Fred Stewart has been serving the community for 31 years, and is moving to Utah to be closer to his grandkids, Snowflake Vice Mayor Kerry Ballard noted as he made a presentation at the April 26 town council meeting.
“He has given a lot of service for the community,” said Ballard noting that three ex-mayors and Mayor Tom Poscharsky were present. Stewart was on the town council and served as mayor, as did his brother John and Ballard.
Stewart moved to Snowflake when he was in the eighth grade and graduated from Snowflake High School. Following graduation he served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and returned to become a butcher for Nephi Bushman at Food Town in Snowflake.
He ran the projector for the movie theater at the Snowflake Social Hall. For a short while, he worked at the paper mill.
Stewart worked for the Snowflake Post Office for 37 years. During that time he served on the town council when LaDell Hunt was mayor. Stewart was vice mayor for a couple of years, then became mayor for a couple of years, Ballard said. He was also the secretary for the Chamber of Commerce.
He tallied some great accomplishments while serving on the council. “His big thing was the golf course,” said Ballard. “That was a big job.”
Stewart agreed that they did a lot of work bringing the golf course to Snowflake.
At that time the town took over the cemetery and Stewart was involved in that project, too. Mike Ramsay was a town employee in charge of planting grass, explained Ballard, noting how beautiful the cemetery is now.
“He had an influence on his little brother (John Stewart),” said Ballard, noting that John spent many years on the town council.
“The big thing, I think, that everybody in town really liked,” said Ballard, was that Stewart had a home weather station, and radio station KBSC had him broadcast the weather report before school started. Ballard said another interesting thing for the town was that he would note birthdays.
Zoning Administrator Dale Call recalled, “He would sing it.”
Stewart recalled that one of Dean Flake’s boys asked him to propose to his fiancé over the radio, noting, “She accepted.”
Stewart gave the weather report for approximately 20 years in the 1980s and 1990s.
“He’s done an exceptional job,” said Ballard, who presented Stewart with a golf course hat and Snowflake pins.
In other business, the council:
* Unanimously approved Ordinance No. 16-01, a rezone from Agricultural 5 Acre (AG) to Residential 2 Acre (R2A) for property owned by Robert Hipps at 58 S. Savage St.
* Unanimously approved Ordinance No. 16-02, a rezone from AG to R2A for property owned by Daniel Bowers at 188 S. Freeman Hollow Road.
* Was advised by Ballard, that he, former town arborist Bruce Mighton and Assistant Town Clerk Katie Melser attended the Arbor Day presentation in Phoenix, and received a special award for having one of the seven magnificent trees in Arizona, the Gibson Homestead Tree on Second West. The town also received its 17th Tree City USA Award.
“I applaud all the work Bruce (Mighton) did,” said Ballard. “Hopefully that will continue for years to come.”
* Was advised by Councilman Cory Johnson that the Belly Button sign on Main Street had blown away.
He encouraged whoever found it to turn it in to him or town hall, and he will put it back up.
