Camp Verde 2020 Year In Review

January

• The Yavapai County Board of Supervisors heard requests from the public to pass an ordinance in support of the Second Amendment, the right to keep and bear arms. The board decided to table the ordinance to retool it.
• The 18th annual Wild and Scenic Film Festival came to Camp Verde, showing films about nature and exploration in partner- ship with Friends of the Verde River.
• Cliff Castle Hotel and Casino held an elaborate fire drill with Copper Canyon Fire and Medical Authority and other local emergency services to test how quickly the building could be evacuated in the case of an emergency.
• At a Jan. 8 meeting, members of the Camp Verde Town Council surprised Bruce George, a former vice mayor and applicant for a spot on the Planning & Zoning Commission, by questioning him about an alleged criminal incident about which he had no knowledge, leading to harsh rebukes of Councilmen Bill LeBeau and Joe Butner from fellow council members and a formal complaint filed by George, who later filed a lawsuit.
• A 2019 report from the Drug Enforcement Agency found that between 2006 and 2012, 70,846,215 opioid pills were sold by pharmacies in Yavapai County, averaging 48 pills per resident, contributing to the ongoing opioid addiction crisis in the area.
• The Camp Verde Marshal’s Office ended its partnership with the Verde Valley Humane Society due to requests for a monthly fee for drop-offs by Camp Verde residents.
• After Cmdr. Armstrong retired from his position as second-in-command of the CVMO, the office reorganized to split up his job among two lieutenants.

February

• Camp Verde Mayor Charlie German apologized to Bruce George at a town council meeting for what had transpired Jan. 8. George withdrew his request for an investigation. Later in February, the council voted 5-1 against letters of reprimand against Councilmen LeBeau and Butner.
• Yavapai County’s Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to make the county a Second Amendment Sanctuary, banning the use of county law enforcement or resources to infringe on people’s right to bear arms.
• Representatives of Verde Valley communities and other stakeholders met to try to develop a region- wide plan on housing to address shortages.
• The Camp Verde Town Council approved a $3.7 million bid from Tierra Verde Construction for the first phase of construction on the Camp Verde Sports Complex, necessitating the town take a $1.5 million loan to pay for it.
• The Yavapai County Board of Supervisors approved spending of up to $70 million for a new criminal justice center in Prescott.
• The Yavapai County Planning & Zoning Commission rejected an application from Primrose Peaks Estates for a planned development in Rimrock.

March

• The Verde Valley Archaeological Center was approved for low-interest loans of up to $4.7 million in order to build a new museum on its property off of State Route 260.
• The Camp Verde Town Council changed the process for complaints after the Bruce George incident led to a series of complaints against numerous members of the town government within just a few weeks.
• On March 15, all Verde Valley school districts announced the immediate closure of all schools due to fears of the coronavirus, which was then beginning to spread in the U.S. At the time, they hoped to reopen on March 27, but the Arizona Department of Education closed schools for in-person learning for the rest of the year.
• The Verde Valley recorded its first COVID- 19 case on March 19.
• Local businesses and government services shut down in response to Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey’s stay-at-home order on March 30.
• Camp Verde applied for a Rural Business Development Grant to develop a brand for Verde Valley agriculture to support local farmers.

April

• Six candidates filed to run in the Republican primary to replace retiring Yavapai County District 2 Supervisor Tom Thurman. Dee Jenkins filed to run against Camp Verde Mayor Charles German.
• The Verde Valley adapted to the COVID- 19 pandemic shutdowns. Churches went virtual, musicians started posting performances online and food banks stretched to accommodate massive demand. Workers in industries like food service, tourism and the arts faced months of uncertainty and many relied on federal unemployment.

May

• Hair and nail salons became the first local businesses that Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey allowed to return to operation he closed them to “flatten the curve” of the coronavirus pandemic. Restaurants returned soon afterward and Verde Valley Medical Center resumed elective surgeries.
• The Camp Verde Arena Association sought a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to pay for construction on the Camp Verde Equestrian Center.

June

• After George Floyd, a black man, was killed by a Minneapolis police officer, Black Lives Matter protests occur around the country with a small number resulting in violent clashes with police and counter-protestors. On June 8, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey briefly imposed a one-week 8 p.m. curfew statewide.
• The Town of Camp Verde put in motion plans to seek a vote from the public on adjusting its budget base to allow for increased spending if the town bought the water company.
• Bruce George filed a claim with the Town of Camp Verde alleging defamation over the Jan. 8 council meeting.

July

• Bars and gyms were forced to close for a second time after briefly reopening.
• Camp Verde took in unexpectedly high sales tax revenues in May despite the pandemic, a prelude to several more months of unexpectedly high revenues.

August

• The Camp Verde Arena Association was approved for a $60,000 grant from the USDA.
• Dee Jenkins unseated Camp Verde Mayor Charles German in an extremely close race to lead the town. James Gregory won the Republican primary to succeed outgoing Yavapai County District 2 Supervisor Tom Thurman.
• An unusually dry summer and “nonsoon” led to local fire departments extending fire restrictions well past their normal end.
• The Camp Verde Unified School District became the first Verde Valley school district to open for in-person learning, with its first day on Aug. 17. The initial opening did not lead to an increase in COVID-19 cases in the area.
• Ducey allowed bars to reopen for the second time.

September

• The pandemic led to new opportunities for recovering addicts at the Steps to Recovery program, who used the time locked in together to develop new skills, such as a new furniture refurbishment program.
• Volunteers in Camp Verde worked to restore the Middle Verde Cemetery, part of an effort by local preservationists to use old grave sites to connect to the past.
• Camp Verde completed work on the Ryal Canyon Trailhead, the first of several proposed trails in the area.

October

• The Camp Verde Equestrian Center was finally completed and opened for its grand opening as part of Fort Verde Days, with hundreds in attendance. The town’s Fort Verde Days activities were limited and smaller than normal due to the coronavirus.
• Early voting in Yavapai County broke records weeks before Election Day.
• A new spike in COVID- 19 cases in the Verde Valley began.
• Bruce George formally sued the Town of Camp Verde for defamation.

November

• Republicans swept state legislative races in the area, with Walt Blackman and Brenda Barton winning seats in the Arizona House of Representatives, and Wendy Rogers winning in the State Senate.
• The Yavapai County Board of Supervisors voted to end the proposed Verde Connect project, citing outsize costs, then reversed that decision in December.

December

• The Town of Camp Verde continued to take in record revenues despite the pandemic, ending the year far above projections.
• CVUSD closed for in-person learning on Dec. 3, citing increases in cases among staff.
• Food banks experienced continued high demand, as both the holiday season and the ongoing pandemic led to more people needing help.
• The first round of coronavirus vaccines arrived in Yavapai County and began being administered to health care workers.
• Local schools saw significant drops in attendance in their first semester, much of it attributable to ongoing changes due to the coronavirus.
• The CVUSD board voted it would return to in-person learning on Jan. 4, 2021, foregoing a delay after the winter break that other districts had sought.