Gilbert Sun News 111322

Trends differ in council, board elections

Spence, Buchli in squeaker for town seat Board winners appear to emerge, Higley bond sinks

BY CECILIA CHAN

Managing Editor

BillSpence and Bobbi Bu chli both garnered 50% of the ballots cast in the race for Gilbert Town Council, according to the latest unoffi cial returns before the Gilbert Sun News’ print deadline.

However, the latest count put Buchli slightly ahead with 456 more votes than Spence. In the initial count on election night, Spence was in the lead. Whether Buchli will contin

BY CECILIA CHAN GSN Managing Editor

ConservativePurple for Parents-backed candi dates took seats in the three school boards that serve Gilbert students.

According to early unofficial results, Chad Thompson ap peared to have won a seat on the Gilbert Public Schools Gov erning Board, Anna Van Hoek for Higley Unified and Kurt Rohrs for Chandler Unified. Only voters who live in their respective school district’s boundary are eligible to vote.

In the Gilbert race, incumbent Jill Humpherys held onto her lead with 30% of the ballots cast, followed by Thompson with 29%.

Collette Evans received 22% while Trina Jonas got 19%.

The district also had a third seat with a two- year term that was filled in the August Primary by sole candidate Ronda Page.

CUSD and HUSD each had two open seats.

In the Chandler Unified race, Rohrs and Patti Serrano each captured 23% of the votes;

BY CECILIA CHAN GSN Managing Editor

Panel raises concerns over Cooley multifamily plan.

GSN

Panel overrules town staff on project redesign

BY CECILIA CHAN GSN Managing Editor

Gilbertplanning staff said a devel oper tried to pull a fast one by redesigning two buildings and putting in a drive-thru restaurant after Town Council approved plans for the 40acre, mix-used development in August.

The Gilmore includes a grocery store and lofts above retail at the northwest corner of Val Vista Drive and Germann Road near the Mercy Gilbert Medical Center. Apartment units total about 300. “As a result of the changes at that cor ner by the applicant we have determined that the proposed changes to both build ings/PADs and the design of them are no longer in substantial conformance with the development plan,” senior planner Keith Newman said at the Nov. 2 Plan ning Commission meeting. “A plan ap proved by Town Council and must be revised to comply.”

According to Newman, Thomp

son Thrift Development changed a 6,500-square-foot retail building along Germann to a 2,800-square-foot build ing with a drive-thru.

At the intersection of Germann and Val Vista, the developer also revised two 4,000-square-foot retail buildings with a 2,000-square-foot patio space in the middle into a single 10,000-square-foot

building instead, according to Newman.

“Please note that through the entire rezoning and design review process that these changes were not discussed with staff,” he said.

Newman said it was always under stood by the applicant throughout the whole process, and it was communi cated with them in many meetings that

drive-thru restaurants would only be permitted along Val Vista.

“The Germann Road frontage all the way to the corner, which is a prominent corner in the town, would include uses that further enhance the visual appeal and sense of arrival as people enter into the Val Vista Medical growth area,” New man said.

The addition of the drive-thru restau rant along Germann Road and the chang es to the buildings don’t meet the vision for that corner, he added.

One of the conditions for approval of the project’s site plan would require the developer to comply with the coun cil-approved development plan, New man said.

In order to change that design, the developer would need to apply for an amendment of its planned area develop ment, return to the commission with the new design and then proceed to council

Gilbert planners urged the commission to require the developer to revise the 40-acre mixed-use The Gilmore but members OK’d it anyway. (Town of Gilbert)

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Commission airs concerns about Cooley Station plan

BY CECILIA CHAN GSN Managing Editor

development with 612 apartment units is being proposed at the northwest corner of Wil liams Field and Recker roads in the Cool ey Station community.

Amixed-use

Developer Kaplan Multifamily is seek ing a minor General Plan amendment and rezone of the 13.26 acres to Village Cen ter from General Commercial use.

“The site used to be zoned Village Cen ter and due to market conditions they zoned it to general commercial,” senior planner Keith Newman said at the Nov. 2 Planning Commission study session. “Now they feel that it’s the time is right to zone it back to Village Center to comply with the original vision for that corner within the Cooley Station original master plan.”

The proposed District at Cooley Station calls for two, four-story apartment build ings, 15,000 square feet of free-standing retail-commercial shops, which could be one or two stories, and over 25,000 square feet of nonresidential space on the ground floor of the two multifamily build ings. The nonresidential space, which requires a conditional use permit, could include an urban grocer, retail shops, a public fitness center and work-fromhome spaces.

The units would consist of one, two and

three bedrooms, according to Newman.

The residential component would be the town’s first “wrap-around” project where the units literally wrap around an internal parking garage, according to the developer.

Newman said only one property own er attended the developer’s April 12 neighborhood meeting on the proposal and asked general questions such as the uses and timing of the construction.

“I like the project,” Commissioner Da vid Blaser said. “So often we hear from the public to maintain the tradition and we’re going back to the original intent of the property, which I think is kind of cool.”

Commissioner Charles Johnson asked if the school district has weighed in on the project’s impact to its campuses.

Newman said staff has reached out to Gilbert Pub lic Schools but hasn’t heard from the district.

“I’d want to kind of see a case made for why more multifamily is a benefit to the town over the loss of the general commercial,” Com missioner Anthony Bianchi said.

“Potentially that could serve the area that’s pretty much already dominated by a lot of the higher den sity development around it. I’m just curious because it

would be a loss of general commercial at a key area.”

Johnson said he agreed with Bianchi “on the number of units going in as op posed to commercial.”

Acting Chairman Noah Mundt said he, too, would like to “understand the busi ness case of the density and the lost com mercial.”

And, he wanted more clarification why the developer was asking for a deviation of reducing the amount of glass on the ground-floor retail that faces a public street. The town requirement is for 75% glass and the developer has asked for 50%.

Commissioners also at study ses sion discussed a proposal by The Gar rett Companies on a mixed-used project that includes a Residence Inn Hotel, 358 apartment units and 23,000 square feet of ground-floor retail on two parcels at Cooley Station.

The site is at the southwest corner of Williams Field Road and Verde Drive and would include a total of 798 parking spaces.

“Town staff is asking that the applicant provide additional retail/commercial (on the ground floor) along Verde Drive and along Somerton Boulevard especially across the street from the future transit center that is south of Somerton Boule vard,” Newman told the commissioners. “We want to be able to provide more retail and commercial opportunities for

The proposed District at Cooley Station calls for two, four-story apartment buildings, 15,000 square feet of free-standing retail-commercial shops and over 25,000 square feet of nonresidential space on the ground floor of the two multifamily buildings. (Town of Gilbert)

Planning Commission members expressed concern over the loss of potential commercial space to apartments in the District at Cooley Station proposal. (Town of Gilbert)

An edition of the East Valley Tribune

Birdwell co-defendants could go free

Thetwo former Arizona State Uni versity officials accused of break ing the state’s procurement law when Higley Unified School District awarded two costly leases for its middle schools could go free.

Maricopa County Superior Court on Nov. 4 granted Steven Nielsen’s and Gary Aller’s requests to remand their cases to the state grand jury.

The grand jury in July 2021 indicted Nielsen and Aller on the same three felo ny counts related to fraudulent schemes and practices, fraudulent schemes and artifices, and conspiracy. The other co-defendants in the criminal case are attorney Kay Hartwell Hunnicutt and former HUSD superintendent Dr. Angela Denise Birdwell.

The court gave the state 15 days to send Nielsen’s and Aller’s cases back for review. Aller previously filed a notice to join Nielsen’s motion to remand.

“The decision will be prompt,” said attorney David Black, who represents Nielsen. “If the grand jury fails to indict or the state dismisses these counts, Niel sen will have no remaining charges.”

State Attorney General Mark Br

novich’s office did not respond to re quests for comment.

Defense attorneys in September ar gued before Judge Adam Driggs that the state presented a tainted case to the grand jury.

They disputed the state’s allegations that Aller and Nielsen received inside information from Birdwell and archi tect Brian Robichaux, who died in 2020. Prosecutors say that gave their company an unfair advantage when it bid for and eventually received a $2.5 million proj ect development services contract from HUSD.

The state alleged that Birdwell and Robichaux, who was operating as Hig ley’s procurement advisor, were in regu lar contact with Nielsen and Aller during the procurement process, sharing key details about the project and RFP that were not shared with other prospective vendors.

Birdwell was one of three members of the selection committee and her evalu ation of Aller and Nielsen’s bid gave it the only perfect score. The panel rec ommended Higley award the contract to them, which the governing board

Former Higley Superintendent Dr. Denise Birdwell is awaiting trial on state charges that she rigged bids and got kickbacks for the district’s middle schools. (Speciial to GSN)

ue to hold onto her lead remained to be seen as there were over 400,000 ballots, including a record number of early bal lots dropped off on election night left to be processed in Maricopa County, offi cials announced Wednesday.

Unfounded fear of election fraud prompted many Republicans to vote in person on Election Day or hand in their early ballot at a polling place Tuesday.

Although the race for council is non partisan, the state Republican Party and other conservatives groups endorsed Buchli.

Spence was a council appointee who served for eight months before losing his seat in election in 2020.

The retired Navy veteran’s campaign platform included a call for responsible growth, traffic congestion and no in creases in the Town’s secondary proper

SCHOOL from page 1

Charlotte Golla, 19%; incumbent Lara Bruner, 19% and Marilou Estes, 14%.

Golla also was endorsed by the Purple for Parents group.

In the Higley district, where no in cumbent chose to run for re-election, Amanda Wade received 27% of the votes; Van Hoek, 26%; Brooke Garrett, 24% and Roy Morales, 23%. Morales was a Purple for Parents candidate.

The results could change as there were over 400,000 ballots to be pro cessed in Maricopa County, officials an nounced Wednesday.

And, voters in Higley Unified ap peared to have rejected a $77.2-million bond on the ballot.

Unofficial returns showed the “no” votes in the lead with 58% compared with the “yes” votes at 42%.

The votes opposing the bond took the lead early on and grew with each subse quent count release.

The bond was the district’s second attempt after voters last November rejected a $95 million bond measure. After the failure at the ballot box, the

ty tax rate, which is used to repay bond debt.

