Finding a chamber for commerce

The Winslow Chamber of Commerce is on the move. But where it ends up is still up in the air.

The Arizona Department of Transportation is demolishing the current Visitors Center, which is the chamber’s home, for a freeway expansion project. The demolition is planned for November.

The city has arranged for a temporary visitor’s center in the Police Administration Building on Second Street.

The police officers will move to their new home in the dispatch office on Third Street near Alfred when remodeling is complete on that building.

One idea for a permanent visitor’s center was to remodel the historic Lorenzo Hubbell Trading Co. Building on Second Street.

City Administrator John Roche recommended to the mayor and City Council on Aug. 10 that they approve the move to the Hubbell and hire an architect. However, the council decided to hold off on those recommendations for 30 days for further discussion.

Chamber of Commerce President Stephanie Lugo said the Hubbell would be acceptable but the chamber’s board has not committed to anything at this point other than moving to the police station.

“(Moving to the Hubbell) could still be changed. I don’t know,” she said. “We’re not going to the police building as a permanent fix. I do know that.”

ADOT will pay $272,950 toward the cost of moving the chamber to the police department. The city or chamber would have to pay to move to its permanent home.

The move involves relocating the office equipment along with a totem pole, flagpole, caboose and a monument.

The Hubbell Building has open space to the west of it that could accommodate the large items. It’s also at the beginning of the planned Renaissance Downtown Development walk.

Currently, the Arizona Indian Artists Cooperative is located in the Hubbell. They would most likely share the building with the chamber should that scenario take place.

The Hubbell would need remodeling inside and out and would need to conform to the Americans with Disabilities Act among other improvements.

Should the chamber move to the Hubbell, it most likely would not occur until sometime in 2005.

“Ultimately the Chamber of Commerce would like to have their own building, but we don’t have the funds to build one,” Lugo said.

Donate to nhonews.com Report a Typo Contact
Most Read