At Globe City Council’s May 26 meeting, City Manager Paul Jepson said major work to make Pinal Creek safer for potential future flooding events will get under way within one to two weeks, and could be completed by the Fourth of July. He also updated the council on an appeal for a disaster declaration from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which is still ongoing.
In an update, Jepson said major flood recovery work inside local creek channels could begin within the next two weeks as the city continues its response to last year's catastrophic flooding.
Globe is currently finalizing construction easements while awaiting final approval of completed engineering plans from officials at the Natural Resources Conservation Service, which is funding the work. Once those items are completed, contractors will be cleared to begin debris removal and mitigation work on behalf of the city.
City staff meet every Wednesday with Tiffany Construction, the contractor on the project. Globe is also coordinating closely with Gila County and the Town of Miami, which are using the same contractor for related flood mitigation efforts across the region.
Jepson noted that Gila County has already made visible progress in some canyon areas, particularly around Russell Gulch, because design work had already been completed following flooding in 2019.
“They were able to hit the ground running,” Jepson said.
He noted that Globe’s timeline was slowed because the city first needed updated lidar mapping and elevation data before engineers could finalize plans. Although the flights were completed early in the process, Jepson said delays in processing the information postponed delivery of the final data needed for engineering work. That information has now been received and incorporated into the project designs.
Tiffany Construction's immediate goal is to begin debris removal inside the creek system before the arrival of monsoon season. In addition to debris cleanup, engineers are also working on stabilization plans for creek banks, particularly in the Pinal Creek area.
Mayor Al Gameros asked when residents might finally begin seeing active work taking place inside the creek itself. Jepson estimated that construction could begin within one to two weeks, though he emphasized that two weeks was the safer estimate.
Rather than working from one end of the creek to the other, contractors will begin the work in sections where easements have already been secured. Operations will then gradually expand as additional access agreements are completed.
As to progress on collecting easements, staff working on that task were unavailable to provide an updated easement count during the meeting. Jepson said many employees handling easement work had also spent the holiday weekend helping assemble FEMA documentation packets. However, Jepson said the city has enough easements for work to begin, and he had “no signals of concern” suggesting the project was behind schedule.
Vice Mayor Mike Stapleton asked whether a July 4 completion date is still feasible, referencing earlier contractor discussions, and Jepson confirmed that target date. Contractors have been shifting resources between county and city projects to keep work moving, and the project is expected to draw roughly 200 workers operating six to seven days a week once the work accelerates.
Jepson also updated council on the city’s ongoing FEMA appeal process related to disaster recovery funding. FEMA recently requested additional documentation after an earlier submission, giving the city two weeks to compile extensive supporting materials, including reports, receipts, videos and as-built plans.
“This is good news,” Jepson said. “We believe strongly that we qualify. FEMA is listening to us and letting us make our case.”
The city is also monitoring state budget negotiations to determine whether additional funding requested by Gov. Katie Hobbs for the Southern Gila County flood mitigation program survives the legislative process.
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