The Winslow City Council heard a presentation from Jedd Hafer of Z, Inc. on his assessment of and recommendations for Winslow based on his on-site visits and interviews. Z, Inc. is a consulting firm focused on advancing businesses and municipalities.
He began, “Winslow is a delightful place with soulful people and this feedback is in the spirit of trying to help. In terms of my recommendations, I try to go broad and practical.”
Hafer made a visit to Winslow in March where he met with Mayor Roberta “Birdie” Cano and other council members and City leadership.
He said, “In two visits, consisting of 22 interviews and a survey sent out to City employees, we were able to come up with the number one concern in Winslow (which) is the appearance of the town. The “feel” people have when they come into the community is of high priority.”
His recommendations began with the suggestion of forming a task force to face the issue of public intoxication and panhandling.
He said, “This is one of those opportunities that I would suggest bringing in the Navajo Nation and Hopi Tribe to create accountability that could help cut down on issues like this. A targeted campaign and getting people to the table that haven’t been there enough is priority.”
He also spoke about prioritizing transparency of public resources.
“My recommendation is to let people know when you are doing things. Whether its cleanup or improvements, let the citizens know what is happening so they can become stakeholders in those efforts.”
He then mentioned the last step in his recommendation, which was to put forth a public relations campaign for promoting Winslow for tourism and economic development.
However, he said, “I would not do that until some of these other things are addressed and taken care of. You wouldn’t want to make a big push to get people here if the place isn’t ready. You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression.”
Mayor Cano added, “We have so many great things coming our way and it is important that we handle the beautification you mentioned. This is the first impression of our town and we want people to drive down our streets and like what they see.”
The council also entered in to executive session to discuss negotiations for the purchase, sale or lease of real property located at 115 E. Second St. and approximately 1,200 acres of City-owned property located west of State Route 87 and south of Airport Road.
