Prescott advances historic preservation update, approves $5.3M rodeo restoration, selects SR89 no-widening option
PRESCOTT, ARIZONA — February 26, 2026

Prescott advances historic preservation update, approves $5.3M rodeo restoration, selects SR89 no-widening option

Prescott City Council approved historic preservation master plan update, $5.3M rodeo restoration project, and controversial SR89 highway improvement (no widening option) that aligns with 80% of public preference despite potential 3.5-5 month closure.

Prescott Council Backs Rodeo Restoration, Historic Preservation Update, and Contentious SR89 Highway Project Without Widening

Prescott City Council held a five-hour voting session on February 26, 2026, that produced three major decisions: unanimous support for an expedited historic preservation master plan revision, near-unanimous approval of $5.3 million in rodeo restoration contracts, and majority passage of a no-widening option for SR89 highway improvements despite acknowledging potential months-long road closure. The rodeo decision required a 6–1 vote on a lease amendment to navigate gift clause compliance before restoration work could begin.

Key Speeches

"Our historic master plan guidelines and our supporting ordinances, which is the law, are absolutely aligned. And also so that they are clear and unambiguous and legally defendable… Is it three stories or is it 48 feet? The intention in our old master plan was for it to be both. But what got passed a year or two later in our ordinance was not an and statement. It was an or statement. And so that's how we ended up with two hotels at 48 feet." — Mayor Pro Tem Lois Fruhwirth

"With that agreement… we approved the addendum amendment. That allows us to now begin approving some contracts which was the next thing we did… hopefully that'll be later this year or the beginning of next year." — Mayor Pro Tem Lois Fruhwirth, on the 90-day lease renegotiation window

"The majority of the council decided to vote for what would be known as option 2 C, which is no widening, no circles, one Michigan left turn… The concern with that option is that staff's been clear that we could potentially have that entire highway closed for up to three and a half to five months, not weeks, months." — Mayor Pro Tem Lois Fruhwirth, on the SR89 decision and worst-case scenario

Historic Preservation Master Plan Update

The council study session addressed a critical ambiguity that has allowed inappropriate building heights in downtown Prescott's courthouse district. The historic master plan, drafted years ago, specified buildings should be both three stories and 48 feet; however, the ordinance that followed used "or" instead of "and," allowing two hotels to reach 48 feet in violation of the original three-story intent. Mayor Pro Tem Lois Fruhwirth stated that council is "very unanimous in our support" of expedited correction.

The update will cover not only the downtown courthouse district but also neighborhood historic districts set by the city and all designated national historic districts. The council committed to consultant investment to meet a June 2026 completion deadline, treating the project as urgent. Historic Preservation Commission members who attended were unanimous that the revision is "well overdue," according to Mayor Pro Tem Fruhwirth.

The work is designed to ensure the historic preservation master plan and supporting ordinances are "clear and unambiguous and legally defendable." No vote count or formal opposition was recorded; the item was treated as a study-session discussion leading to staff direction.

Rodeo Grounds Restoration Project: Contracts Approved

The city received a $5.3 million state appropriation under Senate Bill language in late 2025, earmarked for specific rodeo restoration work. The council approved approximately $1.5 million in three related contracts.

Grandstand Seating Restoration: The existing wooden seating will be replaced with composite material and new clamps. No net increase in seating; the reconfiguration will remain familiar in size. Importantly, Jim Dewey Brown, General Manager of Prescott Frontier Days, confirmed that handicapped seating will be added near the Macken building bathrooms upstairs by relocating vendor stalls that previously blocked that area.

HVAC Systems: Two buildings will receive climate control: the Macken building (where staff and bathrooms are located) and the historic doc party room (a stone structure housing a rodeo history museum and artifacts). Both had suffered weather and moisture damage. Installation is targeted before the July rodeo.

Directional Sound System: A new sound system with speakers mounted on the north grandstand roofline will direct sound toward spectators rather than across the hillside neighborhood. Lois Fruhwirth noted the system was designed to be reconfigurable pending the outcome of the rodeo master plan, ensuring flexibility if layout changes are needed.

