East Valley Tribune - Southeast 02-03-2019 by Times Media Group

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This Week

NEWS............................... 4 Mesa students plead for more counselors

BUSINESS................... 17 ‘The Fix’ will be in in Mesa soon.

SPORTS ..................... 22

Pro hockey giving back to local schools.

GET OUT.................... 25 Cloud bread is heaven-sent.

COMMUNITY.................13 BUSINESS........................ 17 OPINION........................20 SPORTS .......................... 22 GETOUT..........................24 CLASSIFIED....................28

What the polar chill taught EV PAGE 20 Sunday, February 3, 2019

Light rail crime – and ridership – declined in 2018 BY JIM WALSH Tribune Staff Writer

or the first time since it started rolling 10 years ago, Metro Light Rail ridership dropped – and it may involve what officials say is a misperception that the train stations are crime-prone. Ridership along the entire light rail line dropped in 2018 to 15.8 million rides from 16.5 million the previous year. In that same time frame, the number of security incidents dropped 30 percent – from 1,587 in 2017 to 1,088 in 2018. Nevertheless, riders apparently “feel like they don’t see enough officers,’’ Hillary Foose, Valley Metro’s director of communications

and special initiatives, told a Phoenix City Council committee recently. She said complaints from the public seem to indicate that some people don’t feel safe or comfortable using the system and that consequently, “We are for the first time seeing a ridership decline on our system.’’ Foose noted that two of the three stations with the most security incidents in 2018 were in Mesa – with the stop at Alma School Road ranking second and the one at Country Club Drive placing third. The Phoenix station at 19th Avenue and Dunlap Avenue generated the most incidents. That was a departure from 2017, when the three stations with the most security incidents were all along 19th Avenue – at Dunlap

and Glendale avenues and Camelback Road. But, Foose asserted, “Valley Metro is a safe system. Our incidents are very low.” Mesa Police support that assertion. Commander Ruben Quesada, of the Mesa police central patrol district, said a bicycle unit keeps a close watch over the light rail stops. He said there are trouble-spots, including a convenience store at Alma School and Main where transients tend to loiter, but that most crimes are relatively minor and no one should be afraid to ride the light rail. “Always be vigilant. You are in a public area,’’ Quesada said. “Just be alert.’’ About 90 percent of the incidents involve

see LIGHT RAIL page 6

Mesa Historical Museum returns to roots

BY GARY NELSON Tribune Contributor

long, strange trip for the Mesa Historical Museum is ending right where it began: at home. Home for the museum is a 1913 schoolhouse that a few years ago was forsaken as too decrepit, too out-of-the-way and too stodgy for the sort of future that its leaders envisioned. But that future never came to pass. The city balked at the proposed multimillion-dollar price tag for a new museum in the historic downtown Federal Building, and in the meantime a small downtown storefront was the museum’s only public face. Enter Leon Natker, a former opera singer who became the historical museum’s executive director this past fall. The downtown storefront is now closed, and the museum is gearing up for the grand reopening of its original campus at 2345 N.

see MUSEUM page 3

(Pablo Robles/Tribune Staff Photographer)

Former opera singer Leon Natker is amazed at the treasure trove of Mesa’s past that will again be on public display at the Mesa Historical Museum, where he has been executive director since the fall. The museum will reopen this week.

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THE SUNDAY EAST VALLEY TRIBUNE | FEBRUARY 3, 2019

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THE SUNDAY EAST VALLEY TRIBUNE | FEBRUARY 3, 2019

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MUSEUM from page 1

Horne St. The first exhibit under Natker’s auspices will be a look at the human ingenuity that propelled Mesa from the frontier to the space age. It’s called “Gizmos, Gadgets and Greatness – Technologies that Built Mesa 1877-1957.” That’s just the kind of thing you’d expect from a historical museum, and, in a way, it speaks to the roots of the museum – which was born in the 1980s out of a desire by the descendants of Mormon pioneers to preserve their families’ legacies. Natker sees the museum – and Mesa – in much broader terms. And his ambitions for the museum’s physical presence are not confined to Lehi. “The history here is really, really complex,” Natker said. “All the way from the Hohokam to the modern day. So, you have a really complex history, you’ve got a very complex set of artifacts and many, many stories from a very diverse community.” Over time, he said, the museum will roll out exhibits documenting the numerous ethnic groups that formed the fabric of Mesa, including Japanese-Americans who were sent to internment camps during World War II. Natker said he’s amazed by the artifacts accumulated by the museum over the years. “We have two antique surreys. We have a stagecoach. We have two trucks from 1911 that are operable. They work, but we don’t have a space where we can exhibit them. We have tons of stuff. We need more space,” he said. Additional space, wherever it can be found, would supplement, but not replace, the Lehi campus. Natker values the present site not only because of the old school that serves as museum headquarters, but because its history stretches to the early pioneer era. “This was the site of Fort Utah,” he said, referring to an 1877 adobe fortress built by LDS settlers. “This little piece of property was where it all began.” The school building is essentially sound, Natker said, even after a 2006 flood that soaked many of the artifacts in the basement. The next-door auditorium needs a lot of work, and Natker plans a capital drive to raise the $3 million to $5 million he thinks is required to restore it. Natker believes the museum’s previous administration made a huge mistake by shutting the Lehi campus. That action came amid assurances that the city-owned downtown federal building at 26 N. Macdonald would become the museum’s new home. But after spending more than $630,000 on design and demo-

(Pablo Robles/Tribune Staff Photographer)

For those born in the digital age, this movie projector may seem an oddity, but kids who never saw one and their parents and grandparents who remember them will get a chance to inspect one at the Mesa Historical Museum.

lition, Mesa aborted the process about two years ago. The former post office, built in 1937, remains empty. City officials were worried that the museum might not be able to cover expenses in the new facility, shifting the burden to taxpayers. That, essentially, left the museum with no public space other than a storefront at 51 E. Main St., which Natker said never was adequate and never generated much foot traffic. That building, sandwiched between the Mesa Arts Center and Benedictine University, has been targeted by Mesa for years as a potential redevelopment site. The problem, Natker said, never was with the Lehi facility itself. It was marketing – or the lack thereof. “If you don’t tell people you’re there, how are they going to know?” he said. “It’s Business 101.” The Lehi campus did, in fact, draw people to successful exhibits before it was abandoned, Natker said. One featured the iconic Wallace and Ladmo TV show that aired in the Valley for decades. Another explored the roots of Cactus League baseball. The baseball exhibit, called “Play Ball,” was such a hit that Mesa at one point actually considered asking voters for bond money to build a stand-alone baseball museum. But that idea never made it to the ballot because the City Council didn’t think the numbers penciled out for the taxpayers. Natker thinks that was a good call. Apart from the cost of a baseball museum, Natker said the Play Ball collection isn’t extensive enough to warrant a standalone facility. “We’ve got some really great stuff, but it’s not on the Cooperstown level,” he said.

“I see it as a piece of the museum. It’s not a museum unto itself.” For now, pieces of the Play Ball exhibits will appear during spring training at Sloan Park and Hohokam Stadium, where the Chicago Cubs and Oakland Athletics play in March. That still leaves the question of where, besides the Lehi campus, the historical museum could display its stuff. “To exhibit this collection the way it should be, yes, we must have another building,” Natker said. “Maybe it is the federal building, who knows? They still haven’t done anything with it.” Natker’s vision for the historical museum got a warm reception when he briefed the City Council during a November study

IF YOU GO

see MUSEUM page 6

The Mesa Historical Museum occupies the 1913 Lehi school building at 2345 N. Horne St.; it reopens to the public on Feb. 9. HOURS: The museum is open seasonally February through May and September through December. Hours are 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, and noon-4 p.m. Sunday. ADMISSION: is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors, $3 for people under 21 and $3 each for members of groups of 10 or more. Children under 3 are free. HOME TOUR: The annual historic home tour, previously held in January, will be 10 a.m.-4 p.m. March 23 with tickets costing $20. WEBSITE: A new website can be found at mesahistoricalmuseum.com.

