Category Archives: Williams

Williams Winter Wonderland causing problems

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WILLIAMS — High winds began about 9:30 this morning and by 8 a.m., Williams had a covering of about 3″ from the overnight storm. It is not over yet. NOAA predicts snow throughout the day. The sun peeked out for a couple of hours, but clouds began to reappear by about 10:45.

Road conditions are reported to be hazardous. Social media reports that one person had to turn back to Williams at Parks because of white out conditions. Another report is that the plowing between Williams and Ash Fork had not started.

The crews of the City of Williams were out about 8 a.m. clearing the roadways.

Only two more Advent concerts left for the season

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advent-concert-15-12-12-10WILLIAMS — There are only two more free Advent concerts at St. John’s Episcopal-Lutheran Church this season. The Church is located at 202 W. Grant Street next to the Williams City Christmas Tree.

The next concert is this Sunday at 4 p.m. The choirs of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church and St. John’s will join together in a selection of Christmas favorites. If Reverend Marc McDonald is there to sing, you won’t want to miss it.

The last concert will be Sunday, December 20 at 4 p.m. It will feature guest musicians Anthony Flesch on the flute and Joel Rieck on acoustic guitar.

St. John’s hosts a reception after each concert. The concerts are free, but donations are gratefully accepted.

City snow removal ordinances in effect

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Saturday Snow 2015-12-12 034WILLIAMS — With the recent snowfall and more expected in the coming months, it seems a good time to cover the snow removal plans and the ordnances pertaining to that plan.

The City of Williams adopted a snow removal plan structured to open most City streets within 7 hours after a major storm. The city workers have, in the past, done an excellent job in getting the street clear after a snow storm.

The city watches the weather report and when snow acumulations 3-inches or more are predicted, they activate the plan and snow ordnances go into effect.

The clearing of streets is based on the following schedule of priorities:


    All emergency routes to include:

  1. hospital, ambulance service, fire stations, and police department. This includes main thoroughfares through town.
  2. Downtown streets, side streets located in the main part of town, residential streets and school bus routes.
  3. Outlying areas to include such places as Echo Canyon, Country Club Drive, South Road and other major collector streets.
  4. Airport Facilities

The ordinances in effect for snow removal are as follows:

SNOW & ICE REMOVAL FROM SIDEWALKS:

Article 8-7.02 0 Every person in charge of any building or lot of land fronting or abutting on a paved sidewalk shall remove and clear away, or cause to be removed and cleared away, snow and ice from a path of at least 36″ in width. Snow and ice shall be removed from sidewalks in all business districts in the City within 24 hours after the cessation of any fall of snow, sleet or freezing rain. Snow and ice shall be so removed from all other sidewalks within the same day of the cessation of any fall of snow, sleet or freezing rain within the first 6 hours of daylight after the cessation of any such fall, whichever period is longer. If snow and ice on sidewalk has become so hard that it cannot be
removed. without damaging the sidewalk, sand or other abrasive must be put on the sidewalk to make travel possible. As soon as possible a path must be cleared.

PUBLIC RESPONSIBILITIES

Per the City of Williams Ordinance 626, the public is responsible for the following during snow storms:

PARKING:

Article 8-7.07 No person shall park or be permitted to park any vehicle on any public street, boulevard or alley during snow removal.

FAILURE TO PERFORM:

Article 8-7.08 If a vehicle is parked in violation of this code the Police Department is authorize to remove the vehicle, or cause it to be removed at the expense of the person owning or
controlling such vehicle.

Article 8-7.06 In the event of the failure of any person to perform the requirements stated above, the Public Works Director may cause such work to be done by the City and the responsible person shall be charged the cost of the work plus a 10% charge.

Snow makes for a beautiful Williams morning

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640-Snow-15-12-12-01WILLIAMS — If you reserved your tickets for the Polar Express tonight, you picked a winner. With little snow yesterday, Williams woke up to a fine blanket of snow which made for a beautiful morning.
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Williams received about an inch of snow overnight. By afternoon the city had received about three-inches. It is expected to clear up overnight with the chance of snow picking up Sunday night through Monday night. Another 2-4 inches is possible.640-Snow-15-12-12-04I do not usually wake up early especially on a weekend. I had to take an exam in Flagstaff, however, and was pleasantly surprised by the winter wonderland. If you plan to visit Williams, plan a tour around in the early morning or early evening to check out the city lights.

