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Board of Supervisors: Development barred on fort's parcel
Shar Porier/Wick Communications
The county and the Nature Conservancy may come to an agreement in monitoring a 377-acre piece of property under a conservation easement that lies on the northern boundary of Fort Huachuca
During last week's Cochise County Board of Supervisors meeting, Deputy Civil County Attorney Britt Hanson explained that the military purchased the easement for $979,200 three years ago from the Meigs family. The purchase was made to prevent incursion of development into the fort's electronic range. The land is in an undisturbed state and the military would like it to remain that way with its wildlife and movement corridor intact.
The military thought that the State Land Department would provide monitoring service to prevent any development from happening in the area. But the state officials said no and did not believe they had the ability to monitor the easement.
So, military officials asked the county to step in as the monitoring agency. According to the documentation provided by the Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs, this easement prohibits all manner of development, from housing to mining to trash dumping.
It does permit the landowner to construct a single-family residence and utility structure as long as none exceed a 50-foot height limitation. Cattle can roam and the property owners can use the easement for recreational use, build roads to maintain the land and fences and enhance the native flora and fauna.
Hanson said the county would only have to monitor the use of the land to ensure the owners comply with the terms of the easement and not interfere with the fort's electronic range. If a problem arose, the county attorney's office would be responsible for enforcing the easement.
However, county Supervisor Pat Call said the Nature Conservancy was willing to step up and monitor the land. "They have a great deal of experience in monitoring easements and has worked to help obtain the easement."
Supervisor Ann English questioned the need for county involvement since conservation easements are recorded on deeds for perpetuity.
But, Call noted that things can happen and later on down the line someone could put something on the property in violation of the conservation easement.
The Nature Conservancy will record any and all structures on the property and be sure that nothing encroaches on the fort or violates the conservation easement, Call added. "Britt did a great job on this. The county was able to step in after three years of it going nowhere and we got it done in three months."
Supervisor Richard Searle pointed out any request for building permits would go through the county and in that process, possible violations could be found.
The supervisors at the July 27 meeting also approved an intergovernmental agreement between the county health department and the state's Health Start, Bureau of Women's and Children's Health will pay $42,875 for a three-month extension. This is based on the county's statistics from 2006, which placed Cochise at the top of the list for infant mortality and low birth weight babies in the state.
Three settlements of tax appeals by Glen Shirman on three parcels of vacant land as proposed by the assessor's office were approved. The first resulted in a $14,000 reduction, and the other two an $18,000 reduction of property valuations.
In other business, the Cochise County Board of Supervisors:
Appointed Deputy County Administrator Jim Vlahovich to Acting County Planning and Zoning Director.
Appointed floodplain engineer Karen Riggs as acting county engineer.
Approved a third amendment to the agreement between the county and Willcox for animal shelter operations for the sum of $26,000 per year through July 30, 2012.
Accepted a $150,000 grant from the Federal Aviation Administration for the design and engineering phase of repairing taxiways A1 and A2 at the Bisbee Douglas International Airport.
Approved an on-going task force agreement between the county sheriff's office and the Drug Enforcement Administration that provides a deputy to assist the operation. A portion of the deputy's pay, up to $17,202 will be picked up by the DEA.
The county and the Nature Conservancy may come to an agreement in monitoring a 377-acre piece of property under a conservation easement that lies on the northern boundary of Fort Huachuca
During last week's Cochise County Board of Supervisors meeting, Deputy Civil County Attorney Britt Hanson explained that the military purchased the easement for $979,200 three years ago from the Meigs family. The purchase was made to prevent incursion of development into the fort's electronic range. The land is in an undisturbed state and the military would like it to remain that way with its wildlife and movement corridor intact.
The military thought that the State Land Department would provide monitoring service to prevent any development from happening in the area. But the state officials said no and did not believe they had the ability to monitor the easement.
So, military officials asked the county to step in as the monitoring agency. According to the documentation provided by the Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs, this easement prohibits all manner of development, from housing to mining to trash dumping.
It does permit the landowner to construct a single-family residence and utility structure as long as none exceed a 50-foot height limitation. Cattle can roam and the property owners can use the easement for recreational use, build roads to maintain the land and fences and enhance the native flora and fauna.
Hanson said the county would only have to monitor the use of the land to ensure the owners comply with the terms of the easement and not interfere with the fort's electronic range. If a problem arose, the county attorney's office would be responsible for enforcing the easement.
However, county Supervisor Pat Call said the Nature Conservancy was willing to step up and monitor the land. "They have a great deal of experience in monitoring easements and has worked to help obtain the easement."
Supervisor Ann English questioned the need for county involvement since conservation easements are recorded on deeds for perpetuity.
But, Call noted that things can happen and later on down the line someone could put something on the property in violation of the conservation easement.
The Nature Conservancy will record any and all structures on the property and be sure that nothing encroaches on the fort or violates the conservation easement, Call added. "Britt did a great job on this. The county was able to step in after three years of it going nowhere and we got it done in three months."
Supervisor Richard Searle pointed out any request for building permits would go through the county and in that process, possible violations could be found.
The supervisors at the July 27 meeting also approved an intergovernmental agreement between the county health department and the state's Health Start, Bureau of Women's and Children's Health will pay $42,875 for a three-month extension. This is based on the county's statistics from 2006, which placed Cochise at the top of the list for infant mortality and low birth weight babies in the state.
Three settlements of tax appeals by Glen Shirman on three parcels of vacant land as proposed by the assessor's office were approved. The first resulted in a $14,000 reduction, and the other two an $18,000 reduction of property valuations.
In other business, the Cochise County Board of Supervisors:
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Tom Finnegan wrote on Aug 5, 2010 8:01 AM:
Tom Finnegan
Co-Chair, Governor's Military Affairs Commission "