NEWS 4

THE SUNDAY EAST VALLEY TRIBUNE | FEBRUARY 3, 2019

Mesa students plead for more school counselors BY JASON STONE Tribune Staff Writer

rin Ruiz’s childhood is not something she would wish on her worst enemy. The Mesa Public Schools high schooler was born in 2000 to a mother who was only 14 at the time. Until age 4, Erin said she suffered neglect and abuse, witnessed people around her using drugs and experienced her 3-month-old sister’s death. Fortunately, a Mesa couple put her on the road to stability by adopting her when she was 6, but she still needed an outlet to work out her traumatic early childhood. “A teacher reached out and said, ‘This child has some issues,’” Erin remembered about an early intervention attempt. Although somebody had identified a problem, it still didn’t make the road to recovery any easier. She now takes medication that she said makes her feel “weird” and was forced to delay graduation because of an individualized education program. “It just made me feel like I wasn’t worth it,” Erin said. Erin told her story to the members of the Mesa Public Schools Governing Board, who captively sat and listened to seven students detail the need for districts across the state to pass a resolution that pushes for more state funding for school counselors. “I just wanted to say I’m here because I know what it’s like not to get supported,” Ruiz told them. The students who spoke to the board last week want more counselors who deal explicitly with the kind of problems today’s kids face. “Academic advisors are graduation police,” said Jacob Harb, a senior at Mountain View High School and the executive director of March for Our Lives AZ, the group pushing the resolution drive. “School counselors are people who you can talk to about what you’re feeling. They’re people who walk you through the struggles of growing up. “They are the people who I went to when I felt alone when I went through my trauma.” Jacob’s trauma stemmed from a sexual assault in elementary school. He told the board he’s still working out the pain years later. “I had no idea it happened to me until one day I made the connection,” he said. “I went to my counselor, and we sat in a room for a couple hours. And she walked me through about how it affected me in my life. That’s a counselor.”

JACOB HARB

CHANCE MAY

ERIN RUIZ

Jacob is leading the school safety advocacy movement in Arizona. He said Arizona has the largest counselor-to-student ratio in the country and is pushing for a ratio of one psychologist and counselors for every 250 students. Mesa, the largest district in the state with more than 62,000 students, is nowhere near that ratio. District spokeswoman Heidi Hurst said it currently employs 100 counselors for its high schools, middle/junior highs and elementary schools. Hurst said the six high schools average eight counselors, the 10 middle/junior highs average just less than three counselors and the 50 elementary schools all have a part-time worker. “At the high school level, our counselors are referred to as ‘student advisors,’ but they are still counselors,” Hurst said. “We also have a social worker at each high school.” Jacob told the Mesa board more counselors are needed to help disillusioned students work through their mental health issues before deciding to do something drastic – and deadly. He argues its part of a school safety issue. “We’ve been getting overwhelming support from administrators and staff,” Jacob said. “It’s better than holding your breath waiting for the first shots to be fired.” Similar resolutions have already passed through school boards in Tucson, Catalina Foothills and Peoria. The Vail School District outside Tucson is the only one so far that has declined the group’s request because the board said it doesn’t take political sides on any issue. Because it wasn’t an action item on the agenda, Mesa’s governing board wasn’t allowed to act on the resolution, which is based on one some other states have used in response to last year’s tragic Parkland,

Florida, high school mass shooting. But board members indicated they would consider officially supporting it at a future meeting. “We need to make it to where we don’t need defensive precautions,” Jacob said. “One thing that has been significantly lacking from school safety is preventative measures.” The group plans to talk to the Chandler and Tempe districts next. The students who spoke to the Mesa board last week all pleaded for more counselors on campus. “It’s not a teacher’s job to be taking care of these students and this type of issues,” district student Jackson Solomon said. “That’s why we need (more) counselors that are certified in these issues and know how to handle these situations.” Using untrained classmates isn’t the long-term answer either. District student Cienna Collicott said she has several friends who come to her for help dealing with their mental health issues, but she shouldn’t be the authority. “I can’t be all my friends’ counselor, including working through my own struggles through high school,” Collicott said. “Because I wasn’t there earlier that day to tell them, ‘Hey, don’t do that,’ they’re cutting their skin deeper and deeper and deeper to get to the pain that they desire.” District student Chance May told the board many students don’t trust any school staff. “To me that’s a big red flag,” May said. Jazmine Gamboa, a senior at Mountain View High School, said her family worries that talking to a school counselor will reveal too much private information from their home. She recently found that out after a friend alerted a school psychologist that Jazmine

was going through a rough patch. She said counselors personally reached out by calling her mother to make sure she was OK. “Since then, my mom has asked me not to speak to my school psychologist in fear that these issues could get them in trouble,” Jazmine said. “I need some adult that I can speak to and trust because my parents aren’t those people for me.” In one of the more painful stories the board heard, district student Tara Poseley pleaded for help for students who are suicidal. “I can’t describe what it’s like when you’re standing a foot in front of somebody you love, and you’re fully convinced they won’t be there the next day,” Tara told the board about somebody close to her who was suicidal. “There’s nothing else you can do about it.” New board member and teacher Marcie Hutchinson and Superintendent Ember Conley met with Jacob and other members of the March for Our Lives group privately before last week’s board meeting to hear from them personally. Hutchinson said she left the meeting convinced mental health issues are also a school safety issue. “School safety is dependent on the health of the individuals inside that school,” Hutchinson said. After hearing from the students, the board discussed possibly using some potential override money this fall for more counselors on campus. That was great news to students like Jackson Solomon. “High school really sucks,” he said. “Plenty of kids definitely do struggle with it, some more than others. I have a lot of friends who I’m just happy made it through the last school year, and I’m still pushing them to get through this one.”

THE SUNDAY EAST VALLEY TRIBUNE | FEBRUARY 3, 2019

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NEWS 6

LIGHT RAIL from page 1

trespassing – either people on the platforms without reason or riders without a ticket – according to Valley Metro spokeswoman Susan Tierney. “The top issue we have is trespassing, basically being on a train or a platform without a valid ticket,’’ she said. Offenders are often transients looking for a place to sleep or for an air-conditioned ride on a hot summer day. The next biggest security issue, open container violations, is another transientrelated issue. “I would say safety and security is a great concern of ours. Every fare-paying passenger deserves a safe ride,’’ Tierney said. “We have very few major crimes.’’ She said Valley Metro’s Respect the Ride program sets standards of etiquette for riding the light rail and is aimed at eliminating rude and disruptive behavior, such as vaping on the trains. Security officers not only ask riders for their ticket, but also for their destination, hoping to discourage transients from riding the trains all day to avoid the elements outside. The Alert VM app allows riders to report disruptive behavior discreetly to dispatchers and to even submit pictures. Metro Light Rail plans to introduce a third layer of security, beyond paid security officers supplemented by sworn police officers, Foose said. The ambassadors’ program would station people later this year on platforms to serve as customer service representatives, taking complaints, giving directions and spotting infractions, such as sleeping, vaping or smoking. She said other transit systems in big cities, including St. Louis, are finding a mix-

MUSEUM from page 3

session. Mesa has a stake in the museum’s success because it pays the facility $125,000 a year for historical services under an agreement that both parties expect to revise in the near future. “I think it’s essential that we have a museum that showcases the contributions of the people that made Mesa,” Councilman David Luna told Natker. “That’s what we’re missing. We don’t have anything like that in the city of Mesa. We need to have something that’s relevant.” As other council members endorsed Natker’s new approach, Mayor John Giles summed up the overall reaction. “Everything you said today was music to my ears,” Giles said.

