east valley
Volume 1 Issue 23 Mesa, AZ
January 13, 2019
Mesa outdoors shop owners aim to keep Mother Earth clean Tribune News Staff
W
IN THE BIZ
hen you sell apparel that champions the environment, it only serves to reason that you help Mother Nature keep it clean. And that’s why Sean Huntington and Cameron Jarman, two local residents who own Keep Nature Wild at 21 W. Main St., downtown Mesa, are launching “Wild Keepers” – a movement to keep parks, trails and even sidewalks clean of trash that they are formally launching Tuesday, Jan. 15. They’re asking everyone to sign up as a Wild Keeper at keepnaturewild.com/ pages/the-wild-keepers, pick up trash and then log its weight on their website with a goal of removing 175,000 pounds of trash this year and one million pounds by 2023. They have hosted over 25 formal cleanups since 2016 and have 18 scheduled for this year, although the business partners are hoping other Wild Keepers will organize others on their own. Keep Nature Wild sells apparel, stickers, and outdoor accessories, using their Mesa warehouse to fulfill online orders and prep their wares for sale in more than a dozen shops across the West. Jarman, a former teacher, and Huntington founded the business in 2016, setting strict standards for the kinds of wholesalers they partner with so they can guarantee they’re selling “responsible products” – goods “produced under lawful, humane and ethical conditions.” “As a former high school teacher and
photographer, Sean and I have been fortunate enough to use our time off to adventure the Southwest,” said Jarman, adding they “developed an overwhelming sense of pride and love for our community and our state.” That love affair led them to “to feel an obligation to do more to protect our lands and to give back to the areas that we had been freely enjoying.” And so Keep Nature Wild was born. “The Southwest landscape is awesome and because it is so awesome it attracts millions of people every year to enjoy its beauty and grandeur. Due to a plethera of (Special to the Tribune) problems, many states are Mesa business partners Sean Huntington, left, and Cameron limited in both funds and re- Jarman of Keep Nature Wild are part of a national movement sources to keep up with the to clean up America’s parks increasing demand for naused to restore, maintain and preserve ture. This places a heavy burden on our our wild places.” wild places and however infinite and inThey’re also promoting volunteerism and destructible they may seem, they need to “responsible outdoor recreation” by encourbe nurtured and cared for,” Jarman states aging formal as well as informal clean-ups. on his website. Added a company spokeswoman: “Sean The problem has become particularly and Cameron are on the ground getting severe lately as a result of the federal gov- their hands dirty alongside their volunteers ernment shutdown, which has left many at nearly every cleanup. They love being innational parks in disarray. volved and making an impact, in fact most “We sell awesome products and take of their company is at every cleanup as well, the funds we generate to impact local volunteering their time. It is very much at wild places,” Jarman said. “A portion of the core of their company culture.” every purchase you make on our site is Information: keepnaturewild.com. (USPS 004-616) is published weekly
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Innovative senior campus keeps Mesa job market humming
(Special to the Tribune)
The planned 20-acre GrandeVita campus in east Mesa will provide a high-end assisted living community, its developers say. BY JASON STONE Tribune Staff Writer
M
ore high-paying jobs are on their way to growing southeast Mesa thanks to a $200 million senior living and medical campus that’s breaking ground this year. The recently announced 20-acre GrandeVita campus near the U.S. 60 and Crismon Road will include independent and assisted living, medical offices, a luxury tower and luxury condos, a rehab clinic and a nursing school. About 326 jobs are expected to be created with the project. Those positions will carry an average wage of $45.25 per hour and is expected to generate $28.6 million in total wages. Ground will be broken on the 700,000-square-foot campus early this year. New Mexico-based Brycon Construction is in charge of the project, which
BioCity Enterprises owns and Khangura Development and BioCity Enterprises are developing. A Residence Inn by Marriott is already anchoring the area of the campus. The $20 million, 127-room hotel at 10243 E. Hampton Ave. will open next month. Officials are expecting construction of the entire campus to finish around 2022, but it will open over time in phases. The Mesa City Council approved the project earlier this month. “There is substantial demand for a high-end, assisted living community like GrandeVita,” said Kelly Copeland, COO of BioCity Enterprises. “Khangura Development and BioCity Enterprises are excited to build a property that will revolutionize the current model this kind of facility. It will be unrivaled when it’s completed.” Mesa’s Planning and Zoning Commission approved the site in October when it
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rezoned the area from Light Industrial to Limited Commercial. Plans are calling for a high-end resortstyle design, complete with reflecting pools, pergolas, fountains and green roofs. “Their innovative approach to building a senior community with integrated healthcare, recreation and resort living will change the way we think about aging,” Mayor John Giles said. To help pedestrians move around, the development will include winding walkways and bridges. “GrandeVita will allow its residents to age in place, in a community that feels like home,” Copeland said. “They will get the opportunity to be around the people and places that are familiar to them while also providing them with quality care.” U.S. Census Bureau estimates show nearly 16 percent of Arizona’s population is at least 65 years old.