Cowboy Statue Monument: The statue formerly at old city hall—originally a gift from Prescott Frontier Days to the city—will return to the rodeo. A monument base and minor landscaping will be constructed at the end of Rodeo Drive, visible to visitors heading toward Miller Valley. This placement was selected to avoid conflict with future master plan items.

The contract package was approved "almost unanimously," with Lois Fruhwirth noting completion is targeted for the July rodeo.

Rodeo Lease Amendment: 6–1 Vote to Address Gift Clause Risk

A central concern emerged: the city's current lease agreement with Prescott Frontier Days potentially violated the state gift clause, which prohibits municipalities from giving away public property or resources. The city had been operating under the existing lease while discussing a rodeo master plan for years, creating legal exposure if the Senate Bill appropriation was deemed a gift.

To address this, council passed an addendum amendment by a vote of 6–1. The amendment requires monthly payments from Prescott Frontier Days and a commitment to spend at least $150,000 annually on property management, plus additional funds for above-ground maintenance work they have been conducting. This creates documented consideration flowing back to the city, satisfying gift clause requirements.

Critically, the amendment is temporary. Council agreed that within 90 days of the rodeo master plan's approval by the city and all stakeholder groups, the city must negotiate and execute a new permanent lease. This window is expected to conclude later in 2026 or early 2027. The 6–1 vote margin indicates at least one council member opposed or abstained, though individual votes were not detailed in the transcript.

SR89 Highway Improvement Project: Option 2C (No Widening) Selected

The council voted to move forward with Option 2C—no road widening, no roundabouts, one Michigan left turn—for SR89 improvements. This decision followed an earlier postponement to allow another council member to participate and ask questions before voting.

Public Comment: The council received significant input from both supporters and opponents. Over 80% of public comments in the past year—across surveys, design meetings, neighborhood meetings, and council chambers—opposed road widening and roundabout options. Lois Fruhwirth stated: "The majority of the public really was looking for you know not a road widening option. And um and there's a lot of uh people that absolutely don't want round added roundabouts."

Staff Concerns: City staff explicitly warned that Option 2C carries the risk of a complete highway closure lasting 3.5 to 5 months during construction. This is not a weeks-long disruption but potentially a full quarter of the year. The council acknowledged this worst-case scenario and asked staff to explore night work to maintain at least one daytime lane, though feasibility remains unclear.

Project Delivery: The project will be managed under a "contractor management at risk" model, meaning the contractor becomes a full partner in design and execution, working collaboratively with city staff rather than simply executing a completed design.

Council Decision-Making: Lois Fruhwirth revealed internal division: "I uh I had one opinion but I ultimately ended up deciding that having a United Council is good for the city." This suggests not all council members initially supported Option 2C, but consensus was prioritized. New council members who campaigned on the SR89 issue were given prominence to weigh in, reflecting constituent accountability.

Secondary Project Authorized: The council also authorized staff to begin a 2–3 year redesign of the Watson Lake Willow Lake roundabout, the city's oldest and least technologically advanced traffic circle, to address rush-hour congestion.

Timeline

Opposition

SR89 Widening/Roundabout Proponents:

Support

Historic Preservation Master Plan Update:

Rodeo Restoration Project:

SR89 Option 2C (No Widening):

Project Details

Historic Preservation Master Plan Update

Rodeo Grounds Restoration Project

Rodeo Lease Amendment (Gift Clause Resolution)

SR89 Highway Improvement Project

Watson Lake Willow Lake Roundabout Redesign

Vote Breakdown

Rodeo Lease Amendment (Gift Clause Resolution)

Rodeo Restoration Contracts (Seating, HVAC, Sound, Monument)

SR89 Highway Project – Option 2C Selection

Historic Preservation Master Plan Update (Study Session Direction)

Watson Lake Willow Lake Roundabout Redesign Authorization

Outcome & Next Steps

Historic Preservation Master Plan: Council has directed city staff to complete a full revision and update of the historic preservation master plan and ordinances, with a June 2026 target. Consultant services will be funded as part of the upcoming budget. The work will clarify the three-story height requirement, align the master plan with ordinance language, and ensure legal defensibility.