THE SUNDAY EAST VALLEY TRIBUNE | FEBRUARY 3, 2019

rail line. The Mesa City Council voted this week to spend $8.1 million as its share of yearly light rail maintenance and operating costs – a prodigious sum that still pales in comparison with Tempe’s $11.3 million assessment and Phoenix’s $32.1 million price tag. But Sorrell noted that Mesa taxpayers actually pay $4.6 million for light rail maintenance after revenues are factored in – including a $2.2 million cut of fares and $1.28 million in Arizona Lottery funds. Mesa paid for its $10.6 million share of the $186 million extension without placing a burden on the general fund by using state Proposition 400 sales tax revenues that had been set aside for road widening proj(Kimberly Carrillo/Tribune Staff Photographer) ects in the future. Crews are homing in on the completion of the light rail line’s extension to Gilbert Road, which is expected to Mayor John Giles said he still open in May and which Valley Metro officials hope will bump up ridership after the line’s first rider decline last believes Metro Light Rail is year since it opened in 2008. worth it, because of its economture of cops, security guards and ambas- than 800,000 additional riders when ic development potential. sadors enhances security. Some examples of light rail-driven projMesa went from a little less than a mile of Misperceptions about crime aren’t the light rail to nearly four miles when it was ects include the downtown Arizona State only theories behind the ridership de- extended to Mesa Drive. University campus, the temple renovacline. Officials also cite a lack of special “I’m hoping that it will have a positive tions and new development under conevents, a strong economy and relatively impact. There are a lot of riders looking struction nearby, and Chicanos por la low gas prices as contributing factors. forward to using the Gilbert Road park Causa’s development of a large apartment But Valley Metro officials think the and ride,’’ Sorrell said. complex on the former Bailey’s Brakes scheduled opening of the long-awaited Ridership along Mesa’s nearly six miles site at Country Club Road and Main Street. two-mile extension to Gilbert Road in May of light rail has been relatively flat – about “This is what it costs for us to have light will give ridership a needed boost. 2.27 million in fiscal year 2017 and 2.25 rail in Mesa,’’ Giles said. “Mass transit “I think Mesa will see a bump in rider- million in the fiscal year that ended last doesn’t pay for itself, either. Transportaship when they open the Gilbert Road sta- June 30. tion is not a money-maker.’’ tion in May,’’ said Tierney. But he said transportation is an essenWhen the new segment opens, Mesa Jodi Sorrell, Mesa’s transit services di- will have nearly six miles of light rail, or tial service and part of having a functionrector, said there was a surge of more about 20 percent of Valley Metro’s light al, well-rounded community.

Historical Museum chief is a man of all seasons BY GARY NELSON Tribune Contributor

hey coined the term Renaissance Man to describe people like Leon Natker. It conveys the idea of someone whose talents – like those of, say, a Leonardo da Vinci – bridge the gaps between widely disparate fields of human endeavor. In the case of Natker, the new director of the Mesa Historical Museum, those talents range from opera to science to history to hands-on business administration.

His work as a singer and actor, beginning at age 12, led him to the famed Juilliard Academy in New York and then to an opera career in the United States and Europe. As executive director of Lyric Opera San Diego, he led an $8 million capital campaign to restore a 1928 theater as the opera company’s new home. That diverted him into the field of museums and historic preservation. With fresh degrees in archaeology from Eastern New Mexico University and in museum studies from the University of New Mexico, he has participated in archaeological digs around

the world. Natker also has aided historic preservation efforts at ancient sites in the American Southwest, including Arizona’s Montezuma Castle. After joining the Mesa Historical Museum in September, Natker took steps to ensure the museum staff have similar professional credentials. He told the City Council in November that his three full-time and one part-time employees all have graduate degrees in either museum studies or museum administration. Source: Mesa Historical Museum

NEWS

THE SUNDAY EAST VALLEY TRIBUNE | FEBRUARY 3, 2019

Gilbert lawmaker opposes higher insurance minimums BY HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services

rizona motorists who purchase just the bare minimum liability insurance could be forced to spend more despite the objections of a Gilbert legislator. A measure approved last week by the Senate Committee on Transportation and Public Safety would mandate that vehicle owners purchase policies which provide for at least $25,000 worth of coverage for injuries caused to any one person. The current minimum is just $15,000, a figure that was put in place in 1972. SB 1087 boosts total coverage for all injuries in any one mishap from $30,000 to $50,000. And the property coverage – essentially damage to someone else’s vehicle – would go from $10,000 to $15,000. How much more that would cost, however, remains a bit unclear. Lobbyist Rob Dalager, who represents groups backing the higher limits, told lawmakers he has heard figures of anywhere from $3 to $8 a month. He said the only people affected are those who buy the bare minimum. The bills for those who already purchase more extensive coverage would remain unchanged. Similar bills have failed in the past amid complaints from insurance industry lobbyists that the higher bills would result in some motorists choosing to ignore the law and purchase no coverage at all. Sen. Kate Brophy McGee, R-Phoenix, scaled back this year’s version with slightly lower minimums in hopes of blunting opposition. That apparently helped, with only Sen. Eddie Farnsworth, R-Gilbert, voting against the measure. He told Capitol Media Services after the hearing that his objections are philosophical. “I’m not a big fan of mandatory insurance,’’ he said. “Nobody mandates you have insurance in business,’’ Farnsworth said. “And you can do a lot of damage that way.’’ The bill now goes to the full Senate. But securing legislative approval may be the smallest part of the problem. Brophy McGee managed to get approval for her plan last year, only to have it quashed by the governor. “I am open to the idea of revising our minimum liability limits,’’ Ducey said in

his veto message. But he also expressed concern that increasing those limits beyond what they were when he was 8 years old – he’s 54 now – would make insurance less affordable for those at the bottom of the income scale. And that, he said, could result in some motorists choosing to drop coverage altogether, even though it’s required under state law and even though a first-time violation results in a $500 minimum penalty. Gubernatorial press aide Patrick Ptak declined to comment Wednesday about whether his boss would be willing to sign this year’s version. Attorney Geoff Trachtenberg, who for years lobbied for even higher liability limits, said Wednesday he can live with the compromise. He said it reflects the average of what’s required elsewhere. “We’re catching up to the national average,’’ Trachtenberg said. “So it will be just as safe to drive here as it is in any other state.’’ Sen. Lupe Contreras, D-Avondale, acknowledged the increased financial burden on some of his constituents. But he said he sees this as providing protection for those who get into accidents. Contreras said that many of the vehicles on the road cannot be replaced for the $10,000 maximum that an errant motorist’s insurance company would have to pay out. Any additional costs would be borne by the at-fault driver, assuming that person actually has the finances to make up the difference. “I would want to protect them in a sense of them paying $3 to $8 more a month to make sure that they’re getting what they need out of their vehicles,’’ he said. But Contreras said he is under no illusion that higher coverage for personal injury is going to make a significant dent in the kind of medical costs after a major accident. And that, he said, comes from personal experience. “The limits were nothing close to my million-dollar bills from the hospital from being revived twice,’’ he said. That same 1990 accident also claimed the life of his 18-year-old sister. “These liability limits, it doesn’t bring a person back, doesn’t do anything,’’ Contreras said, but does provide at least some additional coverage. “You can’t put a price on a life when you’re talking about a few dollars a month.’’

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THE SUNDAY EAST VALLEY TRIBUNE | FEBRUARY 3, 2019

The race begins to replace Denny Barney as supervisor BY PAUL MARYNIAK Executive Editor

ow that they have said their goodbyes to their Gilbert colleague, the remaining four members of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors have begun digging into the applications from 13 East Valley Republicans eager to finish the remain two years of Denny Barney’s term. During his final official meeting as a supervisor, Barney thanked everyone from his staff to his family and friends who attended his final board meeting. “Life is about dreams and one of mine was to serve in elected office,” said Barney. “I arrived at Maricopa County thinking I knew how it should work. But I had a lot to learn and I love being a part of a team working to improve people’s lives.” Barney stepped down last Friday to focus on his position as president/CEO of the East Valley Partnership, a consortium of government, business and community leaders who advocate for economic development, education and other major issues in the region. Last Friday also was the last day for public comment on the 13 applicants – who include eight primary or general election candidates who lost their races last year. The four remaining supervisors and the Clerk of the Board will be voting on a replacement by mid-February. That replacement by law must be a Republican and registered voter in District 1, which includes Ahwatukee, Scottsdale, Tempe, Chandler, Mesa, Gilbert, Sun Lakes and Queen Creek. Supervisors will review the applications

