Scottsdale Progress - 02.28.2021 by Times Media Group

Locals rally for nonpro�its / P. 18

ArtWalk honoring Native Americans / P. 26

An edition of the East Valley Tribune

INSIDE TEAM SCHEDULES INSIDE!

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2021

Around the Horn ng sees a lot Spring Traini This season’s First baseman

of new faces

Christian Walker full ent in his second showed improvem a careermajors, batting season in the in the NL �inishing third high .271 and committing come back around, with 18 doubles. Despite among NL pring has �inally Basehe was top 5 Major League three errors, double which means special a It’s in assists (28), ball isn’t far behind. as baseball �irst basemen and �ielding percentthe Valley, plays turned (40) make time of year for country usually is age (.990). fans across the the D-backs core n to the desert. Coming into 2021, year. A couple their annual migratio 9 panthe same as last to the COVID-1 r Jon However, due not going largely es are out�ielde mostly likely notable departur State pitcher demic, that’s ties of the of former Arizona The uncertain .283 hitter, and Jay, and to be the case. behind us, though, to Mike Leake. Jay, a career stint as a Dia2020 season are rs to get back in his second it’s time for ballplaye begins Feb. 28, struggled batting .160 in just 50 plate k, of Training work. Spring need to mondbac ces. Leake, who opted out you g everythin teams appearan season, posted a 3-3 record and we’ve got 15 Cactus League the Dthe 2020 know about all a 4.35 ERA for n in 10 starts with in 2021. acquired midseaso backs after being

BY ETHAN GRENI Staff Writer

David Peralta. (Photo by Jill

Weisleder/

ks) Arizona Diamondbac pitcher Zach DaPadres, landing s. Darvish was run in Diego a deep playoff and several prospect Team after a chance to make seemingly favorable vies All-MLB First a named to the 2020, and drew series against in 2019. offseason acquisi- matchup in the Wild Card the season. acquisition for who hadn’t Arizona’s biggest Joakim Soria, By far, the biggest was free agent Miami Marlins, 2003. was veteran reliever , $3.5 million the 31-29 offseason postseason since the NL tion the Cubs this a one-year who signed a been to the �inished last in bats dried up signing him to Joc Pederson, who turns 37 The D-backs ately, the Cubs’ run left �ielder million deal in February. truncated season, deal. The 6-foot-3 Soria, Unfortun one cyear’s just last in West in Sein 22 appearan one-year, $7 managed to score for the third year had a 2.82 ERA off his �irst World sea- as they swept in two missing the playoffs there were some in May, Athletics last Pederson, fresh series and were Los Angesaid, es with the Oaklanded a top contender in the nship with the a row. That being be re- ries champiois just two years removed games. away from 2020. and is consider 2021. players will not in positives to take right �ielder Kole son, Dodgers, closing spot in A few notable season, les 74-RBI season 36-home run, Buckeye-raised Windy City this NL in for Arizona’s caKyle from a turning to the top 10 in the him hit .249, all ite out�ielder that also saw Calhoun �inished 40, re, $10 2019 including fan-favor RBIs — 16 and one-year Cubs: and a o runs signed Chicag home playing reer bests. Schwarber, who in his �irst year more 34-26 the Washington spectively — contract with 2020 record – -UP �� 4 n team. With one ROUND the million traded veter�� also Central, Cubs option for his hometow NL s. The the and a club to the San After winning removed National year on his contract old will certainly der Yu Darvish just four years 33-yearhad an right-han Cubs are still They that title. for 2022, the near Series his production from their World look to keep level in 2021.

dbacks: Arizona Diamon 25-35 2020 record –

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Sunday, February 28, 2021

Unger pitching new downtown project to city BY WAYNE SCHUTSKY Progress Managing Editor

year after a voter referendum sank its Southbridge Two project, Spring Creek Development is back with a new plan to redevelop much of its property in downtown Scottsdale’s 5th Avenue shopping district. Plans obtained exclusively by the Progress show the new proposal differs significantly from last year’s contentious project. It will include less height and density than the previous iteration – though building heights would still exceed the small one-and-

Spring Creek Development partner Jose Ramirez and company president Carter Unger are anxious to show people their plans for their new project. (Pablo Robles/Progress Staff)

two story shops that populate most of the area today. For Spring Creek President Carter Unger, it is a second chance to make good on plans

originally developed by his father, the late Fred Unger, who was responsible for the

The city is in the process of updating General Plan 2035 in anticipation of sending it to City Council for approval in June before it goes on the ballot in November. The new document – which covers a range of topics from land use and sustainability to transportation – would set a broad vision for the city’s growth and development over the next decade or more.

Unlike the city’s existing plan, the new draft includes a specific section dedicated to arts and culture. However, some residents have criticized that section for vague language and failing to include concrete goals to foster and grow the city’s arts amenities.

see UNGER page 6

Arts supporters: General Plan draft weak FOOD............................. 28 Maggiore uncorks his own wine line.

NEIGHBORS .........................................20 BUSINESS .............................................. 24 ARTS ........................................................ 26 FOOD ....................................................... 28 CLASSIFIEDS ....................................... 29

BY WAYNE SCHUTSKY Progress Managing Editor

takeholders in Scottsdale’s arts community are concerned that a draft General Plan that could be sent to voters later this year does not do enough to support and grow the city’s longstanding arts scene.

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CITY NEWS

An edition of the East Valley Tribune Scottsdale Progress is published every Sunday and distributed free of charge to homes and in single-copy locations throughout Scottsdale. To find out where you can pick up a free copy of Scottsdale Progress, please visit www.Scottsdale.org. CONTACT INFORMATION Main number 480-898-6500 | Advertising 480-898-5624 Circulation service 480-898-5641 Scottsdale Progress 4301 N 75th St., Suite 201, Scottsdale, AZ 85251 Publisher Steve T. Strickbine Vice President Michael Hiatt ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT Display Advertising 480-898-6309 Classifieds/Inside Sales Elaine Cota | 480-898-7926 | ecota@scottsdale.org TJ Higgins | 480-898-5902 | tjhiggins@scottsdale.org Advertising Office Manager Lori Dionisio | 480-898-6309 | ldionisio@scottsdale.org Director of National Advertising Zac Reynolds | 480-898-5603 | zac@scottsdale.org NEWS DEPARTMENT Executive Editor Paul Maryniak | 480-898-5647 | pmaryniak@scottsdale.org Managing Editor Wayne Schutsky | 480-898-6533 | wschutsky@scottsdale.org Staff Writers Kristine Cannon | 480-898-9657 | kcannon@scottsdale.org Jim Walsh | 480-898-5639 | jwalsh@scottsdale.org Photographers Pablo Robles | Probles@scottsdale.org Design Veronica Thurman | vthurman@scottsdale.org Production Coordinator Courtney Oldham | 480-898-5617 | production@scottsdale.org Circulation Director Aaron Kolodny | 480-898-5641 | customercare@scottsdale.org Scottsdale Progress is distributed by AZ Integrated Media, a circulation service company owned by Times Media Group. The public is permitted one copy per reader. For further information regarding the circulation of this publication or others in the Times Media Group family of publications, please contact AZ Integrated Media at circ@azintegratedmedia.com or 480-898-5641. For circulation services please contact Aaron Kolodny at aaron@azintegratedmedia.com

SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | FEBRUARY 28, 2021

GENERAL PLAN from front

“I think that the important thing that I saw…was that there was not a lot of action that was going to happen,” said resident Diana Smith, who has a long history of involvement in arts and civic organizations. Smith, who currently sits on the board of The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, said the plan “doesn’t give us much direction. It doesn’t say build a theater….and yet those kinds of potential goals could be part of what the city is headed for if we plan and look at the general plan as a future look at what things could be.” Smith wants the city to include more direct support for its wide range of cultural assets, including museums, performing arts organizations, art galleries, art schools, historic sites and cultural assets. She said that outside of inclusion on a single map, the 322-page document even fails to mention Scottsdale’s Museum of the West – the downtown museum the city spent over $11 million to build and has supported with over $3 million in support since 2015. Adam Yaron, a city planner who has worked on the plan, said the original draft was written in 2014, prior to the museum’s opening. “Adding more reference to the Museum in the plan has been an excellent suggestion by our citizens,” he said. Smith, who worked on the previous plan in 2000, said she is worried that without revisions to include direction to support area non-profits and arts organizations, the city will continue to lose these assets over time. “What we saw is that if you go back and look… that report lists a lot of arts organizations, and many of them have disappeared,” she said. “I don’t see us supporting our arts as a recreation, as entertainment, as tourism and as a cultural venue as much as we support some of the other things in our city.” Stakeholders in the downtown art community have also criticized the plan for its vague language. Downtown Gallery owner Bob Pejman cited sections of the plan calling for the city to “explore” ways to expand opportunities for art exhibitions or “encourage” clustering of arts-related uses and artistic venues. Pejman and other stakeholders have called for stronger language in support of the arts. “You will discover that the Sustainabil-

French Thompson, who owns a business in the downtown Arts District, is one of several stakeholders calling for the city to improve support for the city’s art scene in the new draft general plan scheduled to go before voters in November. (Progress file photo)

ity & Environment section has very direct and action orientated – definitive – verbs,” French Thompson wrote to the City Council. “The verbs used in the Arts & Cultural are much milder or (milquetoast).” Thompson, owner of French Designer Jeweler in the downtown Arts District, said “I question if the people putting this together in the first place have more knowledge and awareness of Sustainability & Environment and no clue about the Downtown or anything to do with Arts & Culture.” Both Pejman and Thompson also took issue with the fact that the most recent arts section draft no longer calls on the city to “Maximize the potential of art and cultural events for generating economic activity.” Yaron said that section was not removed and was relocated to a section focused on tourism. “Based on community comments, staff will be suggesting that a similar economic policy remain in the Art/Culture Element as well, which staff will propose to Council at their next study session on the General Plan,” he said. Yaron also pointed out that, if ratified, this would be the first general plan in city history to include an entire section dedicated to arts and culture. He acknowledged that some wording is vague because “at the General Plan level, arts/culture goals and policies are written to a city-wide perspective and not intended to be specific to any one area of the city.”

