BY PAUL MARYNIAK Tribune Executive Editor
The Phoenix Metro region could lose more than $100 million in economic growth if it fails to meet upgraded federal air quality standards for ozone levels by August 2024, a Valley environmental official warned earlier this month.
And those losses would steadily increase over the next 20 years to as much as $848 million if the Valley’s ozone levels are not
brought under control, Tim Franquist, environmental policy director for the Maricopa Association of Governments told Phoenix City Council Jan. 4.
Though he was addressing a Phoenix City Council subcommittee, Franquist’s assessment naturally applies to the entire Valley.
And it wasn’t very encouraging. He said the controls necessary to meet more stringent federal air quality controls will carry a substantial cost to taxpayers.
“That’s going to be a big issue for this area,” he continued. “We really haven’t put in ozone-control measures for about 20 years, so we’re definitely going to need a lot more measures coming into place.”
Right now, the only way the Valley could meet the elevated Environmental Protection Agency’s ozone limits would be taking all four million gasoline-powered motor vehicles in Maricopa County off the road
BY SCOTT SHUMAKER Tribune Staff Writer
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BY HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media ServicesRepublican lawmakers are moving to cut income tax rates for Arizona corporations by nearly half – a move legislative budget analysts say eventually could cut state revenues by nearly $670 million a year and take away just over $10.5 million in revenue from Mesa.
The party-line vote last week by the House Ways and Means Committee came over objections from all the Democrats on the panel who questioned both the wisdom and the need to take the tax rate from its current 4.9% to 2.5% by 2026. And that follows a series of cuts a decade ago that dropped the rate from nearly 7%.
“There are better places we can invest more than half a billion dollars than on corporate welfare,’’ said House Minority Leader Andres Cano.
“We could give our teachers a $10,000 raise, taking them from 44th in the nation to 19th,’’ the Tucson Democrat said. “We could send relief to Arizona renters and
homeowners by quadrupling the state’s current investment in the Housing Trust Fund.’’
But Rep. David Livingston, R-Peoria, the author of HB 2003, pointed out that even legislative budget staffers concede the estimates of lost revenues are “highly speculative.’’
Some of that is because corporations have great flexibility in how and when they compute and pay their taxes. That had led to a volatility over the years.
In 2013, when the corporate rate was close to 7%, collections were $662 million. They hit $368 million when the rate reached 4.9% but rose to $847 million by 2021, even at the lower rate.
What the measure also is, Livingston said, is a matter of equity.
The 4.9% rate applies to what are known as “C-corps,’’ called that because that’s how they’re organized under that chapter of the Internal Revenue Code. The profits of these corporations are directly taxed, as are the distributions to shareholders.
By contrast, “S-corps’’ pay no corporate
taxes, with the profits or losses passed on to individual shareholders who report them on their personal returns. And the individual tax rate in Arizona is 2.5%
But not every company can organize that way, with federal law limiting them to companies with 100 or fewer shareholders, all of whom have to be U.S. citizens or residents.
David Lujan, CEO of the Children’s Action Alliance, questioned the need for further corporate tax relief.
He cited figures from the state Department of Revenue that 79% of corporations pay only the $50 a year minimum state tax. That’s because many are able to reduce their reported profits because of various tax credits the state makes available, credits these companies can bank for up to 12 years if they had no tax liability.
In fact, Lujan said, those corporations currently have more than $1 billion in “banked’’ credits that they will be able to use in future years if they ever do have tax
able income.
“We think a better economic strategy would be to focus on investing in our workforce,’’ he told lawmakers.
Lujan said many factors go into why companies move choose to locate or expand. And he said one of the biggest factors is not the tax rate but the ability to find qualified workers.
“This bill we believe will make it even more difficult to invest in strengthening our workforce,’’ Lujan said. “It’ll make it more difficult to invest in higher education and job training and K-12 education.’’
Livingston questioned that claim.
“We invested record amount of dollars into K-12 last year and in the previous year,’’ he said. And Livingston said strong state revenues also allowed the state to pay down much of its debt, meaning more dollars are available for not just education but other needs like transportation.
“If we cut taxes, there’s an ability – not a guarantee, but an ability – to pay people more or cut (the cost of) products,’’ Livingston said.
Rep. Neal Carter, R-Queen Creek, had a similar argument.
“The payor, the person remitting the receipt, is a corporation,’’ he said. “But the incidence of the tax, the person actually bearing the burden of it, are consumers and employees.’’
But Rep. Seth Blattman, D-Mesa, said this is about more than just lost revenue for the state.
He pointed out that cities and towns receive 18% of individual and corporate income tax collections, computed from what was paid two years prior. And legislative budget staffers figure that by 2029 the combined loss to local communities will exceed $120 million.
Rep. Justin Heap, R-Mesa, however, said he was “skeptical’’ that cities actually will end up losing revenues.
“The cities that I have talked to in Arizona are competing to try to get these tech jobs,’’ he said, the kind of jobs he believes a lower corporate tax rate would attract.
“They want these high-paying jobs in because that increases revenue of the city, it brings in more money for their economies, and it helps them.’’
coming into the Valley,” he said.
Lee said the department takes a “victim-centered approach” to enforcement, targeting human traffickers and their customers, but also “the victims themselves – to help them and give them the resources that they need to escape the invisible chains that actually bind them to this lifestyle.”
Meanwhile, for the past four months, Casey Davis, a Mesa resident and former Republican mayor of San Bernardino, California, has been attending council meetings and taking to the podium to accuse the city of overspending and overcharging utility customers to compensate for that spending.
Davis, a certified public accountant who served as mayor from 2014 to 2018 in the aftermath of that city declaring bankruptcy, moved to much larger Mesa after losing a bid for a second term.
Davis claimed in his public comments last week that “Since 2011, the city has overspent government activity revenues by $947 million and transferred from the
business-type utility funds over $1.2 billion to offset governmental activity overspending,”
“Given the likelihood of an economic slowdown in 2023, demonstrated by recently announced significant corporate layoffs, it would seem prudent for the city to take a proactive stance by reducing expenditures,” he added.
Mayor John Giles has met with Davis to discuss his concerns since he began his commenting campaign last year, but Davis has continued speaking out at meetings.
“I hope you will forgive me for sounding like a broken record,” Davis said, “but as a Mesa resident, I’m concerned about the long-term fiscal health of our community.”
City officials were able to indirectly respond to Davis’ claims last week during an action item in the agenda in which they council was considering acceptance of the Annual Comprehensive Report for Fiscal Year 2022.
The council can’t respond directly to public comments about topics not on the agenda, but since the city’s budget was on the agenda, city staff could address Davis’ concerns more directly than in the past.
“The city does not run a deficit. That would be illegal for us to do that,” City Manager Chris Brady said. “Everything that was planned in our budget, whether it’s governmental resources or transfers, are planned and are calculated to meet the needs of the city.”
“If you want to isolate specific descriptions of revenues and taxes, and only these operations over here, you can show that they don’t match up,” he continued. “but that’s not how we do our budget. We look at all the resources available to the city against all of the needs that we’re going to have.”
Brady may have been encouraged to offer a forceful response by the annual financial report the council adopted a short-time later.
Accounting firm Clifton Larson Allen audited the report and issued a “clean opinion,” meaning no modifications were necessary.
While city staff characterized the finding as positive overall, the firm reported a “significant deficiency” in internal control over financial reporting, finding a problem with “oversight and/or inadequate review of year-end close out adjustments.”
The firm recommended the city evaluate its financial reporting process, which Finance Director Irma Ashworth agreed with.
In Ashworth’s presentation summarizing the report, she said the city’s revenue increased $102 million in the 2021-22 fiscal year over the previous year. The city has assets totaling $5.2 billion against liabilities of $4.2 billion.
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by August 2024, Franquist said.
And even then, he added, “we would barely make the standard.”
And since that’s a virtual impossibility, the cost of meeting tougher air quality standards could result in lost industrial development opportunities as businesses avoid relocating or expanding here rather than pay for expensive federally-imposed, tougher emission controls.
That cost would extend beyond the Valley since tougher emission standards could even be imposed for trucks and cars that come into the region regularly from other parts of the state and country that may not have similarly tough standards, he said.
And it also could be reflected in other ways, Franquist said, such as more stringent air quality permits and more stringent emission control programs.”
“It impacts us by negatively impacting businesses,” he said, noting that the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co plant in north Phoenix theoretically would need a permit and be operating before the new standards kick in. “Now, a $40 billion investment: I think the White House gets involved and I think (it) comes here.”
Vice Mayor Yassamin Ansari seized on that example, saying “the hallmark example of an incredible foreign invest-
ment” would be scuttled because “we are dangerously close to reaching serious non-attainment, which means that those businesses would not be able to come here after 2024.”
“Non-attainment” is the classification that the EPA gives metro areas that fail to meet air quality goals. Other metro areas already have studied the economic impact of non-attainment and have projected staggering losses in future economic growth.
For example, Franquist said, the Oklahoma City metro area faces an economic loss of as much as $15.2 billion over the next 20 to 30 years for violating tougher federal air quality standards.
Corpus Cristi, Texas, estimates a loss of $600 million to $1.7 billion a year in economic activity for failing to meet impending EPA ozone standards.
“We have kind of a table of increasing stringency in programs as we don’t meet the standard,” Franquist said. “So obviously. as we don’t meet those standards, those programs become more stringent and there’s more of them.”
Franquist said the culprit in all this is the ozone level.
While Maricopa County has actually done a good job reducing many air pollutants, he said, ozone levels have been aggravated in large part by things beyond its control – namely, forest fires in both Arizona and California and the Valley’s average 300 days of sunny weather.
