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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS www.ahwatukee.com
Wednesday, February 22, 2017
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ADOT backs off funding Troubled heart water line beneath freeway AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS
NEWS
CAPTURING TEENS
BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor
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opes that the South Mountain Freeway project might lead to a permanent solution to waterrelated concerns involving two Ahwatukee golf courses are now mired in uncertainty. The Arizona Department of Transportation has told the Foothills Community Association’s lawyer that the state constitution prevents ADOT from building a concrete sleeve beneath the freeway that would house a water line. That line, running from the south side of Pecos Road, would ultimately bring water to Club West and the Foothills golf courses. Ahwatukee Village Planning Committee Chairman Chad Blostone said he hopes the determination marks only a “temporary setback” in efforts to secure a key concession from ADOT. That was among a
variety of issues that had been discussed in October by him, state Rep. Jill Norgaard and city Councilman Sal DiCiccio. Back in October when a tentative deal was announced during a press conference, DiCiccio said, “It is literally a home run for Lakewood and Foothills, and about a 90 percent home run for Club West. The bottom line is that the infrastructure problem is resolved for Club West ... Now, it will come down to finding the water.” In a Feb. 8 letter to the Foothills HOA lawyer, ADOT called the infrastructure work “an inappropriate and unconstitutional use of state funds” under the Arizona Constitution’s gift clause. The contractor building the freeway needs some kind of water line to control dust and tamp down massive amounts of fill that will be used in the
AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS WHEELS APLENTY Thousands expected at Transportation Day
. 16
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AVAILABLE NOW! Spring Training Guide
See
WATER LINE on page 13
(Special to AFN)
Tiny June Roger, right, of Ahwatukee, differs in one significant way from her twin sister Nora. The 3-month-old infant suffers from a heart ailment that could kill her. She has already had one open-heart surgery and faces at least two more. For a look at her parents’ struggle to keep June alive, see p. 24.
Planners call golf course preservation critical to Ahwatukee’s ‘character’ SPECIAL REPORT BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor
A
hwatukee’s golf courses and other open spaces would get additional protection under proposed changes
to one of the city’s major guides for future development. The protections are among proposed revisions that city officials and the Ahwatukee Foothills Village Planning Committee have discussed for the Village Character Plan. That document is part of Phoenix’s General Plan, which often guides future
development decisions as well as zoning changes by providing the vision and policies for future growth. Phoenix Principal Planner Joshua Bednarek said the character plan for Ahwatukee and the city’s other villages “carves out a space
Middle school orientation March 20, 2017 Middle school orientation March 20, 2017 Middle school orientation March 20, 2017 Middle school orientation March 20, 2017 Middle school orientation March 20, 2017 At all Kyrene Middle Schools. At Kyrene all Kyrene Schools. At allMiddle Kyrene MiddleSchools. Schools. At all Kyrene Middle At all Middle Schools. Academics. Leadership. Support. Orientation times vary, www.kyrene.org or 480-541-1000 Engage with Kyrene Schools on Social Media
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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | FEBRUARY 22, 2017
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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS FEBRUARY 22, 2017 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS UKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS TUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS The Ahwatukee Foothills News is published every AHWATUKEE NEWS Wednesday and distributed free FOOTHILLS of charge to homes and in single-copy locations throughout Ahwatukee Foothills. UKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS
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(Special to AFN)
Flash Santoro is flanked by some of the other Ahwatukee winners in the Pancake Run, including, from left, Carol Jean Kennedy, Nicole Van Alstine, Carolyn Denison and Katherine Beatty.
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Runner Flash Santoro leads himself and trainees to victory AFN NEWS STAFF
C
lint “Flash” Santoro has done it again. After picking up his first gold medal in international steeplechase competition last year, the Ahwatukee trainer-coach-competitor fielded a group of winning women athletes and won some national recognition for himself. He placed fourth nationally in the 40-to-44year-old men’s category in the 3,000-meter race in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at the USATF Masters Indoor Track National Championships. One of the athletes he coaches, Ahwatukee runner Diane McCloskey, won a bronze medal in the mile run at the same event, her first national championship. A former duathlete, McCloskey trains with Santoro’s Ahwatukee running group called Tuesday Night Hurt. Over 20 local athletes in that group and another Santoro running club, called the Distance Mamas, also competed at the Pancake Run. “It is a runners’ race and it’s a local race, too,” Santoro said. “There is no participation medal, just a highly-coveted coffee mug for the top three finishers in each age group in both the 5k and 10k races.” Several Ahwatukee athletes who train with Santoro achieved the Masters’ All American Standard of Excellence for Road Running. They included: McCloskey, won the 5K in the women’s 60-64 age group; Cheryl Stice, who came in third in the same race and group; Katherine Beatty, who placed third in 10K the 55-59 age group; Carolyn Denison from the DM was third in the 5k for the 55-59 group; and Nicole Van Alstine, who placed second in the 10K for women 20 to 24. Santoro won his age group in the 5k for men at the same event.
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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | FEBRUARY 22, 2017
NEWS
FEBRUARY 22, 2017 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS
Centennial student linked to fake bomb threat in bathroom AFN NEWS STAFF
A
Centennial Middle School student has been linked to a Feb. 7 bomb threat “non-viable” that was written in a stall in a girls’ bathroom. “We have identified the person responsible for making that threat,” Centennial Principal Michelle Anderson told parents in an email on Feb. 14. “As you may know, all the Kyrene schools have a series of security cameras throughout the campuses,” she wrote. “By reviewing the video of the hallway near the restroom, law enforcement officials, along with our school and district administrators, were able to ascertain important information that led to the determination of this being a nonviable threat.” Though the individual was not identified, Kyrene Schools spokeswoman Nancy Dudenhoefer confirmed a student had been linked to the threat. “Children need to understand that
actions related to the safety of any public institution are not a joke and hold serious consequences,” Dudenhoefer told AFN. In her Feb. 7 email to parents, Anderson said school officials did not tell the student body or faculty about the threat “because law enforcement officers were able to quickly determine this was NOT a credible threat.” “Although we do not suspect that an incident will occur, we are taking the threat very seriously,” she added. “The restroom has been cleaned; however, the teachers and custodial staff will continue to be diligent in monitoring the school grounds each day.” Anderson also told parents that Kyrene has a no-tolerance policy toward threats and reminded them such actions constitute a felony: “We want them to know that these incidents are serious because the safety of our students and staff is of utmost importance. We strive to provide every student with a safe educational environment.”
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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | FEBRUARY 22, 2017
Rawhide rave noise revs up Ahwatukee social media BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor
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conditions – low, dense, moist clouds – were causing the noise to travel farther and sound louder than usual. But I’m no meteorologist.” On the other hand, one commenter urged retaliation, posting not only the contact information for Rawhide, but even U.S. Rep Kyrsten Sinema’s office number. “Seems like we’re all on the same page that this needs to be stopped,” the angry resident wrote. “We have a great community, and it’s time to take action. I put together a list of people to call. Over 100 people commented about the music last night, how many are actually ready to do something about it? We can make a difference. Go Team Ahwatukee.” The complaints also provoked rave defenders to step forward even though they apparently were not attending the concert. “Get over yourselves,” one wrote. “The music was awesome! Loved
hearing it as I was walking my dogs late last night! I hope everyone at Rawhide had an amazing time.” Another chimed in, “If there was a bunch souls enjoying a smooth jazz or a slow jam concert until 2 a.m., I don’t think many would complain. It doesn’t happen very often and not much can be done. Let’s focus on other issues like crime and form neighborhood watches that aren’t formed yet. That would be a start!” Others were a little nastier, including one commenter who wrote, “Wouldn’t be surprised if the police got calls about the rain making noise... only in Tukee.” Another said: “You guys are ridiculous. If they wanna have a party at a public place, then go for it. Yes, they should turn the music off at a decent hour but still....get over it.” The harsh exchanges prompted See
RAVE on page 9
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n indoor rave at Rawhide Western Town and Entertainment Center Saturday night lit up an Ahwatukee Facebook site with complaints about the noise five miles away. By the time the online argument died, Ahwatukee 411 administrator Diana Lopez had shut off comments and one rave fan’s defense triggered a secondary argument involving the South Mountain Freeway. Residents complained that the noise sounded like someone’s car had the volume of the bass turned all the way up. “My bedroom window faces Rawhide there is no other home between me & it,” one commenter wrote. “I have no issue with noise from Pecos, nor Firebird, nor a music concert. What I do have an issue with
is a LOUD thumping OBNOXIOUS noise till 4 a.m., it literally made my home shake, let alone my body not be able to rest! Happy birthday to me today as I got no sleep last night.” Another complained, “I’m not against a party or cranking up the tunes. I, like many others, take umbrage with 3 a.m. having my house rattled.” Typical of the posts was this comment: “Is there another dance rave at Rawhide?? I hear pounding bass in my house!” While some residents as far away as near Mountain Pointe High School complained of the noise, others who lived closer to Rawhide said they couldn’t hear a thing. “Honestly, on other occasions, I’ve seen window-rattling noise complaints much farther away from Rawhide than where we are, and we haven’t heard a thing,” one woman wrote. “I think atmospheric
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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | FEBRUARY 22, 2017
from page 1
for each village to tell their story about what they value, what they want to work on, and how policies and plans in the General Plan apply to them.” “New development should match the character of the community,” Bednarek added. “Future developers can then see what the community’s expectations are of new development. It becomes another factor in our discussions with the developer and property owner about a project.” Bednarek stressed that items in the General Plan or the character portion don’t preclude a developer from proposing something “inconsistent with the vision.” “But it gives city staff something to fall back on if it recommends the project be rejected,” he said. The Character Plan will again be discussed at the next meeting of the planning committee at 6 p.m. Monday, Feb. 27, at Pecos Community Center, 17010 S. 48th St., Ahwatukee. Village planning committees throughout the city are wrapping up their character plans in preparation for a citywide summit of such panels slated for April 29 at South Mountain Community College. One of the major discussions during that meeting will involve the establishment of “power centers,” large concentrations of commercial, industrial or other types of development that would serve several villages. For example, the discussions could lead to the creation of a power center
(AFN file photo)
The village planning committee wants Ahwatukee’s revised Character Plan to stress the need to preserve the community’s golf courses, such as the one at the Foothills.
that would serve Ahwatukee, Laveen and other nearby city neighborhoods. For Ahwatukee’s Character Plan, planning committee members have insisted on wording that affords golf courses specifically and open space generally some additional protection. “This affects the future marketability of this community,” committee member Michael Schiller said. The current draft states that parks and other open space comprise 41 percent of Ahwatukee. But planning committee members want it to be more specific, breaking down that percentage represented by South Mountain and the rest by golf courses, parks and other open space. The open-space focus is consistent with the plan’s statement of what development is welcome in Ahwatukee: “The Ahwatukee Foothills Village supports development that respects and maintains the quiet atmosphere of its neighborhoods and the spacious,
open and exurban feel of this unique community.” The proposed plan revisions do not currently name the golf courses. Nor do they address the future of the defunct Ahwatukee Lakes Golf Course, which is the focus of a bitter battle between residents who want it restored and a development company that wants to convert it into an “agrihood.” But it states, “The continued operation of existing golf courses has been threatened by redevelopment proposals that eliminate the open space character they provide.” The proposed plan also says, “South Mountain Park shields the village from the urgency and noisy tumult of the city to provide a quiet respite amidst urban lifestyles.” And it lists several challenges that threaten that “quiet respite” – including the South Mountain Freeway. It says the freeway “may disrupt daily lifestyles and commercial activity and
obstruct view corridors to open space and natural landmarks” and “runs the risk of creating negative environmental and physical impacts.” Another challenge the plan identifies is the need to “continue to promote enhancements to its parks and recreational infrastructure.” Improved safety for cyclists is another challenge, especially along 48th Street, Warner Road, Ray Road, Chandler Road and other arterials. These streets “are lacking safe infrastructure for pedestrians and bicyclists,” the plan states. It also says, “Public streetscapes throughout the village lack amenities that would make streets more appealing and promote walkability.” And it suggests the absence of light rail is a challenge for Ahwatukee, adding, “extending the light rail corridor to Ahwatukee may assist in supplanting some I-10 corridor traffic.” The plan revisions also include several priorities, such as bringing city and state staff together to discuss the freeway’s design and construction. It also calls for bringing together “relevant stakeholders” to “discuss pertinent issues regarding golf course developments” and “to identify opportunities to propose and promote new recreational amenities.” And it calls for officials “to discuss opportunities for retrofitting dangerous intersections to improve pedestrian safety” as well as to “analyze and evaluate development proposals to identify opportunities for streetscape improvements.” Final approval of every Phoenix village’s Character Plan would be the first step in
Planning committee to get Ahwatukee flood study update AFN NEWS STAFF
T
he Ahwatukee Foothills Village Planning Committee next Monday will hear an update from the head of the project that identified more than 492 homes and buildings in Ahwatukee that would sustain damage exceeding $5 million in a 100-year flood. The presentation by Valerie Swick will follow a presentation on upcoming and under-construction apartment buildings “and the future mix of public, affordable, workforce and market-rate apartment housing,” according to the agenda.
The public meeting is set for 6 p.m. Monday, Feb. 27, at the Pecos Park Community center, 17010 S. 48th St., Ahwatukee. Swick is scheduled to talk about updates to the $1.5-million Ahwatukee Foothills Area Drainage Master Study that has been underway for more than two years. The study’s authors say they are now working on a plan that would recommend structures, such as channels and basins, and new land use regulations “to help reduce and manage flooding in areas identified with particular flooding concerns.” “Ultimately, the results will be used
to help the (Maricopa County Flood Control) District and Phoenix make more informed decisions on future land development,” the study states, “and help guide local developers and property owners in building more safely. “This will reduce potential damage to property and loss of life from drainage issues and storm-water flooding.” The term “100-year flood” refers to an extreme hydrologic event that has a likely recurrence interval of a century. Put another way, such a major flood has a 1 percent chance of happening in any given year. Hydrologists make that determination on the basis of data for annual rainfall
and flooding over an extended period of time. Swick told AFN last year that while “we have learned that for the most part the Ahwatukee area is protected from large flooding events,” specific areas in the community have “some flooding issues.” The study groups flooding concerns into three categories: 21 areas where a total 496 structures, mostly singlefamily homes but including a church, some businesses, two office buildings and at least three apartment complexes, could sustain damages; 15 stretches of local streets and roads that are prone to a damaging flood; and three erosion hazards.
NEWS
FEBRUARY 22, 2017 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS
Y! R T E N I B A C G NOW SELLIN
Special to AFN
This was the scene at a rave at Rawhide’s entertainment center in 2015.
RAVE
from page 6
one observer to write, “Kind of crazy seeing how angry people are getting and attacking each other. In your whole life, this is really, really small.” Another sarcastically observed, “They say music is a uniter... Something most have in common... guess not always...” Complaints to Phoenix Police would have been useless, since Rawhide is in the Gila Community police jurisdiction. Phoenix Police spokeswoman Sgt. Mercedes Fortune told AFN, “If our residents are being affected by noise, I would recommend they contact that agency. Another good resource would be to have one of our community action officers liaison with the other agency, allowing both departments to work together to reach a possible solution.” One commenter said he called Phoenix Police, the Gila River Police and the sheriff’s office, apparently to no avail. Just as the argument settled down, a young woman fired it up again by writing: “I am disappointed and ashamed of my community. We had all these comments about a public event, a music festival that was safe, legal, permitted, and only the bass could be heard from a distance. That is what everyone was complaining about.
“Meanwhile, construction has started on Pecos for the freeway. … Everything that makes Ahwatukee our home is at risk, and instead of trying to fight it, we are sitting in our homes complaining about some kids having fun a couple times a year. I think it’s important that we pick our battles and prioritize. Before it’s too late.” Many “liked” and defended her post. But others rose up in defense of the freeway and attacked the Gila River Indian Community for refusing to let the freeway be built on the reservation. “Great irony, though, that the same people who deemed their land too sacred for a freeway have no problem utilizing the same land for an event that routinely disturbs the peace of their neighbors to the north. Money talks,” one said. Still another wrote: “If I didn’t care about “night life” and “parties” I would have bought a home in Tempe or closer downtown. The serenity of the neighborhood is what makes Ahwatukee a nice place to live. Also, there is absolutely 100 percent nothing that can be done about the freeway. “Personally don’t think it will be louder than bass pounding in the middle of the night. Trust me, I’m pretty close to Pecos and I’m more concerned about the parties at Rawhide.”
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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | FEBRUARY 22, 2017
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Phoenix residents Pamela Pearson and Kathryn Kobor protest outside the City Council meeting on request to create a sanctuary city.
City council action on sanctuary city petition riles DiCiccio they just progressively get worse because nobody wants to take a position.” His concerns about Mayor Greg City Council decision to meet Stanton’s alleged “all-talk” approach with the city attorney in a closed- toward immigration echoed throughout door session to determine if more an hour of public testimony and Phoenix can challenge the council’s decision to a state law banning hold the petition for 30 sanctuary cities angered more days. Councilman Sal Parts of SB 1070 DiCiccio last week. upheld by the U.S. On Feb. 15, the Supreme Court require Council voted 7-2 to police to comply with deny a citizen’s petition federal immigration to make Phoenix a enforcement, effectively sanctuary city, followed invalidating the by chants of “Shame on sanctuary-city petition, you!” from remaining which would give local audience members after police officers the option a hectic and lengthy to not collaborate with meeting filled with U.S. Immigrations and (AFN File Photo) Customs Enforcement. emotional testimony. Instead, the council Phoenix Councilman Sal DiCiccio President Donald decided to examine in opposes sanctuary city. Trump’s recent private the limitations on cities set by executive order also calls to withhold parts of an Arizona law. federal funds from noncompliant cities. “You know what executive session is?” Citizens during the meeting cited the Ahwatukee councilman asked the the recent deportation of Guadalupe audience. “It’s a closed-door meeting. Garcia De Rayos and President Trump’s You’ll never know what occurs in there.” executive order, stating they incited fear “These are the political shenanigans among community members. that have been going on since day one; BY HAILEY MENSIK AFN Contributing Writer
Foothills Listed for
$335,000
2,169 sf, 4 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom home with three car garage and sparkling pool! Open kitchen-family room floor plan. Kitchen and bathrooms upgraded in 2016 with granite counters, upgraded sinks/faucets and new toilets. Large backyard with grass area and mature landscape. 2016 AC, 2015 variable speed pool pump! 2016 garage door and garage opener, 2016 sprinklers and drip lines, and 2015 water heater. Interior and exterior painted in 2016. Carpet in only two secondary bedrooms (new!) 20" porcelain tile in family room, formal living/dining rooms and laminate wood flooring on stair case, upper level traffic area, master suite and largest secondary bedroom.
Highland Estates LISTED FOR
$385,000
1,763 sf 3 bedroom 2 bathroom home in the Biltmore area! Remarkable remodel! Kitchen boasts new white shaker cabinets with trendy hardware, quartz counter tops, breakfast bar, eat-in kitchen area with upgraded crystal chandelier, pantry, and stainless steel Whirlpool appliances. New dual pane vinyl windows throughout. New Arcadia door in family room. New wood look tile flooring throughout with carpet only in bedrooms. Bathrooms completely remodeled with new cabinets, quartz vanity tops, new toilets, sinks, faucets, mirrors and light fixtures. New 4 ¼" baseboards throughout. New water heater, exterior/ interior paint, and exterior stucco. Large inside laundry room with new hook up. Newer roof and AC. 1 car garage, 1 car carport and 4 car slab parking.
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SANCTUARY on page 11
NEWS
FEBRUARY 22, 2017 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS
SANCTUARY
from page 10
About a week prior to Garcia De Rayos’ deportation, Stanton said the city will “fight the federal government’s attempt to turn the Phoenix Police Department into a mass deportation force.” Claudia Macintosh, a legal immigrant, testified against the petition at the meeting. “When you don’t follow the rule of law, you are definitely not a good citizen,” Macintosh said. “When you are here illegally, you are breaking the law, and the government should not be supporting and paying for anyone that’s here illegally.” Citizens frequently targeted council members directly, particularly Stanton. Abril Gallardo said her undocumented mother volunteered at events during his and some of the other council members’ election campaigns. “My mother is an undocumented woman who volunteered to cook for these canvases because she believed in you,” Gallardo said, adding: “We believed that finally, we were going to get someone who was going to stand up for us and our families.” Stanton offered his condolences and
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“Today the Mayor and Council denounced Trump’s executive order and Five other council members, its impact on local communities. including the mayor voted the same, punted on the Sanctuary City decision Stanton said, “It’s not about whether with DiCiccio and Councilman Jim and gave false hope that Phoenix could someday become a Sanctuary City. This Phoenix becomes a so-called sanctuary Waring dissenting. city, but how we collectively respond Throughout the meeting, DiCiccio will never happen. We will never be like to President Trump’s executive repeated his original sentiments that San Francisco, Chicago or New York. order that removes the focus of the Phoenix will never become a sanctuary Period. Jim Waring & I voted NO on this closed-door meeting that federal government’s was in the motion. Bizarre act of deportation efforts politicians talking from both sides from violent criminals It’s not about whether Phoenix of their mouth. The politicians to Dream Act students purposely meant to confuse the and others who are becomes a so-called sanctuary city... working hard to make —Mayor Greg Stanton public with this meeting.” The citizen who had submitted contributions to our the petition for council to consider country.” He then referred to the petition as a city and was upset with his colleagues making Phoenix a sanctuary city did maneuver to divide both the community giving citizens what he calls “false hope.” not attend the meeting, said Robbie “The language that’s in here basically Sherwood, press secretary for the mayor. and council. He also said that council’s decision “This position that we’re debating and gives the public uncertainty that we discussing here today was put before us may eventually become a sanctuary to study the state law was reasonable as a political ploy intended to divide our city,” DiCiccio said. “It’s never going to because so many people at the meeting happen.” had asked for such a study. community,” Stanton said. Following the meeting, he posted However, he noted that the law was As a result of the council’s action Feb. upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court. 15, the city attorney will evaluate the another message to his Facebook page: city’s legal options to challenge SB 1070 before discussing it again in executive Share Your Thoughts session. Councilman Michael Nowakowski, Send your letters who is from Laveen, requested a on local issues to secondary motion to Stanton’s, calling for a city challenge to this “ugly, racist pmaryniak@ahwatukee.com law” – in reference to SB 1070.
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NEWS
AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | FEBRUARY 22, 2017
Injured families back texting-and-driving ban, but face long odds Montana, which does not outlaw texting while driving. Arizona only bans texting by school bus drivers. State Sen. Steve Farley, D-Tucson, has been trying to pass a variety of texting bills for 11 years. Farley won a committee victory or two along his lonely path, usually winning the support of victims but not enough members of the Legislature. Ultimately, he would run into a formidable block wall, namely state Senate President Andy Biggs, a Gilbert Republican who believed such a law was unnecessary and difficult to enforce. Biggs pointed to a thick book of statutes and said police could cite for other violations, such as speeding or failure to stay in the proper lane. Farley would argue that some practices are so dangerous that they deserve a law to discourage irresponsible behavior, such as driving under the influence and texting while driving. With Biggs now serving in the U.S. House of Representatives, Farley and other supporters of a texting law, including some Republicans, have perceived an opening and are hoping to get a texting bill passed. But there are disagreements about how far a texting bill should go, with Farley advocating an outright ban and Sen. Karen Fann, R-Prescott, sponsoring a far more limited bill that only adds a sixmonth texting ban onto the provisional license typically issued to 16-year-olds.
BY JIM WALSH AFN Staff Writer
A
my Kiefer-Berard of Chandler holds her 1½-year-old daughter, Ann, born after a driver suspected of texting while driving ran her down, fracturing her skull and knocking her unconscious for a month. Kiefer-Berard’s daughter, Gabrielle, 4, who was 29 days old when the pickup truck slammed into her stroller that morning near Kiwanis Park in Tempe, playfully mugs for a camera. It’s hard to imagine that, like her mother, Gabrielle survived a brain bleed. It is a remarkably good outcome for the Berard family, with Amy returning to work this year as a science teacher at Chandler’s Hamilton High School. Despite their pain, anguish and even (Larry Mangino/AFN Staff Photographer) some small deficits caused by the lifeAmy Kiefer-Berard and daughter Gabrielle, 4 (sitting in dad Daniel Berard’s lap), were injured by a threatening injuries, the Berards know driver suspected of being distracted by texting. Daughter Ann, 1½, sits in Amy’s lap. they are among the lucky survivors of a collision caused by distracted driving. be a first step toward a more complete them told police he was looking into a When asked about Arizona’s lack of ban, and would encourage young people bag, but police strongly suspect he was a law banning texting while driving texting. The man’s pickup truck collided to drive properly. and the decade-long drive to pass such Advocates for a complete ban of with the rear of a car in front of him, a law, Kiefer-Berard says she hopes for texting while driving are still hoping and careered into Amy and Gabrielle. “anything on the books that would say, for legislation that would enact a more Prosecutors declined to file felony ‘pay attention to your driving.’” charges because of a lack of evidence. widespread prohibition. “I was lucky; other people aren’t,” she Detective Seth Tyler, a Chandler But Kavanagh, citing the polarized said. “I would hope that there would be nature of a conservative legislature leery police spokesman, said there isn’t a law so that people who are not paying of more government authority, sees little enough evidence of bad driving to seek attention are held accountable.” hope of a more inclusive bill passing, a felony charge. The driver was going an Debbie Thornberry, 65, of Chandler, including his own. estimated 44 mph in a 45 mph zone and was not so lucky. A physically“The only way to get a was not impaired by alcohol or drugs. fit woman, she was riding complete texting ban is to go He did not leave the scene. her bicycle north on Arizona straight the ballot” through “He was distracted. It just so happened The only way to get a complete Avenue, near Ryan Road, on an initiative, he said. that he dropped his phone,” Tyler said. Oct. 1 when she was struck texting ban is to go straight to ballot. But that doesn’t thrill the “Was he texting? We don’t know.” and killed. The driver told Berards or Lockman, who Tyler is unsure whether it would —State Sen. John Kavanagh police that he had dropped his wonder why the Legislature make a difference if police were able to cellphone and had taken his gets bogged down in prove the driver was texting when he hit eyes off the road while trying to find it. Sen. John Kavanagh, R-Fountain ideological politics over what seems a Thornberry because there is no texting Police suspect he was texting. Hills, sponsored a more inclusive texting common-sense safety issue. The Berards law. The Berards and Linda Lockman of law but Sen. Bob Worsley, R-Mesa, has note that the driver who struck them “I guess the message is that this is Gilbert, Thornberry’s sister, want to declined to give it a hearing, saying it was 23 and wouldn’t have been covered why it is so important that we not get spare others from the needless heartbreak has little hope of approval. Worsley, by Fann’s bill. distracted,” Tyler said. “This could be caused by distracted driving. They don’t who is chairman of the Transportation “It’s stupid. It makes no sense,” said me, this could be you.” know each other, but they have a special Committee, has supported Fann’s bill as Daniel Berard, Amy’s husband. “It Farley remains hopeful, despite his bond as victims. They want Arizona a first step toward a more substantial bill doesn’t matter if you are 16, 26, 36 or years of futility in attempting to get a to finally pass a bill outlawing texting next year. 46 if you are driving and not looking texting bill passed, because Biggs is while driving to send the public a strong “It’s an extremely mild bill,” Kavanagh where you are going. It has nothing to no longer erecting a roadblock. He is message about the inherent dangers. hoping a more sweeping bill might go said of Fann’s proposal. “If we pass it, it do with age.” “I want people to be more aware of might be a first step.” In the Berard and Thornberry before the full Legislature if Fann’s bill how this is affecting people, who lose a The Senate approved Fann’s bill in collisions, police suspected texting but is approved. loved one, so they don’t go through this a 25-5 vote. That action moves the did not have enough evidence to prove “If it’s the only thing that passes, it nightmare,” Lockman said. “I want to measure to the House for consideration, it. The driver in Thornberry’s case faces a sends absolutely the wrong message,” stop another family from going through If approved, the bill would generally misdemeanor criminal charge of causing Farley said. “We don’t want to send what our family is going through.” a message that if you are experienced apply to young drivers until they turn an injury or death with a vehicle. Arizona is one of two states, along with 16½, with supporters thinking it might The Berards said the man who struck enough, you can do it.”