Rodeo Restoration: The $1.5 million contract package for seating, HVAC, sound system, and monument work has been approved and is expected to be completed before the July 2026 rodeo season. The grandstand seating, Macken building and doc party room climate control, and monument relocation are now moving to execution phase.

Rodeo Lease Amendment: The temporary addendum requiring monthly payments and property management commitment has been approved 6–1. The city and Prescott Frontier Days must negotiate and execute a new permanent lease agreement within 90 days of the rodeo master plan's approval. This window is expected to close by late 2026 or early 2027, removing the gift clause exposure.

SR89 Highway Improvement: Option 2C (no widening, no roundabouts, one Michigan left turn) has been approved. City staff will now begin contractor procurement under a management-at-risk delivery model. The project faces a potential worst-case scenario of 3.5–5 month full closure; staff will explore night work to maintain daytime lane access. Actual timeline and impact will become clearer once a contractor is selected.

Watson Lake Willow Lake Roundabout: Authorization to begin redesign has been granted, with a 2–3 year timeline to address rush-hour congestion at the city's oldest and least technologically advanced roundabout.

Controversies & Context

SR89 Decision and Internal Council Division: Lois Fruhwirth candid admission that she "had one opinion but I ultimately ended up deciding that having a United Council is good for the city" reveals that at least one council member—likely the Mayor Pro Tem herself—initially favored a different option (possibly widening and/or roundabouts). The decision to prioritize council unity over individual preference raises questions about whether the council genuinely believed Option 2C was optimal or whether political cohesion outweighed engineering and traffic mitigation concerns. The worst-case 3.5–5 month closure is a significant disruption; some council members or staff may have argued for alternatives that posed less operational risk.

Public Comment Imbalance: While the brief noted "significant public comment on both sides," the actual balance was heavily skewed: 80%+ of comments opposed widening and roundabouts. The phrase "a lot of public comment on both sides" suggests the minority widening-proponent voice was vocal and engaged despite being outnumbered. This may indicate organized advocacy by business interests concerned about traffic flow or developers seeing growth potential.

Gift Clause Risk and State Appropriation: The Senate Bill appropriation came with specific language dictating how the $5.3 million could be spent. However, the city's existing lease agreement with Prescott Frontier Days created a legal trap: if the lease was not sufficiently compensatory (i.e., if the city was effectively giving the rodeo organization the benefit of the $5.3 million improvement without receiving fair market return), the state could challenge the expenditure as an improper gift of public funds. The addendum requiring monthly payments and property management spending creates paper consideration, but the deeper issue—whether the lease adequately compensates the city for its investment in a private cultural organization—remains unresolved. The 90-day negotiation window for a new lease suggests the council hopes to develop a more robust long-term arrangement.

Historic Preservation Ordinance Ambiguity: The discovery that the historic master plan specified "three stories" while the ordinance used "or" instead of "and" with the 48-foot alternative is a drafting failure with real consequences: two hotels were approved at 48 feet (approximately 4.5 stories) in violation of original intent. This suggests potential legal challenges to those hotel approvals, though none were mentioned. The expedited June 2026 timeline for the revision may be driven by the need to establish clear standards before further development pressures arise or before existing approvals are challenged.

New Council Members and SR89: The transcript notes that several newer council members campaigned specifically on the SR89 issue, making their participation and votes significant for accountability to their constituents. This may have put pressure on longer-serving members to respect the mandate new members carried, contributing to the ultimate unity behind Option 2C even if some council members preferred widening.

Duration

Other Notable Items

America 250 Celebration: Lois Fruhwirth thanked community participants in recent America 250 events and promoted upcoming celebrations scheduled for early July 2026, coinciding with the rodeo season and suggesting a coordinated heritage and independence celebration.

