The year 2020 has a number of projects in the works for the Town of Snowflake. Work will continue on diverting water from the area around the Industrial Park, which is currently considered a flood plain, as well as the expansion of recreation opportunities for the Town of Snowflake.
After severe storms in 2002, 2003 and 2006 that flooded the EuroFresh Farms greenhouse and repeatedly threatened the wastewater treatment plant, Snowflake has been working to alleviate flooding in the area around the Industrial Park for the past 16 years by creating better drainage features.
Town Manager Brian Richards shared that the project is supposed to finish this coming June. The town awaits the completion of the Northern Solution Flood Project to file with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for a letter of map revision, which would officially remove the area of the Industrial Park as a flood plain.
Another flood control project is expected to begin in 2020 called the Fire-Station School Project and would divert the water that has been flooding the high school’s football field into the Cottonwood Wash. The Fire Station-School Project would divert water from the area of Second West and Fourth and would divert water down to the Cottonwood Wash that runs along School Bus Lane.
A recreation committee was recently formed between the towns of Snowflake and Taylor with councilmembers and town managers from both towns completing the committee. Following months of research on how towns of similar sizes have handled their recreation needs, Brian Richards hopes to see a great deal of progress on the recreation center.
Although a location has not been decided and budgets are still being discussed with the individual councils, a recreation center and pool are being discussed to benefit both towns. The recreation committee has met twice since it formed in the fall and continues to work to gather research to determine what is necessary to fund a new recreation center and best fulfill the recreation needs of the Snowflake and Taylor communities.
When asked about businesses that have had a positive impact on the town of Snowflake, Brian Richards mentioned both Walmart and Copperstate Farms. “Copperstate has been really good for us, the owners told me that they’re going to be planting another 10 acres of cannabis and so, eventually, by next fall, they’ll have all 40 acres planted. Overall, that’s been a positive for the community, it’s provided a lot of jobs.” Richards acknowledges that, although there are some positives and negatives to Walmart joining the Taylor community, it has ultimately had a positive effect on both Snowflake-Taylor communities.
Richards was also able to speak a bit on a tentative plan for a six-screen movie theater in the empty lot across from the Industrial Park.
“We got an ESP (economic strength project) grant through ADOT (Arizona Department of Transportation) and the developers hope to put a six-plex movie theater. I don’t know if they will break ground this year but there’s a year and a half time limit on the grant to complete it. Hopefully, everything works out with that. They’re talking with the WME (White Mountain Entertainment) chain. We got that grant this last fall. They have to complete it within the year and a half to get that grant so there could be some development out there,” said Richards. The plan is still in the early stages but is expected to begin in either 2020 or 2021.
