Street improvements, a new park and new facilities are all in the works for the City of Holbrook in 2015.
City Manager Ray Alley explained that city staff will continue to focus on street work, with approximately $500,000 left in the budget to complete work on McLaws and Hill roads, and Sixth and Seventh avenues. Crews will also spend about one month completing crack sealing treatment on all roads around the city that need it. If Alley can obtain some millings from the county, he also hopes to finish the parking lot around the new Little League building next to the American Legion, as well as rehabilitate the cart path at the golf course. Any remaining millings will be used in alleys.
The city manager hopes to complete and open the new splash pad park behind city hall by summer. The park will include the water features, as well as restrooms and a seating area. Alley noted that a batting cage and horseshoe pits are also being considered to make the space more useful.
“It’s going to be a lot of work. I’m not sure we can have it ready by summer, but we’re going to try,” he said.
The project also requires construction of a building to contain the water storage tank and operating mechanisms for the water features. Demolition has already started on the concrete pad that was on the site.
City staff will also be working to create a plan and begin remodeling the former Arizona Public Service Co. (APS) building across the street from city hall. APS agreed to sell the building to the city for $1 and the transaction is expected to be complete by March.
“It may be the new police department,” Alley said.
He explained that Police Chief Mark Jackson is evaluating the building to make sure it can be remodeled to meet the department’s needs at a reasonable cost.
“It’s not guaranteed that’s what we’ll do,” Alley remarked, “But we will remodel if it will work.”
Over the course of 2015, city staff will also work on improvements to the Sun Valley water system, including installation of several hundred feet of new four-inch water pipe and adding a second well.
Alley noted that the water department also hopes to finish extending the telemetry system within the city to include two more lift stations.
“We don’t have telemetry on our Seventh Street and Mission Lane lift stations,” he explained.
Alley’s other goals for the year include improving access to technology at the library by providing additional Internet access and computers, and to continue cross-training city staff so that the city can continue to operate efficiently regardless of which staff members are available.
“I will keep cross-training a high priority so that when people leave we’re not at their mercy,” he said.
Keeping costs of government as low as possible for residents is also a priority for Alley. He noted that there are no utility rate increases planned, and he hopes to continue to keep the property tax rate at zero.
“We want to pay attention to business and keep all the costs lower, if possible,” he said.
