OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Bullhead City Council Special Meeting on Community Park Master Plan and Executive Session – December 3, 2024

City Council — Tuesday, December 3, 2024
BodyBullhead City, Arizona
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, December 3, 2024
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 35:55

Transcript — Verbatim
2:13

Good evening.

2:13

This is Tuesday, December 3rd, 2024, 4 PM.

2:17

We're here for a special meeting followed by an executive session.

2:20

Can I get a roll call, please?

2:21

All council members are present.

2:22

All right, we're gonna call this meeting to order.

2:26

Good afternoon, Mayor Demico Council members.

2:28

We're here this afternoon first to talk about our community park master plan.

2:33

So this is in a series of many years going over a decade.

2:39

This is definitely not the first time we're talking about the community park master plan.

2:42

It might be in this chambers, I'm guessing at least a dozen times we've talked about the community park master plan in one way, shape, or form, whether it's a workshop like this or council agendas.

2:56

We've actually adopted a community park master plan in the past.

3:00

So as we move forward to improve uh community park, we have to have a master plan because it is federal land that we have the park and public purpose lease on.

3:12

So it's a great partnership between the city and the federal government.

3:17

And essentially, if as long as it's for parks and public purposes, the city can uh move forward with uh advancements, enhancements, and improvements on the federal land.

3:28

Um we own those.

3:30

Um there ours.

3:31

If we if the city ever, for example, like this building, ever vacates, it must remove everything.

3:38

So there's no chance ever that the city will vacate federal lands, ever.

4:49

We made some really good decisions about where boat launches should go and how we should navigate that.

4:54

But then came, okay.

5:00

So we put it out in RFP, interviewed the best firms in the state that do park planning, hired one, and that firm took us through to this process.

5:08

We didn't ask them to be here today.

5:09

We didn't think it was necessary to pay them to be here.

5:12

Um Angie and Dave will make the presentation on the plan.

5:16

Um answer any questions you may have or modifications you may desire.

5:22

It is on the agenda this evening.

5:24

Uh, primarily for our new members, we wanted to make sure you had a chance to talk to us freely in the workshop in case you had any major concerns or questions about the plan before we seek adoption this evening.

5:37

Keep in mind, adoption doesn't mean there's anything guaranteed here.

5:42

This is a master plan that can be modified, changed uh by future councils.

5:47

It can be changed based on grants that we receive or don't receive.

5:52

It can be changed based on changes, you know, in public sentiment.

5:58

So but this is a guide, right?

6:00

So it does tell us that we want a dog park on the east side of the highway.

6:05

It does tell us we want paved parking lots.

6:08

It does tell us we want restrooms and other park amenities so staff can start that planning process, start applying for grants, start budgeting for some of these things because this is a very long-term project.

6:21

This is at least 10 years.

6:25

We were looking at it this morning, at least 30 million dollars or more, depending on inflationary issues in the future.

6:32

So it's something that's gonna take this city a long time, but this is the plan to start that project.

6:38

So turn over to Angie and Dave for a few moments, and then we'll get into your QA.

6:43

Angie.

6:44

Thank you, Mr.

6:45

Cotter, Mayor and Council.

6:46

Um, today I actually put packet in front of you guys so you can follow along.

6:51

Um, we did take this to park and rec and city council for a workshop in August 20th.

6:58

There was some comments that were brought to our attention.

7:00

We looked at it, addressed it, but I will go over just kind of the overall master plan, and then I can dive into things that we did add that was commented during that time.

7:10

Um, so on page two on the concept, it's a conceptual master plan, it's overall plan review sheet, and it kind of details out from north to south, east to west on the park plan.

7:22

I'll just start on the north side, going on the west side of the of highway 95, go south, and then I'll start on the other side.

7:29

So on the north side, you know, we have the the boat ramp, we have um the playground splash pad, um, where the dog park is currently, uh changing some amenities, overlooks, walking trails and stuff like that for the public, uh going to where the large pavilion is today, adding some more outlooks, maybe some areas for food, um, trucks and stuff like that to be able to um hook up and during Lake Farmers Market and stuff like that, and then going south is the chamber, and then it's the bell, um, and there's a restroom in that location.

8:04

We've also changed a little bit of the traffic flow to make it more uh user-friendly, but also defined roadways through the park, um, and then going towards the south of Laughlin Ranch, adding more parking and beach space area ramadas and and stuff like that.

