By L. Parsons In last week’s Winslow City Council meeting, City Manager John Barkley asked for the public to submit their applications to be part of the city’s new agriculture commission. “We have put some parameters out there on our social media for the seven-member commission. We look forward to receiving some feedback from folks here.” In a follow up email, Vice Mayor Samantha Crisp explained further. “The purposes of this commission are to create or assist with creating agricultural economic opportunities, to advise city leadership on amending policies to support local agricultural efforts and to identify and inform designated city representatives of relevant grant opportunities.” Crisp suggested and then planned the commission last year. She said, “For years I have been hearing how Winslow needs industry. Which I agree with completely. But I feel very strongly that we can’t continue waiting for an industry to come rescue us. We are at a point that we need to begin looking at creating industry ourselves. Using my background in gardening and my knowledge in agriculture, I came up with a plan. Agriculture is an industry in itself, a booming industry in fact. Arizona agriculture contributes over $23 billion to the state economy and provides thousands of jobs annually.” Crisp noted that there are many avenues that could be taken to get into the industry. “We could expand our existing beef community. We could grow tomatoes, greenhouses for the cold months, right in the soil during the warm months. Tomatoes grown here have a very unique flavor that I’ve never tasted anywhere else. We could mass compost. We could have nurseries. Tree nuts and wine are currently the fastest growing areas of Arizona agriculture, we could try either of those. A butcher shop featuring locally raised meat would be great. Restaurants could have access to more local produce. Additionally, with the right grants, the city might be able to provide seed money to help people start agriculture related businesses.” Crisp has already set a goal for the commission to start a community pumpkin patch. “Easy enough to begin quickly and maintain throughout the growing season, while also providing an event for the whole community and will leave plenty of time to address other goals simultaneously.” Currently, the city is looking to fill the commission with no more than seven adult members and two youth members who will have voting rights. There are some requirements for applying. According to Crisp, “Prior hands-on experience is required in a number of agriculture related areas. Farming, ranching, home gardening, hydro and aquaponics, compost and soil building, dairy, eggs and poultry, pest management, nursery or greenhouse, 4-H, FFA, and/or water conservation are all acceptable.” Any Winslow resident with experience in any of those fields may apply. The agriculture commission will uniquely offer membership to both people within the city limits as well as those residing within a 10-mile radius. As Crisp explained, “There are people living just outside city limits who miss out on being able to serve on other boards and commissions due to their location, so I wanted to be more inclusive. Plus, there seems to be quite a few people out there who have backgrounds in agriculture so I didn’t want to miss out on any of their expertise.” To apply for the commission, visit the City of Winslow’s website at www.winslowaz.gov. During the meeting, the council heard from Navajo County Board of Supervisors Chairman Daryl Seymore and District II Supervisor Alberto Peshlakai. Seymore began, “Alberto is a fantastic young man with some big shoes to fill from Supervisor Jesse Thompson but I know he will do a great job.” Peshlakai is a Holbrook High School graduate and began his address to the Winslow Council with, “Go Roadrunners!” Peshlakai was elected to fill Thompson’s seat in November 2020. Prior to that he said, “I served as the tribal government relations director with Navajo County for 12 years. I have worked alongside the district supervisors and have become familiar with those in District II. I would like to take this opportunity to say I look forward to working alongside Mayor Cano and the rest of the council.” Mayor Birdie Cano proclaimed February as Black History Month. The proclamation read, “Black History Month affords special opportunity to become more knowledgeable about Black heritage and to honor the many Black leaders who have contributed to the progress of our nation. Such knowledge can strengthen the insight of all citizens regarding the issues of human rights, the great strides that have been made in the crusade to eliminate the barriers of equality for minority groups and the continuing struggle against racial discrimination and poverty.” In other business, the council: * Approved an annual agreement between the City of Winslow and the Winslow Knuckles Baseball Organization for use of city owned baseball fields. * Approved the annual agreement between the city and Winslow Lady Dawgs Softball Organization for use of city owned baseball field. * Approved a cooperative purchase agreement with Caterpillar, Inc. for the purchase of a 2021 306 Next Gen Excavator in the amount of $105,148. The equipment is essentially used for the preparation and opening of cemetery plots. * Approved an intergovernmental agreement between Navajo County and the City of Winslow for the purpose of conducting elections. * Approved a business agreement between the Winslow Police Department and ChangePoint Integrated Health. The agreement sets for the terms and conditions pursuant to which protected health information that is provided by, created, or received by the business associate from or on behalf of ChangePoint will be handled by the Winslow Police Department. * Appointed Mayor Cano as Winslow representative to the NACOG (Northern Arizona Council of Governments) Regional Council. Council member Melissa Butler will serve as alternate. The next meeting of the Winslow City Council will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 9.