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FEBRUARY 22, 2017 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS
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Bowie opposes expanded school voucher system as he presses on other issues
BY HAILEY MENSIK AFN Contributing Writer
B
obbleheads of former United States presidents line the windowsill of Sen. Sean Bowie’s tiny office at the Arizona State Capitol. On the adjacent wall are signed playbills and ticket stubs from the musical “Hamilton.” The 32-year-old Ahwatukee resident is a longtime history buff, majoring in history and political science at Arizona State University. He describes himself as the “only true freshman” in the Senate this year, because he didn’t previously serve in the House of Representatives like other new legislators. In fact, this is his first public office. Bowie is also the first Democrat to ever win this seat for District 18, covering Ahwatukee, south Tempe, west Chandler and southwest Mesa, and he remains committed to a campaign message that he believes got him elected – restoring education funding. His Ahwatukee constituents won’t let him forget that. On a recent day at the Arizona Legislature, he met with almost a dozen of them – many advocating for children and education both during visits at his office and on the Capitol lawn at an early-childhood luncheon. Bowie has introduced six bills so far, four of them regarding education, and serves on the Senate Finance and
WATER LINE
Senate Commerce and Public Safety committees. He is opposed to two identical education bills moving through the Legislature quickly that would expand school vouchers – a concern brought up by some of his visiting constituents. Senate Bill 1431 and House Bill 2394 would expand the state’s Empowerment Scholarship Accounts program, allowing eligible students to use 90 percent of the funding public schools receive per student in the form of vouchers toward private school tuition by the year 2020. Bowie vehemently opposes both bills. “What vouchers do by and large is subsidize tuition for these families that were already sending their kids there anyway,” Bowie said. “It hurts middleincome, lower income-families and it benefits higher-income families.” “I think if you polled our district, the vast majority would be opposed to it as well,” Bowie said. “It’s a step too far.” Another important bill to him this session is one of his own, Senate Bill 1321. Often, medical patients unknowingly receive assistance from someone out of network and are later charged soaring fees. Bowie’s bill works to evaluate the extent of the problem before deciding how to fix it and has received bipartisan support. In Ahwatukee, along with education, Bowie cites the abandoned Ahwatukee Lakes Golf Course and South Mountain Freeway as two principal concerns
among residents – especially as freeway House got three days,” Bowie said. construction poses new issues such But life as a legislator is about what as no 32nd street interchange and the he expected, with the exception of the demolition of the widely used Pecos rather amicable manner in which many Road bike lane. bills have been voted on so far. “There are some concerns that it’s just “It’s pretty rare for us, at least so too far along in the far, to vote on something that’s process that I can’t get really contentious,” it changed, like the he said. sound walls and the “Now when the elevated grade of the budget gets here, it’ll freeway,” Bowie said. be contentious. But “If we have to live we had a floor session with this freeway, we last week where like have to make sure 80 percent of the that it’s livable. I’m bills had been 30-0.” trying to make it as He’s even made good as I can with all friends in the Senate the factors at play.” already, some across Prior to serving as the aisle, he said. a legislator, Bowie As an undergrad worked full time at (Special to AFN) the Arizona State New state Sen. Sean Bowie, an Ahwatukee at ASU, Bowie wrote his senior University’s Provost’s resident, stands at his desk in the Senate thesis on Alexander Office, where he now Chamber after a day of hearings on variHamilton and works reduced hours ous bills. Thomas Jefferson’s that will pick up after feuding that ultimately led to the twothe legislative session. He helps expand need-based financial party system, he said, explaining his zeal aid, resources and opportunities for first- for the musical “Hamilton” and framed memorabilia. year and online students. He’s seen the show both on and off Transitioning from the university to the Legislature came with great speed Broadway. On the Senate floor, Alexander and little orientation, and his first days on the job have been hectic, especially Hamilton’s bobblehead is the only starting at the Senate rather than House former president sitting on his desk – next to a red, white and blue toy donkey. of Representatives, he said. “I had a two-hour orientation – the
from page 1
thoroughfare’s construction. The hope had been that the line ultimately would become permanent. ADOT spokesman Dustin Krugel held out a slim hope for the waterline. “If funding was provided to construct a waterline, ADOT and Connect 202 Partners, the developer for the Loop 202 South Mountain Freeway, could potentially install this infrastructuyre if a joint agreement between the City of Phoenix, ADOT and the HOA was finalized,” he said. All parties have said that the waterline must be constructed before the end of the year, since the freeway will start taking shape along Pecos Road by then. Meanwhile, freeway work continues to accelerate along Pecos Road while opponents’ attempts to halt the project
(Arizona Department of Transportation/Special to AFN)
This giant drill is digging holes for the pillars that will support the 17th Avenue Bridge over the South Mountain Freeway in Ahwatukee.
face a possible months-long wait for a hearing before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth District. ADOT is hoping to open the 22-mile
freeway between West Phoenix and the Chandler exchange on the I-10 by late 2019 at a cost of $1.77 billion – the most expensive highway project in state
history. Club West’s HOA has sued golf course owner Wilson Gee for reducing irrigation of the course during the summer, rendering portions of the fairways brown. Gee said he cannot afford Phoenix’s $700,000-a-year water bill. The Foothills is not in as dire straits as Club West, though it hoped to use the pipeline to boost water for its course because it cannot draw as much water as it wants from the well it uses now. A group that is proposing homeowners’ purchase of the Club West course has already stated that even without a source of cheaper water, it can cut the annual bill from Phoenix by as much as half through a variety of measures. ADOT’s announcement came amid a dispute over the highway agency’s use of See
WATER LINE on page 14
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NEWS
AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | FEBRUARY 22, 2017
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Rebar shafts like this will be filled with cement after they are put in the ground to form the supports for bridges across the freeway along Pecos Road.
WATER LINE
from page 13
Foothills land around its well south of Pecos Road near 40th Street On Jan. 30, the association’s lawyer had written ADOT to ask that it resume negotiations on a proposal to build the 2½-mile infrastructure for the water line around 40th Street and Frye Road or face legal action to eject contractors who were using Foothills-owned land in that area. That same day, the HOA board learned ADOT was having the site appraised ‒ the first step toward taking land through eminent domain. “This particular situation shows the awesome powers the government has to get this freeway built,” Blostone said. “Rather than resume negotiations with the HOA initiated last year to transfer the land via mutual agreement, they have seemingly chosen instead to simply take the land via eminent domain,” he added. Krugel said eminent domain is a last measure and would only come into play “after a reasonable effort has been made to come to a mutual agreement during the negotiation process, which has not started yet on this property.” The Foothills had complained to R. Brian Rockwell, ADOT’s assistant chief right of way agent, that contractors had scraped a parcel around an existing well and were installing a pipeline on HOA
property. It also noted that contractors were storing supplies on the site. The board’s lawyer said it was making the complaint reluctantly, stating it still hoped to negotiate the transfer of the land. But he complained that negotiations had been nonexistent for two months. He also asked ADOT to confirm that it still planned to build the auxiliary water line, describing it “as a valuable adjunct to the water supply available from the existing well.” On the same day that the Foothills board contacted ADOT, Appraisal Technology Inc. notified the HOA that it would be appraising the site on behalf of the state. On Feb. 8, ADOT’s Rockwell told the board’s lawyer that it wasn’t trespassing on HOA land. It said that the workers were from SRP, and that the utility was working within easements it already had. Rockwell told the Foothills that ADOT hopes to meet with the board soon to “develop a comprehensive and mutually acceptable agreement.” Krugel told AFN “there is no timeline” for negotiations to begin, except that they would start “once the appraisal has been completed.” Asked about the agreement officials thought they had with ADOT, he said: “An agreement has not been in place. ADOT has held discussions with the HOA, including meeting with the HOA in October.”
FEBRUARY 22, 2017 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS
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Community
AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | FEBRUARY 22, 2017
@AhwatukeeFN |
@AhwatukeeFN
www.ahwatukee.com
Ahwatukee preschool geared up for thousands on ‘Transportation Day’ BY COTY DOLORES MIRANDA AFN Contributing Writer
I
n February 2000, a group of parents at God’s Garden Preschool of Ahwatukee took it upon themselves to host a Transportation Day for area youngsters and their families. Little did they know that inviting a few police cars, school and city buses and the local Phoenix Fire Department Station 46 fire truck would evolve into a much-anticipated and well-attended annual event for the preschool, located on the grounds of Horizon Presbyterian Church. Th 17th annual Transportation Day may prove to be the highest-attendance yet, and Michelle Rhodes, God’s Garden Preschool Director and this year’s coordinator has plans to better measure the throngs that come at 9 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 25, for the Air Evac Services helicopter landing. Many likely will stay through 1 p.m. closing time to view more than 40 various vehicles of assorted sizes as well as four-footed friends – after all, horses are transportation, too. “We’ve known we had thousands on the grounds but this year we’ve got clickers at the entrances to get a more accurate count,” said Rhodes, who is in her second year as God’s Garden Preschool director. After years of bumper-to-bumper parking along an already-busy Liberty Lane, the school is again providing offsite parking and a shuttle service. This year, the Kyrene School district is donating a school bus to ferry families from the Kyrene de la Sierra Elementary School parking lot at 1122 E. Liberty Lane, to the church property at 1401 E. Liberty Lane. One of the highlights of a day of delights for children is the 9 a.m. landing of the Air Evac Services helicopter on the west side of the church. Piloted for five years by Ahwatukee resident and pilot Tom Cotharin, this
year the AS 350 helicopter will be in the hands of pilot and AES base manager Joey Martin. He will then assist curious children in and out of the big yellow bird, providing photo ops for parents and their wee participants. “I’m no longer actively flying, I’m area manager now, but Air Evac Services continues to support this event. This will be our eighth or ninth year,” said Cotharin. “We are part of the EMS community, and this is one way to show our appreciation of our friends and neighbors.” First-comers are also able to snag Transportation Day “loot bags” filled with kiddie trinkets and give-aways (AFN file photo) from participating businesses. A helicopter landed last year to open Transportation Day at God's Garden Preschool in Ahwatukee Last year’s quantity of 700 ran out and it will open this year's as well on Saturday, Feb. 25. quickly, so 300 more are being assembled over the grounds. In the past, the flyLive entertainment is ongoing this year. A new option this year is the addition over has consistently elicited loud oohs throughout the event, for which Freeway Chevrolet is the main sponsor. of food trucks slated to arrive after the and ahhs from the crowd. An $8 wristband is the key to fun in As it began 17 years ago, Transportation helicopter lifts off. Among the seven slated to feed the play zone that includes bounce toys, Day is the result of dedicated parent the masses are Gilbert’s Waffle Love a petting zoo and carnival games. This volunteers and staff at the preschool and and Mesa’s SuperFarm Super Truck. year, pony rides and train rides also will church. “It’s so rewarding to do this. My The other vendors will include Sweet be available for an additional cost. And indoors in the church social kids are 8 and 11 and still love Magnolia Smokehouse, Mustache room, parents coming to Transportation Day,” said Pretzels, DK Dogs, and grandparents Rhodes, who holds a Ph.D. in early Burgers Amore, wearied by the childhood education, a master’s in child Phoenix Phreeze What: 17th annual Transportation Day. noise and sun can development and a bachelor’s degree in Hawaiian shaved ice, When: 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 25. purchase raffle psychology. and Yoasis frozen Where: God’s Garden Preschool, tickets for scores “We have parents who work hard to yogurt. 1401 E. Liberty Lane, Ahwatukee. of themed baskets make this day a success.” But without a doubt, Cost: Free admission, of goodies. With more than 12 years experience in the 40-plus vehicles $8 for the Fun Zone. Over the years, early childhood education – including are the big draw, giving this part of the teaching at Arizona State University the opportunity for children to climb inside and outside fundraiser has been the most successful and community colleges – she said her construction equipment, police cars and money-wise. Baskets include get-away position as preschool director is fulfilling vacations, high-end toys for kids and professionally, and also allows her time military trucks. Also spread across the lot are UPS adults, autographed sports equipment with her own family. “I love what I do,” she said. “What I trucks, a Valley Metro bus, boats, local and more. There are also specialty boutique like about working here is our families ambulances, various machinery, military vehicles, motorcycles, antique cars and vendors indoors and out, including the come here for preschool, they don’t even an older form of transportation - newcomers – Scripture Shadows, owned come for childcare. And there’s such and operated by Ahwatukee moms a wonderful community feeling, At horses. Sometime during the four hours, a Nicole Koester and Leanna Hunsaker God’s Garden Preschool, family is truly number one – and that includes mine.” squadron of vintage biplanes will fly and The Balloon Cowboy.
IF YOU GO
FEBRUARY 22, 2017 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS
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COMMUNITY
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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | FEBRUARY 22, 2017
Desert Vista High lacrosse team raises money in cancer fight AFN NEWS STAFF
D
esert Vista High School’s lacrosse team does more than play games. For the last nine years under the leadership of Head Coach Dan Lannon, team members have held a fall fundraiser that has raised more than $40,000 for various charitable activities. Recently, the team presented a $2,500 check to Phoenix Children’s Hospital, part of the proceeds raised at the ninth annual fundraiser called Lax4Life held in December at Tempe Sports Complex. "Teams of all ages gather annually for fall ball scrimmages the first weekend in December to enjoy same good competition and also raise awareness and money for pediatric cancer,” Lannon said. Some proceeds also went to the Ability 360 Wheelchair Lacrosse Team and to assistant Thunder lacrosse coach Mike Wein, who has been battling leukemia since he was 2 years old. Brady Wein’s diagnosis in 2008 prompted Lannon, Wein and assistant coach Dan Bray to start raising money for pediatric cancer care and research.
(Special to AFN)
Desert Vista High School's lacrosse team presented Phoenix Children's Hospital with a $2,500 check, bringing to more than $40,000 the total that team members have raised over the last nine years for Children's Hospital and two other charities.
“The lacrosse community came together to rally and support Mike and his wife Rachel as they began the battle with Brady to fight the cancer,” Lannon said. “Each year the Desert Vista Lacrosse Team rallied volunteers and supplies to pull off this great event.”
“In 2011, Jack Welch, son of Beth and Keith Welch, was also honored at the event as he had recently been diagnosed with leukemia,” Lannon added. “In 2014, Lax4Life also honored DV student Evan Johnson, who was battling bone cancer.”
The event has grown from an original 12 teams to 52 participating teams last year. “The jamboree is able to raise money from team fees and largely due to the donation of the referee's fees. The referees are all members of the Arizona Lacrosse Officials Association, which trains and assigns local officials to lacrosse games in Arizona," Lannon explained. “We have a great group of parents at Desert Vista that make up our Lax4Life planning committee, and many of them stay on the committee long after their sons have graduated and left the team,” he said. “The players all perform community service hours during the day-long event, helping with set up, tear down and doing trash detail during the event. “Lax4Life has become one the marquee events in the fall for lacrosse in Arizona and everyone that participates in it looks forward to the day where there is good fun competition with the feeling of being able to make a positive impact in the community during the holiday season.” Anyone who wants to help the team can contact dan.lannon@yahoo.com
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COMMUNITY
FEBRUARY 22, 2017 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS
AROUND AHWATUKEE
Taste of Kyrene helps foundation help the needy
The Taste of Kyrene fundraiser for the Kyrene Schools Community Foundation will be 7-11 p.m. Friday, Feb. 24, at the Foothills Golf Club in Ahwatukee, featuring appetizers and entrees from area restaurants, a wineand-beer cash bar, entertainment and silent auction. People who cannot attend can purchase a $10 ticket for an “Opportunity Drawing” that doesn’t require the winners be present to claim their prizes. Besides scholarships for less-fortunate students, the foundation distributes school supplies, gently-used clothing and food to families in need. Tickets are at $50 online until today, Feb. 22. They will be available at the door for $70. Tickets: KyreneFoundation.org.
Senior living center plans intergenerational art show
Mountain Park Senior Living Center will display works by artists of all ages at its Heart of Art intergenerational art show 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 25, at its facility, 4475 E. Knox Road, Ahwatukee. Students from Desert Vista and Mountain Pointe High Schools will be among the artists displaying their work. The public is invited to the free show.
Desert Pointe Garden Club slates monthly meeting
The Desert Pointe Garden Club will meet at 9 a.m. March 6 at the Ahwatukee Recreational Center, 5001 E. Cheyenne Drive. This meeting will be followed by carpooling to a local nursery for a presentation on indoor plants in Arizona. Desert Pointe Garden Club meets monthly, September through May and sponsors various projects benefiting the community. New members are welcome. It is not necessary to belong to the Ahwatukee Recreational Center to become a member. Information: 480785-0061 or dpgc.org.
Kiwanis Club says Ahwatukee Easter Parade needs entries
The Kiwanis Club of Ahwatukee is still looking for more entries into its Easter Parade, slated for 10 a.m. April 15. The parade is followed by the Kiwanis Club’s Spring Fling. Both events raise money for the club’s numerous charitable
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activities throughout the year, including several programs for children in group foster homes. Deadline for entries is April 6. Information: msch0007@aol. com or 480-759-0007. The Official Easter Bunny is a parade sponsor so no adult-sized Easter Bunny costumes are allowed.
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Tempe Legion presents benefit dance for boys-girls program
The Tempe American Legion Post 4 will present its 23rd annual boys and girls state benefit dance 7:30-10:30 p.m. March 4 at its headquarters, 2125 S. Industrial Park Ave., Tempe. Proceeds benefit the legion’s program for delegates from area high schools who spend several days learning about government. The 20-piece Sentimental Swing Orchestra will play tunes from the 1930s and 1940s and tickets are $10 in advance or at the door. Information: 480-967-2968.
Ahwatukee Preschool opening registration next week
Open enrollment for Ahwatukee Preschool will be held 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 1 at its office, 11002 S. 48th St. Operated by Mountain View Lutheran Church, it describes itself as a "warm Christian environment" that tries "to burture each child's social, emotional and spiritual growth." A nonrefundable fee of $100 is due at time of registration., Information: preschool@mvlutheran.org or 480-893-2531.
AT&T upgrades 6 cell towers in Ahwatukee network
AT&T has upgraded 6 cell towers on its 4G LTE network in Ahwatukee, stating it will “give customers faster, more reliable wireless service.” Jerry Fuentes, president of AT&T Arizona and New Mexico said the upgrade “helps Ahwatukee residents get the best possible mobile experience, whether at home, work or on the go.” By building out the 4G LTE network, AT&T is laying the foundation for 5G Evolution, the next advance in network technologies. AT&T is increasing network speeds and capacity, as well as continuing to expand the availability of our network using the latest technology, a spokesman said. See
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COMMUNITY
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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | FEBRUARY 22, 2017
Ahwatukee Realtor marshalling troops for YMCA funding campaign BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor
T
here aren’t many people who do what Jim Hunt does just to go bowling. As chair of the Ahwatukee Foothills Family YMCA’s board of directors, the Ahwatukee Realtor hopes to raise at least $125,000 in the next six weeks or so. Bowling will be the way he and his army of volunteers will celebrate raising that cash for the YMCA’s charitable endeavors. Hunt is heading the YMCA’s annual Frames for Families campaign. It aims to raise the money needed to support activities that range from free or reduced-price after-school care for working parents’ kids who struggle to helping seniors who can’t go shopping or visit the doctor because they have no way to get there. “We have a lot of families who struggle in Ahwatukee,” Hunt said. “Everyone thinks Ahwatukee is like Scottsdale and that everyone is affluent.” “People need to know we’re much more than a swim-and-gym club,” he added.
“We’re the ones who connect people to services they need, and we fund-raise so we can help everyone who needs help.” While members’ dues foots the bill for the YMCA’s operational costs and most of its payroll, the Frames campaign provides it with the cash it needs to help needy youngsters, struggling families and senior citizens who have no one else to turn to. Last year alone, the campaign raised $75,000 to provide 1,367 scholarships to impoverished youngsters who were picked up by a YMCA bus after school and taken to the organization’s Liberty Lane facility, “where they get to stay in a safe environment until 6 p.m.” and their working parent picks them up. The Frames campaign also helps defray gas and other costs connected with the Y’s Outreach Program for Ahwatukee Seniors, a pioneering effort that is the only one of its kind among YMCA branches in the Valley. Y OPAS connects more than 180 volunteers with seniors who on their own alone and have no car or access to a bus to go shopping, make a doctor’s visit or make some other important
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appointment. The volunteers even spend a little time with them, sometimes taking them on a pleasant outing to break the monotony of living along. Last year, Y OPAS helped 447 seniors get to 4,567 destinations that required 72,456 miles of driving, Hunt said. “This is one of the fastest growing needs in Ahwatukee,” he added. “And the YMCA is the only entity meeting that need.” As an organization whose mission is built around health and fitness, the Ahwatukee YMCA also relies on its Frames campaign to provide free swimming lessons for needy kids and their parents. “We’ve found that a lot of kids who don’t know how to swim have parents who don’t know how to swim either,” Hunt explained. “So if their child falls into the pool, what are they going to be able to do?” (Larry Mangino/AFN Staff Photographer) Last year, the Y started reaching Jim Hunt, showing off the Ambassador of the Year award out to struggling families in he received last week from the Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce as Small Business Owner of the Ahwatukee apartment complexes, Year Janet Schwab of Elements Massage Chandler West handing out certificates for free looks on, chairs the Ahwatukee Family YMCA board. lessons. To meet his goal, Hunt has “I don’t like putting goals on people assembled 16 team captains, who will because then they start thinking it’s each field six to eight bowlers. a job,” he explained. “When you can Those captains and team members tell the story of what the Y does, you will be responsible for raising the cash, educate the community. Goals just make either donating it themselves or finding everything too impersonal.” donors. A past recipient of the Ahwatukee A member of the Y board for nine Foothills Chamber of Commerce’s years, the Frames for Families campaign Volunteer of the Year Award, Hunt also six years ago replaced the six or seven is active in the chamber and estimates fundraisers the organization had that his volunteering activities consume annually. about 30 hours a week. “It was hard because it never seemed “I keep telling people I have to save like we raised enough money,” Hunt said some time to sell real estate,” he joked, of the old fundraising approach. “This then seriously adding: way, we get to tell the Y’s story more “With the Y, I can help families in times.” the community and with the chamber, Hunt also has been able to grow the I help businesses. And you know, there campaign, having started in the Frames’ are a lot of times the two intersect. If a first year with only about a half-dozen family-owned business is having a bad teams. “Last year we were at 12 and this year, often the family has needs as well.” year, 16. In a few years, I hope we can get As for the celebratory bowling party to 24 teams. that comes at the end of Frames for “That’s a lot of soldiers telling the Families, Hunt isn’t shy about giving up YMCA’s story to the community. When a little secret: “I haven’t been much of a we tell people all the things the Y does, a bowler since I was a teenager in Nebraska typical reaction is ‘I didn’t know that.’” and bowling was the only thing to do on Hunt, who last year was both the top a Friday night.” individual fundraiser and the captain of Anyone wishing to help the campaign the top fundraising team, said he doesn’t can contact Hunt at 480-221-2883 or set goals. jim@huntazhomes.com.
COMMUNITY
FEBRUARY 22, 2017 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS
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(Kelly Athena/AFN Contributor)
The Relay for Life Team from Desert Vista High School held a garage sale and raised over $200 for the American Cancer Society. Among those who participated were, from left: Nori Matsushita, Marina Mehling, Brooke Walker, Jordan Gotwalt, Gabriella Rios, Jack Smith and Rachel Scheller.
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hat do seven enthusiastic teens, a Sputnik clock and cancer research have in common? A garage sale, of course. Garage sales seem to bring everything and everyone together to make a positive impact in this world. As I was weaving around garage sales in Ahwatukee neighborhoods Feb. 11, I came upon one with a familiar sign: “Relay for Life.” One thing this means to me is that a lot of families have contributed their extra stuff to a charitable cause. That means good chances of finding a prize in this box of Crackerjacks. I approached the driveway, which was filled with shoes, sports equipment, framed art, lamps, tables and a bulging clothes rack. A couple of friendly teens greeted me. “So, you’re raising money for Relay for Life – what’s that all about?” I asked. “It’s a night where hundreds of students from Desert Vista and Mountain Pointe high schools get together and spend 20 hours together at
the athletic field. Members of each team take turns walking the track all night. There is no sleeping involved. We each raise $100 to qualify to participate,” said Brooke Walker. Brooke is a Desert Vista senior and one of four student leads in charge of the Relay for Life Planning Committee. Brooke texted me later to let me know they had raised over $200. “This year we have a carnival theme. We join together in teams of 10 to 15 friends and choose a name for our team.” Later, I checked their website and found some unique team names like “Acure Bats,” “Cirque du Slay Cancer,” and “I Can’t Think of a Name.” Ahwatukee Foothills has been hosting a Relay for Life since 2004. Globally, over 5,000 communities in 20 countries hold Relay for Life events. The American Cancer Society receives most of its billion dollars in annual donations from fundraisers like these. It reports that it spends 75 percent of its contributions on cancer research, education and supporting cancer patients. According to Charity Navigator, one See
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of the top charity rating organizations, the American Cancer Society spends 59.9 percent of its income on its anticancer cause, and the rest on fundraising and administrative costs, including an approximately $1 million salary for the CEO. Nevertheless, students and teachers are enthusiastic about the event. It brings the community together for a common compassionate cause. Last year, over 700 students joined, raising $72,000. This year, over 350 students have registered so far. The event will take place from noon March 25 to 8 a.m. March 26. The public is invited to join this free event at Mountain Pointe High School from noon to 11 p.m. on March 25. Ashley Mentzer, an English teacher at DV, has been the club sponsor since 2014. I asked her how she got involved with Relay for Life. “I participated in it when I was a high school student. I have family members and friends who are cancer survivors, so I want to do my part in ensuring that cancer is eradicated within my lifetime,”
AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | FEBRUARY 22, 2017
Mentzer said, adding: “As a teacher, I also want to support students by giving them a space to hone event planning, public speaking and other professional skills that Relay provides” She explained more about the event: “The first lap of Relay is dedicated to survivors and their caregivers. It’s such an uplifting experience to see the crowd cheering and applauding them during their entire loop around the track. In the Luminaria Ceremony, participants are invited to decorate luminaria bags that pay tribute to those lost to cancer, honor survivors, or share messages of hope and perseverance.” If you’re a student or community member who would like to get involved with Relay for Life: relayforlife.org/ ahwatukeefoothillsaz or facebook.com/ ahwatukeerelay. Ashley Mentzer added, “It’s inspiring to see kids so genuinely committed to service.” And the one-of-a-kind Sputnik clock I bought for $2 is hanging on my kitchen wall, keeping perfect time. If you are hosting an upcoming garage sale, please let me know at least 2 weeks in advance so I can help publicize it. GarageSaleGirl@KellyAthena.com
(Special to AFN)
Desert Pointe Garden Club is preparing its annual yard sale 7 a.m.-noon Friday, Feb. 24, in the Ahwatukee Board of Management parking lot, 4700 E. Warner Road, Ahwatukee. The group's main fundraiser for the year supports charitable activities as well as maintenance of the Blue Star Memorial at 48th Street and Warner Road and donations to Penny Pines, a reforestation effort. The group also worked this year to landscape the backyard of a home for disabled adults in south Tempe which was overgrown and desolate. The group plans to move on to a second, similar home in the fall and begin work there. Participants in last year's sale included, from left, Judy Dykstra, Pat Faust, Judy Milgram, Jan Miner and Sandra Everett.