Specific goals for the downtown Arts District, for instance, are included in area-specific documents the like city’s character area plans, he said. Still, Yaron said there several areas in which the plan already uses the concrete language Pejman, Thompson and Smith are looking for. For instance, the draft 2035 plan calls for the city to “Strengthen Old Town arts destinations through physical improvements, promotion, the adaptive reuse of unique spaces, and collaboration among arts and cultural entities.” Still, Pejman and Thompson voiced anxieties long-held by downtown gallery owners that the city is looking to replace the downtown Arts District. They cited language calling for the city to consider “establishing new districts that celebrate the city’s tradition of arts and culture, and support the revitalization of existing arts-related districts.” “It’s almost like they’re setting the stage for the Arts District to be redeveloped but need to find a new arts district first,” Pejman said. Yaron said this is not the case, though he acknowledged the wording could be misleading. He said the section was originally written when the plan was first drafted in 2014 with the intent of highlighting the importance of public art works through-

see GENERAL PLAN page 14

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CITY NEWS

SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | FEBRUARY 28, 2021

City project approval process has many stages BY WAYNE SCHUTSKY Progress Managing Editor

ajor Scottsdale development projects can go through months, or even years, of city review before they reach the City Council, but much of those discussions take place behind closed doors. The Progress recently sat in on a preapplication meeting – one of the first steps – for a proposed redevelopment project in downtown Scottsdale following an invitation from developer Carter Unger. Before the developer even submits actual plans, the pre-application meeting gives city staff a 50,000-foot view of the proposal. “When people come in with a pre-app, they have a solid idea what they want to do – or they may not have a solid idea,” said Tim Curtis, city planning director. “And so a lot of times property owners are formulating what they want to do at that time.” Curtis said the first thing the city tells applicants is to reach out to the local community to gauge its reaction to the project. In the pre-app meeting, staff gets an idea of everything from planned building heights and parking ratios to a project’s impact on traffic. Those variables have the potential to derail a project if they draw opposition from the Council – or vocal residents.

UNGER from front

nearby Southbridge development and other notable Valley projects like the Royal Palms renovation. The new plans show that Spring Creek is planning on building 500 residential units, around 120,000-square-feet of retail space and a 140-room hotel on multiple sites west of Scottsdale Road along with a large public park/plaza. Gone are plans for a 150-foot-high office building that would have fronted on Scottsdale Road under the old Southbridge Two plans. Under the new proposal, one site, located on a triangle of land roughly between Stetson and the north side of 5th Avenue, would include ground-level retail underneath a hotel and residential units. Another site at the western edge of 5th Avenue at the intersection with Goldwa-

Residents interested in learning more about proposed new developments in their area should keep an eye out for white notification signs that include more information about new projects, including QR codes that link to the city website. (Progress file photo)

Unger knows that all too well after his previous Southbridge Two proposal to redevelop parts of 5th Avenue foundered on opposition to increasing height and density. Unger ultimately pulled the project. On Jan. 25, Unger met virtually with members of half a dozen city departments to present rough plans for his new development proposal along 5th Avenue that ter Boulevard would feature additional retail and residential space along with a 24,500-square-foot park and plaza that feeds to the canal bank. Unger said he is requesting approval for one building that will be between 90 and 150 feet tall, using bonuses that allow developers to exceed existing height and density limits by making financial contributions to downtown improvements. Southbridge Two had proposed four buildings over 120 feet, including a 150foot hotel. That created much of the opposition to the project. Unger said the rest of the buildings under the new proposal would be “height by right” or heights allowed under the city’s zoning code without bonuses – likely meaning a mixture of heights between 40 and 84 feet tall. According to the city’s Old Town Character Area Plan and zoning code, both sites

would differ significantly from the previous Southbridge Two plans. Representatives from traffic, water, fire and other departments questioned aspects of the project, made suggestions and pointed out potential issues. “We talk about the key issues for the different (departments) dealing with infrastructure, and that way the prospective

qualify for a mixture of Type 1 and Type 3 downtown multiple uses – a relatively new designation approved by the Council that allows for increased heights in parts of downtown. The border between Type 1 – with maximum heights of 40 feet without bonuses– and Type 3 – with maximum height of 84 feet – appears to cut through both proposed sites with lower heights closer to the street along 5th Avenue. Unger said he hopes the compromises made in this new proposal will win over previous critics. “We wanted to try to this go around to take a lot of the stuff that we heard from others, no matter if they were in the minority or majority, we wanted to try to improve upon it all,” Unger said. “And so, a big part of that was more sight lines, even more open space, and not feeling like anybody feels crowded either on

developer gets an idea of what is going to be involved in putting together a formal application,” Curtis said. “And then, of course, the planners are always talking also about the zoning ordinance and the general plan, and we’re talking about the public outreach.” For example, Philip Kercher, the city’s traffic engineering and operations manager, made sure the development team planned to update its 700-page report on traffic impacts to reflect the new mix of proposed uses. Unger said the team planned to use the previous traffic and infrastructure impact studies developed for Southbridge as a template but would update them with the new less mix of uses. Kercher also told Unger the city would likely want to see traffic circulation improvements, including upgrades to the intersection at Stetson Drive and Scottsdale Road, which were previously included in the Southbridge plan. Doug Wilson with Scottsdale Fire said he saw no glaring issues but that the department would keep an eye on the project as it became more developed to determine how the increased density in the area would impact services. Applicants use feedback from city staff to

see PREAPP page 12

the canal or on 5th Avenue.” He also promised to remain transparent throughout the development process in an attempt to keep the community informed and win public support. So far, he’s made good on that commitment by inviting the Progress to sit in on meetings between the developer and the city and sharing detailed project plans and communications with the city. “More transparency and more truth and more information is never a bad thing because the truth is what it is, the good, bad, and the ugly,” Unger said. Unger told the Progress the new proposal still includes limited development bonus requests for the single 90-to-150foot building and that limited exceptions to stepback requirements may be requested for one of the residential buildings.

see UNGER page 10

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CITY NEWS

SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | FEBRUARY 28, 2021

State land dumping angers Scottsdale neighbors BY WAYNE SCHUTSKY Progress Managing Editor

hen Scottsdale resident Lauren Click and her neighbors noticed trash piling up in the desert behind her north Scottsdale apartment complex, she decided to do something about it. “I just hate looking at trash; it just bothers me,” said Click, who lives in The Halsten at Chauncey Lane complex that borders over 200 acres of desert near Scottsdale Road and Loop 101. She alleged much of the dumping came from construction crews working on a nearby Hyatt hotel. “We moved in…last June and construction on the Hyatt building was already in progress and there was already trash there,” she said. Click said the area is also trashed by people who cross the desert to visit the nearby Scottsdale Princess Resort area to the south. “If you like follow that little path, there’s a lot of trash and beer cans,” she said. “Just looking out on my patio, people chuck, their dogs poop bags over it – it’s a mess.” Click said she reached out to the Layton Construction, the general contractor working on the hotel, and received no response. Click also contacted City of Scottsdale but received no help in cleaning up the mess, she said. “It got pushed around to a million different people who were like ‘I don’t know who owns this land’…I was just getting passed around and I was like this is ridiculous,” she said. The city did not respond to a request for comment. Neighbor Christian John Santiago told the Progress he also contacted the construction company and the city to no avail. “I called the construction company several times and got no response,” he said. “I called the city more than five times and finally got someone to call me back.” Santiago said he was told by the city that they did not control the land, and he needed to file a complaint with the State

Volunteers collected 10 bags of trash on vacant desert in north Scottsdale at a community cleanup organized by resident Lauren Click. (Courtesy of Christian John Santiago)

of Arizona. Based on Maricopa County Recorder’s Office records, the land in question is actually state trust land owned by the Arizona State Land Department. “So, I did and never got a response,” Santiago said. So, the neighbors organized their own cleanup in January and, according to a photo shared with the Progress, they collected around eight bags of trash. “As you can tell by the photo, we had a pretty successful cleanup,” Santiago said. Click then organized a second cleanup on Feb. 27 with help from the neighbors and the nearby Bell Lexus car dealership. In a statement to the Progress, a

spokesperson for Layton Construction denied the company contributed to the trash issue and said it has strictlyenforced cleanup plans in place on all worksites for subcontractors, vendors and other team members. “Our project team at the Hyatt Place Scottsdale regularly assesses the project site and surrounding properties for debris and confirms both are cleaned frequently,” according to the statement. Click acknowledged some of the construction-related trash has been cleared recently, though she believes that was a result of a post about her February cleanup event in a popular Scottsdale Facebook group.

“I think Layton was contacted by someone because they put up a bunch of rocks and a lot of the trash in that immediate area is gone, but I think they were just caught with their pants down and got embarrassed; it was there for a decent amount of time,” she said. Layton pinned the trash issues on other bad actors and said the company has also organized cleanup efforts. “Layton supports a clean environment, and unfortunately with the surrounding desert being an area for frequent illegal dumping, causing ours and the community’s concern, our team has organized additional internal cleanup projects in recent weeks for the surrounding desert area, so community members and wildlife have a beautiful area to live for years to come,” according to the statement. Click said the alleged construction trash was not the only garbage littering the land behind her apartment. She said RVs also parked on the land during the recent Waste Management Phoenix Open and contributed to the trash issue before being cleared away by police. If the issues continue, Click said she will likely find herself back out in the desert, trash bag in hand. The land is unlikely to remain vacant for much longer, though. The state has methodically auctioned off its parcels in recent years to make way for major developments like Nationwide’s Cavasson and Axon’s new headquarters.

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UNGER from page 6

The developer will not be asking for bonus increases to density and would be parked up to code, Unger said. Even with the pared-down proposal, the plan is likely to draw some opposition to what Unger calls a key part of the plan: development of the city-owned Rose Garden lot at 5th Avenue and Goldwater Blvd. Unger is asking the city to exchange the property for the other public benefits included in the plan, including the new public park and a voluntary one-percent tax to support the city’s public safety budget. Unger, a former Chandler fire fighter, said the tax idea was inspired by Dairy Block, a development in Denver that includes a public improvement fee on transactions in the area. Under his proposal, all activity on his property – from apartment rents to retail sales – would be taxed an additional one percent to help offset public safety costs, including those connected to a forecasted mass retirement at the fire department in the coming years. He also said the development of the Rose Garden parcel would deliver a public good in its own right by bringing the The School of Architecture founded by Frank Lloyd Right back to Scottsdale. If approved, Unger said the Rose Garden would house a building with ground levelretail, one floor of office space and multiple floors apartment units. Half of the 50,000-square-foot office floor would be reserved for the architecture school, which was located at Taliesin West for decades before the school’s board and Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, which oversees the property, failed to reach a new agreement last year. Even with those benefits, the Rose Garden proposal is likely to receive some pushback from residents and the City Council. Mayor David Ortega, an early opponent of Southbridge Two, was a vocal critic of the city’s deal to sell the Rose Garden to Unger last year. Under that deal, Unger would have paid the city $8 million for the land. This time he is asking for the lot without money changing hands, though he argued the benefits of his proposal make the plan worthwhile for the city. Other local business owners also came out against the sale last year, arguing it would cannibalize an already limited

The colored portions of this map of the 5th Avenue shopping district in downtown Scottsdale represent areas where developer Carter Unger proposes various parts of his project. (Courtesy Carter Unger)

Spring Creek Development has a new proposal to redevelop parts of the 5th Avenue shopping district a year after its Southbridge Two project was killed by a voter referendum. (Progress file photo)

source of parking in downtown Scottsdale. On that point, Unger was blunt, arguing the lot is primarily used by a small number of businesses that have high traffic but few parking spaces of their own. “So, you’ve got a parking lot that costs money,” Unger said. “Instead, it can be the School of Architecture’s home; it can be income producing with (taxes) paying on it…

and in exchange, you get a free park that you don’t have to maintain, that you don’t have to pay for that’s in a better location to tie it in with canal convergence.” Unger is hoping that offering the city other assets in exchange for the lot will win support for the project. For instance, the 24,500-square-foot proposed park/plaza could accomplish

some goals Ortega floated when he suggested the use its own land along the canal to expand events like Canal Convergence. Unger said his proposal accomplishes that goal and saves the city the cost to construct that expansion. Still, Unger will also likely have to overcome skepticism from others on the Council who were actively opposed to Southbridge Two and participated in the referendum battle that sharply divided the community and included accusations by both sides that others were spreading misinformation and using scare tactics. New members Betty Janik and Tom Durham both actively participated in the referendum before being elected and Councilwoman Kathy Littlefield was also opposed to the project. “I’m hopeful that they will agree with it, and be big supporters, but I am not going to fight an uphill battle,” Unger said. “If they don’t want this, then I’m throwing in the towel…and we’ll just sell the land.” But, he added, “I could be naive, but I’m optimistic that this council does care about the best interests of the citizens and that with caution, and skepticism on their part, I can prove to them that we can do this right and that’d be a real compromise.”

