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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025.1203.HCAC_Packet NOTICE OF MEETING REGULAR MEETING HISTORY AND CULTURE ADVISORY COMMISSION Chair Bob Burns Vice Chair Toni LePoer Commissioner Tim Yoder Commissioner Peter Gallagher Commissioner Bonnie Kline Commissioner Chandler Harper Commissioner Tiffany Titus TIME: WHEN: WHERE: 4:00 PM - REGULAR MEETING DOORS OPEN 15 MINUTES PRIOR TO THE START OF THE MEETING. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2025 FOUNTAIN HILLS COUNCIL CHAMBERS 16705 E. AVENUE OF THE FOUNTAINS, FOUNTAIN HILLS, ARIZONA REQUEST TO COMMENT The public is welcome to participate in Commission meetings. TO SPEAK TO A CONSENT OR REGULAR AGENDA ITEM, complete a Request to Comment card and hand it to the Clerk prior to discussion of that item. Include the agenda item NUMBER on which you wish to comment. A separate submission is required for each agenda item. Request to Comment cards will not be accepted once the Commission deliberations begin. Submit a Request to Comment card prior to a public hearing agenda item. TO COMMENT ON A CONSENT OR REGULAR AGENDA ITEM IN WRITING ONLY, complete a Request to Comment card, indicating that it is a written comment, check the box on whether you are FOR or AGAINST a consent or regular agenda item, and hand it to the Clerk prior to discussion on that item. A separate submission is required for each agenda item. TO SPEAK TO CALL TO THE PUBLIC, complete a Request to Comment card and hand it to the Clerk. Speakers will be allowed three contiguous minutes to address the Commission. Verbal comments should be directed through the Presiding Officer and not to individual Commissioners. This Request to Comment card, and any information you write on it, is a public record subject to public disclosure. Meeting Packet Page 1 of 42 1. CALL TO ORDER 2. ROLL CALL 3. PRESENTATIONS 4. STATEMENT OF PARTICIPATION Anyone wishing to address the Commission regarding items listed on the agenda should fill out a Request to Comment card located in the back of the Council Chambers and hand it to the Clerk prior to consideration of that agenda item. Once the agenda item has started, late requests to speak cannot be accepted. When your name is called, please approach the podium, speak into the microphone, and state your name and if you are a resident for the public record. Please limit your comments to three minutes. To avoid disruption of the meeting, to maintain decorum, and provide for an equal and uninterrupted presentation, applause is not permitted, except when community members are being honored by the Commission. 5. CONSENT AGENDA a. CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION: Approval of History and Culture Advisory Commission November 5, 2025, Verbatim Meeting Minutes 6. REGULAR AGENDA a. DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION: Historical Registry for the Fountain b. DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION: 250th Anniversary of the USA c. UPDATE: Historic Art and Essay Contest d. DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION: Public Art Information Updates e. CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION: Public Art Applications f. DISCUSSION: Future Agenda Items and Presentations g. UPDATE: The next meeting date is January 7, 2026. 7. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS 8. ADJOURNMENT Dated this _26___ day of _November, 2025. Stormy Mazeikis, Administrative Assistant The Town of Fountain Hills endeavors to make all public meetings accessible to persons with disabilities. Please call (480) 816-5100 (voice) or (800) 367- 8939 (TDD) 48-hours prior to the meeting to request reasonable accommodation to participate in the meeting or to obtain agenda information in large print format. Supporting documentation and staff reports furnished to the Council with this agenda are available for review in the Clerk's Office. Meeting Packet Page 2 of 42 ITEM 5.a. TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS STAFF REPORT Meeting Date: 12/3/2025 Meeting Type: History and Culture Advisory Commission Regular Meeting Submitting Department: Community Services Prepared by: Stormy Mazeikis, Administrative Assistant Staff Contact Information: Phone: 480-816-5148 Email: smazeikis@fountainhillsaz.gov Request to Town Council Regular Meeting (Agenda Language) CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION: Approval of History and Culture Advisory Commission November 5, 2025, Verbatim Meeting Minutes Staff Summary (background) The intent of approving meeting minutes is to ensure an accurate account of the discussion and action that took place at the meeting for archival purposes. Approved minutes are placed on the Town's website and maintained as permanent records in compliance with state law. Related Ordinance, Policy or Guiding Principle Risk Analysis Recommendation(s) by Board(s) or Commission(s) Staff Recommendation(s) Staff recommends approving the meeting minutes of the regular meeting of the History and Culture Advisory Commission on November 5, 2025. Suggested Motion MOVE TO APPROVE the regular meeting minutes of the History and Culture Advisory Commission on November 5, 2025. FISCAL IMPACT Fiscal Impact: Budget Reference: Funding Source: ATTACHMENTS 1. 251105 HCAC MM Meeting Packet Page 3 of 42 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE FOUNTAIN HILLS HISTORY AND CULTURE ADVISORY COMMISSION NOVEMBER 5, 2025 A Regular Meeting of the Fountain Hills History and Culture Advisory Commission was convened at 16705 E. Avenue of the Fountains in open and public session at 4:00 p.m. Members Present: Chairperson Tim Yoder; Commissioner Bob Burns; Commissioner Peter Gallagher; Commissioner Bonnie Kline; Commissioner Bonnie LePoer; Commissioner Chandler Harper; Commissioner Tiffany Titus Members Absent: None Staff Present: Recreation Manager Ryan Preston; Executive Assistant Paula Woodward Meeting Packet Page 4 of 42 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS NOVEMBER 5, 2025 HISTORY AND CULTURE ADVISORY COMMISSION MEETING Page 1 of 23 Post-Production File Town of Fountain Hills History and Culture Advisory Commission Meeting November 5, 2025 Transcription Provided By: eScribers, LLC ** * * * Transcription is provided in order to facilitate communication accessibility and may not be a totally verbatim record of the proceedings. ** * * * Meeting Packet Page 5 of 42 Page 2 of 23 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS NOVEMBER 5, 2025 HISTORY AND CULTURE ADVISORY COMMISSION MEETING YODER: -- two new members of the c ommission, Tiffany Titus and Chandler Harper, and would invite you to give a brief introduction of yourselves, if you would like. You have to first push the red button down and -- PRESTON: The button on the right is the -- will be red. TITUS: I prepared some things. I knew it was going to be recorded. Thank you, council members -- or commission members. This is so exciting. So my name is Tiffany Titus. And I don't necessarily feel like reading all of this, but I'm just very happy to be here. I'm an executive board member of the ilovefountainhills.org group, Fountain Hills Cultural & Civic Organization [sic], and recent Leadership Academy graduate in 2024. I've lived in Fountain Hills for almost six years now and absolutely love our town, and it's just an honor to be able to serve on this commission. Thank you very much. YODER: Thank you. And now for Chandler. HARPER: I don't have any prepared remarks, but I'm Chandler Harper. I've lived here since 2020, here in Fountain Hills. I'm also very happy to be here. Very excited to work with you all. Some background on myself, I'm a licensed attorney here in Arizona, but work primarily on transactional items throughout the country, mainly dealing with high net worth individuals and real estate developers, specifically on a lot of historic development projects and things like that. So hoping to bring some of that knowledge to the table here. And I'm also a certified financial planner. I have my CFP designation as well. So a lot of financial analysis that I utilize with the legal side and hope that I can be of some use here as well. So looking forward to it. YODER: All right. Thank you very much. With that, Ms. Paula, could we have a roll call, please? WOODWARD: Chair Yoder? YODER: Here. WOODWARD: Commissioner Burns? BURNS: Here. WOODWARD: Commissioner Gallagher? Meeting Packet Page 6 of 42 Page 3 of 23 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS NOVEMBER 5, 2025 HISTORY AND CULTURE ADVISORY COMMISSION MEETING GALLAGHER: Here. WOODWARD: Commissioner Kline? KLINE: Here. WOODWARD: Commissioner LePoer? LEPOER: Here. WOODWARD: Commissioner Harper? HARPER: Here. WOODWARD: Commissioner Titus? TITUS: Here. YODER: All right. Thank you. Our next order of