Dust Bowl

08/02/2021

These are the negative items pointed out during the meeting regarding including Dust Bowl reuse analysis as part of Downtown Master Plan:

Will leave questions unanswered while plan is being considered, completed and approved.
No immediate stabilization will exacerbate deterioration, making future rehabilitation more expensive.
The blighting influences on Main Street will not immediately be reduced.
A portion of the Public will not be pleased with any result, passion and politics will be intertwined.
Building should be secured immediately to prevent vandalism and offset potential liability issues.
Although costs are currently unknown, may be well beyond the cost of razing and rebuilding.

Read more: https://www.dustbowltheater.com/dust-bowl-news/Include-Dust-Bowl-reuse-analysis-as-part-of-upcoming-Downtown-Master-Plan

07/30/2021

"The reason we are trying to make it the way we are presenting it [from the March 1, 2021 City Council Work Session] is because we believe this is going to bring people to our downtown and as business owners, it is extremely important to us. And that’s why we might not even get our money back when we are doing this, but our goal is not just to get our money back out of the Dust Bowl. Our goal is [for all of Eloy] to make money out of businesses that we’re going to have on Main Street." - Schwann Hanns

07/27/2021

Back in June 2019, Vice-Chairperson Benner commented that this agenda item had been brought in front of the Downtown Advisory Commission and Mr. Vlaming had worked on getting the information to provide to the Commission at a previous meeting. He continued that this item was never formalized to take to the Eloy City Council for their recommendation.

These were the negative items pointed out during the meeting about this option:

The building will continue to deteriorate with the existing roof penetrations
No stabilization will exacerbate deterioration, making future rehabilitation more expensive.
The blighting influences will not be reduced.
A portion of the Public will not be pleased that the building has been retained

Read more: https://www.dustbowltheater.com/dust-bowl-news/keeping-the-dust-bowl-as-is

07/23/2021

Read what Chad Dexter thinks of the Dust Bowl Entertainment District and how it aims to help the people of Eloy without asking for any funding from the City.

"It is kind of like what I said before where we want to prioritize the people of Eloy. We will have to work with the city with this. Again, we do not need any funding or anything but we want to help the people of Eloy first. We will have them come in. They can open a business, even if it’s just a trial run. Even if it’s grandma’s home baked cookies." - Chad Dexter.

07/16/2021

This is absolutely a story of beginnings. As written by Deb Brown, Eloy goes back and has a long story to tell. Read the rest of the story here: Source: https://saveyour.town/eloy-arizona-it-starts-with-believers/

Although a major highway project killed Eloy Downtown in 1965, modern efforts and project proposals are bringing back their purpose to meet the needs of the citizens of Eloy.

07/12/2021

This has started after two entrepreneurs presented their ideas to the Eloy City Council during the March 1st Regular City Council Work Session. Schwann Hanns and Chad Dexter led the presentation of ‘Dust Bowl Entertainment District’ Project. A project that will be privately funded to help boost the foot traffic in Main Street Eloy and help the citizens of Eloy start their entrepreneurial journey.

Recently, the city has posted an open bidding for the revitalization or redevelopment of Dust Bowl Theatre centered on the ideas the Mr. Hanns and Mr. Dexter presented in the City Council Work Session.

Sources:
https://www.dustbowltheater.com/dust-bowl-news/dustbowl-dust-bowl-open-bidding-plans-project-city-eloy

https://eloyaz.gov/Bids.aspx?BidID=53

07/09/2021

Early on Councilman George Reuter's first year of service, he already saw the promise that Dust Bowl Theater has. That it is more than an abandoned building. It could be a place where the people of Eloy can take advantage of.

“I’ve just been on council for a year and I’ve talked to Jon long before that but apparently the City Council all these past years, they didn’t do anything,”. “I was not there but either way we act or we don’t act. I told Jon years ago that Eloy should have a place that is semi museum, semi event center, something that the new people and old people of Eloy can use.” - Councilman George Reuter

07/05/2021

One of the cost drivers for the Tentative Budget for Fiscal Year 2020-2021 for the city of Eloy is Dustbowl Implementation Project.

Read more: https://www.dustbowltheater.com/dust-bowl-news/Dustbowl-Implementation-Project-City-Capital-Projects-Funds-City-Eloy-Capital-Funds

07/02/2021

In her first of the three-part article, entitled 'Eloy, Arizona – Is There Possibility There? (part one)' , Deb Brown pointed out how Eloy's sources of income are mainly correctional and schools. And she also highlighted the need for champions to build Eloy downtown and create a sense of community.

