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City council fills vacant seat, recognizes Vikings football team

Mayor John Moore swears in new councilmember Mike Cowen Dec. 12. Cowen is filling the seat vacated by the passing of Jim Wurgler. (Wendy Howell/WGCN)

Mayor John Moore swears in new councilmember Mike Cowen Dec. 12. Cowen is filling the seat vacated by the passing of Jim Wurgler. (Wendy Howell/WGCN)

WILLIAMS, Ariz. — The Williams City Council filled Jim Wurgler's vacant council seat and recognized the Williams High School football team for their success in winning the 2019 State Championship during its Dec. 12 regular meeting.

The city made a proclamation for the football team, with City Clerk Pam Galvan reading it to the players in attendance. She said the city has proclaimed that Dec. 12, 2019 will be Williams Vikings football day in the city of Williams.

“The Williams Vikings football team has brought great pride to the city of Williams by their accomplishments both on and off the football field,” she read. “The mayor, council and the city of Williams desire to express recognition to the players and coaches for all their dedication and hard work this season.”

In other council news, the Williams City Council selected Mike Cowen as the newest city councilmember. Cowen is filling the seat of Wurgler, who passed away Nov. 13

The council approved the application of a WIFA loan for the million gallon water storage tank and connecting water lines on the east side of Williams. The city also approved funding for rehabilitation of the sedimentation/flocculation base at the city’s water plant.

On Nov. 14, the city council recognized the life and work of Jim Wurgler, who had been on the council for 11 years.

“A great councilman and a great man,” said Mayor John Moore before the meeting began.

The council heard from city marketing contractor Heather Hermen from Front Burner Media.

Herman said she was pleased with the partnership created with the First Saturday Art Walk, which has attracted more media presence and also promoted publicity for the program.

With the increase in the marketing budget, Hermen said she has partnered with Cox Media which has been targeting areas such as Lake Havasu and Kingman. She said their efforts have reached an additional 27,000 people.

“It’s good for the dollar amount that we are spending,” she said.

Cox Media is also putting out additional exposure for the Christmas holiday in Williams, which will run through the end of the Polar Express. She said that will reach an additional 800,000 people watching those channels.

Hermen said the Williams website traffic has increased and the way people are using the website has changed. She said 49 percent of the users are accessing the site with a mobile device, 30 percent are with a desktop and the remainder is with tablets.

“We know that people are attracted to it on the go with their phones,” she said. “So we’ve set up geo targeting and geo fencing campaigns, so we are targeting people who are already out on their vacations.”

She said when people start looking up Grand Canyon on their phones it will also bring up Williams.

Hermen said the group hosted 12 of the largest tour operators from Beijing, China Nov. 13. She said she received positive feedback from the group who said they want to promote Williams as an overnight destination.

She said Williams was recently promoted in Arizona Highway’s November and December editions.

Councilmember Dawn Trapp asked about other markets Front Burner Media is targeting.

Hermen said Southern California, Chicago, Las Vegas, Canada, Europe, Germany United Kingdom, France, Italy and China.

Councilmember Frank McNelly asked Hermen how she adapts to changes throughout the year.

“We are constantly following trends and wondering when the bottom is going to drop out,” she said. “But we know there is a downturn coming and it’s a matter of being prepared for that. We are already seeing a downturn on the international visitation because of politics and the climate.”

She said there was also a warning issued in China that coming to the United States is too dangerous for them.

“That doesn’t help us, obviously. That has already impacted visitation from the Chinese visitor already,” she said. “We feel that personal outreach will help them feel welcome and still want to visit. The rest of the international market is up and down.”

Hermen said that is why it is important to continue targeting local tourism as well.

“There is no magic answer of numbers, but we communicate daily with the Arizona Office of Tourism to see what kinds of trends they are seeing as well, so we can be prepared,” she said.

Colleen Smith, Steve Peru and Meghan Remington of Coconino Community College also spoke to the council about hospitality classes for the city of Williams.

Smith said the group has met with local employers for ideas and assistance with funding. She noted the cost breakdown and said the city could decide which courses to offer. She also said the goal is to provide relevant training for current and prospective workers who will come away with a better understanding of soft skills, etiquette, teamwork, customer service and management practices.

The council approved $10,000 to assist with the start-up of the continuing education program in Williams.


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