Williams News Logo
Grand Canyon News Logo

Trusted local news leader for Williams AZ and the Grand Canyon

Williams plans new tot lot project
Improvements scheduled for the Rec Center, Cureton Park and Glassburn Park

A model of the future Rec Center playground. Submitted graphic

A model of the future Rec Center playground. Submitted graphic

With winter quickly approaching, the city of Williams is hoping to lay the groundwork for several construction projects, including improvements at the Recreation Center playground, Railroad Museum in Glassburn Park and Cureton Park.

"We're trying to beat the end of construction season, which could happen theoretically any day now with the snow and frost coming on," said City Manager Brandon Buchanan.

Rec Center playground

Plans for a tot playground for children ages 2-5 are now underway at the Recreation Center. The equipment will go in the gravel area to the west of the current playground.

"We realized that what we needed was something for the little tiny tots, because this park was more for 5-12-year-olds and the basketball courts, the pool tables, that type of stuff lends itself well to the teenagers," said Recreation Center Director Rose Newbold.

The tot playground will include a train, butterfly climbers and a play unit with a slide. In addition, the unused slide that is currently in the fenced area on the east side of the Rec Center will be moved to the new playground area.

So far the city has poured the concrete for the project, but the next steps will depend on the weather because of the rubber surface that will be installed on the ground around playground equipment.

"There are different temperature requirements that we have to meet in order to pour that rubber," Buchanan said. "We probably are too far into the winter already to be able to pour, so that will probably happen first thing next spring."

The project will also include rehabilitation of the rubber surface in the existing playground, which was installed in 2004.

"Considering that's basically been the playground for the community for the last nine years, it's held up really well," Newbold said.

The total cost for the project is about $39,326. That money will come from the Recreation Facilities Fund, which comes from the city's Bed, Board and Booze revenue, the Parks and Recreation Impact Fee Fund and a donation from the Williams Clean and Beautiful Committee.

In the future, Newbold hopes to restripe the basketball courts and add some tetherball courts between the ramada and the skate park to complete the park.

"The thought of putting (tetherball courts) in the park for the kids for me is just really a joy because it was such a fun game when I was a kid," she said.

Buchanan said the city is looking forward to finishing the tot playground.

"We'll be able to serve a lot of different age groups all in one area," Buchanan said.

Glassburn Park exhibit

An interpretive exhibit at the Railroad Museum in Glassburn Park is also in the works. A grant from the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) paid for the railroad cars that were installed in the park about a year ago. With the rest of the money, ADOT directed the city to install an exhibit, which will include two ramadas with five 4-by-8 foot interpretive sign panels.

"Each one of those panels will cover a different part of Williams history-everything from logging, ranching, mining, to Route 66 to the Grand Canyon and railways and how they've affected Arizona and Williams," Buchanan said. "That's going to be a really neat outdoor museum-quality exhibit."

The project is expected to cost about $50,985. Since the grant reimburses 94.3 percent of the project, the city's portion of the cost would be about $3,000.

The city plans to pour concrete for the project this week. The ramadas are expected to arrive within the next month, and Buchanan said workers could construct them during a good weather week in the winter. The signs are expected to be ready in the next month or two, and then will be bolted up in the park.

"It's going to be a real asset for the community, a real attraction for people coming through," Buchanan said. "It's a popular stop as it is now, and I think the improvements we're making down there now with this grant money are going to make it even more so."

Cureton Park maintenance building

The city is also planning to build a new maintenance building at Cureton Park.

"This is one of the first steps in our efforts to clean up that stretch of Grand Canyon (Boulevard)," Buchanan said.

The current maintenance building is at the southeast corner of the park near the intersection of Grand Canyon Boulevard and Edison Avenue. The structure served as the old swimming pool building.

The new building will go at the opposite corner near the basketball courts, at the northwest corner of the park. The building will be 30 feet by 40 feet in size, made of steel and equipped with electricity and water. The city has already ordered the building, which cost about $15,685. A grant from a private donor paid for the building portion of the project.

Buchanan said he hopes workers can pour the concrete for the new building before the start of winter, which would allow them to potentially construct the building in the winter or spring, depending on the weather. However, the city is waiting on some engineering plans before work can proceed.

After the new building is ready and workers have transferred the equipment, the city will remove the old building.

In the future, the city hopes to put in a tee ball field or a combination tee ball/soccer field at the park. The city will pay for that portion of the project with Bed, Board and Booze revenue.

"We're still kind of figuring out where those facilities are going to go in that park, and then that will kind of determine what we end up building," Buchanan said.

Airport hangar loan

In other city news, the city has submitted a loan application to the Arizona Department of Transportation to build 10 T-hangars at the H. A. Clark Memorial Field. The proposed loan would be for $471,240, which the city would repay over 20 years at a 4 to 4.5 percent interest rate. Hangar rental fees would cover the loan repayment.

Depending on when city officials hear back about the loan application, Buchanan said they'd like to start construction first thing in the spring and possibly have the hangars ready by mid to late summer.

Currently, the airport has three usable hangars-one large city-owned hangar, which can hold as many as three planes depending on their size, and two smaller hangars.

The airport's capital improvement program includes plans to use grant money to remove two old hangars in order to resurface and expand the general aviation apron. Without the new hangars, this would leave only the large hanger and a shade structure for planes.

"Since word has kind of gotten out that we are building hangars, we've been just inundated with calls, interested parties, people looking to put down deposits to hold a space," Buchanan said. "I'm excited that finally this nice little gem of an airport may be gearing up for some usage."

Golf course equipment

The city is also purchasing new equipment for the golf course, since the current equipment ranges from 13-24 years old. Typically, this type of equipment lasts about 10-15 years. The city is buying eight new pieces of equipment: a fairway mower, a rough mower, two utility vehicles, a bunker rake, a sweeper, an aerator and a skid sprayer. The total cost for the equipment is about $187,100. The city will pay for the equipment over five years, with yearly payments of about $41,200 and a 3.99 percent interest rate. The city is currently completing the financing paperwork before ordering the equipment.


Donate Report a Typo Contact