Buchli, a real estate agent, ran on a issues that included supporting small businesses, reining in spending and changing leadership at Town Hall.

While both tout their strong sup port for public safety and oppose more high-density apartments, Spence was viewed by some voters as someone who would continue to support the majority on council while Buchli was considered a dissenting voice along the vein of cur rent council members Aimee Yentees and Laurin Hendrix. Both did not seek re-election.

In the August Primary, Councilwoman Yung Koprowksi, an appointee, won her first election and was joined by new comers Jim Torgeson and Chuck Bon giovanni. Both Torgeson and Bongiovan

ni helped with Buchli’s campaign.

Even if Buchli wins the race, the trio would be in a minority but would have the authority to put issues on the agen da. Currently the mayor or at least three council members can place items for dis cussion.

Voters also picked candidates in the two Republican-leaning state legislative districts that represent parts of Gilbert –LD 13 and LD 14.

In the LD 13 state Senate race, Repub lican incumbent J.D. Mesnard faced off a challenge from Democrat Cynthia Hans.

Hans initially took the lead but fell in the latest tally with Mesnard capturing 51% of the votes compared with her 49%.

Democrat incumbent Jennifer Paw lik was ahead of the pack early on and maintained her lead in the three-way

race for two House seats with 36% of the votes.

Republicans Liz Harris and Julie Wil loughby were neck-in-neck at 32% each but Harris had a 245-vote edge.

In the LD14 state Senate race, Repub lican incumbent Warren Petersen easily won the seat against write-in Democrat ic candidate Kristin Clark. He garnered 95% of the votes in the latest unofficial count.

And in the contest for the two House seats in LD 14, Republicans Travis Grantham, incumbent, and Councilman Laurin Hendrix, who previously served in the House, duked it out with Demo crat Brandy Reese.

Hendrix and Grantham were headed toward claiming their seats with 35% and 36% of the votes, respectively. Re ese trailed with 29% of the votes.

district surveyed its voters to see what projects they would support in a new bond. Some of the projects in the latest measure included funding for a new el ementary school, security cameras and wireless enhancements.

Neither the district nor the political action committee that was pushing the passage of the bond measure respond to a request for comment.

“Voters I spoke to were wary of new taxes and the district’s messaging/ spending,” said Marty Bender, who vo

cally opposed both bonds.

“Statements like ‘no new taxes’ and ‘teachers have 35 kids in every class room’ didn’t resonate with what voters have experienced in the district or data they were shown.

“Folks stated a general distrust of the decisions being made and often ques tioned motives. Many felt that much of the extra money received by the district over the last few years could’ve ad dressed some of the needs in the bond spending plan without needing to bor

row for them.”

The Purple for Parents Group also backed one of the two winners of the Chandler Unified Governing Board race.

Kurt Rohrs led the five-way race for two board seats with 23% of the vote – the same percentage that a candidate backed by the liberal Arizona List.

That candidate, Patti Serrano, is poised to become the board’s first Lati na member. A second Purple for Parent candidate, Charlotte Golla, placed third with 19%

Chad Thompson

Jill Humpherys

Amanda Wade

Anna Van Hoek

High court upholds Arizona’s 8-member juries

BY HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services

It’snot allowed in 44 states but the U.S. Supreme Court refused last week to void an Arizona law that allows criminal trials to be conducted with ju ries of just eight people.

Without comment, the majority of the justices upheld the statute that says that a 12-member jury is necessary only when the crime charged carries a prison term of 30 years or more.

They saw no reason to even address the law given that Ramin Khorrami faced no more than 12.5 years on charges of theft and fraudulent schemes in connec tion with his bid to extort money from a married woman with whom he was hav ing an affair.

The high court in 1970 refused to dis turb a Florida law that allowed someone to be convicted by a six-member jury.

But the decision not to even review the law drew a stinging dissent from Jus

tice Neil Gorsuch, appointed to the court in 2017, who said that 1970 ruling “was wrong the day it was decided.’’

“It remains wrong today,’’ he contin ued. “And it impairs both the integrity of the American criminal justice system and the liberties of those who come be fore our nation’s courts.’’

Only Justice Brett Kavanaugh sided with Gorsuch.

According to court records, Khorrami began a romantic relationship in 2012 with a woman living in Arizona. She told him she planned to leave her husband.

A year later the relationship soured and he threatened to tell her husband unless she paid him $30,000 and con tinued the affair. Eventually, after pay ing him another $4,000, she realized he would not keep his end of the bargain and told her husband, who reported Khorrami to the police.

The eight-member jury unanimous ly convicted him of the two charges. He was placed on probation, which includ

ed a two-month jail term. Only later, on appeal, did he say he was constitutionally entitled to a 12-member jury, an argument rejected by the state Court of Appeals which the Arizona Su preme Court refused to overturn. That led to his petition to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Attorney General Mark Brnovich ar gued that reversing that ruling would upset not just the law in Arizona but also in Connecticut, Florida, Indiana, Massa chusetts and Utah.

far back as 1898 when it concluded a 12-person jury was clearly the intent of Congress.

All that changed in 1970, he said, when the majority simply assumed that the 12-member rule “rests on little more than mystical or superstitious insights’’ and suggested there was no reason to assume a smaller jury would be less fair.

Gorsuch said there has been other re search since. “These studies suggest that 12-member juries deliberate longer, re call information better, and pay greater

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approved in July 2012, according to the state.

The attorneys argued that the Arizona law prohibiting people who had input in the request for proposal process on a project from bidding on it didn’t take effect until 2015, which means Aller and Nielsen didn’t violate any law.

The attorneys argued that Aller and Nielsen, who were never officially pro curement advisors, could give input un til 2015 because the law didn’t exist in 2012.

In the Nov. 4 ruling, the judge wrote

“that substantive changes and clarify ing language was added to the procure ment code in 2015, which affect the very provisions that Aller and Nielsen are charged with violating, and that the 2015 code was not the applicable law when the alleged crimes occurred.

“Those changes raise due process con cerns, which the court will not ignore.”

The judge also said that the state’s reading of the wrong provision of the Arizona Administrative Code “deprived Aller and Nielsen of a substantial pro cedural right, and that remanding these applicable counts to the grand jury is ap propriate so that the grand jury will be properly and adequately informed as to the applicable code.”

Driggs said that at the remand should the state allege Aller and Nielsen violat ed the procurement code, it would need to specifically identify the code provi sion or provisions that have been violat ed. He set a Nov. 28 status conference on the issue.

and Aller did nothing wrong,” Black said last week in an email. “The law did not prohibit our client’s conduct in 2011.

“For more than a year we have been begging the attorney general to tell us which provisions of law our clients vio lated. The truth was, we now know, that the only possibly relevant provisions did not get written into law until 2015.”

Black claimed “political prosecution” of Nielsen brought on by charter-school advocates unhappy with the two new middle schools being funded and built.

“Steven Nielsen is a good guy and in 2011 was acting with the advice of sev eral law firms, including the District’s lawyers, when this deal was penned,” Black said.

The judge, however, denied Hunni cutt’s motion to remand.

Hunnicutt claimed that she was only charged with tax fraud and dragged into the case after the state used a joint bank account as the alleged link between her, Robichaux and Birdwell, which was not clearly supported by exculpatory evi

The judge disagreed with Hunnicutt and that she failed to provide sufficient basis to merit remand to the grand jury.

Birdwell, who left the district in 2015 after six years at the helm and became Scottsdale Unified superintendent. al legedly rigged bids and took payoffs from contractors.

She faces trial on 18 felony counts, in cluding conflict of interest, procurement fraud and misuse of public funds over the construction of two district middle schools.

When Birdwell executed the lease agreements for the two middle schools –Sossman and Cooley – it put the district in a financial bind that continues today. At the time the district was experienc ing rapid student enrollment and was near its bond limit to fund the two new schools on its own.

The total cost of the two leases over their lifetime to the district is nearly $160 million. Each year, HUSD directs $4.4 million of its capital funding to the two payments and has paid to date over $40 million.

for final approval.

The project’s zoning attorney Adam Baugh argued for flexibility, saying that building a loft over a commercial proj ect is a challenge and takes creativity to design.

“What we’ve done is have a develop ment that’s anchored by a grocery store,” Baugh said. “At one point we thought we were going to be the first Amazon Fresh grocery store on the West Coast and we designed a plan for that.”

But that plan fell through and the de veloper pivoted and brought in a Safe way for the anchor.

He said Safeway has different require ments in particular with respect to the view corridor than Amazon.

“Because of the leasing requirement for Safeway we had to reduce the size of that building,” Baugh said. “Previously it was a 6,500-square-foot building. That was what we needed to do in order to land the major-anchor grocer or ma jor-anchor tenant for the center.”

He added that the fast-casual Chop

Shop wanted to come to this location and it required a drive-thru.

He said it was an “insubstantial change” and actually a reduction in square feet in the exact same location as before.

“The margins on these deals are paper thin,” Baugh said. “Building loft residen tial above commercial is really, really hard to do. We had to make up that dif ference somewhere.”

So, the developer looked at the two buildings that included the patio/ breezeway area and enclosed it.

“Our enclosure is in the exact same lo cation as before,” he said. “I can’t think of a change that’s more in substantial com pliance with the plan than something like this. Our overall square footage is actually less than 1% less than what we were before.”

He said the developer’s original plan was designed with the best hopes and intentions and with zero users in tow.

Inevitably, the developer needed to adjust the plan when a major tenant

leaves in order to attract a new one, ac cording to Baugh.

He disagreed with Newman’s asser tion that the approved zoning for the project locked the developer “into the very, very rigid plans that don’t allow me to change even less than 1% of my over all square footage.”

“It’s the same project, it’s the same intent,” Baugh said. “It’s just being flex ible to the shifting demographics and more importantly just trying to attract a tenant to come to your commercial shopping center.

“At the end day our building is in the same location as before, same central footprints as before,” he said. “It’s just a little bit smaller but the same walkabil ity, the same access, the same design… that you’ve seen from the beginning to the end.”

Planning Manager Eva Cutro told com missioners they could continue the item and allow the developer to work on a plan that is agreeable to staff.

“We do not believe that this matches

the PAD that was approved,” she said. The commission, however, agreed with Baugh and voted 7-0 to approve the site plan.

“I have no problem with these chang es,” Commissioner Brian Andersen said. “They seem reasonable to me.