CITY NEWS

SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | FEBRUARY 28, 2021

Financial advisor in hot water over investments

BY WAYNE SCHUTSKY Progress Managing Editor

n ex-Scottsdale financial advisor has been banned from the industry and could lose his state license over allegations he solicited millions of dollars in investments in violation of industry regulations. According to the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, or FINRA, Scott Reed, a former employee of Wells Fargo Advisors in Scottsdale, is accused of “selling away” at least $3.5 million in investments in Pebblekick, a Californiabased entertainment content developer. “Selling away” refers to offering investments that are not approved by the advisor’s brokerage firm – in Reed’s case, Wells Fargo. Selling those investments without proper disclosures could mislead investors who mistakenly believe the potentially-risky investments are endorsed by the company. “So if he’s working for Wells Fargo, you would assume, and at least this is why the protection exist…that Wells Fargo signed off on it,” said Dax White, a securities litigation attorney. FINRA, the industry’s regulatory body, prohibits advisors from selling investments not approved by their firm unless the advisor first discloses what, if any, compensation they will receive for the sale. Reed did not disclose the sale of Pebblekick investments or the fact that he was paid $191,340 by the company, according to FINRA. White, who is not a party in the Reed case, said there were “all kinds of red flags, but again, if the client thought Wells Fargo signed off on it, then they’re probably thinking it must be okay.” On Feb. 19, FINRA announced it had barred Reed, a Mesa resident, from act-

see REED page 13

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SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | FEBRUARY 28, 2021

Cancer screenings plummet during pandemic BY MELISSA ESTRADA Cronkite News

ancer screenings in the U.S. have plunged since the start of the pandemic almost a year ago, prompting health advocates to increase calls for the public to stop postponing these potentially life-saving procedures. More than one-third of adults have failed to receive recommended cancer screenings during the pandemic, according to “Cancer Won’t Wait and Neither Should You,” a bulletin published by the American Cancer Society and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. Fear of getting COVID-19 at screening centers and job losses that have affected insurance coverage are among the factors driving this dangerous trend. “The pandemic has really given cancer the advantage, and the balance of risk has shifted significantly,” said Jeff Fehlis, executive vice president of the American Cancer Society’s south region. “Patients are continuing to wait on those preventative screenings, or even to have symptoms evaluated, because of fear of going to the doctor or the clinic.” The statistics around these missed tests

PREAPP from page 6

prepare to submit a formal application to the city. That formal application starts the rest of the process, which includes the city mailing a postcard to residents within 750 feet of the development and posting signs on the project site that list outreach meetings. The city also uses social media to inform residents and sends emails to people who signed up for the city’s P&Z Link email list. The development team is also required to host open houses. If the application is complete, staff from all relevant city departments review the proposal for 30 days before providing comments and feedbacks to the development team. That feedback letter – which is available to the public – may also include any comments from the public received by the city. The applicant then has the chance to make changes and respond to the city. Curtis said that feedback cycle can repeat

Mammograms are among the routine cancer screenings that have been interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic for nearly a year. Advocates now are urging Americans to get these potentially life-saving procedures. (Courtesy of the U.S. Navy)

are stunning. One study, published in April by the IQVIA Institute for Human Data Science, found the number of mammograms, colonoscopies and pap smears declined by 87 percent, 90 percent and 83 percent,

between two and four times, depending on the project’s complexity, before receiving staff approval. If the application receives staff approval, it is then sent for further review by the city’s public bodies, including the Development Review Board, Planning Commission, and, eventually, City Council. Depending on the nature of the project, it may also be reviewed by other boards or commissions, such as the Historic Preservation Commission or the Board of Adjustment. To find out about development proposals, residents can look up new proposals and pre-applications on scottsdaleaz. gov/planning-development/projects-inprocess. Once a project is submitted for city review, the public can view and download the developer’s project proposal from the city website. Once a proposal nears its hearing date before the Planning Commission or Development Review Board, more informa-

respectively, compared with February 2020, a month before the pandemic was declared. Using modeling, the report estimated that more than 80,000 cancer diagnoses could be missed or delayed because of

tion is usually available in the form of staff reports that address issues like zoning change requests and the potential impact on local utilities, traffic and parking. However, unless residents live within the 750-foot notification area for a development, it can be difficult for them to find out about a project before it reaches Council. That has led to a public push for more inclusion earlier in the process in recent years. In 2019, the Planning Commission recommended that Council review the public outreach process for cases in which property owners request zoning changes. Historic Preservation Commissioner Christie Lee Kinchen told the Planning Commission at the time that more outreach could potentially cut down on resident outrage by the time a project reaches the City Council. “Why can I, as just one average citizen, reach more people than my entire city staff?” Kinchen said. Curtis pointed out that the city’s 750-

pandemic-related disruptions. Another report, published in July by the Epic Health Research Network, found that more than 400,000 breast, colon and cervical exams were missed from March to June of 2020. During the early months of the pandemic, some states and health care facilities put cancer screenings on hold to try to limit the spread of COVID-19. But even after screenings resumed, the concern of contracting the disease kept people away. “Early detection is a key to beating and fighting cancer,” Fehlis said. “With these delays, you’ve given the cancer a chance to advance and make it more difficult to treat.” Dr. Nayan Patel, a gastroenterologist and hepatologist with Arizona Digestive Health in Scottsdale, performs endoscopies, colonoscopies and other procedures to help detect cancer early. He’s seen firsthand how the pandemic has affected his patient load. “There are a lot of patients who are kind of wary of coming to those sort of environments (hospitals and surgical centers) because of fear of contracting COVID,” he said. Aside from worry about contracting the disease, a lack of health insurance because

see CANCER page 16

foot notification requirement is more than the 300-foot radius required by state law, but said the city is constantly reviewing its outreach requirements. He said if the city believes a specific project will elicit more community feedback, it could expand that radius and would also notify applicants to expand the radius for their own community outreach. Curtis said the city also began producing short videos for new projects making their way through the approval process. Those videos, which typically run about one minute, include a brief description of the project. The videos are included in the city’s P&Z Link emails and also posted on its official Facebook page at youtube.com/user/ scottsdaleazgov. Anyone can sign up for the city’s P&Z Link notification system – which includes information on all new development proposals anywhere in Scottsdale – through the city website at eservices.scottsdaleaz. gov/emailsubscriptions.

CITY NEWS

SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | FEBRUARY 28, 2021

REED from page 11

ing as a broker or working with brokerdealer firm as part of a settlement. Reed agreed to the settlement without admitting or denying guilt, according to a letter of acceptance and consent signed by Reed, his attorney and a FINRA representative. Investigators with the Arizona Corporation Commission’s are also asking the commission to revoke Reed’s state licenses and registration. Reed allegedly “sold away” investments in Pebblekick to at least six individuals who invested a total $3.5 million, according to a notice filed by Mark Dinell, director of the commission’s securities division. Two of those investors were also Wells Fargo Advisors customers who invested $200,000 and $1.1 million, respectively. The investors are cited but not named in the notice to the corporation commission. According to Dinell, in early 2020, Reed allegedly promised the first investor a return of $30,000 after just three months and personally guaranteed $100,000 of the investment if Pebblekick failed to yield returns. But investigators alleged Reed was in no position to make that guarantee as he was personally over $1.4 million in debt at time. “Reed’s debt exceeding $1.4 million was a material fact that he needed to disclose in order to not mislead Investor One with respect to his $ l00,000 guaranty of lnvestor One’s Pebblekick investment,” Dinell alleged. In a response filed with the Corporation Commission by his attorney, Reed denied he broke any Arizona laws regulating securities and argued the Pebblekick securities were exempt from registration under the Arizona Securities Act. According to that investigation, the investors were unaware Reed was selling Pebblekick investments without the knowledge of his superiors at Wells Fargo. That investor eventually contacted Wells Fargo about the investments after asking Reed if the investments were approved by the company. “Hell no. Not at all. This has nothing to do with Wells,” Reed allegedly replied in March, two months after the first individual made the investment. Reed also allegedly told the investor if

he informed Wells Fargo “…I’m fired and my career is over….” Wells Fargo began an investigation in March and put Reed on administrative leave. He resigned in April to join another firm, First Financial Equity Corporation, but allegedly concealed the nature of the Wells Fargo and FINRA investigations to his new employer, according to the Dinell report. White said it is rare to see an advisor with such a large company accused of “selling away” millions of dollars in investments because a company like Wells Fargo typically has many compliance officers and managers overseeing advisors. “It’s a red flag just because usually when we see it, it’s going to be smaller firms, not Wells Fargo,” he said. Investigators also alleged Reed violated state law by failing to disclose a handful of IRS tax liens in 2009, 2013, 2014 and 2015 when he registered as a securities salesman with state. Investigators are asking the commission to revoke or suspend Reed’s investment advisor license and his registration to sell securities. Reed could also face fines of up to $5,000 and other administrative penalties and potentially be subject to requests for restitution. According to the Dinell report, the first investor got his $200,000 investment back from Pebblekick without interest. White said there are warning signs investors can look for to avoid working with an advisor who may be selling away. “It is an industry where you do develop close connection with your advisor,” he said. “There’s usually an implicit trust level where you just assume they’re looking out for you, and sometimes people just miss the warning flags.” He said investors should be wary if an advisor stops using his business email or phone and is only communicating through a personal account or cell phone. White said investors should also make sure their investments are showing up on official statements from the brokerage firm. “If you made a $200,000 investment and suddenly money comes out of your account and in the next statement, it doesn’t show up as an investment in your portfolio, that’s a red flag,” he said.

