Prescott council approves Rodeo Fairgrounds master-plan contract amid neighborhood concerns over process and $15.3M in state funds

The Prescott City Council approved a contract with GH2 Architects LLC on Sept. 23 to produce a master plan for the Rodeo Fairgrounds after the city’s steering committee unanimously recommended the firm.

The contract, City Contract 2026-060, was approved by a 6-0 vote after more than an hour of council discussion and extended public comment. Mike Morris, deputy city manager, told the council the firm was chosen unanimously by the seven-member steering committee from four qualified proposals.

The council’s action moves the project into public engagement and the consultant’s study phases, which Morris said will include stakeholder meetings, neighborhood meetings, site assessments and conceptual designs leading to a final master plan with budget estimates and a phasing plan. Morris said the timeline in staff materials targets a final master plan in June 2026.

Why it matters: the Rodeo Fairgrounds sit adjacent to established neighborhoods and host multiple city and county events. The decision kicks off a formal design process for an aging facility while the city also has an unspent legislative appropriation of $15,300,000 related to the site; several speakers and council members asked how that money will be coordinated with the master-plan work.

Deputy City Manager Mike Morris said the steering committee formed in January had developed the request for proposals, overseen selection and will “shepherd this process” through public engagement. “There will be stakeholder meetings. There’ll be meetings with the rodeo staff. There’ll be meetings with the neighborhood,” Morris said.

Residents who spoke during the public comment period urged either delaying the contract or expanding its scope. Sue Manuel, a nearby resident, said the process “is putting the cart before the horse” and asked for a broader West-side Miller Valley Corridor vision rather than a focus on a single tenant. “When the work has started on the water and sewer lines begins, how will this affect the older lines on Fairgrounds Avenue, Gale Gardner Way, Fair Street, Sunset, and Valley Streets?” she asked.

Other neighbors asked for clearer public access to steering-committee deliberations, feasibility work tied to proposed uses, and stronger noise protections. Deb Thalasidis, a steering-committee member, asked that the city include an economic or feasibility analysis as part of or alongside the master plan, and noted concerns that “a new sound system… will not be addressed by any central sound system because they’re not gonna plug into that.”

Several speakers—including Earl Duque, a steering-committee member who reviewed the proposals—supported GH2’s selection and praised its previous rodeo and fairgrounds work. City staff said the optional economic-impact scope included in GH2’s proposal was not part of the contract the committee recommended; the council may choose to add related studies later.

Council members debated speed versus prudence. Councilwoman Ferworth said she supported approving the contract so work can start but urged an immediate charter clarifying the steering committee’s role and more public engagement in the early phases. Some council members said they do not want the state appropriation spent on infrastructure that would be inconsistent with the final master plan; staff said some work—utility design, for example—could proceed in ways compatible with later master-plan decisions and that the city would discuss specific project priorities at a study session scheduled Oct. 14.

The council vote clears the way for GH2 to begin its community-engagement and design work and for staff to return with interim updates, including 30% and 75% design reviews, at future study sessions.

The master plan effort is intended to produce a final concept design, estimated costs, a phasing plan and suggested funding mechanisms.