X-Message-Number: 716 From: Subject: Alcor's Arizona move Date: Thu, 9 Apr 92 11:31:08 PDT Kevin, Would you please post this to the cryonet? Thanks. --Tanya Anyone who has access to the electronic mail systems by now is aware of the rising furor over Alcor's potential move to Scottsdale. I want to submit my two cents, not specifically as a response to Michael Paulle's postings, but as an initial listing of a few of the problems Alcor has already begun considering. First, we have been searching for a new building for some time now. The entire membership has been informed of the space constraints of the current facility. This constant, low-publicized search for a new home went on for months before an actual possibility was located. As it's a topic near and dear to our hearts (and heads), I suppose I should have expected an uproar once a potential new site had been located. There has been no argument about the fact that it is a beautiful building, that it would begin to present the kind of image to the visiting public that our slick literature demands. Public relations may not sound critical to people who are already consider cryonics a worthwhile pursuit, but as we continue to solicit new members, we will begin adding the conservative and image-conscious to our numbers. Hugh Hixon has a saying: "cryonics is not for the timid." For now, that is true. But if we want to become an accepted alternative to the conventional methods of disposition, we will have to anticipate the mindset of people currently preferring those methods. Part of that anticipation process requires establishing a sterling public image. (Despite past, highly publicized legal battles.) Neither has there been any argument about the fact that Alcor **must** move. Space considerations are critical. There is no room for further expansion in the current facility. I would **very** much like to see a building comparable (to the Scottsdale facility) in the Riverside area, for a comparable price. Unfortunately, there are at least two complications: so far, there have been no comparable buildings of comparable price located in the area (Hugh Hixon is still looking), and the County regulatory agencies won't give us the necessary zoning permits to legally perform such a move, should we have the unlikely good fortune to locate a nearby building without too great a price tag. Also, should cryonics be declared illegal in this state, via the Roe v. Mitchell case, Alcor may not be able to obtain the permits to move our patients out of the state. Currently, all of our eggs are in a California basket, and the potential for cryonics being declared illegal in California is such that we should find a site in another state for patient storage, well in advance of any court decision. Our Los Angeles area transport/suspension capability is yet another **major** concern. Although LA has the highest concentration of Alcor members in the world (85), it also has the lowest number of support team members. Logically, I used to think that we would have a lot of volunteer help, as there are so many members nearby. **Wrong!** New York, with 23 members, has more volunteer help than we do. Part of that can be attributed to the fact that when someone comes to the facility to volunteer, the staff is doing all the interesting stuff. We need people to do the drudge work, like stuffing envelopes and making information packets and doing data entry. It's not particularly exciting, so most people don't come all the way out to Riverside for just **that**. If Alcor were to move out of the LA area, there would be an incentive to develop a trained transport team and response capability, like the other groups have done. With all time constraints and logistical headaches aside, I see this as a reason why a move to Scottsdale wouldn't hurt the LA membership unless they let it. The more trained personnel Alcor can call on during an emergency, the better off the entire organization (and especially the patients) will be. Training has been accelerated since the loss of Jerry Leaf and the departure of Michael Darwin, and the local members who are interested in beginning a non-staff member transport team should take advantage of this. Still, even with the large membership base in the LA area and the staff in Scottsdale (as this is the only option currently on the table), a transport could be performed within acceptable time limits. In the suspension of patient A-1312, trained and equipped **local** team members were involved from the start, and Alcor staffers **drove** to northern California in the ambulance. For those members not in the LA area, or driving distance from Scottsdale, the Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix is about as far away from the proposed facility as the Ontario Airport is from the current facility. Carlos Mondragon obtained flight schedules for the Phoenix airport, and there are **no** commercial flights leaving from Phoenix between the hours of 12:00am and 5:00am. Identical restrictions have always been present at Ontario Airport, but have yet to affect Alcor's response in an emergency. Nonetheless, a potential problem, this could be remedied by contracting the services of a private air ambulance company, which is designed to handle unexpected, middle-of-the-night traffic. The airport is open 24 hours a day to private traffic. Sufficient time has already been spent detailing the difference in earthquake potential. The Phoenix area is much less likely to be devastated by an earthquake, and (as Keith mentioned) maintaining our current (California standards) precautions despite the low probability of an earthquake should be satisfactory protection in Arizona. Protection from regulatory agencies is, in my opinion, one of the most critical considerations. We should attempt to get an engraved invitation from the Arizona Health Department and the Maricopa Medical Examiner's office **before** transferring even a single cell sample. I believe that Carlos Mondragon has already submitted introductory letters to these agencies and more. At the last monthly meeting, it was also decided that one of the **necessary** contingencies to the move be that we receive a friendly response from these offices. Jackson Zinn's suggestion of obtaining a declaratory judgement on the legality of cryonics in Arizona is a good one, and one which (according to Carlos) might be pursued if the Health Department response to Carlos' letter is favorable. The Board of Directors resolved that further conditions be met before they would vote on **any** move. Fundraising for the purchase of a facility, in addition to the price of the building, must include sufficient funds to cover some of the logistical costs associated with moving: telephone forwarding, utilities, employee time and effort, new stationary, new bracelet for those members with the (714) area code, etc. Additionally, a reliable tenant must be located to rent the Riverside facility, although it wouldn't be prudent to completely vacate the Riverside building immediately. Keith Henson was absolutely correct in asserting that "patient care is the gold standard by which we have to measure our activities." Until we have determined that another environment will not endanger the patients, **no comprehensive move will occur**. Until we have performed a suspension or two in the new state, a "wait and see what regulatory agencies come out of the woodwork" tactic should be adopted without moving the patients. All of the above listed concerns **are** being considered. Everyone involved is aware that no decision to move can be made in a spur-of-the- moment manner. I must reiterate that the search for a new building has been going on for some time. Locating this Scottsdale building was chance, yet it has been the most reasonable option so far. No other viable alternative will be taken lightly, but so far, except for the Scottsdale property, **there have been no viable alternatives presented**. I strongly urge anyone out there who can locate a facility for sale with comparable amenities to tell us, and send us information. Help us find a new home. Personally, Arizona is **not** my first choice, but I will move there if Alcor does. To paraphrase Joe Hovey's recent comment, I would move to Antarctica if Alcor moved there. --Tanya L. Jones Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=716