This is responding to a letter from former Cave Creek Councilmember Paul Diefenderfer, concerning a pledged gift of a trail easement to extend a trail across Cave Creek at Morning Star Road. There are good reasons residents don’t trust the Town.
Our Mayor and Council, including Diefenderfer, have deceived neighbors for years to get what they—not the residents—want. For example, the Arroyo Road “Cave Creek Bypass”. The Town originally examined Military Road as a bypass, but Carefree blocked their portion to stop it. In 2019 the Council faced criticism over traffic during Bike Week, so they directed staff to look at options. Two were readily available: 1) an already existing roadway easement and right of way on 73rd Street between Highland Road and Ridgecrest Road, or 2) negotiate with the “Blue Sky” owner to connect sections of East Arroyo Road.
Two owners on Highland objected so option 2 was selected. Nobody told the other Arroyo Road residents about the newly proposed bypass. Once negotiations finished, the Council, via Consent Agenda (with no public input or discussion), abandoned an easement (for Blue Sky) and accepted one that allowed the bypass completion. In 2021, the Council passed the Capital Improvement Program that included the money to connect both sections of Arroyo Road.
Only the easement provider on Arroyo Road knew about the trade, the folks who lived on the other side weren’t informed. They found out about it in 2023 at a meeting where Town Officials declared it was too late for them to object. All the Council actions were legal, but not transparent.
Arroyo Road is like the proposed Morning Star trail easement, also scheduled via Consent Agenda, until the affected residents objected. The residents of Cave Creek deserve better, our private property rights deserve better.
Mike Walton
Cave Creek