“As an architect, I’ve done a good amount of PADs around Arizona and the PAD is always looked at as kind of here’s a general idea of what we’re doing here, understanding that marketing condi tions are going to dictate this design changes.” Your news 24/7 www.GilbertSunNews.com

zoned for business park use.

“Rivulon is a master-planned employ ment park,” said zoning attorney Adam Baugh, representing Nationwide at the planning meeting. “But even all good employment parks – like Gainey Ranch and Cavasson in Scottsdale, the Arena District in Grandview (Ohio) – all require supporting elements to make them suc cessful and this is what this case is about today.

“Nationwide has more than $2 billion in real estate investment. They know how to deliver (a) home-run product. In this case what is unique about this development is what it is not. It’s not a multifamily development along an arte rial street. It’s not a development that is intended to capture drive-by visitors.”

Baugh said the proposed apartments are intentionally and strategically placed in the center of Rivulon to serve the mixed-use development. He added that employers want their employees to live close to work.

According to Baugh, supporting uses such as retail, restaurants and multifam ily options are required in order to at tract and retain exceptional employees.

He added that Nationwide always ex pected Rivulon to have a variety of uses but “they didn’t know precisely where those uses would be or what form or manner or when the market would need it so they simply put a business park category across the entire site…know ing full well that eventually they would make adjustments as they built out the park heading east.”

Principal Planner Ashlee MacDonald said the developer was requesting two primary deviations – an additional 10 feet in height for the apartments for a to tal of 65 feet and reducing the common open space from 40% to 30%.

She said a vertical development over lay on the property allows for increased heights up to 90 feet for regional com mercial, general office and business park zoning districts but not multifamily.

But the requested 65 feet “is pretty consistent with what we expect to see in the Rivulon development,” MacDon ald said, adding that the Rivulon Lakes buildings, not yet built, were approved for 71 feet.

She said staff didn’t have a problem with the reduction in open space be cause the common open space overall far exceeds the town’s requirement and that there are multiple connections from the apartments to the north and west to open space.

According to Baugh, the developer is requesting a reduction of the common open space but is increasing the amount of private open space.

MacDonald told commissioners that staff recommended their support for the project. Gilbert Chamber of Commerce also has sent a letter of support.

About half a dozen residents spoke, including Dave Rigby, contending that under the General Plan approved by vot ers in 2020, the area is slated as general office use and not high-density or resi dential.

“Many people bought into this area knowing these things,” said Rigby, who lives north of the Rivulon property. “We are at a battleground point where if that zoning is changed, that protection is lost.

“That zoning change isn’t something that is light or casual. That General Plan isn’t something that should be dis missed.

“Nationwide is anything but on your side. They are on their side. I’ve lived in that community until they developed and hard-pressed people to have to move out. They’re forcing people out.

“We are letting an Ohio-based compa ny muscle out residents. I’m imploring you as planning commissioners; don’t

let somebody-for-profit muscle out resi dents by changing the fabric of what our community is by adding high density. We don’t want it. Nobody wants it.”

He added that the apartments would put a burden on schools, water, police services and hospitals.

“We only have 88,000 homes and 27% are now multifamily,” said Bret Ryan, who also lives north of Rivulon. “This is not the spot for it.”

He said that Nationwide does great work but Gainey Ranch doesn’t have five stories that are 65 feet tall.

“It’s getting out of control,” said Ryan, who grew up in Gilbert and went to Gil bert High. “Every case tonight has multi family units to it. This is one we can stop. We need to put our foot down. It’s time to take a step back and to say ‘what’s go ing on here.’”

He said the buildings at Rivulon are “awesome” but the proposed apartment buildings are not and that the develop er is trying to cram too large of a project onto the land – as evident that it must share some of the parking with a nearby business.

“They’re borrowing parking to make this happen,” he said. “They are shoe horning it on there.”

Melissa Perkins told commissioners, “We don’t need any more apartments,” and that Rivulon was losing commercial users.

She said Deloitt was supposed to exe cute two more leases at Rivulon but the pandemic changed its workforce model

in that employees don’t want to return to the office.

“They banked on something that didn’t work out for them,” she said. They want us to foot the bill to make more money on the apartments because that’s where they can make money and they can’t make money off of their commer cial development.”

Trent Grossarth, an 18-year Gilbert resident north of Rivulon, said that there was no purpose for a high-density proj ect on the site.

He said employees who work at Rivu lon earn a high income and l want to live in a single-family home and people who do want to live in an apartment don’t want to live next to their job site.

“We are not a community where peo ple walk to work,” he said. “That’s not us. That’s New York City, that’s San Francis co.”

However, if the commissioners accept the project, at least reject the deviations, he asked.

Residents also said they were not no tified of the proposed project and a few wanted more buffer around the apart ments.

Commissioner Charles Johnson asked for the timeline for the build-out of re maining parcels at Rivulon.

“It’s important to understand that Na tionwide Realty views all of our develop ment for the long term,” said Jim Rost, a Nationwide vice president. “We are not merchant builders, developers.

“We see this as a long-term develop ment and when you tackle a project of this scale it’s always about market and what the market absorption is going to be.”

He said it was hard to say when Riv ulon will reach completion as it relies heavily on market conditions.

“We are aligned with the Town of Gil bert’s goal for this development in that we want it to be an employment park,” Rost said.

“We’ve come a long way in terms of that employment development and there’s a long way to go. We’re less than a third of the way in those employment objectives for this site. It will be a while

Nationwide Realty Investors’ controversial project will go before Town Council on Tuesday, Nov. 15. (Town of Gilbert)

yet before we get to the final realization of the development.”

But, he said, amenities such as a mul tifamily proposal will help attract busi neses.

Baugh told commissioners that the apartment project was properly noticed as required by the Town.

He said when Nationwide came to Gil bert in 2006 and began building Rivu lon, it was always expected that the site “would develop out with much greater intensity that what’s been shown today.”

He said the area was once considered rural but is no more with freeway in terchanges on both sides, three arterial streets and buildings approved for 72 feet tall.

He added that no one has been forced out or evicted from their land in the de velopment of Rivulon.

“I think this is a good example of what happens when a town is growing up and as it grows up it needs to attract employ ment,” Baugh said. “And as it brings in those employment, it has to provide for housing for those employment and as it provides housing, it has to prove retail opportunities.

“This question today will be expe rienced again as they develop on the east side along Lindsey Road and that east side will include more amenities to serve the same larger employment park. At the end of the day, this area is improved.”

Johnson was the sole dissenter. Com missioner David Blaser recused himself.

Johnson said Rivulon is a quality de velopment, especially on the west side.

“However, I don’t think if you will build it, they will come regarding the apart ment complex,” Johnson said. “I think we need to keep consistent with the master plan of a high-quality commercial office development and keep those parcels open for that kind of use.”

He said he favored keeping the site as an office-commercial development and doesn’t see “the compatible use for a multi-story, high-density apartment complex serves our long-term purpos es.”

Commissioner Anthony Bianchi said, “As far as the points that the residents made, I definitely think there are points for clarification that probably should be discussed prior to this going to Council because I think they made some very good points.”

He said the commission is tasked with balancing the current with the future in the General Plan, the blueprint for devel opment.

He said the 280-acre site is going to experience changes as it works toward its various phases.

“To ask for some residential as part of that is a fair request,” Bianchi said, adding that he liked that the project

Arizona GUN SHOWS

The 10.31 acres near the southwest corner of Lindsay and Pecos roads is currently zoned for business park use and the Planning Commission recommended approval ot its request to change the use of multifamily. (Town of Gilbert)

was centralized and compact and not sprawling.

Commissioner Lesley Davis said mix ing up the uses is something to be ex pected to some degree with a develop ment of this size.

She said she struggled with the apart ments’ impact on the property to the south and urged the developer to work with the owner on some kind of buffer.

As for the residents’ objection to build ing height and traffic, she said they could have ended up with a much taller office building and have a business in there that would generate a “huge amount of traffic as well.”

Commissioner Brian Andersen said a multifamily component was probably more appropriate, given today’s market demands.

“With all that’s going on with con

COOLEY from page 4

people that are going to be utilizing the transit center.”

Newman said what’s currently pro posed doesn’t meet that criteria.

Johnson said there seemed to be many projects trying to shoehorn in residential.

“It seems inappropriate when you want to have mixed-retail or commer cial,” Johnson said, adding that he agreed with staff about the lack of design varia tions.

“It looks like so many of these apart ment complex looks like Lego building blocks and not much character,” he said. “I think we need to have a little more in novation or imagination.”

Commissioner Lisa Gage asked when the transit center was expected to be developed. Newman said he didn’t have that information readily available, only that it was sometime in the future.

“I just worry about requiring commer cial down there when who knows when there’s actually going to be people mov ing through there often enough to make it viable,” Gage said, adding:

“And then also if that’s the point of the transit center to have people being able to move in and out why are we requir ing so much parking here when people should be able to use the transit center to get where they need to go?”

struction loans and lending and just the housing market alone, we’re not going to see a single-family housing market come up for a while now,” he said. “Unfortu nately I know multifamily is not popular but that is the current residential mar ket of today’s times.”

Acting Chairman Noah Mundt said he agreed with Andersen and noted that Nationwide was not turning down com mercial tenants.

He said the decision was a tough one for him and that the residents’ voices were heard.

“Although Nationwide is a develop er, they did invest a lot of money in this area,” Mundt said. “And there are plen ty of other developers who would have found ways to piece this out and cut and run. I’ve seen it many times.”

Commissioner Lesley Davis asked if the ground-floor residential could later convert to commercial uses if the con struction of the transit center was far into the future.

“The applicant would have to speak to that,” Newman said. “I believe I think that’s something that is possible. I think that’s kind of what they’re doing with the live, work or the co-working space.

“They would potentially have the abili ty to transition that into a more tradition al retail/ commercial suite or space but I would be comfortable if the applicant would address that.”

Davis said she agreed with staff that it would be nice to have that commercial support but if the transit center is 10 years down the road, it’s a big ask to have that additional retail space built and then sit empty until then.

According to planning staff, there were no dates presently scheduled for the two Cooley proposals to return to the com mission for formal action.