FEBRUARY 22, 2017 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS
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COMMUNITY
AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | FEBRUARY 22, 2017
Ahwatukee couple struggles to keep 3-month-old daughter alive BY COTY DOLORES MIRANDA AFN Contributing Writer
F
ebruary is designated American Heart Month and for a young Ahwatukee couple with 3-month twin girls and a 2-year-old daughter, it has far more meaning this year than in the past. Even before the birth of twins Nora and June in late November, Summer and Mason Roger knew they had a tough road ahead of them. It was during a sonogram at 19 weeks that they learned one twin had a heart condition known as hypoplastic right heart. “It was rough. We had to go through in vitro fertilization to get pregnant, so it really felt like we got kicked just when we were about to be on our feet again,” recalled Summer. On Valentine’s Day, Summer sat on her couch, feeding baby June, who now weighs just over nine pounds. Next to the couch in a small portable bed lay sleeping her twin, Nora, 11 pounds, swaddled in an identical pink and white-striped blanket. Cuddled close to her mother on the couch and sitting quietly was older sister Augustine. Mason Roger the day before had returned to work at GoDaddy following his 12 weeks of father’s paternity leave. His four “girls” watched the digital clock awaiting his return. Feb. 14 marked the end of Congenital Heart Defect Week, and at the Roger household that week was well-noted. “Life is very busy right now, but we are really thankful for it at the same time. We try to cherish every day we have with the girls because June’s diagnosis has really given us some great perspective on life and how short it can really be,” said Summer as she removed the bottle to rearrange her daughter, wearing a pink headband and her nasogastric intubation tube. “She was taken to Phoenix Children’s Hospital when she was 2 days old and was there for 41 days while we tried to juggle between home and the hospital and raising all three girls at once,” she said, adding: “We don’t have much family here, but have been shown the amazing goodness that can come from a rough situation. So many people have reached out to us with prayers, meals and kindness.” Baby June has been back to the hospital once since coming back home
(Dianne Ross/AFN Contributor)
February has had a special meaning for Ahwatukee parents Mason and Summer Roger because one of their twin daughters, June, left, is struggling with a heart defect. Eldest daughter Augustine sits between her parents while June's twin sister Nora sits in mom's lap.
but currently is doing well, gaining weight slowly as occurs with children’s congenital heart disease. She has weekly check-ups with her cardiologist and a PCH team follows her progress. She also has feeding therapy and physical therapy to try to keep her meeting normal developmental milestones. Her next surgery will be in the next three months once she is deemed strong enough. “I feel it’s important to shine a light on the congenital heart issue because one in 100 kids are born with one and it kills more children than all types of childhood cancer combined,” Summer said. “We’re very aware of the statistics now.” Despite the stress of caring for three little ones, one of whom needs more than usual amount of time and attention, the family maintains as upbeat an attitude as possible. “Sometimes your attitude is all you can control,” Summer said with a laugh. Mason said “the stress mode has
become normal now,” but that there is a great sense of joy in the household. “They’re great babies, just incredible; their sister Augustine is wonderful with them and always being of help, and their mother is happy to have them home and be able to care for them,” he said. He admitted that at age 28, this new life is more difficult than they’d ever imagined, and yet there are coping mechanisms that appear when needed. “Honestly, it’s a sudden responsibility. You’re the ones going to the hospital and having the hard conversations, but there’s not really time for it to be overwhelming. You just keep moving forward,” he said. “And we know we’re blessed.” The couple are long-time friends who met at Kyrene Akimel A-Al Middle School in eighth grade. She graduated from Desert Vista High School in 2008, he graduated from Metropolitan Art Institute in 2007. On Feb. 13, Summer took the podium at United Church of Christ in downtown Phoenix to express to the
congregation her family’s gratitude for the help members had offered before and following the twins’ birth. She pulled a dog-eared paper from a binder to read a portion of what she’d said. “Over the last year, I’ve learned that things don’t always have to be ‘good’ for something good to come of them. We could have easily let the darkness overcome our light, but instead we looked to God. So many good and beautiful things come to you when you give the power over to Him,” she read. “We’ve learned just how strong and amazing our daughter is, we’ve learned how to be more patient and selfless and how to be kind with ourselves and with others. We now try to live every day with a firm belief that where God guides us He will also provide for us.” The Rogers said they’ve learned to accept help and are amazed at people who have stepped forward to help with meals, financial assistance and just being See
HEART on page 26
COMMUNITY
FEBRUARY 22, 2017 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS
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COMMUNITY CALENDAR
SATURDAY, FEB. 25
Power Partners available
Come enjoy Dr. Seuss-themed early literacy and STEAM activities for the whole family at the Seuss-tasical Family Festival.. DETAILS>> 10 a.m.-1 p.m., Ironwood Public Library, 4333 E. Chandler Blvd., Ahwatukee. All ages; no registration required. Free.
WEDNESDAYS
‘Seuss-tastical’ fest slated
THURSDAY, MARCH 23 LD 18 Dems plan mini-golf bash
Legislative District 18 Democrats will hold a mini golf night with contests for the best-dressed couple and individual and goofiest hair-do. It will be followed by a happy hour with state Sen. Sean Bowie and state Rep. Mitzi Epstein. DETAILS>> 6 p.m. at Golfland SunSplash, 155 W. Hampton Ave., Mesa. $20 per person. Happy hour 8-9 p.m. Boulders, 1010 W. Southern Ave., Mesa. Information: ld18democrats.org
ONGOING
Congregation plans Israel trip
Congregation NefeshSoul is planning a tour of Israel June 10-20, 2017. Explore historical sites along with the beauty and rich culture of Israel. DETAILS>> Rabbi Susan Schanerman at rabbi@ nefeshsoul.org.
SUNDAYS
‘TinkerTime’ open for kids
A makerspace for children to design, experiment, and invent as they explore hands-on STEAM activities through self-guided tinkering. DETAILS>> 1-4 p.m. every Sunday, Ironwood Library 4333 E. Chandler Blvd., Ahwatukee. Ages 6-11. Free; No registration required.
MONDAYS
Chamber offers networking
The Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce networking and leads group is open to chamber members. DETAILS>> Noon, Native Grill and Wings, 5030 E. Ray Road, Ahwatukee. Devida Lewis, 480-753-7676.
Group aids MS sufferers
This group addresses the informational, emotional and social support needs of the MS community. People with MS, care partners and spouses are welcome. The group mobilizes people and resources to drive research for a cure and to address the challenges people affected by MS. DETAILS>> 10 a.m.-noon, third Monday of each month, Dignity Health Urgent Care Ahwatukee, conference room, 4545 E. Chandler Blvd. Free. Information: Lynn Grant at lgrant3567@yahoo.com or 480-414-7172.
TUESDAYS
Chair yoga featured
Inner Vision Yoga Studio offers chair yoga to help seniors and people recovering from injuries to stay fit. DETAILS>> 1:30-2:30 p.m., 4025 E. Chandler Blvd., Ahwatukee. $5 per class. Information: donna@ innervisionyoga.com or 480-330-2015.
Toastmasters sharpen skills
Improve your speaking skills and meet interesting people at Ahwatukee Toastmasters meetings DETAILS>> 6:45-8 a.m at the Dignity Health Community Room, 4545 E. Chandler Blvd., Ahwatukee.
The Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce networking and leads group is open to chamber members. DETAILS>> 8-9 a.m., Four Points by Sheraton, 10831 S. 51st St., Ahwatukee. Dorothy Abril, 480-753-7676.
Watercolor classes available
Watercolor classes that teach both bold and beautiful as well as soft and subtle approaches to the art are available twice a week for beginners and intermediate students who are at least 15 years old. Step-by-step instruction and personal help are provided. DETAILS>> 2:30-5 Wednesdays and 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Saturdays at Hobby Lobby, 46th Street and Ray Road, Ahwatukee. Cost: $25 per class, $80 for four classes. Registration required: jlokits@yahoo.com or 480-4718505.
Foothills Women meet
An informal, relaxed social organization of about 90 women living in the Ahwatukee Foothills/Club West area. A way to escape once a month to have fun and meet with other ladies in the area. Guest speaker or entertainment featured. DETAILS>> 7 p.m. second Wednesday of the month, Foothills Golf Club, 2201 E. Clubhouse Drive. Contact jstowe2@cox.net or FoothillsWomensClub.org.
Parents can ‘drop in’
Parents are invited to join a drop-in group to ask questions, share ideas or just listen to what’s going on with today’s teenagers. DETAILS>> 5:30-7 p.m. second Wednesday of each month. Maricopa Cooperative Extension, 4341 E. Broadway Road, Phoenix. Free. RSVP at 602-8278200, ext. 348, or rcarter@cals.arizona.edu.
‘Dems and Donuts’ set
Legislative District 18 Democrats gather for an informal chat. DETAILS>> Free and open to the public 7:30-9 a.m. the third Wednesday of the month at Denny’s, 7400 W. Chandler Blvd., Chandler. RSVP: marie9@q.com or 480592-0052.
LD 18 Dems meet in Tempe
The Legislative District 18 Democrats meet the second Monday of the month. DETAILS>> 6:30 p.m. social time, 7-8:30 p.m. meeting time. Old Spaghetti Factory, 3155 W. Chandler Blvd., Chandler. Information: ld18demsinfo@gmail.com. Free and open to the public.
See
CALENDAR on page 27
Montessori holds open house
Ahwatukee Foothills Montessori holds an open house weekly. It includes a short talk about Montessori education, followed by a tour of its campus. DETAILS>> 4 p.m. Wednesdays, 3221 E. Chandler Blvd., Ahwatukee. Information: 480-759-3810
Grief support is free
Hospice of the Valley offers a free ongoing grief support group for adults and is open to any adult who has experienced a loss through death. No registration required. DETAILS>> 6-7 p.m. first and third Wednesdays, Pecos Community Center, 17010 S. 48th St. 602-636-5390 or HOV.org.
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COMMUNITY
Chamber foundation needs local volunteers AFN News Staff
W
anted: Ahwatukee adults who care about children and education within their community. The Ahwatukee Chamber Community Foundation needs you whether or not you are a Chamber of Commerce member. Founded in 2011, the organization aims to “inspire the next generation of local entrepreneurs to become leaders in the Ahwatukee community,” board chair and Ahwatukee Realtor Christie Ellis said. Ellis noted the organization’s motto of “Building Community, Building Ahwatukee,” and said it reflects a vision “to develop, fund and provide resources to the people of Ahwatukee by way of its events and activities, scholarships and a future Entrepreneurial Institute.” Interested residents and business owners are invited to a meeting at 5:30 p.m. March 2 at the First American Title Company Training Room, 4435 E. Chandler Blvd., Ahwatukee. At the meeting, Ellis will discuss the foundation and hope to enlist people interested in
serving as board members or in other roles. “This meeting is for both chamber and non-chamber members,” Ellis said. “The Ahwatukee Chamber Community Foundation is looking for dedicated, community-passionate individuals, and organizations, who want to help provide outreach for children and education within our community.” The foundation’s primary activity right now is the Young Entrepreneurs Academy, commonly called YEA! It provides weekly workshops for young people who want to start a business. The current class has 11 youngsters ranging in age from sixth grade to high school senior. They will be developing plans and ultimately going before a group of local business owners to persuade them to invest in their ideas. "The goal of YEA! is to teach young people how to create their own American Dream,” Ellis said. Ellis said the foundation wants to provide “activities and events encompassing a wide area of interest with the goal to make the lives of the residents of Ahwatukee well-rounded.
AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | FEBRUARY 22, 2017
HEART
“These broad-based activities are intended to assist in the areas of community interest and may include training and educating the public on matters of finance and business, science and technology, as well as area economic planning and development,” she added. Ultimately, she added, the foundation hopes to “increase the desirability of the community in which our businesses are located and where the employees and families of these businesses work, live and play.” She said the board will provide “guidance and expert advice” and that members will be expected to “volunteer their time to attend meetings, fundraisers, and other events that further the goals of the foundation and expand the organization’s community-based programs.” The foundation was founded as a nonprofit by the chamber “as an additional component focusing on civic, social and educational programs and projects for the community.” People who cannot attend the meeting but still want to join the foundation can call 480-201-3575.
from page 24
there to lend a hand with the girls, or an ear to listen. “We have some family here, but not enough to really form that strong tribe you need surrounding and supporting you when you go through something as traumatic as a critical diagnosis,” Summer said. “However, some amazing people have come forward and loved and supported us like family and we are so grateful. “Our neighbors, the Gault family, have been an instrumental support through this journey,” added Summer, tearing up. “They are so kind and generous with their time and love. New Life Church has also reached out with diapers and food. We also have a Meal Train and a donation website that Mason’s coworkers, our family and friends have been so generous to support us through.”
The Meal Train account for the Roger family remains active at mealtraincom/trains/w76gee.
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COMMUNITY
FEBRUARY 22, 2017 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS
Stray lost way, now needs home AFN NEWS STAFF
F
riends for Life animal rescue has a stray that lost its way. Tanner is “a handsome Pit blend estimated to be about a year old and weighs about 45-50 pounds,” said rescue spokeswoman Jannelle Cosgriff. The dog was found wandering the streets and “sadly, no one came forward to claim him. Now he’s in search of his forever home with a new family.” Tanner is living with a volunteer from the rescue group and Cosgriff said she and her colleagues have learned a few things. “He does great with other dogs, however, he does not like cats, so Tanner needs a cat-free home,” she said. The dog is neutered, vaccinated, licensed and microchipped. His adoption fee is $110. Prospective owners can contact 480497-8296, ffldogs@azfriends.org or azfriends.org. Meanwhile, The Phoenix Animal Care Coalition is teaming up with Earnhardt Ford for a pet adopt-a-thon
CALENDAR
from page 25
FREE
10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 25, at Earnhardt Ford, 7300 W. Orchid Lane, near the I-10 and Ray Road. Past events between Earnhardt and the coalition have found homes for 750 animals. More than 40 rescue groups will be on hand, hoping to find homes for at least 60 animals.
DETAILS>> 1:30-2:30 p.m. 4025 E. Chandler, Ahwatukee. $5 per class. Information: 480-330-2015 or donna@ innervisionyoga.com.
Special networking offered
Toastmasters teach skills
THURSDAYS
SATURDAYS
Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce has a networking and leads group is open to chamber members. DETAILS>> 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m., Radisson Hotel, 7475 W. Chandler Blvd., Chandler. Devida Lewis, 480-7537676.
Kiwanis Club hosts Habitat
The Kiwanis Club of Ahwatukee meets every Thursday and welcomes newcomers. On Thursday, Feb. 23, Jim Wilkerson of Habitat For Humanity will speak. The club also is making plans for its annual Easter Parade and Spring Fling and always needs volunteers. DETAILS>> 7:30 a.m. Biscuits Restaurant, 4623 E. Elliot Road, Ahwatukee. Information: mike.maloney2003@ gmail.com.
Mothers of Preschoolers gather Free child care for ages 0 to 5. DETAILS>> 9 a.m. second and fourth Thursday, Foothills Baptist Church, 15450 S. 21st St. Call Kim at 480-759-2118, ext. 218.
FRIDAYS
‘Gentle yoga’ offered
Inner Vision Yoga Studio offers “gentle floor yoga” for core strengthening and healthy backs.
WHEN
..........................
..........................
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SATURDAY FEBRUARY 25TH 9AM - 1PM
VISIT | www.godsgarden.com/tday • • •
Helicopters, Tractors, Fire Trucks & More Helicopter rides at 9AM Kid Zone, Food Trucks & Much, More
Kyrene School District will be supplying FREE bus rides to and from the parking lot at Sierra Elementary
This chamber-exclusive Chapter of the International Toastmasters club boasts professional development skills. Become the speaker and leader you want to be with Ahwatukee Chamber Toastmasters Club. DETAILS>> 8-9 a.m., First American Title Conference Room, 4435 E. Chandler Blvd., #100, Ahwatukee. Devida Lewis, 480-753-7676.
Local Alzheimer’s group meets
Caregivers for Alzheimer’s patients can find support monthly. DETAILS>> 10-11:30 a.m. Ahwatukee Alzheimer’s Support Group meets the first Saturday of the month at Mountain View Lutheran Church, 11002 S. 48th St.
Bosom Buddies slates meetings
Ahwatukee/Chandler nonprofit breast cancer support group. DETAILS>> 10 a.m. to noon, second Saturday of the month. Morrison Boardroom next to Chandler Regional Medical Center, 1875 W. Frye Road, Chandler. Contact Patti Lynch at 480-893-8900 or tomklynch@msn.com or Cele Ludig at 480-330-4301. — Email calendar items to pmaryniak@ahwatukees.com — Check us out and like the Ahwatukee Foothills News on Facebook and AhwatukeeFN on Twitter.
WHERE
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27
28
COMMUNITY
AROUND
from page 19
Kyrene to discuss preschool programs with parents
Kyrene School District is sponsoring a “preschool roundup meeting” 10-11 a.m. Monday, Feb. 27, at district headquarters, 8700 S. Kyrene Road, Tempe. As part of Superintendent Dr. Jan Vesely’s priorities, the expansion of early education options remains critical regarding enrollment and student success. The district’s pre-K and early childhood programs emphasize early literacy, math and communication skills. “Given the success of these programs, and in an effort to keep up with the demand for early childhood learning options, Kyrene invites all community members to attend and learn more,” the district said in a release, The meeting will discuss both early childhood and pre-K programs, curriculum, tuition, registration process and summer programs.
Ahwatukee software company has education presentation
Delante Solutions of Ahwatukee will hold a day-long event 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 25, to show developing technology and data software to help educators improve student performance. Experts will teach high school students online technology that will enable them to build a website that day for the company’s newest product, the Delante Learning Project. The event is free but registration is required at delantesolutions.com/ techup.
Church collecting supplies, food for panhandlers
Mountain View Lutheran also is collecting donations for homeless people who panhandle at intersections and freeway exit ramps. “The idea for the project came from the awful feeling I felt when I would avoid eye contact with these folks,” said project organizer Jason Tollefson. “I was not willing to give money, afraid of it being used to reinforce a bad habit. I wanted to treat them as human beings, but not reinforce self-harm. That was what started the idea of Hope on the Highway.” Donations of non-perishable food, toiletries and socks can be dropped off through Feb. 26 at the church office, 11002 S. 48th St., Ahwatukee. They
will be packed into “Hope Bags” and then given to congregation members to hand to people when they come across them on the street. “The bags can even be built at home,” Tollefson added. “Just put some of these items in a bag and keep it in your car for the next time you encounter someone in need.”
Boy Scout Troop 78 planning semi-annual yard sale
Boy Scout Troop 78, a local troop that meets at Esperanza Lutheran Church, is holding its semi-annual fundraising yard sale 7-11 a.m. Feb. 25 on the southwest corner of Chandler Boulevard and 40th Street in the Safeway parking lot. Donations for the sale can be dropped off that day any time after 6 a.m .and the troop will give the donor a tax receipt.
GOP Women to hear Goldwater Institute vice president
Christina Sandefur, Goldwater Institute vice president, will address the Ahwatukee Republican Women at their monthly meeting at 6:30 p.m. today, Feb. 22, at Mountain View Lutheran Church, 11002 S. 48th St. She develops policies and litigates cases advancing health care freedom, free enterprise, private property rights, free speech, and taxpayer rights.
Honduras project schedules fundraising dinner
The Children’s Home Project, run by Sean and Jenny Kast of Ahwatukee to help poor children in Honduras, will hold a Le Fiesta Under the Stars Celebration dinner 6:30-9:30 p.m. April 1 at the Valley Garden Center, 1809 N. 15th St., Phoenix. Tickets are $40 in advance and $45 at the door. Information: tchp.org
Children of Hope Preschool opens enrollment next week
Children of Hope Preschool, 2601 East Thunderhill Place, Ahwatukee, will start enrolling children for the 2017-18 school year on March 2. Classes are offered for children 2-5 years old. Information: 480-759-1515, childrenofhopecdc.com.
Cancer Society slates 34th annual walk at South Mountain
The American Cancer Society will hold its 34th annual Climb to Conquer Cancer of Phoenix starting at 7 a.m.
AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | FEBRUARY 22, 2017
Saturday, Feb. 25, at South Mountain. The non-competitive hike to the summit of South Mountain is open to people of all ages and abilities, including hikers, runners, wheelchairs and strollers. The 5.5-mile walk will conclude with a festival offering a range of activities, food and entertainment. Registration per climber is a nonrefundable $40 in advance, and $50 day of event. VIP Parking at the base of the mountain is available in advance for $10 on the event website. Free parking is available at three locations with complimentary shuttle to event. Funds help support free programs and services for cancer patients in Arizona like Look Good Feel Better, Road to Recovery, Cancer Resource Centers as well as research. There are currently seven cancer research grants in Arizona funded by the American Cancer Society totaling more than $5.6 million dollars. Information/registration: phoenixclimb.com.
Line dancing classes offered at Pecos Community Center
Carrie McNeish will hold her cardioworkout line dancing and muscle mania classes beginning next week at Pecos Community Center in Ahwatukee. No partners or experience are needed for the dancing classes, which are on Tuesday afternoons and midday Thursdays. Muscle mania classes are on Mondays and Wednesdays. Register in person or at phoenix.gov/PARKS. “Drop In” class option also available Information: 480-221-9090, cmcneish@cox.net, or dancemeetsfitness.net.
St. Benedict Church prepares for big rummage sale
The parish of St. Benedict is accepting donations until March 10 for its annual rummage sale in the courtyard of St. John Bosco Catholic School on S. 48th Street south of Chandler Boulevard in Ahwatukee on March 11 from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Called the largest rummage sale in Ahwatukee by organizers, it will feature hundreds of quality donated items, including clothing, furniture, electronics and tableware.
Donations of all sizes can be dropped off at 16223 S. 48th St., near St. John Bosco. For furniture and other large donations, contact Gayle Siewert at 480-773-5300 to arrange for pick up. Information: stbenedict.org/ Rummage Sale. Founded in 1985, the Parish of St. Benedict serves over 1,300 families, couples, singles, youth and seniors. Information: stbenedict.org or facebook. com/ParishofStBenedictinAZ.
Ahwatukee YMCA offers fitness for cancer victims
Livestrong is a free small group fitness program at the Ahwatukee Foothills Family YMCA for adult cancer survivors aimed at easing them back into fitness and improve their quality of life. Each 12-week session meets for 75 minutes twice a week and a free YMCA membership for the duration of the program. Class size is limited to six people. Information: Debbie Mitchell at 602-212-6081.
Fundraising cocktail party planned to help YMCA
Silent auction items are being sought for a Cocktails for Community fundraiser to be held 5:30-7:30 p.m. March 22 at the Sunset Grill & Patio at the Foothills Golf Club. All proceeds will benefit the Ahwatukee Foothills Family YMCA’s annual community support campaign, which helps local needy families and seniors. A minimum $25 contribution includes two drinks and appetizers. To donate auction items or buy tickets: Carrie at cmcneish@cox.net or 480-221-9090.
Tempe Union textbooks open to public for review
Citizens have until March 1 to examine social studies textbooks that Tempe Union High School District wants to use in the coming school year. Books can be examined in the lobby of the district office, 500 Guadalupe Road, Tempe, during normal business hours. Information: Director of Instructional Services Brent Brown at 480-839-0292.
Share Your Thoughts Send your letters on local issues to pmaryniak@ahwatukee.com
COMMUNITY
FEBRUARY 22, 2017 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS
City needs kids for lifeguard jobs at Pecos Center pool S AFN News Staff
ummer may seem like a long way away, but the Phoenix Department of Parks and Recreation doesn’t think so. It is putting out the call for boys and girls as young as 15 to consider becoming a lifeguard at the Pecos Community Center swimming pool in Ahwatukee. “Pecos Pool is looking to hire 20 lifeguards for the summer,” said recreation coordinator Melissa Boyles. “It’s the perfect summer job,” she added. “Kids will work weekends in May, June and July. We are open Saturday-Thursday and weekends in August. Lifeguards can work anywhere from 20 to 40 hours a week.” Boyles cited a number of reasons to become a lifeguard beyond a chance to earn money. She noted the job offers a good way to make new friends, learn life-saving skills that keep the community safe, be a role model for younger children and work in their neighborhood. “It also looks great on a college application,” she added, because it “shows team-
work, responsibility and leadership.” Boyles said the city is looking for hard-working kids who can dedicate nine weeks to being a lifeguard at Pecos Pool. Generally, lifeguards will be responsible for watching over the pool and providing basic first aid to guests in need. Those who take an extra course may be asked to teach swim lessons. Boyles said those who don’t know much about lifeguarding will learn all they need to know during the city’s certification course. To qualify, applicants need to first sign up at phoenix.gov/parks/pools/lifeguard and complete a six-hour online training. They must then attend 11 classes at the pool, with 90 percent of the time spent in the water. The class times are 5:307:30 p.m. March 9, 5-9 p.m. March 14 and March 16 and 9 a.m.-3 p.m. March 18-19. Once they have completed the StarGuard certification class, applicants must then pass a pre-employment skills assessment test that puts them on an eligibility list. Hiring starts in April. The certification is good for one year.
UPGRADE
TO A
(AFN file photo)
Young people from age 15 and up who have always wanted to be a lifeguard should apply now to schedule training for a position at Pecos Community Center's swimming pool.
Participants must attend all classes and should bring with them sunscreen, a swimsuit, towel and snacks. “Once we get good staff there, we’re set,” Boyles said. “We have a fantastic manager at Pecos who has been managing at the pool for over 10 years so she re-
ally knows the community and the guests and she really takes pride in teaching and mentoring her staff. It’s just the bodies that we need now and good hardworking kids that can be mentored into great lifeguards.” Information: 602-534-6587.
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Opinion
AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | FEBRUARY 22, 2017
@AhwatukeeFN |
@AhwatukeeFN
www.ahwatukee.com
Confessions of a so-called 'enemy of the people' BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor
A
n enemy of the people died last week. I worked with him for a few years long ago in Pittsburgh. I didn’t much care for Andrew Schneider personally, but admired the work he did as an enemy of the people. He won a Pulitzer prize for disclosing how wealthy people easily manipulated the organ transplant system worldwide so that they could jump to the head of the line, often at the expense of people who needed a new organ more. A few years later, he scored another Pulitzer, this time for uncovering the truck-size holes in the Federal Aviation Administration’s medical screening apparatus for pilots. Both series didn’t just win recognition that many journalists seek – sometimes too much to the point where they all but forget the people they’re supposed to be writing for. The transplant system was overhauled. And the FAA reduced the chances of a pilot having a stroke or heart attack a few miles above land with a couple hundred
passengers aboard. With more than four decades of newspapering behind me, I’ve known a lot of enemies of the people. I’ve been accused many times of being one of them. Like the time the president of a union local representing grocery clerks and cashiers accused me of being anti-union when I disclosed how he and his cronies had awarded themselves fat paychecks while the membership was struggling to make ends meet because of the sweetheart contracts they negotiated. Or when a Philadelphia councilman tried to block me from public meetings because I detailed his longtime friendship with the head of the local mafia and his chief of staff’s intimate involvement in a gang that manufactured and sold hundreds of thousands of dollars of meth. And I still remember a Pennsylvania governor’s press conference where he denounced my series on corruption, institutionalized racial discrimination and incompetence in the state police. I worked with some enemies of the people over the years whose despicable acts awed me. I remember the reporters who disclosed how babies in Philadelphia’s foster care
system were dying of abuse and neglect at the rate of one a month. I was amazed by the work of a reporting duo that produced irrefutable data showing the erosion of the middle class – 20 years before most people realized they no longer could stop it. And I applauded the Phoenix reporters who showed how Arizona’s disciplinary system for physicians who committed atrocious acts of malpractice barely got a slap on the wrist and sometimes even got an indirect pat on the back. Here at the AFN, I guess we’re enemies of the people too. We tell the community about your sons and daughters and your neighbors' kids who win national recognition for making an intricate robot that works, who have labored for weeks to produce a Christmas ballet that has become as much an institution here as Santa Claus and who spend months wracking their bodies to play football or cheer the team on. And who can ignore the enemy acts we commit when we tell you about the amazing ways some of your local businesses were born and the work that business organizations put into things like Ahwatukee’s Red White and Boom? I won’t even detail our outrageous
enemy acts of putting a spotlight on the individuals who freely give of their time to take orphaned senior citizens to get their groceries, those who equip needy kids with decent clothes and adequate supplies so they have a chance to succeed in school, those who spend so much of their time and energy serving their community. Look at today’s paper. The enemy in us is reporting on the businesses, individuals and nonprofit organizations recognized last week by the Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce for their many selfless acts in the name of bettering the community. And it introduces you to people like Realtor Jim Hunt, who gladly takes on the unpleasant task of hitting people up for money so that the Ahwatukee YMCA can provide after-school care for the children of struggling couples and other services. And it compels us to disclose the agonizing efforts of an Ahwatukee couple to help one of their newborn twin daughters survive a serious heart condition. Yep, we're enemies of the people. But with enemies like us, who needs friends?
