Kevin's Ward 3 News and Updates

Friday, July 8, 2022

News and Updates
Ward 3 Neighborhood Association/Coalition Meetings
Ward 3 Events
City Wide Events
Did You Know?

Climate Action Requires Resolve to Actually Take Action

I am frustrated. At this week’s council meeting, the city’s mission to support electric vehicle (EV) ready hit a road bump when some of my colleagues were not ready to vote for some reasonable requirements for new development to be EV ready. The proposal would require new apartment, office, and retail buildings to install some combination of conduits and outlets, and in the case of retail some charging stations.

A short history: Mayor and Council adopted an EV Readiness Roadmap in April 2021. The roadmap showed the city adopting an EV readiness ordinance for all new development in the first six months – this was considered low hanging fruit. The city did quickly require EV readiness when new single-family homes are constructed. Coming up for rules for multi-family units and places where people shop and work has undergone a long multi-stakeholder process.

At this week’s public hearing, we heard from EV owners and those concerned about climate change that the proposal is a good first step. Frankly, I think it should be more robust but I agree it is a good first step. I was glad to make the motion to pass this  overdue item from our EV Roadmap. The ordinance contains a review in a year when I hope we will up the requirements.

The business community had complained during the stakeholder process and again at the hearing this week. They are the sort of ideological concerns you might expect – let the marketplace decide, incentives are better than requirements, etc. The current number of EVs in Tucson was given as a reason not to require buildings to be ready for the growing number of vehicles that will be parked at buildings that should last for 30 or 50 or more years. I don’t understand why these predictable objections apparently spooked a couple of my colleagues, who asked for more time. Since the votes weren’t there, I withdrew my motion, so that we can revisit the measure at one of the council meetings in August.

This doesn’t make sense to me. A plan adopted in April 2021 proposed the action be completed by last September. We are almost a year overdue. If this is how Tucson is going to implement our EV Roadmap we can expect it to be a long and winding road. If you are frustrated as I am, please let the mayor and council know your views. An easy way to reach all of us with one email is to send it to [email protected].

-Kevin

 Coalition for Housing Justice by Katie Bolger

Council member Dahl and staff met with a coalition of social justice/labor groups concerned about affordable housing, rent control, gentrification and the idea of “sanctioned camps” for the growing population of unsheltered people across our City. Their anger and urgency to “do something” underscore the crisis currently unfolding in Tucson with investors and LLC’s buying up multi-family units and single family residences, flipping them and raising rent or evicting people. 

Roxanna Valenzuela, Tanya Nunez, CJ Boyd, Brian Flagg, Raye Winch, Kevin Dahl, Katie Bolger, Glenda Avalos, Raul Ramirez, Hassan Clement (kneeling)

We commonly hear about rent increases from 30%-50% . Right now, there are no easy answers in our “hot” real estate market as long as the City’s authority to impose reasonable rent control and regulate investment properties (such as Airbnb’s) is usurped by the State legislature. We need to flip the State Legislature and work tirelessly on the local level with coalitions, service providers, City and County government. 

The coalition were a visible presence at this week’s City Council meeting, with both a peaceful protest outside the meeting and several coalition members addressing these issues during the “Call to the Audience” portion of the council agenda.

Rillito Bend by CJ Boyd

RillitoBend is bounded by the Rillito river to the north and east, Prince Road to the south, and Campbell Avenue to the west. The neighborhood association changed its name from Prince Tucson in 2014.

The neighborhood’s unique riparian environment is defined by the washes that flow through the area to the Rillito River. In the 1990s, the neighbors banded together to establish the Rio Vista Natural Resource Park to enhance and preserve the natural vegetation and wildlife habitat of the area. The Park was brought about by the decades of work by volunteers and City/County officials and features a labyrinth designed and built by the neighbors.

The mural at the Cactus Avenue entrance to RillitoBend, designed by Sue Ann Breems and created by several neighbors

The mosaic tile sign at the entrance to the neighborhood was created by artist and former midwife Sue Ann Breems. Under her direction, neighbors cut, painted, and glued the tiles, with the result being a beautiful welcome to the neighborhood.

