White Mountains Land Trust Board Meeting

February 26, 2005

Pinetop-Lakeside Town Council Chambers

Attendees: Keith Justice, Dottie Baker, Gretchen Forbeck, Barbara Teague, Richard Remington, Norris Dodd, John Vuolo, Sue Sitko

There was not a quorum present; no action could be taken at this meeting, including approval of previous minutes and Treasurer’s report. The meeting was conducted for discussion purposes.

Minutes were reviewed by the group, and a minor correction noted. Action Item: Keith will make the correction and bring new version to next meeting for Board approval.

Town Liaison. Keith introduced John Vuolo, Director of Pinetop-Lakeside Parks and Recreation Dept., who will act as Town liaison with the Trust. John stated that the Trust is a necessary group at this time, and stressed the importance of conserving open spaces. In addition, the group discussed the strategic plan developed at the Town’s most recent retreat; the first two priorities listed in the Town’s long-term goals are 1) to acquire Woodland Lake Park; and 2) acquire/retain specific green belts in the community. Everyone reiterated the need to prepare a presentation to the Town Council, and to offer our expertise in helping the Town determine priority areas for acquisition. Action Item: Gretchen will e-mail the Town’s strategic plan to the Board (NOTE: completed 2/28/05).

The topic of Woodland Lake Park was discussed briefly, mostly as a reminder that the Trust should review the Park’s history (and attempts by the Town to acquire it) at the next Board meeting. Action Item: Gretchen committed to check with Paul Esparza to see if his office has the black binder with all the pertinent Woodland Lake documents. In addition, Gretchen promised to e-mail the Board a four-page brief on the history of the park (NOTE: completed 2/28/05).

Rim Trail Project. Keith and Richard gave a report on their recent meeting with Sharon Wallace and Ed Collins, U.S. Forest Service Lakeside District staff, regarding the proposed land exchange for Camps Grace and Tatiyee and the Rim Trail. The Trust has been approached by the Lion’s Club to help in this exchange, primarily to assist in managing the Rim Trail area. The USFS is still very early in the process; NEPA has not yet been initiated, so there has not been any discussion about restrictions, etc. Ed stated that he would prefer if the developer purchasing the lands for exchange (Page Land and Cattle Co.) would approach the USFS with a detailed proposal. Current easements (power substation, others) would be retained. The Trust would ideally end up with approx. 12 acres of the Rim Trail area, and would cooperatively manage the area with the Town of Pinetop-Lakeside as a “gateway park.” The future plans of paving Rim Road from the Reservation boundary through this area were also discussed; these plans necessitate close communication between the Town, Trust, and Lion’s Club. Funding options, particularly from Arizona State Parks, were brought up as potential sources for both acquisition and management funds. All ASP funding programs require a 50% match, but this match could come in the form of labor, equipment, and other sources.

Outreach Committee Update. The outreach subcommittee members—Richard, Norris, Gretchen, and Sue—updated the Board on their activities and strategic plan. Currently, the committee is working on the most immediate needs, which are a logo and a general brochure. Norris stated that High 5 Design was designing a few concept logos, which should be ready the first week of March. The subcommittee will comment on them at their next meeting. Sue presented a draft general brochure, which the group edited together. Action Items: Sue will make the suggested changes and have a new draft to present at the Outreach Subcommittee’s next meeting, which was scheduled for Wednesday, March 9 at 6:30 p.m. at Richard’s house. Norris will also bring the logo designs at that meeting. The committee will then draft a “near-final” version of the brochure to present at the Trust’s March 26 regular Board meeting. Sue will also get cost estimates for printing in time for the March meeting, and hopefully get a mock-up prepared by a printer.

Allen Property. Keith has not received any response from the Trust’s letter to Ted and Marilyn Allen. Action Item: Sue will telephone the Allen’s to see if they’re still interested in protecting their land.

Presentation to Town Council. More discussion on the Trust’s presentation to the Town Council. No date was set yet; it was felt that the brochure should be printed and available prior to any presentation to the Town. And, it was felt that not only should the Trust discuss our group’s goals and objectives, but we should also bring forward specific projects or tasks that the Trust could cooperatively work on with the Town, such as addressing the Town’s goal of determining priority lands for open space acquisition. Norris also suggested that we should come forward with a request to develop a Memorandum of Understanding with the Town. It was generally felt that the sooner, the better; the need to identify and begin the process of acquiring key open spaces is an immediate and critical one.

Next Meeting’s Agenda. The next meeting’s agenda will include: 1) a review of the history of Woodland Lake Park acquisition; 2) finalizing the design/language of the brochure; and 3) strategizing on a presentation to the Town.

The next meeting is scheduled for 1:30 p.m., Saturday, March 26, 2005 at the Town Council Chambers.