By Annyssa Howerton The Holbrook City convened on Thursday, Oct. 14, with all council present, with the exception of Vice Mayor Francie Payne, who joined remotely. City Manager Ted Soltis was absent due to a family emergency. Facilities Maintenance employee Tim Kelley addressed the council to request approval for the purchase of new fencing for Hunt Park in Holbrook. Kelley stated, “The fences are better than 40 years old, it’s chain link, it’s falling apart and the top rails are falling down.” Kelley explained that the vertical posts that hold the fence are also rusting on the bottom. “They are ready to break and fall over.” The council approved the purchase, with the understanding of market fluctuation at the time of purchase, from Liberty Fence and Supply LLC in the amount of $43,008. The city will be the ones to tear the current fence down, and once that is completed, a date will be established with Liberty Fence for the project to begin. The council also approved the sale of real property parcel number 109-37-006A, located on East Hermosa Drive, for $650,000. Mayor Merrill Young and City Manager Soltis, met in Show Low with Senator Mark Kelly with all the local mayors and city managers from the local area. The US Forest Service recently and unexpectedly cancelled the solicitation for the Four Forest Restoration Initiative (4FRI) Phase 2 Request for Proposal (RFP) for landscape-scale forest management. Mayor Young stated, “I don’t know if most of you know what the 4FRI project is, but it’s a forest initiative for thinning out the forest. According to Senator Kelly, he’s not real pleased with it, and he’s going to push to get it back going.”
