The Yavapai County Board of Supervisors approved the purchase of approximately 80 acres of federal lands adjacent to Oak Creek and Windmill Park in Cornville to be used to expand Windmill Park and for general recreational purposes during its Oct. 18 meeting.
County Manager Maury Thompson said that acquiring the adjacent property to the park has been considered for the past 15 to 20 years by previous boards that kept running into issues with appraisals.
Yavapai County is eligible to purchase the land under the Township Act at the appraised fair market value as determined at time of purchase. The property was recently appraised at $2,880,000 and will likely need to be reappraised at the time of purchase.
District 3 Supervisor Donna Michaels said that the purchase is long overdue. “I can’t think of a more accurate example of ensuring that as supervisors, our constituents have a healthy community and grow it in every possible way they can,” Michaels said.
Chairman and District 2 Supervisor James Gregory recognized the efforts of previous boards to finalize the acquisition, adding that it’s good for the Cornville community.
Vice Chairman and District 1 Supervisor Harry Oberg asked where the money would be coming from to purchase the land. Thompson clarified that the proposal would use state and local fiscal recovery funds provided under the ARPA act and the county’s standard allowance under lost revenue.
“When I start taking a look at the money we have available moving forward and the needs that we have moving forward, I cannot support this,” Oberg said.
District 4 Supervisor Craig Brown noted that if the county does not use its ARPA funding, then it will eventually lose it. He noted that this funding will come from the federal government, not the state.
“This is the first opportunity we’ve had to use federal money to buy property to make our property more valuable,” Brown said. The county could potentially resell some or all of the property for up to $12 million.
“Without question, the Yavapai County purchase of the National Forest parcel can benefit both the county and the Cornville community,” said Judy Miller of the Cornville Community Association, a nonprofit group. She added that residents can’t walk safely from one side of the community to the other and that by expanding the park with trails and improving Cornville Road, the overall safety of the area would improve.
The purchase of the property was approved by a 4-1 vote with Oberg opposed.
The board also unanimously approved a use permit to allow alcohol production by Witch Creek Craft Cider Production located at 9280 East Cornville Road.
The county Planning and Zoning Commission and the Cornville Community Association had recommended approval of the project. County planner Stephanie Johnson said that there are already similar uses in the area, such as Page Spring Cellars and Oak Creek Vineyards and Winery.
Michaels was concerned about ingress and egress on the road and asked if there were plans for managing traffic. Johnson replied that public works has been involved since the application was filed.