‘Good graft’ runs up Phoenix cost of housing for the poor BY SAL DICICCO AFN Guest Writer
D
o you know what modern government corruption looks like? In order to see it, you’ll first need to let go of many of the stereotypes you hold true. For example, many believe the government helps the poor. The truth, however, is a ruse as old as civilization: Government takes on a worthy cause, like building a school or affordable housing. After the project goes out to bid, the governmental entity selects itself as the developer. Government staff then hires their
family and friends to service the contract. And when all is said and done, the project costs twice as much, is half as good, and creates permanent city staff that now must find a new project to work on to protect their jobs. Under this model, modern day government takes a noble cause, like helping the poor, and turns it into a corrupt type of “good graft” benefiting the insiders who profit off the good will of the public. Let me give you a real-life example. In Phoenix, local politicians approved an affordable housing apartment project for the poor on land the city already owned. The housing, which should have cost $150,000 per unit, ended up costing
around $281,000 per unit for a simple apartment unit. As a comparison, the median cost of a single-family home in the Phoenix is $195,000. Around the same time, in one of the most expensive neighborhoods in Phoenix, a luxury apartment complex built and owned by the private sector was sold at a price considered the highest ever in the City of Phoenix. It had every high-end finish and amenity. This luxurious apartment complex sold for $277,000 a unit ‒ about the same as the “affordable housing” apartment complex the taxpayers were forced to pay for in the example above. So what went wrong? The “good graft.” To start, the City of Phoenix gave itself
the ability to self-select. This meant that even though there were multiple bids on the project from the private sector at about half the cost, Phoenix was able to select itself as the developer. Phoenix could have doubled the number of affordable units for the poor by selecting one of the other bids, but instead awarded the bid to itself. It saw the opportunity to perpetuate the “good graft” model and in turn, stole from the poor. So how does a modest government project cost have such inflated costs? Where did the extra money go? It went towards paying civil-service workers to pad their budgets and See
DICICCO on page 32
OPINION
FEBRUARY 22, 2017 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS
Kyrene District audit is ‘an opportunity for all of us’ BY JOHN KING AFN Guest Writer
I
wanted to comment on the recent story regarding the findings of an audit conducted by the Kyrene School District. I am a longtime Ahwatukee Foothills resident, former Kyrene parent and current President of the Kyrene Governing Board. Please note that in this commentary, I am not speaking for nor do any of my comments represent the other board members, nor am I writing this as the board president. I am, however, offering my view of the objective of this audit as a board member committed to the success of Kyrene and its students. I see this as a tremendous opportunity not only for the families and students of Kyrene, but for our Kyrene community to further our educational leadership standing among public school districts in Arizona. When I ran for the governing board for the first time five years ago and for reelection last year, it was with the goal of ensuring accountability, cost efficiency, high achievement results and adopting a high performing culture within Kyrene. The audit, which is something that the board had been seeking for some time, represents the first time that this level of scrutiny has been applied to the district’s systems of instruction. The audit process used was one designed specific to the work of school districts. It is based on very concrete and proven standards of assessing productivity, efficiency, the existence of clear and valid learning objectives, and the use of assessments to improve effectiveness. The audit was conducted by a leader in the educational audit profession with more than 500 such audits nationally under their belt. It represents thousands of hours of work by the audit team, including the review of over 700 documents, 180 interviews, 280 visits to
schools and classrooms and 429 responses to an online survey of staff, parents and the community. As the lead auditor said in his presentation to the board on Feb. 14, this process was not “for the faint of heart” and is something that only school districts “that strive to be excellent do.” The findings that were presented showed that even though Kyrene performs better than its peers in terms of student achievement (as measured by AzMERIT), not all students are achieving equally. It concerns me that we are falling short of providing EVERY student in Kyrene with an optimum learning experience. We also are not providing our teachers with the support they need to do their best in the classroom, lacking a formal process for implementing interventions for those students who are struggling and falling short of providing comprehensive and data-driven professional development. I welcome this report and consider it an opportunity for all of us – the elected members of the governing board, the administration being led by new superintendent, Dr. Jan Vesely, our awesome Kyrene school leaders, teachers and staff, our parents and business and community members – to take these findings, roll up our sleeves and do the hard work that will be required to take Kyrene to the next level of excellence. This will take some effort that will take more than a year to put into place and more than a couple of years to root this new culture in the district. We owe it to the community, the families and more importantly, the current students in Kyrene as well as Kyrene’s future students, to ensure that we make good on our promise to provide them with the best educational experience possible. -John King is president of the Kyrene School District governing board and a longtime Ahwatukee resident and parent.
Share Your Thoughts Send your letters on local issues to pmaryniak@ahwatukee.com
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OPINION
DICICCO
AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | FEBRUARY 22, 2017
from page 30
increasing the power of civil service managers. It went to support salary increases for government employees. It supported dramatic increases in the pensions of managers and civil service workers to cushion their retirement years. Working class citizens are often forced to pay their last pennies to taxes that directly fund the benefits and pensions of local city staff. Imagine, many of these working taxpayers cannot afford basic health insurance for themselves, let alone a pension, but their tax dollars are used to pay for those benefits for city staff. These Cadillac benefits were accrued over years of union negotiations with city staff and are a clear violation of the fiduciary duty city employees hold. Over the course of these public union negotiations, city staff sits across the table from union officials negotiating for more benefits and better pensions. These city employees have no incentive to say no; any benefits they approve will ultimately be given to them as well. Any pay or benefits they cut or take away during negotiations are ultimately taken from them as well. This inherent conflict creates financial instability and
Phoenix City Hall
contributes to a structural deficit. The City of Phoenix has over 13,000 employees with an average cost of over $110,000 per employee. You need only look at the top 50 City of Phoenix retirees to see a clear example of government excess. The top 50 Phoenix retirees will take out over $173 million in benefits by the time they are 78 years old. Imagine
the impact of 13,000 current employees at retirement age. All these retirement and benefit plans cost time and money, and the money for these benefits must come from somewhere. This is money that should go towards servicing the poor and providing necessary city functions, but instead, it goes into the pockets of city
employees via their benefits. Now that you know the truth, you have entered the government matrix. In the end, the poor are not getting the services they need and hard-earned tax dollars are not going towards the projects they claim to be needed for. For elected officials, it’s easy to simply vote no when the time comes. But it will take more than that. We must understand why the system functions in the manner it does. The answer is the “good graft.” This problem transcends party lines. Whether Democrat or Republican, we cannot let the noble nature (Special to AFN) of the cause make us blind to the corruption of the graft. Accountability starts when politicians make the conscious decision to protect the taxpayer first and to place the needs of the poor above the needs of government staff. Sal DiCiccio is an Ahwatukee resident and the Phoenix council representative for the Sixth Council District, which includes Ahwatukee. Reach him at: council.district.6@phoenix.gov. or 602-262-7491
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Real Estate Guide Four steps for home buyers to consider before spring AFN NEWS SERVICES
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lanning to buy a home this spring? Then right now is the time to get rolling, Realtor.com and other experts say. Follow these steps and you’ll be way ahead of the pack once the spring homebuying season heats up:
Step 1: Find a buyer’s agent
Teaming up with a buyer’s agent during the winter offers several advantages. For starters, because business is slow, an agent can take the time to help you
identify what type of home you want and educate you on the local market so that you’ll have realistic expectations of what you’ll be able to find in a few months. Also, “your agent may hear of properties that are going to come on the market in the spring, which could enable you to get a sneak peek at homes before other buyers,” Yee said. To find a real estate agent, you can ask friends or family for referrals, or use a reputable real estate agent database. “If you’re laser-focused on a specific See
FOUR STEPS on page RE2
Luxurious uniquely designed Forte custom home in the secluded mountain side gated community of Calabrea.
Bonny Holland
SPOTLIGHT TLIGHT home
$1,399,000
See Page 6
5,300 sq.ft., 7 bedroom, 5.5 bathroom. Stunning luxury estate on almost 1 acres with horse privileges.
Listed for $1,099,000
Geno Ross
See Page 6
Inviting territorial single-level custom home with circular drive, front courtyard and side-entry garage.
Listed for $675,000
Mike Mendoza
See Page 6
Ahwatukee’s #1 Team for Over 28 Years 480-706-7234
The Foothills - Front
The Foothills - Back
Stunning mountain views from hillside lot. 4 br, 2.5 ba with 2,801 sq. ft. Spacious open floor plan with downstairs office and Plantation shutters. New appliances including refrigerator, dishwasher, range/oven, washer, dryer and water heater. Private backyard on preserve with gated pool. Walking distance to shopping, hiking and park.
Listed for $415,000
Each Office is Independently Owned & Operated
www.MendozaTeam.com
Mountain Park Ranch - Front
Mike Mendoza
Mountain Park Ranch -Back
Impeccable T.W. Lewis home with 5 br, 3 ba and 3,076 sq. ft. Spacious eat-in kitchen features black granite countertops and black appliances. One bedroom and full bath down with master suite and three secondary bedrooms upstairs. Resort-style backyard replete with amazing built-in kitchen, fire pit with seating, salt water pool and above ground spa.
Listed for $419,500
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REAL ESTATE
AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | FEBRUARY 22, 2017
Top seller
This home in the 3700 block of E. Desert Broom Way commanded the top sold price in Ahwatukee over the last two weeks at $565,000, according to mls.com listings. The nearly 3,000-square-foot, four bedroom/two-and-a-half bath house was built in 1993 and backs into South Mountain. Located in Mirada Canyon, it boasts of a split master bedroom with an open-floor plan, soaring ceilings and a living room fireplace. The kitchen is equipped with stainless steel appliances and granite countertops.
FOUR STEPS
from page RE1
neighborhood, you’ll want to work with a neighborhood specialist, someone who knows the community like the back of their hand,” Yee advised.
Step 2: Get financing squared away
Before you even lay eyes on a house, you should be looking at lenders. Lenders will help you get real about how much house you can afford. They will determine how much money they’re willing to lend you by checking out your financial details, from your income to your credit score and more. Plus, if your finances are less than perfect, you’ll be able to find out in plenty of time to make amends. “Depending on what shape your credit is in, it may take a couple of months to raise your score,” said Richard Redmond, mortgage broker and author of “Mortgages: The Insider’s Guide.” If your credit score is strong (760 and above will qualify you for the best interest rates), getting pre-approved for a home loan now makes sense. “Pre-approval is usually only good for 90 days,” said Redmond, “but it’s easy to renew it if the borrower’s financial picture doesn’t change. And when interest rates are trending upward, which they currently are, it’s better to lock in your rate sooner rather than later.”
Step 3: Preview homes
You’ll probably do an initial consultation with your agent to identify what type of home you want to buy. However, you won’t really know what type of home you’re looking for until you actually step inside some homes, said Realtor Lisa Cahill. “Your criteria can change when you start to look at properties,” said Cahill. For example, you might think you need a home with 2,500 square feet of living space, but that number could change when you start seeing homes in person. Your real estate agent can alert you to open houses to attend.
Step 4: Scrutinize neighborhoods
“You can tell whether an area has good schools on paper, but there are a lot of things you can’t judge unless you go there in person,” said Cahill. For instance, online research won’t show you what the noise level is during rush hour or what the neighbors are like (e.g., is it more for young families or older residents?). Those are things that you need to assess with your own eyes. Concerned about traffic? “Go and test-drive your commute,” said Peggy Yee, a supervising broker, adding: “Spring is peak home-buying season, which means you’re going to have a ton of competition from other buyers.”
Low housing inventory may spur earlier home-buying season AFN NEWS SERVICES
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onventional wisdom in real estate holds that sellers should time the market to maximize their price. As Realtor.com noted recently, “home sales are extremely seasonal: They peak in spring and summer, when prices peak as well.” “That’s why in most markets, most years, the optimal time to list is in the spring, so that the maximum number of potential buyers view the home,” the website said. But this is an era in which conventional wisdom “is becoming an ever-sketchier concept,” Realtor.com noted. “So why should real estate be immune from all this topsy-turviness? This year, the conventional wisdom of buying and selling may need to change,” it added. Inventory levels at the beginning of 2017 are at multiyear lows. Sellers now face very little competition. Likewise, buyer demand is abnormally strong for the off-season. The climb in mortgage rates that started in October and accelerated in November and December “has created a sense of urgency among buyers,” Realtor.com said. The new year is expected to bring more economic growth and even higher interest rates. And with consumer confidence at a 15-year high, buying competition is likely to get fierce.
Not everyone can move up their plans for the spring and summer; but even so, the months of winter and early spring “will likely be much busier than usual,” Realtor.com noted, adding: “Therefore, sellers could benefit less from timing a spring listing for a summer sale this year.” But the most important reason to consider selling early this year is the same reason most people want to sell in the first place: so they can buy again. Realtor.com estimates that more than 85 percent of sellers are planning to buy another home. The endgame is not necessarily getting the maximum price on the house being sold, but rather taking the best path to the next home. When interest rates are moving up, waiting to sell could end up costing more than selling sooner and locking in today’s rates. Waiting to sell could also mean having to wait to buy when there are even fewer homes available. The biggest challenge to growth in sales this winter and spring will most likely be inventory, the website stated. “That means that the market overall continues to favor sellers. But that won’t last forever. As rates continue to rise, higher financing costs will eventually dampen demand,” it suggested, adding: “If you are thinking of selling and buying in 2017, the early bird may get the worm. And the best new nest.”
REAL ESTATE
FEBRUARY 22, 2017 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS
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Bill Watson
Gets Results. Top 1% of Agents in Arizona.
Housing demand may withstand higher mortgage interest rates AFN NEWS SERVICES
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ew data from Black Knight Financial Services suggests that demand might be resilient enough to withstand higher borrowing costs in 2017. The last time mortgage rates spiked was in mid-2013, when then-Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke warned markets that the central bank would shortly begin to unwind its extraordinary stimulus programs. Rates jumped a full percentage point between April and September, and mortgage applications plunged. So did home price appreciation. In a market like housing, it takes time for prices to respond – in this case, until August, when they were rising at an annual rate of 9 percent. Then appreciation fell every month for over a year until hitting bottom. When price gains finally starting rising in early 2015, they kept going. Lower rates helped boost demand, and that was reflected in stronger pricing, said Ben Graboske, Black Knight’s vice president of data and analytics. Another factor driving prices up is
extremely tight supply. Inventory of previously-owned homes fell to a 17-year low last month, and choices of both existing and new homes have been so scarce that analysts have assumed it will quench demand at some point. But prices even spiked a bit in the last months of 2016, after rates surged postelection. Black Knight doesn’t have December home price data yet, and Graboske cautioned that it’s hard to predict the path of mortgage rates from here on, with so much uncertainty around policy and markets. If rates go up enough, price appreciation could slow – and possibly even reverse, he told MarketWatch. But there’s another big question mark hanging over the housing market: the path of regulatory reform. If there are big changes to the 2010 Dodd-Frank law, Graboske said, it could open up lending to far more Americans. “If you really tap into that new population of potential borrowers that have been renting and paying increasing rents for years that could get really interesting,” Graboske said.
The Tompkins Team
kw
®
THE Hardest Working Real Estate Professional.
I CAN SELL YOURS TOO! Fox Crossing
$349,900
Villas at Desert Park Village
$415,000
The Foothills
$464,900
Thunder Mountain
$699,000
Here it is! Single level, 4 bedroom, split floor plan, pool and 3 car garage sitting on an North-South lot just steps away from park! Light and bright with separate living and family room. Large eat-in kitchen with breakfast bar, stainless steel appliances, built-in microwave. Tile floors, plantation shutters, neutral colors. Large master bedroom and bathroom with separate shower/tub and huge walk in closet. Nice covered patio facing North overlooking cute play pool. Over sized secondary bedrooms, inside laundry and cabinets in the garage and beautiful landscaping. Steps away Basha elementary. Don’t miss this home! If you show it, you will sell it!
Wow! Don’t miss this 3311 square foot 4 bedroom plus game room and bonus room that can easily be 5th bedroom downstairs with 3.5 Bathrooms! Sitting in a cul-de-sac! New kitchen remodel 2012 with upgraded raised cabinets, granite counters and stainless steel appliances! Slate floors, upgraded custom paint. Large open kitchen area to family room has 20 foot ceilings, two way fireplace to huge game room. Large master upstairs with walk out deck to amazing mountain and city light views. More mountain preserve across the street from the home! Backyard oasis with built-in bbq, out door custom fireplace and spa. Wood blinds and sunscreens throughout. 2 15 Seer a/c units installed 12/14. This home is a 10! If you show it, you will sell it!
SONORAN LIVING
KELLER WILLIAMS® REALTY
Riley, Coleen, Ron and Drew
YOUR FIDUCIARY Trust and Confidence!
www.TompkinsAZHomes.com Each office is independently owned and operated.
480.706.7259
Your invitation has arrived! Pristine mountain views surround this beautiful DC Ranch townhome in a gated community! Wonderful open floor plan with 2 bedrooms + den is an interior lot end unit! Masterfully upgraded kitchen offers stainless steel appliances, granite counters & backsplash, custom cabinets and a raised breakfast bar where guests can easily chat with the chef! Grand staircase with handsome wood and wrought iron railing leads to the master suite with sitting area, walk in closet, relaxing spa like bath and an exit to the private balcony with spectacular views. Plenty of community amenities in this well maintained subdivision! 38 homes in the Villas share a heated community pool and the Desert Camp Community Center with lap pool, fitness center, tennis courts and play ground.
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®
**CHECK OUT THE VIRTUAL TOUR** Outstanding Home in the Gated Community of Thunder Mountain Estates! Nestled on over an acre of land with private courtyard entry. Dramatic soaring beamed ceilings, soothing interior palette, two story stone fireplace, built-in entertainment wall, upgraded lighting, and beautiful tile floor. French doors to patio and plush carpet in all the right places. Stunning granite counters, breakfast bar, SS/black appliances, and plethora of wood cabinetry in gourmet kitchen. Private Den and amazing loft area with endless possibilities. Romantic fireplace in master retreat with patio access, walk-in closet, and spa-like en suite. Bonus Sauna Room! Enjoy the backyard sparkling pool with fountain, spa, majestic Saguaros, covered patio, and natural desert views.
SONORAN LIVING
KELLER WILLIAMS® REALTY
www.TheBillWatsonGroup.com
480.706.7211 • 602.469.0388 Professionalism • Integrity • Communication
Each office is independently owned and operated.
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REAL ESTATE
AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | FEBRUARY 22, 2017
129,150 $170,000 $175,000 $214,000 $220,000 $239,900 $240,000 $249,900 $254,475 $255,000 $263,500 $270,500 $273,000 $320,000 $330,000 $340,000 $379,000 $410,000
85048 157,000 $259,700 $285,000 $292,500 $310,000 $310,000 $318,900 $349,900 $367,500 $415,000 $432,000
4840 E. Mineral Road 8449 S. 48th St. 12135 S. Tomi Drive 9611 S. 44th St. 4843 E. Western Star Blvd. 4044 E. Walatowa St. 12409 S. 44th St. 12044 S. 45th St. 3837 E. Tano St. 14253 S. Cholla Canyon Drive 10609 S. 42nd St. 9613 S. 50th St. 4537 E. Dry Creek Road 14628 S. 35th Place 12629 S. 41th Place 4356 E. Coconino St. 14209 S. 35th Place 9452 S. 51th St.
$437,000 $565,000
BY BONNY HOLLAND AFN Guest Writer
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3236 E. Chandler Blvd. 16006 S. 44th St. 16671 S. 2nd Place 16641 S. 13th St. 3229 E. Mountain Vista Drive 16616 S. 14th St. 2434 E. Taxidea Way 1009 E. Mountain Vista Drive 15454 S. 29th St. 16431 S. 2nd Place 918 E. Mountain Sky Ave. 1424 E. Desert Broom Way 3173 E. Desert Broom Way
ith the Valley’s housing market stable, affordable Bonny Holland interest rates and a high demand for rental homes, now is a good time to buy and hold investment real estate. Of all the potential ways to grow wealth, there is strong belief that purchasing longterm rental properties is one of the most effective. It is an age-old plan. In fact, John Jacob Astor, a famous real estate investor and America’s first multi-millionaire once stated that if he could go back and change one thing in life, he would have bought every square inch of Manhattan and held onto it. More recently, Warren Buffet was quoted saying, “Buy it (property) thinking you’ll hold it forever… our favorite holding period is forever.” Buying and holding real estate requires less capital and offers more control to the Investor than most other forms of investing. The formula is based on a simple plan of action. Research and
85045 $250,000 $385,000
1423 W. Thunderhill Drive 2732 W. Glenhaven Drive
BONNY HOLLAND EAGLE RIDGE
Ahwatukee Resident and Realtor since 1995 AHWATUKEE CUSTOM ESTATE
3214 E. Tere Street
15003 S. 7th Street
NEW LISTING
FEATURED LISTING
$1,035,000
3,074sqft, 4 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom. Gorgeous hillside custom home in the pristine gated community of Black Rock Canyon.
4222 E. Rock Wren Road
SALE PENDING
2,832sqft, 5 bedroom, 3 bathroom. Beautiful upgraded single family home in the desirable community of Mountain Park Ranch.
16232 S. 1st Street
SOLD!!!
2,401sqft, 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom. Beautiful single level with front to back mountain views in the highly sought neighborhood of Horizon Heights in the Foothills Club West.
$399,900
$385,000
$739,900
CANYON RESERVE
CANYON RESERVE
HORIZON HEIGHTS
MOUNTAIN PARK RANCH
BLACK ROCK CANYON
3,917sqft, 5 bedroom, 3 bathroom. Fabulous custom estate on private, huge 56,000+sqft hillside lot in the pristine community of Ahwatukee Custom Estates.
337 E. Windmere Drive
analyze, purchase, manage and maintain. As you accumulate more hold properties, If one investment property can help Then, watch your portfolio grow. you will need to manage and maintain grow your financial position, what would To accomplish the plan of action, them. Professional property managers multiple properties do over time? If you will need a team of professionals have true systems in place to help you done right, buying rental properties for behind you. First is a good Realtor that manage and maintain every aspect of a long-term investment can increase your understands investing in real estate. your properties and help you run those monthly cash flow and grow your net Good real estate purchases require properties like a business. worth while using other people’s money. understanding the market, In addition, your debt will having access to the best decrease monthly from your opportunities and having the tenant’s payments while your judgment to help you eliminate equity increases. potentially bad buys. Holding real estate is the The key to successful ultimate “get rich-slow scheme” purchasing is research and for Investors. Establishing analysis. If the numbers do not a strong team of good work, do not buy it. professionals including a The most important numbers Realtor, financial advisor, and for investment properties is property manager will help you cash flow. The market will find, purchase, manage and always fluctuate up and down. hold investment properties. But if you have leveraged the Buying and holding investment by putting a good properties can create residual percentage down, mortgage income while growing wealth (Special to AFN) the balance and have a tenant Real estate may offer a more attractive and reliable investment. and help you on the road to in place covering the payment, financial freedom. you will have the opportunity over time to Some services they provide are leasing, Holland, of Keller Williams, Sonoran take advantage of appreciation while your managing tenants, maintenance and -Bonny Living in Ahwatukee Foothills, can be reached tenant helps increase your equity every repairs, and help with all the record and at 602-369-1085, leadingluxuryexperts.com or on Facebook and Twitter. month. bookkeeping required.
#1 Agent in Ahwatukee Closed Volume 2016
Leading Luxury Home Experts
PASEO CROSSING
WHISTLING ROCK
NEW LISTING!
5,918sqft, 5 bedroom, 4.5 bathroom. One of the most luxurious, private, mountain top custom homes in all of the Southeast Valley.
$1,850,000
Each Keller Williams Office is Independently Owned and Operated
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Holding real estate is the ultimate get-rich-slow plan for investors
Ahwatukee homes sold 85044
REAL ESTATE
FEBRUARY 22, 2017 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS
14037 S. Rockhill Road
14428 S. Canyon Drive
NEW LISTING
FEATURED LISTING
5,907sqft, 5 bedroom, 5.5 bathroom. Incredible hillside custom estate on massive 103,000sqft lot in highly sought after gated community, Canyon Reserve.
$1,575,000
3,100sqft, 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom. Beautiful estate on .93 acre private lot with Guest House in the luxurious gated community of Canyon Reserve.
$899,000
14228 S. 2nd Street
SALE PENDING
3,173sqft, 4 bedroom, 3 bathroom. Stunning upgraded hillside T.W. Lewis nestled in the mountainous gated community of Whistling Rock.
$750,000
B onny@LeadingLuxur yExper ts.com • w w w.LeadingLuxur yE xper ts.com • 602.369.1085
849 E. Leo Place
SOLD!!!
1,980sqft, 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom. Beautiful single level home in the wonderful gated community of Paseo Crossing.
$305,000
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REAL ESTATE
AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | FEBRUARY 22, 2017
SPOTLIGHT TLIGHT home
This is a rare find! Stunning luxury estate on almost 1 acre with horse privileges, 5300 sq. ft., 7 bedroom, 5.5 Bath, and remodeled, foyer w/medallion, formal living & dining, family room w/stacked stone fireplace, kitchen includes:slab granite counters, backsplash,island,subzero,and walkin pantry, breakfast room, recessed lighting throughout, stone-look tile flooring w/marble inserts, harwood flooring, new fixtures, wood shutters, master suite w/balcony, his/ her closets, master bath w/roman tub, all secondary bedrooms are large, basement with media/gameroom,bar, paradise backyard includes:covered patio, pebbletec pool, waterfall, grotto, slide, jacuzzi, bbq, 2 firepits, huge grass area, treehouse, citrus trees, basketball court & 300 sq ft workshop, located next to shopping & dining, this dream estate is perfect for families and entertaining!
Listed for $1,099,000
Geno Ross (602) 751-2121 www.GenoRoss.com Equestrian Estates
16807 S. 32nd Lane This Forte’ Home is a unique design where the home completely surrounds the interior court yard that includes a fireplace, a large ironwood tree and travertine pavers. It boasts a large four car garage, a climate controlled 900+ bottle wine cellar off of elegant formal dining and living rooms, Cantera stone columns, floors are stone and engineered wood. This gourmet kitchen will feature a complete WOLF and Sub-Zero SS appliance package. There are unique electronic features along with pool and landscaping and over 1400 sq. ft. of covered patio. Amazing Master Bedroom suite with seating room and fire place. Stunning master bathroom with spa-like tub, custom walk-in shower, oversized walk-in closet and custom stone and cabinetry throughout. Executive’s style office with custom built-ins. Spacious guest bedroom suite with custom bathrooms and walk-in closets. Incredible resort style backyard with panoramic mountain views. Custom inside laundry room and 4 car garage with remote controlled gated parking. This home has it all! Excellent Kyrene Schools. Great Ahwatukee Location!