Michael Crow’s staff; Gilbert construction office manager Rusdon Ray; Tempe commercial airlines pilot Frank Schmuck, who lost the Senate race in Legislative District 18; and Gilbert businessman Jimmy Lindblum, who lost in a threeway Republican primary for State House in Legislative District 12. Creedon – the only hopeful who picked up an endorsement, from Mesa Mayor John (Special to the Tribune) Giles – is also one County Supervisor Denny Barney got flowers and kudos during his final meeting on the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors. While he takes of only two women the reins of the East Valley Partnership, his fellow board members will be who have applied looking for his replacement from among 13 applicants. for the vacancy. The other is Jill Norand interview whom they want indepen- gaard of Ahwatukee, who lost her bid for dent of each other, said county spokesman a third term in the Legislative District 18 Fields Mosely. House seat last fall. As for when the board might actually The other candidates who have submitvote on Barney’s replacement, Mosely ted applications are: said, “All dates are determined by Chair• Norgaard’s running mate, Tempe man (Bill) Gates’ office. He wants to make lawyer Greg Patterson, who served sure his colleagues have a chance to speak two terms in the State House in the with applicants.” mid-1990s; Of the 13 hopefuls to fill the slot, only • Former state Rep. Warde Nichols, four have never held elective office – Anowner of an Ahwatukee pool cleangela Creedon, associate vice president of ing service; community relations for Arizona State • Brandon Schmoll, a former memUniversity who held a similar position ber of the Tempe Union High School for APS prior to joining ASU President governing board who lost his bid

for a second term as constable; Chandler Councilman Mark Stewart, who won his first term in 2016; • Steven Yarbrough, who retired as State Senate President last year, ending a 16-year career in the State Legislature; • Jack Sellers, a two-term Chandler City Council member whom Gov. Doug Ducey reappointed to a term on the State Transportation Board; • David Richins, a former Mesa City Council member and president/ CEO of United Food Bank; • Mark Forese, who lost a three-way contest for a second term on the state Corporation Commission. During Barney’s final meeting, supervisors played a video tribute expressing their gratitude for his six years of service. Whoever replaces Barney must run in 2020 for a full four-year term. “He always answers questions directly and just calls it like he sees it. That’s so refreshing in government,” said Gates. “The issues that come to the board are not the easy ones. The ones that come to us are challenging, and that’s where he always rises to the occasion. We are going to miss him.” Vice Chairman Clint Hickman called Barney “kind and inclusive” and said, “He really helped make this board click.” Supervisor Steve Chucri, of District 2, added, “He’s going to say what he believes from the heart, not for political showmanship or any other reason, but just for the very fact that he’s principled.” Added Supervisor Steve Gallardo: “He was one guy you turned to when you had discussions on land issues or the budget. He was a hawk.”

make the restrictions prospective only. That would leave in place existing regulations that govern things like lighting requirements to non-discrimination ordinances – but only in the communities where they already have been enacted. It would bar other municipalities and counties from following suit – including Mesa and Chandler, which have none right now. That did not blunt opposition amid concerns that it means that council members in a municipality with no local regulations could not decide that the rules in an adjoining city make sense for their own tenants. “You’re mandating inequality,’’ said

local councils are in the best position to know the needs of their residents. And he said local laws can be more specific as to things like what’s an appropriate minimum or maximum temperature. Tempe is a good example of how specific these local regulations can be. For example, under the category of personal cleanliness facilities it requires flush toilets, lavatory basins, bathtubs or showers, hot water of at least 110 degrees and water pressure of not less than one gallon per minute. There also are requirements for either an eye viewer through doors or an adja-

•

Bill would ban cities from landlord-tenant laws BY HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services

epublican lawmakers agreed last week to put new limits on the regulations that municipalities and counties can enact on landlords. The legislation approved by the House Government Committee on a 6-5 partyline vote declares all relations between landlords and tenants to be “a matter of statewide concern.’’ More to the point, HB 2115 bars locally elected councils and boards from enacting rules of their own. But facing stiff opposition from cities and tenant-rights advocates, Rep. John Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills, agreed to

Ken Volk, founder of the Arizona Tenants Association. The measure is being pushed by the Arizona Multihousing Association, an organization of landlords. Lobbyist Jake Hinman said uniformity is important. “We think the state should have one state of rules for both landlords and tenants,’’ he said. Hinman said there are already basic rules in the Arizona Landlord-Tenant Act. For example, he said, that law requires landlords to supply running water and “reasonable’’ amounts of hot water, heating and air conditioning or cooling. Alex Vidal, representing the League of Arizona Towns and Cities, argued that

see LANDLORD page 10

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THE SUNDAY EAST VALLEY TRIBUNE | FEBRUARY 3, 2019

Cactus Yards baseball venue making EV debut Saturday BY CECILIA CHAN Tribune Staff Writer

fter millions of taxpayer dollars spent on repairs, a town-owned sports facility re-opens this weekend with a new name and a new operator. Gilbert Parks and Recreation is now managing the facility renamed Cactus Yards. The town in 2017 severed all ties with former operator Big League Dreams on the grounds it failed to maintain the park leading to more needed repairs. The two sides were still embroiled in a lawsuit. The town is preparing a big celebration next Saturday to mark the reopening of the venue. “We anticipate 3,000 to 5,000 people over the course of the opening-day ceremonies,” said Robert Carmona, Parks and Recreation director. The $40 million taxpayer-funded facility features scaled-down replicas of eight pro-baseball fields such as Fenway Park in Boston and Yankee Stadium in New York, a 20,000-square-foot indoor soccer pavilion and batting cages. Construction defects that have plagued the facility since its January 2008 opening – including plywood outfield walls improperly installed and poor drainage – led the town to abruptly close the park in July 2017 for safety repairs. During the shut-down, crews repaired

Party on

What: Cactus Yards Opening Day. Where: 4536 Elliot Road On the card: The free event includes live music, a movie on the ballfield, games, inflatables, skills challenges, cornhole and food options from Primetime Grill, a 75foot barbeque trailer, and Sliders, the onsite restaurant run by Craft Culinary Concepts. Representatives from the Cardinals, Diamondbacks, Coyotes, Phoenix Rising, and Park University also will on site for the festivities. When: 4-8:30 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 9. Opening ceremony is 6 p.m. on Cactus Yards’ Dbacks Field where the Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation will unveil the newly renovated scoreboard showing homage to the hometown team. A fireworks show is scheduled to follow.

LANDLORD from page 8

cent window so that tenants can see who is outside. Other mandates include the number of electrical outlets, weathertight exterior doors and guardrails. The fact that some cities already have their own regulations annoyed Rep. War-

(Kimberly Carrillo/Tribune Staff Photographer)

Gilbert owns and manages Cactus Yards, which was once operated by Big League Dreams and then brought back under the town’s management. Closed since July 2017, it reopens with a big party Saturday.

structural deficiencies in the grandstand and brought stairways and handrails up to compliance with the Americans with Disability Act, according to Carmona. The town approved a $12.8 million budget for that work as well as a $2.5 million maintenance-and-repair budget to address deficiencies and meet the needs of the operating plan, Carmona said. Council in October approved spending $259,000 to buy and install artificial turf for the park’s soccer pavilion field and the six spin areas between the ballfields. Other items include repairs and maintenance to the two clubhouse restaurants, administration building, fieldhouse, batting cages, ballfields, grandstand graphics, common areas, dugout drainage, and parking lot, Carmona said. “The actual expenses will come in about $500,000 under the budgeted amount,” Carmona said. The town is using a $13.5 million settlement from M. A. Mortenson Co., the facility’s builder, to help cover the costs. Repairs are not the only expense for Gilbert when it comes to the park. Under the town’s business plan, it will cost Gilbert $2.3 million a year to operate the facility – $1.3 million for staffing and $950,000 for maintenance and programming. Cactus Yards is anticipated to generate $1.2 million in annual revenue – $769,000 from programs, $280,000 from tournament and field rental fees for the baseball/ softball fields, $65,000 from restaurant and concession contracts and $36,000 ren Petersen, R-Gilbert. “Cities are not sovereign entities,’’ he said. “They are political subdivisions of the state.’’ But Rep. Domingo DeGrazia, D-Tucson, said that’s looking at the issue the wrong way. “I believe it is not the job of the state to