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CITY NEWS

SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | FEBRUARY 28, 2021

Expanded county board clears �irst hurdle BY HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services

bid to expand the number of Maricopa County supervisors from five to nine beginning in 2024 has cleared its first hurdle. The Senate last week voted 15-13 margin in favor of SB 1498, which expands adds four seats to the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors and boosts the size of the Pima County board from five to seven. The move came over the objection of several Democrat lawmakers who said the board members in the two affected counties are opposed. Sen. Victoria

GENERAL PLAN from page 4

out the city and the possibility of creating a “district-like” atmosphere centered on those pieces in places like the Scottsdale Airpark or Westworld. Yaron said that the city would likely rework the section “so it doesn’t appear that the city wants to erode or designate a separate arts district elsewhere – which was never the citizen task force intent.”

Steele of Tucson said the issue for the supervisors in her county is, at least in part, cost. They figure the cost of operating an office, including salaries and equipment, is about $500,000. So, two new supervisors will increase public spending by $1 million, what she called an “unfunded mandate.’’ Sen. Lela Alston, D-Phoenix, said there were similar objections from the Maricopa supervisors. But Sen. J.D. Mesnard, R-Chandler, said the two counties have grown so large that individual supervisors can no longer adequately represent their constituents.

Not all arts advocates are against expanding the city’s efforts to expand its arts reach across the city, though. Smith agreed with the general idea, but said the plan needs to be clearer on those goals. Smith said the city should continue to support existing areas and programs, but also include specific direction on how the city could expand public and private arts programming by building

He said the situation is particularly pronounced in Maricopa County where each of the five supervisors represents close to 900,000 residents. Adding four more board members would cut that to about 635,000 per district. It’s not quite as severe in Pima County where a supervisory district now consists of about 200,000 residents. Going to seven would cut that to about 150,000. Still, Mesnard defended extending his legislation to Pima County. He said it’s a “similar principle though obviously not as extreme.’’ The idea of linking the number of supervisors to population is not new. Arizona law already says that once a

county hits 175,000 the size of the board has to go from three to five. Mesnard’s bill simply adds two new thresholds. At a million, the minimum becomes seven. And at three million, that requires nine. “There comes a point in time when trying to represent a very large number of people is difficult,’’ Mesnard said. In fact, he said, at 900,000 the size of Maricopa County districts is larger than any of the state’s congressional districts. Steele does not dispute that number. But she said that most county residents

see COUNTY page 18

new attractions, such as theaters or venues, in areas like northern Scottsdale that are far from the traditional downtown arts hub. “If I’m looking out 20 years from now, I don’t want the city to just be promoting the art galleries downtown…it’s not enough, in my opinion; not in a city that has a quarter of a million people right now,” she said. Smith said she believes Scottsdale’s sta-

tus as a top arts destination in the Valley has been eclipsed by other Valley cities that have invested in theaters, museums and other venues. “The Herberger (Theater) downtown (Phoenix) is a robust core and the Heard Museum is a robust core, and I don’t’ see that in our plans for the future for Scottsdale,” she said. “We say we are the premier arts and culture center of the Valley. I don’t believe that we are.”

15,000 students from the tals in a simulation lab, in program since opening vehicles and through online classes. its doors over a decade “We have hundreds ago. Research shows, moof scenarios so they can tor vehicle crashes are learn all the basics of the No. 1 cause of death driving — hand and foot among teenagers in the control, steering controls, United States, she says. getting on and off the Most of these fatal colroadways and getting on lisions occur within six freeways, for example. months of a driver ob“When we take them on taining a license. the road, we’re just build“We are firm believers ing on what they’ve alin the power of ‘experiready developed,” she says. Maria Wojtczak founded ential learning,’” WojtcThe defensive driving DrivingMBA in Scottsdale zak says. “Our programs lab is more advanced. It and Glendale, the latter are designed for novice of which opens March 1. has 40 scenarios that in- (Photo courtesy Maria Wojtczak) drivers, professional troduce the students to drivers, mature drivers hazard recognition, the dangers of inter- and drivers who need special attensections, red light runners, skidding and tion. Simulation is a perfect tool to allow novice and experienced drivers to adverse weather conditions. DrivingMBA has graduated more than make mistakes and learn from them in

a safe environment. In the ‘real world,’ that isn’t possible without significant consequences.” Wojtczak was Red Means Stop’s board president for more than four years. The organization created a scholarship program for children who can’t afford to train at DrivingMBA. “It’s been our dream to make this a national company,” Wojtczak says. “I want to change the way driver training is done. We’re just looking for investors. “We’ve been at this for 17 years. We have a really good reputation in Scottsdale. We’re leading edge when it comes to training. We’ve had feedback from folks saying we literally save kids’ lives. One year, I had a mom crying just before Thanksgiving saying, ‘My son’s going to be at the Thanksgiving table because of what you taught him.’” Information: 480-948-1648, drivingmba.com

Driving MBA is helping students master the road BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI Progress Staff Writer

aria Wojtczak believes in the power of education, especially when teens are working toward their driver’s license. She founded DrivingMBA in the Scottsdale Airpark to make sure folks of all ages had top-notch training. “For any family considering registering their teen for driver training, this is the time to do it,” Wojtczak says. “We learned early on that standard driving training isn’t enough to keep Valley teens safe on the roads. Our mission is to save lives and we believe in the power of education and providing our students training and tools based on research and science to help them become competent, responsible and safe drivers for the rest of their lives.” Beginners are taught the fundamen-

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SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | FEBRUARY 28, 2021

GOP bill creates end-run around education tax BY HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services

handler Sen. J.D. Mesnard is proposing an end-run around the new income tax surcharge for wealthy earners that would allow some business owners to avoid paying it. SB 1783 would create an entirely new alternate tax category for small businesses, generally those organized in a way so their income passes through to the owners. That means the owners compute what they owe the state on their personal income tax forms after deducting all business expenses. What makes that significant is that Proposition 208 imposes a 3.5 percent surcharge on adjusted personal income of more than $250,000 for individuals and $500,000 for married couples filing jointly. That is on top of the current 4.5 percent rate that applies for income above those figures. Mesnard’s bill would give business owners the option of paying a 4.5 percent tax on their adjusted business income. The surcharge in Proposition 208 would not apply because this new tax category did not exist at the time voters approved the measure. So, business owners could compute their tax liability using both the existing formula or the new one and then choose the one that costs them less. During his reelection campaign last year,

CANCER from page 12

of pandemic-related job losses or other barriers to care also are affecting screening numbers, experts said. Black and Hispanic adults are more likely than whites to have had trouble paying for medical care, bills or their rent or mortgage during the pandemic and are more likely to have been unemployed during the pandemic, according to the Pew Research Center. Lack of transportation and language services create more barriers to preventative screenings for people of color, who face higher mortality rates from several different types of cancer. Black patients, for example, are more likely to be diagnosed at later stages than white patients for breast, colorectal

Mesnard expressed conabove $500,000 for a marcern about the surcharge’s ried couple. impact on businesses durLujan also pointed out ing the Clean Elections that SB 1783, which awaits Commission debate. a vote of the full Senate, He told Capitol Media doesn’t just set a new opServices that creating tional tax category for this new category makes small business. It also cresense because will allow ates this same 4.5 percent lawmakers to craft special tax rate for income from tax provisions targeted at estates and trusts. helping small businesses. Attorney Roopali Desai He acknowledged, who represents the Invest though, that a prime reain Ed committee that put son was to help business Prop 208 on the ballot, acJ.D. MESNARD owners escape paying that knowledged that lawmaknew voter-approved surcharge. ers have the power to alter the state tax Mesnard said that’s justified. code and create new categories. “We heard time and time again this will “The question is whether the Legislature not or is not meant to impact small busi- is able to pass legislation that directly or nesses,’’ he said. “And so, what this is doing indirectly changes the voter-protected law is ensuring that’s the case.’’ that was put in place through Prop 208,’’ But David Lujan, who helped organize she said. the Prop 208 fight, said the initiative does The Voter Protection Act bars lawmaknot target small business. ers from repealing or making changes in Lujan pointed out that what’s sub- anything approved at the ballot. The only ject to the tax is not the gross proceeds exception is for amendments that “further of any business. It’s what’s left after an the purpose’’ of the original law, and then owner pays all expenses, from employee only with a three-fourths vote. salaries to equipment purchases. It’s also Desai said courts have concluded that what remains after any other deductions, legislation runs afoul of the Voter Proteclike money a business owner puts into a tion Act even if it doesn’t directly repeal the 401(k) retirement account. measure approved at the ballot. What that leaves, he said, is the net in“You can do something more surrepticome in the owner’s pockets. And Prop tious and more malicious by going to make 208 kicks in only on any net earnings other changes elsewhere (in the statutes)

and cervical cancers, partly due to lower screening rates and timely follow-up of abnormal results, experts note. “Minority populations have a higher incident rate and a higher death rate with cancer,” Fehlis said. “And a lot of that is attributed to access to care.” To combat these missed screenings, doctors and advocacy organizations are getting the word out about the danger of delayed or missed appointments. On Jan. 28, officials with dozens of cancer treatment and research centers wrote a public letter that says, in part: “Together, we have an opportunity to help reverse the course and reduce the negative impact the pandemic has on people with cancer. As national leaders in cancer care, we call on all people, community

leaders, and other health care professionals to act now.” At M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, one of the largest such centers in the world, safety measures have been put in place to protect patients during in-person treatments, said Dr. Therese Bevers, medical director of Anderson’s Cancer Prevention Center. They include temperature checks, new medical grade masks for patients to wear during appointments and screening questions about recent travel, COVID-19 exposure and symptoms. “We have been trying to get the message out through multiple media mechanisms of the importance of getting cancer screening – and that it’s safe,” she said. With the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines,

that would have the same effect, which is to undermine the ultimate will of the voters,’’ she said. What isn’t known is how much would be lost from the anticipated income for education if lawmakers approve the measure. Estimates of what the initiative, as originally crafted, would raise have ranged from $827 million to $940 million a year. So far, legislative budget analysts have not produced a fiscal impact statement of SB 1783, which was approved earlier this month by the Senate Finance Committee on a party-line vote. Lujan said SB 1783 is likely to affect a “significant portion’’ of the anticipated revenues. Half of whatever is raised is earmarked for schools to hire teachers and classroom support personnel, a category that also includes librarians, nurses, counselors and coaches. Those dollars also could be used for raises. Another 25 percent would be for support services personnel. That covers classroom aides, service personnel, food service and transportation. There’s 12 percent for grants for career and technical education program and 10 percent for mentoring and retaining new teachers in the classroom. The last 3 percent is for the Arizona Teachers Academy which provides tuition grants for people pursuing careers in education. No date has been set for Senate debate on the measure.

cancer experts hope screening numbers will return to normal, but they note that patients don’t need to wait until they’re fully vaccinated to make appointments. “A number of people are deciding to delay preventive services such as cancer screenings until they get vaccinated,” Bevers said. “However, realize that a 40 or 50 year old woman who needs annual mammograms – unless she has some underlying condition that would put her at risk – she is not going to probably be eligible for a vaccine until April or maybe even the summer. “Cancer doesn’t stop even during a global pandemic. And while cancer screenings may not be top of mind or you’ve been putting it off … it is important to make it a priority.”