“Unlike some pollutants, like carbon dioxide – which is a direct pollutant that comes from your tailpipe or from an industrial stack,” Franquist explained, “ozone is considered a secondary pollutant. So it actually requires volatile organic compounds and oxides of nitrogen.”
And those compounds react to the sun’s ultraviolet radiation, adversely affecting air quality.
Franquist produced a chart showing how wildfires in Arizona and California have adversely impacted air quality, posing a growing health risk to vulnerable adults and even more children.
“This is what our children are breathing,” he said. “What most folks don’t realize with children – they do breathe in the same amount of air as an adult. They just breathe faster than we do. So they actually take in these pollutants at the same level as adults but in smaller bodies.”
Franquist said the Valley’s future ability to meet federal air quality standards has been crippled by former Gov. Doug Ducey’s veto last year of a bill that would have asked the public to vote last November on an extension of the half-cent gas tax that funds a variety of rapid transit and road improvement projects.
pansion of public transportation aimed at curbing car traffic.
Franquist praised Phoenix for being “a fantastic leader” in programs aimed at reducing ozone pollution – mainly involving its multi-million-dollar investment in replacing a large portion of the city’s gas-powered vehicles such as fire engines and garbage trucks with electric ones and its aggressive expansion of bus and light rail routes.
But many of those city vehicles won’t be replaced until 2028 – well beyond the federal deadline for ozone reduction.
Franquist also warned, “There’s no silver bullet in terms of reducing ozone in one different control program. It takes a lot of different control programs working together to actually reduce ozone.”
“I think it’s important that we continue to get the word out to both the public and to our legislators that this is important for our economy, but it’s absolutely important for our public health,” he added, conceding the ozone control programs “are not cheap to implement.”
Franquist’s message provoked Ansari to express alarm about the impending air quality measures and the region’s attitude toward them.
Not all ozone is harmful. Ozone in the stratosphere, 6 miles to 30 miles above the Earth’s surface, protects us from the sun’s ultraviolet rays. But ozone in the troposphere, where we live on the surface of the Earth, can result in severe health problems. (Olivia Dow/Cronkite News)
While the Legislature could again vote to put Proposition 400 on next year’s ballot ahead of the tax’s expiration in 2025, the uncertainty currently surrounding it threatens a number of projects already on county and municipal drawing boards – including an ex-
“We are treating them as though they’re not urgent, and they’re not priorities and they don’t have financial implications even though they really, really do and they will hurt us economically,” Ansari said. “So I feel very strongly that we need to be doing a lot more than we have.”
– When it comes to chronic pain and/ neuropathy, the most doctor-prescribed treatment is drugs like Gabapentin, Lyrica, Cymbalta, and Neurontin. problem with antior 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 January 31st, 2023 Call (480) 274-3157 to make an appointment
Due to our very busy office schedule, we are limiting this offer to the first 10 c allers Y OU DO NOT HAVE TO SUFFER ANOTHER MINUTE, CALL (480) 274-3157 NOW!!
As displayed in figure 1 above, the nerves are surrounded by diseased, withered blood vessels. A lack of sufficient nutrients means the nerves
Effective neuropathy treatment relies on the following three factors:
Depending on your coverage, your peripheral neuropathy treatment could cost almost nothing – or be absolutely free.
BY HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services
Tom Buschatzke says it wouldn’t be wrong to see the freeze on new development in an area in and around Buckeye due to a shortage of groundwater there as the canary in the coal mine.
But the director of the state Department of Water Resources said that the early warning for Arizonans first occurred three years ago in Pinal County: His agency already is refusing to issue the necessary permits for new developments that were planning to rely solely on groundwater.
More to the point, he said, much of the rest of this drought-stricken state is headed that way absent some new source of water.
In a wide-ranging interview with Capitol Media Services, Buschatzke said that communities are not immune just because they have an allocation of water
from the Central Arizona Project.
That resource, too, is limited. And cities that can’t show their CAP allocations ensure a 100-year supply of water face similar restrictions.
Nor he said can developers rely on the idea that there may be treated seawater available sometime in the future to start building today.
Buschatzke said that his decision not to release until Monday the analysis of available groundwater in what is known as the Lower Hassaympa sub-basin near Buckeye was not an effort – as Gov. Katie Hobbs said Monday in her State of the State speech – to hide it from the public so that developers could keep building.
He did acknowledge that the request to delay the report did, in fact, come from the staff Doug Ducey, her predecessor. But Butschatzke said the former governor wanted to have it released at the same time as stakeholders came up with “potential solutions that would be put out into the public world at the same time.’’
Hobbs, informed of the existence of the report, had a different idea.
“I think we can’t tackle this issue if we don’t know what we’re facing,’’ she said after her speech.
Anyway, Buschatzke said the timing is legally irrelevant: Public or not, Buschatzke said what’s in the report means that his department isn’t issuing any permits at all for new residential subdivisions for the 886 square mile area that has been under study.
What the release of the report has done, though, is create a new focus on the fact that the state faces a water shortage even as people keep moving here.
“We have this dual challenge, right?’’ the governor said. “We have to balance our needs to address the housing crisis with our need to address water shortages.’’
This “dual challenge’’ is caused by a dual problem.
Lawmakers realized decades ago that the state was in a position where the
amount of groundwater available would be outstripped by demand.
Arizona has long been entitled to a share of Colorado River water. But it took federal legislation to authorize construction of the Central Arizona Project with the idea of reducing the need to pump.
And in 1980, with the CAP in place, state lawmakers approved a historic law designed to cut groundwater pumping in metropolitan areas, with the idea of “safe yield’’ by 2025, the point at which what is being taken out balances with recharge.
Only thing is, that Colorado River supply, allocated in what it turns out were unusually wet years, has recently failed to materialize. The result has been mandatory cutbacks, with more to come if Arizona, California and Nevada don’t agree on a plan.
But what the report from Buckeye shows is that, for much of the state,
groundwater is not a solution for the future as CAP water becomes scarcer.
“We’ve been trying to take the easy way out,’’ Hobbs said. And that leaves the question of whether Arizona can continue to grow at the rate it has.
“I don’t know the answer to that,’’ she conceded.
“A lot of what we’re facing in terms of Colorado River shortages is that more of the snowfall is being absorbed and there’s less runoff,’’ the governor continued. And that, she said is caused by climate change.
“It’s not something that we can fix by using less water,’’ Hobbs said. “It’s very complicated.’’
But could development actually be stopped?
“There’s a lot in that question I don’t have answers to,’’ the governor said, say ing that will become part of what the Wa ter Policy Task Force she announced on Tuesday will wrestle with, “what we need to do to balance our need to continue to house people and our water shortages.’’
Buschatzke said none of this should come as a surprise.
“Over the years, what I’ve said is that, given the fact that groundwater’s a fi nite resource, that we’ve been allocating groundwater since the 1980 Groundwa ter Management Act for a variety of uses, that it was kind of a matter of time,’’ he said. And Buschtzke said Buckeye won’t be the last such area affected.
“I can’t exactly tell you who’s next and when that will occur,’’ he said. It will all be governed by the science.
“We’re in the process, as we always are, of improving and updating our ground water models,’’ Buschatzke continued. “And as we work through those we may see some of this starting to daylight else where.’’
So what are the options for continued growth?
One is to pump water from the Harqua hala Valley even further west of Phoenix. A special law allows transfers from this basin into more water-starved areas of the state.
There is also some reclaimed water that hasn’t already been allocated to things like providing cooling for the
Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station.
And the Colorado River Indian Community recently got federal permission to sign long-term leases for part of its 719,428 acre-feet a year of Colorado River Water. An acre foot, on average, supports a family of three for a year.
But even that has limits.
Buschatzke said the tribe is looking at leases of perhaps 25 to 30 years, too short by itself to become part of any 100year assured supply for a community or developer.
“But you could take that CRIT water, you could put it under the ground, and you could divide the volume by the ap -
“Right now I would not be able to put any potential desalinated water as an approval for anybody’s assured water supply program, none,’’ Buschatzke said.
“There hasn’t been a plant sited, there hasn’t been a plant under construction, it’s not producing any water,’’ he said. “You have to have water being produced.’’
And that says nothing about it being actually available for 100 years.
“Desal can be part of the solution,’’ Buschatzke said. “But none of the desal being discussed ... is going into anyone’s assured water supply at this time.’’
waiting a while longer to find out if the old buildings will be saved amid disagreements between the current owner, Aktar Verma of Paradise Valley and Mesa city planners.
Verma has expressed an intention to preserve Buckhorn’s historic buildings, which sit within a larger 11-acre parcel of mostly vacant land that he wants to turn into multifamily housing.
Developers for Verma and city planners are at odds over what the housing complex adjacent to Buckhorn should look like.
The owner is focused on getting the apartments built and generating revenue; plans for the historic structures’ ultimate use are still hazy.
The city doesn’t oppose apartments on the site, but it isn’t sold on the current designs and its relationship with the historic section of the property.
An October meeting about the latest plans became tense as representatives for Verma dangled the possibility of removing the site’s historic landmark status and redeveloping the parcel according to current zoning – without regard to the historic structures on the site.
“As we know, the previous owner was planning to flatten the entire site and put a trailer park there. Thank goodness that didn’t happen,” said Tim Boyle, the architect who is working with the owner on redevelopment plans.
“The current owner, if he gets frustrated enough, is just going to be like, ‘OK, let’s
just take this out of (the) historical preservation,’” Boyle continued.
When a planner reminded him that the parcel has a Historic Landmark overlay on it, Boyle replied, “It takes about six months and you can remove (that).”