Source: https://saveyour.town/eloy-arizona-is-there-possibility-there-part-one/

06/27/2021

* We had to repost this article, as the previous post was missing the bottom section regarding the future of the Dust Bowl Theater.

https://www.DustBowlTheater.com
The Dust Bowl Now

Thank you all so much for your responses and input.

The way the Dust Bowl situation stands as of now is still up in the air. Over the years the city has already spent tens of thousands of your tax dollars already on different studies from companies coming in and giving their thoughts on what to do with the Dust Bowl, Veterans Center and park.

The most recent study came up with 3 options for the city.

1. Restore Dust Bowl to a functioning theater.
Cost to City (Taxpayers)= $5.2 million
This does not include things that would make the theater operational ($60,000.00 for a single projector).
2. Stabilize building and add a new roof
Cost to City (Taxpayers)= $1.1 million
This does not include any interior work to make the building functional.
3. Restore the building to a shell to be used for anything.
Cost to City (Taxpayers)= $2.5 million
4. Knock down the Dust Bowl.
Cost to City (Taxpayers)= $200,000.00
* The alternative option would be to use private investment and turn Dust Bowl into a business/entertainment center while preserving the Dust Bowl. Please read below (The Dust Bowl Future).⬇⬇⬇⬇
This could either include tearing down the Veteran’s Center along with the Dust Bowl or keeping the Veteran’s Center that shares a wall with the Dust Bowl.

This was a featured story in Pinal Central, “Eloy council receives wide range of costs for Dust Bowl Theatre scenarios." https://www.pinalcentral.com/eloy_enterprise/news/eloy-council-receives-wide-range-of-costs-for-dust-bowl-theatre-scenarios/article_a21aead3-7d45-5035-9195-b3ad1f3061ce.html


The Dust Bowl Future

Micah Powell, Eloy's Mayor, who was one of the biggest advocates of building businesses in the Dust Bowl parcel, has recently been mentioning on numerous occasions that he would like to make it into a park.

The city offered Development Teams to come to Eloy and bid on buying the Dust Bowl and develop the Dust Bowl and surrounding land as they so choose. The “Request for Information” (RFI) by the City called for the area to be turned into a positive catalyst for surrounding properties, all with the intent of adding to Eloy’s downtown population and workforce and resulting sales tax revenues. The request was mainly based on the presentation prepared by AZ Health Supply, presented by Chad Dexter and Schwann Hanns.

That bid process closed on June 17th, 2021 2:00 PM and at this time the results are unknown to us. https://www.eloyaz.gov/bids.aspx?bidID=53

The option that the City is not advertising was on 3/1/2021 two gentlemen presented the Dust Bowl Entertainment District Project to City Council. This proposition was for them to take over the Dust Bowl and surrounding land and turn the area into an Entertainment District.
This would be at a ZERO cost to the city or taxpayers. This plan would keep the Dust Bowl building turning it into a meeting area, retail shops, and a food court. Whatever was left inside of the Dust Bowl would be repurposed and used in the remodeled building such as the theater chairs and theater stage. This can be read on PinalCentral.com.

The best part is the people of Eloy would be first to be able to open their business in the remodeled DB and it would cost them close to nothing. Even if they wanted to try a business idea out they would be able to do it for little or no cost to them.

To dig deeper in what your city has been doing to remodel, replace, or remove the Dust Bowl here is a link to the community contribution and News section of Dust Bowl Entertainment District web page https://www.dustbowltheater.com/dust-bowl-news

ELOY — The Dust Bowl Theatre has been a hot topic in Eloy this year as the City Council is still deciding what to do with the deteriorating building.

06/25/2021

Read what Eloy City Council Member, George Reuter thinks about the proposed Dust Bowl Entertainment District:

"I’m on your side on that one. But now realistically, it’s a project that will have a lot of passionate people talk about. I, from the beginning, I love the Dust Bowl. I told Jon Flamming and Harvey that I think it is a good idea to have a multi-cultural center, multi-event center where you can have from bar mitzvah, quinceanera to weddings, everything."

06/21/2021

On March 1, 2021 entrepreneurs, Schwann Hanns and Chad Dexter presented Dust Bowl Entertainment District. By far, this is the only option presented to the city where they won't be spending taxpayers' money and the Dust Bowl Theater gets to be developed into a business hub. An idea centered on developing Main Street Eloy by increasing foot traffic.

source: https://www.dustbowltheater.com/dust-bowl-news/Dustbowl-City-Council-Budget-Work-Session-April-5