City News

DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz.— The U.S. Air Force has approved a 30-day extension for the revised draft Environmental Assessment for Total Force Training (formerly Operation Snowbird), which was released by Air Combat Command Sept 22.

Now accepting comments - Next meeting is Oct. 22 at 4 p.m. at City Hall

This committee shall review and make recommendations regarding possible amendments to sections of the Tucson City Charter. Comments will be accepted through 2015, and potential amendments to the City Charter may be on the November 3, 2015 city ballot.

All comments shall be directed to the City Clerk’s Office at: cityclerk@tucsonaz.gov.

Upcoming public meetings:

Wednesday Oct. 22, 2014, 4 p.m. - City Hall, 255 W. Alameda, 1st Floor

PUBLIC FORUM TONIGHT ON INCLUSION AND EQUALITY IN TUCSON - Several speakers will take part in tonight's forum, "It's Time to Talk: Inclusion and Equality in Tucson," hosted by Ward 6 City Council Member Steve Kozachik's office. The community-wide conversation will focus on equality and opportunity in Tucson, with discussions about jobs, education, public policy, and the media. The forum begins at 6:30 p.m. in the auditorium of Catalina High School, 3645 E. Pima St. For more information, call 791-4601. Read the news release.
 
BUSINESS MAGAZINE SPOTLIGHTS STREETCAR PROJECT MANAGER - The fall edition of BizTucson Magazine features the "driving force for Tucson's Modern Streetcar." Tucson Department of Transportation Streetcar Project Manager Shellie Ginn began working on the City of Tucson's largest-ever construction project about 10 years ago, when it was just a recommendation from the Citizens Advisory Committee. Ginn, a Tucson native, helped guide the project through planning, design, construction, and operation. "I really would love my legacy to be leaving this city a better place than when I came into it," she said. "I love public service for that reason." Read the full interview from BizTucson (page 84).
 
DOWNTOWN LECTURE SERIES ON FOOD CONTINUES - The University of Arizona's College of Social and Behavioral Sciences' Downtown Lecture Series returns to the historic Fox Theatre on Wednesday. The 2014 lecture series is exploring food and its relationships with health, culture, and the environment. This week's lecture by Gary Nabhan is called "Tucson: City of Gastronomy, Hub for Food Diversity." Tickets  for the free, public lecture will be available at the Fox Theatre box office beginning Wednesday at 4 p.m. Attendees can ride the Sun Link Tucson Streetcar to the event and enjoy the dining and retail opportunities along the route at Main Gate Square, Fourth Avenue, Downtown Tucson, or the Mercado District.
 
TUCSON 12 WINS NATIONAL AWARD - Tucson 12, The City Channel has another award for its display case. The 2014 National Association of Officers and Advisors (NATOA), recently announced the winners of its government programming awards in St. Paul, Minnesota, and Tucson 12 won the Second Place award for its video “Get Streetcar Street Smart!,” in the Public Education category. The annual awards recognize excellence in broadcast, cable, multimedia and electronic programming produced by local government agencies.
 
AGENDA SPOTLIGHT: MAIN GATE ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT - The Mayor and Tucson City Council tomorrow night will consider creating the Main Gate Entertainment District west of the University of Arizona. Currently, certain new retail types of liquor licenses are not allowed to locate within 300 feet of a school or church. The special district would allow the licenses to be considered, on a case-by-case basis, if the surrounding churches and schools are supportive of the establishments. On April 23, Mayor and Council directed staff to help create a proposed entertainment district for the Main Gate area. Staff presented a draft map on Sept. 9, but was asked to return with modifications to the boundary. Tucson's first entertainment district, the Greater Downtown Entertainment District, was adopted May 20. Tomorrow's Mayor and Council Regular Meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. at 255 W. Alameda St. Read the agenda items.

TUCSON POLICE RECEIVING 'FAIR AND IMPARTIAL POLICING' TRAINING - Tucson Police Department (TPD) commanders this week received training to learn about the "Fair and Impartial Policing Perspective." The training was led by Dr. Lorie Fridell, an associate professor at the University of South Florida’s College of Behavioral and Community Science. Fridell has more than 20 years of experience conducting research in the field of law enforcement and is nationally known for her work on bias-based policing. TPD Chief Roberto Villaseñor mandated the course as part of the department’s annual continuing training program. The training reflects a new and scientific approach to thinking about the issues of bias in modern policing. TPD says the training is designed to make personnel aware of their implicit biases and give them the tools they need to reduce and manage them and foster better relationships between officers and the public. Fridell also is training future trainers who will train other officers on fair and impartial policing. Chief Villaseñor hopes to have all of the approximately 950 members of the department trained within six months.Read more from the Arizona Daily Star and the TPD news release.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY FOR A DOWNTOWN SURVEY - The Downtown Tucson Partnership today began its second Downtown Pedestrian Intercept Study, a snapshot of public opinions on Downtown Tucson. Volunteers helping in the annual survey will question pedestrians about the current state of the downtown area. The information collected during the study will be used to guide improvement work and allow the Downtown Tucson Partnership to make recommendations to the City of Tucson. Volunteers are needed to help conduct the survey Oct. 18, 24 and 25. Each shift will be between four to six hours, with two volunteers per location for each shift. Volunteers can sign up for as many shifts as they would like, and training will be provided.