business is to welcome Ryan Preston, who is here always, and going to give us a presentation today. Thank you. PRESTON: All right. This one will be pretty quick. Just as promised, this is about the new QR code system we're using for the public art walks and tracking that and adding stories and kind of bringing that into, I would love to say the 21st century, but I think we're getting into the 20th at this point. We're still catching up, but we -- right now, our website basically has a Google map on it with pinpointed locations with some information about all the public art pieces. You can find that on the town website. We recently started working with a group called SeeMyLegacy, who kind of just has a neater way to house these art walks, and we're also adding points of interest to that. So the ones that you guys have designated, we're also adding to this walk, and we'll be adding more things as we go. Right now, the town has purchased about, I think, a hundred QR c odes, which won't even cover all the public art that we have in town. All those QR codes will be placed on -- whether the a rt statues or the plaques we end up creating for our main points of interest and historical places that this commission has identified around town to be recognized. So this is just going to be a quick look at that. This is kind of our home page. Most people won't see this. We're going to link directly to a lot of our campaigns and community stories. But let's do the SeeMyLegacy. We're going to look at our campaigns here. These are the only two public ones we have right now. Right now, it's just the Centennial Circle Art Walk and then a few of the Meeting Packet Page 7 of 42 Page 4 of 23 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS NOVEMBER 5, 2025 HISTORY AND CULTURE ADVISORY COMMISSION MEETING historical markers. Anybody recognize what that is? Yeah. So that's the dam there. So what will happen is -- let's go ahead and -- oh, I'm logged in. Let me log out of this campaign, actually. Let me go on the user end he re, if it'll let me. Nope. So I'm just going to log out. Okay. So this is what the user end is going to look like. You can begin the tour. So there'll be one QR code at each main location that we have everything. So there'll be one main plot QR, main plaque at Centennial Circle, that'll be for the information that is about the a rt walk, the art in that area, and then all the smaller QR codes on each individual art piece. There'll be one for every main area that we're attacking, and that's Centennial Circle. That's our -- that's the avenue, that's Fountain Park right now, our three main targets. So as you zoom in, as I zoom in, so what you're looking at now is our overlook of Centennial Circle. Again, you can zoom in as much as you want here. There are two that are swapped, so if you notice two in the wrong places, I am aware and will -- know that. So you click on it, you can open it up. And what it does, it gives you the art piece. It gives you the history about the artist who made it, or as much information as we have right now about the artists, and then about the pi ece as well. You can always go back to the tour overview. You can X out a nd continue, kind of, your walk through. And this is pretty much just what it looks right now. We are adding a few more things to it. Toni will be working together with your work group on any information I'm missing for a lot of these, or if we want to a dd more information. A lot of the a rtists are repeat artists, so you'll see them appearing a few times. And then you also see this if you scan any of those individual QR codes. So right now, if you scan the QR c ode that will be on this piece, entitled Truth, this information will pop right up in front of you, and then we'll have a link to go to the main map to be able to see where everything else is as well. So that's one of the many uses we've got for this. The QR codes are also going to be associated with those -- the verbiage and the maps and the things that you guys created for Fountain Park as well. So these are being added to those, which are actively being worked on right now. And so these QR codes you're going to start seeing popping up everywhere. And that'll be the idea. We want Meeting Packet Page 8 of 42 Page 5 of 23 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS NOVEMBER 5, 2025 HISTORY AND CULTURE ADVISORY COMMISSION MEETING to train everybody who lives here if you see this QR code, if you see the town logo, the Parks and Rec logo on it, scan it, you're going to get some great information and hopefully a way we can disseminate all that information to everyone. Let me go back real quick and see if I can get to historical markers. Right now, we just have the five. We are still working on contacting a few of the places just for privacy issues, as well as willingness to put a plaque up on or near their business. They are privately owned, right? So the first house, for example, or the -- I think a few of the other locations. So if we look here, these are kind of the spots around town. Anybody tell me which one that one might be? Or that one might be. Does anybody remember the five that we targeted for the first go-round ? UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Is that the elementary school? PRESTON: So this one's going to be the first house, I believe. So that's the first house. UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: Across the street. PRESTON: Yeah. From the old elementary school. Yep. So and a lot of these we don't have a ton of information yet. A ton of it put out j ust because we haven't been able to go and seek permission to get everything out for some of these. So that's the P-Bar Ranch at the high school. First developer, sales and reception center. I'm just kind of -- I don't know what I just did here. Go back to the m ap view. We've got the model home center, and I keep somehow clicking out of it, and the dam. Yep. So they're all there, and they will eventually all have their own plaques and everything. Again, we're just working out a few details with that. So I just want to let you know it's something we're doing. We're actively working on the art. Work group is going to help us identify more information about some pieces that are lacking information as well. So any questions on what we're doing so fa r? We've got most of the avenue done. We just don't have them really geolocated very well yet. So we have somebody going out just making sure we're mapping exactly where all the pieces are so we get the maps accurate. GALLAGHER: So how d oes one access all of this information? PRESTON: So this information will at some point be on our public art website. Right Meeting Packet Page 9 of 42 Page 6 of 23 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS NOVEMBER 5, 2025 HISTORY AND CULTURE ADVISORY COMMISSION MEETING now, the public art website still has all the older stuff on it. The information is still accurate, it's just a little outdated as far as the technology involved with how you access it. There will also be -- you can scan a QR code with your phone at any of the art pieces, and this will pull up as well. LEPOER: But not yet, right? PRESTON: Not yet. They're not on there yet. The only ones that actually has the QR code right now a re -- the entrance to the Botanical Gardens has one, and I'm not sure, but we -- if it hasn't gone up, it will be soon. The dam will have one. Obviously that's town property, so we can put that without any pe rmissions. TITUS: Is there a way I can get access to that? So when I start working with the group, we can start looking through the items and the information that we have? PRESTON: So yeah, I'll send you the link. I don't k now if I can give you the back-end access -- TITUS: Okay. PRESTON: -- so you may have to just send me -- TITUS: Oh, yeah. PRESTON: -- the updates and I'll add it, but I'll get you the link for this so that you can -- TITUS: Thank you. PRESTON: Yeah, definitely look at everything. KLINE: So I have a q uestion. How hard would it be to put this onto an app that people could click on on their phone? PRESTON: Yep. Very difficult. We don't have an app. And so to have -- we don't have an app to host it. And the company itself does not have an app that will be branded to us. It is very mobile friendly. That's why we use it. When -- if you look it up on a mobile device, it's very clean. It'll read and play like an app, but there is no, no app currently associated with it just because, again, the town doesn't have an app. Anything else? Perfect. YODER: Thank you. Ryan. PRESTON: Yep. No problem. We'll close out of that and we can move on. Meeting Packet Page 10 of 42 Page 7 of 23 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS NOVEMBER 5, 2025 HISTORY AND CULTURE ADVISORY COMMISSION MEETING YODER: Very good. Moving on to reports by