View source transcript ▼

Source: In Case You Missed It February 24, 2026 Council Meetings — February 26, 2026. Auto-generated YouTube transcript; may contain transcription errors.

Hi Prescat. Welcome to another episode of In Case You Missed It. This is where myself, the public engagement manager for the city of Prescuit and Mayor Pro Tim Fworth recap what happened at the latest council meeting. Today we'll be recapping what happened at the February 24th council meeting. Welcome, Mayor Pro. Thank you. How are you today? I finally got some sleep, so I'm feeling better. Thank you. It was a long night. was another long meeting, but a very productive meeting.

So, let's start with the study session. That was a relatively short meeting compared to the voting meeting, but we talked about the master plan update for the historic preservation in our city. Do you want to give us a little recap of what, you know, you learned at the study site? Absolutely. So, um, council is very supportive of the work we're about to do. We got a a topline of the timeline, a topline of the districts involved.

Um, I think a lot of us in the city are quite aware of the downtown uh courthouse district. That was a huge topic of discussion over the course of the last two or three years with several new hotels going in around the courthouse.

But what was really interesting is to see the maps of not only what is our downtown historic district, but also all of our various neighborhood districts, ones that are set by the city of Prescuit, as well as all the national districts that we have neighborhoods in this city. So that was an interesting insight for a lot of folks that haven't lived in those areas and don't understand that.

But we, you know, I think got to the point that we want to see as we learned a lot in the last 12 months as a community and as a council that we want to get to the point that our um historic master plan guidelines and our supporting ordinances, which is the law, are absolutely aligned. Um and also so that they are clear and unambiguous and legally defendable. And those were some of the issues and concerns we had.

Our historic master plan and then its related ordinance were written a long time ago and it was not unambiguous. You know, is it three stories or is it 48 ft? The intention in our old master plan was for it to be both. But what got passed a year or two later in our ordinance was not an and statement. It was an or statement. Um and so that's how we ended up with two hotels at 48 feet.

So those are the things that we'll be working on and trying to get more wrapped around and we really want to see this done with a sense of urgency. We absolutely prioritize the courthouse on the timeline. We encouraged city staff to invest in a consultant to help city staff get this done and we absolutely want to get this done by next June. So there is a sense of urgency.

We're willing to pay for that as part of the um budget that's coming up and so um overall I think we were very unanimous in our support of what we wanted to see. So that's great. I know as our community continues to grow that citizens will find it more important than ever to preserve the history um and the culture of our town.

So I think they'll really appreciate the new um guidelines and the updated master plan and as you mentioned to take out the ambiguity so it's very clear this is what it should look Yeah. And it was nice to hear from the commissioners that are on the historic preservation commission. They all the ones that came up and spoke were unanimous that this is you know well overdue. we need to get it done because they've been living through this for a lot longer than those of us on council.

So, absolutely. Excellent. Well, thanks for recapping that for us. So, now let's move on to the voting session. We've got five hours of what happened to recap here, so we'll keep it brief for you. Um, let's start with the rodeo. There was a few things that happened related to the rodeo. There was a lease amendment and then approval of contracts for some upgrades. Can you tell us a little bit about those? Yeah, absolutely.

Um, as everyone knows in this community, uh, the city of Prescuit did get through a Senate bill, um, and and, uh, appropriation last year. The money came at the end of 25. We did get $5.3 million to invest in the rodeo with very specific Senate bill language of what the money was to be set spent for.

So what we were doing yesterday, there was concern expressed by the community and also by our legal department that we've been talking about master plans and you know for many many years it's been swirling and the concern was our current contract agreement with the rodeo is potentially in violation of the diff clause. What we did yesterday is passed an addendum to the current lease.

And what that allows us to do is get a monthly uh payment from Prescuit Frontier Days for leasing the property and their commitment that they'll minimally spend about $150,000 in managing the property for us plus additional money for above ground maintenance that they've been doing all along periodically.