RillitoBend boasts a great deal of artistic talent, including the childhood home of one of Tucson’s most famous resident’s, Linda Ronstadt, who grew up on her family’s ranch off Prince Road. The neighborhood is also home to artist Maynard Dixon, famous for his paintings of the American Southwest, and his wife Edith Hamlin, a painter in her own right.

One of the neighborhood’s historic artists, George Legler, created the fantasy park The Valley of the Moon. This fairy-tale themed park was founded in 1923 and is listed on The National Register of Historic Places.

Photographer and longtime resident Vicky Stromee was attracted to the area by its “dark skies, close to the river, artistic and friendly neighbors, shared interest in the natural environment. An oasis of rural living within the city.”

Doctor turned botanical illustrator Melanie Campbell-Carter, says "I've lived in many places during my life, and I'm delighted to say that RillitoBend is the home I've always wanted. You can buy a house, but you can't buy great neighbors! I've loved every day living here in RillitoBend. We look out for each other. I can think of no higher praise for a neighborhood.”

The neighborhood doesn’t include any schools or churches, but does include amenities like the Tucson Racquet Club and the Hitching Post Ranch at Gentleman’s Acres.

To get involved with community projects and more, visit their website at https://rillitobendna.org.

Community Home Repair Projects of Arizona By Marlene Avelino

Recently we met with Carrie Nelson and Scott Coverdale from Community Home Repair Projects of Arizona, or CHRPA. They are a non-profit agency working within Tucson and Pima County assisting low income homeowners with emergency repairs. A broken cooler or backed up sewer are never convenient for homeowners, but for those on fixed income or low income these unexpected expenses can push people over the edge financially. They also provide adaptive and safety modifications for people with disabilities, this could mean installing grab bars in showers or building access ramps to the front door. 

CHRPA was established in 1982 as Mennonite Home Repair, and to this day many of their volunteers are referred to them by the Mennonite Church. The program has a small staff and a network of volunteers that allow them to have two to six crews out in the field daily, fluctuating with the snow bird season. Many volunteers are retired contractors or skilled in a variety of home repairs, and also, many have never picked up a hammer before signing up. CHRPA hosts weekly educational sessions to build up skills for everyone, and they partner with other agencies that have an interest in providing these services such as the city, the county, neighborhood associations, religious and civic organizations, and health care providers. 

CHRPA is funded by a variety of organizations, entities, and private donations. They receive grants from Pima Council on Aging, City of Tucson, Pima County, and others. Ward 3 has donated $50k from our allocated ARPA funds to support their efforts.

To learn more about Community Home Repair Project Arizona visit: www.chrpaz.org

Farewell Ward 3 by Kristin Woodall

In the Spring of 2018 I started a brand new chapter in my life. I was hired to work in the Ward 3 office in Constituent Services. Although it was brand new role for me, I was able to use skills from my previous work as an ICU nurse and case manager for a Methadone clinic to trouble shoot issues, connect people to services and sometimes just listen to people and their concerns- hopefully making their lives a little better.

Fast forward four and a half years and I’m still here, working for Council member Dahl. I love working with Kevin and his team. Providing services to constituents is my passion and I’m grateful that Kevin kept me on to do just that.  

All of this to say that I’m now transitioning to be a Care Coordinator for the brand new Community Safety, Health and Wellness department. I will be able to work with TPD, TFD, Housing and Community Development and other departments within the City to help decrease the number of 911 calls that our Public Safety Communications department receives. This will be accomplished by coordinating services for individuals who utilize 911 frequently so that they are receiving the assistance they need and thus reduce their calls for emergency services.  

Farewell lunch with Ward 3 Staff Kristin Woodall, Marlene Avelino, CJ Boyd, Shannon Jenkins, Kevin Dahl, Mike Edmonds, Katie Bolger

Thank you all for making my work here meaningful, challenging and fun here at the Ward 3 office. My best to the Kevin, the staff and all the neighbors of Ward 3. I am leaving the office, but not the City I love.