Verma’s attorney, Ralph Pew, did not respond to requests for comment last week about the project’s current status or discussions with the city.
Mesa Senior Planner Cassidy Welch told the Tribune, “City Planning staff continues to work with the applicant on this project.”
Boyle and Pew were frustrated in the meeting because city planners were withholding support for the project until certain conditions are met.
City planners want Verma’s proposed 210-unit complex to be more in harmony with the historic portion of the site.
Another is the city wants some movement on preservation of the historic structures in the early phases of the project, and they want these steps outlined in a development agreement.
The city’s fears that developing the housing completely separate from the historic spa facilities and casitas would not be attractive, and worse, potentially leave the historic buildings to decay beyond recovery.
Local historian Mesa Preservation Foundation President Vic Linoff is particularly concerned about a long delay in restoration, saying that Buckhorn Baths are in danger of “demolition by neglect.”
The buildings “are really deteriorating,” he said, and need stabilization soon.
But renovations of the structures will likely be costly and a possible recession looms.
Representatives for Verma said they need to get the housing component of the project built first in order to generate revenue to fund preservation of the historic buildings.
They are frustrated with the city’s demands and resulting delays.
“Why can’t we approach it and say, ‘OK, Mr. Verma, thank you for preserving the Buckhorn,” attorney Ralph Pew said during the discussion. “I just would wish that as a city, we would think of the fact that right now, he’s not obligated to do any of that.”
At one point Boyle lost his temper and seems to have slammed his fist on the table based on the recording.
“I think at this point the conversation has ended,” Welch said a short time later. “I don’t feel comfortable moving forward at this point.”
During the meeting, Welch described the Buckhorn Baths site as “one of the most iconic and significant sites in the city.”
The lore of the Buckhorn Baths includes the Sligers’ chance discovery of hot mineral water while drilling a drinking water well in 1939.
The water came up 127 degrees and subsequent testing showed good mineral composition for soaking.
The Sligers then developed their gas station and taxidermy museum into a spa and hotel.
It became a part of Mesa’s important roadside history and helped entice Major League Baseball owners to bring their players to Mesa for Spring Training, Linoff said.
The Sligers filled the spa with sports memorabilia, artifacts, art and taxidermy by Ted.
The Buckhorn Baths was an early adopter of neon in Mesa, and the property includes a stylish mid-century neon sign that “stops traffic” on Main Street the rare times it’s turned on due to its dazzling qualities, Linoff said.
The spa hosted sports legends and the Sligers organized large barbecues on the property that would attract thousands when Mesa was still a small town.
At one point, “anybody who was anybody” stayed at the bath, Linoff said.
In 2012, Mesa voters approved bond dollars for the city to purchase the site, but the city was not able to reach a deal with the heirs and the property passed to other buyers.
Linoff hopes the buildings are saved.
“How the Buckhorn was built is unique. Ted didn’t use any architects,” he said. “He did everything on the cheap, but built a remarkable place out of nothing but scrub bush and sand.”
In the first Mesa Public Schools Governing Board meeting of the year, Marcie Hutchinson was elected president as she began her second term.
In nominating Hutchinson, board member Kiana Sears said the former longtime MPS teacher is “conscientious of the entire (district), whether that be east or west, ... students that are gifted and talented versus our students who need more assistance, and making sure that families’ needs are always taken into consideration.”
New member Rachel Walden, who ran on a Purple for Parents platform in the fall that criticized many current board policies, cast the lone “nay” against Hutchinson election in the 4-1 election.
Whether or not this 4-1 tally becomes a pattern in school board votes is something to watch as it gets down to business this year.
In a statement before the vote, Hutchinson said, “This is a working board with a lot of work ahead. It’s a board of strong relationships based in respect and kindness.
“We may have our disagreements, but
we always have the best interests of students in our hearts. … As president, I will always honor your commitment to the district, through my work and my deeds.”
Before the meeting, the board reviewed the recommendations for changes to school boundaries and program locations from the Planning and Boundary Design Advisory Committee.
A focus of the presentation was the recommendation to make Sirrine Elementary in southwest Mesa a dedicated Montessori school that no longer will offer the regular education program.
The Montessori program currently housed at Pomeroy would move to Sirrine, and Sirrine’s regular education program would be split between Pomeroy and Crismon elementary schools.
Associate Superintendent Holly Williams said many parents of Montessori program students want a dedicated school, and the district also predicts increasing demand for the Montessori
program in that part of Mesa in the coming years.
“When we see a program that is popular, we try to give it space to grow,” she said.
Due to elementary school enrollment declines across the district, there is plenty of available space in Pomeroy and Crismon to absorb regular education students from Sirrine.
The committee will hold two public hearings at Pomeroy and Sirrine later this month to give parents and neighbors the opportunity to weigh in the boundary changes, MPS Communications Director Joseph Valdez said.
In another recommended change, the Red Mountain Early Education Center would become an Information Systems Storage or other use.
Currently the center houses 17 preschool classrooms, and Williams said these preschool programs would be moved to various elementary schools in the surrounding area.
In 1996, Mesa residents voted to establish a citywide holiday recognizing the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Today, the city and the Mesa-East Valley MLK Committee continue to celebrate the civil rights icon as it marks marks the 25th anniversary of the parade.
The parade and city’s celebration will kick off at 11 a.m. tomorrow, Jan. 16. The parade starts at the intersection of MLK Jr. Way and North Center Street. It will travel south down Center Street, turn east on East First Street and end at North Hibbert.
Following the parade, the MLK Community Festival will take place from noon to 4 p.m. at the Plaza at Mesa City Center located at 56 E. Main St. with food, vendors, entertainment and a Kids Unity Corner with activities and crafts. The Arizona Museum of Natural History and the i.d.e.a Museum will offer half-priced admission. Keisha McKinnor, president of the Me-
sa-East Valley MLK Committee, has been involved with it since 2018 and said this year’s theme is “What Are You Doing For Others?”
She said celebrations like this help reaffirm the King’s tenets of caring for others and trying to advance social reforms re-
flecting peace, love and justice.
McKinnor said it’s important to recognize the work the founding committee accomplished in getting the holiday approved.
“It’s a huge significance to celebrate how far Mesa has come and the diversity that Mesa really exudes right now,” she said. “It’s really important for them, and it’s important for us to recognize that and to celebrate that.”
The city will also hold a ceremony at 8:30 a.m. Monday to dedicate “Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Street” at the Mesa Arts Center.
The honorary street signs will be placed along a mile-and-a-half section of Center Street between Brown Road and First Avenue to honor Mesa’s historic WashingtonEscobedo Heritage Neighborhood, which had its roots during a time of segregation in the early 20th century.
In October 2022, the City unveiled Calle Cesar Chavez Street signs along a mile segment of Broadway Road between Mesa and Stapley drives to honor the MexicanAmerican civil rights icon and Mesa’s Hispanic population.
McKinnor moved to Mesa 22 years ago from her hometown of Chicago and said the more she became involved with the city and the committee, the more she wanted to learn its history, especially that of the Washington-Escobedo Heritage Neighborhood.
“I always want to know the why behind things, and knowing our neighborhood, knowing the history of the committee and getting the holiday passed, and all of that,” McKinnor said. “That’s all the whys of why we will continue to celebrate Dr. King’s legacy.”
McKinnor said it’s still important to recognize the history and understand the historical significance of why it took so long for Arizona, and especially Mesa, to
approve this holiday.
One of those that made the holiday possible in Mesa was John Goodie, who moved to Mesa from LA in 1986 for a job with McDonnell Douglas, now a part of Boeing Co.
Retired in 2015, Goodie remembers going down to the Phoenix MLK celebration in 1987 and that eventually led to a group of people he worked with to plan and host a celebration in the East Valley.
With approximately 30 people at a home in Chandler, their celebration started small and grew year after year.
With the help of the City of Mesa, it eventually grew into a large diverse event at the Mesa Convention Center with people from all walks of life and backgrounds.
The celebration soon became a Unity March along the side streets of Main Street in downtown Mesa until January 1997, when the city adopted the holiday and the parade started.
“I believe that was the awakening of a sleeping giant of folks of non-color to realize exactly what was going on in the community,” Goodie said. “And so basically, that was what the vehicle that kind of got out of the barn to start talking about inclusion.”
Goodie said the celebration has slowed down in recent years, noting there is longer hosting an MLK Unity Breakfast or dinner that brought out academics, dignitaries and politicians.
He said the last seven years have seen a decline in events primarily due to lack of sponsor funds.
“Kind of a catch 22, in order to host things for fundraising, you got to have money to do it,” Goodie said.
Goodie said he still hears from people who remember watching him on horseback in the parade.
Though he’d like to see people get that “kumbaya feeling” and practice the principles of King more than one day a year, Goodie said this holiday remains more important than ever today.
“If we don’t have these yearly celebrations and events, things get kind of put on the backburner,” Goodie said. “And they have in the last 10 years because of the lackluster of this holiday, not only here in Mesa, but across America.”
Ushering in the Lunar New Year in Asia means setting off firecrackers and fireworks and creating a messy, noisy and immersive experience that differs from the North American version of looking at fireworks from afar.
“We just had our New Year fireworks, but this one has a different appeal to it; it has a lot more of a street vendor vibe. They light it up and they don’t necessarily care about the mess, the smell, everyone just wants to be there for the celebration,” explained Anthony Amphonephong, executive director of the Asian Chamber of Commerce.
Two upcoming celebrations in Mesa celebrating Chinese Lunar New Year will try to offer the real atmosphere. Fireworks, lion dancing, Japanese Taiko Drums and Vietnamese fan dancing will make up the cultural extravaganzas.