Inviting territorial single-level custom home with circular drive, front courtyard and side-entry garage. 4 br, 2.5 ba with 2,955 sq. ft. Updated kitchen features granite countertops, large island, pull-out cabinetry, wine cooler and bar sink. Beautiful hardwood flooring plus stackedstone fireplace. Spacious master suite boasts sitting area, walk-in closet with custom oak cabinetry, crown molding, travertine flooring plus walk-in shower in remodeled bathroom. Anderson windows and doors with wood blinds and Plantation shutters. A/C and roof 2012. Exterior paint 2015. Outdoor lighting 2016. Private backyard with lush tropical landscaping, outdoor kitchen with island, mountain-view deck and custom play pool with sheer water descent and spa. Listed for $675,000
Listed for $1,399,000
kw
®
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SONORAN LIVING
®
KELLER WILLIAMS® REALTY
Bonny Holland
602.369.1085 • www.LeadingLuxuryExperts.com
SONORAN LIVING
KELLER WILLIAMS® REALTY
Mike Mendoza
480.706.7234 • www.MendozaTeam.com
REAL ESTATE
FEBRUARY 22, 2017 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS
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Ahwatukee’s #1 Team for Over 28 Years
480-706-7234 ST JUSTED LI
Mike Mendoza
www.MendozaTeam.com S
D OL
!!
(Special to AFN)
New homes are increasingly sporting environmentally-friendly amenities.
Homebuilders becoming more environmentally minded BY ANDY WARREN AFN Guest Writer
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rom cost savings to healthier living, the benefits of owning an environmentally Andy Warren friendly home have spurred consumer demand for green features that continues to rise year after year – and many homebuilders are taking notice. Nearly one-third of builders report more than 60 percent of their projects are green, according to Dodge Data & Analytics’ 2015 SmartMarket Report on Green and Healthier Homes. The research also found that of those builders, 51 percent expect the majority of their projects will include a nod toward energy-saving and environmentally friendly features by 2020. Building with a eye on sustainability and high-performance is a practical response to a wide range of issues affecting all consumers, including rising energy costs, indoor air quality concerns and the need for smarter water usage. Here are a few of the measures homebuilders are employing this year as they work toward creating a greener future: Green certifications. The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) developed its Leadership in Energy Efficiency Design, or LEED certification system, for homes about a decade ago. Since then, the rating system has become a benchmark for measuring a home’s compliance with modern green standards.
While LEED isn’t the only certification system within the United States, it is the most widespread. As green features continue to become more accessible, experts believe homebuilders will increasingly design homes to meet LEED certification standards. Sustainable materials: In 2017, more homebuilders will increase their utilization of green building materials, including engineered lumber, low-fiber flooring, recycled concrete and green roofing products. In addition to the materials that make up the home, builders are also finding more ways to create homes that promote a sustainable way of life, like offering discrete recycling centers and solar-ready components. Energy efficiency: As builders strive for LEED certifications, many will look to increase their homes’ energy efficiency by including Energy Star-compliant HVAC systems, low-E window glass, fluorescent and LED lights, and programmable thermostats. Water conservation: Much of water waste can be attributed to human behavior, but newer products are helping to mitigate the waste, including low-flow showerheads and toilets, and Energy Star appliances. Additionally, homebuilders are choosing to incorporate droughttolerant plants and materials into their landscape designs. They also are providing climatecontrolled, water-sensing irrigation valves. -Andy Warren is president of Arizona homebuilder Maracay Homes, a member of
Ahwatukee Custom Estates
Ahwatukee
Great single-level brick home with amazing mountain views. 3 br, 2.5 ba with 2,615 sq. ft. Hardwood flooring. Family room with fireplace. Oversized 2-car garage with work area and separate air conditioned work room. New fireproof roof.
Great updated single level on large corner lot. 3 br, 2 ba with 1,182 sq. ft. Remodeled kitchen features mocha cabinetry, composite sink plus fixtures, butcher block island and custom lighting. 2011 bathroom updates. 18x13 bonus room that is not included in square footage.
Listed for $574,000
Listed for $228,500
The Foothills
Mountain Park Ranch
Stunning mountain views from hillside lot. 4 br, 2.5 ba with 2,801 sq. ft. Spacious open floor plan with downstairs office and Plantation shutters. New appliances including refrigerator, dishwasher, range/oven, washer, dryer and water heater. Private backyard on preserve with gated pool. Walking distance to shopping, hiking and park.
Impeccable T.W. Lewis home with 5 br, 3 ba and 3,076 sq. ft. Spacious eat-in kitchen features black granite countertops and black appliances. One bedroom and full bath down with master suite and three secondary bedrooms upstairs. Resort-style backyard replete with amazing built-in kitchen, fire pit with seating, salt water pool and above ground spa.
Listed for $415,000
S
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Listed for $419,500
!!
Mountain Park Ranch
Club West
Hillside lot with privacy of mountain preserve. 5 br, 3 ba with 3,546 sq. ft. Spacious open kitchen with adjacent family and formal dining room. Downstairs master and secondary bedroom. Great backyard amenities including fenced pool and spa, built-in fire pit and grass area.
Recently updated on golf course lot. 5 br plus media room, 3 ba with 3,829 sq. ft. Open kitchen with granite countertops and custom island with gas cooktop. Inviting stone-accented wet bar and fireplace in family room. New carpet, interior and exterior paint. Resort-style backyard features Pebble Tec pool and spa with waterfall, built-in BBQ and lush landscaping.
Listed for $517,500
Listed for $520,000
Equestrian Estates
Equestrian Estates
Amazing sunset and mountain views from updated single level. 4 br, 3 ba with 3,056 sq. ft. Spacious eat-in kitchen with granite countertops and stainless steel appliances. Zebrawood plank tile and wood flooring. Resort-style backyard with retractable door, multiple fire pits with seating, diving pool with waterfall, built-in BBQ with bar, in-ground trampoline and tropical landscaping.
Inviting single level with circular drive, courtyard and side entry garage. 4 br, 2.5 ba with 2,955 sq. ft. Kitchen features granite countertops, pullout cabinetry, wine cooler and bar sink. Private backyard with lush tropical landscaping and custom play pool with sheer descent and spa.
Listed for $649,000
Listed for $675,000
www.MendozaTeam.com Each Office is Independently Owned & Operated
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REAL ESTATE
AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | FEBRUARY 22, 2017
OPINION
FEBRUARY 22, 2017 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS
33
LETTERS
The wrench is there but ‘my trusted friend is gone’
The year was 1983, and I had just purchased an older Presley home inside the Warner-Elliott Loop of old Ahwatukee. Within days, I had a plumbing issue, and did not have the proper tools to fix it. There was no Ace Hardware nearby, Home Depot and Loews were not household names yet, so my only hope was the local Mom and Pop store at Elliott and 51st Street. Scanning the tool rack, I saw empty slots where the small and medium-sized pipe wrenches should have been. Only the largest and most expensive wrench was there. Not planning on installing any industrial boilers soon, and trying to live within a 27 year old’s budget, I approached the kindly gentleman at the counter and inquired as to whether he had a smaller version available. “No, I’m sorry” he said, but after I explained my plight, he quickly responded with “Aww, go ahead and grab the big one and I’ll just charge you for the smallest one.” Thus began my 34 year relationship with Leonard and Karilyn Branstetter and their Plaza Hardware store, a store that never ceased to amaze me with how much stuff could be packed into so little space, and, how its owners always knew right where everything was. Over the years, Leonard has sold me lots of odds and ends, explained to me how to conduct various home repairs, referred me to professionals when the projects were over my head, and installed more pool components at my homes than I’d like to admit. Just this past summer, there he was again, in 100 degree plus heat, holding a wrench and barking commands while his helper tightened the bolts on another new pump motor.
(AFN file photo)
The late Leonard Branstetter, center, is flanked by a friend and his widow Karilyn in a photo shot last summer in Plaza Hardware.
Whenever I’d stop by their store, we always took a few extra minutes to talk about the Cardinals or the Wildcats or his beloved Suns. The peg board over my workbench holds a lot of tools that surely came from Plaza Hardware, and it will never look as organized as Leonard’s stores. That giant industrial-strength pipe wrench is still hanging there too, but unfortunately, my trusted friend is gone. -Jay Starks
Ahwatukee Farms plan will bring critters, gridlock
Developer True Life’s claim it’s receiving support to overturn the CC&Rs that a judge last year twice affirmed was no surprise. True Life’s extravagant campaign has been expertly executed with pretty pictures of a farm and a Montessori school. This effort has drawn some to sign True Life’s consent forms, but others are attending informational meetings at the Ahwatukee Recreation Center, 5001 E. Cheyenne Drive, Ahwatukee. The meetings are at 6:30 p.m. today and 6:30 p.m. March 1. True Life is offering a farm plan through “community supported agriculture,” which they will fund until it
is self-supporting. New homeowners will then run a garden-farm as subscribers in the middle of a residential retirement neighborhood. Seniors living on fixed incomes with health issues like COPD, asthma, and cancer will be the most affected. There’s potential for Valley Fever to spread from soil being disturbed during “farming” and development. Roof rats in these neighborhoods could fatten on the crops and multiply exponentially, followed by javelina, coyotes, snakes, gophers and mice. Will the crops be contaminated with vermin droppings? What about herbicides and pesticides left in the soil from former golf course operations? True Life says an “Agritopia” neighborhood is what’s trending, not golf. Yet they continue to promote golf rather than a “farm” at their other communities in Flagstaff and Prescott. It’s a fact that golf still remains a source of recreation and revenue for the community at the Ahwatukee Country Club and other courses. People are still playing golf, celebrating receptions and weddings. On any given day, individuals and groups continue to play these courses, especially in milder weather. The K-12 Montessori School is being promoted for expansion. The reality is FIVE Montessori schools are already located in Ahwatukee: Inspire Kids Montessori, Desert Garden Montessori, Ahwatukee Foothills Montessori, Keystone Montessori and Montessori Educare Academy. Think of the impact another 450 students inside a retirement neighborhood would have next to Knox Road with Mountain Pointe High School right across the street. With no clear plan for parking,
will vendors at the farmers’ market, customers at the cafe, parents, visitors, school personnel and students at the K-12 Montessori School park on residential streets? What about buses and extracurricular events visiting the “farm,” the school & amphitheater, the farmers’ market, and café? Traffic will back up on 44th Street from Warner to Knox Road. Gridlock will ensue along the Warner Elliot Loop, Knox Road, and 48th Street. All commuters will be affected, even from Ray Road through Equestrian. When 270 to 300 homes are added adjacent to 48th Street, traffic will explode. Will the townhouse complex empty onto 48th Street like the other apartment complexes on 48th Street? Imagine vehicles backed up along 48th Street daily and on weekends! Homeowners who sign the consent forms are overlooking the permanent impacts to the community: overcrowding, permanent loss of open spaces, loss of wildlife, birds and fish impacted through the degrading of habitat, overdevelopment and uncontrolled traffic. Community erosion is what we can expect in the years to come if we lose these open spaces. Surely, Ahwatukee’s livability will be lost. Please consider attending the informational meetings before making a decision. Stay informed by attending and bringing your questions and concerns to the Save The Lakes annual meeting March 1. Let Judge John Hannah finish the case at the final trial June 12th. That will leave control with homeowners and their CC&Rs, not out of town developers. -JoAnn Rode
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Business
AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | FEBRUARY 22, 2017
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Ahwatukee photographer thrives on teens’ desires to express themselves BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor
I
f you haven’t graduated from high school in the last decade and don’t know anyone who did, chances are you don’t know that those yearbook mug shots are as outdated as a roll of film. Pati Pakulis of Ahwatukee spotted that trend early ‒ and built her photography business by catching the wave. She recognized about four years ago that many high school seniors ‒ and college ones, for that matter ‒ no longer want their pictorial legacy to be a little square in row after row of mug shots. In the age of social media, they want portraits that show more than them posing stiffly in front of a draped wall. They want the camera to reveal their personality, capture moments when they’re having fun by themselves or with best friends or artistically express their self-image. Pakulis caters to their vanity. She lets them dress up, choose backgrounds in places as far away as Flagstaff and even share a tender moment with whatever parent accompanies them to the shoot. “I’m here to create a great experience for them,” she said. “This is their time to get in front of a camera and show who they are at a very important time of their life.” Pakulis’s business, Pati P. Photography,
Pati Pakulis/Special to AFN)
Montain Pointe High senior Maddy Deitchman is one of Pati Pakulis' current Spokesmodels.
more than 100 applied for the opportunity this year alone. While Pakulis also does more conventional portrait photography, such as family pictures for greeting cards or wedding albums, her passion is with the high school kids. (Special to AFN) It evolved from an early love Ahwatukee photographer Pati Pakulis built her business around of the camera ‒ and a tragedy high school seniors' desire for more than just a head shot. she still writes about today, has three dimensions. She shoots the eight years after her husband grad portraits, which grow annually into died of cancer. a huge collection of poses that range The Southern California native, who from the zany to the enigmatic. has lived in Ahwatukee since 1994, She also recruits started her working career as an account a small army of executive for UPS. seniors every year “It was the best education I could have as “Spokesmodels” ever hoped for in terms business. They who pay $125 each are an amazing company, and I had no for the privilege idea of how much their corporate culture of being models and work ethic would actually help me in who advertise her running my own photography business business. In return many years later,” she said. for that fee, they But after relocating here with her go on 12 different chiropractor husband, Pakulis took a shoots over the buyout and became a full-time mother ‒ year. and bought her first camera after giving Most of those birth to the first of her three children. high school seniors With each subsequent child, she felt Pati Pakulis/Special to AFN) are not pursuing more compelled to take their pictures. Horsing around for their senior portrait are Mountain Pointe High senior modeling careers. “I became that ‘mom with a camera,’” Jaydon Brooks, left, who signed to play football for the U.S. Naval They just think it’s she recalled. “I loved it. I did all of the Academy, and Desert Vista senior Ryan Bender, who has signed to run fun to pose. And photos for the kids’ school events at track for the University of Pennsylvania.
Milenio Elementary school. Took all of the photos for baseball teams, soccer teams and so on. I was not a professional at this point, but I loved taking pictures and was becoming passionate about photography.” One day at church, a girl asked Pakulis to take her senior photos. So they went to The Farm at South Mountain, where “I realized how I actually enjoyed photographing someone, even though they were not my own kids. Photographing other people was fun.” After only a weekend workshop of training, she started shooting family portraits and even some weddings for friends and relatives. Then, in 1999, she lost her husband. Pakulis, who still posts heart-wrenching blogs about her loss on her website, patipphotography.com, confronted the reality of coping with her grief while having to raise alone three children ranging from 9 to 14 years old. “I sort of had this gut reaction of, ‘OK, I have a job to do. I need to raise my 3 kids as best I can and get them through this as best I can,’” she said. “At this point, my business was not very well known in Ahwatukee. I knew that I loved doing senior photos and that I wanted to grow that part of my business.” Then, “what happened next is what I See
PHOTOS on page 35
BUSINESS
FEBRUARY 22, 2017 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS
PHOTOS
from page 34
will always call God’s grace. I feel like he sent me an angel.” She reconnected with a long-lost friend in Ahwatukee, Charlotte Kaiden, who also had been recently widowed, had a marketing background and “knew tons of people in Ahwatukee.” “I remember vividly saying to her that I wanted to focus on high school senior portraits, that I wanted to just develop some name recognition and grow that part of my business,” Pakulis said. In 2012, with Kaiden’s help, Pakulis starter her Spokesmodel brand with six seniors from Desert Vista and Mountain Pointe high schools. In four years, she has grown that number to 70, who passed an application process and competed with dozens of other seniors who didn’t make the cut. Crediting Kaiden for having “significantly helped me attain that name recognition that I was hoping for,” Pakulis’s Spokesmodel idea transformed the concept of using high school students as advertising. “Originally, spokesmodel programs were simplistic in that the photographer takes a few photos of you, calls you a spokesmodel and hopes you generate leads for them,” she explained. “I wanted to make it into something more adventurous and fun. The program is based on team concept, and we do promotional shoots throughout the entire year. I am free to try lots of new things in photography with my spokesmodels, and they have an amazing documentation of their senior year,” she continued, adding: “They all become my clients for senior portraits as well, so it is a business model that has worked very well for me. Each year, I get over 120 applicants who want to be a part of the program.” Pakulis has also built connections with school clubs, such as the Desert Vista
Pati Pakulis/Special to AFN)
Former Spokesmodel and 2013 Desert Vista High grad Kaleb Germinaro thought this composite photo captured his senior year. He is now pursuing a career in photography.
Thunder Band, the soccer programs and Desert Vista and Mountain Pointe cheer organizations and others. Her name also
Pati Pakulis/Special to AFN)
These 2016 Ahwatukee high school grads decided a laundromat scene captured some of their frivolity. Mountain Pointe grad Maren Olsen, far left, was joined by Desert Vista grads, from left, Taylor Clinton, Lauren Dudley and MacKenzie Dixon.
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has caught on with individual students at Horizon Honors Secondary School as well as high schools outside Ahwatukee.
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“I love working with these young students,” she said, estimating she shoots at least 100 senior portrait assignments a year even though she has no contracts with any high school. Besides posting those photos on social media, her clients put those portraits on graduation announcements, compile them in special albums and even blow them up for wall hangings. “I love working with people and drawing out their personalities in images,” she said. “I have to make people very comfortable very quickly, and I think I enjoy doing that. I’m outgoing and goofy, so I think it’s easy for me to connect with others. “One tradition I have with students is asking them to use two words to describe themselves. At the end of the session, I write those words on the palm of their hands and photograph them, showing the words. It’s my tiny way of empowering them for a moment, to be who they are, to own it with a sense of pride. It’s become a trademark for my photography, along with the term, beYOUtiful. Just my little way of affirming and encouraging these young lives as they launch into the world.” Despite her popularity, Pakulis faces no shortage of competitors. “There are so many photographers that pop up every day, so the environment is extremely competitive, and that includes many of the kids that go to high school,” she said. “My biggest challenge is to continue to shoot fresh images that my seniors love and that parents are happy with and to make the experience of having senior photos taken, fun and memorable. “It is a huge milestone for these seniors, something that many of them look forward to since their freshman year. It’s their time to say to the world ‘this is me’ and I want that experience to be amazing for them.” Information: pati@patipphotography. com, 480-213-8825.
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BUSINESS
AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | FEBRUARY 22, 2017
Centennial teacher, marketing firm owner among Ahwatukee Chamber “champions’ teachers receive from Ms. Reid,” she added. As director of the chamber’s Centennial Middle School Young Entrepreneurs Academy, teacher described as mentor to Manwaring has recruited business her younger colleagues and a owners as mentors, sponsors, marketing expert who has been helping teachers and possible investors youngsters become entrepreneurs for a class of 11 youngsters, were among the five recipients of the ranging from sixth grade to high Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of school senior, who are hoping to Commerce’s coveted annual Champion launch their own businesses. of the Year awards last week. The group meets weekly for English language arts teacher Shawndra 30 weeks, learning all aspects Reid and Ahwatukee businesswoman of business and working with Pamela Manwaring were joined by individual mentors to shape their Desert Garden Montessori, Elements business plans. Massage Chandler West and AmTrust “She has been able to connect Bank as recipients of awards that honor business leaders, organizations people, businesses and nonprofits that and students through to this “make Ahwatukee the best place to live, incredible program,” Lutz said. work and play.” “She remains committed to Reid received the Educator of the Year the students, families, other Award while Happy Medium Marketing volunteers and doing the work – owner Manwaring was named Volunteer even when beyond the minimum of the Year and Desert Garden the Noncommitment requirement.” Profit of the Year. Elements and AmTrust “Pamela provides countless won awards for the small business and hours of support for our students, business of the year, respectively. the Chamber Foundation and to (Photos b y Larry Mangino/AFN Staff Photographer) the chamber itself,” Lutz noted, The awards breakfast was the first big event organized by recently named New Ahwatukee Chamber of Commerce board president praising her for making the chamber President/CEO Lindy Lutz Laurie McCartney, left, receives the honorary gavel from academy “a first class, engaging Cash, who was loudly applauded former board president Martha Neese during the chamber's and rewarding experience for the awards breakfast last week. throughout the morning. students, as well as the volunteers Cash in turn led the crowd in over the reins to new board chair Laurie who support various aspects of applauding outgoing board chair Martha McCartney, marketing director for Ultra the program.” Neese, an Ahwatukee lawyer who owns Star Entertainment Center. Desert Garden Montessori, founded Also honored was Realtor Jim Hunt as in 1996 by Executive Director Shetal a Chandler butcher shop, as she handed chamber Ambassador of the Year Walters in her home, aims to “build for his continuing outreach to a sustainable community of families local businesses and mentoring passionate about education, lifelong of other chamber ambassadors. learning, and Montessori philosophy,” Reid was lauded as a “key Lutz said. member of various committees Now serving nearly 300 students from that impact students and teachers infancy through 11th grade, “the school both within Centennial” and is committed to developing within throughout Kyrene School each child a sense of responsibility and District. interdependence with their community “Beyond her immediate co- and the world,” she added, hailing Desert workers, Shawndra mentors Garden for “developing inquiring, a student teachers and is a knowledgeable and caring young people classroom practice mentor as who help to create a better and more well,” Lutz said. “This means peaceful world.” students and fellow teachers Lutz called AmTrust, the Business of observe her teaching style and the Year Award winner, “unique with work together on developing its genuine desire to be a resource to lesson plans based on the Ahwatukee and its residents.” standards, sharing strategies “Their goal is to demonstrate their for successfully imparting the strength, stability and service one standards to student. customer at a time,” she said. “AmTrust “This is just one of the many Bank believes in making referrals and examples of how students at connections among new and existing Jennie King of SRP congratulates Enery Lopez of AmTrust Bank, Centennial have benefitted from businesses and building long and lasting the training and mentoring relationships within the community.” named the Business of the Year. BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor
A
(Larry Mangino/AFN Staff Photographer)
Pamela Manwaring received an award for volunteer of the year, who is leading the Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce's Young Entrepreneurs Academy.
“During the 10 years since AmTrust opened its Ahwatukee branch, the staff has made it its mission to serve their customers and the community with a strong sense of ownership for the success of all,” Lutz added. “When you walk into the branch, you immediately get a welcoming feel from the AmTrust team. They take pride in getting to know their customers as people, not simply as clients. The AmTrust team exemplifies professionalism, trust and building relationships in the community.” Elements Massage, whose owner, Janet Schwab was named the Palo Verde Business Woman of the Year last November, was cited for its “singular focus on providing quality therapeutic massage.” Lutz noted that Schwab's “commitment to community involvement has propelled her business to success.”
Centennial Middle School eighth-grade English Language Arts teacher Shawndra Reid was named Educator of the Year last week by the Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce.
BUSINESS
FEBRUARY 22, 2017 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS
ASU has role in driving innovation throughout state
BY GARY NELSON AFN Contributing Writer
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hen scanning the East Valley’s vibrant business incubator landscape, it can be easy to overlook the granddaddy of them all ‒ Arizona State University. The giant Tempe-based institution has made innovation and business incubation one of its chief missions, according to Ji Mi Choi, associate vice president for entrepreneurship and innovation. “Arizona State University values entrepreneurship as one of the core design principles of the university,” Choi said. Whereas other schools might offer incubators in their business or engineering departments, “we have considered it a university-wide and communitywide imperative,” Choi said. “We offer everything from courses to competitions,
from mentors to maker spaces, from faculty to funding, to support student entrepreneurs.” Among her department’s key initiatives is the ASU-Chandler Innovation Center, in partnership with the city and a makerspace company called TechShop. “We can provide over 70,000 square feet of maker space facilities,” she said. “That includes 3-D printers, metal shop, machine lathes” and other equipment. Her office is an extension of the vision of Michael Crow, who vowed to create “a new American university” as an engine of economic growth when he arrived in 2002. Crow told a meeting of the East Valley Partnership in November that a culture of innovation is crucial if Arizona is to have a viable economy in a world of tumultuous change. “Our region is under-prepared” for the economic disruptions and opportunities
that lie just over the horizon, Crow said. And Arizona, with downward trends in numerous key indicators, is “nowhere near where it has to be for a robust economy.” Further, he said, “The indicator of change and inventiveness in the (Phoenix) region is too small.” Crow’s emphasis on innovation led to the creation of SkySong, a business and innovation center that opened on the site of a former Scottsdale shopping mall in 2008. Choi’s department is headquartered there. Most of the work done by Choi and her 24-person staff focuses on students. “Right now, we have over 200 students who have created a community of startup entrepreneurs,” she said. “We support them with mentors, we support them by giving them space to meet, we support them with funding, we support them with prototyping facilities. That extends
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to the faculty as well. It also extends to the community.” Although ASU is a public institution, Choi said tax dollars are not being used to support private businesses. “Those staff members are largely supported by grant-funded work,” she said. “These are not university funds that are supporting these staff people.” Even so, she said, her department’s work pours money into the Arizona economy. “We’ve had more than 300 jobs created out of ASU-affiliated spinoffs,” she said. “We’ve been able to raise more than $600 million in capital. We’ve been able to support more than 250 student companies and ASU-affiliated companies. So, the reality is this is actually a job-creation and economic development system as well.” Detailed information about ASU’s entrepreneurship programs is available at skysong.asu.edu/startups.
Job numbers for Intel’s new Chandler plant questioned BY MIKE BUTLER AFN Staff Writer
E
ast Valley elected officials applauded Intel’s announcement last week that it will invest $7 billion at its Chandler chip factory, known as Fab 42, and create 3,000 full-time Intel jobs. The tech company also said the project would create more than 10,000 jobs in Arizona to run and support the factory. But long-time Intel observer and industry analyst Jim McGregor, founder of TIRIAS Research in Phoenix, said he isn’t sure where those numbers are coming from. Fab 42, he explained, is designed to be a “dark fab,” meaning that when it opens in 2020 or 2021, it will be fully automated and will only need a minimal
crew of operators and technicians. “It’s not going to take several thousand people to operate the place,” he said. “We knew Fab 42 would reopen, we just didn’t know when. It’s nothing new.” Certainly, many hundreds or several thousand construction workers will be needed to build out the factory. The massive project will also be a boon to equipment and materials vendors such as ASML and Applied Materials, McGregor said. McGregor said Chandler’s good news will probably mean bad news for Intel’s aging Fab 11x plant in New Mexico, which he expects to be shuttered. Intel hasn’t invested in any upgrades there for several years, he added, and the plant is surrounded by homes and other businesses and can’t expand.
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breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, automated driving, medical research and treatment, and the factories of the future.” Krzanich explained that the new technology requires more factory space per wafer, and that the time was now to pull the trigger on the new factory. Although Krzanich and Trump are on the same page about expanding U.S. manufacturing jobs and leveling the global playing field, the CEO was critical of the president’s executive order immigration ban. “When we disagree,” he told employees, “we don’t walk away. We believe that we must be part of the conversation to voice our views on key issues such as immigration, H1B visas and other policies that are essential to innovation.”
