Karin's Note: Friday, October 31, 2014

 

 

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Dear Tucsonans,

 

 

Please remember to vote in this election! If you have an early ballot, it’s best to mail it by today (Friday, October 31^st). Visit the Pima County elections website (https://www.recorder.pima.gov/) if you have any questions about how to be certain your voice and your vote counts this year!

 

I’m also hoping that on Saturday you’ll join me and wonderful folks from La Madera Neighborhood, our City Parks and Recreation Department, the Ward 3 staff, Humana and KaBoom. We’re building an incredible, brand new playground with senior fitness stations at La Madera Park. It’s going to be a fruitful and fun-filled event. We kick-off at 8:30 in the morning and will get everything built – the playground, new benches, a butterfly garden, mosaics and more – by 3:00. Contact our office or just come to the park tomorrow if you can join the 150+ volunteers who will help make this happen.

 

In fact, you might as well plan to spend the weekend in Ward 3, because we’re also host to much of Sunday’s Cyclovia Event! If you’ve attended Cyclovia events in the past I’m sure you’d agree there’s nothing like it. Hundreds of folks on safe, designated bike routes with booths all along the way to enjoy. It’s like a festival on wheels. Please come out and enjoy some fresh air, exercise, and all the best that Tucson and Ward 3 in particular have to offer. Thanks to Keeling and Northwest Neighborhoods for rallying to host the celebration and accommodate the “perpetual parade”.

 

 

Our next meeting will be on Wednesday, November 5. The Agenda and materials will be available at this link: https://www.tucsonaz.gov/clerks/mcdocs

 

Items up for Study/Discussion include the rainwater harvesting rebate program, an update on graffiti and Code Enforcement, Council Meeting Vote Transparency, General Obligation Debt, City Manager Recruitment and Hiring Process, and a discussion on the National Service Line Warranty program.

 

On the Regular Agenda, action items include several Rezonings, discussion of a Development Agreement for Broadway and Fifth Hotel Project, and the Liquor Licenses/Consent agenda items (see the details for these here: Regular Agenda - November 5, 2014).

 

I joined with Councilmembers Cunningham and Romero to bring forward the Study Session item regarding rainwater harvesting. We’d like to explore ways to promote more harvesting for a lot of reasons including the need to conserve potable water and mitigate flooding. During the conversation we’ll address incentives for basic curb cuts (to divert flows into landscaping) and other new ways to improve and expand the existing program. I also want to be sure any new programs do not undercut existing programs that are successful (like low flow toilet rebates, most often taken advantage of by lower income households).

 

Let me know your thoughts. I always welcome your input as I prepare for our meetings.

 

Thanks and have a great weekend!

 

Karin

 

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Ward 3 Events:

 

- Community Playground Build! – Saturday, November 1^st 8:00 am – 3:30 pm at La Madera Park 2700 E. La Madera Dr. We need you to bring play to kids in midtown! Join Tucson Parks & Recreation Department and Lend A Hand Senior Service to build a brand new playground and more in La Madera Park. Meet us in the park on the morning of November 1^st to help build, paint, and create! Wear comfortable clothes that you don't mind getting messy - we'll supply all the gloves and tools that you need as well as breakfast and lunch! Sponsored by Humana, Inc. Contact the Ward 3 office at 520-791-4711 for more info and visit https://www.facebook.com/events/801842059867295/.

 

- Celebrate Dia de los Muertos at Rain Crow! – Rain Crow Gallery 204 W. Grant Rd Saturday, November 1^st  6:00 to 9:00 pm. Stop by Rain Crow Gallery to take in artworks by La Valentina, Timothy Schirack and more. The art show features Milagros, Angels, Calaveras and Demons for Dia de los Muertos. They will also be serving Cafe Mexicano brewed especially for the event and traditional Dia de los Muertos foods. Bring offerings for the community altar. The altar will be open to the community to share ofrendas to loved ones beginning Wednesday, October 29th.

 

- Cyclovia Tucson! – Sunday, November 2^nd 10:00 am – 3:00 pm. The first fall Cyclovia is here and it is running right through Ward 3! Dance, jog, skate, roll, play, smile, laugh your way through streets that are open to people for a day. The midtown route for fall will start in the Warehouse Arts District, run north on 6^th Avenue and then take off through the 4^th Ave./Fontana Bike Blvd right on up to our very own Keeling neighborhood! Visit www.cycloviatucson.org or https://www.facebook.com/CycloviaTucson for more information and to volunteer. Cyclovia is an opportunity to explore Tucson from a new perspective, get some exercise, and most importantly, have fun, because during Cyclovia, the world stops for you!

 

-Coffee with a Cop – Monday, November 10^th, 7:00 am – 9:00 am. Starbucks 405 E. Wetmore Rd Suite 107. Join Your Neighbors and Police officers For Coffee and Conversation! No agenda or speeches, just a chance to ask questions, voice concerns, and get to know the officers in your neighborhood! Any businesses who are interested in hosting Coffee with a Cop in the future, please contact CSO Kara Curtis at 520-837-7241.

 

- Refugee Thanksgiving -  Saturday, November 15^th  5:00 – 7:00 pm. Come join all of your refugee friends for an unforgettable Thanksgiving meal at Trinity Presbyterian Church, 400 E. University Blvd. Celebrate a yummy feast of turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing and more! Call Iskashitaa at 440-0100 or email Emily Oshinskie at volunteer@iskashitaa.org to RSVP and volunteer to drive our refugee friends! All ages welcomed!

 

-Grant Road Open House – Wednesday, November 19^th, 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm at Tucson Association of Realtors 2445 N. Tucson Blvd.  Please join the Tucson Department of Transportation and the Regional Transportation Authority for a Phase 2, Stone Ave. to Park Ave, Open House. Representatives from TDOT, RTA, and the Project Team will be available to discuss the overall Grant Road Improvement Plan and answer any questions you might have.

