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

Helping To Craft Tucson’s Climate Change Plan

Last week, a morning-long workshop of 150 plus residents helped kick off the city’s new Climate Change and Adaptation Plan. The effort will also be called, “Tucson Resilient Together.”

Slated to be finished by December, the plan is proposed to “provide a strategic pathway to reduce the City’s emissions to net-zero by 2030, explain the anticipated impacts of climate change across the City, identify the communities that will be most vulnerable to those impacts, and provide strategies that will assure that Tucson can adapt and be resilient to the impacts of climate change – now and in the future.”

Generally, I am skeptical of bureaucratic plans that are put on a shelf and forgotten. I’m hoping this plan will serve as a blueprint for decisive action by Mayor and Council. That’s my plan.

Tucson has some climate programs underway: planting trees, building simple infrastructure to collect stormwater to grow those trees, getting ready for more electric vehicles, and installing solar on city-owned buildings. More info on these at:  https://climateaction.tucsonaz.gov/. Of course, to meet our goals much more will need to be done.

Now is a great time to contribute your ideas. The planning process – and my office – wants what you think Tucson and our residents should be doing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and get better prepared to help people endure the extreme heat we expect in the coming years.

You can offer comment and ask questions is through https://climateaction.tucsonaz.gov/ or by emailing [email protected]. Please send me your ideas, too: [email protected].

In August and September there will be more opportunities for involvement in pop-up events and a another public workshop, which will focus on best practices. In October and November, the draft plan will be put out for review.

-Kevin

Unhoused Forum by Katie Bolger

When the new Ward 3 staff started six months ago, none of us were prepared for the amount of calls and emails we would receive regarding houseless camps in the Ward. It is a huge issue in the City and across the nation. It is an issue compounded not only by mental health trauma and addiction but economic and housing conditions.

The City and its partners are doing amazing things but we also recognize that there are not the resources to cover all the needs. If you are interested in hearing what is currently being done by the City and other organizations in regards to houselessness, please join us at next Wednesdays forum.

RSVP required - limited seating

First Friday Ward 3 Business Highlight: Plants for the Southwest by Kristin Woodall

Jane Evans and her husband Gene Joseph both received their degrees in Plant Sciences from the University of Arizona in the early 1980’s. Shortly after, in 1986, they opened up their own nursery. Plants for the Southwest is a cool little oasis on the corner of N Stone Ave and Blacklidge Dr in the heart of the ’05 in Ward 3.

You have probably seen the mural on the side of the building if you have driven by from Stone Ave. It was done by Rock Martinez, aka CyfiOne, and is an example of his “desert people” theme in 2017.

Jane says that the best part of owning the nursery is that it allows her to do what she wants, and what she wants is to grow plants. The nursery sits on a commercial acre and she and Gene have an acre growing yard at their home two blocks away.

The nursery specializes in lithops, or living stones, which are small, camouflaged succulents native to southern Africa. Jane grows 90% of them from seed, and she has a variety to choose from. There are many other rare and beautiful varieties of plants in the nursery, and she loves to educate her customers about them because she wants them to be successful when they take the plants to their new homes.

Plants for the Southwest is open Tuesday-Saturday 9-5. Jane and Gene have 3 employees who are happy to help you pick out a plant and a pot and tell you how to give it the attention it needs to thrive.

Amphi Neighborhood by Marlene Avelino

Amphitheater neighborhood, commonly known as Amphi, is a neat square; Roger Road to the north, 1st Avenue to the east, Ft Lowell Road to the South, and Oracle Road to the west. It has 5 churches, a library, a neighborhood park, Fire Department Station 8, the office of Az Department of Economic Security, Literacy Connects (written about previously)and Amy’s Donuts- to name a few of the landmarks.

Amphi has its own school district established in 1893 as Amphitheater Public School District. It was named by rancher and one of the founding board members, Joseph D. Andrews, who was inspired by the geography of the Tucson basin; the Tortolita Mountains and Santa Catalina Mountains to the north, Rincon Mountains to the east, the Santa Rita Mountains to the south and Tucson Mountains to the west reminded him of an enormous amphitheater. The board pushed for its own high school as well and in 1939 Amphi High opened, making it the second high school in Tucson. Today, Amphi District has 22 schools, 13,500 students, and 64 languages spoken.

Amphi High has a public pool managed by Tucson Parks and Recreation. It is a competitive, Olympic-size, 50-meter pool featuring 25-yard courses at each end, a diving bay with 1 and 3 meter boards in the middle. Unfortunately, it is not scheduled to open this season due to a shortage of lifeguards. 