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BUSINESS
AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | FEBRUARY 22, 2017
Region hatches geniuses
Incubators nurture wide array of visionary businesses BY GARY NELSON AFN Contributing Writer
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company that uses amniotic material to help animals recover from injury faster than other treatment methods. A company that makes super-thin gold film that can be used to treat brain and spinal-cord trauma in humans. A company that uses genetic testing to fine-tune medical prescriptions. Not many years ago, these things would have been undreamed of—perhaps dismissed as impossible. But along with dozens of other new technologies, they are being brought to reality by new companies in the East Valley. Like any newborn, these fledglings need careful nourishment and guidance. Taking an idea – no matter how revolutionary, no matter how beneficial – from concept to marketplace is so difficult in so many ways that all the above-mentioned companies are still, quite literally, in an incubator. No one label fits all the incubatorlike, business-nurturing organizations in the East Valley. Some do call themselves incubators. Others are accelerators, working with more mature firms. Some eschew both titles while still offering many of the same kinds of services. Some are publicly run, some private. All have the same goal: Helping serious-minded entrepreneurs take their businesses from conception to growth, maturity and profitability.
(Larry Mangino/AFN Staff Photographer)
MAC6 cofounder Kyle McIntosh embraces the motto "Conscious Capitalism."
his son Kyle, who had spent his career in marketing. “We started out as an incubator and then said we were an accelerator in probably years two and three,” Kyle McIntosh said. That involved, in some cases, actually investing in the firms using their facilities near Broadway Road and Interstate 10. Now, he said, “We’re calling ourselves a leadership academy for high-performing teams. We still work with a lot of the early-stage businesses. We still invest in those businesses. But now we’re working with much later-stage businesses … that don’t need investment.” MAC6 offers both office and manufacturing space, but not just for nascent companies. It hosts the Arizona Building an academy On the private side, one case study operations of the ride-sharing company would be MAC6 Leadership Academy Lyft, as well as numerous other companies for High-Performing Teams in Tempe. ranging from tiny online firms to a It was launched in 2011 by retired company that recycles wine bottles into mining engineer Scott McIntosh and glassware for home use. In addition, the firm offers coaching and consulting services. One client is the Phoenix Zoo. The McIntoshes are picky about whom they take under their wing. Their motto of “conscious capitalism” embraces several concepts that require companies to think beyond the next (AFN file photo) quarterly report. Skysong, the Arizona State University incubator, opened at an “It’s businesses that abandoned mall in Scottsdale in 2008. have a higher purpose
than just making money,” Kyle McIntosh said—although he said companies with deep community values tend to thrive financially as well. And, he said, client firms must have more than just a lofty vision. “Vision without traction is hallucination,” he said, defining traction as the ability to use tools and assets to build a sustainable company. The firm also looks for clients with a healthy and positive culture: “They’re showing up for something beyond just a paycheck every day,” McIntosh said. McIntosh said his company is one model in an East Valley businessdevelopment ecosystem with room for many others. “There’s a ton of entrepreneurs,” he said. “How do you help them all?”
Chandler joins in
Chandler asked that question during the Great Recession, which kicked the legs out from under the region’s realestate-based economy late in the last decade. The city’s answer: Build a stateof-the-art innovation and incubation center under public auspices. Micah Miranda, the city’s economic development director, said it seemed natural to launch the Chandler Innovations Incubator to nurture an already-robust engineering community. After five years of operation, the incubator in 2015 teamed up with the Northern Arizona Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology, based in Flagstaff. Christine Bailey, who works
for NACET, now directs operations at the Chandler incubator. “There is definitely a technology component to all of the companies that are part of our program,” Bailey said. The three companies mentioned above are among them; they operate out of a leased 60,000-square-foot building, previously used by Intel, near McClintock Drive and Chandler Boulevard. Tenants pay rent to help offset the city’s costs. Companies don’t have to be on-site, however, to benefit from the incubator’s programs. Mentoring is available at no charge to entrepreneurs working out of their own facilities. Nor does the Chandler incubator work in a vacuum. Bailey said entrepreneurs have other sources of help in the region. As for alumni, Miranda said, “We have a number of companies that did very well.” One example is HealthTell, a 5-yearold firm that is still housed in the innovation center but that has found an industry niche with new methods of diagnosing cancer, neurological diseases, autoimmune disorders and infectious diseases.
Growing pains
Not all business incubators or accelerators, however, have an easy road to success. Seven years after the idea was first floated, Mesa and Arizona State University opened LaunchPoint technology accelerator in 2013. City officials figured the location all but guaranteed success. The 6,500-squarefoot facility opened on ASU’s Polytechnic campus, just across the street from Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport and AZLabs, a high-security former Air Force laboratory that Mesa now operates for defense firms. Unlike an incubator, Mesa’s accelerator aimed to help “adolescent” companies take their already proven technologies to the next level. “The focus was primarily placed on post-startup, high-growth, technologybased businesses,” said Kim Lofgreen, a marketing and business development manager for Mesa. Lofgreen said that despite the accelerator’s apparently advantageous location, it was too far away from other See
INCUBATORS on page 39
BUSINESS
FEBRUARY 22, 2017 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS
39
Getting business help in East Valley BY GARY NELSON AFN Contributing Writer
(Larry Mangino/AFN Staff Photographer)
Incubator MAC6 tenants, from left, Nikki DelRosso, Mike Jones and Robert Norman make up the branding and design team for Resound.
INCUBATORS
from page 38
tech activity in the East Valley. The airport facility never gained traction, and Mesa moved the operation in 2016 to its downtown Center for Higher Education. A measure of trial and error is to be expected with such ventures, Lofgreen
said. “In essence, LaunchPoint is a startup itself, and is pivoting and adapting much like the entrepreneurs and businesses we serve,” he said. The three companies that used LaunchPoint at Gateway moved with the incubator, Lofgreen said, and since then seven others have signed up.
Entrepreneurs looking to incubate or accelerate their businesses have a wide array of public and private resources in the East Valley. Among them: • The Arizona State University Entrepreneurship and Innovation Group, entrepreneurship.asu.edu, 480-884-1860. • MAC6, a privately operated business-coaching and hosting company in Tempe, mac6.com, 480582-2200. • Gangplank, which offers “maker spaces” and other services in downtown Chandler, gangplankhq. com/chandler. • Innovations Science and Technology Incubator, a tech-focused, city-sponsored program in Chandler, innovationsincubator.com, 480-7822216. • LaunchPoint, a city-sponsored tech accelerator in downtown Mesa, 480644-6958, information at mesaaz.
gov; follow links to the economic development department. • Tempe-based Arizona Business Advisors, which offers counsel on long-term business sustainability, 602463-3330. • CEO Focus, which has an office in Chandler offering business advice, 480-399-6013, ceofocusaz.com. • Tempe Business Resource and Innovation Center, which offers citysponsored space and mentoring in the Tempe Public Library, 480-350-5561. • BigBounce, a co-working and guidance organization in downtown Tempe, bigbounce.co. • HeatSync Labs, a non-profit “maker space” for engineers, artists, students, and hobbyists in downtown Mesa, heatsynclabs.org. • LabelHorde, an incubator for fashion designers, 132 E. 6th St., Tempe, labelhorde.com. The Arizona Business Incubators Association maintains a website, azincubators.org, with a list of member organizations and contact information.
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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | FEBRUARY 22, 2017
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FEBRUARY 22, 2017 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS
Faith
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SPIRITUAL SIDE
She knows what her ‘most important thing’ is BY LISA JISA AFN Guest Writer
S
ome friends were recently discussing how to figure out what is your most important
thing in life. One said you will know what it is if it’s gone and you feel like you can’t go on without it. As they were talking about it, I chuckled and told them I know exactly what my most important thing is. It’s God. When they asked me to tell more, I explained all the things I used to have that I no longer have, and that I’m finally at a place where I’m okay with it. During our time in Ahwatukee, my family lived in a big house with a pool in the backyard. My family isn’t together anymore, and today I live in a small apartment with just my youngest daughter and the dog. I left some of the best friends I’ve ever had when I moved from Arizona. I homeschooled my children for many years, and now that’s over. My health took a serious nose dive when Lyme disease
flared up. Not only was my immune system shot, but one of the consequences was severe pain after exercising, so I stopped running. After working for only a few months, I had to quit a part-time job because I kept getting sick. I had to scrap plans the busy week leading up to Christmas because my car died and it took a few days to get it in for a new starter. I distinctly remember a conversation I had with God at the beginning of this year, when I told Him I was accepting the crazy twists and turns in my life, and that I was grateful I at least still had the ability to write. And then a big snowstorm came, and I shoveled every few inches during that storm instead of waiting for a foot of heavy snow to pile up. What I had hoped was a brilliant idea ended up causing problems. Tendinitis flared up, and I had constant pain and numbness from the elbows through the last two fingers in both arms/hands. I couldn’t use them at all. It got so bad, I almost needed my daughter to brush my teeth for me! There was definitely no writing going on.
As I sat in a chair, unable to even hold up a book to read or use a remote to watch TV, I discovered what it means to, “Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10). A translation I like even better is, “Cease striving and know that I am God.” All striving had come to a screeching halt. Here we are one month later and my arms and hands are working fine. I’ve made some new friends and reconnected with some old ones. I have more contact with a few of my Arizona friends now than when I lived near them. My cousin asked me to help her homeschooled kids learn geography (which happens to be one of my favorite subjects). I have been able to go for a couple of runs this week—slowly, but at least I am moving and the pain is minimal. My life looks very different now than it did just two years ago. There are significant things I once had that I no longer have, and somehow that’s okay because God has been the one constant thing that has always remained. Without His love, I wouldn’t be here. I don’t say that lightly, and that’s not to say I haven’t shed many tears or spent more
than a few nights tossing and turning. But I have a peace that is hard to explain. I know He’s got me. He’s got all of this. After I shared my story, one of the women told me it was a great testimony. I used to think giving a testimony meant telling about the moment when you realized your need for Jesus, repented of your sin and accepted His forgiveness. While that’s a fabulous thing to share, a testimony can really be about anything. I’m just telling you what has happened to me over the past couple of years, like a witness giving testimony in a trial. I never would have predicted all the changes that have taken place, and I have no clue what the future holds. But I know God with a depth that I wouldn’t have known without all the trials He has allowed. And I know He’s my most important thing. “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!” (Isaiah 43:19) -Former 15-year Ahwatukee resident Lisa Jisa said she “lives, writes and trusts God from a small town in Wisconsin.” Reach her at lisa. jisa@gmail.com
Faith-based groups lead way in emergency beds for homeless BY DUSTIN QUIROZ Cronkite News
W
ASHINGTON – Religion scholar Byron Johnson is one of those people who “always has their ear to the ground” for news of faith and society, but even he was surprised by his study on homelessness and faith-based organizations. Johnson’s study of 11 cities, including Phoenix, found that faith-based groups had provided nearly 60 percent of emergency shelter beds in those cities over the past two years. While Phoenix fell short of the average, with faith-based organizations accounting for 41 percent of the city’s
emergency shelter beds, those groups still play a “significant role in addressing homelessness,” said a regional official with the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Ed Cabrera, a spokesman for HUD region 9, said collaboration between the faith groups and local and federal governments helped spark improvements in the homeless picture in Phoenix. That, in turn, opened the door to a $25 million grant to the Valley’s Continuum of Care program for its efforts fighting homelessness in recent years. “They (faith-based groups) increased their coordination outside of their organization or sector, they’re working more hand-in-glove with HUD and
the continuum of care,” Cabrera said, describing the program in which organizations work with the government to reduce homelessness. An official with the Phoenix Rescue Mission said that groups like hers can bridge the gap between the government and the community, working and getting help from both sides. “We have become more of an impact in our cities and our counties because the people are supporting us and we’re not reliant on if we’re going to get funding or not,” said Phoenix Rescue Mission spokeswoman Nicole Pena. The collaboration between public and See
HOMELESS on page 42
(Sabella Scalise/Cronkite News)
This homeless youth in Phoenix is more likely to find an emergency shelter through a faithbased group, according to a new study.
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FAITH FAITH CALENDAR
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 22 ‘TWO AMONG THE RIGHTEOUS FEW’
Temple Emanuel presents a program about the Holocaust for 8th graders and parents. Author Marty Brounstein will speak about “Two Among The Righteous Few,” his book detailing a true-life story of courage and compassion during the Holocaust and World War II. DETAILS>> 6:30 p.m., 5801 S. Rural Road, Tempe. Open to the community.
SATURDAY, FEB. 25 HEALING FROM DIVORCE
St. Andrew the Apostle Church is holding a Day of Healing for the Divorced and Separated that will feature Marianna Skrobiak, a retired psychotherapist who also has a background in theology. Her topics will cover healthy boundaries, roadblocks, trust, forgiveness and moving on. DETAILS>> 9 a.m.-3 p.m., 3450 W. Ray Road, Chandler; $45 covers breakfast, lunch and study materials. Register/information: 480-899-1990, barb-blishko@ standrewchandler.com.
SUNDAYS
VALOR CHRISTIAN OUTLINES MISSION
Valor Christian Center in Gilbert offers “great praise and worship and great messages for today’s living,” according to Pastor Thor Strandholt, associate pastor. “Our mission is evangelize, healing and discipleship through the word of God.” DETAILS>> 10 a.m. Sundays and 7 p.m. Thursdays. 3015 E. Warner Road. Information: valorcc.com.
HORIZON SEEKS YOUNG PEOPLE
High school and middle school students meet to worship and do life together. DETAILS>> 5 p.m. at Horizon Presbyterian Church, 1401 E. Liberty Lane. 480-460-1480 or email joel@ horizonchurch.com.
KIDS CAN LEARN JEWISH LIFE
Children can learn and experience Jewish life. Chabad Hebrew School focuses on Jewish heritage, culture and holidays. DETAILS>> 9:30 a.m. to noon, for children ages 5-13 at Pollack Chabad Center for Jewish Life, 875 N. McClintock Drive, Chandler. 480-855-4333, info@ chabadcenter.com, or chabadcenter.com.
RABBINIC LIT COURSE OFFERED
Ongoing morning study of two classics of rabbinic literature by medieval philosopher Moses Maimonides (the “Rambam”). At 10 a.m., Prof. Norbert Samuelson, Grossman chair of Jewish Philosophy at ASU and TBS member, teaches “Maimonides’ Guide of the Perplexed:
What Jews Ought to Believe.” At 11:15 a.m., TBS member Isaac Levy teaches “Maimonides’ Mishneh Torah: How Jews Ought to Behave.” Readings in both Hebrew and English. DETAILS>> Community Room of the administration building at Temple Beth Sholom of the East Valley, 3400 N. Dobson Road, Chandler. 480-897-3636.
UNITY OFFERS A PATH
Unity of Mesa says its Sunday service offers “a positive path for spiritual living” through “transformational lessons, empowering music and various spiritual practices with an open-minded and welcoming community.” DETAILS>> 9 and 10:45 a.m. 2700 E. Southern Ave., Mesa. Nursery available for infants through kindergarten at service times. Youth ministry classes are open in the Education Annex at 10:45 a.m. Information: 480-892- 2700, unityofmesa.org, lori@ unityofmesa.org.
ALL ARE WELCOME
All on a peaceful spiritual path are welcome and honored in this inclusive, loving, thriving Unity Community. Join us for Interfaith CommUNITY Spiritual Center’s Sunday Celebration Service DETAILS>>10:30 a.m. Toddlers and children meet during our service. Interfaith CommUNITY Spiritual Center, 952 E. Baseline, Suite 102, Mesa. Information: info@interfaith-community.org.
SUNDAY CELEBRATION SERVICE
Inspirational messages and music to lift your spirit. A welcoming community committed to living from the heart. Many classes and events offered. We welcome you! DETAILS>> 10 a.m. Sundays at Unity of Tempe, 1222 E. Baseline Road, Suite 103, Tempe. Information: 480-7921800, unityoftempe.com.
MONDAYS
JOIN CHRIST-CENTERED YOGA
This Flow 1-2 class (intermediate) is free and open to the community. DETAILS>> 6-7 p.m., Mountain Park Community Church, 2408 E. Pecos Road. Greg Battle at 480-7596200 or gbattle@moutainpark.org.
CLASS TARGETS THE GRIEVING
Classes for those grieving over death or divorce. DETAILS>> 6:30 p.m., Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 739 W. Erie St., Chandler. 480-963-4127.
Submit your releases to pmaryniak@ahwatukee.com
HOMELESS
AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | FEBRUARY 22, 2017
from page 41
private organizations also helps get the right type of help to the right people, Pena said. “In Phoenix, we have a variety of places where people and the partners are all working together so we can refer people to the right solution,” she said. Pena said faith groups bring one more thing to the table: Unlike government or secular groups, they can sometimes reach out and offer more that “just a shelter” to people who were raised in religious homes. Cabrera echoed that sentiment. “One opportunity that faithbased communities have is delivering something that, frankly, governmentfunded programs have had a difficult time delivering,” he said. “And that’s this larger issue of not just providing a home and not just services, but that sense of community.” But Cabrera also gave credit to the city and to Mayor Greg Stanton’s push to end chronic homelessness. That includes efforts to strengthen documentation of the homeless population, which allowed the city to identify and address many of these issues, he said.
Officials with government, secular and faith-based groups said the current partnership is paying off. In spite of the gains, however, both Cabrera and Pena understand that there are problems yet to be resolved. One area highlighted in the report was the problem of homeless veterans. Recent vets are “faced with similar, if not greater, challenges” than veterans from previous wars, Cabrera said. They are “less likely to return with strong family and community ties” as they struggle to deal with the psychological repercussions of combat. “We have seen much progress,” Cabrera said. “But we still have much to do.” Johnson, a professor at Baylor University’s Institute for Studies of Religion, who released the report recently, agreed that work needs to be done, and expressed the importance of tackling homelessness in a collaborative effort – one of the reasons he did the study, he said. “That’s why the research was necessary,” Johnson said. “To get skeptics and people who are agnostic and people that are faithful, all of them and have them take a look at this issue and see what we might be able to do better than what we are doing now.”
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FEBRUARY 22, 2017 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS
Get Out
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East Valley yoga studios offer fitness and healing in many forms BY COLLEEN SPARKS Tribune Contributor
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any yoga studios in Ahwatukee and the East Valley are stretching beyond teaching this spiritual form of exercise and offering a wide mix of other fitness classes and healing treatments. They’re helping students mix it up with Pilates, dance, ballet barre and other physically challenging classes to burn fat, build strength and have fun. Students can also unwind and continue their quest to beat stress with massage therapy, meditation, Reiki, crystal healing and other therapeutic services at many yoga studios. Studio owners say their goal is to offer one-stop-shop services for people who want to get stronger, healthier and happier physically, mentally and spiritually. Students can release tension and find balance in yoga therapy classes and budding yoga teachers can take classes to earn certification at the Inner Vision studios in Chandler and Tempe. At its Tempe studio on South McClintock Drive, Inner Vision also offers massage therapy. Inner Vision, which has had its Chandler studio on West Ray Road near Dobson since 2002, also provides many workshops. “A lot of people are looking for not only physical healing, but also peace and calmness,” said Jeff Martens, one of the three partners who own Inner Vision. “We want to be that oasis of calmness and peace.” The studio also offers far infrared technology yoga classes, where panels produce infrared waves the way the sun does, Martens said. The heat releases toxins. Students can shake off the stress and get toned at Aloha Yoga and Hula on West Ray (Larry Mangino/AFN Staff Photographer)
Inner Vision Yoga owners Jeff and Donna Martens have just opened their third studio in Ahwatukee.
Road near Rural Road in Chandler, which offers several different styles of yoga for adults and one for kids. Aloha Yoga and Hula also offers hula dance classes for adults and children. In the adult hula classes, students learn the hand motions, chants, graceful movements and cultural meaning of hula, said owner Myriam Valenzuela. “The hula is very graceful, very healing,” Valenzuela said. “You bring the energy from the earth up into your body. It’s like dancing poetry.”
Students can also take classes in Tahitian, belly dance and samba dance classes. Aloha Yoga and Hula also offers hypnotherapy, which uses visualization and other techniques to help people overcome fears, lose weight and make other positive changes. Dance for adults and children also is on the menu at Let’s Grow Studio on South Lindsay Road in Gilbert. The studio offers a variety of yoga classes for different levels for adults, and a kids yoga class. Classes where adults and their children do yoga together are also taught. Let’s Grow also offers the popular, upbeat Latin Zumba dance classes for children and adults. Let’s Grow also teaches adults POP Pilates, an intense workout that owner Julie Costello calls a “more energetic” type of Pilates choreographed to music. In the adult LIFT classes, students get a whole-body workout with weights, and in the challenging HIIT class students work on cardio and strength through a series of stations that raise heart rates. Costello said she enjoys trying different types of workouts. “It keeps it interesting,” she said. “You need to do cardio and strength.” People also look for balance at Vibetality, a studio offering fitness and yoga classes on South Alma School Road in Chandler. Vibetality offers classes using Whole Body Vibration, where a plate built into the floor vibrates beneath students while they’re doing yoga or other exercises. Studio co-owner Erica Vucich said with the vibration, people get more movement and benefit from doing exercises than they would on a regular floor. It also detoxifies the body. “Fifteen minutes standing on the (vibration) plate is equivalent to an hour and a half of walking,” Vucich said.
In a 15-minute FitVibe class, students use medicine balls, kettlebells, weights and club bells to emphasize strength and change their body composition. Besides classes, Vibetality also offers massages and recovery-boot therapy, where people wear special boots on their legs that inflate and deflate to regulate blood flow and recover from injuries. Customers at Vibetality can also unwind in a floatation tank, laying inside a tank with about 12 inches of water laden with Epsom and Dead Sea salts. “It’s like floating in the Dead Sea,” Vucich said. NAAM Yoga Arizona on University Drive in Mesa also offers lots of unique ways to relax and heal. The studio offers many yoga classes, as well as acupuncture treatment, Kabbalah consultations, massages, crystal therapy and crystal bowl and vibrational sound therapy. Different types of meditation classes are offered on Friday nights, NAAM Yoga Arizona owner Nicole Coyle said. Coyle said on the fourth Friday of the month, the studio has a Shakti Naam Dance & Sound Healing class, which is a combination of NAAM yoga breath work and Qigong, an ancient Asian practice involving movement, posture and breathing or a moving meditation. NAAM Yoga Arizona also offers Harmonyum Energy Healing System, an energy treatment where the client is lightly touched on the spine and head while fully clothed. Holistic healing is also the focus at Floating Lotus Yoga Studio and Natural Healing Center on West Main Street in Mesa. The studio offers many different types of yoga, as well as chiropractic treatments, acupuncture and massage therapy. Workshops involving yoga are held usually every weekend, owner Steven Lynch, a chiropractor said. He added people often turn to surgery and prescribed drugs for relief from health problems, but they can “get a lot of relief” using something more natural including yoga, chiropractic adjustments and massage therapy.
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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | FEBRUARY 22, 2017
Professional jousters highlight annual Arizona Renaissance Festival BY KENNETH LAFAVE GetOut Contributing Writer
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every state in the union sponsoring one. Mansour got into the business via his love for horses, though he hails from just about the last place you’d imagine would be home to a future knight-in-armor: Manhattan, specifically midtown between Ninth and 10th avenues, or what used to be called “Hell’s Kitchen.” Horses and New York City? “There are actually about 500 horses in Manhattan,” Mansour says, “including police horses and Central Park carriages.” One day when he was 12, young Matthew was walking down Ninth Avenue when he encountered a life-changing sight. “A horse was pulling a stagecoach, and I thought it was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen,” Mansour recalls. The stagecoach was a promotion for a Western-style restaurant. Matthew walked right up to the driver and asked if he could work for him. He got his first job: “I would wash the horses while the drivers sat in the bar waiting for the next ride.”
e rises on a workday morning and dons his armor – all 100 pounds of it. Then it’s off to ride, pounding the turf from the back of a half-draft steed 16 and a half hands high. Warmed up, he proceeds to the core of his job: unseating mounted opponents in a joust. Face it: You may be cool, but you’ll never be as cool as a 50-year-old man who makes his living as a jousting knight. “It’s the best job in the world,” says Matthew Mansour, also known as Sir Maxximilian, the Jousting Earl of Braden. Hard to argue. Mansour and other jousters will provide the entertainment three times daily at the Arizona Renaissance Festival. The festival, a celebration of all things (Special to AFN) Old-fashioned jousting is among many offerings at the Renaissance Festival. 15th and 16th century, takes place Saturdays and Sundays until April 2, plus Presidents Day, Feb. 20, at its usual site, a sprawling “I am totally mobile,” he says, happily. training first with the lance on the ground, desert space along U.S. Highway 60, east Mansour is also training his two 14-yearwithout armor, then adding the armor and of Kings Ranch Road in Gold finally practicing from on horseback. old sons to grow up to be jousters. Canyon. Over the years, Mansour has experienced Add to that the skills of an actor The jousts take place maintaining the character and a broken arm and “a few concussions” from throughout the day, while his time on horseback with a lance. The behavior of a knight. Where: Arizona Renaissance Festival, 12601 E. U.S. Highway elsewhere in the festival jugglers “This is what I do. I am a sport – if that’s what it is – is for real, not 60, Gold Canyon. are juggling, acrobats are professional jouster,” he says. He’s staged. The winner is not pre-established. When: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays until April 2. acrobating, and throngs of people also a professional businessman And the jousters really do try to hit as Cost: $24 adults, $15 ages 5-12, $21 seniors and military; are paying to shoot arrows, throw who owns the company providing hard as they can to knock their opponent discounts available online and at Fry’s. axes, gawk at a gallery of ancient jousting entertainment for the off his horse. That’s why they need real More info: 520-463-2600, arizona.renfestinfo.com. torture devices and find their way Arizona festival and three other fairs. armor, which can cost between $4,000 and through a maze. $10,000. Where is home? Welcome to life circa 1500, as As “Sir Maxximilian” (the two X’s are “I live where the fair is,” he says, It turned out Mansour was a natural rider, expressing a true wanderlust. That means there, he says, because his character is “a reimagined circa 1963. That was the year the first public “Renaissance faire” of record and he grew into a horseman. When a driver Mansour will live east of Phoenix through little bit dirty”), Mansour dresses in black was held in Laurel Canyon, California. mentioned he was starting a jousting show early April, then go to Los Angeles, followed and owns the persona of a “bad guy.” But Since then, the production of festivals at the New York Renaissance Faire, Mansour by fairs in the Chicago/Milwaukee area sometimes the “bad guy” will win. For commemorating the arts and lifestyles of tagged along and signed up for the gig. But and finally, Charlotte, North Carolina. Each those among us with daydreams of an era Renaissance-era Europe have proliferated it wasn’t so easy. commitment lasts about two and a half gone by, anyone on horseback in armor is It took about a year to learn to joust, months. into a high-profile business, with virtually always a winner.
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FEBRUARY 22, 2017 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS
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Ahwatukee Swim and Tennis Center slates chili cook-off GETOUT STAFF
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et ready to vote in an election offering a fun treat for your taste buds. The 13th annual Ahwatukee Chili Cook Off Festival is coming to the Ahwatukee Community Swim and Tennis Center March 11-12. And for a $5 donation, voters will get a tasting kit with seven cups, a spoon, napkin and ballot to vote for their favorites. And when they’re finished casting their ballot, they can enjoy a carnival with rides, concessions and other attractions that actually starts a day earlier. The carnival runs 5-9 p.m. March 10, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. March 11 and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. March 12. It will also feature crafts and music March 11-12. The cook-off draws people from across Arizona as well as other states, because it’s one of the initial legs in a national competition that can bring the winner $25,000 and a world championship title for their recipe. The contest is one of only two in Arizona that are sanctioned by the International Chili Society. To be eligible for the world
championship in October, winning two contests at the local level is required, said center director Susan Hyden. And since the March 11 and March 12 competitions are separate, it’s possible for someone to punch their ticket to the world championships by just winning twice in Ahwatukee. “Cooks from all over the country travel here to compete for the title,” she added. “There are cooks coming from Connecticut, Colorado, Texas, Illinois, California, New Mexico and several from Arizona. The ICS organization is always looking for new cooks to compete and get the chili fever.” To participate in the cook-off, participants need to belong to the chili society, which charges a $60 annual membership. Newcomers to the Ahwatukee Chili Cook Off can enter the contest free since they have to pay the society’s dues. However, established society members must pay an admission fee of $35 for the red chili contest, $30 for the green chili competition and $15 for the salsa face-off. There will be cash prizes for first, second and third-place winners on each day. This year the center is adding a special
(Special to AFN)
The chili contest is only one of many attractions at the Ahwatukee Swim and Tennis Center’s annual Chili Cook-off, set for March 11-12.
competition for chili makers under 18 years of age. That cook-off is March 11. Trophies and prizes will be awarded to winners.
