Cones and barrels are among the indications that projects big and small are happening in a municipality, and residents may not give them much thought unless they involve a detour or any other inconvenient change of daily routines. But it’s a slightly different story in Bullhead City, Ariz., which realized multiple simultaneous initiatives last September – from citywide maintenance to capital improvement projects.

Mackenzie Covert, public information officer for Bullhead City, shared the details of how so many projects wound up happening at the same time.

“Every project runs into unexpected issues. One of the most common issues tends to be supply chain constraints. We ordered a backup generator for our Senior Enrichment Center project more than a year in advance and were given an estimated time of arrival of September. The generator actually arrived three months later than expected, one year and four months after it was ordered.

“Even when we expect long lead times, those times are often longer.”

“Other project scheduling issues can be caused by weather,” Covert continued. “We can’t slurry the streets if it rains too much in one day. If the night is too cold, we might have difficulty filling large cracks and small potholes with the prescribed mastic treatment. If the summer heat arrives too soon or stays too long, it can shorten the season for street maintenance by several weeks, and our summer heat does sometimes slow projects down. For example, the annual City Street Maintenance Program has to shut down in the summer because the slurry we put on the roads cannot set when it’s too hot outside.”

Winter weather generally does not slow down projects in Bullhead City, in part because it does not snow. The winter holidays do slow projects down, though, as employees and contractors take time off.

She said the public is excited about the many projects that happened across the city, some of which are not yet complete.

“We are growing, and the community is optimistic about the growth. We are working to expand our infrastructure, enhance our community amenities, attract new business and grow tourism in our community.”

Delays notwithstanding, the projects consisted of construction of a Senior Enrichment Center, construction on which started in August and was expected to be complete in a year. The new senior campus expansion added 9,000 square feet of space on to an existing building, including 7,700 square footage of indoor activity and meeting space and 1,300 square feet of covered outdoor patio space.

          The project was planned not only to expand the number of indoor activities offered, but also to allow quieter space for some of those activities. It also meant that the nutrition center and activities center could be separated, which would remove some nuances that challenged some of the seniors.

Then, an Optimum Community Center renovations project began December 2023.

“That facility used to be an elementary school. The concrete floor gym has been remodeled and now has a wooden floor and new doors, air-conditioning components, ceiling tiles and LED lighting,” said Covert. “An outdoor covered pickleball court has been installed; interior spaces have been remodeled and included the addition of a new commercial kitchen.” Future phases of the development for the facility will include installing a permanent and dedicated indoor pickleball court.

The new OHV Trailhead connects Bullhead City to the Arizona Peace Trail.  McCormick Construction, under contract with the city of Bullhead City, is working to construct a new ATV and UTV parking lot to serve as a trailhead and staging area adjacent to the Arizona Peace Trail just southeast of the intersection of Bullhead Parkway and Silver Creek Rd.

“This over-$1.3 million-grant-funded-project is just the beginning of a multiphase development,” Covert noted. “Phase one will provide a secure and well-lit parking lot for off-highway vehicles, making it easier than ever to access the Arizona Peace Trail and other public lands for outdoor recreation and exploration. Future phases of the project will bring modern amenities like bathrooms, ensuring a comfortable and enjoyable experience for all trail users.”

The trailhead will provide improved access to public lands for outdoor recreation and exploration, enhance public safety with increased lighting and provide parking facilities for all OHV recreationists. It will also offer a convenient and secure place to park and prepare for off-highway adventures and serve as a gateway to some of Arizona’s most breathtaking natural landscapes and trails and a unique opportunity to experience the thrill of off-highway recreation in a safe and regulated environment.

Another project, according to Covert, was the second bridge connecting Laughlin to Bullhead City. It was officially named Silver Copper Crossing by the Clark County Commission.

“The 724-foot-long bridge rests 35 feet above the river and carries one lane of traffic in each direction along with a multiuse trail on the south side for bicyclists, runners and pedestrians that features two overlooks. The bridge has been sought for decades as a means to facilitate cross-river traffic, facilitate the flow of commerce and improve access for emergency vehicles,” she said.

The bridge structure consists of precast concrete girders on drilled shaft foundations. It is located 8 miles south of Laughlin’s only other bridge, which has been in operation since 1987 and was paid for by Laughlin founder Don Laughlin. Federal funding for the new bridge was first committed in the 1990s and construction began on the $60.6 million project in November 2021.

Many new streetlights have been installed across the city, and Bullhead City Utilities worked to enhance Bullhead’s water system with a new well, piping, metering gear and valves while also doing remedial work that became necessary after previous repairs failed.

The remedial work has been performed steadily since 2021, when Bullhead City took over its water system from EPCOR Utilities Inc. In September 2022, the city began replacing or repairing 130 pressure reducing and/or pressure control valves throughout the system. Because those valves regulate water pressure, faulty valves were resulting in unbalanced pressure, which can strain or damage the pipes and equipment. The remedial work extended the lifespan of existing infrastructure and provided more reliability and quality.

Covert explained how the various projects were funded.

“City projects are funded through multiple means. The council approves a budget in June for the July fiscal year. The transparent line-item budget lists capital improvement projects, costs and revenue sources. We compete aggressively for grant funding to supplement funding for improvements to our transportation infrastructure, our water and sewer infrastructure and our tourism amenities.

“Some city improvements are funded with special funds as opposed to general funds. For example, sewer and wastewater improvements are funded through customer utility bills. When customers pay their water bill, that money goes into the utility fund and can only be spent on utility maintenance, operation and capital improvement. We also have a unique fund called the Marketplace fund, where summer parking fees for our beaches are collected and reinvested in city parks.”

She said that large city expenses have to be approved by the city council.

“Our council meetings are recorded alongside an indexed agenda and stored online on our website database. The agendas are searchable, which means you can quickly search our entire database for the right keywords and find more details about any of these or other city projects. The documentation will tell you when a project was approved, when it was slated to begin, the period of time the contract set for the project to be completed, which contractor was awarded the project and how much money the project was approved for.”

The transparency seemed to help residents feel good about how money was being spent and what the status of a project was at any given point in time.

Wherever they turn, they are seeing improvements and upgrades happening in Bullhead City.

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