Lunar New Year Celebration 2023, The
Year of the Rabbit will take place 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 21, at AZ International Marketplace in Mesa’s Asian District, while Culture Night, Celebrating Asian Lunar New Year organized by the Asian Festival will take place 4-10 p.m. Jan. 28 at Mesa Community College. Both outdoor events
are free to attend.
“We Asians love to celebrate. So, we organized this for the community to come out and celebrate and have fun,” said local Realtor Winnie Kho Kaplan, whose husband, Steve Kaplan, founded the Asian Festival last year.
As an adviser to the festival, Winnie Kho recently secured a nonprofit designation to facilitate obtaining sponsors and keep it free so that the community may participate in large numbers.
Culture Night will have about 100 booths selling crafts and demonstrations including lantern making, kung fu, calligraphy and a tea ceremony.
Entertainment includes a lion dance, international live jazz music performed by John Williams (formerly of Herbie Hancock), Taiko Japanese drumming artist Ken Koshio and cultural dances from various
Asian countries.
The Asian District also wants to spread cultural awareness and events such as these is a good first step.
“Its aim is to create a central hub for the general public to celebrate with cultural performances and things that they normally would not have access to,” said Amphonephong, who expects at least 2,000 people to attend.
Children will receive the traditional red envelopes with money and 5- to 10-yearolds may appear in a beauty pageant.
“It’s good for anyone who loves cultures. The New Year celebration is joyful,” said David Pham, a member of the Arizona Vietnamese community, which is partnering with AZ International Marketplace to put on the show.
Amphonephong said the festival is being held during the day, oriented toward the family and focused on the cultural aspect
The Mesa-based Native American Fatherhood and Families Association is addressing wellness and mental health in two separate ways.
Its second annual Healing Together Conference begins today, Jan. 15, at the DoubleTree by Hilton Phoenix Mesa in conjunction with the Native Wellness Institute from Gresham, Oregon, White Bison from Colorado Springs, Colorado and Native Dad’s Network from Sacramento.
The conference “will share an exemplary level of Indigenous programming of learning and healing assisting all Native communities,” according to association spokeswoman Valerie Hollobaugh.
She said the organizations will discuss sui-
cide prevention, the impact of Indigenous mentors protecting ancestral cultural teachings, restoring family unity and many other topics and approaches.
“The combined professional experiences and skills as well as the use of Indigenous culture as a prevention, intervention and treatment to fill the void in education and services in wellness is a powerful and appropriate response to communities worldwide,” she said.
Meanwhile, NAFFA will be releasing its fourth curriculum on suicide prevention, a 12-week curriculum that will be taught across the country starting this month.
Holobaugh said the curriculum “gives a unique approach of recognizing the beauty of life and highlights the power of love when family, friends and professionals come to -
gether to assist those in need” and that it emphasizes “an individual’s self-worth.”
“Those in the suicide prevention program are reminded of their true personal identity which brings each individual back to a purpose driven life,” she said.
Suicide is the 12th leading cause of death in the United States and among higher for Native Americans and Alaskan Native people.
“NAFFA understands the seriousness of this problem,” Hollobaugh said. “The goal of this curriculum is for participants and their families and friends to recognize the signs of those who might be thinking about committing suicide and assisting them to understand how valuable they are to others. Everyone has value and is precious.”
The curriculum is a natural outgrowth
of the 11-year-old association’s mission to strengthen Native American families through responsible fatherhood.
Founder Albert Pooley developed the Fatherhood Is Sacred program to promote that mission, stressing a “purpose-driven life.”
“We are worth more than the worst mistake we have ever made,” Pooley said. “You’re not as alone as you feel as life is a complex journey viewed through many different lenses.”
More information: nativeamericanfathers.org/suicideprevention or 480-833-5007.
NAFFA began in 2002 with just one father and the mission of bringing men back to strengthening their families after witnessing too many families being torn
R i c h a r d H a r l i n g , 8 0 , o f G i l b e r t p as s e d a w ay o n F r id a y , D e c e m b e r 3 0 t h , 2 0 2 2 H e i s s u r v i v e d b y h i s b el o v e d w i f e o f 4 0 y e a r s , L i n d a , f o u r c h i l d r e n : C h a u n y ( P a t ) , T r o y ( T a b i t h a ) , J e f f ( L i s a ) , a n d C h r i s t i n e ( J a s o n ) ; f o u r s t e p c h i l d r e n : D e b b i e ( J o h n n y ) , C l a y ( C J ) , S h a n n o n , and Kelly; 16 Grandchildren and 6 greatg r a n d c h i l d r e n A r e t i r e d E n g i n e e r , h e was known for his kindness, intelligence, w o o d w o r k i n g t a l e n t , a n d w r y s e n s e o f humor A small family celebration of life was held in lieu of traditional funeral services.
s s e d a w a y o n D e c e mb e r 2 6 , 2 0 2 2 i n C a s a G r a n d e , AZ. Patricia, lovi n g l y k n o w n a s P at, was h aving Chris tmas d in ner with h e r P a s t o r J a m a l M i t c h e l l a n d F i r s t L a d y S h a y l a M i t c h e l l , s p e a k i n g w i t h t h e m a b o u t t h e l o v e o f G o d a n d h e r f a m i l y w h e n s h e w a s c a l l e d h o m e t o H e a v e n
A m e m o r i a l t o c e l e b r a t e P a t ' s l i f e w i l l b e h e l d a t R e d e e m e r A p o s t o l i c C h u r c h l o c a t e d a t 2 0 0 E 1 s t S t r e e t , M es a, A Z 8 5 2 0 1 o n S a t u r d ay , J an u ar y 2 1 , 2 0 2 3 - 1 1 : 0 0 a m - 1 2 : 3 0 p m r e p a s s t o f o l l o w P a t w a s a n a d v o c a t e f o r t h e h o m e l e s s c o m m u n i t y , a s s u c h , a n y d o n a t i o n s i n h e r h o n o r m a y b e m a d e t o : C h u r c h o n t h e S t r e e t O u t r e a c h ( h t t p s : / / c o t s p h o e n i x . o r g / ) l o c a t e d a t 3 1 1 8 W C lar en d o n A v e P h o en i x , A Z 8 5 0 1 7 .
Sign the Guestbook at: obituaries.EastValleyTribune.com
D ean n a M ae Bar n es , a g e 8 1 , b e l o v e d w i f e , m o t h e r , g r a n d m o t h e r , a n d g r e a t - g r a n d m o t he r , p a s s e d a w a y o n
D e c e m b e r 1 9 , 2 0 2 2 .
D e a n n a w a s b o r n o n M a r c h 1 4 , 1 9 4 1 , i n A s h t a b u l a , O H , t o
She married her true love, Lee "Allen" B a r n e s , i n 1 9 6 2 w h e n h e j o i n e d t h e Navy Together they raised two children, C y n t h i a a n d M i c h a e l , i n S u p e r i o r , A Z , w h e r e t h e y l i v e d f r o m 1 9 7 0 t o 1 9 8 5 b ef o r e m o v i ng t o M e s a , A Z D e a n n a r ec e i v e d a l i f e - s a v i n g t r a n s p l a n t i n 1 9 8 6 , which allowed her to continue loving and r ais ing th eir ch ildr en Sh e lo v ed h er f iv e g r a n d c h i l d r e n a n d f o u r g r e a t - g r a n d c h i ldren She is preceded in death by her pare n t s a n d b r o t h e r s , H a r r y M c C l i n t i c , J r and Danny McClintic. She was an amazing woman and will be deeply missed D e a n n a r e q u e s t e d d o n a t i o n s t o y o u r l o c a l f o o d b a n k , h o m e l e s s s h e l t e r , o r a n a n i m a l s h e l t e r i n p l a c e o f f l o w e r s
Jackie"Jack"DaleHays,84,passedaway peacefullyinhishomeinChandler,Arizonaon January4,2023.Hisbattlewithserious medicalissuesinrecentyearsshowedhis courageinfacinglife.Despitehisbattlewith medicalissues,Jackcameoutahero.
HewasborninKansasCity,Missourion September29,1938andwasadoptedbyhis parents,D.B.andBulaHays.Hespenthis childhoodinSalem,Illinoisandgraduated fromhighschoolin1956.Throughouthishigh schoolyears,heparticipatedinsportsand music.HestartedstudiesattheUniversityof IllinoisandthenservedintheAirForcefrom 1958through1964.Jackwasagraduateofthe AirForceAcademy.Afterhisservice,Jack wasacommercialpilotforStandardAirways, NorthwestAirlines,andAlaskaInternational Air.
Jackissurvivedbyhislifelongfriendand wife,Ruthanne,andherdaughtersContance andJennifer,Jack'schildrenJackieandRoyce, andhis14grand-childrenand5greatgrandchildren.
Acelebrationoflifewillbeheldfrom1:30 PMto2:30PMon2023-01-22atMissioDei Church(SozoCoffee),1982NAlmaSchool RoadChandler,AZ.
SigntheGuestbookat: obituaries.EastValleyTribune.com
from page 15
of the holiday. The district has dozens of stores and supermarkets providing goods and
Outside, there will be about five main food vendors selling Chinese food, Filipino fusion, Vietnamese Pho and a donut cart. “It’s a smaller event and more intimate, that’s what they want to keep it as,” he added.
This is the third Chinese New Year celebration being held in the Asian District.
The first one was held just before the pandemic hit in 2020, and it was “a huge success,” attended by more than 10,000 people. Coming out of Covid, last year’s event attracted about 12,000, and the district held another one, a night market, in October.
Initially, the Asian District Night Market was built around marketability in the area.
