City of Sedona public works and development staff reviewed interior alteration plans for the Ranger Station house and adjacent historic barn and solicited input from the Historic Preservation Commission on Jan. (date not specified). The presentation described the buildings' intended uses, landscaping and public amenities, and a restroom design planned to be bid in the near term.

The plans call for the house to be climate-controlled and to include a small gallery or “entry gallery” to display historic photos, widened accessible doors and a restroom connection to water and sewer along the house’s backside. "We plan that this will be climate controlled," Steve Mertes, director of community development, said while reviewing the floor plan. Commissioners were told a former large closet will be opened up for counter and serving space and that a screened-in porch area now enclosed will be used as an additional meeting space.

Mertes and Public Works staff described the barn as a flexible multipurpose space; the project team proposed removing a non-original interior wall to create a larger open area while retaining a diagonal shear wall noted in the structural review. Larry Farhad, facilities maintenance supervisor and project manager for the site, described operational changes that aim to keep historic character while enabling community uses.

The project team presented a list of expected public activities for the site, including farmers markets, weddings, family gatherings, concerts, classes, films and temporary art exhibits. Mertes said the City envisions the site as a community meeting spot and noted that some programing would be run by Parks and Recreation.

Commissioners raised preservation and usability concerns. Commissioner Stupak urged keeping the barn’s existing character while allowing flexible use. Commissioners also discussed window treatments and UV protection for the gallery, ventilation and the potential need for climate control if fragile artwork were to be displayed. "Artists are probably not going to want to put artwork in a building that is not climate controlled," a commissioner said during the discussion.

Staff said the restroom building is currently out to bid and that the advertised design includes four stalls with one ADA stall and an exterior wash station. Mertes described design choices intended to reduce misuse of the restroom near the playground: electronically controlled doors tied to park hours and anti-vandal stainless-steel fixtures. The exterior river-rock finish is currently listed as an alternate and may be added later, staff said.

Mertes said the project is being implemented in phases: exterior restoration is complete, interior work is planned as a first phase for occupancy and further upgrades (insulation, mechanical systems and additional climate control) could follow based on future programming and funding. He told commissioners that City Council will discuss the interior at a council meeting on Feb. 11 and that councilors will visit the site on Feb. 5. Bids for the restroom were described by staff as due "on the 22nd" (as stated in the meeting).

The commission provided mostly positive comments and suggestions, including keeping period-appropriate finishes, considering roll-down library-type stairs to access the loft instead of constructing a permanent staircase, and preserving the barn's historic character while removing the one interior partition. Staff said they will bring any items that affect the building's exterior back to the commission for review and will relay commissioners' input to council as part of the Feb. 11 discussion.

The presentation also reviewed site-level elements: native landscaping, a plaza between the house and barn, limited orchard plantings (apple trees), interpretive signage and sculpture placements (staff described the horse statue "Stormy Bay" as the first of several planned works), retention-basin design that doubles as park amenity in dry months, and reuse of sod from nearby pickleball courts. Staff noted budgeted funds exist for the renovation, but the river-rock exterior finish for the restroom is an alternate that may be deferred if needed.

Commissioners and staff agreed to follow up on details such as window treatments for the gallery, ventilation and climate-control strategy for future fragile exhibits, and any sidewalk/access improvements at the barn service entry. The commission also opened and closed public comment with no speakers addressing this agenda item during the meeting.

Staff requested and received commissioners’ input on programming and historic interpretation ahead of the council discussion; final decisions about interior alterations were described by staff as the purview of the City Council.