By Daniel Kraker
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/knau/local-knau-893838.mp3
Flagstaff, AZ – This winter Flagstaff residents like Alan Achey shoveled more than ten feet of snow off driveways, sidewalks, and rooftops.
"It's April and my back is still killing me!! I moved out here from Chicago to get away from this stuff, and here I am shoveling through it again, I'm tired of it. I'm sick of it!"
And it's not going to get any easier next year. That's because in a budget-cutting move, the city will now require residents not only to shovel the sidewalks in front of their homes, but to actually clear the streets as well. Mayor Sara Presler says the new ordinance will not only keep Flagstaff "walkable" all year, but "driveable," too.
Presler: "Our sales tax revenues are way, way down, and we've really got to get down to basics at the city of Flagstaff. We just can't afford to plow residential streets anymore."
And that has Flagstaff resident Alan Achey even more upset.
"It's one thing to have to shovel around your own house. But to have to shovel the city streets! I tell you I've had enough!"
Presler: "Look, government's all about personal responsibility.
Again, Flagstaff mayor Sara Pressler.
"We're building a new ship here. So each person has to be accountable. Not only for their own sidewalk, but for all of our city streets."
Northern Arizona University is contributing to the effort. Beginning this summer, administrators will suspend all global warming related research, and instead create a new major, called "Snow Survival Studies." Department Chair Larry Lumi says courses will cover disaster relief mitigation, how to write rooftop insurance policies, and proper shoveling techniques for seniors.
"It just seems appropriate to give our students some really practical skills to find a job here in Flagstaff when they graduate."
And if Arizona Governor Jan Brewer has her way, there could be a lot of new jobs available for snow savvy graduates. That's because Brewer has unveiled a new snow-seeding program designed to stimulate the state's economy. Spokeswoman Paula Senselessan says the controversial new technology could increase snowfall by as much as fifteen feet a year.
"T his is a time of serious financial crisis for the state. We need to be creative. With additional snow we solve multiple problems simultaneously. We address the state's chronic water shortages. At the same time it opens up lucrative tourism opportunities that will help solve our state's budget deficit."
In fact the state's already in negotiations with Vail Resorts to establish a new ski and snowplay area in Sedona called "Sled Rock."
The plan is to launch rockets containing silver iodide and dry ice into clouds over the San Francisco Peaks. Senselessan says the governor was unavailable for comment, because she was taking shelter in her new fortified bunker in Das Cabezas.
"The rockets will be fired from otherwise unemployable teenage boys, who will shoot the rockets into the clouds, thereby providing them with skills they can use in the military when they can't find any other jobs in this economy."
The Sierra Club's Andy Bessler says he actually backs the cloud seeding idea.
Bessler: "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I support the governor's plan. Because, basically reclaimed water is not the solution for snowmaking on the Peaks, and this sounds like a good solution actually."
But Pat Holesworth, a spokesman for the Arizona Department of Transportation, urges the state to slow down, stop, and not yield to temptation.
Holesworth: "We had to sell off a bunch of our vehicles just to plow the roads this year. How are we going to handle 15 more feet of snow?"
Governor Brewer says Flagstaff residents will already be picking up some of the slack. And to save even more money, she plans to give prisoners from Winslow State Prison early release to shovel the rest. They'll even clear it from your rooftops. Just be sure to lock the front door.
For Arizona Public Radio I'm Daniel Kraker in Flagstaff.