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Board approves fairgrounds infrastructure contracts, declines federal park grant application
Summary
The Greenlee County Board of Supervisors approved several contracts for fairgrounds and airport work — including electrical rerouting and a drainage award — and directed staff not to pursue a federal/state park grant because of long-term restrictions and pre-application costs.
Greenlee County supervisors approved multiple infrastructure contracts for the county fairgrounds and airport and directed staff not to pursue a Land and Water Conservation Fund grant after staff raised concerns about long-term restrictions and upfront engineering costs.
The board voted to add a recently purchased blade to the county's existing service contract with Empire and approved an electrical rerouting contract with Duncan Valley Electric Cooperative (DVEC) to feed a pad-mounted transformer and eliminate overhead lines within the fairgrounds; the DVEC work was presented as a sole-source job for $35,047.65. The board also awarded the airport phase-1 drainage contract to Spencer Construction for $336,450, with concurrence from ADOT; and it awarded a well-drilling contract intended to increase irrigation capacity at the fairgrounds to DS Well Drilling for $53,900.
County Engineer Reed Larson and Fleet and Facilities Manager Tony Hines presented the project details. Larson said the airport drainage project went to competitive bid and Dibble, the airport consultant, recommended Spencer Construction as the low, responsive bidder. Hines described the fairgrounds electrical plan as the second phase of undergrounding and tying a new pad-mounted transformer to power a future second arena.
Nut graf: The board moved forward on multiple capital items intended to develop the fairgrounds and airport while rejecting a federal/state-funded parks grant because the program would have required full design, cultural and boundary surveys, and perpetual recreation-use covenants that staff said would constrain future county flexibility.
Larson described the county's need for additional water at the fairgrounds: existing wells produce between about 8 and 31 gallons per minute, and staff recommended drilling deeper wells (up to 600 feet) to increase irrigation supply. He said several local drillers provided bids; county staff recommended the lower-cost option for irrigation-only water. Benny Diaz of the locally referenced drilling contractor was present and discussed rehabilitating an older well.
On the grant question, county staff (who had met with state park grant representatives) reported the Land and Water Conservation Fund (federally sourced, administered in Arizona by Arizona State Parks) requires a full design package and survey work before applying; cultural-resource findings or covenant restrictions could obligate the county to hold the entire fairgrounds footprint in perpetuity for outdoor recreation. County staff recommended not starting the application process because of the time, required up-front engineering costs, and the long-term use restrictions. The board directed staff not to begin the LWCF application.
Votes and motions recorded in the meeting transcript were taken by voice; actions were approved by voice vote (ayes). The board discussed using inmate labor for some site work to reduce costs and noted that some grant-eligible items (design/engineering) could be used as grant match but earthwork generally could not be used as pre-award match.
Ending: Staff will move forward with contracting and on-site work already funded in the capital plan, continue routine coordination with ADOT for airport work, and proceed with well drilling and electrical rerouting as approved. The county will not begin the Land and Water Conservation Fund application unless the board later reconsiders.