Woods Memorial Public Library has been serving the community since 1968 and is the second busiest library in Pima County. It was named after George Freeman Woods, a former Tucson City Councilmember. Renovated in 1998, the front of the building was adorned with 101 metal, flying books by artist Simon Donovan. The most recent renovations at the end of last year included new shelving to support the library’s growing snack program. They also have a seed library; you can check out a seed, plant and harvest the fruit, then return a seed saved from your harvest! 

Amphi Park is 1.8 acres at the corner of Los Altos Avenue and Navajo Road. It has a children’s play area with big, shady trees overhead, picnic tables with overhead ramadas, an open field, walking path, and a basketball court. 

The Amphi Neighborhood Association recently hosted elections and a new board has hit the ground running. They have big plans for clean up events, social gatherings, and neighborhood resources. Erica Prather is the newly elected President, “I look forward to building community with every walk of life within Amphi boundaries and use that community as a mechanism for us to advocate for what we deserve.” You can join in community by reaching out to: [email protected]

McKinney-Vento Program by CJ Boyd

The Ward 3 staff recently met with Beth Lake who heads Community and Family Engagement for Amphi Public Schools. While most of Tucson falls within the Tucson Unified School District, Ward 3 is split fairly evenly between three school districts: TUSD, Amphitheater Unified District, and Flowing Wells Unified School District.

One of the many things we learned during our meeting with Beth, was the existence of The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, a piece of 2015 federal legislation that authorizes the federal Education for Homeless Children and Youth (EHCY) Program. This is the primary piece of federal legislation related to the education of school children experiencing homelessness. 

Amphi School District is comprised of 22 schools, just three of which are high schools. In total, they serve over 13,000 students. And of those, 166 last year participated in the McKinney-Vento program, which provides supplemental support for students who don’t have homes, and therefore have serious challenges to pursuing their education. 

The McKinney-Vento liaison for Amphi District is Mary Beth Santillan, who makes sure that kids enrolled in the program get shoes, clothes, food, and anything else the district can provide to make sure students are able to focus on their studies. 

Speaking to Ms. Lake about the number of students enrolled in the program, she reminded us that in fact the actual number is likely much higher than 166. Many families will not ask for the assistance for fear of the stigma associated with being homeless.  

As sad as it is to learn that such a large number of school children are experiencing homelessness, it is extremely fortunate that this federal program exists to support those children and help provide basic necessities to students who would otherwise not have the resources to continue their education. And we in Ward 3 are fortunate to have people

Ward 3 Neighborhood and Coalition Meetings

Barrio Blue Moon
Sunday
June 5
2-3 pm
Esquer Park

Country Glenn
Wednesday
June 8
7-8 pm
Treat/Alturas

Alvernon/Grant Initiative
Crime Meeting with Tucson Police,
Neighborhoods, and Businesses
surrounding Grant and Alvernon
In-Person
Masks Optional
Tuesday, June 14, 2022
6:00pm
Emmanuel Church 1825 N Alvernon

The Ward 3 office is open. Staff will answer phone messages, emails and requests for meetings by the next business day. Leave your message at 520-791-4711 or email at [email protected].

Ward 3 Events

Unhoused Forum
Wednesday
June 8
5:30-7 pm
Ward 3 Council Office
1510 E Grant Rd

RSVP

Space is limited

Fiesta in the 05

The Fiesta in the 05 on Saturday June 4th is the kickoff event for the Thrive in the 05 Choice Neighborhoods Action Activities. The Fiesta will include free food, music, dancing, activities for kids, bike repair, and each project partner will present their project for the area. We will also have other Thrive in the 05 partners who will also be sharing information and collecting feedback including Southwest Folklife Alliance who in partnership with Ward 3 is undertaking a valuable Cultural Storytelling and Asset Mapping project.

Please consider joining us at Richey Resource Center (2209 N 15^th Ave) from 5:30-8:30pm.

Action Activities | Thrive in the 05 (tucsonaz.gov)

Build Your Art!

Build your art! Build your community! Woods Memorial Library, 3455 N. First Ave, is organizing a youth-led Health Action Team where teens use art, writing, and the media arts to change the conversation in Tucson about youth mental health.

Writing and art workshops, conversations and planning are Wednesdays 2-5pm and Open-Labs are Fridays 2-5 pm in June and July. Projects can include

- photo and video journalism

- podcasting and conversations

- book trailers and short films

- social media advocacy

- creative non-fiction

- zine making and low-tech media

- poetry and writing

- art and photography

- whatever your interests!

Have fun this summer and help create this unique team. The direct link to apply is https://forms.gle/RpAqbD3eAa2bf36n7 Contact [email protected] for more info.

SAACA Summer Open House

Ready, Set, Rec!

City Wide Events

Mobile Vaccination Clinics

Get answers to your questions about the COVID-19 vaccine. Check our FAQ's to find up-to-date information on distribution, safety and much more.