The talk of a transit center riled up res idents several months earlier. Council, was poised to vote on spending $288,760 on a feasibility study on the Cooley Sta tion transit center and a site downtown but tabled the issue after public push back.

Town Hall remodel cost rises to $19.9M

Council is expected to hold its first meeting Jan. 10 in the newly re modeled Town Hall, which has been shuttered for over a year.

And like most remodeling projects, unexpected expenses popped up for the town and the cost of the redo has in creased by 4.7%.

Council recently without com ment unanimously approved another $500,000 for the project, the third in crease since the 50,000-square-foot building shut down in June 2021 for the major overhaul.

With the Nov. 1 approval, the total cost for the renovation stands at $19.9 million, according to spokeswoman Jen nifer Harrison.

“This includes Phase I of the project, completed in 2018, that included reno vation of our tax-services division area,” Harrison said in an email. “The project budget includes not just the construc

tion contract but also the design, con struction management, furnishing, IT and audio video improvements, etc…”

According to staff, the latest change or der was prompted by needed repairs to deteriorated sections of an underground

roof-drain line located behind the Coun cil Chamber dais, which collects water from the east part of the roof. The build ing was constructed in 1992 and has had no substantial renovations since.

“With remodel projects, there are

many more unknowns and items that are discovered during construction compared to a ground-up build,” said Jack Gierak, CIP Project supervisor in a report for council.

The significant leak in that drain was discovered following a major rain storm on Oct. 15.

“A section of this pipe was extreme ly corroded and damaged,” Gierak said. “There are other buried roof drain lines for the building. These are being as sessed to determine if additional areas must be repaired and/or replaced.”

Gierak estimated the cost for repair ing this unforeseen work at $100,000.

Other new costs included an estimat ed $120,000 to do the “safety improve ments associated with the glazing on the façade and $106,000 for items such as additional power outlets and more LED light fixtures in the parking lot.

The approved funding increase in

Gilbert Town Hall has been closed for over a year and is expected to host its first council meeting Jan. 10. (Cecilia Chan)

GPS bans boys from girls’ teams, COVID vaccine mandates

BY CECILIA CHAN GSN Managing Editor

The latest policy changes coming soon to Gilbert Public Schools in clude a required minute or two of silence at the beginning of each day and keeping boys off girls’ teams.

The updated policies reflect the flurry of bills signed into law earlier this year by outgoing Gov. Doug Ducey aimed at giving more parental rights.

“There were several policies that I was concerned about,” Governing Board member Jill Humpherys said af ter the board voted Oct. 25 to approve the policies on their first reading.

The board is scheduled to adopt the policies Nov. 29, which will then take effect immediately, according to the district.

Board President Lori Wood did not respond to a request for comment.

Foremost on a list of concerns for Humpherys, the board’s longest serv ing member, is the policy banning stu

dents born male from participating on intramural and interscholastic teams designed for females.

She said she understands the contro versy surrounding that issue.

“I think it’s a very complex and nu anced issue when talking about sports and transgender students,” she said. “I don’t know what the right answer is but I don’t think the Legislature hit a right note on that.

“We are in a new world here that’s very different from the one I grew up in where we have a range of people who believe there’s not just male and female but they’re believing in non-binary and transgender.”

Humpherys said she tries to make sure district schools are welcoming to all people “whether you believe in male and female, transgender and non-bina ry.”

“I want our schools to be welcoming to everyone and I just think it’s import ant to set policies that help us do that,” she said. “I don’t feel the Legislature

really worked to bring all the people to the table. The AIA is already handling this in a very professional and positive way.”

Arizona Interscholastic Association, one of two regulatory bodies for high school athletics and activities in the state, stipulates that all students should have the chance to participate in AIA activities that “is consistent with their gender identity, irrespective of the sex listed on a students’ eligibility for par ticipation in interscholastic athletics.”

The AIA has granted only 16 waiv ers to transgender athletes to compete since 2017.

At least one parent showed support for the ban.

“I have heard there is a girl at Green field who has decided to ‘identify’ as a boy, and is now in the boys’ PE class, including using the boys’ locker room,” Tiffany Strading said in a written com ment.

“This is unacceptable. Our children need to feel safe in the locker room and

not worried about children of the oppo site gender being there. “

Despite her feelings, Humpherys said she’s taken an oath to uphold the state Constitution and “so I voted for these policies and those I did not agree with. This is the law.”

Other policies approved Oct. 25 ban school districts from requiring COVID-19 or HPV vaccines.

The Governing Board also adopted a new policy giving parents access to a school’s library to view its materials and banning mandates for face cover ings on campsuses

No one from the public spoke at the October meeting about the policies.

Also, no one from home was able to view the meeting as there was no audio for the entire 1.5-hour meeting.

District spokeswoman Dawn Antest enis later said that the recording sys tem experienced a malfunction and that “we are having to bring in the company that installed the system to fix.”

21 Gilbert teachers get their wishes granted

GSN NEWS STAFF

Palo Verde Fiesta Bowl Charities has granted 21 Gilbert teachers their wishes, giving each $2,500 to make them come true.

The Gilbert teachers are among 400 elementary and secondary educators statewide to benefit from the Fiesta Bowl Organization’s annual tradition of “honoring, supporting and celebrating educators,” organizers said.

Presented by Salt River Project, the overall batch of awards means that “nearly 212,000 students across 321 schools and 95 districts will be positive ly impacted by their teachers’ wishes with this year’s group” which collective ly represents “more than 5,300 years of experience in the classroom,” they said.

Recipients included people teaching the arts to science, both gifted and spe cial education, and languages and life skills amongst a diverse group of sub jects.

“The 400 wishes granted will benefit teachers who will aim to enrich the lives of their students through technology improvements, addition of educational programs and fitness equipment and much more,” organizers said.

Randal Norton, Fiesta Bowl board chair, added, “Teachers are truly selfless individuals who help shape the futures of our students here in Arizona and we are proud to play a part in supporting our teachers to do more in the class room for the leaders of tomorrow.”

Kory Raftery, manager of external affairs at Palo Verde, said the winners “are inspiring tomorrow’s leaders both inside and outside of the classroom.”

Created in 2016, the Fiesta Bowl Wishes for Teachers program grants classroom wishes to Arizona teachers. Public and charter school K-12 teachers across the state are invited to apply each fall with the recipients verified and se lected by a random drawing.

This year’s $1 million total donation brings the Wishes for Teachers’ sev

en-year cumulative grant total to $5.7 million awarded to 1,600 teachers, im pacting more than 700,000 students across Arizona.

“Providing teachers with the tools and resources they need benefits Arizo na’s children. Partnering with the Fiesta Bowl on the Wishes for Teachers cam paign is one of the many ways SRP sup ports teachers,” said Andrea Moreno, program manager of SRP Community Stewardship.

Here are the Gilbert winners and what they intend to buy for their classroom and students:

Cindy Arehart, kindergarten teacher at Val Vista Academy, STEM resources.

Tessa Beltz, social studies and sci ence teacher at Pioneer Elementary, flexible seating for students.

Michelle Bordonaro, special educa tion teacher at Higley High, new math resources.

Jeremy Brewer, music teacher for kindergarten to sixth grade, additional instruments.

Kristin Brunell, special education teacher at Val Vista Academy, a space for students to calm down and utilize sen sory resources.

Elisabeth Catalani, second grade teacher at Higley Traditional Academy, new science and social studies.

Suzanne Everhart, an art teacher at EDUPRIZE , will purchase new equip ment for their classroom including stor age solutions and art supplies.

Scott Francom, a math teacher at Gil bert Elementary School , will purchase drones and robotic equipment for their classroom.

Laura Hardy, a theatre arts teacher at Highland High School , will purchase new resources for their theatre pro gram.

Anne Kelley, music, choir and hand bell teacher at Greenfield Elementary, Wenger Tourmaster Risers for choir.

Misha Krejsta, math teacher at Amer

cluded $100,000 outside of the contract for other potential expenditures that may arise.

“During the move-in and activation of new spaces and systems, unanticipat ed items arise,” Gierak explained. “The most common of these occur in the ar eas of security, special systems, audio visual and technology. This contingency will address these items.”

Harrison said the three change orders since the contract approval now totaled $1.64 million.

The first two increases went for items such as replacing the corroded

chilled-water piping in the building and making improvement to building effi ciency, external façade repairs, safety and HVAC systems.

At the time the Council discussed the proposed renovation of the aging Munic ipal Complex in late 2019, the estimated cost was $15.4 million.

Harrison explained that the figure was the estimated project budget before the guaranteed maximum price for the con struction contract was developed.

“The awarded GMP in June 2021 to taled approximately $12.4 million,” she said. “At that time, the total project bud

get was $17.9 million.”

Harrison said that between late 2019 and June 2021, several factors contrib uted to the project’s overall increased cost. The construction contract alone increased 13.2% to $14 million from the $12.4 million.

“The project was paused during the pandemic, with design not beginning again in earnest until late 2020, during which time the cost of materials and oth er items had moved,” she said.

“And some key items were added to the scope. These included a new exterior canopy, modernized Council chambers,

audio video changes in a post-pandem ic/hybrid work world, as well as a new parking area and delivery ramp to the west of the building.

“Again, the total project budget in cludes design, construction manage ment services and the first phase of the renovation.”

Harrison said a substantial portion of the project is expected to be com pleted by the end of this month with ribbon-cutting and employee move-in occurring in mid-December.

ican Leadership Academy, classroom set of TI-84 graphing calculators.

Stephanie Lingenfelter, library technician at Mesquite Junior High, new reading materials.

Kanishka Marasinghe, humane let ters at Arete Preparatory Academy, new projector and sets of books.

Maribel Medina, instructional coach

at Gilbert Elementary School , Spanish materials and resources.

Kyle Morrison, special education teacher at Arete Preparatory Academy, resources for individualized instruction and flexible seating options.

Rebecca Neal, physical education teacher at Franklin at Brimhall Elemen tary , new PE equipment.

Andria Sharp, librarian at Ashland Ranch Elementary, iPads and STEM re sources for library.

Diane Smith, kindergarten teacher at Neely Traditional Academy, supplies for the school garden.

Jason Stokes, U.S. history and public speaking teacher at Arete Preparatory Academy, interactive resources in the

subject of American history.

Dakota White, special education teacher at Cooley Middle School, new furniture for library with flexible seating options.

