Payson staff say existing event‑center water lines restrict fire flows; booster-station upgrade and arena cover would cost hundreds of thousands to millions

Town staff told the council on June 10 that the town’s water main along Green Valley Parkway has adequate fire flow, but the event‑center’s on‑site service lines and a small booster station limit usable flow for the rodeo grounds and a larger enclosed event center.

“Tthe water main in the road is sufficient,” said Tanner (public works staff), but, he added, on‑site service lines had been run piecemeal over time and many are only three‑quarter‑inch pipe. He said that at roughly 40 psi a 400‑foot 3/4‑inch PVC line will deliver only about 8 gallons a minute, “takes a long time to fill up a horse trough at 8 gallons a minute.” Tanner told the council the town’s roadway hydrant currently flows about 1,730 gallons a minute at the tanks, but that the booster station located on the event‑center site is dedicated to the Tohono Apache tribe and can only supply about 100 gallons per minute; an off‑site connection at Phoenix Street supplies up to 1,000 gpm, for a combined contractual capacity of about 1,100 gpm.

Tanner said the technical fix for event‑center shortfalls is to upsize on‑site service piping and, if needed for larger buildings or higher fire‑flow requirements, build a larger booster station and new pressurized mains. He outlined a conceptual 3,000‑gpm booster configuration with five pumps, a 5,000‑gallon hydro pneumatic tank and generator and said, based on recent local private projects, the town could expect a ballpark cost of about $900,000–$1.1 million.

Kyle (parks and recreation staff) spoke next about options for covering the arena. He said a pre‑engineered metal building to fully enclose the arena could have a steel cost alone in the low‑to‑mid millions and erection, engineering and site work would add significantly. As a lower‑cost alternative, Kyle described covering only the grandstands: he estimated roughly $450,000 in steel for the cover and a total project cost “potentially like about $1,500,000 to $2,000,000” including erection and related work. He also noted trade‑offs: a full cover reduces the need for sprinklers but creates costs for lighting, climate control and, if closed, fire‑protection systems.

Council members pressed staff about whether the town should size water infrastructure to meet future tribal development or only the town’s event‑center needs. Tanner said the town’s existing intergovernmental agreement obliges the town to supply up to 100 gpm from the event‑center booster and 1,000 gpm from the Phoenix Street connection to the Tohono Apache tribal supply point, but the town could negotiate a separate agreement if the town were to build new infrastructure sized to serve both parties. "Our current agreement with them does obligate them to pay back fees," Tanner said.

The manager noted the council has already set aside $1,000,000 toward the event center in the current budget, and staff said the next steps would include refined engineering, drainage and infrastructure assessments and possibly contracting Kimley‑Horn or similar consultants to complete a master plan and firm cost estimates.

Next steps: staff will continue engineering evaluations and prepare costed options for the council; council members directed staff to return with more‑detailed budgets and implementation plans before any construction authorization.