“As we recently branded the Asian District, we wanted to bring traffic and a lot of eyes to the area, so we recently held the Asian District Night Market,” Amphonephong said.
“We want every business owner to have the opportunity to host whatever seems fit for their business and this also goes along with it. The Lunar New Year is a very, very big celebration in the Chinese and the Vietnamese community,” he said.
“AZ International wanted to host their
own, so we are letting them take the reins on it and we are just helping them out, providing them the resources and what we’ve done in the past to help them succeed,” he added.
The Valley has a burgeoning Asian population.
Amphonephong, who is of Laotian descent, said that when he was small, his family used to know every Laotian who lived in the area.
Nowadays, it is different, he said. A Laotian community is developing in Laveen, and many people are moving there from across the country.
“It’s hard to keep track. There are at least about 100 families,” he said.
Lunar New Year Celebration: 4-0 p.m. Jan. 21 at Arizona International Marketplace, 1920 W. Broadway Road, Mesa.
Lion dances at 1 and 3 p.m. and fireworks displays at 1 p.m., 3 p.m. and 5 p.m.
Culture Night organized by Asian Festival will take place 4-10 p.m. Jan. 28 at Mesa Community College, 1833 W. Southern Ave., Mesa. Asianfestivalaz.com.
apart. Since then, the Arizona non-profit has strengthened relationships and families through four curricula:
Fatherhood Is Sacred® Motherhood Is Sacred® (FIS/MIS), Linking Generations by Strengthening Relationships®, Addressing Family Violence & Abuse® and Suicide Prevention.
All NAFFA curricula use time honored cultural principles and practices as a foundation to build strong families that are resilient to divorce, domestic and substance abuse, suicide and human trafficking. The result of these programs has been an increased awareness of the sacred purposes of families with strengthened relationships and communities. With no direct federal funding, NAFFA has over 60,000 parents have enrolled in local chapters and 2,000 facilitators have been certified to teach the FIS/MIS curriculum across the US.
For more information on the Health Together Conference please see: https://www.nativeamericanfathers.org/2023healingtogether or call 480-833-5007.
Those already expensive eggs at your local grocer are about to get a tiny bit costlier – and potentially less available.
And it’s all in the name of humane treatment of the hens
New regulations that took effect at
the beginning of the month require that laying hens that are kept in cages have at least one square foot – 144 inches – of usable floor space. That compares to cages that until now could be less than half that size.
And beginning in 2025, all major producers have to go to cage-free.
The state Department of Agriculture puts average annual per capita consumption at slightly more than 270
eggs a year. Figuring the new rules would add somewhere between a penny and 3.25 cents per egg, that comes out to somewhere between $2.71 and $8.79 a year.
But Chelsea McGuire, lobbyist for the Arizona Farm Bureau which opposed the rule, thinks those numbers are soft.
At best, she said, it’s speculative as the full rules for cage-free housing
are not in place. And McGuire argued that the estimates the state was using didn’t really take into account all the costs.
And that, McGuire said, is only part of the problem that consumers will face, what with shoppers sometimes finding there are no eggs available at any price.
Much of that is due to an outbreak
TRIBUNE NEWS STAFF
ElectraMeccanica Vehicles Corp. in Mesa is partnering with the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee.
As part of that partnership, the company held a “vehicle hand-off” at the Phoenix Convention Center Jan. 6, presenting the committee with 10 custom-wrapped, all-electric SOLOs for use as courtesy vehicles during Super Bowl-related events.
“The vehicles will help SBHC employees and volunteers to easily navigate crowded city streets and limited parking options,” the company said in a release. “The vehicles will also save on fuel costs and minimize environmental impact, all of which helps the SBHC to ensure its goal of leading the greenest Super Bowl ever.”
ElectraMeccanica will also participate in various events throughout Arizona during the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl.
Those events include the interactive display at the Super Bowl Experience presented by Lowe’s at Hance Park called 100 Yards of Education: A STEM Playbook for Youth. That educational event at State Farm Stadium
could draw 1,000 students, the company said.
“We have made a significant commitment to Arizona by recently moving our corporate headquarters and manufacturing facility to Mesa,” said Susan Docherty, CEO of ElectraMeccanica Vehicles Corp. “It is important for us to support our home state, and by so doing, to help the SBHC deliver the greenest Super Bowl ever. We want to set an example for other such events throughout America, and hopefully, around the world.
“Moreover, we believe it’s important for business leaders and elected officials, as well as the general public, to understand that the average person
drives alone 80% of the time, in a vehicle that seats more than 4 people, which leads to a lot of unoccupied seats, and a lot of wasted energy. That’s something we are committed to help
change through the design and sales of our vehicles and through the support of organizations like the SBHC.”
of avian flu that requires farmers to destroy whole flocks even if just one hen tests positive. A ban on selling eggs from traditionally caged hens, McGuire said, only exacerbates the problem.
“We’re restricting the supply from which we can choose the eggs that we can bring into the state,’’ she said, noting the rule affects not just Arizonabased egg producers but any firm that wants to sell eggs to Arizona consumers.
“We’re locking producers into this premium product and doing so unnecessarily,’’ McGuire said. And she said it’s all being done “without a public health or safety justification or a scientific justification.’’
Some animal rights groups argued that it’s cruel to keep the laying hens in tiny pens.
McGuire sniffed at that contention. “Stress indicators on hens, things like that, are really no different between conventional confinement cages and cage-free production systems,’’ she said.
That wasn’t the assessment of thenRep. John Kavanagh, R-Fountain Hills, when he crafted legislation in 2021 to require cage-free housing by anyone producing more than 3,000 eggs a year.
“Confining chickens to less than one square foot, I think, is really cruel,’’ he told colleagues.
“Granted, they don’t have very high levels of sentient awareness,’’ Kavana-
gh continued. “But they feel pain and they’re prevented from engaging in natural and instinctive behavior, even to the point of spreading their wings or being able to sit down when they lay their eggs.’’
The Farm Bureau managed to kill that measure.
That didn’t end the fight, with the state Department of Agriculture concluding it already had the authority to approve its own rules. And that’s precisely what it did.
It turns out the agency had an important ally on its side: Hickman’s Egg Ranch, located west of Phoenix, which is the state’s largest egg producer. And what it came down to is the fear that the failure to take some voluntary measure would result in something more onerous.
As far back as 2021, when lawmakers were considering the Kavanagh measure, company President Glenn Hickman told lawmakers he worried that voters would adopt an initiative being pushed by World Animal Protection.
It would not only have required cage-free systems by May of this year but would have made violations a crime. By contrast, the legislation -and the rule that eventually followed after the bill failed -- gives him until 2025 to come into full compliance, with no criminal penalties.
The company already has been moving into the cage-free market. Hickman told lawmakers in 2021 that some clients, including McDonald’s and Costco, already were demanding cagefree eggs.
from Page 31
But the initiative caused some heartburn as company representatives told the Department of Agriculture.
“Hickman’s Egg Ranch informs the department that it cannot convert the remainder of its production facilities to cage-free housing by May 31, 2023, as required by the initiative, and may have to euthanize a portion of its flock to avoid criminal penalties if the initiative passes,’’ the agency reported.
The new law requires chickens to be housed in cages that are bigger and “more humane” than those currently used. (Special to GSN)
erwise. Voters in 2006 approved a ban on “gestation crates’’ for pig and cattle ranchers.
And then there was the fact that other states already had enacted similar rules, meaning Arizona producers who want to sell their eggs elsewhere effectively would have to go along eventually.
The final rule also is more liberal than what lawmakers had rejected. It exempts any producer which has fewer than 20,000 egg-producing hens.
It also does not require that all eggs come from free-range hens which would have required that they have access to the outdoors at least part of the day. Instead they could be kept in large barns – up to 300,000 square feet where hens could wander about.
McGuire, however, said she remains convinced that none of this was necessary. She argued that Arizonans would have rejected the initiative for cagefree eggs.
The record, however, suggests oth-
SOLO from page 17
ElectraMeccanica Vehicles Corp. designs and manufactures environmentally efficient electric vehicles and its flagship vehicle is the innovative, purpose-built, single-seat EV called the SOLO.
It boasts that the three-wheeled vehicle “will revolutionize the urban driving experience, including commuting, delivery and shared mobility.”
Engineered for a single occupant,
And the Department of Agriculture reached the same conclusion, citing “the success of recent animal welfare ballot initiatives in Arizona and elsewhere’’ to justify the rule.
In debating the 2021 legislation, lawmakers asked Hickman if eggs from cage-free chickens are of higher quality than their more-confined cousins. He said there’s no simple answer.
“You feed the chickens the same,’’ Hickman said. He said it’s like brown versus white eggs, with no real difference.
“But there are some studies that suggest that chickens who have less stress tend to have more natural defenses, immunities, if you will, and are therefore healthier,’’ he continued. “And that would translate potentially into maybe a different composition of egg.’’
Maybe.
“You’re making some scientific leaps,’’ Hickman concluded.
it offers a unique driving experience for the environmentally conscious consumer. Depending on driving conditions, temperature and climate controls, the SOLO has a range of up to 100 miles and a top speed of up to 80 mph.
The SOLO also features front and rear crumple zones, side impact protection, roll bar, torque-limiting control as well as power steering, power brakes, air conditioning and a Bluetooth entertainment system.
Information: emvauto.com.
Joe Babinski is familiar with building a high school basketball program.
He did it several years ago at Desert Edge in Goodyear, where he took a Scorpion team full of fresh faces and led them to a state championship win in just their third season. He knows accomplishing such a feat is a rarity in high school sports, especially in Arizona where most new schools can take years to grow into a power in any sport.
