Civic Issues
Topics getting the most attention in Show Low public meetings, ranked by how frequently they are discussed.
50 issues with medium priority
Guest house at 1060 N. Fairway Circle
A family wants to turn their existing house into a guest house while building a bigger main home on S. 11th Ave. It's the kind of request that tests whether infill housing fits the neighborhood, which is surrounded by mobile home parks and apartments.
Downtown revitalization and 10-year strategic plan
The Chamber reported strong growth — 400+ members, a healthy margin, and a 44% jump in relocation inquiries — though walk-in visitor traffic is down as people go online instead.
Additional Apartment Units at 700/760 North 4th Avenue
The Paradise Acres apartment project got approval to add eight more units (58 to 66) by merging two planned buildings into one 16-unit building. Councilmembers welcomed the extra one-bedroom housing stock.
75th City Celebration Planning
The committee was scheduled to discuss how Show Low will celebrate its 75th anniversary. This could shape community events residents can take part in.
Timothy McKay Memorial Park completion
Paving and concrete are done at Tim McKay Park, with landscaping, sod, ramadas, and parking lot lighting coming this fall. Future phases add a water feature, a play mound, expanded parking, and an ADA-accessible trail connection.
Committee Member Vacancy
The Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee has a seat open through March 2029, and nobody has applied yet. Applications stay open a few more weeks — members are asked to recruit.
Parks and Facilities Maintenance City-Wide
The city's aging heating and cooling systems at 22 buildings have caused repeated emergency repairs. A new three-year maintenance deal with Elevate Mechanical is meant to catch problems before they become breakdowns.
WW Clyde rock processing operations under new ownership
The new owner of the gravel pit says it wants the racetrack to keep operating alongside mining, but couldn't promise the track's long-term future — phase four of mining could come in 10 to 20 years. Residents asked the city to actively support the racetrack and pressed for answers on parking access.
80-foot Public Right-of-way Through the Gravel Pit
Public Works wants an 80-foot public road easement carried through the new CUP, connecting from the existing pavement down to the south property line — mining has made southern access tricky. The commission added this as a condition to the permit.
Jarmco Concrete crushing operation on Penrod Road
Jarmco Concrete wants to add concrete crushing at its Light Industrial site on N. Penrod Rd. Industrial operations like this can mean noise and dust for nearby properties, but it's in a zone built for light industrial use.
Snow management plan presentation
Public Works laid out how the city will handle snow: 13 routes, 28 plow operators, and four response levels. Elderly and disabled residents can sign up for free snow berm removal, and plow-damaged mailboxes may qualify for up to $125 reimbursement.
The Cottages at Torreon 11-lot subdivision
The former Golf Casitas at Torreon site gets new life as 11 single-family lots instead of 56 condo units. The council approved it unanimously, but the name must change before final plat to avoid confusion with an existing subdivision.
Hangar-area drainage and ice hazards
Members reported standing water near the hangars that freezes in winter, creating near-miss sliding incidents. Staff will patch low spots and explore donated material since asphalt millings are scarce citywide.
PFAS rules force fire truck replacement
New legislation banning PFAS foam means the airport's 2004 fire truck has to go, since its old foam can't legally be used. A PFAS-free rig requires a whole new vehicle.
Construction cost and regulatory burden concerns
Applicant Troy Lunt warned that Show Low's rules — like requiring an expensive sewer line reroute instead of a nearby tap — are pushing contractors to steer families to Snowflake and other towns. He asked the city to review these policies.
15-foot accessory building height threshold triggers CUP requests
Crossing 15 feet in height forces RV garages into a huge one-to-one setback rule, generating repeat CUP requests. A commissioner asked staff to consider raising it to 18 or 20 feet; staff says a code amendment takes about three months.
Woolford Road multi-use pathway IGA
The city locked in a state agreement to build a 1.25-mile paved path along Woolford Road from Whipple Road to SR 260, the final piece of that corridor's upgrades. Federal grant money covers most of the $2.3 million cost, with the city chipping in about $160,000.
Show Low Regional Airport Projects
The airport gets a taxiway overlay, a weather system replacement grant, an environmental assessment grant for the crosswind runway, and a new hangar ground lease with Tallus Sol L.L.C.
Formal performance evaluations for appointed officials
The council's yearly performance evaluations of the city manager and city attorney were on the agenda but were put off because one member was absent.
Buena Vista Trail system completion
A rebuilt, roughly 20-mile sustainable single-track trail system south of town is nearly finished, including new beginner trails Show Low lacked. A second trailhead and a future Los Caballos rebuild could eventually create a 45-55 mile destination network drawing tourism.
Pineglen Park Village Roadway Improvements
A long-overlooked subdivision is finally getting paved roads — a roughly $1.08 million mill-and-overlay contract awarded below the engineer's estimate.
Maranatha Bible Church construction
A long-empty lot at 900 S. Central will soon host a 6,318-square-foot church with 71 parking spaces. Commissioners were supportive, and the church hopes to start building within two months.
New police officers enrolled in pension system
Three new Show Low police officers were enrolled into the PSPRS retirement system, an administrative step that secures their pension benefits. It reflects the department adding staff.
Future aquatic center funding plan
A replacement aquatic center is planned near the future Sports and Events Center, with about $1.5 million for design in fiscal year 2029 and about $15 million for construction in fiscal year 2030. Current facility attendance is climbing, so demand is clearly there.
Nikolaus Park Soccer Field Lighting
The soccer field built with a mid-2000s heritage grant never got lights; the council is spending up to $300,000 to fix that. Councilmember Clark wants lights standard on all future park fields so kids can play after dark.