Taylor Zamudio, first grade teacher at Benjamin Franklin Charter School, materials to help promote learning through art.

1 Annual amount based on possible monthly or quarterly amounts. 2 Allowance amount does not carry over to the next quarter or the following year. All Cigna products and services are provided exclusively by or through operating subsidiaries of Cigna Corporation. The Cigna name, logos, and other Cigna marks are owned by Cigna Intellectual Property, Inc. Benefits, features and/or devices vary by plan/service area. Limitations, exclusions, and restrictions may apply. Contact the plan for more information. This information is not a complete description of benefits, which vary by individual plan. You must live in the plan’s service area. Call 1-888-284-0268 (TTY 711) for more information. Cigna is contracted with Medicare for PDP plans, HMO and

programs. Enrollment in Cigna depends on contract renewal. © 2022 Cigna Some content provided under license.

Veteran gets a welcomed gift of a new smile

GSN NEWS STAFF

U.S.

Navy Veteran Paul Anaya lost most of his teeth in a grenade ex plosion while serving in Iraq.

“I have lived for a long time looking like a jack-o-lantern,” said Anaya, who served three tours overseas in the Gulf. “You know when someone is looking at you and they try to not stare at your mouth. Well, I got that every day. It gets to you and impacts your confidence.”

But thanks to Advanced Dental Im plant Center in Gilbert, the 52-year-old Mesa resident received the gift of a new smile, valued at $48,000.

Dr. Frank Nelson and his team gave Anaya a full-mouth dental implant that secured a permanent bridge or new

teeth on the upper and lower arches of his mouth.

The dental procedure, commonly known as fixed-arch dental implants, is an advanced procedure that Nelson completes daily for patients.

“It’s as close to real teeth as you can get,” Nelson explained. “But even be yond what the transformation will do for Paul’s physical appearance, we see every day the impact it has on our patients’ overall well-being.

“This is a new start for Paul and we feel privileged to be able to help Paul and to honor him this Veterans Day for his sacrifice and service to our country.”

Nelson said he wanted to help Anaya Check

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after he came to the practice in need of dental care and could not afford it.

“We learned how he has devoted a lot of time trying to help others, working with other veterans,” Nelson said.”He was not able to eat very well, which af fected his diet choices and this affected his health.

“Due to his accident, dentures would not have worked well because of his bone loss. We knew we would be able to help him and decided to help him as a way to honor him for his service. Our hope is that with a healthy smile, his health will improve, he will become more hireable, and this will lead to a more stable life.”

Anaya noted that the last time he bit into an apple, his remaining tooth fell out.

“I would like to be able to eat steak again and actually chew it will be great,” he said.

According to the American College of Prosthodontists, 178 million Americans are missing at least one tooth and more than 35 million Americans are missing

all their teeth on one or both arches.

For most military veterans, like Anaya, dental care is not included in their mili tary benefits.

“I am most looking forward to having people look at me like I am not a mon ster,” Anaya said. “I want to be able to smile and not worry about my mouth.”

“For someone to alter your life like this and help you like this, it just doesn’t seem to happen anymore,” he said. “When I served in the Navy, I spent more time away from my family and for some one to recognize that and want to help me now, I am just so grateful.”

Advanced Dental Implant Center clin ics specialize in providing lifelong alter native to dentures through fixed-arch dental implants.

Its doctors doctors are among the few in the country who routinely place zygomatic- and pterygoid-style dental implants, allowing patients with severe bone loss to receive permanent im plants.

Information: advancedimplants.com.

Dr. Frank Nelson of Advanced Dental Implant Center, left, gave Iraq war veteran and retired U.S. Navy sailor Paul Anaya of Mesa a welcome gift: new teeth to replace the ones he lost in combat. (Special to GSN)

Wildhorse Rescue bake sale features Gilbert author, 6

GSN NEWS STAFF

Peoplewill have a chance to help a Gilbert horse rescue and meet a local girl who is among the world’s youngest female authors at Wildhorse Ranch’s annual bake sale and boutique.

The event will be held 10 .m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19, at Wildhorse Ranch at 11811 S. Lindsay Rad, Gilbert. Overflow parking is five minutes away at the CVS on the northeast corner of Lindsay and E. Warner roads, though handicapped park ing is available at the ranch.

While learning more about Wildhorse’s mission and choosing from what the res cue promises will be “delectable goodies” and the wares of local vendors, people also can meet Kyra Mishra, who at age 6 ½ published a book titled “Kids, Horses and Apples: Come Join My Horsey Fun” earlier this year.

Kyra, who received an appreciation letter from The World Book of Records in London for publishing a book at such a young age, “has been contributing in kind

and monetarily towards horse res cue organizations; following the book sales on Amazon and during her book signing at Barnes & No ble,” said her mother, Isha Mishra.

Kyra will have a table at the bake sale, selling autographed copies of her book, with proceeds going to Wildhorse Rescue.

Kyra has been supporting a horse named Dewey at Wildhorse Rescue. Dewey is a 6-year- old thoroughbred racehorse that won first place at Turf Grand prix and $10,000 in prize winnings but then lost his vision in an accident.

“His owner abandoned him and sold him to an auction house for a kill pen,” Isha said, “but then, Wildhorse rescued him and he is now very healthy and well taken care of.”

She added that her daughter even wrote a poem about Dewey, which attendees at the bake sale can see.

Kyra’s book is based on her experienc es as a 4-year-old with a horse named Cowboy, the first one she ever rode.

“He’s a grumpy horse and everybody told me to stay away from him,” Kyra re called.

But remembering her mother’s advice to trust her instincts, Kyra did trust the horse and the two became fast friends.

“They were good for each other,” Isha said in an interview several months ago. “She would give apples to Cowboy and he started recognizing her and started neighing. They just connected.”

Kyra’s primary interest since becom ing a published author is seeing her book raise money for horse rescues.

“I thought that abandoned horse need ed help,” Kyra said. “And I wanted to share my story with lots of kids.”

The book has been getting kudos, with mostly five-star ratings on Amazon.

“What an excellent book. Bless this girl for writing it,” one customer noted while

Summer Breeze makes this musician feel fine

BY JOSH ORTEGA GSN Staff Writer

Aglobal

pandemic couldn’t stop Bill Miles’ Summer Breeze from blow ing into town.

In 2019, Bill Miles started the Summer Breeze Music Project to rekindle interest in the feel-good tunes of the 1960s, 70s, and 80s. With the pandemic blowing over, Miles said interest in his musical stylings has been renewed.

“My goal is every time I perform is to just make people feel good and enjoy it,” Miles said.

The 60-year-old Mesa musician started his career when he was 14 as an orches tra pit percussionist for the Illinois The

atre Center equity theater in Park Forest, Illinois. Miles said it snowballed from there.

Miles attended Northern Illinois Uni versity in Dekalb, Illinois, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in music ed ucation in 1985.

He performed as a percussionist with the NIU Jazz Ensemble all over the United States and Europe.

He said some of his most memorable performances include playing in Swit zerland’s Montreux Jazz Festival, the second-largest annual jazz festival in the world after Canada’s Montreal Interna tional Jazz Festival.

Miles also recalled a performance in the town of Wolfenbüttel, Germany, with

the most unique venue and compensa tion for his services.

“We played out in the street on the cob blestone,” Miles said. “They gave the band payment in bratwurst and beer.”

Miles spent much of his career per forming as a drummer and singer for var ious bands around Chicago. That’s where he met his wife Pam.

In 1994, Miles played at a Greek restau rant in Itasca, Illinois, and the singer in the band he played for introduced them. They married in 1996 and have two daughters, Amber and Maddie.

In 1998, Miles moved to Queen Creek and took a role as the Queen Creek High School band director and left in 2005 to begin a corporate job as a

by day.

Miles briefly performed at night in a lo cal classic rock band called Mojo Jam for private parties and small events.

In 2015, with his two daughters grown and out of the house, Miles said he got an idea.

Miles sat playing his grand piano at his new home in Mesa and said he felt the time was right and spent the next few years collecting “feel good favorite” song ideas.

In February 2020, Miles played his first Summer Breeze Music Project gig at the Chandler Senior Center.

Miles said his favorite song growing up

GilbertSunNews.com | @GilbertSunNews /GilbertSunNews

web developer

Kyra Mishra of Gilbert is among the world’s young est published female authors. (GSN file photo)

Gilbert native begins new Navy assignment

GSN NEWS STAFF

Airman James Hoy, a Gilbert, native checked aboard USS Constitution last month.

“Duty aboard USS Constitution is one of the Navy’s special programs, and all prospective crewmembers must meet a high standard of sustained excellence and interview to be selected for the as signment,” a Navy spokeswoman said.

“I’m excited to carry on the proud tra ditions of the Navy and play a part in pre serving this incredible piece of history,” said Hoy.

Hoy has served in the Navy for two months and USS Constitution is his first duty station.

Hoy is a 2012 graduate of Highland High School.

USS Constitution is the world’s oldest commissioned warship afloat, and played a crucial role in the Barbary Wars and the War of 1812, actively defending sea lanes from 1797 to 1855.

The active-duty sailors stationed aboard USS Constitution normally pro vide free tours and offer public visitation to more than 600,000 people each year as they support the ship’s mission of pro moting the Navy’s history, maritime heri tage, and raising awareness of the impor tance of a sustained naval presence.

The USS Constitution was undefeated in battle and captured or destroyed 33 enemy vessels.

The ship earned the nickname of Old Ironsides during the war of 1812 after British cannonballs were seen bouncing off the ship’s wooden hull.

GSN NEWS STAFF

It’s

not too early to think about Santa Claus.

At least not if you want totake the kids to meet him in Gilbert.

HD SOUTH, Home of the Gilbert Histor ical Museum, is hosting Breakfast with Santa 8:30-11 a.m. Dec. 3 at the museum, 10 S. Gilbert Road, and is tickets are on sale now.

Santa will be making his fifth annual visit to HD SOUTH, where guests can en joy a full catered breakfast and meet and

take a photo with Santa.

“Breakfast with Santa” is a morning of holiday festivities at HD SOUTH, which includes cookie decorating, ornament making, holiday music, face painting, and much more, along with free admission to HD SOUTH the day of the event,” said musem director Denise Lopez.

