Sedona gets 50% design update on municipal decarbonization plan; council asked for focused feedback

City staff and the design team presented the 50% design package for Sedona's municipal decarbonization planning and design project, funded by a $250,000 Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grant approved in May 2025. Bryce Beck, the city's sustainability manager, told the council the team had completed community outreach and the design deliverable and was preparing to refine costs and RFP language: "We held some open houses and, had some community surveys and, staff surveys as well as held some additional, like, informal, like, kind of coffee chat sessions," Beck said while outlining next steps.

Consultants described a roughly 260-kilowatt solar PV concept to serve the Community Development building and a phased approach to EV chargers that prioritizes fleet charging. Alan Sly, the electrical engineer leading the design, said rooftop PV was generally infeasible at several municipal buildings because of obstructions and roof constraints, so carport-mounted arrays were the preferred option. "It's about a 260 kilowatt system," Sly said. Staff warned that many city sites will require electrical upgrades and coordination with the utility (APS) to handle increased peak demand and that some APS costs may be shared while the city will need to budget for switchboard and transformer work.