When Flagstaff Police Chief Sean Connolly toured Timberline Firearms & Training earlier this year, he saw more than an impressive indoor shooting range. He saw a solution to a long-standing training challenge facing Northern Arizona law enforcement — one that would have cost millions to replicate from the ground up. For years, Flagstaff officers relied on an outdoor range tucked deep in the forest. Connolly described it as a site that required “dropping a pin to locate the facility in the … [Read more...] about Ready, Aim, Win
City of Flagstaff
Addressing the State of the City
What’s the state of our city? Flagstaff city staff and council are moving into a series of retreats where we’ll discuss how the city fared through the FY25 budget, where revenues and expenses stand as of the end of 2025, and look forward to our FY27 budget. In addition to discussing and developing next year’s budget, we’ll also discuss progress made on several capital projects. Many mayors give a State of the City address – an update on the budget, projects, new initiatives, etc. I’m happy to … [Read more...] about Addressing the State of the City
Bright Side Bookshop Unveils Literary Mural
Bright Side Bookshop co-owners Lisa Lamberson and Annette Avery are celebrating a long-time dream come true. With assistance from the Downtown Business Alliance, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving historic downtown, the duo secured a grant from the City of Flagstaff’s Beautification in Action Grants (BIA). The BIA is funded by the 2% bed, board and beverage tax revenue and provides mini-grants for streetscape art and beautification. “[The mural] really brings new energy to the … [Read more...] about Bright Side Bookshop Unveils Literary Mural
Tourism, Sustainability, Route 66 Take Center Stage
Tourism, sustainability and Route 66 took center stage as the Economic Vitality Division of the City of Flagstaff shared highlights from the past year with stakeholders at its Annual Partner Meeting and Luncheon. Preparations for the upcoming 2026 Route 66 Centennial were among the strongest focal points of the program, complemented by a Route 66-themed lunch at the High Country Conference Center on Nov. 5. From keynote speaker Evan Stern, oral historian and creator of the award-winning … [Read more...] about Tourism, Sustainability, Route 66 Take Center Stage
USA Today Readers Continue to Rank the Weatherford Hotel’s Great Pinecone Among the Nation’s Best New Year’s Eve Drops
The national spotlight is shining brightly on Flagstaff and the Weatherford Hotel’s Great Pinecone again this year, as USA Today readers are voting for the best New Year’s Eve Drops in the nation. Last year, the mountain town’s six-foot-tall, LED-lighted holiday sensation ranked fifth in the Readers’ Choice Awards The much-anticipated Flagstaff tradition will be marking its 26th year of ushering in the New Year to the countdown and cheers of revelers in the streets and on the historic hotel’s … [Read more...] about USA Today Readers Continue to Rank the Weatherford Hotel’s Great Pinecone Among the Nation’s Best New Year’s Eve Drops
FireFlight Ready to Soar
As temperatures continue to heat up Arizona’s forested landscapes, FireFlight, an innovative tech startup specializing in wildfire risk management and artificial intelligence business solutions, is assessing homes, businesses and neighborhoods with the use of drones to create wildfire protection plans. Founder Ariel Strong, along with Creag Znetko and Jeff McCormick with the City of Flagstaff and Aspen Poturalski from Moonshot, celebrated the grand opening of FireFlight with a ribbon cutting … [Read more...] about FireFlight Ready to Soar
Advancing Flagstaff’s Economic Diversity for a Prosperous Future
In the last eight months, the City of Flagstaff has completed a new Economic Development Strategic Plan, approved a new Workforce Development Analysis and Strategic Plan and reorganized its Economic Development Program. This new set of data-based strategies, implemented with the new program structure, will help advance Flagstaff’s economic diversity and prosperity into the future. To begin, the city’s economic development efforts are often accomplished working with partners such as the … [Read more...] about Advancing Flagstaff’s Economic Diversity for a Prosperous Future
Supporting Businesses through the Innovate Waste Challenge
Business and entrepreneurship are generators of exceptional creativity, ingenuity and effort. Historically, many of the great advances of our society have come from a combination of entrepreneurship and government working together to address common problems. It is with this in mind that the City of Flagstaff, with multiple divisions participating, Moonshot and Northern Arizona University (NAU) are working collaboratively on the Innovate Waste Challenge. This competition provides funding from … [Read more...] about Supporting Businesses through the Innovate Waste Challenge
Understanding Economic Impacts, Workforce Composition
The City of Flagstaff, through the Economic Development Program, has embarked on two ambitious community processes. The first, the Economic Development Strategic Plan, will assess changes to the economy that may have resulted from Covid-19, the housing crisis or other local and global factors, and then work to identify strategies to maintain and improve a robust, prosperous and resilient economy in the years to come. It will set the economic development course for the city for the next five … [Read more...] about Understanding Economic Impacts, Workforce Composition
Planning for the Future of Flagstaff’s Water Resources
The City of Flagstaff is a leader in water conservation, quality, delivery and management. Planning for the future of our water resources started decades ago and is continuous. To see how thoroughly Flagstaff has planned for its water future, I suggest you take a look at the Utilities Integrated Master Plan (UIMP) and specifically, the “water resources” chapter. This and other water planning documents can be found on the city’s website under Water Services: flagstaffaz.gov. “The major objective … [Read more...] about Planning for the Future of Flagstaff’s Water Resources
