed citizenry. I don't care whether it sounds corny or not. It's the truth." -Jim Lehrer
Carefree Truth
Issue #996, March 7, 2022
Issue #996, March 7, 2022
Vice Mayor John Crane reported that Sky Ranch Airport has it's 60th anniversary coming up on April 2nd, and will be hosting airplanes and pre-1980 cars at a show that day from 10 AM - 2 PM. It's static, so all on the ground. It's free and a lot of fun. There will be around 100 cars on display. The first Wheels and Wings show 2 years ago had a great turnout. Councilman Mike Johnson said he had friends who had submitted car entries and asked if they would be notified concerning acceptance. The Vice Mayor said they would be. For more information about the show, click on the link below.
Carefree Classic Wheels & Wings | Something Special on The Road and In The Air
Carefree Classic Wheels & Wings | Something Special on The Road and In The Air
He also reported that the next Carefree Gardens Seminar would be held in the Pavilion on March 12th, starting at 9:30 AM. The 2 previous Garden Seminars held so far this year were attended by more than 100 people. The topic this time is "Gardening for Wildlife and Pollinators", and it promises to be a very good lecture.
GARDENING FOR WILDLIFE AND POLLINATORS – March 12, 2022
Do you enjoy watching the myriad of birds, butterflies, and other critters in your yard? You can make a big difference for wildlife and pollinators in your home landscape - even if you have a small yard or even just a patio to work with! Native wildlife and pollinators prefer native plants, and our residential plant selections matter!
On Saturday, March 12, 2022, Carefree Desert Gardens welcomes native plant consultant, Carianne Funicelli from Strategic Habitat Enhancements, based in Tucson. Carianne has been advocating for native plants for over 20 years and is a frequent speaker for Master Gardeners in Pima and Pinal Counties, as well as an Advanced Pima Smartscape Instructor.
During this presentation, we will review several native plant species that are appropriate for Carefree, AZ yards and gardens, and discuss the wildlife and pollinators they support.
The program, including a plant raffle, will begin at 9:30 a.m. and run approximately until noon at the Carefree Desert Gardens Pavilion located in the town center. A $5.00 - or more - donation is appreciated to support these programs. For information call 480-488-3686.
This is the third of 4 programs of the 2022 Carefree Desert Gardens seminar series.
He noted that the Town is working on an Earth Day Event on April 23rd in the Gardens that will run from 9 AM - 1 PM. When it was held two years ago, non profit rescue organizations were there with rattlesnakes and predator birds. The Desert Foothills Land Trust, Rural/Metro (R/M), and the Carefree Water Company also had exhibits. The Water Company will be there again and will be talking about water conservation. Whether you're an adult, a child, or a grandchild, it's a fun thing to do. As it takes shape this year, additional information will be forthcoming on the Town website and on social media.
https://vimeo.com/683630279
Mayor Les Peterson turned the floor over to Gary Neiss, who said a Town newsletter had been sent out the day before with information about getting "Firewise".
Do you enjoy watching the myriad of birds, butterflies, and other critters in your yard? You can make a big difference for wildlife and pollinators in your home landscape - even if you have a small yard or even just a patio to work with! Native wildlife and pollinators prefer native plants, and our residential plant selections matter!
On Saturday, March 12, 2022, Carefree Desert Gardens welcomes native plant consultant, Carianne Funicelli from Strategic Habitat Enhancements, based in Tucson. Carianne has been advocating for native plants for over 20 years and is a frequent speaker for Master Gardeners in Pima and Pinal Counties, as well as an Advanced Pima Smartscape Instructor.
During this presentation, we will review several native plant species that are appropriate for Carefree, AZ yards and gardens, and discuss the wildlife and pollinators they support.
The program, including a plant raffle, will begin at 9:30 a.m. and run approximately until noon at the Carefree Desert Gardens Pavilion located in the town center. A $5.00 - or more - donation is appreciated to support these programs. For information call 480-488-3686.
This is the third of 4 programs of the 2022 Carefree Desert Gardens seminar series.
He noted that the Town is working on an Earth Day Event on April 23rd in the Gardens that will run from 9 AM - 1 PM. When it was held two years ago, non profit rescue organizations were there with rattlesnakes and predator birds. The Desert Foothills Land Trust, Rural/Metro (R/M), and the Carefree Water Company also had exhibits. The Water Company will be there again and will be talking about water conservation. Whether you're an adult, a child, or a grandchild, it's a fun thing to do. As it takes shape this year, additional information will be forthcoming on the Town website and on social media.
https://vimeo.com/683630279
Mayor Les Peterson turned the floor over to Gary Neiss, who said a Town newsletter had been sent out the day before with information about getting "Firewise".