But Babinski felt if there was another program to accomplish such a feat, it was Eastmark. The football team did it this past fall under Scooter Molander, as the Firebirds dominated their way to a 3A state title.
Now in his third season leading the basketball program, Babinski aims to mirror the success of the football team and what he had at Desert Ridge. And
he’s relying on the youth of his program to do it.
“I love our talent, I love the kids we have,” Babinski said. “They get after it. They are emotional, they have their highs and lows. We haven’t really talked about it but they are the footprints. They’re the ones that are going to get this going.”
Eastmark is led by several juniors and a sophomore in scoring. Rhys Walcott, a sophomore guard, paces the rest of the team with 15.9 points per game. Tim Gorham follows him with just under 13 points per game for the Firebirds.
The duo has helped Eastmark secure several victories this season, but they insist they don’t do it alone. Walcott said much of his individual success has come from his work ethic, much of which has been instilled by those around him.
It’s started to rub off on the team.
“My dad always says, ‘I’m on the clock,’” Walcott said. “I just keep my head down and keep working and take advantage of the time I have left. Everyone on our team puts in a lot of work behind the scenes.”
Walcott said every member of the team holds themselves accountable. Babinski added last season that was one of the biggest downfalls of the team. Many wouldn’t hold themselves accountable but tried critiquing others. Most of the time, Babinski said, it led to finger pointing.
That has changed this season. Every player knows their role and what it takes to be successful. The team also shares a tight bond so there’s no need for individual to take full control from a leadership standpoint.
Though, players like Walcott still tend to stand out amongst the rest.
“It’s a little weird because usually older guys take on that sort of role,” Walcott said. “Me being young, I’ve got a lot of responsibility on this team. A lot of people feed off my energy, which is a
little weird, like I was saying. But it’s fun. We’re just a good team.”
Much of Walcott’s leadership traits have come from conversations with senior Mack Molander, one of two players in the team set to graduate in May. The son of head football coach Scooter, Mack led the Firebirds to the state championship at quarterback this year.
He knows what it takes to win a title. He knows the hard work and the grind that came with putting the team in position for the championship. Now he’s been able to share some of what he has learned with the basketball program.
His presence alone has made a difference. He’s the first player to dive on the floor for loose balls during games and brings a new level of intensity that has spread to other players.
“(Mack) is a good leader, I mean he led the football team to a state championship,” Gorham said. “That’s been really helpful for us. He gets us hyped before big games. It’s good to have him here.”
Gorham has become one of Eastmark’s top big men this season, even when he at times prefers to play guard. But he’s been forced to step up early on in games and often guard the opposing team’s tallest threat in the paint.
In Eastmark’s first game of the season, that happened to be five-star sophomore Koa Peat at Perry.
Gorham isn’t afraid to admit he was overmatched by the 6-foot-8 Peat as it happens often when he is facing other teams. But for every rebound Gorham wasn’t able to get, it taught him how to be more aggressive in the paint. For every dunk, layup or shot Peat had, it taught Gorham how to be stronger on defense.
Games against Perry, the top-ranked team in the state, and other programs at the 5A and 6A level helped Eastmark in the long run, win or lose. They know they are well prepared for games down the stretch because of their previous opponents.
“That game helped me,” Gorham said. “I know Perry is the best team we’re going to play. So, it helped me a lot.”
Eastmark’s rise from the 3A Conference to 4A has gone hand-in-hand with the growth of the school and its athletic programs.
That hasn’t changed Babinski’s goals, however. Just like he did in year three at Desert Edge, he expects Eastmark to compete for a title this season. It won’t be easy, he and his players know that.
But he’s confident they will continue to improve as the season goes on and could get some help with the new Open Division potentially taking some 4A teams.
“I’m looking right here and it’s year three,” Babinski said. “So, I’m saying to myself, ‘We better be right there knocking on that door.’ We had a lot of talent at Desert Edge, but I believe this group can do the same thing, especially with the Open stealing some of those teams.”
Peripheral neuropathy is a condition that involves damage to the nerves in your feet. Symptoms include muscle cramping, difficulty walking, burning, tingling, numbness, and pain. In many cases, it’s caused by diabetes, but poor circulation can also cause these symptoms or make them worse.
Poor circulation or PAD (peripheral artery disease) is caused by the buildup of fatty material inside the arteries, limiting the amount of blood that
passes through them. “Blood brings oxygen and nutrients to your legs and feet which they need to stay healthy,” explains Dr. Shahram Askari of CiC Foot & Ankle. “If you have cramping, leg pain, or non-healing sores, you could have PAD.”
The good news is specialists are able to treat PAD with a minimally invasive procedure in an office setting. Using x-ray imaging, Dr. Joel Rainwater, an interventional radiologist at Com-
prehensive Integrated Care, is able to go into the bloodstream through a tiny nick in the skin to see if there is any plaque buildup.
“We’re able to see if there is a blockage and then remove it with special instruments,” explains Dr. Rainwater. “Once the plaque is removed, blood flow improves.” Patients are home within hours and back to everyday activities with almost no downtime and no stitches. Medi-
care as well as most insurance plans cover treatment.
If you’re just realizing that you may be suffering from neuropathy or poor circulation, make an appointment to see a doctor. Or, if you’re not finding relief from medication or treatment, a second opinion may be helpful to determine the cause of the tingling, cramping, pain, or numbness in your feet.
Dr. Askari and Dr. Rainwater can be reached at 602-954-0777.
BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI GetOut Editor
Barrett-Jackson, The World’s Greatest Collector Car Auctions, hosts its annual flagship auction at WestWorld of Scottsdale each January, serving as the gateway to events season in the Valley.
This year, like years past, Chairman/ CEO Craig Jackson expects another incredible event with an enviable No Reserve collector car docket and a host of activities for auction-goers of all ages. The event kicks off on Saturday, Jan. 21, and runs through Jan. 29.
Included in this year’s auction is a 2005 Porsche Carrera GT, one of only 644 sold new in the United States. One of the last
and most popular analog supercars, the vehicle has less than 3,400 miles and, while it was originally finished in black, this Carrera GT now has a concours-quality paint finished in a bespoke PPG red.
A limited-edition 2020 Ford GT Carbon Series is another featured vehicle selling with No Reserve. Finished in frozen white, its carbon blue graphics package features a blue center stripe down the middle of the exposed single carbonfiber stripe.
Other options include exposed carbon-fiber sideview mirror caps and the standard Carbon Series weight-saving titanium exhaust system. Essentially still in the wrapper, this supercar has only 32 miles on the odometer and comes with the window sticker, factory production
photos and battery charger.
Also headed to the Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auction block is a 1966 Shelby Group II Mustang built for Ken Miles to race in the Sports Car Club of America
events, many celebrities attended as well.
“Last year, Joey Logano came with several other NASCAR drivers,” he said. “He ended up being the NASCAR Cup Series champion (at Phoenix Raceway).”
The auction also welcomed GRAMMY Award-winning artist Pitbull as he sold his 2022 Karma GS-6 EV “Mr. 305 Edition” to support The SLAM Foundation and Selfless Love.
SCCA events. McComb sold the car in 1967, but it continued to be raced into the early 1970s.
Another highlight is a 1969 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, No. 61 of 69 built in 1969. It is powered by an all-aluminum 427/430hp V8 engine mated to a M21 4-speed manual transmission and a 4.10 posi-traction rear end.
This Camaro is optioned with D80 spoiler equipment and an AM radio. It comes with a Jerry MacNeish Certificate of Authenticity and is from the Northside Customs Collection.
Jackson says the 50th anniversary celebration of Barrett-Jackson in 2022 was its most successful auction in the company’s history, surpassing $203 million in sales while also raising more than $8.8 million for charity.
As is the case with all Barrett-Jackson
Other celebrities in attendance included Bret Michaels, Tim Allen and Renee Zellweger, as well as professional athletes such as DeAndre Hopkins, Richie Incognito, Bubba Watson and Jacoby Ellsbury.
This year was one of change for BarrettJackson. In August, IMG, an Endeavor company, acquired a majority stake in it.
The global leader in events, IMG owns, operates and commercially represents the likes of Frieze art fairs, the Madrid and Miami Open tennis tournaments, Formula Drift, and New York Fashion Week: The Shows.
“Pairing Barrett-Jackson with the unique power of the Endeavor network is an unparalleled opportunity for our company, immediately opening doors to amplify and accelerate the growth of Barrett-Jackson as a global lifestyle brand,” Jackson said.
“I couldn’t be more excited to have this perfect partner as we look to optimize our fan experience and create new touchpoints for car enthusiasts around our live events and media offerings.”
Jackson and his team are working on elevating the auction experience and promises there are plenty of activities at the events beyond the block.
“It’s a lifestyle event and we add experiences all the time — live music, firepits, cigar lounge, the food and beverage offerings. It all lends itself to this experience that is Barrett-Jackson.”
Several family-friendly activities include STEM Fest on Saturday, January 21, as part of Barrett-Jackson’s Family Day, when children 12 and under receive free admission. Hot Laps and Thrill Rides with Toyota, Dodge, Ford and Chevrolet as well as exhilarating off-road experiences with RAM and Toyota will be available throughout the event.
As part of STEM Fest, winners of Barrett-Jackson’s community STEM Program, Gearing Towards The Future, will showcase their projects along with companies and organizations focused on STEM initiatives. The winners will also receive their awards during the event.
Introduced in September, Gearing Towards The Future was created with SciTech Institute to develop future automotive engineers and technicians.
“Barrett-Jackson is passionate about its long history of creating family-friendly automotive lifestyle events that encourage multiple generations to come together and enjoy a shared interest with one another,” Jackson said.