commissioners. Anybody have anything to offer up? First off, I'd like to mention I received a notice that Michael Gant will be doing a presentation next week, I believe, at the community center on the history of Fountain Hills. I wrote it down. November 12th at 1:00 p.m. at the community center. So that -- that's looked interesting to me, and I'm planning on attending that. Anybody else got anything coming up or you heard of here in Fountain Hills that's not on the agenda? Okay. Our art fair is coming up, too, I believe. Right around the corner. LEPOER: I think it's the 16th. YODER: The 14th through the 16th. LEPOER: 14th through the 16th. YODER: Thank you, Toni. GALLAGHER: As of next week. YODER: All right. Now, consideration and action. Excuse me? PRESTON: I would -- just a quick call to the public. YODER: Oh, I missed the call to the public. I'm sorry. Seeing that we didn't have any members of the public present, I -- forgive me. No members of the public want to speak? WOODWARD: No, Chair. YODER: All right. Next up, the appointment of a chair for the History and Culture Advisory Commission. Can we have a nomination, or do I just go into nominations? I'd like to nominate, for example, Bob Burns to take over the position. KLINE: I'll second that. BURNS: Is that just an example? YODER: Oh, my goodness. LEPOER: I'd like to second that motion. YODER: Anybody want t o nominate anybody else? Can we take a vote on this? WOODWARD: Yes. YODER: All in favor of Bob Burns taking over as chairman? ALL: Aye. Meeting Packet Page 11 of 42 Page 8 of 23 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS NOVEMBER 5, 2025 HISTORY AND CULTURE ADVISORY COMMISSION MEETING YODER: Any opposed? All right. WOODWARD: Seven-zero. YODER: Seven-zero. Next item will be -- PRESTON: Okay. Well, actually now we'll do our -- YODER: Now we do the -- PRESTON: -- our swapping of chairs here. Yes. We're actually going to have -- Bob, you get to take over -- or Commissioner Burns, you get to take over right away. There is a little paper there to help guide you. YODER: Bob, I'm going to leave my piece of paper right here -- PRESTON: I feel like I should -- YODER: -- in case you want to remember who was here before you. PRESTON: I feel like I should maybe hum some theme music or something, but. BURNS: Want your water? YODER: I've got my own. BURNS: Oh, okay. PRESTON: Perfect. And Chair Burns, you can either say a couple of things if you'd like, or carry on with the next agenda item, it's up to you. BURNS: Well, let's just move on. And consideration -- do I have any nominations or motions for vice chair? TITUS: I'd like to nominate Toni LePoer to serve as vice chairman. KLINE: I can second that. BURNS: Any other nominations? Okay. All those in favor? ALL: Aye. YODER: Okay. Any opposed? WOODWARD: Seven-zero. BURNS: Perfect. PRESTON: You're technically already in the right seat -- LEPOER: Yeah. PRESTON: -- I believe, so you're good to go. You don't have to go anywhere. Meeting Packet Page 12 of 42 Page 9 of 23 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS NOVEMBER 5, 2025 HISTORY AND CULTURE ADVISORY COMMISSION MEETING BURNS: Okay. Moving on. Consideration of approval of History and Culture Advisory Commission minutes from October 1st. Do we have a motion on that or a ny comments? GALLAGHER: I'll move to approve. LEPOER: I'll second that. BURNS: Okay. We have a motion and a second. All those in favor? ALL: Aye. BURNS: Opposed? WOODWARD: Seven-zero. BURNS: Okay. Next, update on the historic registry for the f ountain. Ryan, do we have anything on that? PRESTON: Yep. No, I left that up. Just a reminder that we do have our hearing for that for the State on November 21st. Downtown. I think I sent that information out. If I didn't, I will send it again following this meeting. You're welcome to attend, if you'd like, in person. There's also a -- you can attend virtually as well. Just if you are going to attend, let me know. Just so if there's four of you, I need to have a quorum notice for it. So just let me know if you want to go downtown and attend that. That will be deciding whether or not we're going to get our State approval and move on to -- recommended for National approval. LEPOER: What time is it? PRESTON: I believe it is 9:30. HARPER: What date was that? PRESTON: November 21st. I believe it's a Friday. WOODWARD: Yes. PRESTON: And I'll send that out again, and I'll send the virtual link out as well so you have that. Other than that, I have no updates on that. YODER: Would you think that it's important if we can try to be there in person? Or is this an administrative -- BURNS: I have planned to ask Dr. Collins (ph.) that exact question. I'll reach out to him. I don't know if Commissioner Harper has dealt with any of this before. But I don't know Meeting Packet Page 13 of 42 Page 10 of 23 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS NOVEMBER 5, 2025 HISTORY AND CULTURE ADVISORY COMMISSION MEETING that it'll affect it one way or the other. It can't hurt for somebody to be there, but I don't think it's going to affect the outcome at all. BURNS: All right. Well, let's look forward to that. And hopefully they can get that moved on. All right. Discussion, possible action regarding 250th anniversary of the USA. I know that work group has not had a chance to g et together, but Bonnie, did you have anything? I think I saw an email from you. PRESTON: I could probably jump in real quick first. So I was -- we've been working with economic development and tourism on that as well, on doing -- planning a few things. And we went back in to start applying for the Passport250 and it was closed. KLINE: Oh. PRESTON: They didn't announce an end date. They never had an end date. But apparently, the submissions have ended. KLINE: Oh, that's too bad. PRESTON: It is. So we weren't able to get anything in for that. I don't know how big it's going to be. The Secretary of State hasn't really -- office hasn't pushed it out very much. There's not a lot, I think, of press on it quite yet. So I don't know how many actually got submitted, but they did close. And so yeah. Just to update you on that one. KLINE: Okay. Well, we'll work on something else then. But if they do extend it, hopefully the copy that I submitted will help. PRESTON: And to update you, we are meeting internally again on Monday with the town to come up with more ideas. I've discussed a lot of our ideas. For example, the banners up along the avenue. We are hoping to be able to move forward with that idea. So getting 250th celebration banners up. We have discussed reaching out and trying to put out some sort of source of material for all the different groups who are going to be putting something on. We discussed that as well, like, putting like a one- or two-sheeter together of all the different groups in town who a re trying to do or who are putting on events so that we have one place everybody can go to see all the different events that are going on, even if they're not town -run. So we will be moving forward with that. And that might be something I might be asking with help on in the upcoming meetings as Meeting Packet Page 14 of 42 Page 11 of 23 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS NOVEMBER 5, 2025 HISTORY AND CULTURE ADVISORY COMMISSION MEETING well. TITUS: Is there an opportunity for commissioners to participate in that working group, or is the working group closed? PRESTON: The working group right now, so that work group -- do we have three members of that work group is a great question. GALLAGHER: Bonnie and I. PRESTON: We have two. So we can -- it has possible actions. So we can have another member of that work group j oin. I don't know that we need to do anything formal for a work group, so we can add you to that workgroup. Perfect. So I'll make a note that now it'll be the three members. TITUS: Thank you. PRESTON: And I can share what information. And just so you know, for our new members, you guys can have an email string of the three of you. Anything more than that is considered a quorum, so you wouldn't be a ble to communicate outside of that, which is why all of our work groups a re in groups of three or less. So just keep it on the work group, and you can include myself on any communication. And if I do need to get it to anybody else, we probably won't do that. It'll be within a meeting. Even me then sharing it with a fourth member would be considered a quorum for that email string. So just be careful with emails. KLINE: Okay. So that -- the three people does not include you, right? PRESTON: Yes. You can include me on that information. Yeah, because I'm not part of your q uorum. KLINE: Okay. BURNS: Ryan, on that and just looking for a suggestion here or an idea that maybe the work group gets together and maybe brainstorm s ome ideas on who t o contact as far as groups go to ask if they