The variety of locations to get a COVID-19 vaccine makes it easier than ever to get a shot, but we know there are a lot of people still making up their minds.

To register someone who qualifies as an In-Home Long-Term Care Recipient, use this link.

Did You Know?

Caregiver Hiring Fair

Gene C. Reid park master planning info events

Canstruction Tucson: Build for Hunger 

Thousands of cans of food will take shape as creative sculptures of cactus, a gila monster, a rattlesnake and an electric vehicle charging station in this year’s Canstruction® event at Park Place Mall from June 4-17. Four local architecture and engineering firms will compete in the event, kicking off Saturday, June 4th with “Build Day” when the structures will go up in the center court of the mall. The public is invited to watch the build, and also to enjoy the display and vote for their favorite sculpture until June 14th. You can vote at www.communityfoodbank.org/canstruction  when you donate to the Community Food Bank. The sculpture winning the most votes will receive the People’s Choice Award. Competing teams in Canstruction follow rules and guidelines to assemble the canned food sculptures, with limits on how many other materials may be used to complete the structure. Following the two-week display, the sculptures will be taken apart on Saturday, June 18th. All cans of food used in the contest will be donated to the Community Food Bank, and distributed to people throughout southern Arizona.

A fun and unique building competition between local architects, engineers, builders, contractors, and designers. Using canned foods and other non-perishable items, these Cansculptures will be built and on display at the Park Place Mall between Saturday, June 4th, 2022 to Saturday, June 18th, 2022 as a larger-than-life art exhibition.

All proceeds benefit the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona, and will go towards building healthy, hunger-free communities. Each team’s creation will also be judged in various categories such as Best Meal, People's Choice, and more. The finale event culminates in an awards presentation and cocktail hour.

Pima Early Education Program Scholarships (PEEPS)

To mark the beginning of summer, Pima County’s Department of Community & Workforce Development is inviting all families — especially those with young children — to the inaugural PEEPS Celebration June 4, 10 a.m to 2 p.m., at the Kino Event Center, 2805 E. Ajo Way. The Pima Early Education Program Scholarships (PEEPS) are given to qualifying families in Pima County so that their young children can attend high-quality preschools. ...Nicole Scott, the program’s manager in Pima County. The PEEPS Celebration is free and will be a combination resource fair and party. Activities for young children will include face painting, balloons, crafts, snacks, vendor-table activities, a dunk tank and special appearances by Spider-Man, Maribel from Disney’s “Encanto” and Moana. Adults will be able to learn about services and resources offered by Pima County — including for high-quality preschools—and from more than 20 local organizations. “This won’t be your typical resource event,” Scott said. “Not only is it an opportunity for children to engage in fun learning activities, but also for families to enjoy the free event together while getting access to all the amazing resources that the County and community-based organizations have to offer.” https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/AZPIMA/bulletins/319bc0d

Heat Relief Centers

When temperatures reach 110 degrees, the City of Tucson will open six cooling centers, one in each city council ward. The centers will be open from noon-6 p.m., only on days when the temperature benchmark is met. The centers will be located at Donna Liggins Center, 2160 N. 6th Ave.; El Pueblo Center, 101 W. Irvington Road; El Rio Center, 1390 W. Speedway Blvd; Morris K. Udall Center, 7200 E. Tanque Verde Road; Randolph Center, 200 S. Alvernon Way; and William M. Clements Center, 8155 E. Poinciana Drive. Additionally, the Tucson Pima Collaboration to End Homelessness has compiled a list of additional cooling stations and locations for water and supplies. Follow the link below for more information and locations. Cooling centers

Free Citizenship Classes

Tucson Parks And Recreation Hiring Lifeguards To Open More City Pools This Summer 

Tucson Parks and Recreation is looking to hire approximately 200 more lifeguards to open additional pools this summer. The City plans to open 10 pools in June and July, while other pool locations remain closed due to a lifeguard shortage. Positions include lifeguard and WSI/senior lifeguard. The positions require American Red Cross Lifeguarding Certification or equivalent. The City offers Lifeguard Certification classes for free and will continue to add more based on need. If classes are full, you can join the wait list. City of Tucson jobs Lifeguard classes

Small Business Navigators at Ward 3

Donation drive website: www.adelitasgrijalva.com/endperiodpoverty

Information sheet: https://allianceforperiodsupplies.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Arizona.pdf

Tucson Water Discounts

Call 520-791-5443 to make an appointment or visit this site for more information: https://www.tucsonaz.gov/water/low-income-assistance-program

COVID-19 Emergency Rental and Utility Assistance

Funding requests for unpaid rent and utilities are available for up to 12 months in arrears and three months in advance. Those without internet access can call (520) 447-4423 to apply, and bilingual case managers are available. Go to this site for more information.