Adopt Resolution 11-28, authorizing amendments to the Cochise County Maintained Road System and associated maps, and the exchange of rights-of-way for Airstrip Road in the Bowie area.

Airstrip Road in Bowie is a historic County maintained road and prior to the 1950’s served as the main route from Central Avenue to Graham County along the alignment now known as Sand Storm Lane. After the 1950’s Airstrip Road served as access to the County operated Bowie airstrip. In 1990 the County vacated the airstrip per Resolution 90-95 and from that point on the road serves as access for neighboring properties including the Bowie school, an SSVEC substation, and an orchard assessed to Mark Cook.

While there is dedicated neighboring right-of-way, this historic route traverses diagonally through a privately owned parcel, APN 302-11-040. In November of 2010 a request was received by the department stating that Airstrip Road was fenced, blocking traffic from traversing through APN 302-11-040. This action prompted several encroachment enforcement letters and discussions with the property owner of APN 302-11-040, Ms. Pamela Laird.

Ms. Laird has children and is concerned about the heavy traffic that cuts through her property which includes large equipment necessary for the neighboring orchard. The current alignment of the road is through what would be her yard, a few feet away from the residence.

In the effort to minimize potential conflicts for the road and due to the lack of dedicated right-of-way for the historical alignment, the department explored the option of re-aligning the road into the dedicated right-of-way. The adjacent right-of-way is 60 feet wide to the south and 40 feet wide to the east of the property and was littered with debris from previous property owner(s). The boundaries of the right-of-way were staked and it was determined that the corner of an existing hanger, assessed to Ms. Laird, is approximately 7 feet inside of the dedicated right-of-way. In order to accomplish the re-alignment Ms. Laird worked with the department to clear the debris. Further Ms. Laird has agreed to dedicate a portion of her property in order to allow for a widened curve in exchange for the land occupied by the hangar. The portion of the right-of-way occupied by the hangar is unnecessary for road use and if vacated the remaining 50’ in width is adequate for a re-alignment of the road.

Regarding proposed future maintenance of the road, the right-of-way for the re-alignment was dedicated in 1915, and based upon available information the road was open prior to 1975. Therefore the re-aligned portion could remain a primitive road and there would be no change in the cost of maintenance between the old alignment and the new alignment. Further the re-alignment would lie within a known dedicated right-of-way for County maintenance. For that portion of the road north of Substation Road, there is no foreseeable need for County maintenance on this portion of State Trust Land. There is one address point off of this portion of the road and it is assigned to the vacated airstrip. The department contacted the property owner to the north of the end of the road, Dick Eastman, and he stated that he does not use the road and has fenced off the southern boundary of his property.

In as much as there are limited resources for road maintenance, that portion north of Substation Road no longer serves a County airstrip, and re-alignment of the southern portion would solve a potential conflict, this department recommends adoption of the attached resolution.

Upon approval and subsequent recording, staff will forward copies of the recorded action to Ms. Laird, and update the maintenance maps to reflect the revision for maintenance activities.

If the action is not approved the physical conditions will remain as they are today. A portion of Airstrip Road will cross private property where right-of-way is not perfected, a hangar will be within the unnecessary portion of the right-of-way, and maintenance will continue an additional 1,700 feet to the vacated airstrip.

Please insert resolution number on the quit claim deed and record the resolution, deed of dedication, and quit claim deed as three separate instruments. Please return a copy of the recorded resolution and the two original deeds to H&F, attn: Right-of-way Div.