JANUARY 13, 2019
MESA
City of Mesa Public Notice CITY OF MESA, ARIZONA ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS (RFQ) NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the City of Mesa is seeking a qualified Consultant for the following: OAKWOOD CREATIVE CARE FACILITY IMPROVEMENTS 7550 E. ADOBE PROJECT NO. CP0878
The City of Mesa is seeking a qualified Consultant to provide design services for the Oakwood Creative Care Facility Improvements Project. All qualified firms that are interested in providing these services are invited to submit their Statements of Qualifications (SOQ) in accordance with the requirements detailed in the Request for Qualifications (RFQ). The following is a summary of the project. The required tasks will be re-viewed with the selected Design Consultant and defined to meet the needs of the project as part of the contract scoping. This project includes designing renovations to the existing Oakwood Creative Care Facility which occupies approximately 2500 square feet within the City of Mesa
Red Mountain Multigenerational Center at 7550 E. Adobe, Mesa 85207. The renovations are architectural in nature and include but may not be limited to: removing and adding interior walls, flooring upgrades, electrical and lighting upgrades, heating, ventilation and air conditioning redistribution, removing and replacing interior site furnishings. The design firm chosen will provide professional services and generate construction documents which will be used for bid advertisements. A Pre-Submittal Conference will be not held. All interested firms are encouraged to submit any inquiries to Maggie Smith prior to the Statement of Qualification due date. Contact with City Employees. All firms interested in this project (including the firm’s employees, representatives, agents, lobbyists, attorneys, and subconsultants) will refrain, under penalty of disqualification, from direct or indirect contact for the purpose of influencing the selection or creating bias in the selection process with any person who may play a part in the selection process. This policy is intended to create a level playing field for all potential firms, assure that contract decisions are made in public and to protect the integrity of the selection process. All contact on this selection process should be addressed to the authorized representative identified below. RFQ Lists. This RFQ is available on the City’s website at http:// mesaaz.gov/business/engineering/ architectural-engineering-design-
EAST VALLEY BUSINESS
opportunities. The Statement of Qualifications shall include a one-page cover letter, plus a maximum of 10 pages to address the SOQ evaluation criteria (excluding resumes but including an organization chart with key personnel and their affiliation). Resumes for each team member shall be limited to a maximum length of two pages and should be attached as an appendix to the SOQ. Minimum font size shall be 10pt. Please provide six (6) hard copies and one (1) electronic copy (CD or USB drive) of the Statement of Qualifications by 2:00 PM, January 31, 2019. The City reserves the right to accept or reject any and all Statements of Qualifications. The City is an equal opportunity employer. Delivered or hand-carried submittals must be delivered to the Engineering Department reception area on the fifth floor of Mesa City Plaza Building in a sealed package. On the submittal package, please display: Firm name, project number, and/or project title. Firms who wish to do business with the City of Mesa must be registered and activated in the City of Mesa Vendor Self Service (VSS) System (http://mesaaz.gov/ business/purchasing/vendor-selfservice). Questions. Questions pertaining to the Consultant selection process or contract issues should be directed to Maggie Smith of the Engineering Department at maggie.smith@ mesaaz.gov. BETH HUNING
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City Engineer ATTEST: DeeAnn Mickelsen City Clerk Publish: East Valley Tribune, Jan 6, 13, 20, 2019 / 17773
JANUARY 13, 2019
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