By L. Parsons The Winslow City Council met last week to discuss many city matters including a presentation by Christy Ross of the Little Colorado Medical Center who gave a quarterly report for the facility in which she updated the council on the COVID-19 pandemic. “Cases across the United States are falling. In Arizona, cases are falling and what we see is a slower fall from previous surges. In Navajo County, though, I can’t say that it’s necessarily falling yet. Most of those cases in Navajo County are in people under the age of 40. We continue to have high numbers.” However, she continued, “Hospitalizations are decreasing. We are averaging about three patients in the hospital and about three in the emergency room each day. Our biggest problem at LCMC is a nursing shortage. That leads to a bit of a bed shortage as well and significant delays in being able to transfer patients to a higher level of care. That is something we haven’t had to deal with in this pandemic yet. We have nine full time nursing positions open at the facility.” She also mentioned the effect vaccinations are having on the pandemic. She said, “The U.S. vaccination rate; those fully vaccinated is about 57% whereas Navajo County is reporting about 35%. In Winslow, we are a little bit higher than that, at about a 47% vaccination rate.” She mentioned that LCMC will not be requiring nurses to be vaccinated right away. “There is not a mandate on businesses, which we are one, only federal employees and military. So we want to let you know, we are not going to be jumping on that bandwagon as far as requiring vaccine for our employees. However, 82% or our employees are already vaccinated.” Vice Mayor Samantha Crisp reminded the council and public of the annual Friends of the Library Book Sale. The event will take place beginning at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 21, at the Winslow Elks Lodge, located at 315 W. Third St., with a member’s only preview sale at 12 noon on Friday, Oct. 22. Mayor Roberta Cano mentioned her intention to begin a “Coffee with the Council” series at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 23, at Sacred Heart Park, located on Robert Avenue. She said, “We will provide coffee and donuts and give our community members an opportunity to speak with us council members and tell us what they need.” Winslow Police Department Lieutenant Ernie Cano presented an HITDA (High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas) award to Sgt. Adam Reeves. He said, “Sergeant Adam Reeves is being recognized for outstanding performance in the areas of raising awareness, outreach and use of Narcan to save lives and fighting against substance abuse in the community of Winslow.” City Manager John Barkley then took the podium and began by introducing the council to the newly hired Economic Development Director Una Workabah who has already relocated to the area and is working at City Hall. Barkley said, “She comes very well prepared for this position and has an acumen for all things strategic planning, marketing, tourism, development and everything that comes along with it.” In other business, and in the absence of Councilman Peter Cake, the council: * Heard the monthly financial report for August. Citywide revenues for the month were $1.95 million bringing the year-to-date revenues to $2.7 million. City-wide expenditures for the month were $1.5 million bringing the year-to-date expenditures to $3.1 million. * Approved the purchase of new dispatch consoles for the Winslow Police Department communications department in the amount of $54,670 from Sustema. The purchase is a budget item in the capital budget for year 2022. * Approved the acceptance of a grant from the Arizona Department of Homeland Security in the amount of $33,295 for the purchase of eight communications radios for WPD and five communication radios for the Winslow Fire Department. * Authorized acceptance of a grant from the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety in the amount of $10,000 to support personnel services and employee related expenses to enhance traffic enforcement including speeding, monitoring school zones, seat belt usage and stop sign violations. * Authorized acceptance of a grant from the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety in the amount of $20,000 to support personnel services and employee related expenses to enhance DUI and impaired driving enforcement. * Authorized acceptance of a grant from the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety in the amount of $52,276 for one fully equipped police package vehicle in fiscal year 2022. * Authorized the purchase of an abandoned residential property located at 1100 W. Second St. to expedite abatement. Negotiations are still underway but Barkley expects a $5,000-$10,000 purchase price. * Proclaimed October as Hispanic Heritage Month. Mayor Cano encouraged Winslow citizens to recognize the diversity of the community and acknowledge the rich heritage and contributions of its Hispanic residents. * Proclaimed October as National Code Compliance Month. * Proclaimed Oct. 22 as Pharmacy Buyer’s Day. Pharmacy Buyers are an integral part of the Health Care Team, according to the proclamation and provide knowledge, training and experience in the interest of public safety. * Heard the quarterly report from Winslow Justice of the Peace BJ Little covering July-September. Civil traffic cases made up the highest number of cases seen in the Winslow Justice Court during the time period. * Heard from Winslow Women’s Club President Susan Lawler during the call to the public. Lawler requested permission from the city to place two lending libraries in Sacred Heart Park and in Coopertown Park. City staff was instructed to follow up. The next meeting of the Winslow City Council will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 26, in the Hubbell Building, located at 523 W. Second St.