I-40 this morning was slick and heavy with snow, but amazingly clear of accidents. On the return trip leaving Flagstaff about 12 p.m., we encountered only one accident which did not block or delay traffic.

Flagstaff received about the same amount of snow, but likely Snow Bowl is benefiting from the eight-inches predicted above 8000′. The snow is not finished, however, and an inch or two more might fall before the evening.

More photos on our Facebook page.

Steward of Children training today at court house

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williams-justice-courtWILLIAMS — Sorry for the short notice. Just learned of this through the email. If you cannot make the training, you can call the number and perhaps set up future training.

Kathy Erler is having a training for anyone interested in Stewards of Children. The training will be at the Williams Court house, Fri the 11th, from 3-5 pm. Learn how you can make a difference in your community and help end child sexual abuse. You will learn 5 steps to protecting children, prevention policies, signs of abuse, confronting and stopping abuse. Leave knowing that child abuse can be prevented, stopped and overcome. The fee is $10 which includes the training and workbook. For more information call Kathy Erler at 928-707-0794. With enough interest, other training classes will be held.

Ice at Santa Fe nearly gone

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800-Ice-15-12-01-1WILLIAMS — To highlight the warm weather we have been enjoying, the Santa Fe Dam was nearly covered with a thin layer of ice on December 1. Today only a small patch remained near the south end.

Santa Fe nearly covered with a thin sheet of ice December 1.

Santa Fe nearly covered with a thin sheet of ice December 1.


Today the ice is confined to the south end.

Today the ice is confined to the south end.

Of course you could not help but notice the drop in temperature over the last couple of days. A cold front is moving across Arizona bringing the possibility of about 3.5″ of snow from Friday through Saturday. High winds of 35 to 55-mph may be experienced over the period.

Saturday and Sunday are expected to be sunny with a chance of snow returning on Monday due to a second front moving in.

According to the NOAA Hazardous Weather forecast:

A Powerful Cold Front Will Move Through Arizona on Friday. Expect
Strong Southwest Winds 25 to 35 Mph Gusting to 55 Mph Across
Portions of Eastern Arizona Where a Wind Advisory Is in Effect.
Local Areas of Blowing Dust May Develop East of Flagstaff. In
Addition…Rain and Snow Showers Will Develop Friday Afternoon and
Continue Through Saturday Morning. General Snow Accumulations Will
Range from 1 to 4 Inches above 5000 Feet with a Trace Possible as
Low as 4000-4500 Feet by Saturday. Higher Amounts Are Expected
Along Portions of the Eastern Mogollon Rim and Highest Terrain of
The White Mountains. If Traveling in the High Country…Expect
Winter Driving.

Cold Temperatures and Light Showers Will Persist Saturday. Dry
Weather Is Expected Sunday. A Second and Colder System Should
Bring Rain and Snow Showers from Sunday Night Through Monday
Night with Accumulating Snow a Good Possibility.

City Council meeting in Williams tonight

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williams-city-logoThe City Council will meet tonight at 7 p.m. It will begin with pledge and inovation. After there is a public participation period for citizens to give input to the council. They must submit a request before the meeting and they have five-minutes to speak.

After approval of purchase orders and check register, the council will disuss three agenda items.
Appointment of lay member from the community to the Williams Volunteer Fire Department Pension Board to replace 30-year member, Marty Glassburn, who has given his notice of retirement, effective December 31, 2015.

Council will review and may approve an Intergovernmental Agreement with the State of Arizona for the reconstruction of a portion of Grand Canyon Boulevard.

Council will review and may approve an Intergovernmental Agreement with the State of Arizona for artifact acquisition for the Arizona State Railroad Museum.

St John’s Advent concerts great entertainment

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Pastor Marc McDonald welcomes the guests.

Pastor Marc McDonald welcomes the guests.

WILLIAMS — The celebration of the lighting of the tree in Williams did not stop on Saturday. On Sunday at 4 p.m., St. John’s Episcopal-Lutheran Church began their annual series of Advent concerts.
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The series started with the choir from St. John’s led by George Albers. The choir consisted of Annie Albers, Gary Arend, Natalie Arend, Nancy Danyow, Julia Glaab, Dindy Harbeson-Geyman, Gloria Job, Ken Malpas and Kristine Vasquez.