Time to get “Firewise”
Desert wildland fires know no superficial boundary such as a property line, a subdivision or a community’s jurisdictional line. These wildland fires spread quickly as a result of our desert heat, extremely low relative humidity, and drying fuel loads resulting from our winter rains. There is one thing we can all do to help minimize the rapid spread of these wildland fires and the resulting damage that is, to remove the nonnative weeds and grasses that emerge from the seasonal winter rains. Removing these fuels helps to mitigate the rapid spread of these wildland fires and further protect our neighborhoods and homes. Now is a time to walk your property and begin to remove these nonnative fuels which feed these wildland fires. Incrementally eliminating these fuels now will minimize your task as these nonnative weeds begin to flourish in the warming spring temperatures.
Emergency Notification and Evacuation System
Please note that in the unfortunate circumstance that a wildland fire does ignite, it is critical that as a community we work together to prepare to evacuate. The County’s Ready, Set, Go emergency notification system is a perfect way to familiarize yourself with evacuation preparedness and received updates on the state of evacuation. Please visit the Maricopa County’s Emergency Notification website to sign up for these alerts at: https://maricoparegion911.onthealert.com/Terms
Fighting wildfires
Support to combat wildland fire is provided to the Town through cooperative agreements with the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management. This State agency maintains in-house fire command and firefighting capabilities, including but not limited to access to aviation resources and 2,700 wildland firefighters and approximately 3,000 pieces of local and federal equipment. No one local fire department is large enough to address these catastrophic events, therefore, this statewide cooperative is established to assist and manage large scale wildland events.
If we are evacuated, how long will it take to return to our properties?
Even when it appears the fire is extinguished, it could be smoldering below the surface. As a result, a brief wind could create sparking and caused compromised propane tanks to explode. Additional hazards such as solar energy systems or generators could be feeding energy to compromised electrical lines and/or compromised structures could be subject to collapse. Obviously, due to these unknown hazards, the first responders must investigate and mitigate these potential hazards prior to reopening any areas damaged by a wildland fire.
Desert wildland fires know no superficial boundary such as a property line, a subdivision or a community’s jurisdictional line. These wildland fires spread quickly as a result of our desert heat, extremely low relative humidity, and drying fuel loads resulting from our winter rains. There is one thing we can all do to help minimize the rapid spread of these wildland fires and the resulting damage that is, to remove the nonnative weeds and grasses that emerge from the seasonal winter rains. Removing these fuels helps to mitigate the rapid spread of these wildland fires and further protect our neighborhoods and homes. Now is a time to walk your property and begin to remove these nonnative fuels which feed these wildland fires. Incrementally eliminating these fuels now will minimize your task as these nonnative weeds begin to flourish in the warming spring temperatures.
Emergency Notification and Evacuation System
Please note that in the unfortunate circumstance that a wildland fire does ignite, it is critical that as a community we work together to prepare to evacuate. The County’s Ready, Set, Go emergency notification system is a perfect way to familiarize yourself with evacuation preparedness and received updates on the state of evacuation. Please visit the Maricopa County’s Emergency Notification website to sign up for these alerts at: https://maricoparegion911.onthealert.com/Terms
Fighting wildfires
Support to combat wildland fire is provided to the Town through cooperative agreements with the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management. This State agency maintains in-house fire command and firefighting capabilities, including but not limited to access to aviation resources and 2,700 wildland firefighters and approximately 3,000 pieces of local and federal equipment. No one local fire department is large enough to address these catastrophic events, therefore, this statewide cooperative is established to assist and manage large scale wildland events.
If we are evacuated, how long will it take to return to our properties?
Even when it appears the fire is extinguished, it could be smoldering below the surface. As a result, a brief wind could create sparking and caused compromised propane tanks to explode. Additional hazards such as solar energy systems or generators could be feeding energy to compromised electrical lines and/or compromised structures could be subject to collapse. Obviously, due to these unknown hazards, the first responders must investigate and mitigate these potential hazards prior to reopening any areas damaged by a wildland fire.
R/M is willing to come to residents' properties to do a fire safety assessment and make recommendations to improve safety.
He also reported that Carefree has retained the services of former Fire Chief John Kraetz, who is evaluating the Town's fire program and examining options as we look towards the future. The options include staying with R/M, but as the Safety Advisory Committee noted, R/M would not qualify for automatic aid, which is the goal. If part of the automatic aid program, calls would all be routed through the Phoenix dispatcher. Along with the Carefree fire station, they would have the back-up of the Daisy Mountain/Cave Creek fire station, the Phoenix fire station, and the 2 Scottsdale fire stations, all nearby, which would mean there were 5 fire stations servicing the Town of Carefree.
Regional automatic aid partners Scottsdale and Daisy Mountain are being investigated and the all-in costs are being fleshed out but the costs of these partners is high. Theses costs are being evaluated relative to forming Carefree's own fire department. Chief Kraetz is well versed in the Town owned assets and the requirements for automatic aid. He's putting together an assessment of what it would cost to retain our own labor force, and the numbers are coming in relatively competitively with the automatic aid partners. The advantage of this is that you maintain control of your fire department, being able to set the policy and control the costs, as opposed to outsourcing it to another political entity. Carefree would still have to apply and go through the same processes that are required of all the other entities, but the Town's own department would qualify to be part of automatic aid. Some additional assets and training might be required, and will be evaluated at the time of application to the Life Safety Council.