Tickets are $15 per plate and children under 2 are free. All tickets must be pur chased in advance, tickets will not be available at the door. All proceeds benefit HD SOUTH. For more information: visit hdsouth.org/events

Highland High grad James Hoy holds the rank of airman with the U.S. Navy. (U.S. Navy)

Shane & Adriane

WARNING!

PERIPHERAL NEUROPATHY AND CHRONIC PAIN TREATMENTS NOT WORKING!!

MUSICIAN

was “Summer Breeze” by Seals and Crofts, and that inspired him to use it as the name for his proj ect.

“I used to hear it all the time and it just gave me a really good feeling,” Miles said. “And since the whole concept of Summer Breeze Music Project is feel good, favor ite music, I thought what a great name for it.”

Mesa, AZ – When it comes to chronic pain and/ or neuropathy, the most common doctor-prescribed treatment is drugs like Gabapentin, Lyrica, Cymbalta, and Neurontin. The problem with antidepressants or anti-seizure medications like these is that they offer purely symptomatic relief, as opposed to targeting and treating the root of the problem. Worse, these drugs often trigger an onset of uncomfortable, painful, and sometimes harmful side effects.

The only way to effectively treat chronic pain and/or peripheral neuropathy is by targeting the source, which is the result of nerve damage owing to inadequate blood flow to the nerves in the hands and feet. This often causes weakness, numbness, balance problems. A lack of nutrients causes the nerves degenerate – an insidious

cannot survive, and thus, slowly die. This leads to those painful and frustrating consequences we were talking about earlier, like weakness, numbness, tingling, balance issues, and perhaps even a burning sensation.

The drugs your doctor might prescribe will temporarily conceal the problems, putting a “Band-Aid” over a situation that will only continue to deteriorate without further action.

Thankfully, Mesa is the birthplace of a brandnew facility that sheds new light on this pressing problem of peripheral neuropathy and chronic pain. The company is trailblazing the medical industry by replacing outdated drugs and symptomatic reprieves with an advanced machine that targets the root of the problem at hand.

1. Finding the underlying cause

2. Determining the extent of the nerve damage (above 95% nerve loss is rarely treatable)

3. The amount of treatment required for the patient’s unique condition

Aspen Medical in Mesa, AZ uses a state-of-the-art electric cell signaling systems worth $100,000.00.

Th is ground-breaking treatment is engineered to achieve the following, accompanied by advanced diagnostics and a basic skin biopsy to accurately analyze results:

1. Increases blood flow

2. Stimulates and strengthens small fiber nerves

3. Improves brain-based pain

The treatment works by delivering energy to the affected area(s) at varying wavelengths, from low- to middle-frequency signals, while also using Amplitude Modulated (AM) and Frequency Modulated (FM) signaling

It’s completely painless!

THE GREAT NEWS IS THAT THIS TREATMENT IS COVERED BY MEDICARE, MEDICAID, AND MOST INSURANCES!!

The number of treatments required varies from patient to patient, and can only be determined following an in-depth neurological and vascular examination. As long as you have less than 95% nerve damage, there is hope!

Aspen Medical begins by analyzing the extent of the nerve damage –a complimentary service for your friends and family. Each exam comprises a detailed sensory evaluation, extensive peripheral vascular testing, and comprehensive analysis of neuropathy findings.

Aspen Medical will be offering this free chronic pain and neuropathy severity evaluation will be available until October 31st, 2022. Call (480) 274 3157 to make an appointment

Miles covers more than 100 other songs from various artists including Elton John, James Tay lor, Neil Diamond, and The Doo bie Brothers.

He performs those at various venues around the East Valley such as Las Sendas Patio & Grill in Mesa, Gold Stallion restau rant in Gold Canyon, and Pier 54 restaurant in Tempe.

As the threat of the COVID-19 subsided, Miles said his gigs have continually increased but there are still some challenges.

“Even though my act receives high praise pretty much everywhere I perform, finding new bookings at various new venues has been a challenge,” Miles said.

Miles said “music is an addiction” and the feeling it gives the audience and him keeps him coming back for more.

“It’s just so logical to me,” Miles said. “I kind of take to it like a duck to water.”

Miles said he eventually wants to grow his one-man act to add a lead guitarist and a saxophone player and grow the band to at least a quartet.

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“The great thing about music is you can do it forever,” Miles said. “I think that kind of keeps you young at heart.”

Miles has a well-rounded repertoire that makes his one-man show entertain ing with acoustic guitar, he enjoys playing the piano.

But for now, Miles said he just wants to “to perform and entertain for people who appreciate that genre and that era of music.”

To learn more about his music and how to arrange a gig: summerbreezemu sicproject.com/Bio

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another wrote, “It is educational and in spiring book for children, especially for those children and parents who love an imals.”

Another wrote, “Amazing book for young children. Inspiring, educative and fun! My 8-year-old enjoyed reading this book. Excellent book with a great story and very educative!”

The title for the youngest to publish a book belongs to a British girl, who was 5 years and 211 days old, according to

Guinness World Records. The youngest boy to achieve that distinction was 4 years and 356 days old.

Kyra put pen to paper in 2021 as a kin dergartener and wrote the book in bits and pieces, taking one to two weeks to accomplish her task. She’s dedicated the book to sister, Amaira, who’s soon turn ing 4 months old.

The book is available in paperback and on Kindle on amazon.com and is avail able at Barnes & Noble.

Bill Miles of Mesa has launched a project called Sum mer Breeze. (David Minton/GSN Staff Photographer)

QC couple makes pet grooming an art

GSN NEWS STAFF

Noone can ever accuse Kay and Chris Richmond of going into the pet grooming industry half-heart edly.

The Queen Creek couple’s two busi nesses, AZ Pet Stylist and Keep You Mov ing and Grooming Services, don’t just keep cats and dogs looking pretty.

While Kay pretty much focuses on that part, Chris’ Keep You Moving and Groom ing provides on-call mobile services for other mobile pet groomers in the South east Valley, provides regular maintenance or repairs at a shop location, refurbishes mobile grooming trailers or vans, and builds out new mobile grooming units.

And, Kay added, “KYM helps new grooming businesses in the valley to get started and scale their businesses by pro viding business coaching and profession al office support.”

A Louisiana native who has lived in the East Valley since 2006, Kay seems to have been born to pet grooming.

She learned the art at age 15 while working at a pet boarding business not far from her home.,

“I learned the skill of everyday haircuts and hand stripping terrier coats,” she said. “I actually got tendonitis at 17 from grooming.”

When she went out of state to college, she assumed she’d never get back into grooming, mainly because “it was det rimental to my wrists already at such a young age.”

But when she arrived in the Valley, armed with a bachelor’s degree in animal science, she discovered she couldn’t stay away.

The mother of one son, Trevor, she also can’t stay away from animals in general, and counts as part of her household me nagerie, two cats, a dog, a few chickens and an appaloosa mare.

She started AZ Pet Stylist in 2010 and four years later, her husband left a suc cessful job in air-conditioning repair to join her.

“AZ Pet Stylist was simply growing so much,” Kay said. “Switching gears was a family decision. He became our full-time operations manager, going out whenever a mobile unit had a flat tire, water pump issues, etc. He also began building out our mobile units after purchasing our fourth unit as just a shell of a trailer.

“He even worked as a bather for the company after becoming trained by me,” she boasted. “He was a natural at it, but stepped back from that to dedicate his time to the maintenance operations sole ly.”

That experience taught him “how the (grooming) need to function for the pro fessional stylist,” she said, explaining:

“In mobile grooming there are very few companies out there who know how to work on the mobile units. RV shops are

the typical place to go but I had been turned away by RV shops saying this was not their specialty.”

Like all other groomers whose vehicles he customizes, Kay uses a fully self-con tained trailer with grooming rooms equipped with a bathtub, dryer, grooming table, and vacuum– as well as “the items needed to make it function on a mobile level, such as ~70 gallons of fresh water, a water pump, water heater, A/C and heat ers, vent fans to get out the humidity, and a generator to power it all”

But it’s not just the trailers that Kay brings to her customers: She and her team of groomers are specialists not only in making animals look their best. They’re also trained in reducing the animals’ fear of the process that gets them there.

“We utilize the Fear Free certification by asking each of our stylists to undergo this certification once they are hired,” Kay said.

“We have monthly training for all styl

ists to simply increase our level of knowl edge and ability to service the pets,” she explained, adding fear-reduction has even morphed into a separate service of fering.

“Many pets do need us to slow things down so much that a full-service groom ing or bath and tidy at the same time is simply pushing them beyond their threshold’ and is why we offer FearLess as a separate service.

“Our FearLess Service is working with the pet to create a positive experience when we come and not pushing through something that creates high levels of stress for the pet. An example of this is to work with them at the door. creating a positive experience of a stranger be ing there. If they are happy to see you, it moves to working with the pet to walk them to the mobile unit. If they are happy with that, the next step moves to work ing with them to get them into the mobile unit.

“This can be a main point of balking, and if that is the case, we work with treats or positive reinforcement when they do take a step towards the mobile unit or into it and then allow them to go back to their front door as an additional reward. Then we start all over again.”

This approach creates a “conditioned emotional response” in the animal so that “in the long run, we can have a pet that happily jumps into the unit, onto the grooming table and looks forward to be ing scrubbed all over in the bath.”

Kay conceded, “I can’t say that it works better with particular breeds.”

And she noted overall dogs respond more readily to FearLess than cats “be cause, well, dogs love people naturally, and for cats, even my own, they are the boss and they will let you know when

GilbertSunNews.com | @GilbertSunNews /GilbertSunNews

Kay Richmond, accompanied by her dog Jada, uses specially equipped trailers with her business, AZ Pet Stylist. (David Minton/Tribune Staff Photographer)

they want to be social or not.”

“We have only a couple team members who work with cats because they are a different animal and understanding them and their be haviors goes a long way in being able to create a safe space for a cat when it comes to groom ing.”

Once her staffer makes sure the owner knows how to make sure the cat won’t run away prior to grooming, the animal is wel comed into a “cat zone,” where a hormone spray calms them the largely contains laven der.

“Cats can be extremely sensitive to anything topical so we never put it on them directly, we will put it on ourselves or spray it in the air,” Kay said. “Because we are mobile, certain things work in our favor: the cat can see they are still at home because we have windows in the unit so they can see out, they don’t have a long time of transportation to get stressed out (from door to door only), and there are no dogs barking in the background.