So with that agreement um and I cannot remember I think it was a unanimous no it was 6 to1 6 to1 yeah we we approved the agenda uh the amendment and we did slightly alter it on the adas we agreed that the amendment would only happen for this one time. So the key of the amendment is that we are going to within 90 days of the rodeo master plan effort that is underway.

When that finally reaches a point that it is approves and comes from the city and the all the various groups that are part of it to this council and we approve it, we have 90 days to work out a new lease agreement with the rodeo. So hopefully that'll be later this year or the beginning of next year and and that allowed by passing that addendum amendment I should say um that allows us to now begin uh approving some contracts which was the next thing we did. That's awesome.

So the lease agreement is to get us through to begin work on the contracts which you're going to talk about to avoid triggering the gift clause so that we don't get penalized for for following what the Senate bill asked us to do. Right. And what the honestly I think the majority of the people of Prescuit want to see us save and restore our historic rodeo grounds.

So we were just talking about historic preservation and the rodeo is definitely a big part of our culture and heritage here in Prescuit. So it's nice to see it getting some upgrades and the love that it kind of needs. Yes. Keep being an awesome thing for our community. So now moving on to the contracts. There was a contract for the seating, the sound system, and the monument that used to be at old city hall to be moved to the rodeo. So, catch us up on that. Yeah.

So, um we approved a couple of contracts. I think in total it was about 1.5 million, give or take 100,000 or so. Um with the three contracts, we ended up approving um that we are going to be restoring the seating in the current grandstands. We're not going to be adding seating, but what we are doing is restoring all the it's going to go out of being wood and it's going to be more of the uh plastic wood composite. Composite. There's the word.

And we're going to replace the clamps that hold on to them. Right now, they're old. They're starting to fall apart. So, we'll be replacing all the current seating. It'll still be the same kind of configuration that everyone's used to seeing size-wise, etc. And we're not adding any seating.

There was a question about handicapped uh seating and we're not adding uh we're not taking away any handicapped seating but it was good to hear from the PFD general manager Jim Dewey Brown that we actually are adding some handicapped seating closer to where the uh Mack and building bathrooms are upstairs.

So when the handicap entrance from the from the back of the road into the into the grandstands, there used to be a lot of um um things for sale blocking what could have been even more handicap seating. So they've made the decision to move that and there'll be more handicap seating for this coming rodeo. So the goal is to get all the grandstand seating done and ready to go for the July, end of June, early July rodeo. The second thing that was approved was some HVAC systems.

The Macken building, there had been lots of problems with weather and damage related. Both on the Macken building, which is where most of the people work and where the bathrooms are in some of the facilities, and then also the doc party room, which is one of the stone buildings in the back. If you ever get a chance, you all should go see it. Um, they are putting together like the museum of all the rodeo history and artifacts.

um and to have history and artifacts not having the right kind of temperature protection um is a problem. So, so those two systems will be in in uh added to the rodeo and that should be done also before the rodeo begins. Um and then the final thing that we approved was the we did the oh the sound system. Let's start with the sound system.

So, we are going to be installing a new sound system with speakers that are attached to the end of the the north side of the grandstands uh up on the roof line pointed down to the people. And so, rather than right now uh speakers on the opposite side of the rodeo kind of not only blasting the grandstands, but blasting the neighborhood and the hillsides, this sound is going to be much more pointed. Um it's not the be all end all from from a design standpoint.

So we purposely bought a system that can be redesigned or move items parts of the components moved around depending upon what happens with the master plant but we should have a much better sound system not only for all the attendees but also for all the neighbors again starting this July. And then everybody's been wondering what what happened to the statue in front of the old city hall. And the reality is is that had always been uh a gift from the PFD to the city to use it.

And so now that that building is gone, we are giving it back to the rodeo. And part of this contract was also to build a monument that the statue can sit on top of with some minor landscaping to be able to uh make it nice. And it'll be at the end of Rodeo Drive. So when you're coming up Miller Valley um and you make the turn onto Rodeo Drive, it'll be at the very end and the location placement is not in question for anything potentially down the road for the master plan.

