Ground Party Papers - Third Sunday of May 2024

In this issue…

<sub>1. Lifestyle - A local brewmaster’s duck math
2. Profile - The Southwest Alternative Building Conference has your back
3. Public Surplus Auctions - Water tanks, culverts, hundreds of bricks
4. Rural Politics - New poll: Democrat and Republican voters largely agree on groundwater issues
5. Water News - More water cutbacks for central Arizona; Farm Bureau shills SB1221
6. Fight Me About It - Arizona needs more Independents in office
7. Alternative Building - Building in a floodplain — 100-year floods
8. Builder Inspo - These houses in Matmâta are literally the pits
9. Permit Politics - Bisbee gov’t to residents: Shipping containers for me, but not for thee
10. Rural News - Local man (yours truly) takes the AZ Dept. of Water Resources to court
11. Classifieds - (Not real classifieds)</sub>

A Local Brewmaster’s Duck Math

If you’ve ever wondered about the economics of duck keeping, the local brewmaster at Tombstone Brewery, Weedy Weidenthal, lays out the figures. Weedy’s family decided to raise ducks without soy feed, making the operation more expensive up front. At first they operated at a loss, but as production and efficiency have increased, the 30 minutes of daily duck-keep is yielding $8/hr revenue and expects to soon hit his target of $20/hr.

Weidenthal also adds that the Palominas Feed Co-op facebook group is the place to source high quality affordable organic poultry feed.

Sponsored by

The Southwest Alternative Building Conference Has Your Back

On Saturday I attended (half of) the 1st Annual Southwest Alternative Building Conference in Rodeo, NM, an event organized by Portal resident Penni Perrish and featuring an all-star roster of alternative builders and contractors in Arizona and New Mexico. Perrish said the turnout was much bigger than anticipated. Indeed, I arrived during the lunch break to find a massive outdoor grill chock full of sizzling taco ingredients, only to discover that all those ingredients were accounted for and a 20-minute minimum wait time. I was told that roughly 100 tickets were sold online and at least another 30 at the door.

During the afternoon session Kern Collymore gave a presentation on his Solar Hogan Earthship project, a design that incorporates the traditional Native American Hogan, modern dwelling additions, and the sustainable aspects of earthship design. James Hileman of Wind Dancer Farms detailed his earthship build and explained how limiting circumstances can demand variations on traditional earthship design (and that, no matter how you slice it, building earthships is expensive). Local legend Clay Greathouse told his story of pioneering solar energy contracting, off-grid building in the snowy mountains of Colorado, and finding respite, finally, in Cochise County where he helped to kick off the increasingly popular “hyperadobe” construction technique.

After a short break, Richard Ward of Terraform Together gave an honest and informative review of hosting hundreds of workaway volunteers at his property north of Bisbee, and lessons learned (Pro Tip: Let volunteers know in advance that they’ll be shitting in a bucket). Youtuber “Arizona Adam” gave an in-depth but folky presentation on the unique considerations of construction barriers (water, air, thermal, and vapor barriers) when building in southwestern environments. Closing out the conference was Joshua Schaa of Lighthouse Electric and Solar who gave an entertaining presentation of just how wrong solar energy system installations can go. I’ll follow up about whether that presentation was recorded because it’s a must-watch for anyone approaching solar for the first time.

While all the presentations were fun and informative, what stood out among all the presenters was a sense of neighborly humility and encouragement. No one was there to sell anyone on their approach to building, nor to gloss over the many difficulties of DIY alternative building. On the contrary, there was a consistent acknowledgement that alternative home-building can be a crucible, but all the toil and failures along the way are worth the rewards.

Public Surplus Auctions

Designer’s Challenge:

What would you do with 11 pallets of bricks and landscaping blocks in great condition? Maybe it’s time to build that pizza oven you keep talking about.

Auction ends May 27, 4:00 PM. Opening price: $300.00

New poll: Democrat and Republican Voters largely agree on groundwater issues

A recent poll of Arizona voters surveyed their attitudes about water futures and policies. The majority of polled voters indicated that issues of water availability and the inadequacy of current regulations were “very serious” or “somewhat serious.” For instance, 88 percent responded that “aggressive conservation” of groundwater should be a top priority or important priority.