 

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- TOPS – Tuesday, November 4^th, 5:30 pm at Westside Police Service Center 1310 W. Miracle Mile

 

- Northwest NA – Wednesday, November 5^th, 6:00 pm at Donna Liggins Center 2160 N. 6th Ave.

 

- Feldman’s NA – Thursday, November 6^th, 7:00 pm at St Luke’s Church 615 E Adams St

 

- Mountain/1^st NA – Saturday, November 8^th, 9:00 am at Mitchell Park 1100 E Mitchell St

 

- Mountain/1st CAG – Saturday, November 8th, 10:00 am at Mitchell Park 1100 E Mitchell St

 

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Citywide Events:

 

- Seventh Annual Empty Bowls luncheon - Friday, November 7^th from 11 to 2:30 pm at 2805 E. Ajo Way at the Kino Sports Complex. Join the Community Food Bank for their Seventh Annual Empty Bowls Luncheon presented by Care More, hosted by the Mulcahy YMCA. For only $15 (cash, check, credit all accepted), you will receive bread, soup, and a beautifully hand-crafted ceramic bowl to take home, as a reminder of hunger in our community. All bowls generously donated by local potters.

 

This exciting event will feature delicious soups from some of your most favorite Tucson restaurants. From egg drop to vegan lentil and chili bean to heirloom pumpkin, we’re sure to have a soup that you’ve been craving!

 

The money raised at this event will go directly to the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona. Through events like these, we can work to fulfill our mission of creating a healthy, hunger-free community. Visit https://donate.communityfoodbank.org/checkout/donation?eid=111894

 

- Maya Textile Sale, Exhibit and Silent Auction – Friday, November 7^th – Sunday, November 9^th at St. Michael & All Angels 602 N. Wilmot. Visit and do some holiday shopping at this benefit for St. Michael’s Guatemala Project and the Castañeda Museum of Ethnic Costumes. The opening sale and reception hours will be from 5:00 – 8:00 pm on Friday, with the sale continuing on Saturday from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm and Sunday from 11:30 am – 3:00 pm. The Guatemala Project is a 21-year partnership with the rural Maya of CPR-Sierra, who became refugees during Guatemala’s 36-year conflict, that focuses on health, cultures and indigenous rights. Tucson’s  Castañeda Museum cultivates appreciation and respect for world cultures through the study and exhibition of folk costume.

 

- Family Wellness Expo – Sunday, November 9^th  Noon – 4 pm. The Tucson Jewish Community Center, 3800 E. River Rd, is hosting this FREE, all ages, interactive event which will feature tips for healthy living through fitness, nutrition, finance, and more! Our neighbors, Iskashitaa, representatives will teach about tap water and other water-related health concerns.

 

- The City of Tucson Environmental Services Department is offering a tour of the Los Reales Landfill and the ReCommunity, Inc. Materials Recovery Facility. Participants will get a ‘behind the scenes’ view and learn how ES operates the landfill and how recyclables collected in the blue barrels are sorted and marketed. Tour participants will meet in the upper level parking lot at 4004 S. Park Avenue on Friday, November 14, 2014 at 8:30 am. The tour will be complete by 12:15 pm. Those who join the tour should wear long pants, closed-toe shoes, hats and sun screen. Drinking water will be provided. The tour is not for children younger than age 14. The tour is available on a first come basis. To reserve a seat, call ES at 791-3175 by Monday, November 10, 2014.

 

- 10^th Corazón de Justicia Awards Dinner – Saturday, November 15^th 6:00 pm at El Casino Ballroom 437 E. 26^th St. Coalición de Derechos Humanos is pleased to announce their 10th Corazón de Justicia Awards Dinner. They will honor 11 Tucson activists who have demonstrated their “heart of justice” through their work in the community to make Tucson a more just and equitable place for all of us. Live music and dinner as they dance the night with cumbia/ska band Santa Pachita! Featuring live music by Santa Pachita. Tickets at $35. Visit http://derechoshumanosaz.net/contact-us/

 

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Did You Know...?

 

…that applications are available for artists who wish to participate in the Holiday Arts and Crafts Fair on November 29^th – 30^th? The event has been held for more than two decades, attracting vendors from all over the Southwest. The Tucson Parks and Recreation Department is seeking artists, crafters, photographers, painters, potters, jewelers, and more to sell their original artwork. All items must be handmade and are subject to approval. The Arts and Crafts Fair will be held in Reid Park, west of the DeMeester Outdoor Performance Center. Registration is open through Nov. 14. Walk-in registration is underway at 900 S. Randolph Way, in the Registration Office. The fee is $90 for a 10 x 10 arts and craft vendor space for the two-day event.
From Tucson Parks and Recreation Department: https://www.tucsonaz.gov/parks

 

…that you can download an app to report graffiti in Tucson? Graffiti Protective Coatings and the City of Tucson have a smartphone application for reporting graffiti. MyTucson is a free download on the iOS App Store and Google Play for Android.
Download MyTucson for iOS: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/tucson/id388838907?mt=8
Download MyTucson for Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.apporder.myTucson
City of Tucson apps: https://www.tucsonaz.gov/info/phone-apps
Watch a University of Arizona Athletics PSA about the app: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBODDV6Ga7Y

 

…that Pima County Public Library has a new website coming on Wednesday, November 19^th?  Rediscover how awesome your library is when the Pima County Public Library’s new website launches. Redesigned with features suggested by their own customers, the new site highlights the Library’s collections, services, programs, and yes…books! For more information, visit www.library.pima.gov or call 520-791-4010.

 

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