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Ducey says Republican Party in great shape BY HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services

rizona Republicans lost the last two U.S. Senate races. Four statewide offices are held by Democrats. Democrats are as close as they’ve been in five decades to taking control of the state House. The Arizona Republican Party is officially at war with the state’s chief executive. And while Donald Trump is back in Florida after his defeat, he continues to seek a place on the national political stage. But as far as Gov. Doug Ducey is concerned, the GOP is in great shape. And he’s counting on a Biden presidency to turn around the party’s fortunes in 2022 and beyond. “I believe that the Republican Party has a lot of things to be hopeful about,’’ Ducey said in an interview with Capitol Media Services. “There’s a lot of signs of optimism.’’ On a national level, he said, Republicans did pick up some seats in the U.S. House. “And the majority is well within sight,’’ Ducey said, glossing over the lost seats in the Senate that, with a 50-50 split, gave Democrats the majority with Vice President Kamala Harris having the deciding vote. Ducey, however, chooses to focus on the victories. “How about we reflect on the last governor’s race?’’ he asks. It is true that Ducey, seeking a second term in 2018, picked up 56 percent of the vote against David Garcia, who was by all accounts a weak candidate with a campaign beset by missteps. But that was also the year Republicans faltered in their bid to hang onto the offices of secretary of state and state schools chief. And Democrats picked up a second seat on the five-member Arizona Corporation Commission.

COUNTY from page 14

actually live within the incorporated limits of a city. In Pima County, the most recent estimates show just 35 percent of the population is in an unincorporated area. It’s even more pronounced in Maricopa

“In ‘14, for all Repubabout who is pure enough licans, there was a wind to be considered a true at our back called Barack Republican. The flip side Obama,’’ he said. “He of that is some GOP regisbrought the party togethtrants have decided to reer and we had more Reregister as independents publicans in office, both at or even Democrats. state legislatures, major“Right now, there is a ity in the (U.S.) House of discussion around purity Representatives, majority and these tests that are in the Senate. Same at the going on,’’ Ducey said, gubernatorial level.’’ “And I’m hopeful we can “I worked very hard to get past it and get focused not have a Democrat in on ideas, an agenda, and the White House in 2020,’’ GOV. DOUG DUCEY actually moving good Ducey said. “It’s a reality.’’ thoughts forward.’’ What also is a reality, he said, is that, in For the moment, though, it is Kelli Ward, general, off-cycle elections tend to favor chair of the state party, that is its public the party in the minority. face. And she’s the one who keeps getting “If they can properly press it, they can the publicity, locally and nationally. maximize it,’’ Ducey said. “And that would “Only because you keep talking about be my expectation of the Republican Par- her,’’ the governor responded. He sugty across the country.’’ gested that too much attention is being But the party is in an unusual situation, paid not just to her but also to whoever with huge schisms between what might chairs the party. be called the Trump wing of the party and “Party chairmen used to have an outthe more business-oriented Republicans size role,’’ he said. that include Ducey. “They would make decisions in smoke“There’s one Republican Party,’’ the filled rooms on who the candidate was governor insisted. “It’s supposed to be a and who could participate in the primary broad coalition.’’ and who the winner would be,’’ Ducey Still, he conceded that some things are continued. “None of that exists anymore.’’ amiss. Now, he said, the best thing the person “A majority party should be in the busi- running the party can do is raise money, ness of adding people, not purging them,’’ register Republicans and win races. And he said. the governor did not hide his feelings The official party structure has been about how Ward is doing censuring its own members who are not “By any measurement, the current party considered properly loyal. That includes chairman has failed at all three,’’ he said. Ducey himself who incurred the wrath of And what of Trump and how he might the precinct committee workers over his affect the future of the GOP? decision to certify the election results de“Well, he’s an outsize force in American claring that Biden had won Arizona’s 11 politics,’’ Ducey said, saying he’s not just electoral votes. a former president but also the leading “That’s an action of zero consequence,’’ voice in the party. the governor declared. “He did receive nearly 75 million votes,’’ Still, the party’s “cancel culture’’ re- Ducey continued. “So the idea of having a mains, with some making declarations large majority expanding party is someCounty where just 7 percent of residents don’t live within a city. And Steele said that means they are more likely to call a council member with a problem than a supervisor. Mesnard said that may be true. But he said it doesn’t make them any less important. “They’re still elected officials who have

a constituency,’’ he said. “I am a believer in the idea that the smaller the constituency that you represent, the more tailored, the more focused, the better representation you get.’’ Mesnard said that it is “absolutely true’’ that a government can be more efficient when there are fewer people in charge. But

thing he can be incredibly helpful to.’’ Ducey also said that the success of Democrats in the last election cycles should not be a surprise. “Arizona always has been an independent state,’’ he said. “People that talk about us as such a deep ruby red Republican state forget the names of Janet Napolitano and Bruce Babbitt and Dennis DeConcini.’’ But that doesn’t tell the whole story. DeConcini got elected to the U.S. Senate in 1976 after a brutal primary fight between Republican Congressmen Sam Steiger and John Conlan left the survivor politically hobbled. Babbitt never intended to run for governor but hoped to take on Barry Goldwater for Senate in 1980. But the departure of Raul Castro for an ambassadorship to Argentina and the 1978 death of Wes Bolin who had been secretary of state left Babbitt, as attorney general, the next in line of succession. And as he famously said, “You play the hand that’s dealt you.’’ Napolitano, also a former attorney general, squeaked in over Republican Matt Salmon by just 12,000 votes. But as Salmon would later acknowledge he was unable to pick up the support of many evangelical congregations because he was a member of the Church of Latter-day Saints. Mark Kelly has to run again in 2022 for the final two years of the term that originally belonged to John McCain. With Ducey having forsworn any interest in the seat, that could set the stage for a primary fight between current congressman Andy Biggs who is firmly in the Trump camp and Ducey ally former House Speaker Kirk Adams or someone in the same political camp. “Let’s let politics stand down for awhile,’’ he said. “We just swore in our new senator. And let’s focus on why we’re here, which is actually to govern and make policy.’’

he said that doesn’t tell the whole story. “They would be very efficient having single persons governing everything,’’ Mesnard said. “But we all know that’s not a good principle.’’ The measure still needs a final roll-call vote in the Senate before going to the House.

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Scottsdale businesses helping charities help others BY KRISTINE CANNON Progress Staff Writer

ince the start of the year, local businesses and organizations have donated thousands upon thousands of dollars to Scottsdale nonprofits. And with Arizona Gives Day coming up on April 6, people have the opportunity to follow suit. So far, donations this year are continuing a trend of record-breaking 2020, during which a staggering $6.1 million went to nonprofits statewide. This month, Thunderbirds Charities donated $25,000 to notMYkid to support the Scottsdale-based nonprofit’s new Arizona Youth Thriving program. The funds will support urgent mental health needs of youth and their families by making counseling, peer support, and care coordination available through a new outpatient center. “Thanks to this generous grant from Thunderbirds Charities, over 50 additional families will now have a place to heal and receive quality care and support for mental health and substance use disorders,” said notMYkid CEO Kristen Polin. “Thunderbird Charities is helping our dreams become a reality as we expand to become a full continuum provider of prevention, early intervention, and treatment services.” According to Polin, the pandemic has “drastically” changed the way her nonprofit provides services, and “it was time to do more and be more for families who turn to notMYkid for support.” New programs at notMYkid include child and family counseling, peer support and group coaching programs for teens, telehealth and technology-assisted care services, and family navi-

Saving Amy is the seventh Valley-Based nonprofit to receive a $5,000 donation from Mercedes-Benz of Scottsdale since the pandemic. The donation enables the nonprofit to help needy families. (Progress file photo)

Kristen Merrifield, CEO of the Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits, said charities are pinning big hopes on Arizona Gives Day. (Progress file photo)

gation and care coordination. “notMYkid is providing tools to vulnerable youth and families to help empower, strengthen and thrive,” said Thunderbirds Charities President Tim Woods. “We are happy to support their efforts in our community.” Scottsdale-based Fiesta Bowl Charities donated $25,000 to nonprofit ACCEL to renovate their Metro Campus playground. Founded in 1980, ACCEL serves children and adults who have developmental disabilities, including autism spectrum disorder, cognitive disabilities and behavioral disorders. About 150 Metro Campus students with severe autism and multiple disabilities use ACCEL’s playground swing equipment. And through the use of swinging, spinning, and rocking motion equipment, more than 40 primary grade children have developed sensory plans to help them increase attention to task. One Scottsdale organization that’s going on its seventh donation to Valley charities is Mercedes-Benz of Scottsdale – and they still have five more donations to go this year. Through their D.R.I.VE initiative, which started in 2020 in response to the pandemic, Mercedes-Benz of Scottsdale most recently donated $5,000 to Saving Amy, a nonprofit that empowers individuals and families in their transition out of homelessness. About 90 percent of the families aided by Saving Amy lost their jobs or had their hours cut because of the pandemic. “This donation is making a difference for our families that have been impacted by the pandemic and we are

see DONATIONS page 22

SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | FEBRUARY 28, 2021

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DONATIONS �� page 20

so grateful for the support,” said Saving Amy founder Jennifer Kiernan. Mercedes-Benz of Scottsdale gave $5,000 to six other charities, including Fresh Start, Arizona’s Children Association, Matthew’s Crossing Food Bank, Scottsdale Fire Fighters Association, One Step Beyond, and Gigi’s Playhouse. It aims to give $60,000 total to Valley charities. One Step Beyond, a nonprofit that provides educational, vocational, recreation and performing arts programs for adults who have intellectual disabilities, received a donation from Desert Diamond Casino. The casino’s donation will support the nonprofit’s garden program, which helps the 150 people with motor skills. The program’s long-term goal is to grow veggies supporting the nonprofit’s culinary program, with excess food going to local food banks. Other Scottsdale-based nonprofits that have received donations this year include Beyond Autism, which received nearly $36K from Gila River Hotels & Casinos; and Neighborhood Outreach Access to Health (NOAH) Smiles for Kids, which received $50K from Delta Dental through its IMPACT Grant program. Scottsdale-based entities that have given to organizations include the Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation, which granted $665,000 to the Girl Scouts Arizona Cactus-Pine Council in support of their 2021 cookie program; and Kasai Japanese Steakhouse, which gave $3,500 to Arizona Children’s Association. “We went into this year’s cookie program not really knowing how CO-

