Interstate 11/Wickenburg

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The proposed Interstate 11 could one day run through Wickenburg. The Sonoran Institute, an environmental group, has worked for nearly a year with Wickenburg residents to help them envision what the freeway of the future might look like. The results of workshops, community input sessions and a youth art project were all recorded in the Context Sensitive Interstate and Infrastructure Design Report, recently presented to the Wickenburg Town Council. Ian Dowdy from the Sonoran Institute will tell us more.

TED SIMONS: THE TOWN OF WICKENBURG. WORKING WITH WICKENBURG RESIDENTS TO HELP ENVISION WHAT THE FREEWAY WOULD LOOK LIKE. THE YEAR-LONG REPORT WAS PRESENTED TO THE COUNCIL. FOR ME, WE WELCOME THE SONORA INSTITUTES. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.

IAN DOWDY: GOOD TO SEE YOU, SIR.

TED SIMONS: INTERSTATE 11, WHERE IS IT, WHERE DOES IT GO?

IAN DOWDY: IN 1994, CONGRESS PASSED NAFTA AS WE KNOW. THEY ENVISION AT THAT TIME A TRANSNATIONAL HIGHWAY. SO IT CONNECTS CANADA AND MEXICO. THEY CALL IT THE CANAMEX HIGHWAY. INTERSTATE 11 IS THE FIRST PIECE OF THAT SOME 20 YEARS LATER. IT WILL GO FROM NOGALES, ARIZONA TO LAS VEGAS.

TED SIMONS: AND THROUGH WICKENBURG. AND SO THE SONORA INSTITUTE GOT INVOLVED BY DOING WHAT?

IAN DOWDY: WE'VE BEEN INVOLVED WITH INTERSTATE 11 FOR FOUR YEARS NOW. EVERY SINCE IT WAS IN THE FEASIBILITY STUDY. AND WHAT OUR GOAL IS TO HELP COMMUNITIES TO CONNECT WITH THE NATURAL RESOURCES AND FIGURE A WAY TO HAVE A ROBUST ECONOMY AND PROTECT THOSE NATURAL RESOURCES AND THE ENVIRONMENT AROUND THEM. WICKENBURG IS A LOGICAL PLACE TO WORK. THEY HAVE A TREMENDOUS HERITAGE AROUND THEIR HISTORIC CULTURE. THE LANDSCAPE AROUND THEM IS AN IMPORTANT PIECE OF THEIR WAY OF LIFE. A GREAT PLACE FOR US TO PLUG IN AND GIVE THEM SOME TOOLS. THEY KNOW HOW TO WORK WITH INTERSTATE 11 AS IT COMES THEIR WAY.

TED SIMONS: THE BOTTOM LINE IS GETTING PUBLIC INPUT ON THE PROJECT.

IAN DOWDY: RIGHT. GIVE THEM SOME TOOLS THAT THEY CAN WORK WITH. COMMUNITIES FACE WICKENBURG. THEY'VE HAD THREE MAJOR INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS IN THE PAST THAT HAVE AFFECTED THEM. AND THEY HAVE VIEW SOME OF THOSE EFFECTS IN A NEGATIVE WAY. INTERSTATE 17 CAME ALONG. PEOPLE COMING SOUTH FROM FLAGSTAFF ARE NO LONGER GOING THROUGH WICKENBURG. PEOPLE GOING FROM LOS ANGELES NO LONGER GOING TO WICKENBURG. AND INTERSTATE 11, PEOPLE GOING TO LAS VEGAS MAY NOT GO THROUGH THERE. THESE ARE ISSUES AND THEY NEED TOOLS TO KNOW HOW TO RESPOND.

TED SIMONS: WHO DID YOU SPEAK TO? WHO SPOKE TO YOU?

