The project to bring a rodeo arena to Camp Verde is nearing its completion, with hopes to begin holding events in the location, just past the upcoming Camp Verde Sports Complex, in January.
A summer of fundraising has gotten the organization close to its goal, and construction crews have cleared out the patch of land at the location in order to begin adding the infrastructure.
The Camp Verde Arena Association estimates that an additional $270,000 of funding will be needed to get the operation ready for operation by January.
At a work session of the Camp Verde Town Council on Wednesday, Aug. 28, members of the council instructed Town Manager Russ Martin to allocate up to $250,000 out of the town’s Capital Improvement Projects fund to pay for the arena’s needs in the hopes of getting things finished soon.
“If we keep this moving along — and they’ve been keeping this moving along, and we’ve been helping them of course — we’re going start having events in January,” Council Member Joe Butner, who has been a strong proponent of the arena since the beginning, said. “And those events without a doubt are going to generate some level of economic benefit for our town.”
Even the members of the council that had been previously skeptical of funding the arena were positive on the funding to help get this done, though they expressed skepticism as well. Councilwoman Robin Whatley, who had previously voted against a round of funding for the arena, expressed some concern that with the town putting out a new round of bids for the next phase of construction on the Camp Verde Sports Complex — which would include the first three or four ball fields, depending on what deal the town gets — funding the arena now could tie the town’s hands on paying for the bids.
“I’m really afraid of that bid that’s going to come in on the park. It just scares me to death,” Whatley said. “I think it’s going be OK but we don’t know for sure. I just don’t want to be within a few hundred thousand, and have to just look at everybody and say, ‘well, we’ve got the infrastructure in, and the pipes, and all the stuff you can’t see, but we’re not going to be able to move ahead with grass and dugouts and concessions and all of that.’
“So I was hoping that somehow we could come up with the money and not touch the CIP [funds.]”
Whatley’s concerns were not fully alleviated, but she did come to agree with the other members of the council that allowing the arena to move forward with its current schedule was worth doing, and supported funding them.
“I see us on the move,” Mayor Charlie German said. “I’m willing to invest in whatever’s going to bring us the quickest return on that investment.”
“I believe we have the support from everyone on the town council now,” CVAA President Mary Phelps said. “I don’t blame them. They have a project — the sports complex — that is still in the beginning stages, but so much needs to get done. So they want to make sure they have money to finish that project as well. This is a new project and it’s a project that they didn’t plan to do, so I completely see where Robin is skeptical.”
The current plan for the arena is to ensure that at least a basic version of the arena — with cleared land, a basic parking lot, bleachers, arena siding and a permanent structure for concessions and restrooms — is in place by January for a hopeful event with the Arizona High School Rodeo Association. Once the rodeo is operational, the CVAA plans to begin raising funds for a next phase of construction, seeking additional amenities like an announcer stand and showers for the rodeo participants.