So um I think we made some good choices. Um and we were uh like I said almost unanimous on that and we'll uh hopefully all have a better experience this summer when we rodeo. Yeah, that'll be here before we know it. And it's really exciting to hear the cowboy statues kind of having a homecoming going back to the rodeo. Um and it'll be on display for everyone to see. So that's super exciting. He he's safe right now. He's he's being safely stored until he gets to his new home.

So moving on, that was um the first half more or less of the council meeting. So the second part of um last night's voting meeting was about SR89. Last but certainly not least, and we um had a vote last time. We postponed the vote so that Councilman Garary could participate and ask his questions of staff before voting. So, we voted yesterday. We passed one of the options um to move forward with uh catch us up on the discussion and why that decision was made.

Yeah, we um we had gotten some new perspective or different ways of looking at some of the data, but honestly, a lot of the information that staff gave in their update was things that had been discussed, you know, very much several times. We did hear as a result of some of the new information, we did have again a lot of public comment on both sides of the argument.

And when it was all said and done, the majority of the council decided to vote for what would be known as option 2 C, which is no widening, no circles, one Michigan left turn or something to that effect. So that is the ultimate decision. Um the concern with that option is that staff's been clear that we could potentially have that entire highway closed for up to three and a half to five months, not weeks, months. It's a long time.

And so we will see what um staff is able to do as now they go get uh a contractor and all the things that they're allowed to now begin. This will be a project that will be run under contractor management at risk. So they'll be full partners with the design with the city working our way through this project. Um you know there was a lot of uh expressed support for night work um to see what we could do to try and maybe during the day keep at least a lane open.

Um time will tell if that will be possible. So the the worst case scenario is three and a half to five months of road closure.

Um the other the second leading you know option from the public and and you know the public really if you if you if I think back the over the last year over 80% of the public comments coming in whether that be on surveys or at design meetings or at neighborhood meetings or here in council chambers 80% of the public really was looking for you know not a road widening option. And um and there's a lot of uh people that absolutely don't want round added roundabouts.

Um so I think we'll end up uh we'll see. We asked also to for staff to come forward with a project for uh to begin to look at redesigning the Watson Lake Willow Lake roundabout. That is the oldest roundabout we have in the city. It has the least amount of technology and things that help traffic move. And so we hope over the course of the next two to three years we can address that also. Um and that might help some of the backups or congestions that we have at the rush hours uh points.

But it was a really tough uh decision and um you know when it was all said and done I uh I had one opinion but I ultimately ended up deciding that having a a United Council is good for the city. So that's what we're doing. Yep. I agree. United Council's good and however you felt about it, I think that the option that we're moving forward with is what the community wanted, the majority of the community and we need to get going because we need to replace those lines and fix the lines.

So, I'm glad we had got a decision and I'm glad everyone was here to participate in it. Yeah, absolutely. But I think that was important especially because so many of our newer council members campaigned on that topic. So it was important for them to weigh in for not only themselves but everyone that voted for them they represent. So excellent. That was pretty much it from yesterday. Let's hope we don't have any more meetings that go past 8:00 p.m.

I think we've got a break from kind of hot contentious uh issues for now. No, never a dull moment in the city of Brit. Uh we shall see. Um excellent. And before we wrap up, is there anything else you'd like to share or do you like the community to know about? No, I just want to thank everybody who came out and participated in the America 250 uh last weekend or two weekends ago and uh we've got more things coming up. It's going to be a very exciting first weekend in July. So stay tuned.

But uh this whole community is really coming together on on celebrating our heritage as a city and as a country. So it's very cool to see. Yeah, that's going to be really exciting. I'm looking forward to all the events in July, starting with the rodeo and then all of the 250 things that come along. Um, excellent. So, that's it for today's in case you missed it.

As always, if you want to reach out to mayor promorth or any of the council members, feel free to send them an email at city.counselprescuit-az.gov. And we'll see you next time on In case you missed it.

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