would plan or w ould like to plan something. Is -- you know, do you think that's an appropriate direction? PRESTON: Yeah, that would be fa ntastic. If we can do t hat that way, we -- from the town side, we have direction on who might be doing something. It would be easier to Meeting Packet Page 15 of 42 Page 12 of 23 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS NOVEMBER 5, 2025 HISTORY AND CULTURE ADVISORY COMMISSION MEETING reach out and then get the information from them. So that would be -- that would be a lot of help. BURNS: Okay. PRESTON: And I know a lot of you are members of those groups, which is helpful as well. BURNS: Okay. Anything else on that? PRESTON: And if anybody has any new ideas anybody wants to present anything, now's the time. You can do that as well. So with this agenda item, we've just been trying to think of ideas of things that both the town can do and maybe other groups can do to celebrate the 250th anniversary of America, which is next year. We've discussed a few ideas. I don't know if you have any off the top of your head. I don't think they made it to the staff summary this time. KLINE: We talked about maybe having speakers at the community center, maybe a parade marshal or some c onnection with the theme of the pa rade next year that would tie in. These are ones that involve other groups that we would want to talk to, so -- PRESTON: Excellent. And then I think, like you said, you guys had the idea for the banners, and I know the town liked that idea. So they're running with that. And the idea of kind of being a catchall for all the different activities that are coming. So do you guys think of anything or have any to contribute just let me know. And Chandler not being in that work group, you can send them directly to me as well. LEPOER: Maybe any of the veterans or military groups in town -- PRESTON: Yeah. LEPOER: -- might be -- KLINE: Yeah. Definitely VFW, American Legion, and also the DAR. LEPOER: DAR would be a good one. KLINE: Yeah. PRESTON: Perfect. And that's something that I'll be relaying most of this information. I think tourism and economic development will be taking a big role in that with the town, so I'll just be able to push that information to them as well. Meeting Packet Page 16 of 42 Page 13 of 23 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS NOVEMBER 5, 2025 HISTORY AND CULTURE ADVISORY COMMISSION MEETING TITUS: Toward preparing for that, the hope that I'd be able to be included in a working group, otherwise I would have passed the information on. I have aggregated all of the town organizations and groups a nd programs in town and their media, the way that they share information. So I can bring that to the working group, and we can kind of work from that to m ove forward. And I would like to share one idea that I just think is the most fun thing. But of course, everybody will chime in. I wanted to propose a Pony Express mural on the post office wall nearest the main boxes. It's a historic tradition that is unique to our state, but also to Fountain Hills in particular, and with the Economic Development Group having a mural program and we being in charge of history and arts, I just thought it would be a really interesting thing to look at and consider. They celebrate, of course, with the Pony Express. They land there at the post office every year, but there's no commemorative anything. So that was the one thought I had. PRESTON: No, I like the idea. Just an update that the -- this will be the second year of the Pony Express that the Post Office has decided not to have them -- TITUS: Oh. PRESTON: -- in their location, most likely. And it's also a federal building. So as far as us being able to do any art on the actual building itself, that wouldn't be a possibility for us. But there's other possibilities to incorporate that in, and so yeah. So great idea. Got it down. But as fa r as Pony Express, recently, and the post office haven't been on the same page. But yeah. KLINE: So the Pony Express is not going to be coming into the post office this year? PRESTON: Yeah, same as last year. So instead of t he post office, more than likely, I'm currently working out the details with them right now. Because they are coming at a slightly different time this year. It's looking like they'll be using kind of the parking lot by the sheriff's office there. We'll have that space available for them for their end spot. Same as last year, if you were here. And last year, yes, it was a whole thing with their infighting with the Pony Express. I'm sure -- I'm sure Chair Burns is aware. But so it was a very quick announcement last year. So a lot of you probably weren't out there for it, Meeting Packet Page 17 of 42 Page 14 of 23 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS NOVEMBER 5, 2025 HISTORY AND CULTURE ADVISORY COMMISSION MEETING but they weren't able to use the post office pa rking lot last year, and it's probably going to be the same again this year. KLINE: Still would be great, you know, if they came into town. PRESTON: Yeah, they're still going to be coming into town and they'll be just outside of town hall using that parking space -- KLINE: Yeah. PRESTON: -- as parking spaces. KLINE: Well, maybe there's some other way to -- besides the wall in the post office, maybe -- I'm thinking like one of those utility boxes or something else that would be nearby. YODER: I'd like to speak to that real quickly. It just came to mind. The Maricopa County Sheriff is from F ountain Hills, and he is a big lover of horses and used to own horses. And I think that that mural idea is really great, and I bet Jerry Sheridan would be interested in hearing ideas about possibly incorporating something that they possess. So just a thought. You guys might want to reach out to Jerry S heridan and see. BURNS: And I hadn't thought of that, Tim, but I was just -- you know, just wondering because over the years that they have done this, I found that the Hashknife Posse is not the easiest people to make contact with. So maybe Jerry knows somebody up there that we can work through him, but you know, thanks for that idea. And if anybody else knows how to get a hold of them, you know, that's -- PRESTON: I have their contact information. I've been in contact with them over the past couple of weeks. YODER: And it is a great kind of Old West connection that we could foster. KLINE: There's a great statue down in Scottsdale for the Pony Express. It's by the Ivy restaurant [sic] near the canal. PRESTON: Yeah, I believe that's part of the Parada Del Sol route as well. So I think where they finish -- KLINE: Yeah. PRESTON: -- every year. Meeting Packet Page 18 of 42 Page 15 of 23 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS NOVEMBER 5, 2025 HISTORY AND CULTURE ADVISORY COMMISSION MEETING KLINE: So I don't know if there's any way to duplicate that statue. PRESTON: Yeah, no, it's a great idea, and I think the Pony Express connection and the sheriffs and the horses is a great connection. And I'll definitely have -- and pursue that. KLINE: Okay. BURNS: All right. Anything else on that? I think I'd like to communicate with Bonnie and Tiffany here, see if we can get together to put together some kind of list and go from there, maybe have something ready to present in December here, as far as here's what we think, and then we can start first of the year just reaching out, so okay. Update, historic art and essay contest. It looks like we've got a flier here in front of us, but Tim or Peter, one o f you want to discuss where we're at on that? YODER: Well, I missed the last meeting. I read through the minutes. It looked like Ryan was moving forward with this. I'm pleased to see this flier here. To me, it's eye catching and looks great. And I think, you know, I see this is a rough draft. A QR code is to be added and such, but -- PRESTON: Correct. We don't have a website yet for this, so that's why you'll see there's no link for -- YODER: Right. PRESTON: -- submission and no QR code yet. YODER: So that's my comment about the flier. It looks great. I saw you asked about raising funds for the prizes. I think I have some connections that might be interested. PRESTON: Yeah, I think it's an easy thing to get a sponsor for, especially if we could try to tie it in with the 250th, which I know, again, tourism is trying to do right now is kind of try and see if we can tie this in with, again, the 250th. Nothing in the contest really points to that, and I honestly, I don't really want to change the contest. So we're working on that right now. YODER: You'll take a -- you know, if somebody w anted to donate $200 or something. PRESTON: Right. We can add that. Usually, so we -- so we worked out the prize money to be right around $900, and for us to find $1,000 sponsors is not -- I don't think is going to be very difficult for this. I