While the demographics of those polls were balanced along partisan lines (roughly 45% Republican and 45% Democrat), only 17% of respondents were from rural communities while 51% were suburban and 32% urban. This disparity might bring into question the significance of responses regarding rural-specific issues such as this question:

More Water Cutbacks to Central Arizona

To address worsening water shortages of the Colorado River, Arizona, California, and Nevada, collectively the “lower basin states,” have adopted a new 2-year conservation plan to reduce their allotments of water from the river.

The historic high water level in Lake Mead was 1225 ft in 1983. Since then it has declined roughly 200 ft. If water levels at Lake Mead decline another 70 ft, the Hoover Dam will no longer generate electricity, a condition known as “Inactive Pool.” If it drops a further 50 ft it will reach “Dead Pool” status, meaning water will no longer flow downstream through the dam.

Farm Bureau Shills SB1221

As mentioned in our previous issue, the Arizona Farm Bureau is the main proponent of the Senate Bill 1221 which would introduce “Basin Management Area” designations as an alternative to Active Management Areas. The Bureau's communications director, Julie Murphree, boosted the bill in a recent opinion piece published in the Capitol Times. Murphree continuously makes an appeal for “appropriate and predictable” conservation programs, but gives no detail on what that might require or entail.

At the House hearing on SB1221, the mayor and the city manager of Willcox gave testimony in opposition to the bill, a chief concern being that Basin Management Area conservation programs would require all users to reduce their water use by the same percentage. This stipulation of the bill would create a “rock and a hard place” dynamic for many basin communities wherein residents would have to choose between residential water cutbacks which are completely unrealistic, or ineffective cutbacks for the agriculture sector which can account for over 90% of the water use, as in the Willcox basin.

Elsewhere, Willcox farmer Ed Curry decries SB1221 as unreasonable, and Arizona Farm Bureau President Stephanie Smallhouse expressed hope that continued policy discussion could lead to all stakeholders finding some common ground (though some argue that such never-ending negotiations are a tactic of delay more than sincere compromise seeking). After the House hearing on the bill, the person I was talking to outside of the Capitol Building paused our conversation to receive a call from Governor Hobbs who was watching the proceedings remotely. The bill would be “dead on arrival” she promised.

Fight Me About It: Arizona Needs More Independents In Office

Jumping into the world of Arizona policy-making can be dizzying and frustrating, but one thing is absolutely clear: Everything legislative is deeply caught in the dynamics of partisan politics. A policy-maker’s support for any given bill is guided by party considerations as much as, if not more than, whether a given policy is reasonable, appropriate, and ethical.

In 2015, researchers carried out a historical analysis of US legislators’ willingness to vote across party lines. The graph below depicts this trend from 1949 (top left) to 2011 (bottom right). The growing wedge between the parties is dramatically clear — it doesn’t seem there’s any room for Republicans and Democrats to be more oppositional than they’ve become today.

This divide isn’t accidental. In the 1980’s, political strategists began introducing “wedge issues” into political campaigns which were meant to rally voters around a given candidate, not by selling the candidate’s virtues, but by appealing to their political identity (Republican or Democrat) as being the lesser of two evils. This was achieved by redefining the two parties in terms typically intractable issues: religion, race, regulations, and so on. Historically, these issues were more a candidate-by-candidate concern, not a party concern.

The consequence of this persistent wedging, which was accelerated by mainstream media in the 90s, and by internet media today, is an increasingly broken political system where officials are not elected to apply their hearts and minds as best they can to the vexing and thankless work of policy-making, but rather to out-maneuver “the other side” by any means necessary. This has turned politics into a professional wrestling match which doesn’t serve the interest of the citizens and is more easily co-opted by corporate interests.

In my own analysis, I don’t see much hope for getting Republicans and Democrats to put down their weapons and start leading with their hearts and common sense. The situation is too infected with white-knuckled anxiety that one party or the other will finally succeed in their presumed “agenda” to destroy the nation with their backwards or radical ideologies. What to do?

