Approximately nine years after flooding in its industrial park, the Town of Snowflake broke ground March 25 on the Southern Solution project which will protect the park.
“I guarantee you, I will be using Snowflake as an example as I make presentations,” said Arizona Division of Emergency Management Director Lou Trammell.
The Southern Solution is unique because 14 agencies and private partners participated.
“The Southern Solution is a collection of detention basins, crossings under State Route 277 and channel improvements designed to reduce the impact of regional flooding that occurs in the upstream of the industrial park” said project engineer Rob Toy. “It addresses flood waters headed toward Cottonwood Wash that origi-nate from the west and the south.”
Toy explained that flooding from the north was addressed by Eurofresh through the Northern Solution.
The flood of 2002-03, which caused litigation in 2003, began the process for the Southern Solution in 2004 with cooperation from many agencies.
The town received $952,000 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for the Reach 1 project, which consists of two large detention basins northwest of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Temple View Chapel, and concrete box culverts that will take the water under SR 277 and the railroad.
Attending the groundbreaking were representatives from the Arizona Division of Emergency Management, the Arizona Department of Transportation, Navajo County, Frontier Communications, Arizona Public Service Co., Eurofresh and private landowners.
“It’s been a long time coming,” said Mayor Kelly Willis, who conducted the ground breaking. “The Town of Snowflake would be remiss if we did not mention, and give thanks and much gratitude to our forefathers and forebearers” who were faced with the challenges of settling a community in the face of great natural ad-versity. “Snowflake’s greatest asset is the people.
“Today, the combination of our growth and modern standards for public safety, have caused us to take ex-tensive measures to protect our vital infrastructure and, more importantly, to ensure the successful growth of our community for future generations,” the mayor continued. “This day marks the beginning of a new era of growth for our community by starting a project that will ensure that this portion of our town will be protected from the 100-year flood event.”
Mayor Willis noted that when this project is completed, it will allow business to grow and expand in the industrial park, which will create jobs.
He acknowledged Toy, who has worked on this project since its inception, Navajo County Flood Control, which provided technical and financial assistance to the town, the Arizona Department of Emergency Man-agement, FEMA and the many others who have worked on it.
“I hope that as we continue this project we remember this is just the first phase of this project,” said Mayor Willis. “I hope and pray that the spirit of cooperation will continue.”
Trammell spoke briefly, stating, “The Town of Snowflake set such a great example in the State of Ari-zona,” and noting that it took so long to get this project started that most towns would have given up. “The community should be commended for its efforts and tenacity in pursuing federal financial assistance.”
Policy advisor Steven Killian represented Governor Jan Brewer, who was unable to attend. “Governor Brewer is very appreciative of rural Arizona,” said Killian. “She asks how is rural Arizona affected” when discussing state issues.
Killian presented a certificate of appreciation from the Office of the Governor on behalf of the citizens of Arizona congratulating Snowflake “on this first step toward completing your vision of creating an environment that will encourage business growth in and around this industrial park…The Town of Snowflake serves as a geographic, economic and cultural hub for the communities of northeastern Arizona. The Snowflake commu-nity and its partners in business and government have put together a solution that protects the region from en-vironmental hazards, providing an aesthetic means of responding to the forces of nature. In order to continue to prepare the region for the economic challenges that face us in this new millennium, we must work together for the safety of our residents and businesses, and create a fertile ground that will ensure the future growth of Snowflake and the region.”
“Our long term vision is to expand businesses in the industrial park, creating the jobs that will sustain future generations who wish to live and work in Snowflake,” said Town Manager Paul Watson.