8:23

Uh going across to the south side of Secret Pass Wash, there's defined roadways, parking lots, um, also defining parking stalls along the beach, kind of keeping that back into or back up to the river access, but also some Ramadas, restrooms closer to the area, and then on the far south, maybe some volleyball, um, beach volleyball courts, another lookout on the very south and a walking trail to the new the new development that's gonna be just south of community park.

8:54

And then if we jump across community park on the east side, I'll start south to north.

9:01

So on the south end, parking, more of a sports complex, uh fivex.

9:07

We have uh multi-use fields that are big enough for cricket, but also soccer, you know, flag football, whatever we can stripe and that, or you know, paint to have events.

9:18

There's also a big pickleball complex, more restrooms, playgrounds, um, and then a lot more parking on the on the sports complex side.

9:28

Then you go across over to Lafay or across Laughlin Ranch, so north of Lafayne Ranch.

9:34

There's also more parking, playground, there's bike paths, there's walking paths, uh, new dog park with you know water access, four different locations, four different sizes for dogs, or be able to have two up and running, replant grass and open them up and swap them out so that we can keep the grass fresh for um our pets.

10:00

Um and then also adding like a maintenance yard and then possibly maybe an archery area on the very far uh west north corner of the park.

10:10

There's also walking paths and trails that go through into underneath where the box culverts are at to give up the public easy access between east and west side of highway 95.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Parks and Recreation█████████████████████████████████████████████66%
Transportation Safety███████10%
Watercraft Safety██████9%
Public Transportation███5%
Disability Rights███4%
Procedural██3%
Tourism Promotion██3%
Summary of Proceedings

Bullhead City Council Special Meeting on Community Park Master Plan and Executive Session – December 3, 2024

On December 3, 2024, at 4:00 p.m., the Bullhead City Council held a special meeting/work session in City Council Chambers to discuss the Bullhead City Community Park Conceptual Master Plan. All council members were present. The council heard a staff presentation, asked questions and raised concerns, then moved into executive session for legal advice regarding Falche v. City of Bullhead City. No legal action was taken during the work session or executive session.

Discussion Items

  • City staff (Angie and Dave) presented the conceptual master plan for a long-term, phased improvement of the federally leased Community Park. Features include defined roadways and parking, restrooms within 400-foot radii, a protected swim and ADA access area south of the bell, a first-aid/cooling station on South Beach, dog parks including a water-access dog park with four rotating grass areas, a pickleball complex, multi-use fields large enough for cricket and soccer, a potential archery area, beach volleyball courts, overlooks, food-truck areas, and pedestrian underpass connections between the east and west sides of Highway 95.
  • Staff noted the plan had been previously discussed at an Aug. 20 joint workshop and that comments had been incorporated, including the restroom-distribution map, ADA swim access, and first-aid station.
  • Mayor Demico raised concern that the proposed ADA river access could attract non-disabled people and asked how access would be prioritized or restricted; staff acknowledged this challenge and said design options or lifeguard oversight would need further planning.
  • Council members questioned the location of South Beach restrooms about 150 yards from the water, noting the hot pavement and barefoot beachgoers; staff said they could try to move restrooms closer while maintaining distance from the river and lift stations.
  • Council members emphasized the importance of preserving river views from Highway 95, recalling prior public comments; staff said river visibility and access are focal points of the plan.
  • Concern was raised about the proposed dog-park entrance off Laughlin Ranch Boulevard given downhill traffic; staff said the median could be adjusted and that Laughlin Ranch would remain the main summer entrance, with a future traffic signal possible.
  • Concerns about erosion and safety of the box-culvert underpasses were raised, with council asking for concrete or walkway improvements on both sides; staff acknowledged the issue.
  • Council asked about concepts showing tall buildings or waterfront structures in renderings; staff clarified those were illustrative only and not city intent. Elevated ramadas were discussed, including potential future water and sewer service, but no overnight camping is currently planned.
  • Council discussed Highway 95 egress; staff confirmed the main entrance would be at Laughlin Ranch, existing access points would remain, and a new south connection would be emergency access only.
  • A proposed dock or pier structure creating a swim beach would require Army Corps of Engineers permitting and likely lighting, buoys, and handrails.
  • On parking, staff said the park currently reaches about 1,700–1,800 cars on busy summer Saturdays and about 2,000 cars at maximum; planned east-side parking would relieve stress, and external lots or shuttles could accommodate mega events, although giant events might be better at Rotary Park or Laughlin.
  • No formal cost estimate has been prepared; staff said the total could be $30–50 million and the plan would be phased over a decade or more with grants, city funds, and other incremental revenue.

