Thin Air Off Road, LLC, operated by Craig and Katie Johnson of Winslow, will begin construction on a racetrack at the east end of Winslow that will host utility vehicle, dirt bike, buggy and other off-road races. The Winslow City Council discussed the endeavor at the March 27 city council meeting and approved use of a city owned water truck to assist with the construction and maintenance of the track.
The city will also provide an operator of the water truck as well as water for the duration of Thin Air Off Road’s upcoming Winslow Grand Prix taking place May 5 and 6. It is estimated that the city will provide 240,000 gallons of water over a three-day period at no charge. The water is needed to mitigate dust related to construction and racing on the dirt track.
Thin Air Off Road is affiliated with Arizona Off Road Promotions, a group that organizes and promotes these types of events. The Winslow Chamber of Commerce is helping to promote the race, which according to Katie Johnson, is expected to bring approximately 2,000 spectators.
The council also heard the quarterly report for the chamber from Chamber of Commerce CEO Bob Hall. “Our 2018-2019 budget has been increased. This fiscal year, our bed tax has increased 14 percent so we now have about $150,000 to spend on projects,” Hall said.
One of those projects is a new sign on the Winslow Visitor’s Center that will provide information on events in town. It will stand approximately 11.5 feet tall and be six feet wide. Hall expects the sign to be installed this month.
The Chamber of Commerce also recently launched a website dedicated to tourism in Winslow. The site, www.visitwinslow.com is available for viewing. Hall said, “We also have a Winslow Instagram profile for visitors and residents alike.” Instagram is a photo sharing social media platform that uses hyperlinks to direct people to subjects of interest. “When you are out and about please share your photos with @visitwinslow on Instagram.”
In other business, the council approved the monthly finance report for the month of February. Finance Director Elias Jouen said, “citywide revenues for the month of February totaled $1.7 million bringing year to date total revenues to $10.8 million.” Expenditures for the period were $2 million, $13.2 million year to date from all funds. A large percentage of those expenditures were accrued by the wastewater treatment plant upgrade project in the amount of $245,690. Jouen assured the council that the city is on track to stay within budget.
The council also proclaimed April as Fair Housing Month. The Winslow City Council meets the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month unless otherwise noted. The next regularly scheduled meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 10, in the council chambers, located at 115 E. Second St. The public is invited to attend.