was just -- what I was asking if you guys had any leads, any Meeting Packet Page 19 of 42 Page 16 of 23 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS NOVEMBER 5, 2025 HISTORY AND CULTURE ADVISORY COMMISSION MEETING groups that you think may be interested in this for any particular reason, you could let me know and I'll do the reaching out. I can reach out to them as well. KLINE: So are you only looking at monetary prizes, or would there be some other things like maybe memberships or entry to museums or something as an additional -- PRESTON: We can definitely add that. And that's another thing about getting sponsors. If the sponsors want to donate things like that. You know, I don't know. We'd have to have a mark where -- because obviously, the sponsors want some sort of recognition. So we'd have -- KLINE: Right. PRESTON: -- to figure out different levels for recognition and being on websites and things like that. So I have to come up with a little sponsorship package for it. But that's definitely something we can do. And just to update as well, there will be a third page with this, which is actually the submission form that's not on this. We couldn't fit that on two pages. There will be a paper option, although we will encourage everybody -- we will have an online form that will encourage them submitting. And then later they can turn in their actual project with it. So there will be a website, there will be a digital form with this. We are trying to add a picture of the fountain there. We ran out of time. So the fountain will be there, but in case you guys want to know the photos, that's them putting the nozzle in for the first time. That's the fountain from above. And actually, Chair Burns helped me identify the three men in that photo. My first run through here. I don't know if you remember getting that picture from me. The one on the bottom, asking to help identify who those three people were. BURNS: Oh, yeah. PRESTON: Yeah. And that's just an old picture. We had a couple of cowboys riding horses in the park, so it's kind of just another historic photo. All these were also submitted, actually, with our application for the F ountain Park as a historical landmark as well . KLINE: Wasn't that picture of a fellow that was visiting Fountain Hills on his way across country? Meeting Packet Page 20 of 42 Page 17 of 23 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS NOVEMBER 5, 2025 HISTORY AND CULTURE ADVISORY COMMISSION MEETING BURNS: It could be. Yeah. There were two riders. PRESTON: Yeah, there was two riders in that picture and we pulled one out. BURNS: I don't recall seeing pictures of them individually, but that doesn't mean one of them wasn't cut out for this, but -- PRESTON: Yes, that picture originally had two people. We cut one out. BURNS: Okay. PRESTON: And then you'll see the Mayor's Youth Council logo on there as well. So our Mayor's Youth Council is a group of high schoolers here in town. They were planning an art project as their group project, and they may just kind of help us get the word out and things like that on this. So we have thrown their logo out as kind of a partner on this, and I hope that's okay. For those of you who started working on it, I know Peter and Tim, so they are kind of our eyes and ears in the schools, and they're going to help us disseminate this information as well. BURNS: I was going to ask about that, seeing that logo there. I wondered if they had a specific role, but -- PRESTON: Yeah. So basically, without knowing it, we took almost their entire idea for their year project. I told them we'd started on w orking on ou rs earlier, so that's on them. So they want to be a part of it, and so we'll work them in as well. YODER: That's great. One m ore final thing. It occurred to me you mentioned something about -- you know, you wondered about the curriculum in the school district, and I thought what I might do when it's time to go back to the District and say hello and present this offer to them, maybe the high school and the middle school, if they would like to have -- you know, I could come in and speak to some about having been a teacher there. Fountain Hills history and kind of if they want, I could be a "rah, rah, Fountain Hills history is really cool" message giver. We'll see about that, but it was an idea. PRESTON: Yeah. And so I'll be reaching out to the superintendent here shortly. I think our goal was to get it after the winter break. I believe in the hands of the students at some point after that. Was that kind of the timeline we were looking at? Meeting Packet Page 21 of 42 Page 18 of 23 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS NOVEMBER 5, 2025 HISTORY AND CULTURE ADVISORY COMMISSION MEETING YODER: Yes. PRESTON: And I did change your -- the submission date a bit, because I think it was the Monday after spring break. So I pushed that to the, I believe, the Thursday after t hat to give them an extra week after spring break to turn it in. And so that was adjusted. And then from that, we also adjusted the grade levels a little bit to expand on those. So yeah, now's a good time. Any comments on this before we make it go kind of public with the school district? As far as the prizes, the age ranges or any of the information about it? I think we did clarify that the high schoolers can only submit one or the other, not both. I believe that was in the original write-up as well, but it was a little vague, so we made sure to make it clear that it's -- because the high schoolers have an option to do an art piece or an essay. The rest of the groups just have the art piece, I believe, the visual art piece option. KLINE: So I know we talked once before about where you would present the -- PRESTON: Correct. KLINE: -- winners, and we talked about the town council meeting or -- PRESTON: It's all over the place right now. So as I mentioned, getting on the town council agenda in May is incredibly difficult for us. I've been told by a couple people that it's probably not going to happen. So there's two other options that we can do. One is we can do it here at a History and Culture meeting. I believe our last meeting is June, so we have a meeting in May. Another option is something similar we've done with the recycled art contest, where we have all the submissions up at the community center, which is the goal. In May, we can hold a s mall event there as well for the families and everybody, and everybody who submitted art can come. We can either announce the winners there and then we can have a, you know, snacks and things and sodas and waters for the kids. And we can invite the mayor and maybe we can -- you guys can all be there as well, if you'd like. And we could do it there as well. KLINE: What about doing it at the at Fountain Park with the presidents' statues area? PRESTON: Logistically, the ability to display the artwork there is quite difficult. It's already going to be on display at the community center -- Meeting Packet Page 22 of 42 Page 19 of 23 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS NOVEMBER 5, 2025 HISTORY AND CULTURE ADVISORY COMMISSION MEETING KLINE: Okay. PRESTON: -- during that time, so that's why kind of thinking about that one. KLINE: Yeah. Community center probably would be better. PRESTON: Yeah. And so that's kind of the thought now, because I've basically been told it's not likely that we're going to get on the council agenda for it just because of the month, how busy that month is. KLINE: You notice I keep trying to get the presidents involved in this? PRESTON: I have, yes. HARPER: With respect to the art and the essays, especially with the art more for any sort of digital media that could be submitted, are we working with anyone as far as, like, the website goes, to incorporate things to weed out any artificial intelligence-generated items? PRESTON: That is a great question. I think on there, it says don't use it. Whether or not people submit it, yes. So that's a big thing, because I know you had written that into your original plan that no -- HARPER: I wonder -- the school should have a system in place already. I wonder if we could partner with them to utilize the software that they already have on hand. PRESTON: Yeah, that is a good idea. I mean, right now, as far as digital art, it's pretty obvious right now, still, what is AI, but as far as writing, it could be a lot more difficult to discern. During our poetry contest, I actually used AI to write a poem, and then I wrote my own poem, and I asked an AI checker to tell me which one was AI, and they said my poem that I wrote was AI, and that the other one was not. So hopefully they've improved a little since then, but yeah, that's a great idea. KLINE: Yeah. You would wonder if that was a compliment for your writing or not. PRESTON: I think it wasn't. Yeah. No, I think it was the other