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BISBEE WIRE #16 9/19

📷  editor: fred miller                     August 19, 2019 bisbeewire@gmail.com

Hello,

A few of the good things in Bisbee that are happening are outlined below; the new Bisbee Bikeways project, and the Zen Center has found a home. In adjacent Naco...I hope you check out the link to the vid of Studio Mariposa  and open your purse/wallet to donate some dough. This a ongoing project of Bisbee artist Gretchen Baer, my long time co-worker at Cafe Roka and a genuinely wonderful human being, that grew out of her work with Border Bedazzlers when they were painting murals on the Mexican side of the wall. When the solid wall was replaced by bars a couple of years ago, the town of Naco, Sonora gave her a building to use. So every Tuesday she does art-in the broadest sense-to lotsa kids in Naco. She has brought musicians, artists, volunteers, to the gathering and has brought art, music and joy,to scads of kids. You can be part of the fun and get inspired...check it out here: http://www.studiomariposa.org Speaking of doing good works, there are many volunteer opportunities  to lend a hand and I hope you do; Boys and Girls club, Bisbee Science Center, Bisbee Animal Shelter/Gimme Shelter, Friends of the Library, Mining Museum, Bisbee 1000, Visitor Information Center, to name a just a few. One of the potential hazards of Bisbee having too many short term rentals or second home owners is that cultural and service institutions wither for lack of volunteers. The very vibrancy that attracts people to Bisbee-events services, and community involvement provided by non-profits-is diminished as places for rent or purchase are bought up by part timers. (This is not a blanket condemnation, I do know there are some part time owners that participate in our cultural life when they are in town.) But semi-seriously...I suggest that all part time owners and short term rental owners as part of a social contract have to do a mandatory 4 hours a month of volunteer service!

When you can't shop local...The note below mentions how to donate dough to your fave non-profit when you shop at Amazon. Very easy, just log on as smile.amazon.com and .5% of the purchase price will be auto donated to your designated org. Not much better than taking some of your loot from Amazon to fund social good.

Please note the council meeting is Monday not Tuesday for this one meeting. @@@@@@@@@@@@@@


CORRECTIONS/ADDITIONS Last issue I had a question about the city attorney's contract and erroneously surmised, that the the contract did not cover other attorneys and paralegals when necessary. I was told that the contract will cover those costs. James Coull mentioned that the Mon, Wed, Fri 8-9 am exercise class schedule at St. Pat's is not posted on the door, have to get ahold of him for questions.  520-732-9848. There are morning exercise classes at Holistic Wellness center at 24 Howell: www.facebook.com/BisbeeHolisticWellnessCenter/ And yoga teacher Julie Campos is leaving town (for a dream job) so her Thursday morning classes have been cancelled, remainder of her classes will be taken over by others. @@@@@@@@@@@@


COUNCIL MEETING NOTE***********MONDAY AUGUST 18,  7:00 City Hall Background here: http://www.bisbeeaz.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_08192019-314 AGENDA

INVOCATION:  A Moment of Silence                                                                  MAYOR’S PROCLAMATIONS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS: CALL TO THE PUBLIC THE FOLLOWING ITEMS WILL BE DISCUSSED, CONSIDERED AND/OR DECIDED UPON AT THIS MEETING: GENERAL BUSINESS: 1.        ACCOUNTS PAYABLE:  Subject to availability of funds Approval of the Consent Agenda                                                                                    Approval of the Minutes of the Regular Session of Mayor and Council held on August 6, 2019 at 7:00 pm. Approval of the Appointment of Tom Wheeler to the Charter Review CommitteeApproval of the Appointment of Oney Crowley to the Charter Review Committee.Approval of the Appointment of Sandra Hummingbird to the Charter Review Committee.Approval of the Resignation of Laura Morgan from the Bisbee Arts Commission.Approval of a Park, Facility and Right of Way Use Permit for Bisbee High School for the Use of Main Street for a Pick Parade on Wednesday, August 28, 2019 from 5:00pm to 6:30pm with possible waiver of fees.Approval of a Park, Facility and Right of Way Use Permit for Bisbee High School for the Use of Cole Avenue, Bisbee Road, Douglas Street, Ruppe Avenue and Arizona Street for A Homecoming Parade on Friday, October 11, 2019 from 5:00pm to 6:00pm with possible waiver of fees.Approval of a Park, Facility and Right of Way Use Permit for B.R.A.T.S. for the use of Tombstone Canyon and Main Street at the Iron Man down to Grassy Park, then onto Subway Street to Hold an Art Car Parade on Saturday, October 26, 2019 from 4:00pm to 4:30pmApproval of a Park, Facility and Right of Way Use Permit for B.R.A.T.S. for the Use of Subway Street on Saturday, October 26, 2019 from 4:00pm to 7:00pmApproval of a Special Event Liquor License Application Submitted by Olde World Church Inc. for an Event to be held at 40 Brewery Gulch, Bisbee, Arizona on Sunday, September 1, 2019 from 12:00pm (Noon) to 12:00am (Midnight); Robert Bowling, Applicant. NEW BUSINESS 3.        Discussion and Possible Approval of a Donation of Windscreens for use on the Pickleball Court in Higgins Park during the months of March through May. Jesus Haro, Public Works Director  4.        Discussion and Possible Approval to enter into a service agreement with The WLB Group for Professional Engineering Services to assess and design mitigating improvements to a drainage wall located on Ok Street. Jesus Haro, Public Works Director 5.        City Manager's Report: Insurance Summary Report from AMRRPAdoption of a Fee Schedule.  A draft fee schedule has been in the works that would consolidate the fees found throughout the City Code.  Recommendations for adjustments to the current fess will be included.Draft Request for Proposal for Design Build services for City Hall.  The City Attorney will prepare a draft RFP for review.Pay Equity Compliance and Salary Plan.  Working with the Personnel Director to insure that the city meets State guidelines for pay equity as well as contemplating a salary plan that provides for step increases.Other current events (No Discussion) @@@@@@@@@@@@

