Holbrook’s Building and Codes Administrator Michael Young said he was just helping out on Friday, Feb. 3, when he was found using a city loader to remove blocks of concrete for Cannabrook University from the front of the property to the rear of the property. Cannabrook University is listed as a cannabis cultivation, manufacturing, distribution, and educational facility, located at 1500 Navajo Blvd.
Young, who has been employed by the city for 14 years, was asked at the time if he had approval from City Manager Ted Soltis to use the loader on his day off to assist a private business and he admitted that he did not. “They asked if I could help them move a couple pieces of concrete real quick because their tractor is in for service.” When asked if he thought that might not be a good idea to use city equipment for private endeavors, Young stated “I was just trying to help them out.”
Young stated that while he was not employed by Cannabrook, he was anticipating personal financial compensation from the business for his services adding, “They’re supposed to pay me but they don’t.” Young has been seen on numerous occasions in the past two years at the facility making improvements to the property. Despite his involvement with Cannabrook and the anticipated financial compensation, Young also used his position as the building and codes inspector to approve their electrical system when it was installed after the building was purchased.
When contacted immediately after the interview with Young, Manager Soltis stated city equipment should only be used for city business. “An investigation will be conducted. If it is found that city equipment was used inappropriately, appropriate action will be taken.”
But despite Young’s admission, by the following week city administrators had changed that narrative. Human Resources Administrator Pat Nichols stated Manager Soltis had informed him that in fact the city had an agreement with Cannabrook to remove the concrete. “Cannabrook had requested help from the city to move some concrete for abatement. It was agreed that the city would charge Cannabrook for the use of equipment and services. There is no action taken concerning Michael Young.”
Nichols was given the opportunity to clarify his response and was asked specifically that if the owner of any operational business within the city (given the example of Tractor Supply or Burger King) were to contact the city requesting city employees and equipment for assistance in improving their property, would the city do so. He stated, yes. “We do this fairly often; we’ve done it in the past.” Nichols was then asked to produce the contract and/or invoice for the services and he stated that such arrangements were “verbal agreements” and that he had no documentation for these services and no tracking of any financial gain.
It should be noted that abatement is the process of safely removing hazardous material from a structure in such a way that it no longer poses a threat. According to city officials, removing concrete placed by the property owner in the location from which it was then removed to another location on the property falls under that definition.
The most recent incident is a different circumstance that services provided by the city in past. Property owners with blighted property have been provided dumpsters for property clean up or assisted with the removal of debris during city business hours to benefit the safety and welfare of the community at no cost to the property owner.
For examples, the city had provided a dumpster for the removal of dangerous debris, broken windows, and wood was pulled from the Sundown Motel on Hopi Drive after it was purchased in an effort to bring the building up to city code. The city also assisted with the removal of the blighted Marlene’s Cut & Curl building on Hopi Drive at the request of the owner, as well as three buildings that had burned down, one on Florida Street and two others on Desert View Drive. Another structure that the city cleaned up was the Knight’s Inn on Navajo Blvd. after it too was destroyed by fire. In each of these circumstances the structures were vacant, blighted and a danger to the welfare of the community.
Cannabrook on the other hand is an operational business that was purchased in 2021 and is restored, maintained, up to code and has no need for blight abatement.
When asked for documentation of other existing and operational businesses that have been provided similar services by the city, Nichols stated that Finance Director Randy Sullivan may have documentation.
When contacted, Sullivan appeared taken aback by the use of city equipment for such an endeavor. “We’ve never done that in the past. I’ve never been made aware of it if it has.” He explained that the liability alone would prevent that from being considered due to the risk of damaging private property, the overtime costs and the cost of fuel. He agreed that the city has assisted in providing services for blighted buildings that were in violation of city code in order to improve the appearance of the city and for the safety of its citizens.
This is one of several missteps for Young, who recently gave verbal approval for ChangePoint Behavioral Health Services to move forward with a multi-million-dollar project that centered on the purchase of a hotel in the city for a 41-room on Navajo Blvd. for a homeless facility, without informing the organization of the requirement to go through Planning and Zoning in advance. This put the project on hold for the organization once they were made aware of the requirement. Information that did not come from a city administrator.
Young also signed off on the building inspection for electrical work for the Cannabrook facility after it was purchased, despite the conflict of his involvement with the facility.
When the Cannabrook property was checked a week after the incident, the remaining pile of concrete remained at the front of the facility.