TRAFFIC ALERT: BROADWAY/HOUGHTON FINAL PAVING - Monday will begin the final phase of paving of the intersection of Broadway Boulevard and Houghton Road. Crews from Borderland Construction, under contract with the City of Tucson Department of Transportation (TDOT), will work from 7 a.m. - 5 p.m. and expect to have the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) project finished by next Friday. During the work, traffic will be shifted through the intersection to allow for paving operations and access to local businesses. At least one lane of travel in all four directions will be maintained during the paving work. Tucson Police officers will be directing traffic at the intersection. Read the TDOT news release.

'NAMJAM' THIS WEEKEND - The 27th annual NamJam celebration in Tucson kicks off a number of veterans-related activities leading up to Veterans Day on Nov. 11. Tomorrow's event, dubbed "Rockin' for all Vets," takes place from 9 a.m. to dusk at Rillito Downs, 4502 N. First Ave. The free celebration includes military displays, food, drinks, and a play area for kids.

REDUCE CLUTTER AND GO PAPERLESS WITH CITY E-BILLING - Go paperless with your Utility Services Statement. Set up an eBill account to pay your bill, get notification of your billing statement, view water usage, and read Tucson Water's newsletter.

EXPANDED MARIPOSA PORT OF ENTRY OFFICIALLY OPEN - After ten years of planning and five years of construction, the $250 million expansion of the Mariposa Port of Entry in Nogales was marked by an official opening ceremony yesterday. The expanded port includes a pedestrian crossing area, 12 passenger vehicle lanes, eight commercial lanes, a dedicated bus lane, a new inspection area, and an off-load dock. With the expansion, the port has the potential of processing as many as 4,000 commercial vehicles a day. “For Tucson, this day is a significant milestone in our economic development as a city,” said Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild. “As we go out and we market our city as a logistics hub, as a manufacturing hub, as a place where you want a headquarters to do business internationally, we had to have this piece in place.” Read more from the Arizona Daily Star.

TUCSON WATER FEATURED AT HOME SHOW - The SAHBA Fall Home & Garden Show begins tomorrow at 10 a.m. at the Tucson Convention Center (TCC). Stop by Tucson Water’s display space in Aisle 1100 and pick up some free water-related items, meet the utility’s professionals, and learn more about where your water originates. Two topics presented will be the ongoing drought status and the technology involved in recycling water. Details about the three-day show (admission, hours, parking information, etc.) are at the link below. The TCC is easily accessible via the Sun Link Tucson Streetcar.

WATER PARTNERSHIP TO HELP COMMUNITY'S FUTURE - Students from John B. Wright Elementary School recently attended Farm Camp to learn about community partnerships to ensure that Tucsonans have adequate food supplies and reliable water resources. That message was delivered by Mayor Jonathan Rothschild and others as part of a ribbon-cutting event attended by more than 70 adults and children at Tucson Village Farm. The working urban farm was built by youth for the youth of our community, and features innovative water conservation techniques. The dedication of the farm was the result of a year-long collaboration between Tucson Water, University of Arizona Cooperative Extension, Arizona Project WET, and Conserve2Enhance. Tucson Village Farm is located at 4210 N. Campbell Ave. Read more from Tucson Water.

WEAR PURPLE TOMORROW - In recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, tomorrow is "Wear Purple Day." One of the many partners of the special day is Emerge! Center Against Domestic Abuse, which says one in four women will experience abuse in her lifetime. Emerge! provides domestic abuse crisis intervention and housing, prevention, education, support, and advocacy services to anyone experiencing domestic abuse.  Most people seeking services are women and their children, but programs are available to everyone.

FORBES MAGAZINE RECOGNIZES TUCSON'S BICYCLING EFFORTS - In a recent website article about U.S. cities with the most bike lanes, Forbes magazine points to Tucson's Bicycle Boulevards, calling them "attractive, convenient and comfortable sections of street, optimized for cycling with reduced motorized traffic." The article also mentions the introduction of Cyclovia events motivating Tucsonans to ditch their cars to spend some time on temporarily traffic-free streets. The magazine ranks Tucson second for the highest number of bike lanes, at 610, just behind San Diego, with 620.
City of Tucson Bicycle & Pedestrian Program

Now accepting comments - Next meeting is Oct. 22 at 4 p.m. at City Hall