from the batting cages. That leaves an annual budget shortfall of $1.1 million that the town will need to plug. Cactus Yards is part of the town’s roster of parks and – as with other municipalities public parks – is considered to be generally subsidized by taxpayers. The town has been trying to fill play time at the sports facility. Currently, about 90 percent of the available weekends at Cactus Yards in 2019 are booked for tournaments, according to Carmona. “Registration for the various soccer, softball, and kickball league play is ongoing and numbers are growing as the opening date nears,” he said. “There are leagues and activities planned throughout each day of the week.” He added weekends will consist of either private promoter-operated tournaments or town- sponsored tournaments. Gilbert is heavily marketing the facility to potential users through means like social media -Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Nextdoor, Carmona said. Gilbert also has had discussions with several nationwide tournament promoters to bring local, regional and national tournaments to Cactus Yards, he said. Promoters include USSSA Baseball, USSSA Softball Fastpitch, USSSA Softball Slowpitch, USA Softball, Athletx Sports Group, Baseball Showcase, Triple Crown Sports, 3v3 Live Soccer and American Cornhole Association, he said. Access for residents – who are paying get involved in the finite details of every municipality across the state,’’ he said. Despite the party-line vote, the future of the measure is not assured. Rep. Walt Blackman, R-Snowflake, agreed to support the measure to get it to the full House. But he said his vote on the floor remains in doubt unless some of

the facility’s bond debt and operation costs – will be based on availability. “During daytime weekday hours, residents will have access to the facility, based on availability, for drop-in individual usage without needing to reserve,” Carmona said. “The coin-operated batting cages and playground also be available.” Organized practices or games will need to make reservations and pay the appropriate rental fees, Carmona said. Access to the onsite restaurant, Sliders Sports Grill, also will be available. Also, during the week the town won’t be charging a gate fee to enter the facility, he said. Previously, users 13 and older paid a $5 gate fee. For private promoter-operated tournaments on weekends, which may include select Fridays or Mondays, a gate fee will be charged, according to Carmona. Cactus Yard will be used year-round with the first season focused on activities, including softball, baseball, soccer and and kickball, Carmona said. “Other activities will be planned as trends emerge and community demand changes,” he said. “The Town will also look to rent the space out for other special events as interests arise.” Carmona said the department will always be looking for ways to optimize operations of the facility. “The department will also always review opportunities to increase revenue and decrease operational costs through efficiency and proper maintenance,” he said.

his questions about “government overreach’’ and having the state preempt how cities regulate rentals can be addressed. “The cities have a right to do that and they also know what’s going on in those cities and towns,’’ Blackman said. “They see things that we do not see at the local level.’’

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NASA program to help MCC student aim for stars BY JASON STONE Tribune Staff Writer

t’s not too crazy for a young person to dream of being an astronaut or working for NASA. But one East Valley student who had that dream as a kid is about to get a glimpse of what it’s really like to live it out. Mesa Community College freshman Alex Krentz is preparing for a five-week experience at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center this summer as part of the NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars on-site program. “I’ve always wanted to work for them and be a part of their team,” said Krentz, 21, a graduate of Gilbert High School. “I want to join their team for good. At least this will get my foot in the door.” And what a mighty door it is. Among its massive achievements, NASA has produced the Apollo program that sent the first humans to the moon, operated the Space Shuttle program that produced countless scientific advancements and is now hoping to one day send somebody to Mars. So, when one of Krentz’s engineering professors casually mentioned the program in class one day, the inquisitive student was immediately interested. “Growing up, I was just a huge fan of Steven Hawking and Neil deGrasse Ty-

son, and I still am,” Krentz said. Krentz said he felt a little bit “unusual” for his age because starting in junior high he started reading adult-aged, thought-provoking books. Instead of books on sports and movie stars, Krentz’s reading list included “The Trouble With (Special to the Tribune) Physics: The Rise of Mesa Community College freshman Alex Krentz is excited about the String Theory, The prospect of a five-week stay at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center. Fall of a Science, and What Comes Next” by Lee Smolin two-year Mormon mission in Pittsburgh. and Hawking’s landmark, “A Brief History But once he returned and enrolled at MCC, of Time,” which Krentz said drew him in he soon heard about the NASA program because of its discussion of “the universe for community college students. and the mechanics that goes into it.” The next step was sending in an applica“I really didn’t understand it because it tion, which included transcripts requiring was way over my head,” Krentz said. “I’m a minimum GPA, a letter of recommenhoping to get deeper into it. dation and an essay, among other things. Krentz said he has self-taught himself Sure enough, out of a couple of thousand and has never even had a formal astron- applicants, Krentz was selected among a omy class. pool of 403 community college students “I’ve spent a lot of time at the library,” he to take part in the experience. said. The students will have a packed agenda Following graduation at Gilbert High, once they arrive. Teams will split up to Krentz delayed college to take a spiritual build a fictional company that is attempt-

DAR chapter helps nonprofit for babies of addicts TRIBUNE NEWS STAFF

he Charles Trumbull Hayden Chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution recently honored Gilbert-based Hushabye Nursery, which provides therapeutic and pharmacologic care to infants suffering from prenatal drug exposure. DAR Regent Karen Greene Lohrengel presented Hushabye Nursery Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Tara Sundem with diapers, baby wipes, onesies and blankets to help the nonprofit in its mission of helping babies diagnosed with neonatal abstinence syndrome. The DAR also gave Hushabye two Mama Roo baby swings, a special type of swing that soothes the babies as they

suffer withdrawal from the drugs their mothers have ingested. “Babies that are withdrawing from opioids have a very difficult time,” Lohrengel said. “The care of these babies can be very demanding. Hushabye Nursery staff has been trained to care for these sweet infants and possess a compassion that is necessary to care for the helpless victims.” Sundem told the DAR, “I can’t believe your generosity. These items will help our babies so very much.” The Charles Trumbull Hayden Chapter logged 5,849 hours of community service that included volunteering at the Veterans Stand Down in Phoenix and donating plastic yarn sleeping mats to homeless vets.

Members also make and donate “fidget quilts” to veterans and elderly people who suffer from PTSD, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, participate in the Soldier Angel Project that gets letters and sends packages to overseas military personnel, and collaborate with GiveaBookGetaSmile.com to give free books to needy people of all ages. “We volunteer in other projects that support our mission: historic preservation, education and patriotism,” Lohrengel said. The Charles Trumbull Hayden Chapter was founded in 1927 in Tempe. The nonpolitical organization welcomes new members. Information: cthregent@ gmail.com or charlestrumbullhayden. arizonadar.org

ing to explore Mars. They’ll develop and test a prototype rover, form a company infrastructure, manage a budget and develop communications and outreach. They’ll learn about securing NASA internships and tour the facilities most people don’t see. And they’ll finish up their session with a four-day on-site event at a NASA Center where they’ll get the chance to interact with NASA engineers. “NCAS not only inspires community college students to advance in STEM fields, but it also opens doors for future careers at NASA,” said Joeletta Patrick, the manager of the Minority University Research and Education Project, which is funding the program. “NCAS has a legacy of alumni moving from NASA internships to and ultimately entering the NASA workforce.” “It is rewarding to see the progression of a student from NCAS participant to NASA colleague.” After earning his associate degree at MCC, Krentz plans to transfer to Arizona State University to study either particle physics or computer science. And, he hopes, one day soon after that he will be working for his dream company. “I just want to help with the space program any way I can,” Krentz said. To apply for future National Community College Aerospace Scholars programs: nas.okstate.edu/ncas

(Special to the Tribune)

Karen Greene Lohrengel, DAR Trumbull chapter regent, left, presents baby items to Tara Sundrem, a neonatal nurse practioner with Hushabye Nursery.

