Palo Verde wall to stay for now

The public was invited to tell the Yuma City Council what they thought of the wall blocking access to Palo Verde Street.

Fifteen answered the call. Some wanted the wall to come down, others pleaded to leave it up and preserve the integrity of their neighborhood.

In the end, the status quo prevailed. After nearly two hours of public comment and council discussion, two separate motions were defeated, resulting in the controversial wall continuing to stand as it has for many years.

The council first defeated a motion made by Mayor Al Krieger to direct city staff to take the steps to take down the wall and open up the street to through traffic, shifting the capital improvement funds from other projects to pay for it. In the end, Krieger was the only one to vote for his motion.

After the applause and cheers from the audience died down, Councilman Jerry Stuart offered a second motion to remove the wall, pave the unfinished part of the street and erect a gate to provide access only to emergency vehicles until improvements are made to the Palo Verde Street-Arizona Avenue intersection.

Stuart's motion also failed with only he and Councilman Paul Johnson voting for it.

Councilman Raul Mendoza questioned why, during the current economic downturn, incur the added $20,000 or so cost for a gate on top of the estimated $80,000 to take down the wall and pave the street.

Councilman Cody Beeson agreed. "Leaving the wall up costs nothing," he said.

Palo Verde-area resident Craig Barrows kicked off the public comment period by questioning the value of opening up the street to through traffic versus the detriment to the neighborhood. "I think it should absolutely stay up," he said.

One concern in particular he voiced was the potential impact on the Palo Verde-Arizona Avenue intersection if the wall were to be removed, increasing traffic on Palo Verde Street.

Eleana Osborn said her house was next door to where the military jet crashed a few years ago. She said she would rather the wall stay up. "It makes sense for it to come down. I wouldn't like it personally but I'm not the only person in the universe."

She, however, is concerned about the impact more traffic on Palo Verde Street would have on the hazardous intersection.

They weren't the only ones to raise concerns about that dog-legged intersection.

"It's ridiculous to take the wall down," said Dick Gravley, who also resides on Palo Verde Street. "The intersection is a disaster. I just don't get why you want to take the wall down. I think some have been working so long on it they can't give up."

Phil Schrier is one of those who has carried on the fight for years and offered his hammer to help take down the wall.

"People want to keep the street to themselves," he said in an agitated voice. "We need the street. The public has a right to the street."

Residents of 26th Place and San Marcos Drive, the streets used to access the area, told of traffic jams in front of their homes, speeders and cars running stop signs.

"Everyone in the area uses my street to get out," said Andy Smith. "It's time for the wall to come down and all share in the traffic."

Bart Baker threw a wrench into the discussion by bringing a reminder about a proposition voters approved in 2006 that permits homeowners to sue for compensation when a government action decreases the value of their property and impacts the character of their neighborhood.

"You need to proceed very carefully," he advised the council.

City Attorney Steve Moore responded that he was familiar with the measure and believed land use law related to traffic was exempted.

"So much passion on both sides," Councilman Mendoza observed after the speakers were finished. He said he believes the wall should come down - but not now while the city budget is tight.