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Winslow City Manager, John Barkley addressed the Winslow City Council last week regarding a Winslow transit system, which has been underway for some time.
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“We are headlong into connecting to a regional transit connection as well as creating a local loop here in Winslow for folks so that we have a transit option for you locally. Our central proximity to Holbrook and Flagstaff puts us in a really good position to receive even more grant money to develop our own system managed by the city.”
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Regarding drainage projects Barkley reported, “The Mayor and I met with our engineering company to talk about storm water drainage. Particularly in the area of Second and Third streets downtown here. And we looked at some irrigation system improvements so we can get better water sources to our parks and keep them nice and green. We will also be looking at some policies on how to better maintain our cemetery grounds. It is a delicate issue but there is a lot of debris around the grounds and each of the plots that doesn’t have to be there. We will start that this summer.”
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Regarding the Renaissance 6 project, which includes sidewalks and streetlights on the east side of town Barkley said, “We apologize for the disruptions from Renaissance 6 but boy, it’s really going to be nice when they are finished there. We appreciate your patience. We will get there. There will be cones and breaks in the asphalt but if you could, envision what it will look like when it’s all finished.” That project is set to be complete by mid-July.
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Many citizens have questioned the new usage fees for McHood Park, located at Clear Creek. Barkley explained, “We are working on an automated system to issue annual and daily passes at Clear Creek. We will have something installed there by the end of the summer so that we can maintain our own management of the park and cover our costs.” Last year, the council approved the collection of usage fees but as of press time, they have not been implemented.
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Barkley continued, “We certainly do not want to commercialize the area to any extent, but we do have to cover our resources and how we manage the park. It’s a delicate balance but we are working to develop a protocol so that it’s easy to get in and out of the park going forward.”
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Barkley’s next topic was to recognize the work done by the Public Works Department led by Tim Westover. “Thanks to Tim and his crew, the fencing at the dog park will be up this week.” The park is set to be built east of the Sweetland Community Garden between Second and Third streets.
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Also recognized by Barkley was the City of Winslow Code Enforcement Department. “They are working hard on the weeds and the blight situation around town. We’ve got our own problems. We’ve got to take care of our own vegetation along our corridors, we are aware of that, but we are still enforcing weeds and debris (removal) around the city. We need to make sure that we understand that we’ve got our own work to do to keep our infrastructure and our corridors clean and blight free. We are working on that.”
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Regarding Winslow-Lindbergh Regional Airport, Barkley noted, “We are in the design and engineering phase for taxi way B at the airport and looking at some reconstruction and repairs to runway 22, which was recently reconstructed. There is water there, there is some drainage issues and it’s compromising the infrastructure.
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“We are also looking for some grant opportunities to support funding to design and build a new road option around the airport into the Eco-Lena Industrial area and the city industrial area to the south side of the airport. This is part of an overall initiative to prepare ourselves for further development in that area and to build our infrastructure. And to the extent we can do what we can as a good sign to the lawmakers and the forest service as they consider issuing a contract in the future.”
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The 2019-2020 budget that is on the agenda for the June 25 council meeting. “We are still working on the final version of the budget. We are going to trim it down a bit and bring it back to the city council so that everyone is comfortable with something that we can move forward with but at the same time allows us to move forward with some projects that have been languishing here in the city.”
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Barkley spoke regarding Proposition 421, the jail district initiative that is on a special ballot scheduled for Aug. 27. “This is a big deal for the city and the county and we hope it this initiative is out there. Our challenge is to provide enough education and awareness to the citizens and what’s at stake. This initiative could open up several hundred thousand dollars’ worth of resources that the city could provide to its police department. To put more boots on the ground and to improve technology and all the other things we need to do to keep the city safe. So, there is a lot at stake there and I encourage everyone to check the city website if you have time and read about Proposition 421.”
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A second Town Hall meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, July 30, at the Winslow Police Department, located at 708 W. Third St.
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Barkley encouraged and invited the public to visit the City of Winslow website at www.winslowaz.gov for information on all departments. “We invite everyone to know exactly what we are doing. We are focused on transparency.”
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