direction. Yeah. BURNS: Okay. Anything else on that item? Okay. And where are we? Public art applications. I guess we don't have anything to consider this week -- or this month. PRESTON: We do not. BURNS: Okay. And anything looking forward in the future on presentations or -- Meeting Packet Page 23 of 42 Page 20 of 23 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS NOVEMBER 5, 2025 HISTORY AND CULTURE ADVISORY COMMISSION MEETING PRESTON: I think we got one more, item H there. Public art. Oh, no. We didn't. I think you missed the public art -- yeah, we missed G. GALLAGHER: Public art information. PRESTON: The work group for public art updates. I know, it's two very similar agenda items. LEPOER: Not really, not yet. Not until we can start digging in and start looking at what's going to be out there. PRESTON: Perfect. Okay. BURNS: Oh, okay. PRESTON: All right. I think now we're on future. BURNS: All right. Sorry about that. WOODWARD: No, it's all right. Kind of order -- BURNS: And it's probably not -- probably not the best way to do this to keep track, but all right. Well, future agenda items and presentations? PRESTON: Again for our newer members, if there's anybody you can think of or would like to come see a presentation by, that's what the presentations are. You can request them and then we can -- if it's a town staff, we'll look in to see if they can get it -- come out. If it's non-town staff, then that we ask you to be able to reach out to them to get their contact information and have them contact us if they can give a presentation. I know we've had some in the past. We haven't had any real presentations lately. You have me, which I don't count, I don't think. So if you have any ideas or anybody you want to see, you can talk about them here. We can make a list and then move forward with that and then any items you want to see on the agenda moving forward. Pretty much everything you see on the agenda here will be included again, unless there's no business for it. But anything you might want to see, now's a good time to bring it up, and we can add it to next month's agenda. HARPER: Just as a point of questioning, I guess, what is typically brought up on those items for presentations, or -- PRESTON: It's really anything you want to see, anything you want to hear about. I Meeting Packet Page 24 of 42 Page 21 of 23 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS NOVEMBER 5, 2025 HISTORY AND CULTURE ADVISORY COMMISSION MEETING mean, we've talked about having somebody from the reservation come and present, kind of from there. We've talked about having members of the m useum come and talk about history. We've had, I think, like, Jim Dickey come and talk about that. We've had economic development and tourism talk about kind of what they're doing to promote the art and the history in town. YODER: The parks. The parks man was here. PRESTON: Yeah. YODER: A couple times. PRESTON: So we've had the pa rks -- so our community services director talk about the parks and the things in that and what we're doing with those plaques as well. So if there's anything you want to know about or anything you want to learn about or any questions you have, we can find somebody who can come. I have very little answers, so we can find presenters that either can just interest us or they can give us information. KLINE: I'd be interested in hearing from the museum. I'm not sure if it's unde r your purview or -- PRESTON: It's not. Anything specific from the museum, or -- KLINE: Just what their -- they have a new museum director within the last year, and so what their plans are or just kind of an update on it. PRESTON: Sure. And that would be something that we would request that you try to set up the contact with and then have them eventually reach out to me. KLINE: Okay. PRESTON: That'd be great. BURNS: I'm sorry, Bonnie. What did you bring up? KLINE: The River of Time Museum. BURNS: Oh, okay. KLINE: Maybe Peter could help with that. GALLAGHER: I'd be happy to speak to the director. I meet with her regularly. KLINE: Okay. LEPOER: Are you sure, though? Meeting Packet Page 25 of 42 Page 22 of 23 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS NOVEMBER 5, 2025 HISTORY AND CULTURE ADVISORY COMMISSION MEETING BURNS: My comment would be, do you think -- it's kind of becoming a cultural thing with the town of Fountain Hills, with regard to the Dark Sky Discovery Center. Interested in bringing them? I know they were here previously, but that was for an art installation. So they've got staff on board now and trying to get things together. If they think that, I've been in contact with them fairly regularly, so I could probably reach out and see if they're interested. PRESTON: Perfect. Yeah, I know -- I think Michael Weber might be in that position of kind of community outreach as well, so he might be a good one. I'm not sure. But sure. Yeah. If you want to reach out t o them. And then basically, once you get confirmation or just let me know, I could take over the c ommunication and make sure to get them on the agenda. BURNS: Okay. PRESTON: Yeah. BURNS: All right. GALLAGHER: Actually, I'll be meeting with the director of education tomorrow. The new one, Dr. Dania Wright. I could ask her. BURNS: Okay. Actually, I have something lined up tomorrow afternoon with them, so -- GALLAGHER: Oh. Well, then I'll leave it in your good hands. YODER: And I'm working with Michael Friday, so I'll put the thumb screws to him. BURNS: I guess we have plenty of contact there, so okay. And where are we? YODER: Letter J. BURNS: Was there anything else on presentations or future agenda items? Okay. I guess we're seeing the next meeting December 3rd? And if that works, everybody enjoy their Thanksgiving. And -- PRESTON: Don't forget to sign up for the Turkey Trot. BURNS: Yeah. KLINE: What's the deadline on that? PRESTON: It'll probably be full by November 21st. BURNS: And if we can get a motion to adjourn, then I guess we're pretty well set. Looks Meeting Packet Page 26 of 42 Page 23 of 23 TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS NOVEMBER 5, 2025 HISTORY AND CULTURE ADVISORY COMMISSION MEETING like 4:44. YODER: I'll make the motion to adjourn. LEPOER: I'll second that. BURNS: All in favor? ALL: Aye. BURNS: Okay. I guess we are adjourned. Meeting Packet Page 27 of 42 Having no further business, Chairperson Burns adjourned the Regular Meeting of the History and Culture Advisory Commission meeting held on November 5, 2025, at 4:44 p.m. TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS ________________________ Bob Burns, Chairperson ATTEST AND PREPARED BY: _________________________________ Stormy Mazeikis, Administrative Assistant CERTIFICATION I hereby certify that the foregoing minutes are a true and correct copy of the minutes of the Regular Meeting held by the History and Culture Advisory Commission of Fountain Hills in the Town Hall Council Chambers on the 5 of November 2025. I further certify that the meeting was duly called and that a quorum was present. DATED this 3 Day of December 2025. _________________________________ Stormy Mazeikis, Administrative Assistant Meeting Packet Page 28 of 42 ITEM 6.a. TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS STAFF REPORT Meeting Date: 12/3/2025 Meeting Type: History and Culture Advisory Commission Regular Meeting Submitting Department: Community Services Prepared by: Ryan Preston, Recreation Manager Staff Contact Information: Phone: 480-816-5170 Email: rpreston@fountainhillsaz.gov Request to Town Council Regular Meeting (Agenda Language) DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION: Historical Registry for the Fountain Staff Summary (background) The Historical Site Review Committee met on Friday, November 21st to discuss our application for Fountain Park to be recognized on the National Register of Historical Places. Unfortunately, our review was not successful. You can view the meeting here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aNSJ_5-FMOzYTdtzkX5MduiYFdITAN1W/view Please see the attached document Commissioner Burns put together to summarize the meeting and highlight the points they wanted to see in our application. Related Ordinance, Policy or Guiding Principle Risk Analysis Recommendation(s) by Board(s) or Commission(s) Staff Recommendation(s) Suggested Motion FISCAL IMPACT Fiscal Impact: Budget Reference: Funding Source: ATTACHMENTS 1. Landmark Commission Results Notes_Bob Burns Meeting Packet Page 29 of 42 Notes from Historic Preservation Commission meeting considering application for Fountain Park/Fountain and its consideration for historic landmark designation. The panel called the site worthy but considered the application incomplete. They voted 6-0 against recommending the designation without prejudice asking to see it again in the future. A couple of the key points they