COMMUNITY 14

THE SUNDAY EAST VALLEY TRIBUNE | FEBRUARY 3, 2019

Mesa man found lifeline in church’s recovery program BY CECILIA CHAN Tribune Staff Writer

li Goldstein wasn’t old enough to shave when he began smoking cigarettes – leading to a lifetime of addiction to substances, including marijuana, cocaine and alcohol. “I ended up drinking every day from the time I woke up to the time I went to sleep,” the 42-year-old Mesa resident said. “I drank so much you could smell it come out of pores when I sweat. I was saturated in alcohol.” Goldstein had tried Alcoholics Anonymous and an addictions counselor without success. On March 9, 2017, he took his last drink, thanks to Celebrate Recovery, a 12-step program at Sun Valley Church in Gilbert. The church on Thursday, Feb. 7, is celebrating the 12th anniversary of the program’s launch at its Gilbert campus. Celebrate Recovery was founded in 1991 by John Baker, who was not only the pastor of ministry for Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, but a self-described functional alcoholic. The first meeting for Baker’s program was attended by 43 people. Today, Celebrate Recovery is found in 35,000 churches worldwide with over 5 million people completing the program, according to the nonprofit’s website. The program is not just growing in churches, but in recovery houses, rescue missions, universities and prisons around the world. Its main difference from AA and other 12-step programs is a biblical-ministry program centered on Jesus Christ as the true higher power. Also, Celebrate Recovery is for anyone struggling with hurt, pain or addiction of any kind such as codependence, food, sexual and relationship. Only one in three people who participate in the church’s Celebrate Recovery program are there for addiction, according to Cheri Teeter, the program care/recovery director. The other participants include those who attend for codependency, anger and bitterness issues, she said. “This is not just for the addict,” she said. “We all struggle with life, whether it’s teenagers, marriage, family, childhood issues. Those things build up and add up and we may respond in a way we normally don’t want to, and it’s nice to know you can go to a place where genuine people can help you navigate and overcome those hurts.” A typical Thursday night meeting in-

racquetball paddle. If I looked at him the wrong way, he would go to the closet, get the paddle, sit on my back and strike me unmercifully.” His mother would tell her boyfriend to stop but did nothing to intervene. “At this point I was being beaten up daily at school and at home,” Goldstein said. “I just wanted to die.” His mother be(Kimberly Carrillo/Tribune Staff Photographer) Eli Goldstein of Mesa found a way to throw off the shackles of addiction gan taking him through the Celebrate Recovery program at Sun Valley Church in Gilbert. to see a therapist to see what was cludes a large-group meeting, an open- wrong with him, but she never disclosed share small group and a Newcomers 101 the regular beatings. for first-time attendees. At 13, he went through his bar mitzvah After attending Celebrate Recovery for and was done with Hebrew school and a while, participants join a small group done with God, who he felt turned his for the 12-step study, which delves deep- back on him. er into their past and the choices they Goldstein fell in with an older crowd have made. that introduced him to marijuana. “Our 12-step is more geared toward the He began drinking when he was 20 root of the hurt, rather than the destruc- after dating an older woman who could tive behavior,” said Goldstein, an assimi- drink him under the table, and from 21 to lation coach for the church’s Celebrate 25, he abused cocaine, he said. Recovery program. “We all grow up with At 25, he met Susan and the two marsome kind of dysfunction and some kind ried June 28, 2005 and two months later, of hurt that carries over to adulthood. We she suffered a stroke that left her permarevisit the hurt and bring it to the surface nently in a wheelchair. and let go of them so we can lead healthy “She can’t walk, shower or dress herlives and not have it become a genera- self,” he said. tional problem.” The couple had a variety of caregivers For Goldstein, the hurt took root early that proved unreliable, forcing Goldstein in his childhood in the Gravesend neigh- to quit his job and become a full-time borhood of Brooklyn, a borough of New caregiver for his wife in 2007. York City. He continued to drink and in 2014 deHe was 3 when his dad moved out, leav- cided to start his own business in windowing behind Goldstein and his 3-month-old tinting, believing it would stop his drinkbrother. ing because he wouldn’t be so isolated. Not only was his mother hard on him, He was wrong. His drinking got worse. but kids in the neighborhood and his He was now drinking a pint or more of peers at school bullied him relentlessly. vodka daily until he blacked out and also He grew up Jewish in a kosher household, smoking marijuana. His liver was enliving in a predominantly Italian neigh- larged, and his doctor told him if he conborhood. tinued with his destructive behavior, he Later, his mother’s much-older boy- would be dead in 10 years. friend moved in. Two months after his initial call to a “He had a very bad temper and used to counselor, he called her again. She agreed taunt me,” Goldstein said. “He would flex to see him, but his drinking continued. She his muscles and say, ‘you don’t want a finally gave him an ultimatum: go to a propiece of this.’ gram or she would stop counseling him. “He used to beat me with a closed fist He ended up at Celebrate Recovery and and weapons, his weapon of choice was a from there began a journey to recovery.

“I had a lot of anger and alcoholism was the symptom of the underlying problem for me,” Goldstein said. “Deep down I was broken and hurting inside. I felt not worthy, and that is where the program comes in and you start building healthy relationships with other people who are struggling and you realize I’m not alone.” His wife later joined the program to deal with her anger issues over her stroke and other childhood hurts, Goldstein said. Teeter said it was hard to say how many people have completed the 12-step program at the church, which takes place on a separate night from the Thursday meeting, which attracts on average 230 to 250 people. “We typically have four to six stepstudies running and typically there are 15 to 25 in a group,” she said. “And those are happening for approximately nine months. We try to always have one happening.” The church counts its success with the program when a participant advances to the next step, she said. A component of Celebrate Recovery is giving back and serving others, and that is shown by the number of leaders and volunteers at the church that are not staff members and are from the program, she added. “Looking at that factor, it shows a huge success,” she said. After completing the 12-step program, it’s easy to slip, and that is where part two, The Journey Continues, steps in, according to Teeter. “That is another step study where it goes to the next level and helps continue the work of accountability and volunteering process, which helps someone be successful in their recovery,” she said. Although the program is Christ-focused, a high ratio of the participants come in as non-believers, but by the time the nine months is done, they identify as a believer such as Goldstein, Teeter said. Celebrate Recovery is another choice for people to try after they’ve exhausted their options, according to Goldstein. “I’m a huge advocate for the program because I know what it has brought to my life,” he said. “It’s about bringing people out of the dark and saying, ‘hey, you are not too broke to get the help you need.’”

A helping hand

Sun Valley’s free Celebrate Recovery program, 6:45-8:30 p.m., Thursdays, 456 E. Ray Road, Gilbert. Information: sunvalleycc.com/celebraterecovery/

COMMUNITY

THE SUNDAY EAST VALLEY TRIBUNE | FEBRUARY 3, 2019

Soroptimists of the San Tans boost women, girls BY COLLEEN SPARKS Tribune Staff Writer

n organization striving to empower girls and women will give two mothers who have beat obstacles a boost in pursuing their higher education. Soroptimist International of the San Tans will provide scholarships to firstplace winner Melissa Leffler and runnerup Lilia Nava for the “Live Your Dream Awards” on Feb. 7 at Stone and Vine at 1035 W. Queen Creek Road in Chandler. Leffler, of west Phoenix and an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, is a single parent working two jobs, attending Arizona State University full-time and raising her three-year-old daughter, Isabelle. She will receive the $3,000 scholarship from the organization. Nava, a divorced mother of two who is pursuing a degree in nursing and concurrently attending Phoenix College and ASU, will get a $1,500 scholarship. The recipients may use the money in

whatever way they choose to help themselves, said Karen Drake, board member of Soroptimist International of the San Tans and chairwoman of its community services committee. That could include paying for childcare, rent, vehicle repairs or tuition. “It’s for women who are heads of their households,” Drake said. “These are women who are returning or pursuing further education. It can cover the kinds of things that traditional scholarships don’t cover.” A panel of judges selects the two women who will receive the “Live Your Dream Awards.” This year it was Roz Mala, a retired teacher, of Gilbert; Margaret “Peg” Boettger, of Fountain Hills, a retired Aetna Insurance employee and Connie Griffith, of Mesa, a former Soroptimist International club member. This year, 21 women applied for the scholarships and the judges reviewed them. “They look for women that have demonstrated a lot of resilience already in terms

of coming back from obstacles and barriers, wanting more for themselves and especially for their families,” Drake said. Applicants can live anywhere, though the Soroptimist International of the San Tans meets in Chandler. It has members in Chandler, Gilbert and Mesa. The club’s mission is “basically to help women, to encourage women and girls to strive to achieve educational goals to be able to fulfill their lives,” Drake said. More than 80,000 women are in Soroptimist clubs in 120 countries. Every year, Soroptimist International (SI) provides over $1.5 million to programs for women and children. Besides the “Live Your Dream Awards,” another big way the Soroptimist International of the San Tans helps women is through the “Dream It, Be It” program. The club offers workshops and mentoring to girls ages 12 to 18 years old, partnering with local nonprofit organization ICAN. The Soroptimist members try to help the girls “visualize” their future and

