By Kathleen Stinson | Arizona Daily Sun
If the Flagstaff City Council approves the purchase of 2,251 acres of state trust lands on Observatory Mesa at its Nov. 5 meeting, the city is poised to bid on the property at public auction on Dec. 13.
The land has been appraised at $11.6 million, according to the legal notice announcing the sale.
The city was awarded a $6 million matching grant from the Arizona State Parks Board under the Growing Smarter State Trust Land Acquisition Fund in September. Also on Nov. 5, the Council will vote whether to accept this grant money.
In 2004, voters approved a $5.5 million bond for the city to acquire state trust lands on Observatory Mesa as open space, said McKenzie Jones, sustainability specialist for the city of Flagstaff. The voters also approved in 2004 a $7.6 million bond for neighborhood open space and Flagstaff urban trails.
