The joint Council and P&Z Workshop meeting was a long one, wrapping up shortly after 7:30. Public attendance was sparse, possibly due to the COINS notice of a 2 – 21/2 hour session!
At the start of the joint meeting Mayor Peterson took a few moments to address a notice that had been displayed at the 100 Easy Street location of our Post office facility. Here is a brief summary of information, which also appeared in COINS:
It has come to the Town’s attention that the current Carefree Post Office Manager, Maxine Douglass, has posted a letter on the building doors stating they are saying goodbye. The Town was not aware of this and as we hear more, we will keep you informed. We are sad to see the employees go after many years of dedicated service and have received more information as to what is happening. Please be reassured that the postal service will continue in Carefree but not by the current postal subcontractor.
As of October 6th, the Post Office will continue operating in the 100 Easy Street building but will be managed by the Federal USPS
The Post Office will be spending $350,000 to retrofit and upgrade the interior of the facility. This will be a “complete overhaul” of the portions of the building to be used by the Carefree Post Office and will be a combination of remodeling their existing space and adding new space.
The construction will commence shortly, and is scheduled for completion sometime in October.
Once again the Town will keep you informed as we learn more. Again, we are very sad to see the existing, dedicated postal employees leaving town and wish them the best in the future
The presentation was directed by Mayor Peterson, and it was extensive. It covered a great deal of material, both historic and current, and was frequently interspersed with lively discussion among participants. The financials painted a picture of the Town’s revenue and expense lines crossing in the not too distant future (5 to 8 years) as revenue continues to decline for a variety of reasons. I’ll not go into all of that information at this juncture since I plan to make a copy of the slide materials available online in addition to some expanded information on several topics.
As expected, the potential Land Use policy was the topic which generated the most comments/discussions. It was noted, more than once, that members of the Council, P&Z Commissioners, and resident advisers all live nearby one or more of the land parcels being considered for some type of development. High density – low density residential, types of commercial and where, as well as potential for resorts – everyone has an opinion on each topic.
In the end, more discussion is better than no discussion and certainly the support of residents for the Town’s land use policies is essential for Carefree’s future. Residents are the town; they founded it, they guided it, and love of Carefree’s unique character has helped it grow. The Town Hall staff are merely advisers who are tasked with providing information to assist in the decision making process. They don’t get to make those decisions. Most, if not all, of our Town Hall staffers are not Carefree residents. You can count on learning more about current and future plans as information becomes available, from a variety of sources. You’ll also hear more about terms such as ‘Real Estate Tax’ (property tax), ‘Remnants’, and ‘Legacy’.
As the joint meeting was breaking up, shortly after 7:30, the Mayor took a moment to thank the resident advisers for their time and contributions, and to release us from further Committee participation. At this moment I’m uncertain if that is a good thing, or not.
In general, you can reach all Council members by email; [email protected]
and Mayor Les Peterson at [email protected]
John Traynor
Carefree