“think about goal setting” and the types of careers they would be interested in pursuing, Drake said. A retired library manager for Chandler Public Library, Drake lives in Gilbert and also taught at University of Arizona and did consulting work. The Soroptimist International of the San Tans also holds food drives and cell phone collections to benefit Chandler Police Department’s Victim Services Unit. The local club members also volunteer, packing food for Feed My Starving Children, a nonprofit organization that provides food to children in need around the world. Soroptimist International of the San Tans also focuses the first Saturday of March on volunteering with a local nonprofit organization, among other outreach. “All our work is basically accomplished through community fundraising,” Drake said. Information: sist.clubexpress.com/content.aspx?page_id=0&club_id=538790

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Mesa couple making sure The Fix is in here BY JASON STONE Tribune Staff Writer

esa coffee drinkers will soon learn that The Fix is in. Except this one comes with a hot, caffeinated buzz. The East Valley’s latest entrant in the drive-through coffee craze is ready to open a location in Mesa after launching its first stand two months ago in Tempe. Mesa officials have approved The Fix’s plan to build a stand at Higley and McKellips roads. If all goes as planned, that location should be open by summer. “It’s kind of always been in the back of my mind I wanted to have my own drivethrough coffee stand,” said Hunter Stewart, a Mesa resident who is the company’s 24-year-old owner and manager. So, instead of trying to break through the saturated Oregon coffee market, Stewart followed his snowbird parents to Arizona to follow his dream. Stewart said The Fix is combining the best aspects of all the popular drivethrough establishments with a local flair. “This is about building relationships,” Stewart said. “I would like to say we’re not in the coffee business, we’re in the relationship business.” It’s a business Stewart has dreamed about since he started working at Dutch Bros. in Oregon, as a 17-year-old.

(Kimberly Carrillo/Tribune Staff Photographer)

Mesa resident Hunter Stewart has opened one outlet for The Fix near the Tempe Auto Mall, and he’s preparing to open a second in east Mesa later this year.

During his six years with the nationally known brand, he rose up the ranks, becoming a store manager and eventually a trainer of the managers. “I really just learned the ins and outs of the coffee business,” Stewart said. Stewart’s parents were the first to move to Arizona earlier this decade. Matt and Darcy Stewart once owned a contracting business in Oregon, and they were able to use cash from some rentals they owned there to spend half the year in Arizona. “It was my son’s dream to open the stand,” Matt Stewart said. The Stewarts and extended family

members began helping put that dream into action. Using their construction connections, they were approved for the first The Fix location in the Automall in Tempe. Matt and Darcy are working on the business side of the operations, while Hunter focuses on running the stand. Now the opening of the Mesa location isn’t too far off. The family said it’s ready to submit for permits and a few modifications to the site plan. “It was almost like it was meant to be when the landlord told us (the city) wouldn’t let anybody else use the loca-

answer questions about the movie and make suggestions on how to solve the problems they spotlight. Most recently, Dodd’s Chandler and Tempe theaters showed “A Beautiful Boy,’’ a film featuring a family’s struggles with a son addicted to methamphetamine. The heart-wrenching movie is based upon a true story and features actor Steve Carrell’s torturous frustration as he attempts to save his son from self-destruction. In the end, Carrell’s son, played by Timothee Chalamet, barely survives. Other movies shown as part of the series, which continues in February, have included “Detroit,” about the race riots of 1967; “8th Grade,” about the pres-

sures of growing up in the digital world; “Wonder,” about a boy born with rare facial deformities; and “Selma,” about the epic 1965 civil rights march during which marchers were attacked by Alabama state troopers. Dodd’s next

tion unless it was drive-through coffee,” Hunter said. The Stewarts are also focused on establishing their brand in a market where Dutch Bros., Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts already dominate the coffee game. The company is using coffee beans roasted by Press coffee, a popular local brand. Plus, they’re selling Bosa Donuts, a Valley staple for a quarter century. “First off, we are cheaper than all our competitors,” Stewart said. “There are a lot of things I think we do better than our competitors. We take pride in what we do.” Stewart said another thing that will set them apart from other coffee stands is charity work. “Giving back is huge for me,” Stewart said. “I know a lot of people and a lot of businesses talk about giving back, which is awesome. But people do it more for publicity than they truly feel it in their hearts. Giving back fills my cup for me.” “That’s just who I am,” Stewart said. “There’s no better way to start off my morning than with a coffee and a smile. To me you can’t go wrong with that.” Stewart said he wouldn’t mind if people treated it like the local neighborhood bar. “I like helping people get that comfortable feeling that they can come through the stand when they’re having a bad day,” Stewart said. “It’s cool. Things happen.”

Alamo film discussion series helps EV families BY JIM WALSH Tribune Staff Writer

n a movie landscape full of exceptional special effects and some thin plots, Derek Dodd searches for meaning by showing socially relevant movies, followed by question and answer sessions with experts on topics that affect families. Dodd, managing partner for Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas in the East Valley, created a community movie series – partly because of a suggestion from his wife, Crystal – that tackles some heavy social problems. But Dodd’s Alamo theaters in Chandler and Tempe don’t just show the movies. He gathers a panel of experts who

see ALAMO page 18

(Tribune file photo)

Derek Dodd, left, and Craig Paschich are managing partners of the Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas in Tempe and Chandler.

BUSINESS 18

ALAMO from page 17

show, on Feb. 21 in Tempe, is on an equally provocative historical topic – controversial civil rights leader Malcolm X. Light fare it’s not – and that’s on purpose, although Dodd says he has only a humanitarian agenda, not a political one. “We don’t make the movie, we are just the exhibitors,” he said. “This is for the betterment of all of the community.” “Movies are mainly entertainment to escape reality,’’ Dodd said, and those types of superhero movies tend to be the big box office draws and money-makers. Although most of Alamo’s movies are shown for their entertainment value, the community movie-and-discussion series draws a different audience. “We want to do movies that start real conversations,’’ Dodd said. “You are doing it because it’s the right thing to do.’’ He said “A Beautiful Boy” struck home with him because he is a father of two and he realizes that teen suicide is a major problem in the East Valley. While the movie does not feature a suicide, education consultant Katey McPherson – who put together the discussion panel that followed the showing – said drug addiction and teen suicide

are intertwined, with many teens who complete suicide also using drugs. A blurry line also can make it difficult sometimes to differentiate between a fatal overdose and a suicide, she said. “I’ve got two young children. I want to do everything I can to circumvent that,’’ Dodd, a Chandler resident, said. “When we find a movie that hits on a topic that can help our community, we want to do something like this. “It’s movies that put a magnification on things that might not be right.’’ McPherson, a mother of four and a former longtime teacher and assistant principal, has been working to prevent teen suicide. Dodd said she arranged the panel of experts for “A Beautiful Boy” and “8th Grade.” McPherson often lectures on the unique pressures created by social media and other factors that make growing up today a different experience than for past generations. The panelists who fielded questions from a group of about 125 people, mostly concerned parents, after the “Beautiful Boy” showing in Chandler included Angie Geren of Addiction Haven, a community recovery organization based in Chandler; Travis Webb, a Gilbert thera-

