Public Works Assistant Melena Spelman told the Pinetop Lakeside Town Council on Oct. 2 that the town is moving into the final phases of several major infrastructure projects, and that paving for the Top of the Woods drainage repairs will begin pending materials delivery.

Spelman said the town completed major drainage work after a February 2019 storm described in prior reports as a 1,000‑year event. Crews finished the south and west channels, an access road and excavation of the detention pond to increase capacity. She said construction drawings are complete and the remaining items include driveway tie‑ins, headwall and riprap work and installation of several gates and relocated electrical lines.

The council voted on a separate resolution to purchase hot‑mix asphalt from Perkins Aggregates using Navajo County’s purchasing contract; the motion carried 5‑1. Councilor Smith moved the resolution and it was seconded; the record shows the motion passed with five votes in favor and one opposed. Spelman said the town will begin paving on Monday, pending delivery and crew scheduling.

Nut graf: The vote authorizes an immediate material purchase to finish a multi‑year drainage and road reconstruction program that followed a major storm event in 2019; the decision drew a recorded objection from a council member who questioned whether the town followed its competitive‑procurement rules before piggybacking on a county contract.

Spelman described related work across town: design funds awarded to Logan Simpson for improvements to the Woodland Lake Road and State Route 260 intersection (including turn lanes and sidewalk extensions), with right‑of‑way appraisals “roughly around a $100,000” for necessary land purchases. Penrod Porter Mountain Road work has used screened material from the Top of the Woods excavation to widen shoulders and improve sight lines where the road has had fatal crashes; Spelman said those shoulder fills were completed largely with in‑house staff time and existing material.

Mountain Meadow Park work includes roughly 1.3 miles of ADA path; Spelman said crews have completed about 90 percent of that path and are installing geogrid underlayment in marshy sections. Additional related work includes aggregate bases for two parking areas, conduit for future lighting and installation of an automated crosswalk with rapid‑flashing beacons.

Spelman also reported the town completed construction of a 100,000‑gallon water storage tank funded in part with a WIFA grant. She said electrical work, controls and plumbing remain to bring the tank into service and that filling will be a slow, staged process to avoid damage. The town plans future pump and truck‑fill capabilities so local and mutual‑aid fire resources could use the tank during emergencies.

Other items noted in the presentation: the police department building is substantially complete but awaiting jail cell doors and final punch‑list items; the town planted about 120 fruit trees at Mountain Meadow with public planting days and plans harvest/picking events; and staff continue inventory and work‑order improvements using new software (Novosolutions/ShareNet).

Council discussion and procurement questions: Councilor Heisler pressed staff on whether alternative vendors or written quotes had been solicited for hauling and materials, citing the town’s purchasing policy requirement for three written quotes on purchases between $10,000 and $50,000. Spelman and town staff said the town piggybacked on Navajo County’s contract with Perkins Aggregates because hauling hot‑mix asphalt long distances risks cooling the material and causing paving failure; they said Brimhall could not meet the required timeline and that hauling costs from other vendors would have been significantly higher. Town staff and the town attorney noted piggybacking on other government contracts is an established practice, while Heisler and one council member objected that the council packet did not include the explanatory memo required when fewer than three written quotes are available.

Spelman said appraisals for right‑of‑way purchases related to the Woodland Lake Road project will be considered in next year’s budget and that some driveway tie‑ins and electric relocations remain on the Top of the Woods punch list. She estimated final driveway tie‑ins will take the longest to complete but expects the loose ends to be finished in the coming weeks or months.

Ending: Councilors suggested using the procurement discussion as a learning moment for future purchases. Spelman said town crews will begin paving once the asphalt is delivered and the necessary conduit and gates are in place for final road work.