George Albers gave a solo of Ave Maria and Pastor Marc McDonald sang I Wonder As I Wander. I was quite unprepared for the voice of Pastor McDonald.

Pastor McDonald sang a beautiful solo of I Wonder as I Wander.

Pastor McDonald sang a beautiful solo of I Wonder as I Wander.

The concert was also a worship service with Biblical reading. They included Luke 2:1-6 and 13, John 3:1-17, Isaiah 7:14, Isaiah 40:1-11, Exodus 19:3-7 and Luke 1:46-50.
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The Choir sang a series of holiday favorites on occasion getting the visitors to join in. The voices of the choir grew since last year and they made good use of the additions.

Afterward there was a reception hosted by the Director of Social Gatherings Sally Burcham.64015-11-29-22There are three more concerts scheduled on Sunday December 6, 13 and 20 beginning at 4 p.m. at St. John’s at 202 W. Grant next to the Christmas tree. The upcoming entertainment includes the Andrew Hamby Family, the Choirs of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church along with the choir from St. John’s, and flutist Anthony Flesch with guitarist Joel Rieck.

The concerts are free so they should make a welcome addition for your Polar Express, Bearizona Wild Wonderland or other holiday plans.

Bearizona lights up Wild Wonderland

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From Bearizona video

From Bearizona video

WILLIAMS — Bearizona is excited to announce that this winter, the park will be open on select nights for their own version of zoo lights called Wild Wonderland.

Enjoy the magic of Bearizona at night when 100,000 lights dance in tune to traditional Christmas music. The light show runs every half hour and gets better and better the darker it gets! Mrs. Claus visits from the North Pole for a special story time twice a night. Bearizona’s program animal room is open nightly where folks can get up-close and learn more about our adorable program critters. There are plenty of photo opportunities for families to take pictures, and coffee, cocoa and Christmas goodies are available for purchase in the new 12,000 square gift shop.

The event will run Friday/Saturday/Sunday Evenings (November 29 – December 13), then every evening (December 14- December 27). Wild Wonderland is closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas.

The event hours are 5:00p.m. – 8:00p.m. in Fort Bearizona walk through area. The drive through portion of the park is closed during wild wonderland. Admission to this event is a separate charge from regular park admission and is $10 for anyone 4 years of age and older.

Schedule of Events:
3:30 p.m. drive through closes
5:00 p.m.- 7:00 p.m. Program Animal Open House (Located in the back of the gift shop)
6:00 p.m. & 7:00 p.m. Mrs. Claus story time in the gift shop
5:00 p.m.- 8:00 p.m. Synchronized light show (every half hour)
INSIDER TIP-GET YOUR 50% DISCOUNT NOW BY VISITING TRAVEL ZOO OR GROUPON.

Cold weather lessens crowd, but enthusiasm remains for tree lighting.

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640-15-11-28-08WILLIAMS — The cold may have caused many to stay home for the Parade of Lights and tree lighting this year. The crowd that came, however, did not have cold spirits. Some attendees even came lit up themselves, this year.
640-15-11-28-09The air was bitter cold, this year, for the ceremonial tree lighting and Parade of Lights in Williams. Most of the crowd appeared after 6 p.m. to find spaces to view the parade. Some in the parade reported that there were many empty spaces, however, over previous years. Which is really too bad since the parade this year was better than last year.
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The Parade of Lights featured Churches, non-profits and businesses with beautifully lit floats. There were even a few classic cars that joined the parade from Flagstaff.
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Kiwanis also collecting warm pajamas for kids.

Kiwanis also collecting warm pajamas for kids.

The Kiwanis Club reminded visitors of their Toys for Kids campaign. They are also collecting warm pajamas for kids in need. You can find out more information at Williams Wear and Buck’s Place in the mall. St. Vincent de Paul joined St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church in Williams for their presentation.
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The event led up, of course, to the annual ceremonial Christmas Tree lighting on 2nd Street between The Gallery in Williams and Colors of the West. The lighting of the tree officially kicks of Mountain Village Holiday in the City of Williams.
Williams Mayor John Moore and Santa Clause countdown to the lighting of the tree with the crowd.

Williams Mayor John Moore and Santa Clause countdown to the lighting of the tree with the crowd.

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See more photos at our Facebook Page