MEET THE CITY MANAGER At Poco Thursday August 29....5:30 – 7:30 Please welcome Bisbee's new city manager, Theresa Coleman. Your $20 ticket includes one glass of wine/beer, and snacks! Tickets available online or at POCO and Finders Keepers. All proceeds benefit Friends of Bisbee Animal Shelter. @@@@@@@@@@@@

BIG TROUBLE AT KBRP This is from a recent newsletter sent out by the Board of KBRP.

Back in March 2018 when the old Board resigned the appointed Board began to investigate BRP's financial situation.  It was discovered that: ·         No financial records existed except bank statements. ·         Questionable checks were written and finances were mismanaged. ·         No current membership list existed. ·         Underwriting contracts were not updated, many underwriting scripts were outdated, with many underwriters in arrears. ·         Bills from ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, PRX and others hadn't been paid in over 3 years. ·         IRS employment quarterlies were overdue. ·         We had an IRS penalty of $53,000.00 for failure to file for 2 years. ·         The Royale did not have a business license to operate. ·         There was not a signed contract with Goar Park Lunches nor monthly payments for rent. ·         The Royale was not in compliance with the health, building and fire certifications.

We also realized there was an MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) with the Mexican Consulate in Douglas to provide a “Patrimony Protection Program.”  The Program's’ objectives are to provide training and guidance on protecting patrimony, family economy, as well as free, culturally and linguistically appropriate financial and educational guidance to provide financial education to the Mexican and Hispanic community" (quoted text from the MOU).  A $20,000.00 grant was awarded to us to perform these services and these dollars had been deposited in our account in  November 2017.  We learned of this in November 2018, but we did not have a copy of the MOU on file until recently.  In our meeting with a representative from the consulate we were informed that it was expected we would hold classes for migrant workers in the Sulphur Springs valley from Douglas to Pierce.  Currently we have attorney reviewing the MOU from the consulate.  This MOU had not been approved by the previous seated  board at the time it was entered .into. The Board  was unaware of its existence until November 2018 and we didn’t see a copy of the MOU itself until June 2019.  We dealt with all of the above issues except for the MOU with the Consulate and the approximately $7,500 we owe PRX.  We have instituted a payment of $100 a month with PRX with the caveat being we will pay off our balance when we are in a better financial position to do so.  We have  canceled our subscription to PRX programs.  During this time all our salaried staff have turned over and we are currently operating solely with volunteers.  No money exists to hire staff, creating an untenable situation over the long run. In October we will be calling a meeting of the membership to discuss our future at the Royale.  We feel the Board should not make any decisions about the future of the Bisbee Royale without first consulting our members and the community at large. Current operating costs are running about $4,000.00 a month.  The Board continues to look for ways to reduce costs while at the same time looking for opportunities to increase our revenues. At present there are no paid positions and our volunteers and Board Members are spread thin, we cannot continue for long at this rate. Solutions that have been proposed so far are: Sell the Royale and use proceeds to buy a location for KBRP.Look for a solution that allows us to keep both KBRP and the Royale.Find another non-profit to take over the Royale while letting KBRP remain in the building.Continue to research and write operational grants to continue operations.Conduct a survey of the community as to kind of entertainment / presentations the community would like to see at The Bisbee Royale. No matter which way we go we'll need the continued support of membership and the community at large to try and keep us afloat. On an up note, several positive scenarios have also occurred: $1,000 was awarded from the Bisbee Women’s Club to run a Sunday Movie Matinee during the summer for Youth.A $36,000 Grant was submitted to the Tohono O’odham Nation building repairs and equipment upgrades.We are pursuing other grants.Our MOU, Rental Rates and Contracts are being revamped to reflect industry standards.We continue to seek ways to cut expensesOur volunteers have saved us thousands of dollars, by working events and doing maintenance and repair on the building. We are currently looking into compensating all volunteers for their hours of service to The Royale. Please go to the Royale link at KBRPradio.com to see what shows we have coming up. We encourage you to respond to this e-mail with your ideas and suggestions. Please put “Royale Decision” in the subject line. Thanks for your attention to this matter. Our hope is that with your support, we can put the KBRP and the Royale on a strong financial footing and continue to enjoy these two community assets for years to come @@@@@@@@@@@@ BISBEE BIKEWAYS LAUNCHES A new and exciting project is happening in Bisbee!  Ecotopia, a local 501c3 nonprofit organization is spearheading its first project- Bisbee Bikeways.  The Bikeways will be a network of interconnected multimodal pathways that will safely connect all residents of Bisbee to necessary resources and recreation, while increasing the overall health of the community, and lessening its carbon footprint.  