The majority of voters have said that the US is in need of a third party.

Arizona has one of the highest rates of Independent voters. Sixty percent of voters identify as Moderate rather than Conservative or Liberal. Of those Moderates, 73% identify as Independent rather than Democrat or Republican.

The sensationalized left-vs-right political news coverage certainly makes it harder for Independent candidates to run for office, but so does Arizona law. In order to get on a ballot, unaffiliated Senate candidates have to collect 1200% more petition signatures than party-affiliated candidates. Independent House candidates have to collect 220% more signatures than party-affiliated candidates. That should be changed. We should also consider adopting ranked-choice voting, an increasingly popular voting system that would help defuse the left-vs-right dynamic which currently has our politics in a death grip.

With even a small number of independent candidates in office, legislative votes will no longer hinge purely on the willingness for Democrats and Republicans to either attain a majority or be willing to vote across party lines. Independent legislators would play a deeply consequential role. Given that independent officials don’t have to worry about being ousted for a failure to stick to the party line, they have more freedom to vote their conscience. So let’s get them in office. Good ones, anyway.

If you think I’ve got the figures wrong for signature requirements, please write in and set me straight. If you think I’m wrong about Arizona needing more independent candidates, you can fight me about it.

Building in a Floodplain — 100-year Floods

Last year Cochise County updated its floodplain construction regulations to set the bar higher for flood damage mitigation — 12 inches higher. If you’re outside of a FEMA designated flood-hazard zone, your residential structures have to have stem walls 12-inches above grade. This tightened regulation was partly in response to the historic rainfall in 2022 which led to untypically extreme flooding in areas like Elfrida and Saint David, referred to as a 100-year flood in regulatory terms. The regulations were also an attempt to meet certain FEMA standards which would result in lower rates for flood insurance throughout the county.

While many opt-out builders will say “you, not the government, should take responsibility for your own safety and risk mitigation,” many rural residents in the county have bought houses not knowing they were at risk of flooding, and after massive property damages in 2022, they came knocking at the county’s door demanding assistance. It is hoped by county administrators that the new regulations will prevent further losses and injuries.

For those who are building within a FEMA-designated flood-hazard zone, the lowest floor of a residential structure must be elevated two feet above grade. This means no basements and no earth-sheltered construction.

You can see if your property is in a FEMA flood-hazard zone by looking at the County Assessor’s parcel map.

These houses in Matmâta are literally the pits.

These residential pit structures are thought to be the earliest permanent dwellings in the Matmâta region of Tunisia, and many are still occupied today. The soil surroundings these compounds is a highly dense caliche, almost like concrete, that doesn’t need structural reinforcement beyond a layer of plaster.

 Bisbee gov’t to residents: Shipping containers for me, but not for thee

On April 18th, the Bisbee Planning and Zoning Commission voted to recommend an amendment to the city’s Zoning Code which stipulates: “Shipping Containers shall not be used for permanent outdoor storage on a parcel in any District Except Commercial (C) and Manufacturing (M), unless building materials are being stored for use on the site during the time a valid building permit is in effect for construction on the site.”

Xavier Rodriguez, Bisbee’s Building Inspector and Code Enforcement Officer, gave a presentation on the proposed amendment (see recording). Rodriguez said the intent of the amendment was to “avoid unsightly conditions and degradation of community character”. He then circulated a print-out to the commission members which details “more reasons we don’t want to allow these.” Those reasons included “entrapment” and the possibility of dying by getting stuck in a container, that they could be used for illegal smuggling, that they pose a fire risk (“especially if they are used to store flammable materials”), that they can be seen as “eyesore” and could potentially lower property values.

Commissioner Sandy Heusman was unable to attend the meeting but submitted a written comment:

Commissioner Alisia Espiriti asked if shipping containers are subject to the same permit requirements as typical storage structures. Rodriguez confirmed that they are. Commissioner David Cobb asked if existing shipping containers used for storage would be “grandfathered” in. Rodriguez confirmed that they would be, but that “…we just don’t want new ones in the area”.  Commissioner Michael Ablin asked if those grandfathered containers would be required to meet safety and permitting requirements. Rodriguez confirmed and said: “We want them to be safe, we want egress [exits] in there, we want them to be ventilated.”

