By Linda Kor Last week’s Holbrook City Council meeting included two public hearings, one regarding Community Development Block Grant funds awarded to the city by NACOG (Northern Arizona Council of Governments) and the other was for an amendment to the tax code. NACOG representative Isabell Rawlins gave an overview of the CDBG funds that are designated for Holbrook as part of a four-year cycle with the funds estimated to be approximately $260,000. “To qualify for these funds it has to serve primarily low to moderate income persons for the aid and elimination of slum, blight or serve an urgently needed health hazard,” explained Rawlins. She noted that projects that automatically qualify are senior citizens projects, such as the senior citizens center, persons who are disabled, homeless persons and victims of domestic violence. Projects can include public works, community and housing facility projects, public service projects such as food banks, housing rehabilitation, and part can be used for administration. Whereas in the past the funding could be divided amongst multiple projects, this funding cycle requires the funds to be used in its entirety on one selected project. Wyatt explained that public works projects are challenging as the city is not a low to moderate income location, so for projects to qualify an income survey of the area impacted has to be conducted to show if the area being served by the project qualifies. As part of the process the city must hold two public hearings. Last week’s hearing was for project input and a second meeting will be held next month to formally select one project to move forward with for the application. Addressing the council with a proposed project was Bread of Life Mission Director Cherise Myers and Case Manager Barbara Wyatt. Regarding the work of the mission Wyatt explained, “We have a lot of people coming in and out, we serve about 450 people a year. We have two to five people walking in every day so there’s a constant flux as well as about 35 people on a consistent basis living there. We provide food, shelter, case management, job searching, resume writing, anything that will help them with anything they need.” She informed the council that the mission building, which is a mobile home, is in dire need of renovation. “It needs new flooring; the flooring is just completely worn out down to wood. What we’re looking at in addition to the rehabilitation, is to acquire a four bedroom or three bedroom mobile to put on the property. More people are becoming homeless and we do not have the facility to accommodate everybody.” She went on to elaborate on the need by saying that most of the people served are men and when women stay at the mission they have to sleep in the lobby because of COVID restrictions that require isolation rooms. “So we do not have any extra rooms to house these women and right now we have one woman and child sleeping on the floor.” Wyatt said there’s been increase in domestic violence due to the impact of COVID so the mission is turning away at least five people a day. “I get phone calls all day long for women and we really can’t house them properly because there’s no privacy for them,” she added. “Our aim is not to turn anyone away but we are literally in a room and a building that needs major rehab being as old as it is and being mobile it’s shifted, all the walls are cracked and we want to make it a place where they feel comfortable when they come in.” Myers added her vision saying, “A perfect scenario would be having the women next door anyways, not coed. They would be safer with all the domestic violence with all women; all women staff but still on our property. That’s kind of a dream goal.” Councilman Mark Jackson agreed with the report, stating, “I know that building well. The floor is not the greatest in the world and it has serious issues.” A reported estimate of the project cost would be $70,000 to rehabilitate the building. The purchase of three-bedroom mobile home and set up was estimated at $120,000, with the additional cost of transporting and site survey. Councilman Earl Kester expressed concern that people were being dropped off from Heber, Snowflake and wanted to know if those communities would be willing to contribute funds. “We’re under pressure of taking care of people from other cities.” Jackson countered stating that that is the nature of the business as Wyatt went on to explain that they serve people from all over the country including Missouri, Texas and New York. “The people dropped off here, they get counseling, they get case management, they’re all getting jobs and they’re staying in Holbrook so they’re getting apartments here. We’re also partnering with USVet so people are moving into there… so then they are contributing to the community. They are pouring their money into the community.” She added that they also provide drug and alcohol treatment programs and that an expansion of the facility would also allow them to expand services that are unable to be offered because there is not enough room for staff. Jackson asked if they had considered a new build. “Maybe like a wing onto the building instead of a mobile home. It might be more cost effective to do it that way than putting another mobile home in there. If you put another trailer in there it’s going to end up the same way it is now. That ground is not made for those jacks, jacks settle. If you just build a new wing with four spaces it’s going to cost you a lot less.” Another proposed project was presented by Randy Sullivan with the city’s water department on behalf of the Sun Valley Water District, requesting a new well be drilled for the community to improve the water quality and rehabilitate two existing tanks. Sullivan stated, “The tanks have not been coated on the inside for a very long time and as a result there is rust and other particles that get into the water system. It’s an old system, a lot of the piping is old cast iron, which just rust under water; normal water, let alone mineralized water that those customers deal with out there.” Sullivan believes the project would meet the low to moderate income requirements for the people being served. “We serve about 89 customers and that’s just houses. I don’t know what the average household number is. It used to be around three not including the Indian school.” He explained that there are constant issues with the water infrastructure in Sun Valley. “There was an issue last summer with a check valve that was underground. It was a cast iron check valve and it took us a week to find it. During that whole week customers in Sun Valley didn’t have water and this is during COVID. Then once we got that project fixed, a week later the one well we have working… the pump went out. So again, customers were down. I was able to get it fixed within a day. Then again it (the water) takes time to build pressure and we’re disturbing the lines again. It’s a constant battle out there. The hope is that by digging a deeper well, the quality of water will improve and that will help preserve the piping. The funds would include the cost of a contractor for a new well, with the city doing the work to connect the plumbing into the existing system. “The tanks would also be through another contractor. Some may not be worth fixing. At that point we may build a new tank.” Marsh wanted to know if it was possible in the cost estimations to include some mapping of the water infrastructure that may not be known in Sun Valley. “Not at this time. I think that would take up quite a bit of money,” stated Sullivan. Sullivan didn’t know the cost to re-coat the tanks but estimated that it runs about a dollar a gallon for storage. “So if we go with a 50,000 gallon tank, a brand new one, it would cost $50,000.” Rehabilitation would be about half that cost, which would entail chiseling the rust off, get it disinfected and recoat the inside. It was also noted that if the process began to recoat a tank began, it could be determined it is best to replace. The council will consider the projects and make their determination next month. A public hearing was also held regarding an amendment to the tax code with no public response. The resolution declaring the 2012-2014 amendments to the city tax code as public record resolution was unanimously approved.