IAN DOWDY: GREAT QUESTION. WE STARTED IT AS A COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROJECT. WE WENT TO THE COMMUNITY. WE WENT TO CHILDREN IN SCHOOLS. AND SUMMER CAMPS, WE SAID GIVE US SOME ARTWORK. SHOW US WHAT YOU VALUE ABOUT YOUR TOWN. WE DID A SURVEY PROCESS WHERE WE SAID TO THE COMMUNITY, TELL US WHAT YOUR VALUES ARE. WE COMPARED THAT TO SOME HISTORICAL DATA. PRESENTED THAT TO THE COMMUNITY THAT WAS LED BY A TASK FORCE THAT THE MAYOR CREATED CALLED THE I-11 TASK FORCE. SO IT WAS VETTED BY THE COMMUNITY, THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS, A SPECIAL TASK FORCE. THEN WE DID A DESIGN. WE TOOK THEM TO THE ALTERNATIVE ALIGNMENTS AND THE AREAS THAT ARE OF CONCERN TO THEM AND SAID "HOW WOULD YOU DO IT IF YOU COULD DO IT YOURSELF". AND THEY CAME UP WITH SOME GREAT IDEAS.

TED SIMONS: IT SOUNDS LIKE IT. AS FAR AS IN GENERAL, THOUGH, WERE THEY MOSTLY -- WERE RESIDENTS MOSTLY SUPPORTIVE OF THE INTERSTATE?

IAN DOWDY: IT REALLY VARIES. THE QUESTION WASN'T TO THEM, ARE YOU SUPPORTIVE OF THE INTERSTATE. THE QUESTION IS IF AND WHEN IT COMES YOUR WAY, WHAT DOES THE INTERSTATE DO AND HOW DOES IT AFFECT YOUR VALUES. BECAUSE WE LEARNED WHAT THE VALUES OF THE COMMUNITY WERE. AND WE ASKED THEM TO APPLY THOSE VALUES INTO DESIGNS AND THEY PRESENTED SOME INTERESTING ALTERNATIVES THAT I THINK WILL BE INFORMATIVE IN THE I-11 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT.

TED SIMONS: LET ME ASK YOU THIS WAY, WERE THE VOICES UNIFY IN THIS REPORT? RELATIVELY UNIFY?

IAN DOWDY: THEY BECAME MORE UNIFIED AS IT WENT ALONG. THIS IS A COMMUNITY THAT HAS VERY DIVERSE VALUES AND INTERESTS. JUST LIKE ANY COMMUNITY, THEY HAVE THEIR DOWNTOWN, THAT HISTORICALLY HAS HAD ALL OF THEIR MA AND PA BUSINESSES IF YOU WILL. THEY HAVE THEIR TOURISTS INDUSTRY, THEY HAVE RETIREE COMMUNITIES. SO THERE IS NO UNITED VOICE. BUT THROUGH THIS PROCESS, OUR GOAL WAS TO BRING THEM TOGETHER TO GET MORE OF A UNITED VOICE. I THINK WE ACHIEVED THAT.

TED SIMONS: WHAT ARE THE CONCERNS YOU HEARD. WHAT ARE THE BIG CONCERNS?

IAN DOWDY: MORE OFTEN THAN NOT. THEY WANT THE ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES AROUND THEM. THEY APPRECIATE THE PARK, THE LANDSCAPES, THEY WANT THOSE TO BE RETAINED. APPRECIATE THE VALUES, THE UNIQUE IDENTITY. THAT'S A SMALL-TOWN FEEL. THAT'S KIND OF AN HISTORIC TYPE OF FEEL. THEY WANT TO PRESERVE THAT AS WELL. SO THOSE ARE THE TWO MAIN THINGS THAT CAME OUT. AND I THINK THE SOLUTIONS THEY PUT FORWARD HELPED TO ADDRESS THOSE.

TED SIMONS: REFLECT LOCAL CHARACTER AND LOCAL ENVIRONMENT.

IAN DOWDY: ABSOLUTELY.

TED SIMONS: YOU MENTIONED, I THINK YOU HAVE A GRAPHIC OF THE VULTURE MOUNTAIN AREA AND WHERE IT LOOKS LIKE THE INTERSTATE AND POWER LINES AND STUFF, WHAT ARE WE LOOKING AT HERE?

IAN DOWDY: THIS IS AN ARTIST RENDERING. WE WORKED WITH NORRIS DESIGN. THEY PRESENTED TO US SOME ALTERNATIVES, SOME IDEAS OF HOW THE INTERSTATE COULD INTERFACE WITH OTHER INFRASTRUCTURE. ONE OF THE THINGS WE PUT FORWARD FOR OUR ORGANIZATION, IS IF YOU HAVE TO BUILD A NEW TRANSMISSION OR INFRASTRUCTURE, IT MAKES LOGICAL SENSE GO IN PLACES WHERE IMPACTS HAVE OCCURRED.