“This new STEM program provides an even greater opportunity to engage with the youth here in Arizona through an exciting educational platform that will help support the future community of automotive enthusiasts.”
There were four open competitions: a 10th and 11th grade-only competition focused on the design and build of an electrical component for any vehicle for the future of transportation, a 7th and 8th grade-only competition focused on developing a plan that outlines how to implement electric vehicle charging infrastructure that could be implemented
across the country, a 4th and 5th gradeonly competition focused on presenting the design and layout of a future vehicle, and a competition open for all grades, Pre-K through 12, with the focus on presenting a plan for future transportation options in a community setting of any size.
Barrett-Jackson is invested in Gen X, too. The Future Collector Car Show (FCCS) returns Sunday, Jan. 22, with a new location: the Polo Field at WestWorld of Scottsdale. The concours-style event will celebrate the cars we love today and the collectibles of tomorrow.
During the show, which was formerly held at High Street, spectators will enjoy a variety of vehicles ranging from the 1980s to today, from highly modified custom builds to original and perfectly
preserved rides, effectively creating an experience where generations of vehicle owners can find common ground in their love of future collectibles.
“The FCCS is all about cars from the ’80s and up, and it’s really taking the collectors and enthusiasts who dream about those cars and showcasing them,” Jackson said.
“It’s a true judging of that era of cars. We really want the generation that grew up with these cars—millennials, GenXers—to enjoy this entire genre of cars. We’ll have European sports cars and Japanese cars; cars the younger generation of automotive enthusiasts grew up loving.”
Jackson says there’s truly something for everyone.
“Barrett-Jackson is a place to see and be seen,” he said. “It is a lot of fun. It’s
something unique. It is the only major event like it in the world. People come from around the world to enjoy it. Locals should take advantage of it as well. There’s so much happening here in Arizona in early 2023, and it all starts with Barrett-Jackson.”
Barrett-Jackson, The World’s Greatest Collector Car Auction
When: Times vary, Saturday, January 21, to Sunday, January 29
Where: WestWorld, 16601 N. Pima Road, Scottsdale
Cost: Tickets start at $25; discounts for seniors, military, students, first responders, children
Info: barrett-jackson.com
Rodney Scott Pieres has seen it all, from incarceration and addiction to redemption, sobriety and “righteous living.”
The Phoenix resident has parlayed those experiences into Deep as Bones, a Christian hard rock band that opens for Talk to Sheep at Pub Rock in Scottsdale on Saturday, Jan. 21.
Recently, Deep as Bones released the music video for its single “Spun,” which touches on freedom from addiction and being on the road to sobriety. Filmed at Painted Tiger Studios in Glendale, the video was directed, filmed and edited by Gavin Donnelly of Soundphoria Media. It appears on their full-length, self-titled debut.
Pieres had a “pretty rough childhood,” raised by a father who dealt cocaine in the 1980s. He said his dad loved him but couldn’t stop partying.
Then things turned for the worse.
“I was taking some of the coke he had lying around. You know, monkey see, monkey do,” Pieres said. “I ended up getting arrested a bunch for drinking.
“In about 2005, I was introduced to heroin. I had knee surgery, and they were giving me oxycontin. Eventually, the oxys run out. You go to the streets looking for them and heroin is, naturally, the next step in that progression.”
He stole everything he could to get money for heroin. After he was imprisoned, he found sobriety.
“I had a rude awakening,” Pieres said. “I got in trouble in there (prison) for paraphernalia. They put me in the hole.
“I was just tired of living that way and getting what I was getting. I held on to it (sobriety), and I held on to it ever since.”
During his stint in Arizona State Prison Complex, Florence, there was another positive: He met his bandmates, John Fabricius and Walter Willis, in 2016.
“It’s a common story, but it’s not a common story to have guys meet in the pen,” he said. “We wrote the songs on the album there. When we got out, we started recording them.”
The trio recorded with producer Jay
Kereny (Linkin Park) at Studio 47 on Central. Jay introduced them to thenRed and Love and Death drummer,
Dan Johnson who played on the record. They finished recording at TallCat Studios in Phoenix in 2020. Ralph Patlan (Megadeth) mixed and mastered the record.
In 2021, Pieres and his wife, Carrie Bradley, started a nonprofit called IdentiFreed, in which 100% of the proceeds benefit those affected by human trafficking through their weekly outreach work with a team of volunteers.
“I’m more interested in helping people than becoming famous for my music,” Pieres said.
Talk to Sheep w/Apex Nemesis, 73 Libra and Deep as Bones
When: 7 p.m. Saturday, January 21 Where: Pub Rock Live, 8005 E. Roosevelt Street, Scottsdale Cost: $10 in advance Info: pubrocklive.com
Writers-performers Betsy Bennet and Rick Compton have long loved the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts.
“Scottsdale has a special place in our hearts,” Compton said. “I remember, I was in in Phoenix and Scottsdale for some unrelated theater thing and I learned that the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts had a show playing there called ‘Late Night Catechism’ – which seemingly ran forever before it closed more than maybe 10 years ago –and I thought, ‘man, what a wonderful place to play.’
“I hoped I would someday get a deal like that with a place.”
Fast forward to 2008, when Compton and Bennett worked put on a dazzling performance of a “Sandy Bottoms and The Jimmie Buffet” at the Bonita Arts League and were flagged down by the its executive director as they headed to their cars.
“The Bonita Arts League executive director came out in the parking lot and she said to us, ‘that was a lot of fun, we’d like to have you guys back again in a couple of months.’ And we said, ‘OK, we’ll have you have a new show,’” Compton recalled.
“And she said, OK, my problem is, is my brochure goes to print next week, so what’s the title of your new show?’”
Frantically scrambling to come up with a title on the spot, Compton peeked around the parking lot and noticed a woman loading a walker into her car.
That was when he blurted, “Maybe something on assisted living.”
Bennett chimed in and said, “How about ‘Assisted Living: The Musical’?”
Though her response was a joke, the director loved the idea and jotted it down as an upcoming play.
This left Compton and Bennett with only three months to write a witty, whimsical play reflecting an assisted living theme.
They did just that.
The show received rave reviews from the Associated Press and caught the attention of producers from New York.
Compton and Bennett felt that they were on top of the world until a talent agent brought them back down to earth.
“After one of our shows, when the director was there, we went out to this restaurant that had the tablecloth and the crayons that you write on and he stared off by picking up a crayon saying, ‘well, your audience surely loved you, but, let me explain to you why you don’t have a show,’” Compton recalled.
He admitted that he and Bennett were flabbergasted.
“We were sold out six weeks in advance, performing two nights a week, receiving standing ovations, we were selling CDs and we were on top of the world,” Compton said.
However, after listening to the director’s points, they began reworking the musical.
One of the biggest tweaks from the original was the removal of a somber number that had previously left audience members feeling dejected.
“We put in a sad song and people were crying,” Bennett said. “They put their heads down, and that was it for them.”
Another key change came from moving Compton from his seat at the piano to center stage alongside Bennett.
After two workshops on “Assisted Living: The Musical,” the duo feels it has created a humorous show that is amusing for adults of all ages but not overtly offensive to the elderly.
“With these characters that we play, we never make fun of old people,” Compton said. We don’t do deprecating humor since
this show is about our friends, our family and ourselves and deals with the aging process.”
In addition to dealing with the aging process, Compton and Bennett each play nine characters – including Naomi Lipschitz-Yamamoto-Murphy, a thrice-married nicotine-drenched real estate yenta played by Bennett whose clients want to get their hands on more than just real estate and Ben Younger, a Borscht Belt comedian.
In addition to meeting a large cast of characters, fans are also serenaded to 23 charts of music – including four parodies of pop songs that some fans may recognize.
The show – which opens on Thursday, Jan. 19 – culminates in a 70-minute, laugh-outloud comedy that will leave audiences gasping for air.
However, Compton hopes that the show leaves fans with much more than that.
“A lot of songs in their heart, a smile on their face and likeness in their soul,” she said. “That’s what we’re after.”
Assisted Living: The Musical
When: 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. ThursdaySunday, Jan. 19-221
Where: Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, 7380 E. 2nd St. Cost: Tickets start at $35 Info: scottsdalearts.org/events
The Hale Theatre has come up with a ribald comedy of love, family and attempted assassination to begin the not-so-new year through Feb. 11.
“The Hit” by Mike Buckley received critical acclaim when the play premiered at the Horton Grand Theatre. It is centered in San Francisco, where Susan is trying to save herself from a slow death by hiring a hitman. She mistakes an unsuspecting travel agent for the real hitman and then
comes to find out the real hitman is falling for her brother.
Between all the laughs and confusion is a story of second chances at life and love.
The new comedy stars Hale veteran Alaina Beauloye as Susan, most recently seen in “Lucky Stiff.” Originally from New York City, Alaina boasts an extensive list of credits including Broadway, film and commercials. She has been seen in more than 20 productions at Hale and is a two time AriZoni winner.
Playing across from Beauloye is
Adam Guinn as Sam, who has been in several Hale productions such as “The Music Man” and “Brigadoon.”
“The Hit” is directed by Tim Dietlein, who has been involved in theater for over 50 years. He regularly plays Scrooge during Hale’s annual production of “A Christmas Carol” and his directing credits include “Bright Star,” “Daddy Long Legs” and “Big River.”
Buckley is a professor at Southwestern College and teaches scriptwriting. His play was originally produced by Lamb’s Players Theatre and received standing ovations during its run. The-
aters in Utah as well as in Arizona have started producing it and it continues to be a hit.
Tickets start at $30 for youth and $45 for adults. Performances are on Wednesdays, Saturdays with select Friday matinees. Call the box office at 480-497-1181 or go to HaleTheatreArizona.com to order online.
