During the Thursday, Jan. 9, Holbrook City Council meeting City Manager Ted Soltis let everyone in on what is in store for the city at the start of 2020. From street projects to new cemetery plots, assuring that things are moving along.
Soltis first gave an update about the progress of the Golden Inn, located at 2596 Navajo Blvd., which had caught fire back in December of last year. “As promised, the Golden Inn has started their clean up in preparation for the property. I’m real excited about it; I think it’s a beautiful property. I can’t wait for them to finish that, get it sold and have that business open back up. It really is a nice place,” said Soltis.
He informed the public that the owners of the now cleared property where the Magnuson Hotel stood on Navajo Blvd. that burned down two years ago are aware of the graffiti on the building that still sits on the property and have made arrangements to have it removed. They are just waiting on the weather conditions to improve.
Also, on Soltis’ list of things to come is the cemetery expansion. He explained, “We are running low on cemetery plots. Fortunately, some years ago, there were plans put in place to expand the cemetery. Presently we’re doing prep work, cleaning up the property and doing some research on the plans.”
Crews are working on a project on Eighth Avenue. Soltis explained that the drain that had been placed there several years ago has become clogged and isn’t working effectively. This has caused the water to leak into and down the street creating more wear and deterioration on the street. Soltis said the crew is working to resolve the issue on a more permanent basis.
Soltis noted that Arizona Public Service is working to fix the lights that went out on Navajo Blvd. He is also seeking their assistance on Hopi Drive as well, especially near the Roxy Theater where there is currently no ability to light up that section on the south side of Hopi Drive. “The idea is to have a nice consistent set of decorations on both sides of the street,” said Soltis.
Soltis reported that the city is in the process of updating the forms that are used throughout the city. “Our forms are very dated, they’ve been photo-copied a million times,” said Soltis. As part of his efforts to make the forms more easily accessible, the process has begun of making the forms available online such as the ones that were available for the fitness center that can now be accessed on the website at www.ci.holbrook.az.us.
“We’re also working on improving access to the petroglyphs and bird viewing lake,” said Soltis, referring to the Petroglyph Park and water reclamation pond at the Hidden Cove Golf Course. City workers are in the process of constructing a fence around the lake, and improving the roadway by installing cattle guards and gates to ensure that cattle can’t get in and jeopardize the property. “The lake and the petroglyphs are a real asset to the community, and we want to make them a little more accessible to visitors and at the same time protect the lake,” said Soltis adding that new signage is also still in the works.
Soltis noted that the fitness center has received some improvements. “We installed some fans, improved the music service, put in a mirror, repaired equipment and some general cleanup.”
Soltis thanked Streets Supervisor Pat Serna and his crew for doing some of the work. Soltis said there is a little more work to do on the building including a new coat of paint. Soltis also said the next phase of improvements at city hall have begun. The restrooms and the kitchen are getting upgrades. Soltis assured that all measures are being taken to reduce the cost of the project. “All the work is being done in-house so it’s not going to cost us a whole lot of money. We’re doing our best to conserve funding through the process.”
Soltis thanked Barbara Despain who was responsible for creating new posters for the kiosks at the West End Park and the dog park on the north end of Navajo Blvd. Soltis noted that she also donated lights for those areas.
“I’m excited about 2020. I’ve had a number of inquiries this past year for potential new businesses in town. Hopefully this year, those inquiries will actually turn into businesses. We also have a number of projects in the works. Obviously, some of those projects are on hold for better weather. Really hopeful for 2020. I think it’s going to be a great year,” Soltis concluded.
In other business, the council heard from Chief of Police Nathan Christensen who reviewed the changes coming to the Holbrook Police Department. Christensen said that prior to Sgt. Tony Sutton’s departure coming at the end of this month, he was able to have another person ready to attend the academy, bringing the number of students who will attend the academy beginning on Monday, Jan. 13, to two. The HPD has received four applications for since advertising to fill the position at the department.
Christensen also announced that last year HPD welcomed an outside panel to evaluate three candidates who wished to fill the spot of lieutenant. “It was a long process. A two-phase written exercise with an oral board and press release type exercise. After that testing process, the board unanimously selected Jed Koon as the new lieutenant for HPD.” Christensen stated that although Lt. Koon has been filling the position since July, minus the compensation, he did not officially assume the title until Jan. 1.
Christensen invited Lt. Koon to the podium where he gave council a little history on himself. “I’ve been with the PD for about 14 and a half years; born and raised here in Holbrook. I’ve always wanted to be here. I’m excited for this new adventure and to keep moving forward.”
Before returning to his seat, Mayor Merrill Young addressed Lt. Koon saying, “I would just like to say, I know you on a personal level, I worked with you on a professional level and I think you’ll do an excellent job.”
Street Department Supervisor Pat Serna was also there to go over the plans he and his crew are working on. “Right now, we’re trying to crack seal, we kind of got out of maintaining the crack seals in the asphalt for a while. Pretty much all of our streets need crack sealing so that’s what we’ve been working on pretty much all winter. Curbs and gutters, as they’ve been popping up, we’ve been fixing them.”
Serna presented a PowerPoint of images throughout town that he has noticed need fixing. He showed photos of areas on Spurlock Avenue, Second Street and Arizona Street that had broken curbsides and noted that they’ve been fixed. He informed the council that he is aware there are many other areas that need work and provided more photos to show the locations he and his crew intend to fix.
Serna also informed the council that part of their agenda includes fixing areas that had to be dug up to fix water breaks. Like the area on Hopi Drive in front of Safeway. Serna said they’ll continue to assess what needs to be fixed and address them as street issues as they happen. Serna explained that they have to prioritize which projects can get done depending on the weather.
He noted that he and his crew are working to get all the streets crack sealed so they can add a chip seal and a fog seal, which should add longevity to the lifespan of the streets. “The streets on the hill are bad. We’re going to lose those roads if we don’t.”
Also, Mayor Young thanked Serna for his efforts in front of Circle K during the Dec. 13 water break that kept them out all night in harsh conditions in conjunction with the water department.
Councilman Adam Marsh also recognized the efforts of the employees who worked throughout the holidays. Marsh said, “I just want to thank the city employees who worked during the holidays. I think through all the chaos its easy for us to take for granted that the water runs when we turn it on, streets are plowed and heaven forbid, but if you need emergency services, they show up. Thanks to the folks who did overtime and worked otherwise.
Also, in new business, Sun Valley resident, James Walton was there to propose that the city help Sun Valley residents find a solution to having to haul water so far, which he says creates quite the obstacle for Sun Valley residents. From Walton’s understanding there is no ability to hook up new water lines to individual properties in Sun Valley. Because Holbrook oversees the water utility in Sun Valley, Dalton has asked the council and city administration to help him find a more manageable solution to having to drive to Holbrook to haul water.
As the most important essential for everyday living, Walton explained that it can be quite stressful to maintain a basic daily function due to having small water tanks. He asked that the council consider placing a larger water spicket like the one on the south end of Holbrook but in Sun Valley. The council thanked Walton and Mayor Young informed him that after the city has evaluated his proposal then they can have a discussion at a later date.