TED SIMONS: RIGHT.

IAN DOWDY: YOU CAN SEE THE TRANSMISSION IN THIS PACKET. THE IDEA IS TO GO THROUGH VULTURE PARK. THE IDEA IS PUTTING IT THROUGH THE TRANSMISSION LINE AND THE INTERSTATE THROUGH IT AND HAVE A LOWER IMPACT ON THE LOCAL ENVIRONMENT AND THE RESOURCES.

TED SIMONS: THAT WILL MAKE SENSE. THIS IS A PROPOSED OVERPASS IN THE AREA. WHAT ARE WE LOOKING AT THAT.

IAN DOWDY: THE COMMUNITY CAME FORWARD AND SAID WE WANT PEOPLE TO HAVE AN IDEA OF WHERE THE TOWN IS WHEN THEY APPROACH IT FROM THE NORTH COMING FROM LAS VEGAS. SO THIS IDEA WAS A CONCEPT WELL OF A WAY THAT OVERPASS CAN BE CONSTRUCTED SO PEOPLE WHO ARE COMING SOUTH TOWARDS PHOENIX CAN CHOOSE TO GO IN TO WICKENBURG FOR A SHORT JAUNT, HAVE ICE CREAM, HAVE DINNER, AND WHATEVER THAT IS, AND THEN GET BACK ON INTERSTATE 11. THE IDEA WAS TO REPRESENT PEOPLE WHO ARE TRAVELLING WITH WICKENBURG AS AN OPTION TO THEM.

TED SIMONS: THAT'S A REALLY GOOD IDEA. THE IDEA OF GETTING SOME ELEVATION THERE SO AS YOU HEAD TO THE TOWN, YOU CAN SEE THE TOWN.

IAN DOWDY: THAT'S RIGHT. YEAH.

TED SIMONS: THAT'S A COOL IDEA. SO WHAT BECOMES OF -- THE DESIGN -- IT SOUNDS LIKE IT'S GUIDANCE. IT'S NOT MANDATED TO TAKE THE IDEAS, CORRECT?

IAN DOWDY: THERE'S A PUBLIC INPUT SESSION GOING ON RIGHT NOW. PUBLIC MEETINGS ALL ACROSS THE REGION. AND THE COMMUNITIES ARE REQUIRED TO ENCOURAGE INPUT BY JUNE 2. THEY'VE ADOPTED IT BY THE TOWN COUNCIL. THEY'RE GOING TO ADOPT IT AS PART OF THE INPUT. COMMUNITIES ALONG THE ROUTE ARE PROVIDING INPUT AT THE SAME TIME. HOPEFULLY TO DRIVE BETTER DECISIONS AROUND WHERE THE INTERSTATE MAY GO.

TED SIMONS: LAST SECOND HERE. WE HAVE 30 SECONDS. WHAT BECOMES OF THE REPORT.

IAN DOWDY: IT'S GOING TO BE ADOPTED BY THE TOWN COUNCIL. WE HOPE IT'S GUIDANCE. WE THINK IT WILL. TWO AREAS WE'RE FOCUSING ON. HOW CAN THE COMMUNITY WORK TO INTEGRATE INTERSTATE 11 AND THEIR FUTURE PLANNING AND HOW CAN THEY DO ADVOCACY WITH THE I-11 PROJECT TO MAKE IT THE BEST THEY CAN BE FOR THEM.

TED SIMONS: SOUNDS FABULOUS. IT MAKES SENSE. IT WAS GOOD TO SEE OUT THERE. A LOT OF GOOD WORK BEING DONE OUT THERE. I COULD TELL. THANK YOU SO MUCH. WEDNESDAY ON "ARIZONA HORIZON," REPUBLICAN LEGISLATIVE LEADERS GIVE US THEIR TAKE ON THE JUST ENDED STATE LEGISLATIVE SESSION. AND THE ARIZONA THEATER COMPANY'S LATEST WORLD PREMIERE IS A SHERLOCK HOLMES MYSTERY. THAT'S HERE ON ARIZONA HORIZON. I'M TED SIMON, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US.

Ian Dowdy: Sonoran Institute

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