By L. Parsons Navajo County Manager Glenn Kephart informed the Board of Supervisors of a plan developed for re-opening county services that was unanimously supported by the board during the last board meeting. The plan, according to Kephart, is a coordinated effort between all departments began on Monday. Kephart said, “It became apparent with the onset of the COVID-19 crisis that we needed to change our way of doing business and practices to safely serve our citizens. We began modifying our operational procedures in March.” Assistant County Manager Bryan Layton also addressed the board stating, “First, we changed our in-person services and limited internal circulation of staff. Even so, we did have several county employees that were hit with the virus, so we had to mitigate that situation by closing those departments, deep cleaning and sanitizing those buildings and areas. We did inform all of our employees and kept them updated through emails we sent regularly.” He added, “Our plan to move forward is in finding a balance between stewardship and providing services to the public. Our main focus is physical distancing, including barriers for employees as well as the public.” Layton noted that sanitizing stations have been installed throughout the county complex and that disinfecting would be done regularly. “We will be doing screenings for employees as well as the public, meaning, temperature checks and some self-screening questions will be required at our entrances. Face coverings will be encouraged but not required at the county, except in the courtroom. The Superior Court has put in a requirement for masks. We will be providing temporary face coverings for the public.” He added that some meetings and other business will continue to be conducted remotely. However, the Board of Supervisors meetings will resume in person beginning June 9 with telephonic options. In addition to the plan to move forward with public services, the county also offered an update on the COVID-19 pandemic. Public Health Director Jeff Lee said, “We do continue to see a steady rise of cases across Navajo County. Currently, we have 1,550 positive COVID-19 tests in our county and 16,783 in Arizona as a whole. Our case counts will continue to rise as our testing continues to increase. The goal is to test at all of our health care facilities (staff and providers) in Navajo County within the next two weeks as well as to assure they have everything they need to continue caring for patients.” Lee commented on his concerns for reopening Navajo County. “As we move forward and more businesses are reopening, we need to continue to take this seriously. The reopening does not mean the risk of exposure is over. There is still a high risk. The efforts we have taken to flatten the curve need to continue. Continue to wear a mask, continue to wash your hands and continue to stay home if you can.” Supervisor Jesse Thompson asked Lee to make sure testing and health care supplies were making their way to the Navajo Nation, an area hit hard by the virus. Lee responded, “We are focusing on making sure that every community that needs these supplies, gets these supplies. There are about 35 Abbott testing machines that are either on the Nation or on their way to the Nation and we continue to make a huge effort to get supplies to those communities.” In the wake of the pandemic, the county has also established a Business Response Team, led by former Assistant County Manager Paul Watson. The team is in place to help small businesses in Navajo County recover from economic loss suffered because of the pandemic. Watson presented an update to the Board of Supervisors explaining that the next step for his team is assisting businesses in getting their staffs back to work including recruiting and safety training. Small business owners are encouraged to contact Paul Watson at employerhelp@navajocountyaz.gov. In other business, the board: * Approved a four-month contract extension with Hatch Construction and Paving, Inc. for annual hot asphaltic concrete pavement overlay to finish Porter Mountain and Show Low Lake Road in Show Low. * Authorized acceptance of a grant from the Governor’s Office of Highways Safety in the amount of $54,079 for the Navajo County Sheriff’s Office (NCSO) to purchase traffic records enforcement related materials. * Approved an agreement between the Arizona Department of Transportation and NCSO allowing NCSO the ability to submit and receive crash data and records electronically, decreasing the time spent on traffic stop and collision investigation. * Approved an amendment to a lease agreement between Quality Ready-Mix of Show Low and NCSO. The amendment extends the lease by 36 months and increases the annual amount paid to $13,800 to be paid in full by a grant from the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program. * Authorized acceptance of a 911 program grant from the Arizona Department of Administration for $325,262 to pay costs associated with providing 911 service to Navajo and Apache counties. * Authorized acceptance of a grant from the State of Arizona’s Constable Ethics, Standards and Training Board in the amount of $9,232 to purchase a trailer, tow package and decals. * Approved an annual contract with Sparklight to provide fiber optic ethernet private line service for the county library district to be paid monthly at a rate of $567. * Approved a professional services agreement with Silver Creek Mortuary for continued use of mortuary services. The annual contract will be paid based on services performed. * Approved a grant from the Help America Vote Act program in the amount of $23,390 to purchase security equipment for the elections department. * Approved a contract with Pacific Ponderosa Co. to furnish any and all materials, equipment and labor required for performing all work for supply and delivery of culverts and bands to be paid based on scope of work. * Approved the award of contract to CRM of America, LLC to continue waste tire removal to be paid based on work performed. * Approved a memorandum of agreement between Hopi Division of Transportation and Navajo County authorizing funding assistance for roadway signs and aggregate material in the amount of $20,000 to be paid for by the Highway User Revenue Fund. * Approved the remaining portion of Vallery Lane in Lakeside into the county road maintenance system as a primitive road. * Approved Tamerisk Trail in Holbrook into the county road maintenance system as a primitive road. * Approved a contract with the United States Geological Survey to calibrate two gauges that monitor flood waters. One is in Holbrook and the other in Chambers. The contract will be paid for by the joint funding agreement. * Accepted a perpetual drainage easement in the Sky Hi Retreat subdivision in Pinetop as part of the county drainage, construction and maintenance system. * Approved an amendment to the Victory Heights (Show Low) road maintenance contract, extending it for one year until July 10, 2021, with no cost increase to the county. * Approved a contract for management consultation with Remarkable Recreation Solutions for management of White Mountain Lakes recreation area for an annual contract amount of $39,840 and a negotiable percentage of any net revenue of grants successfully awarded to the area. * Proclaimed May 17-23 as National Public Works Week. * Approved Justice Court reports for April from Holbrook, Winslow, Snowflake, Kayenta, Show Low and Pinetop-Lakeside precincts, the juvenile probation reports for April and the Clerk of the Superior Court reports for April. * Approved 22 back tax land parcels sold over the counter in the amount of $10,049. * Renewed an agreement for the Child Health Care Consultation program funded through First Things First to provide health and safety related services to child care sites. * Approved a memorandum of agreement between the Arizona Health Zone SNAP-Ed program and the Winslow Unified School District No. 1 to provide health and nutrition services. The next meeting of the Navajo County Board of Supervisors will be at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, June 9, in the board chambers, located at 100 E. Code Talkers Drive.