Bob and Renee Parsons have been supportive of Girl Scouts and recently their foundation donated $665,000 to the cookie program. (Special to the Progress)

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Scottsdale app revolutionizes medical records BY KRISTINE CANNON Progress Staff Writer

Scottsdale company has created a timely app that can verify the user has had a COVID-19 vaccination. Created by BuddyCheque, the Con�irmD app replaces the need to carry around important medical documents. Con�irmD provides portable, HIPAAcompliant health data and gives users a secure platform to record, verify and voluntarily share medical histories, including Covid-19 vaccinations, antibody status and test results. Users can transfer the data to a QR code that they can securely share with employers, public venues and stores and other third parties. So far, Con�irmD has been tested and used by Silverado Golf Club of Scottsdale, medical service providers and select facilities at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport, among various other enterprises in the state. “Con�irmD enables us to ensure that our business services continue running safely and smoothly,” said Gina Inorio, Starwest Technologies chief of staff and business affairs vice president. “During COVID-19, our priority has been keeping our clients, customers and team safe, and Con�irmD’s accessible and veri�ied test results do just that,” Inorio added. Silverado Golf Club partnered with BuddyCheque in July to bolster its health security by providing its nearly 50 employees a way to verify and share COVID-19 test results. “Since we have more variables to manage in order to continue providing a safe entertainment experience for our guests, Con�irmD is a critical tool in ensuring the health status of our associates,” said Silverado Director Bill Corn. “It allows us to put our guests at ease before they step through the door,” Corn added.

Scottsdale-based BuddyCheque created a mobile app called ConﬁrmD that can serve as a COVID-19 vaccination passport. Dr. Ramsey Kilani, MD, and Bob Ramsey, notable for their work in the medical services ﬁelds, lead the BuddyCheque team, along with Karl Wagner and Alex Chatel. (Pablo Robles/Progress Staff Photographer)

The ConﬁrmD app equips individuals with a secure platform to record, verify, and voluntarily share their health data, including COVID-19 vaccination history, antibody status, and test results. The COVID-19 vaccination status feature allows data to be transferred to a QR code to accurately verify vaccination status in a cyber secure setting. (BuddyCheque/ConﬁrmD)

BuddyCheque Founder Bob Ramsey started working on this project last March with the help of doctors and data scientists.

Known as the “father of the modern ambulance service,” Ramsey founded Southwest Ambulance and spent nearly 50 years in improving healthcare access.

He said Con�irmD is a much-needed digital tool. “I believe it is essential for showing, con�irming and returning to normality that we will need a secure way to communicate our personal status,” Ramsey said. “After months in this COVID pandemic and our needed protection mitigation systems, vaccinations and testing will become more effective for others with a healthcare passport on mobile phones.” To minimize the risk of fraud, all uploaded records are authenticated by medical professionals before they can be shared. Con�irmD was also developed in conjunction with the International Public Safety Data Institute, a leader in data science and analytics for public safety. “The Ramsey Social Justice Foundation and its funding is proud to have supported a vital link to return in healthcare security,” Ramsey said. The Ramsey Social Justice Foundation is a charitable organization that sponsors healthcare projects bene�itting underserved communities. Along with Ramsey, BuddyCheque is led by experienced healthcare veterans, Dr. Ramsey Kilani and co-founders Karl Wagner and Alex Chatel. The team recognized the need for a test results and vaccination status-sharing platform, especially as millions of Americans get vaccinated against the novel coronavirus. Thus, Con�irmD, which was advised by a board consisting of 11 physicians representing over a dozen specialties, was created in Scottsdale — and launched in March of last year. Con�irmD is free to download and available on the Apple and Google Play stores. Once downloaded, and following the initial promotional period, users must pay a nominal yearly subscription fee of $0.99. Information: con�irmd.io

SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | FEBRUARY 28, 2021

Scottsdale senator opposes jobless pay bump BY HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services

rizonans who �ind themselves out of work through no fault of their own could get their �irst increase in bene�its in 17 years. With Scottsdale Sen. Michelle Rita-Ugenti objecting, the Senate Appropriations Committee last week voted 9-1 to set the maximum bene�it to $320 a week as early as this summer. The current cap of $240 was set in 2004 and is the second lowest in the country; only Mississippi pays less. And then, if the employer-�inanced trust fund that pays for bene�its gets back into healthy territory, the maximum automatically would go to $400 a week. Individuals would be able to earn up to $160 a week without losing bene�its, whether while looking for a new full-time gig or remaining on a part-time status with a current employer. Now, anything over $30 disquali�ies the employee. To �inance all that, employers would pay more in the taxes that �inance the bene�its. What makes all that signi�icant is that SB 1411 is being pushed by Senate President Karen Fann, R-Prescott. Prior perennial efforts to increase the bene�its by Democrats have met with GOP resistance. Fann said she worked with business interests to get the necessary buy-in. The result is that no one from the business community has come out in opposition. Current law allows state bene�it to continue for up to 26 weeks, not counting special federal programs. SB 1411 would drop that to 20 weeks when the state’s jobless rate is less than 6 percent. Still, there are objections. Ugenti, the lone dissent on the measure, said she’s concerned that there isn’t enough in the law to ensure that people collecting bene�its are actually out searching for a new job. There already are requirements in law, including a mandate to make contacts with potential employers at least four days a week. And after four weeks of bene�its, people generally have to take any job that pays them at least 20 percent more than they’re collecting.

But that work search requirement has been suspended during the pandemic by the executive order Gov. Doug Ducey signed last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “So we’re just going to pay people to be unemployed?’’ Ugenti-Rita asked. And there’s another potential hurdle. Ducey has consistently opposed any bene�it increase, saying there were plenty of jobs for people to �ind “at any time’’ and he sees no need to adjust that $240 �igure. Fann said she has informed the governor’s of�ice about the details of her measure. The only thing that gubernatorial press aide C.J. Karamargin would say to Capitol Media Services is that Ducey is “reviewing the measure.’’ Much of the resistance until now has come from business interests because those payments are �inanced by a tax that employers pay on the �irst $7,000 of each worker’s salary. Fann proposes to �inance the higher bene�its in SB 1411 by increasing the base on which the tax is paid, which she said has not been altered since 1986, to $8,000 next year and $9,000 in 2023. But Fann �igures that reducing the maximum time someone can collect bene�its, coupled with an improvement in the Arizona economy, will result in a minimal �inancial hit. Current law says anyone who earns more than $30 a week is disquali�ied from bene�its, a limit enacted in 1986. SB 1411 would boost that to $160 “That means somebody can work roughly 12 hours at $13 an hour without getting dinged on their unemployment,’’ Fann said. “It keeps them part of the whole system.’’ SB 1411 goes to the full Senate after a required review by the Rules Committee of its constitutionality. Fann isn’t the only Republican interested in adjusting jobless bene�its. Rep. David Cook, R-Globe, is sponsoring HB 2805 which would raise the cap to $300 a week. That measure, like what Fann is proposing, also would allow people to earn up to $160 a week without losing bene�its. His bill was passed last week by the House.

BUSINESS

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

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In addition to highlighting Native American artists at many of the participating galleries, this Gold Palette ArtWalk features activities, entertainment and exhibits. (Scottsdale Gallery Association)

As part of Camp Dreamtree, DreamScouts engage in a vibrant virtual world called Crystal Burn, where kids can interact with Izimbra, a 16-foot-tall, yellow cone who speaks, laughs and dreams. (Fireweather Studio in Hoverlay)

Spring camp features online extravaganza BY KRISTINE CANNON Progress Staff Writer

his spring break, parents can take the kids on a three-week trip to Crystal Burn to meet Izimbra, a 16-foot-tall yellow cone, and engage in a variety of art activities. Virtually, of course. Presented by Scottsdale Arts Learning & Innovation and Scottsdale Public Art, the Camp Dreamtree Spring Break Experience lets families learn new skills and explore

the virtual world of Crystal Burn. Families can purchase a $15 DreamScout Kit, giving kids access to art supplies and tools, as well as engage in various online components, augmented reality (AR) interaction and a live Jamboree with Fireweather Studio, the founding artists of the original “Camp Dreamtree” art installation and experience. “The Camp Dreamtree Spring Break Experience is an innovative way for families

see CAMP page 27

ArtWalk to celebrate Native-American artists

BY KRISTINE CANNON Progress Staff Writer

he Scottsdale Gallery Association’s Native Spirit Gold Palette ArtWalk returns to the Old Town area on March 4. Honoring Scottsdale’s rich Native culture and heritage through a night of art and entertainment, the Native Spirit ArtWalk takes places in the Scottsdale Arts District, bordered by Main Street from Scottsdale Road to Goldwater Boulevard and north of Indian School on Marshall Way to 5th Avenue. Several local galleries will take part in the event, including Wilde Meyer Gallery, Charles S. King, King Galleries, and Territorial Indian Arts & Antiques. “We are planning to host our Hopi Kachina carver, Kevin Chavarria, Butterfly Clan of First Mesa,” said Deborah Neal, co-own-

er of Territorial Indian Arts & Antiques, the oldest gallery of American Indian art on Main Street and known for its authentic American Indian art and antiques. The gallery, which specializes in antique Indian baskets, textiles and pottery, as well as jewelry, celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2019. “Kevin will demonstrate his carving and painting of Kachinas and discuss the meaning of the Kachina symbolisms,” added Neal, who co-owns the gallery with her husband, Alston Neal. Chavarria is a Hopi katsina carver from Sitsom’ovi Village on First Mesa. His uncle, Manuel Denet Chavarria, taught him how to carve. The Native Spirit Gold Palette ArtWalk is dedicated to recognizing Scottsdale’s

see ART WALK page 27

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

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CAMP �� page 26

to connect with the bright and imaginative world of Crystal Burn from their very own backyard,” said Brittany Arnold, teen and family coordinator for Scottsdale Arts Learning & Innovation. “Camp Dreamtree can be accessed from around the world by anyone with a love of ingenuity, curiosity and wonder.” DreamScouts, who must be at least 5 years old, participate in a five-day session that includes an online Jamboree at 3 p.m. March 13. The camp runs March 8-21. The kit includes everything from Camp Dreamtree, including bandanas, old and new paper maps, patch stickers, leatherworking tools, markers, paper, a book, washi tape and more. Art activities include creating and decorating paper hats, upcycling a Scottsdale Public Library book and turning it into a creative field guide to record adventures and learning to make leather slides for bandanas. DreamScouts will also have access to

Koryn Woodward Wasson poses with a DreamScout. (Fireweather Studio)

