A major hurdle for the controversial Stilo development project is the need to get access to Forest Service land. Without that access, much of the property Stilo wants to develop can’t be developed.

On May 21st the Town Council hired the law firm of Squires and Sanders to review any documents or obligations related to the Town of Tusayan. The idea is to have a firm independent of Stilo review the process. There are numerous and complex environmental concerns and the cost to the Town for the legal help would be $350 per hour.

Stilo has its own ‘experts’ to review the process. But officially, the Town of Tusayan is the applicant and the Town could be subject to numerous legal commitments should access be granted.

Councilman Bill Fitzgerald is concerned about the entire process and why so much if it occurs outside the public eye. Fitzgerald said, “I am hesitant to be holding so many things in executive sessions. We should all be discussing this out in the open.”

Fitzgerald has been a consistent voice when it comes to residents’ concerns about the Stilo project. The developer tried to silence that voice by threatening lawsuits and complaining to his employer. Those tactics apparently have not worked.