The City of Winslow is in the process of hiring a city manager to replace the retiring Steve Pauken who will be leaving on Jan. 3 of next year. During the regular meeting of the council last week, Pauken gave an update on the process. “The job posting has closed, as of last week. We have received just shy of 80 resumes. At this point we have done nothing more than screen them to make sure they make the requirements for the minimum qualifications for the job, we have not eliminated a single person.”
The timeline for the search is being closely followed, according to Pauken. “Applicant screening is going to be complete on Sept. 21. The council needs to give staff some direction on the type of screening process. We are suggesting that that be narrowed to the top 10, and three to five candidates no later than the Sept. 25 meeting, which is two weeks from today.”
The applicants have been provided with a brochure about Winslow and an outline of the process timeline. “That will allow applicants to make travel plans should they be chosen for an interview. We want to stay with the schedule so that we can maximize our potential to get the best people here for interviews.”
The status report from the city manager also included an update on traffic calming devices in the Coopertown neighborhood. “We have had some conversation with some of the representatives from the neighborhood. Chief (Dan) Brown and Tim Westover and I have met. Tim has ordered some signage and some devices for traffic calming. We have asked them where they would like the devices to be located. The devices that we are bringing in are able to be removed and placed in another location, should another location be chosen,” Pauken said.
“It has been a very enjoyable, cooperative process with the neighbors and I think that in due time, we will begin getting some feedback from the community,” he added. The speed humps suggested by Public Works Director Westover will be installed within the month.
Following the election of a new mayor and council members, a meeting was held to establish goals and plans of the council. Pauken presented the summary of that meeting to the council. In the summary, the city’s economic growth strategy is outlined and notes that much has already been done to inventory assets and catalog them for potential suitors. “As potential suitors come to our attention, a custom package of information is prepared by ECoNA (Economic Collaborative of Northern Arizona). If the interest in Winslow is real, we will then prepare plans to meet and tour the city and introduce them to our business community,” it notes in the summary. The entire summary is available to the public at City Hall, located at 21 N. Williamson Ave.
Council member Samantha Crisp also spoke about economic development during the council members business portion of the agenda. Crisp said, “Following the Arizona League of Cities and Towns Convention a couple of weeks ago, I came home so inspired, so I started taking action. I learned a lot about how to get some community interest. Over the next few weeks, I am going to look into getting more interest from other businesses to come look at Winslow.” Mayor Tom McCauley added, “The convention was an incredible week for us to network and to talk to people about what is happening around the state. We talked to people about where funding is for new projects, where development is coming in and who is looking for business in the state. You will hear some of those things on our coming agendas.”
Continuing the subject of development, a later agenda item brought forth by McCauley called for a discussion regarding the establishment of a designated entertainment district in Winslow. McCauley explained, “I would imagine our district would run from Eagle Pavilion (523 W. Second Street) east to La Posada (303 E. Second Street) and include First, Second and Third Streets.” The reasoning behind dedicating an entertainment district, according to McCauley is to allow, “Much more latitude when developing.”
Arizona State laws prohibit the licensing of liquor sales within 300 feet of churches. The districting would mitigate those zoning issues allowing for bars, breweries and restaurants to consider moving in to the area. “After much community outreach in the city of Phoenix, those rules have changed,” said McCauley. “Business owners now have the opportunity to apply for liquor licenses in those areas.” This, as McCauley said, “Will benefit existing businesses and allow more development in our downtown.”
The council voted unanimously in favor for the City Attorney Nicolle Harris to bring forth a resolution adopting an entertainment district in a later meeting.
