Snowflake Council Approves Support Of White Mountain Endurance Sports Events

WMES presented the town a check for more than $4,300 at the Jan. 10 council meeting. This was the proceeds from the Sweet Triathlon held in September, and was to go toward roof repairs at the Snowflake Swimming Pool.

Neff said that on Jan. 17, the Taylor Special Days/Special Events Committee approved giving them $2,000 as a sponsor of events and requesting hat proceeds go toward the rodeo grounds.

He noted that the donation will serve as working capital for the organization, marketing and promotion of the 2012 WMES races, which will include a Trapper Days half-marathon, Pioneer Days bike race, the Sweet Tri during the Sweet Corn Festival and the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning.

“I think what we put down is extremely realistic,” said Neff referring to the handout given to council members. Organizers anticipate they will make approximately $6,000 when factoring in a very minimal amount of growth from the events held last year noting, “We anticipate that next year about $6,000 from those two programs alone would be dumped back into those two programs, the pool and the running team.”

Neff went on to explain that many of the more than 100 contestants come from outside the community, most from throughout the state, but some from out-of-state. “They’re staying at our hotels, eating at our restaurants, filling up at our gas stations. It’s a good shot in the arm for our economy,” he said.

He explained that WMES is a 501(c)3 organization, so the money raised would be used exclusively for race promotion expenses.

They would like to link the Snowflake-Taylor Chamber of Commerce website to their events, said Neff, noting, “There’s a lot of traffic we feel we can draw to the chamber website.”

The Town of Snowflake logo would also be on any marketing materials.

“WMES was begun and persists in the notion of doing good for this community. Our races give people a way to do that. There have been hundreds, if not over a thousand hours that have been logged without a dime paid to help the pool,” said Drew Griffin who also represented WMES. “There have been thousands of dollars to help from the businesses as well.”

WMES, comprised of Scott Crosby, Griffin, Lynn Johnson, Hunter Moore, Neff and Sterling Solomon, developed this mission statement: “Actively meeting enduring community needs.”

“We feel good about it, and feel like people involved in our races agree as well,” said Griffin.

He told how one of the racers who was a self-proclaimed favorite, approached him at the Sweet Tri and said he’d forgotten his race belts. “I was able to loan him my own,” said Griffin. “Since then he has been all over the Internet blogging with the better racers in the state how this town feels like his hometown” and telling everyone to come here for the high altitude races.

“Volunteers were many and enthusiastic,” said Griffin. “I think what White Mountain Endurance Sports represents is the good will of people within this community and the willingness to help out.”

A motion passed unanimously to support the White Mountain Endurance Sports events with a $2,000 sponsorship.

“We hope this continues to be, and grows and grows and grows. We very much appreciate your efforts. We need to get as much activity into our town as we possibly can,” said Mayor Kelly Willis.

In other business the Council approved a contract with CableOne for phone and Internet service.

Finance Director Brian Richards explained that Cable One offered the town a three-year contract for six lines of service and Internet bandwidth of 50 Mbps down/4 Mbps up for $472 a month, plus three percent tax, which equals $486.16, a savings of $353 a month over Frontier. The down side of this is that the telephones will not work during a power outage. Will Wilson was present and said he will work to have calls roll over to a cell phone when the power is out.