E-Waste and Tire Collection Event
Summer Clean Sweep green waste will now be ground on city property and shipped to the Novo Bio Power Plant in Snowflake as reusable product, at roughly half what the city paid before — about $15,000 per event.
City Hall Elevator Modernization
The original 40-year-old City Hall elevator is broken and parts are nearly impossible to find. The council replaced it for about $265,732 rather than continuing piecemeal repairs.
ADOT State Route 260 Paving and Traffic Safety
ADOT begins paving eight miles of SR-260 west of town on August 17, with overnight delays expected. The Mayor also celebrated a new turn signal at Central and the Deuce.
South Central Avenue sidewalk
A new five-foot sidewalk fills a gap on busy South Central Avenue, connecting toward McNeil — though one councilmember wished it had been set further off the roadway.
Street light district tax levy
The property tax that pays for street and park lights stays flat for FY2027 — $300,000 at $0.1401 per $100 of assessed value, about $36 a year on a $300,000 home.
Central Park Estates road realignment
A developer gave up the old Thornton Road alignment through his land and dedicated a new route, clearing the way for the rest of Central Park Estates to develop — and made a temporary turnaround permanent.
Manhole replacement contract re-award
The original contractor couldn't do the job as bid because its products didn't meet city specs, so the council cancelled the contract and re-awarded the work to Apache Underground and Excavating for $198,156 — actually cheaper than the original $208,904 award.
Land Exchange with ANNSH LLC
Ordinance No. 2026-05 would authorize swapping city-owned parcels of substantially equal value with ANNSH LLC. Land swaps can affect future development sites.
Ellsworth and Sylvester Waterline Project
The city wrapped up new 8-inch and 6-inch water lines, hydrants, and services along SR 260 and in Fool's Hollow. Crews had to reroute a section around an unmarked fiber optic line, which added about $38,420 to the job.
Police Taser Purchase
Officers' Taser 7s are reaching end of life and losing vendor support, so the city signed a five-year deal for the newer Taser 10 — about $203,785 over five years — as its less-than-lethal option.
Senior Center Dining Room Acquisition
The city bought the dining room portion of the senior center building for $170,000, covered by a federal CDBG grant. Owning the whole building means the city can now chase grant money to fix it up — good news for Meals on Wheels and the seniors who use the facility.
Verizon Cell Tower at Frontier Field
Frontier Field has a known cell service gap, especially during busy events. Verizon will replace a light pole with an 80-foot tower and pay the city $18,000 a year, with the facility becoming city property when the lease ends.
Annual Slurry Seal 2026 Street Maintenance
About $629,000 of street resurfacing is coming — roughly 284,000 square yards of slurry seal on streets and parking lots plus seal coat on paths, with restriping to follow. Streets shaded green on the map in the packet are in this year's round.
Aquatic center parking lot expansion
The city awarded a $167,302 contract to Perkins Cinders to pave and expand the aquatic center parking lot, coming in under the engineer's estimate, with completion targeted before the Fourth of July.
Regional public safety and county law enforcement operations
The sheriff's office reported a fully staffed dispatch center, fentanyl pill seizures cut roughly in half year over year, and a new helicopter that located a shooting suspect within seven minutes of launch — plus added tactical medics on the SRT team.
Special event liquor licenses for Frontier Fields festivals
Two big events — Rockin' the Rim (Memorial Day weekend) and Medieval Mayhem Renaissance Faire (July 10–12) — got council approval to sell alcohol inside the fenced area at Frontier Fields, with sheriff's auxiliary and Arizona Rangers security at the gate.
Section 5311 rural transit funding
Show Low and its partner communities are reapplying for two years of federal transit money to keep the Four Seasons Connection and White Mountain Connection buses running. The routes connect residents to jobs, health care, and shopping across the White Mountains.
Nikolaus Homestead Park parking expansion
A new lot with about 70 spaces will ease chronic parking shortages at the park, done before the big BMX event in early July.
White Mountain Road walkway finishes abruptly at Pines condominiums
The new walkway along White Mountain Road stops at the Pines at Show Low condos with jagged, unfinished edges and severed sprinkler lines. The city and ADOT say it was built per plan, but residents want it finished properly.
Cell tower ground lease at 551 West Whipple
AT&T will lease ground space at the city's tower site to add FirstNet gear — the dedicated network for police, fire and EMS — at $800 a month. Coverage should also improve for regular AT&T users, especially near Sierra Pines.
T-Mobile cell tower at 200 West McNeil
An 85-foot monopine tower on the ADOT yard will fill 5G coverage gaps for T-Mobile and potentially Verizon. A neighbor worried about health risks and property values; staff explained federal law bars denial on health grounds when FCC limits are met.
City Hall Security Improvements
A Homeland Security threat assessment found City Hall's lobby left staff areas wide open. Phase 1 adds a secure glass storefront entry with buzz-in access for $87,837.50, and councilmembers will get keycards.
Council Vacancy and Appointment of Gentry Hatch
Brent Hatch's resignation opened his seat, and after interviewing six of seven applicants the council picked Gentry Hatch to serve through December 2026. He'll be sworn in at the first February meeting.
Fate of the Historic Huning House
The century-old Huning House — Vice Mayor Kakavas's childhood home — faced demolition under floodplain rules, but the Council chose to save and move it to make room for a downtown plaza, ramada and restrooms. Relocation costs about $77,000 before remodeling, and the building's future use is still undecided.
Questions About ICE and Flock Surveillance Cameras
Two residents used the call to the public to ask whether the city plans to cooperate with ICE and whether it will tell the public about Flock surveillance cameras feeding an unsecured database. The Council referred both matters to the city manager and staff rather than answering directly.