Executive Session

  • The council moved into executive session to receive legal advice concerning settlement of Falche v. City of Bullhead City (United States District Court for the District of Arizona, 3:23-CV-08031-DLR), pursuant to Arizona Revised Statutes § 38-431.03(A)(3). No action was taken.

Key Outcomes

  • The special meeting was for discussion only; no formal action or vote was taken on the master plan.
  • Staff and council will incorporate the comments raised, with particular follow-up on ADA access design and restroom locations.
  • The council unanimously adjourned the special meeting and convened into executive session.
  • The council indicated it would reconvene at 5:30 p.m. for its regularly scheduled council meeting.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening. This is Tuesday, December 3rd, 2024, 4 PM. We're here for a special meeting followed by an executive session. Can I get a roll call, please? All council members are present. All right, we're gonna call this meeting to order. Good afternoon, Mayor Demico Council members. We're here this afternoon first to talk about our community park master plan. So this is in a series of many years going over a decade. This is definitely not the first time we're talking about the community park master plan. It might be in this chambers, I'm guessing at least a dozen times we've talked about the community park master plan in one way, shape, or form, whether it's a workshop like this or council agendas. We've actually adopted a community park master plan in the past. So as we move forward to improve uh community park, we have to have a master plan because it is federal land that we have the park and public purpose lease on. So it's a great partnership between the city and the federal government. And essentially, if as long as it's for parks and public purposes, the city can uh move forward with uh advancements, enhancements, and improvements on the federal land. Um we own those. Um there ours. If we if the city ever, for example, like this building, ever vacates, it must remove everything. So there's no chance ever that the city will vacate federal lands, ever. We made some really good decisions about where boat launches should go and how we should navigate that. But then came, okay. So we put it out in RFP, interviewed the best firms in the state that do park planning, hired one, and that firm took us through to this process. We didn't ask them to be here today. We didn't think it was necessary to pay them to be here. Um Angie and Dave will make the presentation on the plan. Um answer any questions you may have or modifications you may desire. It is on the agenda this evening. Uh, primarily for our new members, we wanted to make sure you had a chance to talk to us freely in the workshop in case you had any major concerns or questions about the plan before we seek adoption this evening. Keep in mind, adoption doesn't mean there's anything guaranteed here. This is a master plan that can be modified, changed uh by future councils. It can be changed based on grants that we receive or don't receive. It can be changed based on changes, you know, in public sentiment. So but this is a guide, right? So it does tell us that we want a dog park on the east side of the highway. It does tell us we want paved parking lots. It does tell us we want restrooms and other park amenities so staff can start that planning process, start applying for grants, start budgeting for some of these things because this is a very long-term project. This is at least 10 years. We were looking at it this morning, at least 30 million dollars or more, depending on inflationary issues in the future. So it's something that's gonna take this city a long time, but this is the plan to start that project. So turn over to Angie and Dave for a few moments, and then we'll get into your QA. Angie. Thank you, Mr. Cotter, Mayor and Council. Um, today I actually put packet in front of you guys so you can follow along. Um, we did take this to park and rec and city council for a workshop in August 20th. There was some comments that were brought to our attention. We looked at it, addressed it, but I will go over just kind of the overall master plan, and then I can dive into things that we did add that was commented during that time. Um, so on page two on the concept, it's a conceptual master plan, it's overall plan review sheet, and it kind of details out from north to south, east to west on the park plan. I'll just start on the north side, going on the west side of the of highway 95, go south, and then I'll start on the other side. So on the north side, you know, we have the the boat ramp, we have um the playground splash pad, um, where the dog park is currently, uh changing some amenities, overlooks, walking trails and stuff like that for the public, uh going to where the large pavilion is today, adding some more outlooks, maybe some areas for food, um, trucks and stuff like that to be able to um hook up and during Lake Farmers Market and stuff like that, and then going south is the chamber, and then it's the bell, um, and there's a restroom in that location.

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