ART WALK �� page 26

Native culture and history with activities, entertainment and exhibits that showcase the best of the city’s “Native Spirit,” including performances by traditional Native American hoop dancers. One exhibition that will be open to the public during the ArtWalk is Wilde Meyer Gallery’s show of Native Spirit interpretations by Native and non-native artists. From 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., attendees can stop by to view work by Nocona Burgess, a member of the Comanche Nation of Oklahoma, and sculptor Greyshoes, whose heritage includes Santa Clara Pueblo and White Mountain Apache. Comanche artist Eric Tippeconnic’s work will also be on display, as well as non-Native Jim Nelson’s paintings, which are described by Wilde Meyer Gallery as “a metaphor for a spiritual connection to the natural world.” “Lance Green’s work is like an abstracted portrait of Native people because he has always resonated spiritually and aesthetically with them,” Wilde Meyer Gallery’s website states. “His work is definitely about Native Spirit.” Charles S. King, King Galleries, which specializes in Pueblo pottery and Native American and regional art, will host the Heard Indian Market.

instructional videos and new AR experiences released throughout each week. The AR experiences were created in conjunction with Scottsdale Public Art and Hoverlay, the app that hosted the AR components for last year’s Canal Convergence and for various works in the Scottsdale Public Art Permanent Collection. “’Camp Dreamtree’ has always been about another world and AR allows that other world to enter ours,” said Roy Wasson Valle of Fireweather Studio. “Working with Hoverlay and Scottsdale Arts to create an augmented reality portion of ‘Camp Dreamtree’ provides greater accessibility for the public to interact with the world of Crystal Burn and its inhabitants.” That includes Izimbra, the larger-thanlife yellow cone that speaks, laughs, and dreams. DreamScouts simply use the camera on their mobile devices to “see” Izimbra and her friends, go on a virtual tour of “Camp Dreamtree” and discover hidden animations. “When we are actively involved in won-

Territorial Indian Arts & Antiques will host Hopi Kachina carver Kevin Chavarria, Butterﬂy Clan of First Mesa. He will demonstrate his carving and painting of Kachinas and discuss the meaning of the Kachina symbolisms. (Territorial Indian Arts & Antiques)

It will also be open for the ArtWalk 5-9 p.m. to showcase new pottery by several artists, including Nathan Youngblood, Tammy Garcia, Les Namingha, Al Qoyawayma, Juan de la Cruz, Steve Lucas, Russell Sanchez, Rainy Naha and Christopher Youngblood. “Some of the artists may be present. However, with COVID, it is up to their discretion,” owner King said. “My expectation

is that maybe only one will attend that night.” The SGA’s Gold Palette ArtWalks are offered eight times a year in addition to the SGA’s weekly Thursday evening ArtWalks and feature extended gallery hours, special activities and experiences for attendees. The ArtWalks typically attract hundreds, if not thousands of attendees — “we probably had easily over 10,000 people walking

der, and we choose curiosity and kindness in our actions, we become brighter contributors to our society,” said Koryn Woodward Wasson of Fireweather Studio. Fireweather Studio previously presented Camp Dreamtree as a physical installation and it gained popularity when it ran at the Scottsdale Civic Center Library in 2014. “Teachers and parents will benefit from reminding their students, and themselves, how rewarding it is to evaluate our surroundings, share our stories and find alternative uses and solutions for the world around us,” Woodward Wasson said. Those interested in participating should purchase the DreamScout kit before March 1 to allow sufficient time for shipping. However, it is possible to access the activities for free online while using everyday household items to create the projects. Learn more about Camp Dreamtree, order your DreamScout Kit, and register for the Camp Dreamtree Jamboree at scottsdaleartslearning.org/camp-dreamtreespring-break-experience/. around down here,” said Scottsdale Gallery Association President French Thompson. To ensure the health and safety of gallery patrons, each SGA member gallery has implemented additional safety measures, including social distancing and mask mandates. “The pueblos in New Mexico are still quite concerned with COVID and so we are equally cautious,” King said. And while the Scottsdale Gallery Association’s ArtWalks typically include Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art and Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West, neither will be participating in the Native Spirit ArtWalk this year. “We are proud to be part of a community with such a vibrant and inclusive Native culture and history,” Thompson said. “Our annual Native Spirit ArtWalk is an opportunity to honor and showcase Scottsdale’s native heritage and share some interactive education about our Native artists.”

If You Go:

Native Spirit ArtWalk When: March 4, 6:30 p.m.-9 p.m. Where: Scottsdale Arts District Cost: Free to attend Website: scottsdalegalleries. com

FOOD & DRINK

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Joey Maggiore debuts his own wine line BY KRISTINE CANNON Progress Staff Writer

reat wine within arm’s reach was always a staple in executive chef Joey Maggiore’s family home. Now, the founder of Scottsdale-based family-owned restaurant group, The Maggiore Group, is releasing his own line of wines, appropriately called Chef Joey. Maggiore kicked off the wine line by releasing the first of 12 wines, Chef Joey’s Cabernet Sauvignon – currently only available at the Sicilian Butcher for dine-in customers at $50 a bottle. “The first wine that I am releasing is one that we have worked on for two years with a partner in Napa Valley,” Maggiore said. “My [business] partner Flora [Tersigni] is a wine expert, and she found the winery and we went to work. The Sicilian vineyard my family owns has been running for 20 years.” Grown and bottled by Andrew Geoffrey

Joey Maggiore, founder of Scottsdale-based family-owned restaurant group, The Maggiore Group, is releasing his very own line of wines, appropriately called Chef Joey. The first wine to be released is a Cabernet Sauvignon, currently available at the Sicilian Butcher for customers dining in for $50 a bottle. (Pablo Robles/Progress Staff Writer)

Vineyards in Napa, California, Maggiore’s cab is aged for 20 months in 100 percent French oak barrels. The wine contains a blend of 96.8 percent cabernet sauvignon, 2.2 percent Cabernet Franc and 1 percent Petit Verdot. Future imbibers can expect strong aromatic and flavor components of dark fruits, vanilla, mocha and black pepper. “This was easiest to start first as it is made in Napa,” Maggiore said. “We were able to push it to bottle in the shortest time period, and we wanted my father to have a part in the creation while he still could.” Maggiore’s father, Tomaso Maggiore, died last month at 73. “My father’s love and passion for food and wine is why I do what I do,” Joey said. “He was so excited and loved the wine when we put the final tastings together! So, if he loved it, we all should.”

see JOEY page 29

Famed Japanese cream puff chain debuts in Scottsdale

BY KRISTINE CANNON Progress Staff Writer

hy spend the day in the kitchen baking a batch of puffs sprinkled with powdered sugar and stuffed with a creamy, rich custard filling when you can pick up a dozen in a variety of flavors and fillings on the go instead? And starting this weekend, sweet-toothers can do just that at the newly opened Beard Papa’s in Scottsdale. Beard Papa’s is a renown fresh-andnatural-cream-puffs chain that picked the Scottsdale Quarter for its first foray into Arizona. “The cream puffs are far from your traditional frozen puff found in the freezer aisle. The recipe is simply addicting,” said fran-

chise spokesman Tucker Kaufman in a release. Founded in Japan in 1999, Beard Papa’s started as a small bakery and quickly grew to more than 400 locations in 15 countries. “From the highquality ingredients used in the custard filling to the puff shells that are freshly baked throughout the day, Beard Papa’s specializes in creating the world’s best cream the Beard Papa’s puffs. (Beard Papa’s) experience is un-

matched,” Kaufman said. The puffs are available in a wide variety of customizable delights. Take, for instance, Beard Papa’s popular Oreo Cookie Crumble Éclair, dipped in white chocolate then covered with Oreo crumble. Or, for those who crave even more chocolate, Beard Papa’s other fan-favorite is the Chocolate Fondant, a warm and moist chocolate cake with a core of rich, creamy chocolate filling. “The product is unique in that there is nothing else like it on the market,” Kaufman said. “I’ve never met anyone that has tried Beard Papa’s that doesn’t crave it again the days following.” Guests choose between eight cream

see PUFFS page 29

FOOD & DRINK

SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | FEBRUARY 28, 2021

wines, Maggiore partnered with 12 Italy-based wineries, including Tomaso’s vineyards in Sicily, Villa Erbice, Gomba Boschetti, Candoni Wines, Tenuta di Sticciano, and Cantine Marisa. The line will roll out first at the Maggiore Group restaurants, including Tomaso’s, the Sicilian Butcher and Hash Kitchen, before expanding to select retailers. “Customers really love it,” Joey said. “They love the different flavors in the wine, and they love Joey Maggliore's new line of wine will go splendidly with the fact that we did the charcuterie boards at his Sicilian Butcher restaurant. not just put our la(Special to the Progress) bel on it. We truly helped mix and pick JOEY �� page 28 the grapes to create a Joey’s wine line isn’t the first in the Mag- special flavor.” giore family. Joey and his team are also working on Tomaso had a line called Luxus Reserva, creating a line of staple Italian pantry and according to Joey, it was important to items, including olive oils, olives cured in him to follow in his father’s footsteps. oil and vinegar, bruschetta toppings, meat“My dad really loved wine, and I know balls, tomatoes and ready-made sauces. he’d be just as excited as I am to see this “It has always been a dream for myself, wine line finally shared with the commu- my wife, and Flora to be able to create, botnity,” Joey added. “We’ve partnered with tle and sell amazing items you can’t find some of the best wineries in the world to anywhere else,” Joey said. create unique blends that I’m very proud He will release the line of olive oils from to have my name on.” Sicily in both 500mL and 250 mL bottles The Chef Joey line of red, white, spar- sometime this summer. kling and dessert wines will include 13 “The olive oil was my father’s passion,” total wines and several different varietals. Joey said. “He owns tons of olive trees in The new private selection line will Sicily, so we will squeeze those bad boys include three domestic wines, includ- and bring the very best extra virgin olive ing the cabernet, a chardonnay and a oil to our restaurants and markets.” pinot noir. Information: thesicilianbutcher.com, For the production of the remaining joeymaggiore.com

PUFFS �� page 28

puff shells: original, chocolate eclair, green tea eclair, strawberry eclair, honey butter eclair, Oreo cookie crumble eclair, dulce de leche eclair and crispy almond. They then choose an airy cream custard filling, with flavors ranging from classics, like vanilla, ice cream, strawberry, and chocolate, to more bolder flavors, like green tea, pumpkin, mango

and mint chocolate. The menu also boasts cheesecake, chocolate fondant and a blended drinks menu, including mango, strawberry and Oreo. Beard Papa’s Scottsdale held its grand opening on Feb. 27, where various local influencers, as well as neighboring business owners, were scheduled to make appearances. Information: 15147 N. Scottsdale Road, beardpapas.com