Entrants in either the youth or adult contests must register in advance by calling 480-893-1942 or going to ahwatukeehoa. com.
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GET OUT
AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | FEBRUARY 22, 2017
(Grace Stufkowsky/Special to AFN)
Singh Meadows in Tempe offers cozy outdoor dining. Owners promise the menu and the facility will be “constantly evolving as new ideas and concepts come to fruition in the future.”
(Grace Stufkowsky/Special to AFN)
Gilbert Chef Gio Oso, who owns Nico’s in downtown Gilbert, will be joining eight other chefs for a dinner served at Singh Meadows in Tempe.
Seven-chef ‘Devour’ dinner offers a rare experience BY DAVID M. BROWN AFN Contributing Writer
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his year’s “Seven Chef Singh Along” is designed to be music to taste buds. On March 1, nine Valley chefs will participate in the second annual culinary event at the new Singh Meadows in Tempe, serving a farm-fresh six-course collaborative dinner paired with fine Arizona wines. The site is a 72-acre organic farm along the Tempe-Scottsdale border that owners Lee and Ken Singh opened in January. A fundraiser for Local First Arizona and Devour Phoenix, the ticketed dinner is part of the eighth annual Devour Culinary Classic Feb. 26−March 5. The chefs include Gilbert resident Gio Osso, whose Nico restaurant recently opened in downtown Gilbert. His Virtù Honest Craft in downtown Scottsdale will be serving the Valley for four years this June. The others and their restaurants are Bernie Kantak (Citizen Public House/The Gladly); Stephen Jones (Desoto Central Market); Jacob Cutino (Homeboy’s Hot Sauce); Cullen Campbell (Crudo/Okra); Scott Holmes (Little Miss BBQ); Justin Beckett (Beckett’s Table/Southern Rail); Kevin Binkley (Binkley’s); and Kelly Fletcher (Tuck Shop). The Arizona vineyards are Dos Cabezas, Callaghan Vineyards, Caduceus Cellars and Sand Reckoner. Centered around a lake on landscaped
grounds, Singh Meadows is north of the 202 Freeway and McClintock Drive at 1490 E. Weber Drive, behind Big Surf Waterpark. The owners are known for the original 60acre Singh Farm near downtown Scottsdale, where they sell vegetables, composts, seeds, hydrolyzed fish fertilizer and other goods. Open to the public on Saturdays and Sundays, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Singh Meadows is also available for private events. Offered are fresh vegetables, gourmet local foodstuffs and an on-site café and fresh juice bar led by Frank Belosic, Jay Bogsinske and Dan Medlen. The café has grab-and-go salads, pastries, locally roasted coffee and fresh-pressed juices. The three will soon also offer housebaked pizzas, home-made pastas and other from-scratch food options. The new Singh Meadows took three years for the family to open. In 2014, the city of Tempe first spoke with family members as it considered repurposing the former Rio Salado Golf Course. Transforming public links into an organic farm was complex and time-consuming. “The process to remediate the soil and create the soil food web needed to grow nutrient dense heirloom vegetables took two and a half years. Chemicals were flushed, and organics were added,” said Ken Singh. “The lake is also well water, the purest water available in the Valley.” The farm for now comprises just seed-
lings, including a sprinkling of garden beds blooming with baby herbs and cool-weather vegetables such as Swiss chard. “Singh Meadows will be constantly evolving as new ideas and concepts come to fruition in the future,” Lee said. “We are dedicated to building a retreat where the community can come together to relax and enjoy nature in the middle of a bustling city.” “Seven Chef Singh Along” began years ago when Kantak and the six original chefs hosted the first event, “Pig Out.” “We had a blast at this event last year, so I’m really looking forward to this year with the added chefs,” Oso said, noting that he’ll be preparing a foie gras trio. Some of the other chefs are preparing passed appetizers and desserts. His Nico Heirloom Kitchen, in the Heritage Marketplace in downtown Gilbert, is named for his son, who will be 3 in March. He and wife Bethany also have a daughter, Giuliana, 18 months, and their third is expected in mid-May. “Nico is more casual and family driven than our Scottsdale restaurant,” Oso said. “It’s a collection of recipes I learned along the way from family and friends that I’m now passing to my son to continue the tradition. The only catch is that he’s only 2 years old, so we have a long way to go before he takes the reigns.” His business partners are Scottsdale residents Brad Kircher and his wife Melody.
The chefs group, most of whom belong to the Devour Restaurant Coalition, decided to help the organization further its mission to promote the Phoenix area as culinary destination. Under Kantak’s guidance, the original two-day Devour Culinary Classic has expanded to five days. “We are involved with many organizations and charities that we give back to,” Oso said. “That’s what we’re all about; giving back to the community is very important to us.” Formed about eight years ago as part of the Local First organization, Devour also works to establish best practices among the now 30 fine-dining members and source products locally as much as possible. With 3,000 members statewide, Local First strives to strengthen the Arizona economy by supporting locally owned businesses throughout the state, explains its founder and executive director, Kimber Lanning, a longtime supporter of Phoenix’s culinary scene. “What these restaurants are contributing to our economy is remarkable,” said Lanning of the group of nine chefs. “For me, the Devour Culinary Classic, and the ‘Seven Chef Singh Along’ events are about acknowledging what our local chefs do to promote our area and provide rich cultural context, and they do it while building hometown pride.” Information: 480-686-9411, facebook.com/ SinghMeadows, or Devourphoenix.com.
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FEBRUARY 22, 2017 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS
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OPEN ENROLLMENT • We are a preschool through 8th grade school, like no other, where academic achievement is guided by faith, morality and integrity. • We offer flexible preschool scheduling options and our program balances an inclusive classroom with thoughtful integration into the elementary school environment. • Our primary and middle school provide students with a balanced curriculum in technology-infused classrooms, with an emphasis on differentiated learning.
(Special to AFN)
A rip-roarin’ rodeo is just one of the attractions at Lost Dutchman Days.
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Rodeo, carnival celebrate city’s history at Lost Dutchman Days BY TIM J. RANDALL GetOut Contributing Writer
W
ith the goal of “putting smiles on kids’ faces,” the Lost Dutchman Days Rodeo and Festival is returning for a 53rd time in Apache Junction to celebrate the city’s Old West heritage. A professional rodeo, dancing, entertainment and a carnival take place from Friday to Sunday, Feb. 24-26. Lost Dutchman Days began as oneday affair in January 1965, and from there has grown into a celebration of Apache Junction’s history at the Lost Dutchman Days Event Center. “The Lost Dutchman Days is about the heritage of the community, and the name
IF YOU GO
Where: Lost Dutchman Days Event Center, 1590 W. Lost Dutchman Blvd., Apache Junction When: 9 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday, Feb. 24-25 and 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 26 Cost: $2 More info: lostdutchmandays.org
recognizes the Lost Dutchman’s Gold Mine,” says Denny Walter, the event’s chairman. “The fairgrounds of the festival sit in the shadow of the Superstition Mountains where the mine supposedly is hidden.” The more than 30,000 expected patrons can enjoy more than 30 rides and attractions. Additionally, guests can watch the parade through downtown Apache Junction on Saturday morning, and attend the annual dance in the evening. There will be over 100 vendors and two stages of entertainment. For those looking to get the festivities started early, a Brat Party is staged on Thursday, Feb. 23. The centerpiece is the Grand Canyon Pro Rodeo Association-sanctioned rodeo, which features bull riding, calf roping and steer wrestling. After the Sunday rodeo, kids can get in on the action during “Mutton Bustin’,” where 30 brave young lads and lassies ride and race sheep. Walter, who has served as the Lost Dutchman Days chairman for five years and has been associated with the event for close to 15, said all the profits go back to local charities. Despite its popularity, Walter does not have an eye toward expanding the festival. “We want to keep Lost Dutchman Days small and traditional,” he says. We focus on trying to improve it every year.”
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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | FEBRUARY 22, 2017
Race and concerts headline weekend offerings BY JUSTIN FERRIS GetOut Editor
the most incredible of these images and learn how astronomers use these images to better understand the universe. DETAILS>> 2:30 p.m., today, Feb. 22. Marston Exploration Theater at ASU, 781 E. Terrace Mall, Tempe. Tickets: $7.50 adults, $5.50 students. asuevents.asu.edu.
‘Barrel & Board’ slated
Savor cheese, beer and whiskey from artisan cheese producers, craft breweries and local distilleries as part of the Scottsdale Culinary Festival. Tickets get you unlimited cheese samples, plus craft beer and spirit samples. Vote on your favorite pairings. DETAILS>> 7-10 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 23. SoHo63, 63 E. Boston St.,
‘Gathering Light’ presented
Some of our most astonishing pictures of deep space come from the Hubble Space Telescope. For its 25th birthday, go on a live, narrated 3-D journey through some of
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Chandler. Tickets: $50 presale, $60 at the door. scottsdalefest.org.
‘Empty Bowls’ in Tempe
Browse gorgeous ceramic bowls at this fundraiser for the hungry. A $10 donation gets you a bowl and a simple meal of soup and bread equivalent to the daily calories of many people around the world. DETAILS>> 11 a.m.-2 p.m., Friday, Feb. 24 at 6th Street Park, 6th Street east of Mill; Saturday, Feb. 25 at Tempe Library Complex, southwest corner of
Rural & Southern. Cost: Free, $10 donation. tempeemptybowls.org.
NHRA Nationals roar in town
Enter the heart-pounding – and boneshakingly loud – world of NHRA drag racing. Race fans don’t want to miss this annual event that sees 300 mph+ top fuel
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FEBRUARY 22, 2017 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS
dragsters, funny cars, pro stocks and pro stock motorcycles compete for the NHRA Wally Trophy. DETAILS>> Friday-Sunday, Feb. 24-26. Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park, 20000 S. Maricopa Road, Chandler. Tickets $34-$54 per day or $111 three-day pass, kids 12 and under free. 520-796-5601. racewildhorse. ticketforce.com.
Disney concert offered
Hear your favorite Disney music live in this multimedia concert presentation. Projected above the orchestra you will see scenes from “Frozen,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “The Lion King” and “The
Little Mermaid” as the orchestra plays. DETAILS>> Friday-Sunday, Feb. 24-26. Phoenix Symphony Hall, 75 N. Second St., Phoenix. Tickets: $33-$109. 602-495-1999. tickets.phoenixsymphony.org.
Relive Glenn Miller
Although band leader Glenn Miller’s life and music career was tragically cut short during World War II, his legacy and sound live on. Hear more than 40 big band and swing hits, including “In The Mood” and “Chattanooga Choo Choo.” Tickets are already selling fast. DETAILS>> 3 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 26.
Chandler Center for the Arts, 250 N. Arizona Ave., Chandler. Tickets: $30, $36, $40. 480-782-2680. chandlercenter.org.
Ostrich Festival coming
Get your tickets now for the only festival in Arizona devoted to flightless birds. Watch ostrich races and pig races, enjoy carnival rides, visit the petting zoo, ride a camel, listen to live music and see other entertainment, and more. DETAILS>> Times vary, March 10-12. Tumbleweed Park, 2250 S. McQueen Road, Chandler. Tickets: $10 adult, $7 ages 5-12 and seniors. ostrichfestival. com. -Get more ideas for fun things to do at Phoenix.org.
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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | FEBRUARY 22, 2017
King Crossword ACROSS
1 Eden evacuee 4 Temporary gifts 9 School org. 12 Lucy of “Elementary” 13 Liver or lung 14 Parcel of land 15 Hearth 17 Past 18 Hot tub 19 Porter 21 Occur 24 Great Lake 25 Web address 26 Banned pesticide 28 “-- alive!” 31 Bound 33 Surprised cries 35 Citrus fruit 36 Fancy neckwear 38 Special - 40 Nashville-based awards org. 41 “Zounds!” 43 Rouse 45 Autobiography’s cousin 47 Carnival city 48 -- carte 49 “Monopoly” purchase 54 Tit for - 55 More than enough 56 Explanation 57 Type measures 58 Called 59 Gorilla
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FEBRUARY 22, 2017 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS
Sports
@AhwatukeeFN |
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Mountain Pointe High girls make first semifinals since 2002 BY JASON P. SKODA AFN Prep Sports Director
A
carryover of confidence from an unlikely comeback win over Xavier wasn’t surprising when Mountain Pointe High’s girls basketball team grabbed an early lead Friday against Hamilton High. The Pride played well down the stretch of the regular season and roared back from a 14-point deficit to win in the first round earlier in the week. It was clear early that the 10th-seeded Pride was more than confident against No. 2 Hamilton. The team was the aggressor, getting to the loose balls and making just about every shot it took to put the defending champions behind nearly all game long. Mountain Pointe never relinquished a second-quarter lead to knock off Hamilton 60-56 in the 6A Conference quarterfinals. “That gave us a lot of confidence,” firstyear coach Justin Hager said of the win over Xavier. “They just had to believe. Once the group buys into what we are trying to build, anything can happen.”
kids that play very hard and put lot of pressure on the ball,” Hager said. “We will have to take care of the ball and rebound well, and limit their possessions. Everyone will have to step up and contribute. “We will have to be great (Jason Skoda/AFN Staff) defensively.” Mountain Pointe High’s Bailey Osmer, left, helped lead the Pride to the state The Pride has semifinals for the first time since the 2001-02 season. to duplicate the performance The win over Hamilton advanced the it had against Hamilton when it took Pride to the semifinals for the first time the lead for good on a layup by Isela since the program won its only state title Enriquez and back-to-back 3-pointers in the 2001-02 season. by Eve Kulovitz for a 26-18 lead. Mountain Pointe (23-9) faces No. 3 “She’s streaky,” Hager said. “Eve came Valley Vista (22-6) on Thursday, Feb. 23, out of it, and I’m proud of her. She’s a at Gila River Arena with a 3 p.m. tip-off. confidence kid. She’s a spot shooter, and The Monsoon won the regular season you have to respect her.” contest at Mountain Pointe 69-67. Mountain Pointe shot 71 percent in “They are a great team with talented the first quarter and took a 33-25 lead
into halftime. It is going to be hard for the Pride to do that against Valley Vista. “It seemed like they didn’t miss a shot,” said Hamilton coach Trevor Neider, who led the Pride for seven seasons before taking over the Huskies prior to last year. “They got great looks and didn’t miss. It was bad rotations on our part, but give them credit.” The Pride didn’t wilt under the pressure of closing out the game as Bailey Osmer and Lexi Evans made some free throws down the stretch. “It’s a blessing to have four years in and to take that next step,” Osmer said. “We believe in each other. They had faith in me, and I had to step up and make sure we finished.” Mountain Pointe is playing with a renewed confidence. “We are going to keep on going,” Osmer said. “We are going to keep pushing and play as long as we can.” Added Hager: “All those games during the season prepared for us for this. This is why you play a tough schedule. It had us ready for this thing, and it turned out all right for us.”
Desert Vista High boys ready for match with Basha High BY JASON P. SKODA AFN Prep Sports Director
The boys in the Desert Vista High basketball program have used one word before breaking huddle to get keep them focused: “Grandma.” “Coach (Gino Crump) gave us a metaphor that asked us, ‘If our grandma was out on the court, would we knock her over to get to the loose ball?’” senior Caleb Simmons said. “Ever since then, we’ve had the ‘grandma mentality’ as a team, and we say it in every huddle.” Desert Vista displayed tenacity against No. 6 Brophy in the waning moments of Saturday’s 6A quarterfinal win to push the Thunder into the semifinals, where
it will face No. 2 Basha. The Thunder used a full-court press to erase a fourth-quarter deficit and beat the Broncos 59-53, making the semifinals for the second time in three seasons. “In the fourth quarter, we turned it up on defense,” said Simmons. “At the end of the day, it’s our house, and it starts on defense.” They will need a similar intensity against the 28-1 Bears, who won 26 straight games before losing the season finale. They’ve won their two playoffs games handily and have a tough twosome of Terrell Brown and Gabe McGlothan.
(AFN file photo)
DV on page 53
Desert Vista High’s Duane Miller, right, is one reason the Thunder advanced to the 6A Conference semifinals.
See
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SPORTS
AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | FEBRUARY 22, 2017
3 area ballparks offer different Cactus League ambiance BY JIM WALSH AFN Staff Writer
E
ast Valley baseball fans look forward to hearing that pitchers and catchers are reporting to Cactus League facilities as an annual rite of spring, a harbinger of sitting in the sun, enjoying a game and maybe having a hot dog and a cold beverage. Fans in the East Valley have a distinct choice between a traditional spring training ambience at venerable Tempe Diablo Stadium, a still somewhat cozy atmosphere at updated Hohokam Stadium in Mesa, or a near Major League experience at glittering Sloan Park in Mesa. Expect large crowds, as usual, and a major dose of euphoria this year at Sloan, where Chicago Cubs fans will celebrate their long-awaited World Series victory over another long-suffering Cactus League team, the Cleveland Indians. The party commences at Sloan on Friday, Feb. 24, when fans will attend a Cubs Rally and view their World Series trophy. Cubs manager Joe Maddon and some of his players are expected to make appearance. The event runs from noon to 4 p.m. but there may be a line forming much earlier. What’s a few hours waiting in line to see the trophy after a 108-year wait between championships, right? But Sloan Park is only one of three stars in the East Valley’s strong Cactus League lineup. They range from Diablo, the smallest and oldest stadium left in the booming Cactus League, and threeyear-old Sloan, the largest park in the
(Larry Mangino/AFN Staff Photographer)
Among those awaiting spring training for the L.A. Angels at Diablo Stadium in Tempe are Elizabeth Carriker and 2-year-old Ella.
league. Diablo Stadium dates back to 1968 and the short-lived Seattle Pilots expansion team. Diablo has been renovated three times, including in 2005, and seats 9,600 fans compared to Sloan’s 15,000. The Cubs, no doubt, could sell double that for some games. Cubs fans were showing up for batting practice even before pitchers and catchers reported on Feb. 15, watching players who arrived early to get a jump on spring training. Hohokam is slightly bigger than Diablo and significantly smaller than Sloan. It was built for the Cubs in 1997, replacing the aging first version of Hohokam. Gradually, its seating capacity was boosted to more than 12,000 as the
(Larry Mangino/AFN Staff Photographer)
Among those awaiting spring training for the L.A. Angels at Diablo Stadium in Tempe are Elizabeth Carriker and 2-year-old Ella.
Cubs drew record crowds. Hohokam was renovated before it became the spring home of the Oakland Athletics in 2015. Mesa gave it a fresh coat of green paint and took out bleachers that were no longer needed, reducing the seating capacity to about 10,000, including the outfield berm. “It’s all going to be good for all of us,” said Jerry Hall, manager of Tempe Diablo. “I think we’re going to have a very good Cactus League this year.” Hall said giddy Cubs fans will fill every stadium in the league for an opportunity to see their beloved team. San Francisco Giants fans and Los Angeles Dodgers fans are likely to do the same thing. Diablo is the home to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, who feature AllStar outfielder Mike Trout, the reigning American League Most Valuable Player. “We are now the oldest ballpark. We are the smallest stadium. We still have the old spring training charm,” Hall said. Diablo and Hohokam, home of the Oakland Athletics, make better bets for tickets than Sloan, not that there are many bargains left in the Cactus League. A few seats were remaining at Sloan as of last week. Randy and Mary Kluever are so enamored with the Cubs that they decided to retire here, after visiting during spring training for many years. “We started coming down for spring training. Last year, we made the big move,” Mary Kluever said. “They are one of the reasons we moved here.” The Kluevers were among a group of fans who were watching Cubs players
John Jay and Kyle Schwarber take an early round of batting practice at the Sloan Park practice fields. “It helps that it’s 80 degrees and sunny and beautiful,” Randy Kluever said. “It’s a big part of our life. I thought I was going to die before they won the World Series.” Dale Pettit, a native of Hammond, Indiana, was one of about 50 fans who showed up as Cubs pitchers and catchers participated in their first official workout on Wednesday. Pettit said he remembers visiting his grandparents in Mesa and going to Cubs games in the late 1960s, when he started a collection of autographed pictures of players in the team’s program. One of Pettit’s most prized photographs is a picture of the Cubs All-Star infield from 1969, signed by all four players, including Hall of Famers Ernie Banks and Ron Santo. The other two were shortstop Don Kessenger and second baseman Glenn Beckert. “I have been a Cubs fan all my life,” said Pettit, who was wearing a Cubs shirt with Santo’s number 10 on the back and the letters “HOF,” for the baseball Hall of Fame. “I moved out to Mesa in 2009. I always knew I would retire here.” Pettit looks at his autograph collection as a future family heirloom, but because he is an adult, players tend to think of him as a possible professional autograph See
PARKS on page 55
(Larry Mangino/AFN Staff Photographer)
Pat Canty participates with Steve’s Dream at a promo table at Sloan Park during spring training.
SPORTS
FEBRUARY 22, 2017 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS
DV
Racial, disrespectful chants by spectators at basketball games addressed by AIA
from page 51
“They played very well together as a team,” Crump said. “They’ve had a great season for a reason. They really play well. We have to defend the post well and limit their possessions. We are going to have to be at the top of our game.” The Thunder (19-5) propelled itself into the state semifinals despite a slow start. A full-court press turned the tide in the second half as they clawed back from a double-digit deficit to beat the Broncos. Crump knows a slow start against the Bears will be difficult to overcome but he has seen the Thunder come together in recent weeks. “We’re still a work in progress,” he said. “We’ve come along way and we are winning, but we can still get better of course. “We’ve come together. When I first took I over, I knew we had to improve the team dynamics and we have to the point where we believed in each to come back,” he continued, adding: “Now we face are toughest test of the year and these guys are ready for it.”
BY JASON P. SKODA AFN Prep Sports Director
D
isrespectful and racial chants and shouts by high school students at basketball games were addressed by the Arizona Interscholastic Association lease last week. Red Mountain and American Leadership Academy both had situations arise recently during home basketball games. In a statement, the AIA said: “As our member school teams pursue victory with honor, it is important that everyone, including spectators, family, and friends of players demonstrate trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship from the stands. Fairness and respect are expected for all cultures represented by our diverse student and fan population.” At Red Mountain on Feb. 10, students reportedly made monkey sounds while playing Mountain Ridge and pounded their fists against their chest, a gesture
– Staff writer Ryan Clarke contributed to this story.
associated with a gorilla. Mountain Ridge, based in Glendale, had one black player on the court at the time. The school’s student body Twitter page, @redseamovement, at first said it used animal noises in attempt to get into opposing players’ head for years. The following day, it tweeted “Although it unintentional, we want to apologize for the actions of our student section, in hindsight gorilla noises aren’t appropriate.” Red Mountain principal Jared Ryan released a letter to the parents that read: “It is apparent that not all students value one another for their unique differences. All students who were involved with the incident now face school disciplinary action aligned to governing board and school district policy. “Blatant disrespect for others will never be tolerated on our campus or any other in Mesa Public Schools.” At American Leadership on Feb. 9, Native American fans of the visiting Globe boys’ basketball team felt they
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were treated unfairly because they were asked to move from the home side to visitor side. After refusing to move, the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office was contacted. The visitors also claimed that racial comments such as “go back to the Rez” and “jungle ball” were made, according to media reports. The school issued a statement the following day that said: “There was a group of Globe fans who chose to sit on the home side amongst the ALA fans. Toward the very end of the girls varsity game, the referees approached ALA’s administration and asked them to remove some of the Globe fans sitting on the home side due to unruly behavior.” “The request was not racially motivated, but rather done out of a desire to ensure a safe environment following input from the referees. The Globe fans refused to move to the visitors side of the gym, See
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RACE on page 55
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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | FEBRUARY 22, 2017
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FEBRUARY 22, 2017 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS FOOTHILLS NEWS
PARKS
from page 52
hound who might sell an autographed ball on eBay. He said this is the last year he will collect autographs. “I have a huge collection. I don’t like the fact that the players look at me as someone I am not,” Pettit said. “Those guys were your heroes.” A few yards away, Vance Chapman IV of Gilbert threw a baseball down a hill to his father, Vance Chapman III, as his mother, Kim, enjoyed a sunny day. It was a combination of family time together and encouragement for little Vance to become a fan and to play baseball. “My grandpa brought me to spring training. He had season tickets” at Hohokam, Chapman III said. “My dad was part of the HoHoKams. During the spring, we lived here.” The HoHoKams are a Mesa civic group of business people who volunteer their time each spring, handling parking and
RACE
from page 53
so the Sheriff’s office was contacted. The Sheriff’s office responded and deescalated the situation, and the game concluded without incident.” In recent years, the trend has been for student-body sections to become more vocal and theme oriented. Most of it is clean and light hearted, but at the same time it can become mean-spirited especially when rival schools are involved and more is known about the players. “It almost becomes a pack mentality,” Mountain Pointe High School lead security guard Eric Lauer said. “People you know normally would never act a certain way start acting differently. You have to remember from out of the heart, the mouth speaks. “I tell people sometimes you have to
other functions at Sloan and Hohokam. “It’s very relaxing and it’s a good chance for all of us to spend family time together,” Kim Chapman said. “We want him to be a fan and a ballplayer,” she said, about little Vance. In Tempe, Jonathan Rodriguez, 9, of Maricopa, went to Diablo with his mom, Monica Rodriguez, and his sister, Destinee. The family, originally from Southern California, was there to watch Angels pitchers and catchers work out. The highlight was when an Angels player took special interest in Jonathan. “He tossed it to him,” Monica Rodriguez said, as Jonathan displayed his ball. “He took the time to autograph it for him and to take a picture with him.” Jonathan darted around and said, “I love it,” when asked about the ball. His mother was more emphatic, saying Jonathan is a quiet boy. “He said, ‘This is my best day ever,’” Monica Rodriguez said.
say the second or third thing that comes to your mind because if you said the first we’d all be in trouble. It can be difficult to manage, especially when it is a big game or your rival comes to visit.” Mountain Pointe and Desert Vista have two of the largest and most creative followings. “While the diversity at Mountain Pointe helps us, we still address it on a regular basis with the student body. The Zoo Krew (the student spirit leadership group) is a big help with this,” Mountain Pointe principal Bruce Kipper said. “They are leaders in the school and set the expectations. “At assemblies, Freshman Boot Camp, etc., we talk to the students about expectations and the values we hold to. Everyone once in a while, a student will make a mistake, but for the most part the overall atmosphere is pretty good.”