The Hale is located at 50 West Page Ave. in Gilbert’s Heritage District, across the street from the Gilbert Water Tower Park. Several restaurants and ample free parking are located nearby.
What started as just a delicious one-off for my New Year’s Eve party has now become a new favorite recipe to enjoy any time you are craving something shrimpy, crunchy, saucy and just plain out of this world.
Bang Bang Shrimp Eggrolls will step in and satisfy your craving and have you rubbing your belly with delight! The bonus, of course, is they are incredibly easy to make and take less than a half hour from skillet to table. One of my favorite things about this dish is the sweet & spicy Mayo-Sriracha sauce! Wow! The perfect accompaniment.
Why not start off the new year with a bang….bang? Then sit back and take in all the compliments you’ll receive!
Ingredients:
For the shrimp
• 1 1/2 lb small/medium pre-cooked shrimp, shells and tails removed, deveined, defrosted
• 2-3 TBSP cornstarch
• 2 cups canola oil, for frying-optional
For the sauce
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 TBSP Sriracha
• 1 TBSP rice vinegar
• 1 TBSP sugar
For the egg rolls
12 egg rolls wrappers
2 cups pre-shredded cabbage mix
12 slices pepper jack cheese, rough chopped Bang Bang Sauce (from above)
Shrimp, (from above)
For cooking
3-4 cups canola or vegetable oil
For serving
2 stalks green onions, chopped fine
Directions:
1. Pat defrosted shrimp dry. Toss in cornstarch until covered. In a shallow skillet over high heat, heat oil for about 5 minutes. When oil shimmers and one shrimp tested in the oil sizzles, cook the remainder of shrimp (don’t overcrowd skillet) until pink, about 2-3 minutes. Remove to a paper towel to drain. Place
shrimp on a cutting board and rough chop. .
2. Make the sauce. In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, Sriracha, rice vinegar and sugar. Refrigerate until ready to serve
3. Make the Egg Rolls. Lay out the egg roll wrapper. Spread a small amount of the sauce in the center of the wrapper. Next, Add about 2 tablespoons of cabbage mix to the center, then 2 tablespoons of shrimp, 1 chopped cheese slice, and another tiny drizzle of sauce.
4. Dip your fingers in a cup of water and wet the edges of the wonton rapper. Carefully wrap the egg roll, burrito style, being careful to keep it tight so the ingredients don’t fall out. Dip fingers in water again and press to seal the wrapper. Repeat for all egg rolls.
5. In a large skillet, add oil and heat over medium high heat for about 5 minutes - to 325 degrees. Carefully add egg rolls into the skillet, cooking 4-5 at a time, not crowding them. Cook 2-3 minutes per side, until golden brown, then carefully flip over and cook another 2 minutes or until browned. Remove and place on a paper towel lined plate. Repeat for all egg rolls.
6. Serve on a platter and top with Bang Bang sauce and green onions. Serve immediately. Makes 12 egg rolls.
Island near Java
“Cheers” order
Swelled head
Reed and Rawls
“Hud” actress Patricia
Star of “NCIS: Los Angeles”
Singer Starr
Photo book
Witty one
Crater part
Corp. kingpins
Cab cost
Sauce source
Novelist Rand
Anderson Cooper’s channel
Calendar abbr.
Official flower of Chicago
Cash advance
List-ending abbr.
Sign before Virgo
Joplin tune
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the City of Mesa is seeking a qualified Consultant for the following: CENTER STREET COMPLETE STREET – MCKELLIPS ROAD TO BROADWAY ROAD PROJECT NO. CP1018
The City of Mesa is seeking a qualified Consultant to provide design services for the Center Street Complete Street – McKellips Road to Broadway Road Project. All qualified firms that are interested in providing these services are invited to submit their Statements of Qualifications (SOQ) in accordance with the requirements detailed in the Request for Qualifications (RFQ).
This project will include a Design Concept Report (DCR) for Center Street from McKellips Road to Broadway Road. This project was identified in the City of Mesa 2040 Transportation Plan as a complete streets priority to help bicyclists and pedestrians to connect between downtown and pathways to the north and south. The report should use Complete Streets concepts to develop the improvements along the corridor. The City of Mesa Complete Streets Policy can be found in the appendix of the 2040 Transportation Plan, and this can provide some basic guidance. However, it is expected that the team submitting for this project has knowledge of Complete Streets design principles and they should include examples as part of the submittal package.
A Complete Streets streetscape enables safe use and supports mobility for all users and modes within the public right-of-way. This specific corridor is unique and challenging because within the project limits, Center Street is a typical 5-lane collector with bicycle lanes at the north end, but then narrows to two lanes with on-street parking as it passes through the downtown core. Additionally, land use transitions from residential, to City Center, to industrial as it travels from north to south. The City of Mesa is seeking a firm with expertise in developing innovative bicycle/pedestrian design in an urban environment to develop a cohesive Complete Street concept for Center Street within the project limits.
A key challenge of this project is evaluating and prioritizing mobility options between the downtown core and existing adjacent multimodal infrastructure. Major considerations include the downtown sidewalk network, separated bike lanes on First Avenue, nearby shared-use paths, on-street parking, light rail and other transit services, ASU, and City administration buildings. The requested DCR should provide vision and guidance to maximize the Complete Streets and urban design potential of the corridor.
The successful proposal should demonstrate leadership experience developing and presenting concepts, soliciting input, and building consensus among project stakeholders and the community. A Pre-Submittal Conference will be held on February 2, at 9 am through Microsoft Teams. At this meeting, City staff will discuss the scope of work and general contract issues and respond to questions from the attendees. Attendance at the pre-submittal conference is not mandatory and all interested firms may submit a Statement of Qualifications whether or not they attend the conference. All interested firms are encouraged to attend the Pre-Submittal Conference since City staff will not be available for meetings or to respond to individual inquiries regarding the project scope outside of this conference. In addition, there will not be meeting minutes or any other information published from the Pre-Submittal Conference. To attend the Conference, please send an invitation request to Donna Horn (donna. horn@mesaaz.gov).
Contact with City Employees. All firms interested in this project (including the firm’s employees, representatives, agents, lobbyists, attorneys, and subconsultants) will refrain, under penalty of disqualification, from direct or indirect contact for the purpose of influencing the selection or creating bias in the selection process with any person who may play a part in the selection process. This policy is intended to create a level playing field for all potential firms, to assure that contract decisions are made in public, and to protect the integrity of the selection process. All contact on this selection process should be addressed to the authorized representative identified below
RFQ Lists. This RFQ is available on the City’s website at http://mesaaz.gov/business/engineering/architectural-engineering-design-opportunities. The Statement of Qualifications shall include a one-page cover letter, plus a maximum of 10 pages to address the SOQ evaluation criteria (excluding PPVF’s and resumes but including an organization chart with key personnel and their affiliation). Resumes for each team member shall be limited to a maximum length of two pages and should be attached as an appendix to the SOQ. Minimum font size shall be 10pt. Please provide one (1) electronic copy of the Statement of Qualifications in an unencrypted PDF format to Engineering-RFQ@mesaaz.gov by February 16, 2023, by 2 pm. The City reserves the right to accept or reject any and all Statements of Qualifications. The City is an equal opportunity employer.
Firms who wish to do business with the City of Mesa must be registered and activated in the City of Mesa Vendor Self Service (VSS) System (http:// mesaaz.gov/business/purchasing/vendor-self-service).
Questions. Questions pertaining to the Consultant selection process or contract issues should be directed to Donna Horn of the Engineering Department at donna.horn@mesaaz.gov.
BETH HUNNING City EngineerT-Mobile West, LLC is proposing to replace a 62.8-foot-tall ball field light pole with a new 62.8-foot-tall ball field light pole at 625 North McQueen Road, Chandler, Maricopa County, Arizona 85244. Antennas will be installed at a centerline height of 50 feet. Associated equipment will be located in a separate compound.
T-Mobile West, LLC is publishing this notice in accordance with Federal Communications Commission regulations (47 CFR § 1.1307) for Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) and for the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Parties interested in commenting on this Federal undertaking or with questions on the proposed facility should contact, Elizabeth Shule, 2154 Torrance Boulevard, Suite 200, Torrance, CA, 90501, (314) 339-3896, eshule@partneresi.com. Please provide comments within 30 days of the publication date.
Published in East Valley Tribune Jan 15, 2023
The Mesa City Council will hold a public hearing concerning the following ordinances at the January 23, 2023, City Council meeting beginning at 5:45 p.m. in the Mesa City Council Chambers, 57 East First Street.
1. ZON22-00429 “Merwin Rezoning” (District 2) Within the 1400 block of North Val Vista Drive (east side) and within the 3600 block of East Huber Street (north side). Located east of Val Vista Drive and north of Huber Street (4.7+ acres). Rezone from Agricultural (AG) to Single Residence-35 (RS-35). This request will allow for a single residence development. Meredith Thomson, Architect, Candelaria Design Associates, LLC, applicant; Merwin Family Trust, owner.
2. ZON22-00546 “Recker and 202 Retail” (District 5) Within the 3300 block of North Recker Road (west side) and the 5900 block of East Virginia Street (south side). Located south of Virginia Street on the west side of Recker Road (25± acres). Site Plan Modification and amending the conditions of approval on zoning case Z07-118. This request will allow for a commercial development. Neil Feaser, RKAA, applicant; SUN CITY 115, LLC, owner.
Dated at Mesa, Arizona, this 15th day of January 2023.
Holly Moseley, City Clerk Published in the Mesa Tribune, Jan 15, 2023
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