Although Commissioner Espriti didn’t appear to vote, Commission Chair Douglas Dunn declared the vote to be unanimous in favor of the proposal. The proposal made its way to the city council and mayor on May 7th where it was presented again by Inspector Rodriguez, more or less restating all the reasons for the proposal. Mayor Budge commented that he remembered a time when kids would get locked in refrigerators, and had concerns that the same would happen with shipping containers. He also seemed to have a personal aversion to the aesthetics of shipping containers as he expressed concerns that the amendment, as currently written, could allow someone to have a shipping container on their property during construction but without making meaningful progress on that construction, and thus able to keep the container on site indefinitely. “If that needs to change then we come back, we can fix that,” he said.

Councilmember Juanette Hill asked if there have been any issues in Bisbee with people getting trapped in containers. Rodriguez said that there haven’t been any issues but they want to preemptively avoid such. After further comments, the council and mayor voted unanimously to propose the intent to adopt the amendment.

After local reporter Shar Porier wrote briefly on the vote in favor, yours truly made a facebook post querying public comment on the matter, and highlighting that last year Bisbee had bought 13 shipping containers to be used for storage. The public comment was overwhelmingly in opposition to the amendment, except for Mayor Budge who commented: “Does anyone want one in the neighbors driveway or backyard next to their house? If modified correctly things are different.” Budge failed to explain what “modified correctly” means.

The council and mayor will vote on whether to adopt the amendment this Tuesday, May 21st, at 7:00 PM (see agenda).

After googling some of the Commissioners in an attempt to discover if any of them might have been behind the call for the amendment, I discovered a few interesting items. P&Z Commissioner Mike Ablin, the owner of the Legion Bar in Old Bisbee, has previously requested that the Commission propose a public auction for parcel APN 103-72-051A on Old Douglas Road, an unused city building next to the old icehouse (the icehouse is privately owned and happens to have many shipping containers in its front yard). The commission forwarded the proposal but the city shelved it with some council members citing concerns that the property could be better used to expand the adjacent graveyard which is “running out of space.”

Previously, P&Z Commissioner Balas was interested in buying prime real estate from the city in the City Parking lot on Main St. in Old Bisbee and successfully had the Commission recommend an auction of the parcel for $7,000. Similarly, P&Z Commissioner Heusman had the city auction city land adjacent to her own property so that she could buy it and construct a new driveway, though some city council members had concerns that the property was being undervalued in the sale.

Local Man (Yours Truly) Takes the AZ Dept. of Water Resources to Court

A local resident in the Douglas Basin (who happens to write this newsletter) is currently engaged in a legal dispute with Department of Water Resources over the nature of the Management Goal which the agency adopted for the Douglas AMA. The legal motion for “Judicial Review of an Administrative Decision” was filed last Fall. Recently the appellant (that’s me, in legal-speak) filed his Opening Brief as well as a Motion For Stay of Agency Decision.

The “motion for stay” would reverse the agency’s decision to adopt the current management goal until the judicial review process concludes. The ADWR filed a response in opposition to the motion for stay, to which the appellant filed a cross-response. The judge will have to make a determination on whether or not to stay the decision. If the court decides to stay the decision, it might come to be that the Douglas AMA will adopt a Management Plan which does not immediately have a Management Goal.

Meanwhile, the ADWR has a deadline to file a response to the appellant’s opening brief, and then the appellant will have a deadline in which to file a final cross-response. After those two motions are filed, the court will make a determination on the matter.

Note: I am representing myself, but if I were a lawyer, I would probably advise myself to not go into further detail about the case at this time.

Classifieds

Would you like to say something to your opt-out/homesteader community? Something for sale? Looking for help? Lost dog?
Reach out to the Ground Party Papers.

(Until I get some real submissions from readers, you’ll get fake ones…)

Feel free to submit your own listings for next week’s edition! Your first classified is free.

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