THE SUNDAY EAST VALLEY TRIBUNE | FEBRUARY 3, 2019

pist; Ed Morales, a Gilbert police officer; and Bridgett Troxell, 19, a recovering addict from Chandler. “I look at core values,’’ Morales, a former school resource officer, said. “When you have them do some self-evaluation, that’s when you have the best results.’’ Morales urged parents to strongly discourage vaping, saying it’s sometimes difficult to tell if someone is vaping a nicotine aerosol or THC wax, which can have a very high concentration of THC, the drug in marijuana that gets users high. “It doesn’t look like it did five, 10, 15 years ago. We are playing catch up,’’ Morales said. Webb suggested that parents develop deep, “authentic relationships’’ with their children, rather than settling for the usual platitudes. Troxell put her struggle with drugs under the spotlight with a simple motivation about a complicated topic: She just wants to help others. She said she has been through rehabilitation three times but has a much better life now. “If they end up in that situation, I want them to know, you can get out,’’ Troxell said. Troxell explained how her downhill journey with drugs started when she began smoking marijuana as a freshman in

high school. “It’s a walk down the street, it’s people you know. It only takes two or three times to try it. That’s where the cycle begins,’’ she said, when a woman asked her about the difficulty of obtaining drugs. Her addiction worsened in her sophomore year, when she said she started using opioids, Percocet and Xanax. “The people you are hanging out with, who want you to do those things, are not your real friends,’’ Troxell said. Eventually, she said she dropped out of school and lived a life without purpose, ending up in rehab. She said she realized at some point that she was 16 credits shy of graduating from high school. She enrolled in a different high school and eventually graduated. “There was a day I woke up and I decided that I did not want to live this life anymore,’’ Troxell said. “Watching this movie is like watching my parents’ life.’’ Geren urged parents to set a good example for their children by not self-medicating with drugs, illegal or legal, such as having some vodka when they get home from a stressful day at work. “There’s nothing that 100 percent can prevent addiction from happening,’’ she said. “Having that (emotional) connection is the best defense.’’

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Polar vortex reminds us of how good life is here BY DAVID LEIBOWITZ Tribune Columnist

ou’re never too old to learn new tricks, and I’m proud to report having picked up a new hobby even as I slide into middle age. For more than 50 years, I’ve studiously ignored the weather in other places. Then the news started blabbing about a “polar vortex” last week and suddenly I had a new pastime: Checking the low temperatures in places like Grand Forks, North Dakota, where it dropped to -27 degrees Thursday before dawn, or 100 degrees colder than the high of 73 degrees predicted for the Valley that afternoon. And that’s not even counting the wind chill, which cooled down Grand Forks to an arctic 48 below. As a guy who moved to Arizona from New Jersey in 1995 and kept his windshield ice scraper on his desk for a decade

as a grim reminder of life before Phoenix, I can’t help but wonder aloud about the sanity of people who subject themselves to such conditions. I mean, the deepest chill I’ve experienced since moving here was two Novembers back, when I saw Hillary Clinton speak in person. Fortunately, personalityinduced hypothermia is a temporary condition that recedes the minute you leave the room. Not so with actual life-threatening cold, which claimed lives across the Midwest last week, prevented the U.S. Postal Service from delivering mail in parts of 10 states and reduced the Grand Forks Herald to running a story headlined, “Sure It’s Cold … But It Could Be Worse.” The highlight? Conservation officer Stu Bensen recalling a call he ran in the mid1980s to retrieve the body of a fisherman who froze to death near Lake of the Woods. It was a 30-mile trip by snowmobile, Bensen recalled, then 30 miles back tow-

ing the frozen corpse on a sled – in a strong wind and temperatures of -25. “By the time I got back – we probably found (the fisherman) midday – that evening the pain started,” Bensen explained. One of his top teeth had frozen, the Herald reported. This necessitated a root canal and a crown. “It was quite a process,” Bensen told reporter Brad Dokken. “People are fortunate if they don’t have to go out in these elements. They’re smart not to go out in these elements. No matter what amount of clothing you put on, you feel it come through every seam.” I suppose that’s one moral to the story. The other is never go fishing when it’s 25 below zero – or live in a place where 25 below is even a remote possibility. Some snowbird types will likely point out that it rarely reaches temperatures of 115 degrees in the Midwest, whereas that happens with some frequency during Arizona summers. My response: I’ve been here 23 years

and I’ve never had to install “heat tires” to drive on the 202 in August. We don’t have “heat plows” and we don’t have to “steer into the skid” on scalding surface streets during mid-summer. Nor do we have our beer deliveries disrupted by frozen product, the way they did in Minnesota last week. “Most of the folks up north are not delivering,” Mike Madigan, president of Minnesota Beer Wholesalers Association, told CNN. “Most distributors are not delivering in the Twin Cities, down south and out west.” Meanwhile here in the Valley, a million people in T-shirts and shorts consumed 10 million frosty drinks at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. The Cactus League starts in a few weeks and we haven’t had a frozen fisherman in Phoenix since, oh, ever. This checking the weather elsewhere is a real eye opener about how good we have it here. The occasional Hillary Clinton speech is a small price to pay for life in paradise.

Living on social security, she doesn’t have the ability to make her home comfortable for the group. Where can she go for help? What resources are out there to give her a hand to let these kids know they will be safe and comfortable? When DCS drops the children off on the doorstep, with the clothing on their backs and a few meager belongings, they give Grandma some important resources to contact, oftentimes the first of which is Arizona Helping Hands. Arizona Helping Hands is the largest provider of basic needs to help Johnny and his brother and sister. Grandma can receive from us a Safe Place to Sleep – a complete bed set for Johnny and his brother, a crib for the baby, clothing, diapers and more to ease their struggles in this very difficult transition. This is the task we take on at Arizona Helping Hands. In 2018, we provided 3,338 children with their own little sanctuary – a bed to sleep on. We also assisted with clothing, diapers, personal care

items, even birthday gifts and bicycles. All to put a smile on the faces of children who don’t smile enough, to bring a little bit of joy and hope to their lives. Arizona taxpayers, we need your help to keep up this important work. You can help Johnny and his siblings at NO COST to you through the Arizona Foster Care tax credit program. Married couples can donate $1,000 to Arizona Helping Hands and receive every dollar back when you file your Arizona state tax return. The limit is $500 for single taxpayers. Donate $1,000, get it all back, and know that you have provided children with the simple comforts that they deserve. Visit azfostertaxcredit.org today to put your tax dollars to work for kids in foster care. You can make a difference for Johnny, his siblings and thousands of other boys and girls.

Help foster kids through your tax credit donations BY DAN SHUFELT Tribune Guest Writer

s a new year begins, we all reflect on the blessings we’ve been given in life. It’s our wish that everyone has the love of a family, the security of a home and the warmth of friends. Unfortunately, 15,000 children in Arizona today struggle with each of these issues. Think about little Johnny, who woke up this morning in the only living environment he’s known, one in which the smell of meth cooking on the stove is etched into his nostrils. This 8-year-old plays the parent role to his two younger siblings, scrounging in meager supplies for a few scraps of food to eat, reusing the baby’s soiled diapers, making sure the kids stay out of the way of mom so she can carry on her business. When the Department of Child Safety shows up in the middle of the day, Johnny doesn’t see them as his savior, he sees them as the enemy, removing him from

(Special to the Tribune)

Dan Shufelt of Arizona Helping Hands

the only life he has ever known. Moving to a new home, one with real walls, with furniture, with a new mom and dad, is not a relief at first, it’s a dungeon. Johnny’s grandmother, who agreed to take in him and his siblings, is not prepared to have three more mouths to feed.

-Dan Shufelt is president/CEO of Arizona Helping Hands, the largest provider of basic needs to Arizona’s children in foster care. Reach him at dshufelt@azhelpinghands.org.

Share Your Thoughts: Send your letters on local issues to: pmaryniak@timespublications.com

THE SUNDAY EAST VALLEY TRIBUNE | FEBRUARY 3, 2019

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