There are many small communities like Carefree that have one fire station and are automatic aid partners but all of this costs money. The Town has retained the services of Jim Rounds who is a financial analyst, economist, and who specializes in public policy. He works at the State and local level, and will analyze impacts like these to see how it fits into a Carefree perspective and how it would fit into our financial model.
He's also investigating Daisy Mountain's financial health after concerns about their liabilities were raised by some members of the Council based on disclosures. There is also the matter of the overhead incurred by belonging to their fire district. The escalators associated with that would probably exceed the costs of having our own fire department.
Within the next 60-90 days, these various assessments will be presented. The next step is to go out to the citizens. Chief Kraetz and Mr. Rounds will participate in that, as well as past members of the Safety Advisory Committee who did the deep dive, to update and discuss the fire protection options.
Mayor Peterson encouraged Council members to attend multiple citizen meetings and sit in the back to learn more, because these are big decisions and we want to make sure we have a clear understanding of the implications and of what the residents are saying. Mr. Neiss added that the citizen meetings would be held in the fall, not in the summer, when people are typically away.
The Mayor shared that the Town was contacted by Channel 12 News after they became aware of the Town newsletter about being firewise. Carefree is one of the first places to make note of this. Channel 12 is interested in coming up here to do a story on it. R/M Chief Soule is a wildland expert in the State of Arizona, and they would be interviewing him, so Carefree has received some press over this. Mayor Peterson again stressed that now is the time to get rid of what will be dry non-indigenous vegetation. Fires like those in Cave Creek 2 summers ago can be set off by a single spark.
https://vimeo.com/683636814
Lyn Hitchon
Prepared by Carefree Truth
Copyrighted
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.
He also reported that Carefree has retained the services of former Fire Chief John Kraetz, who is evaluating the Town's fire program and examining options as we look towards the future. The options include staying with R/M, but as the Safety Advisory Committee noted, R/M would not qualify for automatic aid, which is the goal. If part of the automatic aid program, calls would all be routed through the Phoenix dispatcher. Along with the Carefree fire station, they would have the back-up of the Daisy Mountain/Cave Creek fire station, the Phoenix fire station, and the 2 Scottsdale fire stations, all nearby, which would mean there were 5 fire stations servicing the Town of Carefree.
Regional automatic aid partners Scottsdale and Daisy Mountain are being investigated and the all-in costs are being fleshed out but the costs of these partners is high. Theses costs are being evaluated relative to forming Carefree's own fire department. Chief Kraetz is well versed in the Town owned assets and the requirements for automatic aid. He's putting together an assessment of what it would cost to retain our own labor force, and the numbers are coming in relatively competitively with the automatic aid partners. The advantage of this is that you maintain control of your fire department, being able to set the policy and control the costs, as opposed to outsourcing it to another political entity. Carefree would still have to apply and go through the same processes that are required of all the other entities, but the Town's own department would qualify to be part of automatic aid. Some additional assets and training might be required, and will be evaluated at the time of application to the Life Safety Council.
There are many small communities like Carefree that have one fire station and are automatic aid partners but all of this costs money. The Town has retained the services of Jim Rounds who is a financial analyst, economist, and who specializes in public policy. He works at the State and local level, and will analyze impacts like these to see how it fits into a Carefree perspective and how it would fit into our financial model.
He's also investigating Daisy Mountain's financial health after concerns about their liabilities were raised by some members of the Council based on disclosures. There is also the matter of the overhead incurred by belonging to their fire district. The escalators associated with that would probably exceed the costs of having our own fire department.
Within the next 60-90 days, these various assessments will be presented. The next step is to go out to the citizens. Chief Kraetz and Mr. Rounds will participate in that, as well as past members of the Safety Advisory Committee who did the deep dive, to update and discuss the fire protection options.
Mayor Peterson encouraged Council members to attend multiple citizen meetings and sit in the back to learn more, because these are big decisions and we want to make sure we have a clear understanding of the implications and of what the residents are saying. Mr. Neiss added that the citizen meetings would be held in the fall, not in the summer, when people are typically away.
The Mayor shared that the Town was contacted by Channel 12 News after they became aware of the Town newsletter about being firewise. Carefree is one of the first places to make note of this. Channel 12 is interested in coming up here to do a story on it. R/M Chief Soule is a wildland expert in the State of Arizona, and they would be interviewing him, so Carefree has received some press over this. Mayor Peterson again stressed that now is the time to get rid of what will be dry non-indigenous vegetation. Fires like those in Cave Creek 2 summers ago can be set off by a single spark.
https://vimeo.com/683636814
Lyn Hitchon
Prepared by Carefree Truth
Copyrighted
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.