“I tend to let the cat explore the mobile unit and simply spend some time petting them when I first get them in to help them relax a bit.”

“Cats can learn to love being brushed and more, but we also will cut the grooming short if a cat is simply not handling it well,” Kay add ed. “Pushing through grooming is setting them up for fear of it in the future. We have had cats who we start out coming for just a brush out service, and now that they are used to us and we have established a relationship, we are able to provide full bath, haircut and blowouts.”

Both the Richmonds’ businesses service the entire Southeast Valley, including Ahwatukee and Old Town Scottsdale and their services is available 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday.

Learn more AZ Pet Stylist: Grooming@azpetstylist.com 480-326-5298 azpetstylst.com

Keep You Moving and Grooming Services

Keepyoumovingandgrooming@gmail.com 480-428-8803 keepyoumovingandgrooming.com

Less pop. More culture.

Chris Richmond not only services the vans and trailers used by other mobile pet groomers, but also builds them. (Facebook)

Caleb Lomu aims to put Highland on national map

BY ZACH ALVIRA GSN Sports Editor

CalebLomu admits he never took football serious leading up to the start of his high school career at Highland High School.

He played youth ball where he always stood out among the rest of the kids. He was always bigger, but he admits he was one of the softest on the team. Far from what he is on the field today.

Then, as a sophomore, his first Division I offer came in from Northern Arizona University. It was at the moment Lomu realized he had a future in football.

So, he got to work.

“I never really expected to play col lege football,” Lomu said. “I went to a few camps going into my junior year and that’s when I started to get recognized. That’s when I realized I could get some where with this and started to get more serious about this.”

Training sessions with local linemen

gurus at Vydl Performance in Chandler helped his mechanics and footwork. That carried over to the summer and fall sea sons, where he worked with Highland offensive line coaches Terry Fair and Bill Critchfield.

As a sophomore he was given the nod to start at the varsity level. It was at that mo ment he knew he couldn’t be the self-pro claimed “soft player” he once was. He had to flip a switch, so he did.

Now preparing for his last postseason run as a senior, Lomu has become one of the most feared offensive linemen in the state. His 6-foot-5, 260-pound frame can overpower any defensive end that lines up opposite of him.

Typically, in Highland’s offensive scheme with inside zone plays, the inte rior linemen lead the team in pancake blocks, where they bring the defender to the ground. But Lomu out of his left or right tackle position leads the team by a

Higley’s Keaton Jones breaks record at state swim

BY JOEY PLISHKA GSN Contributor Writer

Keaton

Jones was determined enter ing the Division I state swim meet Saturday, Nov. 5.

He wanted to end his high school swim career on a high note, winning state titles in both of the events he competes in. But what he didn’t realize was the caliber at which he would perform in the 200-yard freestyle.

Jones not only swam away with the state title, but he also set a new state re cord in the process. And he did it by more than half a second.

“It feels great to leave a mark,” Jones said. “I feel like I’ve been working so hard for so long and you can win so many

times but once your names at the top, it feels so good.”

Jones’ time of 1:35.72 shattered the previous record of 1:36.33 set by Tyler Messerschmidt at Desert Edge in 2010. He also beat the Skyline Aquatic Center facility record that was previously set by Darian Townsend at 1:36.27 in 2014.

It was the first of two state titles on the day for Jones, a star swimmer for Higley all four years of high school that is pre paring for a run at the Olympics.

Later in the day he took home gold in the 100 backstroke, though he admitted he wasn’t completely satisfied with his time of 48.28 seconds.

“I really don’t love the time but for where we’re at in the season, it’s alright,” Jones said. “I have a lot of things can im

prove.”

The California-Berkeley commit will now prepare for college.

The summer after his freshman year is the next Olympic Trials, where he hopes to earn a spot on Team USA for the next Summer Olympics in Paris in 2024.

“I think I’ll be ready,” Jones said. “I’m very happy with how I’m progressing. My long course has been getting stronger. Just getting bigger, stronger and working on my mistakes.”

While Jones shined as an individual, Chaparral’s boys and girls shined as a team at the state swim meet. And it came a year removed from the boys losing the title to Desert Vista.

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Highland tackle Caleb Lomu is among one of the top recruits in the country at his position. It has led to him being invited to compete in the All-American Bowl, one of the premier All-Star high school football games at the end of the season. (Dave Minton/GSN Staff)

Higley senior swimmer Keaton Jones capped off his high school swim career with two state titles and a new state record in the 200-yard freesyle. (Joey Plishka/GSN Con tributor)

“On the boys’ side, we’ve been motivat ed since a year ago,” Chaparral coach Rus sel Krzyzanowski said.

Chaparral made it clear that they were not going to go down easy as both the boys and girls’ teams would dominate the day at the pool with each team walking away with a championship trophy. It is the second time they have accomplished the feat in three years.

“We’re just looking for redemption this year and try to bring one back for Chap arral,” senior Tristan Dalbey said.

Chaparral boys soared above second place Desert Vista, finishing with a total

LUMO from page 27 mile.

Fair said he has 67 heading into the fi nal regular season game of the season.

“This last game he had 16,” Fair said. “Caleb’s ability to process information in real time as a tackle, it’s like he isn’t a high school kid. His football IQ is off the charts. He’s a special kid.”

Lomu isn’t just a menace on the field. He’s also a leader. He constantly helps out younger players. He leads in the weight room and various on-field drills.

Head coach Brock Farrel said he often finds himself telling other players to “do it like him.” That doesn’t happen because Lomu is a four-star tackle and regarded as one of the best in the country.

It’s simply because he does everything right.

“It’s great when your best players are also your best kids,” Farrel said. “He doesn’t do the bare minimum, he does it with excellence. He’s been a joy to have and to coach.”

of 390.5 points while Desert Vista man aged 273 points – a difference of 117.5 points.

The two teams set the tone early in the opening 200 medley relay with Desert Vista setting a state record during the opening race with a time of 1:31.75 and Chaparral finishing not far behind with a time of 1:32.48.

Chaparral’s girls won their ninth con secutive state championship, finishing the day with 315 points with Horizon scoring 262 and Desert Vista scoring 224 to round out the top three. They took two of three relays, finishing first in

the 200-medley relay in 1:47.88 and the 400-freestyle relay with a time of 3:30.33.

Red Mountain’s Sophia Jahn had a no table day posting two individual wins in the 100-butterfly with a time of 54:33 and the 50 freestyle, both of which were good for All-American Auto recognition.

Chaparral’s Ella Cosgrove had a suc cessful day as well, taking first place in two individual races. Cosgrove won the 200 freestyle and the 500 freestyle while also leading the relays for the Firebirds.

“Ella led off (the relays) and hopeful ly she’s the girls’ swimmer of the year,” Krzyzanowski said.

At the end of the day, Chaparral com pleted the state sweep in convincing fash ion, leaving behind no doubt that they worked hard to achieve the sweep.

That goal became a reality Saturday night. As both boys’ and girls’ teams huddled together, both trophies broke through the blazing orange Arizona sun set, setting up a picture-perfect setting for a picture-perfect ending for Chapar ral’s season

“We have a mission and a team bonding event to come together as a whole and to compete as something bigger than our selves,” Krzyzanowski said.

Lomu has come a long way since that first offer. He’s gotten bigger, faster, stron ger, more athletic and is now being pur sued by some of the best college football programs in the country. He plans to make his commitment announcement sometime in November.

If he isn’t already, he is the best lineman prospect to ever come out of Highland’s football program. Farrel said he may be top three all-time at any position, along side the late Marquis Cooper, Tyler John son and Ryan Fitzpatrick, who went on to have a long career in the NFL.

The thought of putting Highland on the national map is special to Lomu. He wants his teammates to get recognition. He wants the program to play in high-cal iber games much like it did last year against Chaminade-Madonna from Flori da in Las Vegas as part of the Geico State Champions Bowl Series.

“It’s a true blessing being able to rep resent my high school at a bigger level,”

Lomu unveiled his All-American Bowl jersey alongside his teammates and family. He wanted those he loves around him for the special moment. (Dave Minton/GSN Staff)

Lomu said. “I believe a lot of these kids a lot of kids on this team deserve to play Di vision I football.

“But being recruited it hopefully gives some looks to me school and other kids to be recruited.”

He’s well on his way to doing that. Not just with his recruitment, but the recog nition he has received himself.

On Nov. 2, he was able to officially un veil his All-American Bowl jersey. But he didn’t do it alone. He had all of his team mates around him.

“It was pretty awesome seeing all the posts from All-American, I see all the big recruits do it,” Lomu said. “I got to do it

in front of my whole team, my family was there, coaches. It was a super cool mo ment I got to share with everyone I love.”

Lomu already has a ring to his name alongside his teammates from last sea son. Now, he’s out to prove himself against the best of the best.

Heading into the final week of the reg ular season, Highland was No. 9 in the Open Division rankings. The Hawks want a spot in the top eight. They want to prove themselves.

“I would love to make the Open,” Lomu said. “Winning that 6A championship was amazing but I would like to take on bigger competition and prove ourselves.”

Neuropathy Is Often Misdiagnosed

Muscle cramping, difficulty walk ing, burning, tingling, numbness, and pain in the legs or feet are symptoms of neuropathy people live with every day,” explains Dr. Kerry Zang, podi atric medical director of CIC Foot & Ankle. “The thing is PAD has very sim ilar symptoms. So similar that in many cases, people are told it’s neuropathy when it may not be.”

Medicine is often prescribed. “Pills aren’t a cure, they just suppress the symptoms,” says Zang. “If neuropathy

isn’t causing the symptoms, the real problem could get worse.”

It’s important to determine if PAD (pe ripheral artery disease) is causing the pain or making it worse. PAD is plaque in the arteries which causes poor circulation. “Blood brings oxygen and nutrients to your feet which they need to stay healthy,” explains Zang, “When your feet aren’t get ting an adequate supply, they start send ing signals.” Those signals include pain, burning, tingling, numbness, or cramping. The good news is PAD is treatable in

an office setting. Dr. Joel Rainwater, MD endovascular specialist explains, “We go into the bloodstream to find the blockage using imaging guidance. Then with small tools that can go into the smallest arteries, remove the blockage, and restore blood flow.”