The Project Manager of Bisbee Bikeways has already donated 8 months of her time to this project, and is dedicated to moving the project forward.  Our established partners include the City of Bisbee, the Cochise County Planning & Development Department, the County Engineer, the County Health and Social Services department, Arizona Department Of Transportation, and Freeport McMoRan.

Studies have shown that cycling lowers rates of obesity, heart disease, cancer, mental illness, diabetes and arthritis, and increases cognitive functioning and happiness.   Studies also show that substitution of cycling for car transportation on short trips, of 3-5 miles, contributes to reductions of the emissions of heat-trapping gases, such as carbon dioxide.

Imagine children spending more time outdoors and less time looking at screens.  Imagine feeling safe as you move from one neighborhood in Bisbee to another on bike or on foot.   Imagine our town being a shining example of rural health.  Imagine our children’s cognitive skills increasing, bringing up test scores and attracting more funding to our schools.  Imagine being able to get to the grocery store, school, medical and dental offices, and local events safely on your bike or on foot.   Imagine increasing health-based tourism to Bisbee. 

In order to accomplish this ambitious goal we need your help.  Your donations will enable this project to come to life.  Please contact us for more information at (520) 860-4004, at bisbeebikeways@gmail.com, or through our website at www.bisbeebikeways.com.   @@@@@@@@@@@@


ZEN CENTER'S NEW HOME FOR MEDITATION PRACTICE

On September 1, Cochise Zen Center will offer meditation practice at its new home in Brewery Gulch, 250 Brewery Avenue, a little ways past Mimosa Market. The center serves as a meditation resource for the borderlands, helping residents experience wisdom, compassion, and mindfulness. Everyone is welcome and instruction is always available. For more information and schedules, go to www.cochisezencenter.org. (The location is easily identifiable, right where the graphic of 'no male pissing' is!)


BISBEE MENTIONS

The room 4 bar at the Silver King has a short write up in this Roger Naylor article of cool travel trips around the state. https://www.azcentral.com/story/travel/arizona/2019/08/15/last-minute-arizona-summer-road-trips-flagstaff-tombstone-lake-havasu-city-bisbee-jerome-williams/1961210001/

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IF YOU SHOP AT AMAZON PLEASE TO READ THIS

Register your non-profit to get .5% from each amazon purchase. If you shop at amazon you can donate .5% of each purchase to a charity/non-profit of your choice. (It has to be registered, see below to urge your fave to register. Same account, same store cards, the only diff is that you have to log on at smile.amazon.com. Go here to see how to register your organization: https://org.amazon.com/ref=smi_se_saas_org_org

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TRUMP CAMPAIGN'S $11 MILLION DIGITAL SPEND In true fashion after the Whiner in Chief, the Trump campaign is using lies and misinformation in ads on social media with big spends on Facebook. This is serious stuff. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jul/02/way-ahead-of-the-field-inside-the-trump-campaigns-unprecedented-social-media-campaign?utm_term=RWRpdG9yaWFsX0d1YXJkaWFuVG9kYXlVUy0xOTA3MTE%3D&utm_source=esp&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=GuardianTodayUS&CMP=GTUS_email


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