Shirley’s News & Notes, December 10, 2012

I would like to congratulate Lannie Patel my former Executive Assistant. She has been promoted

to a Council Administrative Assistant and continues to be a great asset to my office.

Also, Welcome Jeri Ward, my new Council Adminstrative Assistant who comes to us with 26

years of experience in the Department of Transportation.

Please check our staff page to see their areas of responsibility.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Houghton Road, Irvington Road to Valencia Road

This project consists of widening Houghton Road between Irvington Road and Valencia Road from two

lanes to six lanes. Work also includes the construction of curb, concrete sidewalk, asphaltic concrete

multi-use path, storm drain systems, retaining wall, traffic signals, pavement markings and signing,

pedestrian barrier rails, landscaping and native re-vegetation, bus pull-outs and public art.

The contractor for this $22.5 million, RTA funded project is Hunter Contracting. The work will take

approximately 18 months to complete.

For more information go to: http://cms3.tucsonaz.gov/projects/houghton-road/segment2

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At long last the Sun Shuttle Route 450 is here. This route is a New Bus Route for Southeast

and Rita Ranch Area.

The Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) and the City of Tucson hosted a free ride day on Monday,

December 3, and an event to celebrate the kick-off of Sun Shuttle Route 450 serving Southeast Tucson

and Rita Ranch.

Sun Shuttle will provide a new weekday bus service in the Southeast & Rita Ranch area, starting in the

next few months. Sun Shuttle Route 450 will travel on a set schedule throughout the Southeast & Rita

Ranch area, allowing riders to travel to and from work, home, school, medical appointments, recreation

and shopping. The new route will also allow riders to transfer for free to Sun Tran routes to access the

entire Tucson area. Sun Shuttle bus fares will mirror Sun Tran rates.

Sun Shuttle Route 450 will be paid for by a combination of Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) and

federal funding. Current funding for this route will provide bus service Monday through Friday for

roughly 13 hours per day

For specific Sun Shuttle Route 450 information, visit the website at

www.suntran.com/sunshuttle, or call the Customer Service Center at (520) 792-9222 weekdays

from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. or weekends from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

VOTERS APPROVE PROPOSITION 409 - Thank you!

The bond package is to improve the condition of City of Tucson streets. The approval of the bond

package will result in $100 million being spent to repair and resurface City streets over the next five

years. The road work will be carried out entirely by private contractors and begin in the second half of

2013. Residents can expect to see a variety of treatments being applied to City streets as part of the

new pavement preservation program.

Returning to a regular maintenance program for the City’s approximately 1,900 miles of roadways has

been a top priority for the Mayor and Council. In addition to improving driving conditions, the City is

confident that restoration of streets will restore pride in the appearance of Tucson and make an

excellent first impression on visitors and the investors alike. The Mayor also pledged that he and the

City Manager will make sure that the money from the Bond package is spent as promised and

welcomed residents to apply for a position on the Citizen Bond Oversight Commission.

The Citizen Bond Oversight Commission application process is now open to any city resident and

applicants will be screened on the basis of interest, qualifications, leadership role in the community,

stakeholder group and geographical representation. Each of the seven members of the Mayor and

Council will make an appointment to the commission and the City Manager will make four selections

for a total of 11 members.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Zoo Lights at Reid Park Zoo is guaranteed to put you in the winter spirit, with jingle bells, twinkling

lights, falling snow, and Santa. Light displays, animal-theme light sculptures, and thousands of

sparkling bulbs will help make Zoo Lights a part of your Tucson holiday tradition. Most animals

choose to be off exhibit for this event.

Every Night, December 13 – 23

Click here for more information! (add Link)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

PARADE OF LIGHTS WILL FILL DOWNTOWN WITH HOLIDAY CHEER ON

DECEMBER 15

http://www.downtowntucson.org/2012/11/parade-of-lights-will-fill-downtown-with-holiday-cheer-ondecember-

15/

2012 KIDS AND COPS CHRISTMAS EVENT

The Tucson Police Officer’s Association is proud to announce the 2012 KIDS AND COPS CHRISTMAS EVENT! This

Event will take place on Saturday, December 15, 2012 and will provide underprivileged children from the Tucson

community with the opportunity to shop with officers at a local Target store. Click here for more information!

http://tpoa-charitablefoundation.org/events/event/2012-kids-and-cops-christmas-event/

Don’t forget to TreeCycle!

The TreeCycle program begins December 16 and ends January 6. The program is a way for Tucson

residents to recycle their Christmas trees. Remember to bring your own container to bring home

woodchips that can be used in your garden. Please remember to remove all ornaments, decorations and

tree stands before dropping off at the TreeCyclesites.