Getting the proper diagnosis is the first step to getting better. “It’s all about find ing out what’s causing the problem,” says Zang. “When your feet burn, tingle, or feel numb, it’s your body telling you it needs help, and you should listen.”

If your neuropathy medication is not working, your symptoms may be an indication of another condition.

Stiff Joints Interfere with Everyday Living

One in 40 people over the age of 50 may find themselves limiting their activi ty because of a condition called hallux rigidus. It’s a degenerative disease of the big toe joint. As it progresses, the pain in the joint increases and motion decreases.

Don’t wait for your feet to yell at you. If your feet hurt, they are talking to you. Our doctors can help tell you what they are saying.

foot pain prevent you from doing your favorite activity?

Do you have burning or tingling in your legs or feet?

Do you have leg or foot cramps with activity or at rest?

“People don’t realize the impact their big toe has on their life. It plays a role in balance, shock absorption, and forward movement as you walk,” explains Dr. Daniel Schulman, of CiC Foot & Ankle. “When the joint is stiff, it’s not able to bend and rotate properly, and it changes how we walk without us even realizing it.” These changes can lead to back or knee pain as well as discomfort in other parts of the foot.

“It always concerns me to hear that someone is playing less golf or stay ing home because they’re in pain,” says Schulman. “There are ways to help.”

The goal is to protect your feet from the repetitive stress of everyday activities. “We have several treatment options to not only relieve foot pain but help im prove how your feet work. If we can help your feet function better, in many cases the need for surgery can be avoided or at the very least postponed,” says Schul man. “Patients are always happy to learn about ways to alleviate their symptoms.”

For golfers, a stiff big toe can make their game suffer.

Zac Brown Band wraps up tour at Chase Field

BY JORDAN ROGERS GetOut Staff

One of the most successful touring acts of the last decade, the Zac Brown Band is making the last on its “Out in The Middle Tour” at Chase Field on Saturday, Nov. 19.

Coy Bowles, who plays guitar and keys for the decorated country band, said the tour “has been going really, re ally well.”

“It’s pretty cathartic and there has been a lot going on in the world so not getting to play music for a consider able amount of time and then jumping back into a really well designed, well thought-out tour” has been great,” he said.

Bowles said the audience can expect a concert that features three different acts.

Phoenix, has always been a reward ing stopping point for the Zac Brown Band, and Bowles said the band is look ing forward to the concert.

The shows so far have been “feeling really good,” he said. “When you leave, you’re like, ‘Wow, that was a lot of mu sic. We gave everybody what they came and showed up for.’ So, it’s been really cool. It’s exciting to get to take that to all these different cities, and Phoenix has always been great to us. We’ve al ways had great shows out there.”

If Bowles had to pick a favorite track that he and the rest of the band have performed on the tour, he said the an swer is easily the title track for the band’s latest album, “The Comeback.”

“When we were recording that song in the studio, it was really kind of an

anthem of what it’s going to be like for everything to come back around,” he said. “

For Bowles, the track “paints a pic ture of what we just went through and where we’re at now.”

After the pandemic, he added, “It’s re ally hard not to just go, ‘Wow, man, I’m really grateful to be able to be with my friends again on stage and make mu sic.’”

Getting to perform at baseball fields is a sticking point for the Zac Brown Band. The Georgia natives are made up of “diehard” Atlanta Braves fans, so get ting to go on tour and play at baseball fields, such as Chase Field, is something

the band really enjoys doing and has al most a “majestic” feel to it.

In the past, the group has performed at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Truist Park in Atlanta and Fenway Park in Boston – where they currently hold the record for most consecutive sold out shows.

“When we go play these baseball fields … it’s almost like wearing a super hero cape or something,” Bowles said. “Being able to be a part of what you are so into, there’s this super majestic part about the stadiums…You wouldn’t think it would be really good for music necessarily, but it does allow for a very chill, relaxing night for music in the way of the baseball fields are laid out.”

To date, the group has won three Grammy Awards, sold more than 30 million singles and 9 mil lion albums, amassed over 10 billion catalog streams, and achieved 16 No. 1 radio singles. And while Bowles knows the band has re leased some incredibly special work, he said “The Comeback,” may be the band’s best work to date.

“I remember leaving the studio and driving back home to Atlanta from Nash ville and just going, ‘Wow, this might be the best al bum we’ve ever recorded,’” Bowles said. “Something is going to happen because there’s just too much en ergy bound into this mu sic and in this collection of songs for it not to.”

Speaking of awards, Bowles said he and the rest of the band try not to get too caught up in it all. While they are always beyond grateful for the recog nition, the group remains humble and focused on the “why.”

“It feels really good to be nominated. It feels really good to be to receive the awards and the accolades and things like that, but that’s not really why we do it.”

Bowles said, “The Comeback” feels similar to the albums “You Get What You Give” and “Uncaged,” but just more “seasoned.”

The popular country Zac Brown Band will be playing Chase Field in Phoenix this Wednesday as it winds up a national tour. (Special to GetOut)

To boot, he said Zac Brown, the Zac Brown Band’s frontman, sounds as good now as he ever has.

“We’re older now; we’ve got kids kind of thing, but we still have that magic ex ists within us collaborating with each other and whatnot,” Bowles said. “We decided that we were going to do things in a similar recording style that we had done before — let it (the music) be the band, not try to get into a lot of over dubbing and stuff like that. Try to let it be raw in the band.

“There’s something about being someone who’s in the prime of their life… and I think Zac’s voice sounds as good on this album as it ever has.”

The band released “The Comeback (Deluxe)” back on Sept. 30 and it fea tures Blake Shelton, James Taylor (who is Brown’s biggest influence), Cody Johnson and Ingrid Andress. Despite

the deluxe album featuring some huge names, Bowles said the Zac Brown Band remains who they were when they released “The Foundation” back in 2008 — “Georgia boys who love music.”

“If you were to have told me when I was 16 or 17, playing in my bedroom at my mom and dad’s house loud as hell, that I was going to be playing baseball fields and touring around and all that stuff, I would have told you are crazy,” he said.

IF YOU GO

Zac Brown Band w/Sam Hunt and Robert Randolph Band

When: 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19

Where: Chase Field, 401 E. Jefferson St., Phoenix

Cost: Tickets start at $30 Info: ticketmaster.com

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Creating a Convincing Cover Letter

whether you are a good fit. It can be a daunting task. You don’t want a cookie-cutter letter that you cut and paste for every job. This is your opportunity to shine and to show that you’ve researched a job.

The Harvard Business Review quotes the author of “Great on the Job,” Jodi Glickman, who stresses the importance of always submitting a cover letter, “It’s your best chance of getting the attention of the HR person or hiring manager and an important opportunity to distinguish yourself from everyone else.”

DO YOUR HOMEWORK

Research is the first step. Read the job description several times. Visit the

company’s website. Head to social media and see what company executives and employees post on their Twitter feeds, their Instagram pages, their Linkedin profiles.

Pay attention to the tone so you can match it in your cover letter. When possible, use the language that they use. Find the name of the hiring manager so your cover letter can address them by name.

The Harvard Business Review recommends reaching out to a hiring manager via email or phone to ask smart questions about the job—and then mentioning in the cover letter that you spoke.

DETERMINE WHAT TO INCLUDE

Keep your cover letter to a single page — it’s unlikely a hiring manager will read more — so plan carefully what to include.

A survey from the Society for Human Resources said the top three things that organizations want to read in a cover letter are the ways a candidate’s past experience meets the job’s requirements, how their skills are a good match for the job and why the candidate wants to work at the organization and in the job they are applying for.

Give examples of how you can meet the challenges that the company is facing. Provide evidence of what sets you apart and ways you have demonstrated the skills and abilities they are looking for. Anecdotes help you tell your story.

SET THE TONE

Start strong. Your first sentence shouldn’t state the obvious such as “I’m applying for this job.” Grab your reader’s attention with a statement of who you are. Be enthusiastic. Convince the hiring

manager that you really want the job. While you need to be professional — avoid humor or platitudes — you should show personality. Be authentic and truthful. Don’t sound desperate or engage in flattery.

END STRONG

Include a call to action. Be polite, openended and give them a reason to contact you. Consider ending with a question as it can inspire a natural reaction on the part of the hiring manager to answer it.

PROOFREAD

Make sure your cover letter is free of errors or typos. Ask a friend or trusted mentor to read the letter. Set it aside for a day and then read it carefully several times to make sure you have said what you wanted to say the way you want to say it.

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Sound Engineering Technician (Gilbert, AZ) Prepare and review acoustics models using computational resources. Prepare technical reports for multifaceted acoustic analysis and design. Develop software code for acoustic product design and modeling. Bachelor Degree or equivalent in Physics required. Must be proficient in LabVIEW, MATLAB, and Au dio amplification devices. Mail resume to MD ACOUSTICS LLC, Attn: HR, 170 South William Dillard Drive, Gilbert, AZ, 85233

PayPal, Inc. seeks MTS 1, Solutions Engineer in Scottsdale, AZ: Create innovative, customer driven Solution Proposals & Solution Designs utilizing PayPal’s suite of API products. Up to 25% domestic travel may be req’d. Must be legally authorized to work in the U.S. w/o sponsorship. To apply, please send your resume w/references, by email to: paypaljobs@paypal.com; or by mail: ATTN: HR, Cube 10.3.561, PayPal, Inc. HQ, 2211 North First Street, San Jose, CA 95131. EOE, including disability/vets. Ref. Req.# 17-6865 with/app.

Arches & Canyonlands • and more — Experience the stunningly red rocks of these 6 iconic southwestern national parks. Travel through deserts, forests, mountains, and to the very edge of the Grand Canyon on this tour.

Capitol Reef

Deloitte Consulting LLP seeks a Consulting, Solution Specialist in Gilbert, AZ and various unanticipated Deloitte office locations and client sites nationally to provide advisory and implementation services of large-scale data ecosystems, including data management, governance and the integration of structured and unstructured data to help companies unlock the value of big technology investments. 15% Travel required nationally. Telecommuting permitted. To apply visit apply.deloitte.com. Enter XBAL23FC1022GIL3909 in “Search jobs” field. EOE, including disability/veterans.