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PIANO LESSONS - Ahw. teacher w/ yrs of exp. Has few openings for new students. All ages beg-adv. Very reasonable rates. Avail M-Sat. (480)496-9154
For a Quote email: class@times publications.com 480-898-6465
Herder Plumbing Inc 3707 E Southern Ave #1039 Mesa AZ 85206 seeks 25 “temporary full-time” Pool laborer Helpers to work&reside in Phx Metroplex area. Use, supply&hold pipes, hand/electr tools &materials for pools, clean wk area. Bend lift&hold up 50Lb, work in ext weather, 3mo exp in Res constr, on-the-job-train avail, no edu reqd, travel in Phx-metroplex area M-F 7am-3pm @$13.72/hr OT if needed @$20.58 from 4/1 to 11/15/17. US&H2B workers offered same wages& working conditions to include paid post-hired drug test Sgle wrkwk computes wages. 40hr/wk. Weekly pmt. H-2B Wrkr to be paid U.S. Consulate, border, lodging fees on 1st workwk on a company check. “Transportation (including meals & to the extent necessary lodging) to place of employment or its cost to workers reimbursed, if the worker completes half the employment period. Return transportation provided if the worker completes employment period or is dismissed early by employer” “Tools provided at no charge to worker”. Apply in person at nearest SWA, call 520-866-3608, fax res 520-836-5876 Attn: Desirae Diaz or fax res to emplyer 480.385.5123 RE JP 2517602. Unique Landscapes by Griffin 114 S Extension Rd, Mesa, AZ 85210 seeks 20 “temporary fulltime” Landscape Laborers to work&reside in Phoenix Metroplex area to lay sod, mow, trim trees, fertilize, install sprinkler systms, bend lift&hold up 50Lb 3mo exp, wk in ext weather, on job train avail, no edu reqd, travel in PHX Metroplex area M-F 6am-2pm @$ 11.74/hr OT if needed @$17.61 from 4/1-11/30/17. US&H2B workers offered same wages & working conditions to include paid post-hired drug test. Sgle wrkwk computes wages. Weekly pmt. H-2B Wrkr to be paid U.S. Consulate, border, lodging fees on 1st workwk on a company check “Transportation (including meals & to the extent necessary lodging) to place of employment or its cost to workers reimbursed, if the worker completes half the employment period. Return transportation provided if the worker completes employment period or is dismissed early by employer. Tools provided at no charge to worker” Apply in person at nearest SWA, call 520.866.3608 or fax res 520.836.5876 Attn Desirae Diaz or fax res to emplr 480.733.7912 Attn Chris Griffin RE JP: 2516506
Lost & Found LOST CAT
Gray cat with green eyes. Lost near 47th St & Sunrise in Ahwatukee Please Call James 602-741-4677
Meetings/Events Aegis Hospice Grief/Loss Support Group We meet 6 pm on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month. Legacy Funeral Home: 1722 N. Banning St. Mesa, Refreshments provided. Contact: Rick Wesley 480-219-4790 rick@ aegishospice.com
THE AHWATUKEE TEA PARTY General Meeting Announcement Thursday, February 23, 2017 * new date & location * Firehouse #43 4110 E Chandler Blvd, Phoenix, AZ 85048 Parking and access are on the west side of building. Doors open at 6:30pm and meetings start promptly at 7pm. February 2017 Guest Speaker - John King John King, Kyrene Governing Board President, will be providing an update of education and our local school district. Bring a friend!
Real Estate
For Sale
56
CLASSIFIEDS
Meetings/Events
Meetings/Events
AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS SENIOR ASSOCIATION (AFSA)
Crops of Luv
Attention: Seniors 55+ --- become a member of AFSA. Mark your calendars for the first Thursdayof every month and enjoy meeting new friends, have a delicious lunch, and be entertained. This all takes place at the Sheraton Four Points Hotel located at 51st St. and Elliot Rd. in Phoenix. Doors open at 11am and lunch is at Noon. Cost is $15. For further information and details, please call Sue McCann at (480) 469-9388. THE AHWATUKEE TEA PARTY Watch For An Announcement on our New General Meeting Location, with Dates And Times in January, 2017. ----------Email: info@tukee teaparty.com TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) is a weight loss organization that is over 60 years old. We meet at Ahwatukee Rec Center on Cheyenne between S. 48th St. and S. 51st St. on Wed. eve's from 67:30 p.m. For more information: Terri at 480-893-6742.
"My dream is that one day we will be able to give every "wish" child a scrapbook to remind them that dreams do come true." Jody, co-founder, Ahwatukee based nonprofit
Come Join us: Help make embellishments, organize or assist with events, scrapbook, donate your time, money or space. Come be apart of something Awesome!
AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | FEBRUARY 22, 2017
Real Estate
For Rent Roommates Looking For A Room To Rent During Winter Months in Ahw. Non-smoker. Please Call Wanda at 480-250-3085
cropsofluv@cox.net AMERICAN LEGION AHWATUKEE Post #64 We Meet Every 3rd Wed at 3pm at the Ahwatukee Retirement Center At 5001 E Cheyenne Dr, Phoenix, Az. 85044. Contact ED MANGAN Cmdr 602-501-0128 Christian Business Networking, Chandler BiMonthly Chapter 7:30 a.m. second and fourth Tuesdays of the month Offers members the opportunity to share ideas, contacts and business referrals. Chandler Christian Church, Room B202 1825 S. Alma School Rd., Chandler Info: Maia, 480-4250624, christianbusinessnetworking.com
Appliance Repairs
A FRIEND OF MINE
Appliance Repair Now
Your in-home pet sitting and plant care service. For all your pet needs, domestic and exotics. Flat fee-no hidden costs. Serving Ahwatukee since 2003. Member of PSI. Bond/Ins'd. 602-617-0993 Please visit us at afriend ofminepetsitting.com
Voted one of the “Best of Ahwatukee” 9 Years Running!
Cleaning Services leave your spring cleaning to us,
If It’s Broken, We Can Fix It! • Same Day Service • On-Site Repairs • Servicing All Major Brands • Quality Guaranteed
We Also Buy Used Appliances, Working or Not
480-659-1400
Pets/Services
Cropsofluv.com
480.634.7763
Pets/Services
Licensed & Insured
Business/Professional Services
3 ways we clean up 3 the ways we clean up competition the competition.
Signature Clean - Same Signature Clean™ professionals, same process SM
every time. Same professionals, same process every time.
Spring Cleaning
75
$
Dust
Surfaces
Glass
EnvironShield™ EnviroShield - A total home ®
A total home disinfecting process. disinfecting process.
Off Home Cleaning! Save $25 off your first three home cleaning visits.
Call Call602-595-1771 602-730-9687
www.greaterphoenix.maidright.com www.maidrightoffers.com/svy
Offer good for recurring service only.
Contractors
• Reasonable Rates • Special Pricing on Extended Service Licensed/Bonded/Insured Ahwatukee Resident
Call Eleanor Today!
480.287.4897
www.WhileYouAreAwayServices.com
Service Directory
Sell Your Stuff! Call Classifieds Today! 480.898.6465
CLASS@TIMESPUBLICATIONS.COM
Carpet Cleaning
RENOVATION SOLUTIONS HOME IMPROVEMENT & RENOVATIONS
General Contractor 30 Years of Experience
Licensed, Bonded & Insured Family owned and proudly serving Ahwatukee for over 20 years.
Air Conditioning/Heating
Powerful Truck Mounted Soft Hot Water Extractions. Carpets, Tile & Grout, Upholstery, Pet Stain/Odor Treatment Residential/Commercial www.extractioncleaning.com 100% Satisfaction Guarantee!
480.460.5030
- Mark Twain
Cleaning Services
HOME
R E N O VAT I O N
• Additions • Alterations • Kitchen and bath remodeling specialists Ahwatukee resident
480.848.9890 ROC#245469
480.898.6465
Bathroom
Pet and Home Services
“Many a small thing has been made large by the right kind of advertising”
class@timespublications.com
Technics™ -
TechnicsSM - An innovative color-coded cleaning system.
An innovative color-coded cleaning system.
MORE CLASSIFIED ADS ONLINE! www.Ahwatukee.com
CLASSIFIEDS
FEBRUARY 22, 2017 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS
Concrete & Masonry
CLASS@ TIMESPUBLICATIONS .COM
You never know what you’ll find inside
DESERT ROCK CONCRETE & MASONRY **********************
NEW INSTALLS / REPAIRS FOUNDATION, DRIVEWAY PATIO, WALKWAY BBQ, FIREPLACE BLOCK, STUCCO SPRINKLER GRADING, REMOVAL
Drywall
Electrical Services
Electrical Services
MIKE’S
DRYWALL, PAINTING & REMODELING SERVICE SPECIALIZING IN… • Water Damage • Drywall Repair • Popcorn & Wallpaper Removal
• Int/Ext Painting • Patio & Carport Ceiling Resurfacing • Stucco Repairs
Since1980 Licensed & Bonded ROC 130069
Residential Electrician
Call Sean Haley 602-574-3354
www.mikesdrywallservice.com
ROC#277978 • Licensed/Bonded/Insured
WATERFALLS POOLS
CALL JOHN 480-797-2985
Watch for Garage Sales in Classifieds!
FREE ESTIMATE 16 YEARS EXP, REF INSURED Not A Licensed Contractor
CLASSIFIEDS 480-898-6465
Add a Background Color to Your Ad! Classifieds 480-898-6465
COOL DECKS
480 898 6465 Concrete & Masonry
Only $25 includes up to 1 week online To place an ad please call:
480-898-6465
class@timespublications.com
Electrical Services
NOTICE:
Most service advertisers have an ROC# or "Not a licensed contractor" in their ad, this is in accordance to the AZ state law.
Arizona Registrar of Contractors (ROC): The advertising requirements of the statute does not prevent anyone from placing an ad in the yellow pages, on business cards, or on flyers. What it does require under A.R.S. §32-1121A14(c) <http://www.azleg.gov/ars/32/01165.htm> , is that the advertising party, if not properly licensed as a contractor, disclose that fact on any form of advertising to the public by including the words "not a licensed contractor" in the advertisement. Again, this requirement is intended to make sure that the consumer is made aware of the unlicensed status of the individual or company. Contractors who advertise and do not disclose their unlicensed status are not eligible for the handyman's exception. Reference: (http://www.azroc.gov/invest/licensed_by_law.html) As a consumer, being aware of the law is for your protection. You can check a businesses ROC status at: http://www.azroc.gov/
HONESTY • INTEGRITY • QUALITY
You will find them easy with their yellow background. Garage Sale Fri & Sat 7a-11am Household, clothes, kitchen items, furniture, electronics, mason jars, kid items, DVDs, MORE 555 W. Lane Dr Mesa
class@times publications.com
- Ahw Resident Since 1987 -
• Panel Changes and Repairs • Installation of Ceiling Fans • Switches/Outlets • Home Remodel
ALL RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL ELECTRICAL Call Jim Endres 480.282.7932 Over 28 Years Experience • ROC #246019 Bonded/Insured
Sell Your Stuff! Call Classifieds Today! 480.898.6465
CLASS@TIMESPUBLICATIONS.COM
Flooring
57
CLASSIFIEDS
58
Garage/Doors GARAGE DOOR SERVICE East Valley/ Ahwatukee
Broken Springs Replaced Nights/Weekends Bonded/Insured 480-251-8610
Not a licensed contractor
AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | FEBRUARY 22, 2017
HIRING?
Handyman
People are looking at the Classifieds Everyday!
Handyman
Gary is Back Household Repairs
R.HANDYMAN Rebuild: Under sink floors, drawers & shelving. All sm repairs, welding. Clean carpet traffic areas & stains. Fix: toilets, faucets, gates, doors.
Visit our website! Landlord and Homeowner Property Services
Call Bob 480-893-9482
AND so much more!
drywall, plumbing, small painting, varnish doors, grout cleaning,ceiling fans, roof turbines. 30 years experience
Email Your Job Post to: class@times publications.com
Gary 480-268-0380 ROC#183872, 227944
or Call
480-898-6465
ROC095639 BOND/INS'D
Bob White's OLD FASHIONED QUALITY Home Repair
Garage/Doors
10%
Discount for Seniors & Veterans
Opener & Door Lubrication with Repair
WE DO IT ALL!
Specializing in Remodeling & Repairng
ADD COLOR TO YOUR AD! Ask Us. Call Classifieds Today! 480.898.6465 CLASS@TIMESPUBLICATIONS.COM
- SINCE 1978 -
• Drywall & Stucco Repairs • Windows • Doors • Cabinets • Block Fences • Painting Wrought Iron Gates • Remodeling • Additions Plumbing • Patios • Bathrooms • Kitchens • Tenant Improvements
SERVICE FEE WILL BE WAIVED WITH REPAIR
480-626-4497 www.lifetimegaragedoorsaz.com
East Valley 480-833-7353 LIC/BONDED/INSURED • Res/Comm’l ROC#218802
aaaActionContractingInc.com
FOOTHILLS GARAGE DOOR
Home Improvement
CHAMPION BUILT CONTRACTING INC.
Where Quality Comes First!
2 Guys
Total Design/Build Kitchens | Baths Replacement Windows Additions | Patios Total Interior Remodels
Plumbing & Handyman
Same Day Service Repair/Install All Major Brands
Plumbing, Electrical, Remodel & Additions, Drywall, Painting, Concrete, Tile & Flooring
Call for Our Monthly Special Discount
• FREE ESTIMATES •
All Work Guaranteed! 30 Years Experience • INSURED
480-893-8091 Ahwatukee Resident • Dependable & Honest
ROC#126694
Gift Certificates Available
Not a licensed contractor.
ACTION CONTRACTING INC.
FREE
Repairs • Drywall • Painting Trash Removal • HOA Compliance
480.335.4180
References!
Not a licensed contractor
Unbeatable Customer Service & Lowest Prices Guaranteed!
Jaden Sydney Associates.com
Ahwatukee Resident
602-826-0424
GARAGE DOORS
Handyman
Handyman
Not a Licensed Contractor
Bonded/Insured
Call Andy
602-332-6694
FREE
ESTIMATES!
25 +YEARS
IN BUSINESS
Residential/Commercial National Assoc. of the Remodeling Industry Member Lic | Bonded | Insured | References ROC# 113643, 113642
CLASS@TIMESPUBLICATIONS.COM
(480)497-5222
ChampionBuiltContracting.com
You never know what you’ll find inside
Marks the Spot for ALL Your Handyman Needs! Painting • Flooring • Electrical • Plumbing Drywall • Carpentry • Decks • Tile • More!
ce 1999
Affordable, Quality Work Sin
480.898.6465
2010, 2011 2012, 2013, 2014
“No Job Too Small Man!”
Call Bruce at 602.670.7038
Ahwatukee Resident/ References/ Insured/ Not a Licensed Contractor
CLASSIFIEDS
FEBRUARY 22, 2017 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS
Place YOUR Business HERE!
Call for our 3 Month Trial Special! Classifieds: 480-898-6465
Home Improvement
Landscape Maintenance Juan Hernandez
REMODEL CONTRACTOR
Plans / Additions, Patios New Doors, Windows Lowest Price in Town! R. Child Lic#216115, Class BO3 Bonded-Insured-Ref's
AFFORDABLE Landscape Maintenance 24 Years exp (480) 720-3840
480-215-3373
MISSED THE DEADLINE? Place your ad online!
Foothills Touch Landscapes LLC Lawn care/Maint. Starting as Low as $25. Install/Design Not a licensed contractor
Ahw. Res. 30 yrs Exp Free Estimates. Call Pat (480) 343-0562
Landscape Maintenance Juan Hernandez
SPRINKLER
Drip/Install/Repair Not a licensed contrator
24 years exp. Call Now (480) 720-3840
LEE'S SPRINKLER REPAIR 30 years experience Timers - Valves Heads Leaks FREE ESTIMATES Ahwatukee Resident Call 480-282-7222 Not a licensed contractor
Call 480-898-6564
59
Landscape Maintenance
Complete Lawn Service & Weed Control
$60/Month! • One Month Free Service • Licensed, Bonded Insured for your protection. • Call or Text for a Free Quote
Home Improvement
Drip Systems Installed, Valves/Timer Repairs
WINTERIZE YOUR DRIP SYSTEM! Take steps now to prevent winter damage!
kjelandscape.com • ROC#281191
480-586-8445
I ONLY use commercial parts that will last a long time. TWO year warranty (instead of normal 1 year) I will check your system, drips, valves, etc. and advise you how to keep your plants healthy and system working all winter.
FREE ESTIMATES! CALL 24 HOURS 20 Yrs Exp. I Do All My Own Work! Call Mark
480.295.2279 Not a licensed contractor.
A-Z Tauveli Prof LANDSCAPING LLC
We will give you totally new landscaping or revamp your current landscaping!
FREE ESTIMATES
602-471-3490 or 480-962-5149 ROC#276019 • LICENSED BONDED INSURED
Watch for Garage Sales in Classifieds!
CLEAN-UP & TREE SERVICE • Tree Trimming & Removal • Gravel Spread • General Yard Work • Weed Removal • Sprinkler Drip & Timer Repair • Insured • Free Estimates • All Work Guaranteed
You will find them easy with a yellow background. Garage Sale Fri & Sat 7a-11am Household, clothes, kitchen items, furniture, electronics, mason jars, kid items, DVDs, MORE 555 W. Lane Dr Mesa
Only $25 includes 1 week online
To place an ad please call: 480-898-6465 class@timespublications.com
Landscape Maintenance
ROC 304267 • Licenced & Bonded
SPEND A LITTLE…
MAKE A LOT!
• Pavers and Travertine • Retaining Walls • Synthetic Turf and SOD • Plants and Trees • Ramadas and Patio Covers
• BBQs and Fire Pits • Lighting (low voltage) • Irrgation Systems and Repairs • One-Time Clean-up • Maintenance
480-539-2597 cyclandscaping.com ROC: CR21-232290
Not a licensed contractor
Tree/Palm Tree Trimming • Sprinkler Systems Desertscape • Gardening • Concrete Work Block Wall • Real & Imitation • Flagstone
60
CLASSIFIEDS
AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | FEBRUARY 22, 2017
Landscape Maintenance
Meetings/Events
Painting
NONDENOMINATIONAL, GREAT PRAISE AND WORSHIP, GREAT MESSAGES FOR TODAYS LIVING! OUR MISSION IS “EVANGELISM, HEALING, DISCIPLESHIP, THROUGH THE WORD OF GOD!
PROFESSIONAL PAINTING Interior, Exterior House Painting. Stucco Patching. Gate/Front Door Refinishing. Quality work/Materials Free Estimate Ignacio 480-961-5093 602-571-9015 ROC #189850 Bond/Ins'd
VISIT US AT ValorCC.com.
WE’RE ALWAYS HERE FOR YOU
480.898.6465
CLASS@TIMESPUBLICATIONS.COM
Painting
Painting
RPL Decorators
• Painting • Wallpapering & Removal • Color Consultations • Finish Painting • Handyman Services 4th Generation Painter 30 Years Skilled Experience Always Neat & Dependable Expert Workmanship Guaranteed References Available
Mobile 602-369-5017
Landscape Maintenance
Bob480-917-3617 ROC #115384/Bonded
Arizona Specialty Landscape
New & Re-Do Design and Installation
HOME IMPROVEMENT
Affordable | Paver Specialists Drip & Sprinkler Repair BBQ’s & Outdoor Fireplaces Lighting
Interior/Exterior Painting 30 YEARS EXPERIENCE Dunn Edwards Quality Paint Small Stucco/Drywall Repairs
Free Estimates 7 Days a Week!
We Are State Licensed and Reliable!
ROC# 186443 • BONDED
Free Estimates • Senior Discounts
480.844.9765 CLASSIFIEDS 480-898-6465
480-338-4011
Your Ad can go ONLINE ANY Day! Call to place your ad online!! Classifieds 480-898-6465
Irrigation Repair Services Inc. Licensed • Bonded • Insured Technician
class@times publications.com
Specializing in Controllers, Valves, Sprinklers, Landscape Lighting, P.V.C. & Poly Drip Systems
East Valley PAINTERS
Call Lance White
480.721.4146 www.irsaz.com
ROC# 256752
Voted #1
Specials
Paint Interior & Exterior • Drywall Repair Light Carpentry • Power Washing • Textures Matched Popcorn Removal • Pool Deck Coatings Garage Floor Coatings • Color Consulting
Lawn Mowing Starts At $20 Full Service Starts At $70
The Valley’s Premier Painters
15 + Yrs Exp! All English Speaking Crew
SONORAN LAWN
480-745-5230 We Only Service Ahwatukee, So We Are Always Close By To Meet Unexpected Needs
Locksmith
ROC#243600
Proudly Serving Ahwatukee for a Decade. Family Owned & Operated -Interior & Exterior Painting -Stucco/Drywall Repairs & Texture Matching -Minor Carpentry -4 Year Warranty! -Competitive Pricing ACP is 100%Veteran Owned & Supports Our Vets with 10% off for all Military Personnel
See What We’re Up To!
www.AcpPaintingllc.com Licensed - Bonded - Insured ROC 290242
FREE ESTIMATES • CALL TODAY!
(480)785-6323
10% OFF
We Beat Competitors Prices & Quality Free Estimates• 3 Year Warranty
480-688-4770
www.eastvalleypainters.com Family Owned & Operated Bonded/Insured • ROC#153131
Plumbing
Now Accepting all majior credit cards
CLASSIFIEDS
FEBRUARY 22, 2017 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS
Plumbing
Plumbing
Plumbing
Plumbing & Rooter Service
Pool Service / Repair
$25 OFF
Filter Cleaning! $64* Drain Cleaning *Some conditions apply. Call for details.
$39 Off* Any Service *Call for Details. For a Limited Time.
100% Guarantee on Our Work Watch for Garage Sales in Classifieds! You will find them easy with their yellow background.
From Water Heaters to Toilets, Slab Leaks to Clogs!
24/7 Emergency Service FAST 60 Minute Service Available
Estimates Available
Monthly Service & Repairs Available
602-546-POOL 7 6 6 5
www.barefootpoolman.com See our Before’s and After’s on Facebook Licensed, Bonded & Insured ROC# 272001
61
Meetings/Events Dining For Women (DFW) diningforwomen.org inspires, educates and engages people to invest in programs that make a meaningful difference for women and girls living in extreme poverty. DFW helps women find dignity and strength, develop skills and opportunities, value and support their children's education. We have a local chapter in Ahwatukee which meets the 3rd Thursday every month from 6:30 p.m.-8:30p.m. If you'd like to know more on how you can transform lives and reduce poverty contact Mary Hake at marysullivanhake @gmail.com
ADD COLOR TO YOUR AD! Ask Us. Call Classifieds Today! 480.898.6465 CLASS@TIMESPUBLICATIONS.COM
Pool Service / Repair
480.405.3020 Bonded | Insured | Lic’d ROC 257806
Garage Sale Fri & Sat 7a-11am Household, clothes, kitchen items, furniture, electronics, mason jars, kid items, DVDs, MORE 555 W. Lane Dr Mesa
Pool Service / Repair
Only $25 includes 1 week online To place an ad please call: 480-898-6465 class@times publications.com
Ahw Resident • Owner Operated Maintenance & Repair Professional and Superior Service We maintain, repair and service all types of pools, equipment, filters, cleaning systems, fresh water and salt water systems
Call me, Howard:
480.231.9651
AZPoolExpert.com BBB Member
PLUMBING $35.00 Off Any Service Call Today!
A+ RATED
We Repair or Install ROC # 272721
Not a licensed contractor.
AHWATUKEE’S #1 PLUMBER
JuanPavers Hernandez • Concrete
Licensed • Bonded • Insured
704.5422
(480)
P O O L S E RV I C E S
IF IT DOESN’T SELL, IT ISN’T CREATIVE - David Ogilvy 480.898.6465
CLASS@TIMESPUBLICATIONS.COM
Water Features • Sprinkler Repair
P O O L R E PA I R
Pebble cracking, Plaster peeling, Rebar showing, Pool Light out?
I CAN HELP!
23 Years Experience • Dependable & Reliable
Call Juan at
480-720-3840 Not a licensed contractor.
62
CLASSIFIEDS
AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | FEBRUARY 22, 2017
Roofing
Meetings/Events PARENTS OF ADDICTED LOVED ONES Are you affected by someone who is dealing with an addiction? If so, know that you are not alone and that the PAL (Parents of Addicted Loved Ones) group can help. The group is available to provide education and support to anyone 18 years or older who is dealing with a friend or family member with an addiction. See our local meeting list at palgroup.org Smart Recovery Meeting Wed’s 7:00 8:30 p.m. 6400 W. Del Rio Chandler Montessori School next to Unitarian Church room 5. All issues drugs, alcohol, gambling, online addictions, & medications. 480-532-2460
Add a Background Color to Your Ad! Classifieds 480-898-6465
In-Ahwatukee Toastmasters Club meets from 6:45-8am every Tuesday at Dignity Health Urgent Care Ahwatukee - Community Room (1st floor), 4545 E. Chandler Blvd., Phoenix, AZ 85048. Guests welcome anytime! http://4873.toast mastersclubs.org/
ARE YOUR HOME AND FAMILY PROTECTED? Tile Roof Specialist
Phoenix’s Premier Tile and Foam Roofer. Spencer 4 HIRE ROOFING
10% OFF Valley Wide Service
With This Ad
New Roofs | Re-Roofs | Repairs | Tile | Foam | Shingles | Patios
Free Estimates • Credit Cards OK Check out some of our jobs and reviews!
480-446-7663 (ROOF)
www.spencer4hireroofing.com ROC #244850 | INSURED | BONDED
Roofing
Window Cleaning
ROOFING CONTRACTOR with 32 years exp Specializing in all types repairs, re-roofs, coating & walking decks. Quality service & response our first priority. All work guaranteed. ROC# 100401-L42 ROC# 132572-C42
John's Window Cleaning 1-story $125 / 2-story $145 -inside and out up to 30 panes (add'l panes $2) Screens cleaned $2.50 per pane. Power Washing and Re-Screening available Same day Service (480) 201-6471
Roofing Family Owned/ Operated
Quality Leak Repairs & Re-Roofs
Honest Free Estimates References
Call Carl 480-895-3425 or 602-432-9183
DENNIS PORTER
480-460-7602 or 602-710-2263
MISSED THE DEADLINE? Place your ad online! Call 480-898-6564
Roofing
RANDY HALFHILL
602-910-1485
Tiles, shingles, flat, repairs & new work Free Estimates • Ahwatukee Resident
Lic#ROC 152111 Bonded
Over 30 yrs. Experience
480-706-1453
FAMILY OWNED AND OPERATED SINCE 1984
Licensed/Bonded/Insured • ROC #236099
Tree Services
U.S. ARBOR
ROOFING
New Construction, Complete Re-Roof, Repairs, Tile, Asphalt Shingle, Foam and more!
WWW.PAYNESONS.COM Contact us for a FREE evaluation
480.988.9250 SEE OUR REVIEWS ON:
• Tree Trimming • Tree Removal • Stump Grind • Queen Palm & Citrus Treatment • Deep Root Fertilization
www.usarbor.com FREE ESTIMATES
480.812.0731
TRI CERTIFIED INSTALLER LICENSED, BONDED & INSURED ROC: 194202
Tree Service
ROC: 138549B
Lic #990148 • Insured
Windows
FEBRUARY 22, 2017 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS
CLASSIFIEDS
63
64
CLASSIFIEDS
SALE
AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | FEBRUARY 22, 2017
CLEARANCE
12 MONTHS SA ME AS CASH**
Spencers Warehouse is bursting at the seams!! We need to make room for Merchandise. Trucks are arriving daily and we need existing inventory GONE. You owe it to yourself to get here today ... because when it’s gone ... it’s gone.
55"
4K ULTRA HD TV • Built-in Wi-Fi • TruMotion 120Hz • 3 HDMI Inputs
55UH6030
The Spencers TV & Appliance credit card is issued by Wells Fargo Financial National Bank. Special terms apply to qualifying purchases of $499.00 or more charged with approved credit. The special terms APR will continue to apply until all qualifying purchases are paid in full. The monthly payment for this purchase will be the amount that will pay for the purchase in full in equal payments during the promotional (special terms) period. The APR for Purchases will apply to certain fees such as a late payment fee or if you use the card for other transactions. For new accounts, the APR for Purchases is 28.99%. If you are charged interest in any billing cycle, the minimum interest charge will be $1.00. This information is accurate as of 01/06/2016 and is subject to change. For current information, call us at 1-800-431-5921. Offer expires 2/28/2017.