MARTHA DURKIN BEGINS HER SERVICE AS INTERIM CITY MANAGER - The City of Tucson administration welcomes a new leader today.  Assistant City Manager, Martha Durkin, was appointed by Mayor and Council recently as the interim replacement for Richard Miranda, whose retirement became effective yesterday. "I am honored to serve as Interim City Manager and build upon the City's mission to provide excellent service delivery," Durkin tells NewsNet. "This is a time of great synergy between our organization and the community as we all work toward a more vibrant and prosperous Tucson." Durkin is the first woman to hold the leadership post, and she will serve as Interim City Manager until a permanent Manager is hired by Mayor and Council. Durkin has worked in local government since 1984.

RESIDENT THANKS TUCSON FIRE DEPARTMENT FOR SAVING HER LIFE - Sandy Goodsite recently suffered a stroke at work.  Fortunately, she was treated within three minutes by Tucson Fire Paramedics Bill Nielson and Robert Smith, and her life was saved.  Goodsite showed her appreciation this week with a full-catered meal for the entire fire station. "I appreciate everything they did, and I don't know how often people come and say 'thank you' to them but I wanted them to see me, that I wasn't just laying on a bed looking like I was about to go out," Goodsite said. The Goodsites also visited the doctors and nurses who helped Sandy at Tucson Medical Center.

NEWSPAPER HIGHLIGHTS FUN THINGS TO DO ALONG THE STREETCAR LINE - The Arizona Daily Star yesterday published a 16-page pullout section highlighting the places for fun, food, and drinks along the 3.9-mile streetcar route. The "Caliente" insert gives a little background about the Sun Link project, while focusing on all of the new development and places to eat and explore along the line, from the University of Arizona, 4th Avenue, downtown, and the Mercado west of I-10. There's even a story about the redevelopment of Tucson's birthplace, nestled near the base of Sentinel Peak. Meanwhile, the latest report from the Downtown Tucson Partnership highlights more than $900 million of public and private investment along the streetcar route.
 
RECYCLING DURING STREETCAR WEEKEND AND AT THE STOPS HELPS OUR ENVIRONMENT - More than 30,000 bottles of water were given out during the opening of the Sun Link Tucson Streetcar last weekend, and more than a thousand pounds of those empty bottles and other recyclable materials were diverted from the landfill. “Each of the streetcar stops has a permanent dual trash/recycling container for passenger use,” said Francis LaSala, Tucson’s Waste Diversion Manager. “Until now, public transit stops have not been outfitted with recycling containers. Most of the waste generated by transit passengers are recyclable things, like beverage containers and newspapers.” In addition to the dual containers at Sun Link stops, the City recently installed trash and recycling bins downtown to allow residents the opportunity to “Do More Blue” while on the go. Read the news release.
 
TUCSON POLICE TO TEACH CAR SAFETY TOMORROW - The Tucson Police Department’s nationally-certified car seat technicians will teach parents and guardians about the proper use of car seats at the "Kidz Expo Back to School" event. The event will be held tomorrow at the El Pueblo Regional Center, 101 W. Irvington, from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Three classes will be held during the four-hour event - two in Spanish and one in English. After attending the hour-long class, parents will be given a car seat. Registration for the classes will begin at 10:00 a.m.

TUCSON OFFERS TESLA BUILDING PERMIT - In an effort to lure Tesla Motors' battery-making factory to Tucson, the City of Tucson has offered the company a building permit to start construction of a $3 billion plant. The permit is for a one-story building of up to 5 million square feet in size at an address “to be determined." Mayor Jonathan Rothschild this week sent the permit and a brief letter to Tesla officials. “Attached is a City of Tucson permit, ready for your signature,” the letter reads.

TUCSON OFFERS TESLA BUILDING PERMIT - In an effort to lure Tesla Motors' battery-making factory to Tucson, the City of Tucson has offered the company a building permit to start construction of a $3 billion plant. The permit is for a one-story building of up to 5 million square feet in size at an address “to be determined." Mayor Jonathan Rothschild this week sent the permit and a brief letter to Tesla officials. “Attached is a City of Tucson permit, ready for your signature,” the letter reads. “Just letting you know the City of Tucson is ready to proceed as soon as you are.” Competing states have offered discounted electricity and free land, and have introduced bills to allow direct sales of Tesla’s vehicles, which states such as Arizona currently ban. Tesla officials have said previously that the company wants to pick one or two sites this year and begin battery production at one of them by 2017. Read more from the Arizona Daily Star.
 
NEW DOWNTOWN TUCSON PARTNERSHIP REPORT QUANTIFIES SUCCESS OF STREETCAR - The economic impact of the Sun Link Tucson Streetcar continues to grow. Even though the streetcar began passenger service less than a week ago, economic development along the 3.9-mile route has been heavy since voters approved the streetcar and RTA plan back in 2006. The latest estimate from the Downtown Tucson Partnership quantifies more than $900 million in public and private investment along the line from west of Interstate-10, downtown, 4th Avenue and the University of Arizona.
 
STREETCARS KEEP WINNING SCRAMBLE FOR FEDERAL MASS TRANSIT PROJECT FUNDING - In the competition for urban transit funding, light rail and streetcars are winning and buses remain runners up. Although more capital intensive than bus systems, light rail and streetcars dominate the list of 53 mass transit projects being funded or under consideration in the FTA’s New Starts program. The $196 million Sun Link Tucson Streetcar was funded in part by a $63 million Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant – part of the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Of the 53 projects recently funded nationwide, 30 of them were light rail or streetcar projects, and only 18 were “bus rapid transit” (BRT) – buses running in a dedicated lane closed to other traffic. The rest were for heavy rail projects. Read more from Roll Call.
 
CITY OF TUCSON DEPARTMENT OF PROCUREMENT WINS ANOTHER NATIONAL AWARD - The City of Tucson’s Department of Procurement recently was awarded the Achievement of Excellence in Procurement Award (AEP) for 2014. The award, from the National Procurement Institute, recognizes innovation, professionalism, e-procurement, productivity, and leadership attributes. The City of Tucson is one of only 14 government agencies in Arizona - and one of 68 cities in the United States - to receive the award. The City is one of only six agencies to receive the AEP award for all 19 years since its inception. Under the leadership of Director Marcheta Gillespie, Tucson’s Department of Procurement consistently wins awards for its work.
 
REID PARK ZOO AND DESERT MUSEUM JOIN TO SUPPORT CONSERVATION - The Reid Park Zoo will join several other conservation organizations Saturday night at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum's Cool Summer Nights from 6 p.m.-9 p.m. The evening will focus on conservation projects the organizations support. There also will be information on rainwater harvesting, buffelgrass, fire prevention, birding games, and threatened and endangered species.

CITY, MERCHANTS EXCITED ABOUT NEW STREETCAR - More than 60,000 people rode the Sun Link Tucson Streetcar during its first three days of operations and Sun Link officials and merchants are still talking about the success. Businesses along the streetcar enjoyed a steady stream of customers as people took advantage of special discounts. “We were pleasantly surprised that the traffic was steady all day long, and there was a mixed crowd of people,” said Jane McCollum, general manager of the Marshall Foundation, which manages most of the real estate at Main Gate Square on University Boulevard.

Sun Tran officials and representatives from Teamsters Local 104 have agreed to extend the current labor contract until 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, August 6, 2014, to allow negotiations to continue. Buses will run as scheduled through the contract extension date. The current contract was to expire at midnight Thursday, July 31.

“Negotiations will continue this week and we are hopeful an agreement can be reached prior to the expiration of the contract extension,” said Sun Tran General Manager Kate Riley. “The public can expect business as usual through August 6.”