The Winslow City Council met last week and discussed a community development block grant of up to $260,000. This was the fourth meeting in 2024 regarding these grants, with two in January and one in March. This grant funding only comes once every four years, and they must be used to benefit low-income residents.
The council originally planned to use these funds to address sidewalk improvements in two areas of the city. However, for a project to get approved, the residents who would benefit from it must be below a certain income threshold. The people the city was able to survey in the area near the improvements reported income levels above the threshold. However, because Winslow as a whole meets the threshold, any projects that benefit the entire city will get guaranteed approval without the need for a survey. This is why the city had to pivot last week and hold a new public hearing, where citizens were given a chance to pitch new projects.
Although no resident did so, the council approved the second project they had planned for these funds, which is an all-inclusive playground at Hayden Walton Memorial Sports Complex. This playground will include equipment that can be accessed by all children, including those in wheelchairs, and will be something the entire city can use.
A few projects at or around the sports complex were discussed at that meeting, including a resurfacing of the basketball courts. The hoops were recently replaced with new ones that sit at the regulation height of high school basketball hoops, so they are similar to the ones the high schoolers are already used to.
The resurfacing will take place in early September and will cause the courts to be closed during that time, although people can enjoy the new hoops now. This is adjacent to where the city is putting in a new pickleball court, which should be opened around the same time in early to mid-September.
City Manager David Coolidge spoke about how the city just installed speed humps on Maple Street near the sports complex. This stretch of road can encourage speeding and has a fair amount of foot traffic, so they hope this helps drivers stay safe.
Coolidge also informed the council that the city has officially ended its curbside recycling program. The city will now provide curbside recycling residents with two days of trash pickup each week. They will still recycle at the transfer station, but residents must haul it themselves.
The manager’s update also included discussions about traffic updates to the corner of Alfred Avenue and Fleming Street. For those looking to go east on Alfred across Fleming, which is a popular route for people going to the high school, they must go before being fully aware if traffic is coming. The city is addressing this by making this a four-way stop, and the city will have flashing lights on the new stop signs to warn drivers of the change in traffic.
Winslow Chief of Police Franklin Caldwell presented a quarterly report to the council during this meeting. He spoke about the last quarter’s crime statistics and their goals for the department. “In quarter 2 of 2024, part one crime, which includes homicides, sexual assaults, robbery, aggravated assaults, burglary, theft and stolen vehicles, was down overall by 17.35% when compared to quarter 2 of 2023.” All violent crimes were down 21.21%, and property crimes are down 32.35%. The department has noticed a trend that thefts are often shoplifting, and people most often target alcohol to steal.
When Chief Arend was still at the helm in 2023, he spoke about the overall five-year trend that showed that post-pandemic crime rates were generally down. Crime rates decreased significantly in 2021 and 2022 but began to rise in 2023, leaving people wondering if this was part of a new upward trend or if it was equalizing back to pre-COVID levels. Looking at 2024 data, it appears that crime rates are equalizing to their pre-pandemic levels rather than trending upwards.
Staffing issues continue to plague the department, like many police departments. However, the report shows that there was less than a 1% decrease in “proactive policing,” which includes business checks, extra patrols, traffic enforcement, field contacts, and community engagement. The department responded to 3,435 calls for service in quarter two, and for the first two quarters of 2024, calls were down about 15% compared to this time last year. Dispatch was also something the department struggled to keep staffed for some time, but all positions are currently full.
Caldwell also informed the council that the department is currently undergoing a full audit of their evidence room, and the results of that audit will be given in his next quarterly meeting.
In other business, the board:
* Approved Family Dollar to sell alcohol.
* Approved an intergovernmental agreement between the city and the Navajo County Community College District regarding the Northeastern Arizona Law Enforcement Training Academy. The IGA outlines that the city shall provide qualified instructors paid for by the city to help train officers.
* Approved a cooperative agreement with the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management to allow Winslow’s Fire Department access to firefighting personal protective equipment grants during wildfire events.
* Accepted a land and water conservation grant for park improvements in the amount of $293,792, with a required $305,783 local match.
* Approved a settlement agreement and general release with Alicia Marquez. No further details on the settlement were provided.
The next meeting of the Winslow City Council will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 10, in the meeting room located at 523 West Second St.