Public Notices NOTICE OF CITY COUNCIL HEARING NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the City Council of the City of Scottsdale, Arizona, will hold a public hearing on March 16, 2021, at 5:00 P.M. Until further notice, City Council meetings will be held electronically. While physical facilities are not open to the public, City Council meetings are televised on Cox Cable Channel 11 and streamed online at ScottsdaleAZ.gov (search "live stream") to allow the public to listen/view the meeting in progress. 10-AB-2020 (Prasanth Residence GLO Abandonment) Request by owner to abandon the 33-foot General Land Office Patent (GLO) easement located along the western boundaries of parcel 217-32-001E, located at 9916 N. 124th Street, with Single Family Residential District (R1-43) zoning. Staff contact person is Jesus Murillo, 480-312-7849. Applicant contact person is Raja Prasanth, 303-669-4141. 10-ZN-2020 (The Kimsey (Triangle)) Request by owner for a Zoning District Map Amendment from Central Business Downtown Overlay (C-2 DO) district to Downtown/ Downtown Multiple Use Type-2 Planned Block Development Downtown Overlay (D/DMU-2 PBD DO) district on +/- 3.47 acres of a +/3.87 acre site, and Downtown/ Downtown Multiple Use Type-2 Planned Block Development Downtown Overlay Historic Property (D/DMU-2 PBD DO HP) district, on +/- 0.40 acres of a +/- 3.87 acre site, with a development plan for a mixed-use development including a 168 room hotel, 230 dwelling units, restaurant, and support commercial uses, and a historic preservation plan located at 7110 and 7120 E. Indian School Road and 7117 E. 3rd Avenue. Staff contact person is Bryan Cluff, 480-312-2258. Applicant contact person is John Berry, 480-385-2727. 12-AB-2020 (Elrod Residence GLO Abandonment) Request by owner to abandon the 33-foot General Land Office Patent (GLO) easement located along the northern and western boundaries of parcel 217-32001B, located at 9950 N. 124th Street, with Single Family Residential District (R1-43) zoning. Staff contact person is Jesus Murillo, 480-312-7849. Applicant contact person is Terry Elrod, (615) 969-1900. 16-ZN-2003#2 (Sherwood Heights PRD Amendment) Request by multiple owners to amend the Singlefamily Residential, Planned Residential Development (R1- 10 PRD) minimum lot area requirement from 10,000 square feet to 15,325 square feet for the following properties with parcel numbers: 129-22-003A, 129-22-004, 129-22-006, 129-22-007, 129-22-008, 129-22-009, 129-22-012, 129-22-013, 129-22-014, 129-22-015, 129-22-017, 129-22-018, 129-22-020, 129-22-021, 129-22-022, 129-22-023, 129-22-025B, 129-22-027, 129-22-028, 129-22-032A, 129-22-033, 129-22-034, 129-22-036, 129-22-037, 129-22-038, 129-22-039, 129-22-041B, 129-22-042, 129-22-043A, 129-22-044A, 129-22-045, 129-22-047A, 12922-049, 129-22-050, 129-22-051, 129-22-052, 129-22-053, 129-22-055, 129-22-056, 129-22-057, 12922-058, 129-22-059, 129-22-061, 129-22-062, 129-22-064, 129-22-065, 129-22-066, 129-22-069, 12922-070, 129-22-071, 129-22-072, 129-22-073, 129-22-074, 129-22-075, 129-22-076, 129-22-077, 12922-079, 129-22-080, 129-22-082, 129-22-083, 129-22-084, 129-22-085, 129-22-088, 129-22-089, 12922-090, 129-22-092, 129-22-094, 129-22-096, 129-22-097, 129-22-098, 129-22-099, 129-22-100, 12922-103, 129-22-104, 129-22-105, 129-22-108, 129-22-111, 129-22-113, 129-22-114, 129-22-115, 12922-116, 129-22-117, 129-22-029, 129-22-030, 129-22-046A, 129-22-078, 129-22-081, 129-22-024A and 129-22-102 in the Sherwood Heights subdivision located between N. 56th Street to N. 60th Street and E. Wilshire Drive south to E. Oak Street Staff contact person is Doris McClay, 480-312-4214. Applicant contact person is Billy Young, 480-201-7200. 3-AB-2020 (St. Patrick's Catholic Church) Request by owner to abandon the 50-foot wide E. Mercer Lane right-of-way, including the cul-de-sac, located west of N. 85th Place, surrounded by parcel 175-29005E, located at 10815 N. 84th Street, with Single-Family Residential (R1-35) zoning. Staff contact person is Greg Bloemberg, 480-312-4306. Applicant contact person is Wendy Riddel, 480-682-3902. For additional information visit our web site at www.scottsdaleaz.gov search "Scottsdale Planning Case Files" or in your URL search bar you can type in https://eservices.scottsdaleaz.gov/bldgresources/Cases/ A COPY OF A FULL AGENDA, INCLUDING ITEMS CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS MEETINGS AND ANY MEETING LOCATION UPDATES, IS AVAILABLE AT LEAST 24 HOURS PRIOR TO THE MEETING AT THE FOLLOWING: Online at: https://www.scottsdaleaz.gov/council/meeting-information/agendas-minutes CHAIRMAN Attest Chad Sharrard For additional information visit our web site at www.scottsdaleaz.gov PERSONS WITH A DISABILITY MAY REQUEST A REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION BY CONTACTING THE CLERK'S OFFICE AT (480-312-7620). REQUESTS SHOULD BE MADE 24 HOURS IN ADVANCE, OR AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE TO ALLOW TIME TO ARRANGE ACCOMMODATION. FOR TTY USERS, THE ARIZONA RELAY SERVICE (1-800-367-8939) MAY CONTACT THE CLERK'S OFFICE AT (480-312-7620). Published: Scottsdale Progress, Feb 28, 2021/ 36531

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Obituaries Ann Gilbert Putnam

A long time resident of Scottsdale, passed away in Phoenix on January 17, 2021 due to COVID complications. She was born in Providence, RI to Dr. John Gilbert and Angela (Collins) Gilbert. Her family was deeply rooted in the Providence community, as well as spending summers at their home in Narragansett, R.I. All of the Gilbert grandchildren and great-grandchildren hold fond memories of time spent at the family beach house. Ann graduated from Lincoln School in Providence, and Wheelock College of Education in Boston. During her teaching career, she taught primary grades at prominent schools in Providence, Boston, Manhattan and Connecticut, and was a popular, respected educator. After moving to Scottsdale, Ann was employed at several resorts, including The Arizona Biltmore and John Gardiner’s Tennis Ranch. A true New Englander, she enthusiastically embraced the desert lifestyle; playing tennis, gardening and enjoying Scottsdale’s arts community. Always thrilled to travel, Ann participated in attending her children and grandchildren’s celebrations. She diligently followed local and national politics; a newspaper was always waiting to be read! Ann’s gift was cultivating innumerable enduring friendships that included a range of ages. She welcomed everyone into her home, and was the consummate hostess. Her home reflected her zest for life, and she lived independently until recently. Her family was her greatest passion, and she was much loved in return. Ann is survived by Meredith (John) Handley; Peter (Mary) Crolius and Jenifer (Ted) Levin. She was beloved Oma to Kristen (Jake), Ross, Jordan, Justin, Katy and Kelly, and several nieces and nephews. Her parents and three siblings predeceased her. Ann’s kindness, beauty, infectious optimism and humor will be missed; she truly lived life to the fullest. To honor Ann, donations can be made to Lincoln School, in memory of Ann Gilbert Putnam ‘43, online at lincolnschool.org/give today or by mail to 301 Butler Avenue, Providence, RI, 02906. Services will be held in Rhode Island at a late r date. "Gone from sight, but never from our hearts"

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% OFF

UT TER FULL GL ATION INSTAL

ROC 296559 • Licensed, Bonded & insured

SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | FEBRUARY 28, 2021

STOREWIDE OVERSTOCK

Spencers Warehouse is Jammed Packed With Outstanding Deals! Everything Is Priced To Move. If You Need An Appliance In The Next 6 Months, You Owe It To Yourself To Get Here Today. At Spencers you Get The Products You Need, At The Prices You Deserve. 1000’s of People Have Made The Wise Choice By Buying At Spencers!

WHERE YOU SEE IT, READ IT, OR HEAR ABOUT IT, SPENCERS IS S H T N MAMOE AS CASH** GUARANTEED TO S BE LOWER!

58” 4K UHD SMART TV

• 2 HDMI Inputs • Airplay2 Built-In

47999 $499

1.6 CU. FT. OVER-THE-RANGE MICROWAVE

• 3.5 Cu. Ft. • Porcelain Tub • 700 RPM Spin Speed NTW4500XQ CLOSEOUT

449

WMH1162XVQ CLOSEOUT

• Adjustable Glass Shelves • 2 Crisper Drawers • LED Lighting

899

FRSG1915AV

12 MONTHS NO INTEREST**

• 950 Watts of Power • 10 Levels of Power • Sunken Glass Turntable

199

SIDE BY SIDE COUNTER DEPTH REFRIGERATOR

• Active Blue Light Technology • NeoFrost Dual Cooling Technology

UN58TU7000

WASHER

FAMILY SIZE REFRIGERATOR

DISHWASHER

• 12-Place Settings • 5 Wash Cycles • Piranha™ Hard Food Disposer • Hot Start Option GSD2100VWW –

299

BFTF2716WH

BFTF2716SS BEKO

REFRIGERATOR DISHWASHER • Integrated Control Styling • Premium Nylon Racks • In Door Silverware Basket • Energy Star Qualified WDF520PADM

• 25 Cubic Foot Capacity • Spill Proof Glass Shelves • Humidity Controlled Drawers • Energy Star Qualified WRS325SDHZ

RANGE • 4.8 Cubic Foot Capacity • Self Cleaning Oven • Smooth Top • Proudly Made in USA WFE505W0HS CLOSEOUT

$339 10%

2350

99 $

BUYS ALL 3 PIECES

** NO INTEREST IF PAID IN FULL IN 12 MONTHS. $799.00 Minimum Purchase Required Minimum Payments Required 30.79% APR If the promotional balance is not paid in full by the end for the promotional period or, to the extent permitted by law, if you make a late payment, interest will be imposed from the date of purchase at the APR noted above. This APR is as of 7/4/2019 and will vary with the market based on the Prime Rate. Your card agreement, the terms of the offer and applicable law govern this transaction including increasing APRs and fees and terminating the promotional period.

Arizona’s largest independent dealer! “It’s Like Having A Friend In The Business” Check Out Our Website

WWW.SPENCERSTV.COM OPEN DAILY 9AM-9PM | SATURDAY 9AM-6PM | SUNDAY 11AM-5PM

HOUSE IN S R E C SPEN PLANS PAYMENT BLE AVAILA Due to current circumstances, some items may be out of stock.