Amigo Café receives $50,000 Kayenta beautification grant

KAYENTA, Ariz. — The Kayenta Town Manager presented a $50,000 check to to Amigo Café as part of a beautification grant March 15.

Julene and Larry Price, owners of Amigo Café, graciously accepted the check along with co-owner Heather Price.

When the owners applied for the grant, their intentions were to find funding using resources available to help make the front of Amigo Café more aesthetically appealing.

Julene Price expressed gratitude for Kayenta Township’s willingness to invest back into the community.

“Every business should have this same opportunity, this is all our community, this is all our home, we want it to look nice,” Price said after they received the grant.

Price is wanting to fix the potholes in front of Amigo Café. They have previously graded it and filled it with gravel but the holes reappear. Price said after talking with a contractor, the area needs to be dug up, packed down and layered. She wants to keep a natural southwest look rather than black asphalt. She plans to clean the front area, put in some decorative rocks — she loves the cacti look. Price also envisions having a nice place for customers to wait.

“We never have a budget set aside specifically for the beautification of the front area,” Price said. “Having a business is always tight, you’re always trying to figure out ‘where am I going to get this money from and its sort of juggling money around. Sometimes taking care of the outside gets pushed behind because you must take care of the inside first.”

The Kayenta Community Beautification Grant was established to offer local businesses and organizations additional financial support to make permanent landscaping enhancements.

“The intentions of the Kayenta Township Commission are to provide an avenue to assist the business community,” Kayenta Town Manager Jarvis Williams stated. “The beautification grant benefits Kayenta by adhering to the slogan ‘Keep Kayenta Beautiful.’”

“When the businesses and organizations look good, Kayenta looks good, and draws more people into town,” Williams said.

Information from Kayenta Township