wanted to hear more about included hubris and confiict related to Native American issues particularly the use of the water resource as a marketing tool to sell property, also the Orme Dam confiict. I know there was discussion about the site for Chaparral City being chosen because of the proposed lake, but I’m not sure there is historic documentation that still exists to support that. It was called “in a way a battlefleld of Indian wars.” It was suggested that we should be willing to address the uncomfortable, controversial parts of the history, but is the town willing to advocate an application that discusses these issues that were outside of its own history/control? Maybe include that relations between the town and Yavapai Nation today are good. They also brought up the desire for background related to the design and landscape architecture for the park/fountain. Ryan brought this issue up previously, but I could not locate anything signiflcant. We may have to see if we can reach out to the company in Houston to see if they can help with this information. Also, brought up were other planned communities in Arizona. The speaker brought up Ajo, but I would think there are other considerations for the time period such as Del Webb Sun City, Maryvale section of Phoenix, Sun Lakes south of Chandler that might provide more interesting comparisons to Fountain Hills. Mr. Collins might be able to explain this better. One asked who the columnist was who suggested the fountain in the desert and how it related to Fountain Hills. I believe that information was in my narrative, at least I know there is a version of it. Not sure how they might want to expand on that. They asked about the engineering behind the Fountain, and I think we have that, not sure how it was presented in the application. It was mentioned that one source was the article about CV Wood as a Disney villain, and they wondered about that. Much of that article about the falling out between Wood and the Disneys was inconclusive and speculative, so that is why I didn’t go too far into it. Meeting Packet Page 30 of 42 It was noted that it should not be a celebration of the developer, calling the history so much richer. Based on the discussion I heard, I think there might be room for discussion related to ranching in the area and the acquisition of the land parcel through that connection. Ryan, not sure what Mr. Collins will be sending back to you, but these are my impressions of the discussion and thoughts. Bob B. Meeting Packet Page 31 of 42 ITEM 6.b. TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS STAFF REPORT Meeting Date: 12/3/2025 Meeting Type: History and Culture Advisory Commission Regular Meeting Submitting Department: Community Services Prepared by: Stormy Mazeikis, Administrative Assistant Staff Contact Information: Phone: 480-816-5148 Email: smazeikis@fountainhillsaz.gov Request to Town Council Regular Meeting (Agenda Language) DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION: 250th Anniversary of the USA Staff Summary (background) The History and Culture Advisory Commission’s America250 Working Group met on November 21 to refine ideas for the Town’s 2026 America250 celebration. The group reviewed prior brainstorming and identified key initiatives that align with the Town’s strategic plan. Top recommendations include creating a coordinated America250 branding package, issuing a Town proclamation that invites local organizations to participate, and rebranding select Town events such as Music Fest, the Mayor’s proclamation series, and Market on the Avenue to reflect the Semiquincentennial theme. Additional priority projects include a red, white and blue Semiquincentennial Fountain Lighting Ceremony, a large America250 photo cutout in Fountain Park, a Pony Express Heritage Mural, and an updated Art Walk and Scavenger Hunt that uses QR codes and historical markers. Related Ordinance, Policy or Guiding Principle Risk Analysis Recommendation(s) by Board(s) or Commission(s) Staff Recommendation(s) Suggested Motion FISCAL IMPACT Fiscal Impact: Budget Reference: Funding Source: ATTACHMENTS 1. America250 Initiative Working Group Meeting Minutes and Recommendtions Submitted Meeting Packet Page 32 of 42 Fountain Hills History & Culture Advisory Commission: Advises the Town Council on historic and cultural preservation and works to promote public awareness of the town's history. Working Group Meeting: Friday, November 21 Participants: Bill Burns, Bonnie Kline, and Tiffany Titus Call to Order: 3:00 PM Meeting Close: 3:45 PM Meeting Location: Fountain Hills Community Center Meeting Summary: This working group was focused on the Town’s America250 Initiative. The purpose of the working group is to brainstorm and collect potential viable programs, events or initiatives that promote public awareness of the town's history and celebrate America’s 250th birthday and present their top recommendations. In addition, we organized our ideas and recommendations into strategic buckets that map to Town Strategic Plan themes. Background: Various Commission members have participated in the America250 working group (past and current). All of the past brainstorming was considered as the current working group compiled and considered their (these) recommendations to the Town. The recommendations are being presented to staff a month prior to the next Commission meeting, Wednesday, December 3, 2025 for consideration of the full Commission and the Town. This gives ample time for additional input and feedback before the formal Commission Advisory Meeting in December. Recommendations: For the Town’s America250 initiative, we present our top recommended actions in the table below. We also have included out barnstormed ideas for your consideration. To help engage our community and stakeholders, we recommend creating and distributing a town proclamation / letter/memo in the very near term to FH organizations and groups saying the Town is going to celebrate the 250th Anniversary of our country's founding and inviting community to participate. If they have a patriotic/historic themed event or exhibit planned for 2026, we ask that they please let the Town know (by a deadline) and the Town will be happy to include it in the 250th Celebration brochures, calendar of events and other publicity. In addition, a specially designed logo will be available for your group to display on your promotions. (See branding recommendation below). Page of 1 5 Meeting Packet Page 33 of 42 Fountain Hills' America250 Initiative Recommendations Engagement Area Categorization 1 Semiquincentennial Fountain Lighting Ceremony (red, white, blue) Tourism, Economic Development, and Main Street Activation; Commemorative Projects 2 America250 Cutout (A large 250 sign (similar to the one used for the FH 50th birthday in 2020) could be erected in Fountain Park with an invitation for people to take selfies with the sign and the Fountain - then post on social media. The sign should be Red, White and Blue and tie in with the logo developed for the Town's Branding Tourism, Economic Development, and Main Street Activation; Commemorative Projects 3 America250 Branding. Develop a branding page - with logos, slogan, verbiage to be used in promotional materials and online media. Civic, Government, and Community Engagement 4 America250 Re-Branded Events. Rebrand existing Town events: A) Town Proclamation Series (monthly themes January–December 2026). Re-brands the Mayor’s monthly community member awards for the Semiquincentennial celebratory year. B) Semiquincentennial (America250) Concert Series (Fountain Hills Music Fest 2026 re-branded); C) America250 Market on the Avenue (re-branded existing market for the month of America250) Civic, Government, and Community Engagement, Creating our History Initiatives; Commemorative Projects; Signature Events & Community Celebrations; Commemorative Projects; Tourism, Economic Development, and Main Street Activation 5 Pony Express Heritage Mural (Location ideas: Post Office or along La Montana near the Town Hall - across the street from the Post Office Mail Boxes) Civic, Government, and Community Engagement, Creating our History Initiatives; Commemorative Projects, Interpretive, Public Art, and Cultural Installations; 6 America250 Art Walk / Scavenger Hunt (QR Code Initiative re-purposed to include historical markers and art; Re- work the existing art scavenger hunt and geo-cashing for America250. Interpretive, Public Art, and Cultural Installations; Digital, Social, and Storytelling Initiatives Page of 2 5 Meeting Packet Page 34 of 42 Attachments / Supporting Documentation: Appendix A - BRAINSTORM: Potential America250 Initiatives for the Town of Fountain Hills 1. Signature Events & Community Celebrations •“America250 Fountain Hills Heritage Festival” – a multi-day celebration of local, state, tribal, and U.S. history (Town Green + Avenue of the Fountains). •Semiquincentennial Concert Series featuring music representing America’s eras and cultures. (This takes the existing Fountain Hills Music Fest, funded by the accepted and current grant from WeKoPa, and re-brands it for 2026.) •Time Capsule Ceremony commemorating 250 years of American experience. •America250 Parade of Cultures (community, tribal, schools, veterans, international residents). (This could replace / re-brand the Thanksgiving Day Parade 2026) •“Stories of America” Outdoor Film Series – documentaries, tribal films, local history films. 