Another way you can help the environment is to “tree pool.” Bring your neighbor’s tree too. Fewer trips

mean less pollution for all of us.

The east side locations include: Udall Park, 7200 E Tanque Verde Rd., South of the ball fields (follow

signs), Golf Links Sports Complex, Northwest of Craycroft Rd and Golf Links Rd., Purple Heart Park,

Southeast corner of Rita Rd. and Esmond Loop Randolph Golf Course, 600 S. Alvernon Way, Southeast

portion of parking lot

Draft Plan Tucson - public meetings. Click here for flier!

A presentation will take place during the first half-hour of each Open House.

Comments received at these Open Houses will be shared at Planning Commission and Mayor

and Council public hearings in early 2013.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

UNIFIED DEVELOPMENT CODE TRAINING SESSIONS

New Unified Development Code Workshops Scheduled

On Tuesday, October 9, 2012, the Tucson Mayor and City Council held a public hearing and approved

the adoption of the Unified Development Code (UDC). The City of Tucson Planning and Development

Services Department (PDSD) has scheduled a series of training sessions to help the building and

development community understand the new code including its organization, the differences between

the LUC and the UDC, and how the transition to the UDC will occur.

Click here for more information: http://cms3.tucsonaz.gov/home/announcement/unified-developmentcode-

training-sessions

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DOROTHY FINLEY OUTSTANDING TEEN CITIZENS AWARDS

City of Tucson Parks and Recreation, Pima Community College Downtown Campus, and the

Metropolitan Education Commission’s Youth Advisory Council/Tucson Teen Congress (YAC/TTC) are

pleased to announce the Seventeenth Annual "Dorothy Finley Outstanding Teen Citizen Awards".

The 2013 Honorees will be selected by YAC/TTC members. One of these ten winners will be the

recipient of the Metropolitan Education Commission’s prestigious Crystal Apple Youth Award. All ten

youth will be recognized and honored by the community at the 23nd Annual Crystal Apple Awards

Luncheon on May 3, 2013.

The Honorees will also be presented to Tucson Mayor & Council for commendations.

Print the Nomination Form: /sites/default/files/mec/nomination_form_2012.docx

Dorothy Finley Outstanding Teen Citizen Awards 2012

Nomination Form (pdf) http://cms3.tucsonaz.gov/metedu

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Environmental Services has just launched a mobile App that provides all the information residents

need to know, tailored to their neighborhood, about residential trash and recycling services," Click

here for more information: http://cms3.tucsonaz.gov/home/announcement/environmental-servicesmy-

waste-mobile-app

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CITY ANNOUNCES ZOOM BIZ

Business Incentives Map

Interested in starting a new business or relocating an existing business? Do you have a location and

need to know the zoning? You have questions and ZoomBiz has the answers.

Want to know about available financial or zoning Incentives for a particular property? ZoomBiz knows.

The GIS (Geographic Information Systems) Services Division of the City's Department of Information

Technology developed ZoomBiz using a new GIS infrastructure, which supports the creation of more

intuitive, easier to use map applications. It’s just one example of how the City of Tucson is using

technology to provide more services and information to the citizens of the city.

Try your address at http://maps.tucsonaz.gov/zoombiz/ now.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

COX COMMUNICATIONS

Cox Conserves Heroes

This awards program honors volunteers who create, preserve, improve or enhance the shared outdoor

places in our communities. What types of projects are considered? Cleaning up/refurbishing a park or

public place; helping to provide public access to a previously inaccessible place; beautifying a public

place, e.g. planting/ tending to a community garden; volunteering at a local park; water

conservation/protection-related projects; creating a program that gets people to public places; donating

and/or assisting in the acquisition of land for public use; and advocacy, education and/or community

outreach for parks and open space. Heroes and their projects must meet the following criteria. The

activity cannot be part of one’s job. A Hero should be someone who has helped to create, protect and/or

care for an outdoor place available for public relaxation, reflection or recreation by the community. The

activity or project must be located within the community as defined by the local Awards Program (select

the market near you to learn more). The Hero’s story should inspire others to act. The activity should be

something that anyone could do. The activity cannot be pre-existing, such as a recycling program. The

winner’s nonprofit of choice will receive $5,000, promotions through on-air Public Service Announcements

and 20 volunteer hours donated by Cox employees. The semi-finalist’s nonprofit of choice will receive

$2,500 and promotions through on-air Public Service Announcements. Third place winner's nonprofit of

choice will receive $1,000 and promotions through on-air Public Service Announcements. Eligible

applicants include those in Arizona.

Link to information http://www.cox7.com/cox-conserves

72 Hour Preparedness

A 72-hour kit is essential for any emergency, you’ll be glad you have one! Click here for

 flier and further information! http:/files/ward4/72_hour_kit.pdf