2. Interpretive, Public Art, and Cultural Installations •America250 Art Walk Expansion — new and existing sculptures, memorials and plaques tied to Americana, local & tribal heritage . •Historical Markers Program ( Re-worked existing art scavenger hunt and geo-cashing) and install 10–25 new markers (QR Code Initiative) (Appian Way, Fountain history, early residents, tribal significance, Pony Express, President statues, Veteran’s sites, historical sites). •Pony Express Mural - Post Office - Combines history, tradition, and American Heritage with a highly anticipated regional community event (Pony Express) with the economic development mural initiative and the arts - our Town fame. •America250 Fountain Conservation & Interpretation (the Fountain as a symbol of innovation, community, and identity). 3. Educational Projects (Schools, Museum, Tribal Partnerships) •K–12 “Living History” Traveling Exhibit (Town ↔ River of Time ↔ Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation schools). •America250 Curriculum Packet for teachers, tied to AZ state standards. •Youth Oral History Project—students interview elders, veterans, long-time residents, and tribal members. •“Passport to Fountain Hills History” booklet for students/families to learn local historical stops. 4. Museum, Archives, and Local History Projects •Major River of Time Museum Exhibit: “250 Years of the American Story: The Southwest and Beyond.” •Digitization and Preservation Weekend—scan local photos, maps, and family histories. Page of 3 5 Meeting Packet Page 35 of 42 •Veterans & Founders Oral History Archive launch. With invited speakers, in partnership with the FH Theater, e.g.: reading of the Declaration of Independence in period attire. •“Voices of the Verde Valley” oral history mini-documentary involving tribal and local elders. 5. Civic, Government, Community Engagement, and Creating our History Initiatives •Town Proclamation Series (monthly themes January–December 2026). Re-brands the Mayor’s monthly community member awards for the Semiquincentennial celebratory year. •250 Volunteer Challenge — every resident does “250 hours” collectively; Like the hiking Challenge combined with Fountain Hills Day. leadership by FHCCA & Leadership Academy with other non profits (inclusive). •America250 Civic Innovation Roundtable — forums on innovation, entrepreneurship, competitiveness, democracy, civic responsibility, and the future of Fountain Hills. In partnership with the Civic group FHCCA, political and a-political clubs, educational institutions, think tanks, innovation focused. Drawing in possible remote workers from outside AZ. a “Think BIG” initiative) 6. Tourism, Economic Development, and Main Street Activation •Semiquincentenial Fountain Lighting Ceremony (red, white and blue) •Avenue of the Fountains America250 Flags & Cultural Banners. •Heritage Trail Map updated and reprinted. •Pony Express Heritage Mural - In partnership with the FH Economic Dev. Mural Project (and scavenger hunt, QR Code, Public Art initiatives) •Local Business Passport featuring historical info + discounts + cultural celebrations. •America250 Market on the Avenue with artisans, tribal vendors, and heritage crafts. 7. Commemorative Projects •Semiquincentennial Fountain Lighting Ceremony (red, white, blue + tribal colors rotation). • America250 Cutout (A large 250 sign (similar to the one used for the FH 50th birthday in 2020) could be erected in Fountain Park with an invitation for people to take selfies with the sign and the Fountain - then post on social media. The sign should be Red, White and Blue and tie in with the logo developed for the Town's Branding •America250 Commemorative Book documenting FH’s 2026–27 experiences. •Heritage Tree Planting Initiative (250 trees planted). •Community Quilt Project or Woven Tapestry representing all stakeholder groups. •Pony Express Heritage Mural - In partnership with the FH Economic Dev. Mural Project (and scavenger hunt, QR Code, Public Art initiatives) •Re-Dedication of Memorials - With public proclamation from the Mayor and possible reading of the Declaration of Independence by FH Theater team 8. Digital, Social, and Storytelling Initiatives Page of 4 5 Meeting Packet Page 36 of 42 •“Our American Stories – FH Edition” videos from diverse residents. •Interactive America250 Website Hub with local timelines, artifacts, and oral history clips. •Geo-mapped Historical Walking Tour app integration (QR codes at sites). •Digital Story Circles with tribal nations, veterans, pioneers, new residents. 9. Partnerships & Regional Collaborations •Tri-Community Semiquincentennial Coalition Fountain Hills + Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation + Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community. •Statewide AZ America250 Alliance Collaboration for events, grants, cross-promotion. •Maricopa County Library District — America250 reading and literacy initiative. Page of 5 5 Meeting Packet Page 37 of 42 ITEM 6.c. TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS STAFF REPORT Meeting Date: 12/3/2025 Meeting Type: History and Culture Advisory Commission Regular Meeting Submitting Department: Community Services Prepared by: Staff Contact Information: Phone: Email: Request to Town Council Regular Meeting (Agenda Language) UPDATE: Historic Art and Essay Contest Staff Summary (background) Related Ordinance, Policy or Guiding Principle Risk Analysis Recommendation(s) by Board(s) or Commission(s) Staff Recommendation(s) Suggested Motion FISCAL IMPACT Fiscal Impact: Budget Reference: Funding Source: ATTACHMENTS None Meeting Packet Page 38 of 42 ITEM 6.d. TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS STAFF REPORT Meeting Date: 12/3/2025 Meeting Type: History and Culture Advisory Commission Regular Meeting Submitting Department: Community Services Prepared by: Staff Contact Information: Phone: Email: Request to Town Council Regular Meeting (Agenda Language) DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION: Public Art Information Updates Staff Summary (background) Related Ordinance, Policy or Guiding Principle Risk Analysis Recommendation(s) by Board(s) or Commission(s) Staff Recommendation(s) Suggested Motion FISCAL IMPACT Fiscal Impact: Budget Reference: Funding Source: ATTACHMENTS None Meeting Packet Page 39 of 42 ITEM 6.e. TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS STAFF REPORT Meeting Date: 12/3/2025 Meeting Type: History and Culture Advisory Commission Regular Meeting Submitting Department: Community Services Prepared by: Staff Contact Information: Phone: Email: Request to Town Council Regular Meeting (Agenda Language) CONSIDERATION AND POSSIBLE ACTION: Public Art Applications Staff Summary (background) Related Ordinance, Policy or Guiding Principle Risk Analysis Recommendation(s) by Board(s) or Commission(s) Staff Recommendation(s) Suggested Motion FISCAL IMPACT Fiscal Impact: Budget Reference: Funding Source: ATTACHMENTS None Meeting Packet Page 40 of 42 ITEM 6.f. TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS STAFF REPORT Meeting Date: 12/3/2025 Meeting Type: History and Culture Advisory Commission Regular Meeting Submitting Department: Community Services Prepared by: Staff Contact Information: Phone: Email: Request to Town Council Regular Meeting (Agenda Language) DISCUSSION: Future Agenda Items and Presentations Staff Summary (background) Related Ordinance, Policy or Guiding Principle Risk Analysis Recommendation(s) by Board(s) or Commission(s) Staff Recommendation(s) Suggested Motion FISCAL IMPACT Fiscal Impact: Budget Reference: Funding Source: ATTACHMENTS None Meeting Packet Page 41 of 42 ITEM 6.g. TOWN OF FOUNTAIN HILLS STAFF REPORT Meeting Date: 12/3/2025 Meeting Type: History and Culture Advisory Commission Regular Meeting Submitting Department: Community Services Prepared by: Staff Contact Information: Phone: Email: Request to Town Council Regular Meeting (Agenda Language) UPDATE: The next meeting date is January 7, 2026. Staff Summary (background) Related Ordinance, Policy or Guiding Principle Risk Analysis Recommendation(s) by Board(s) or Commission(s) Staff Recommendation(s) Suggested Motion FISCAL IMPACT Fiscal Impact: Budget Reference: Funding Source: ATTACHMENTS None Meeting Packet Page 42 of 42