Kevin's Ward 3 News and Updates

Friday, November 4, 2022

News and Updates
Next Mayor and Council Meeting
Ward 3 Neighborhood Association and Coalition Meetings
Ward 3 Events
City Wide Events
Did You Know?

I Went Round and Round Before Joining Rotary

Rotary is a social service organization that brings together a global network of 1.2 million volunteer leaders who dedicate their time and talent to tackle the world’s most pressing humanitarian challenges.

Last April at Tucson’s Earth Day celebration, I discovered that one of the local Rotary Clubs is focused on environmental issues. It’s mission: “We invest our time and human resources on projects that will improve the ecological and sustainable environment of our community and planet. No project is too small.” I checked out the group’s website – https://www.rotarytucsonverde.com/ – and went to a meeting as a guest. Their passion for community service, continued learning, and friendship convinced me to join.

Our club is looking for a few new members. If this might interest you, you can contact me (new members must be sponsored). Better yet, come meet more club members in action tomorrow at one of the events we support. Zero Waste takes place Saturday, November 5th from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. I’ll be there in the parking lot of Catalina Methodist Church at 2700 E. Speedway (north of Himmel Park, enter from First Street). More details on what takes place at Zero Waste are in the flyer just below.

- Kevin

Community School Model at Doolen Middle School by CJ Boyd

Seven schools in Pima County have been piloting a strategy called Restart SMART, which uses what is known as the “Community Schools Model” to engage non-profits and other partners to meet the needs of students, their families, and the school. Doolen Middle School is the only school using this model in Ward 3, and our council staff recently met with several of the organizations administering this effort at Doolen.

The Restart SMART strategy is chiefly administered by Higher Ground, based here in Tucson. According to their CEO & Co-Founder Jansen Azarias-Suzumoto, the organization sees themselves as a “switchboard” connecting students, families, and community members confronting diverse challenges to various partners. These partners include non-profits, governments, colleges, businesses, and individuals who can help bring resources to students and their families.

From left to right: Jansen Azarias-Suzumoto of Higher Ground, Cristian Morales Reyes of Higher Ground, C.J. Boyd of Ward 3, Neil Naftzger of the Association for Institutional Research, Dominique Bradley of the Association for Institutional Research, Stephanie Codd-Anderson of Higher Ground, Kim Clark of Higher Ground, and Mohammed Al-Sammak of Higher Ground.

For instance, the non-profit organization Southern Arizona Research Science and Engineering Foundation (SARSEF) partners with Higher Ground to bring students special educational tools promoting STEM education. Higher Ground’s Doolen Site Director, Mohammed Al-Sammak, who grew up in Iraq and speaks fluent Arabic, has worked with Amber Folkman - the SARSEF Manager of School Relationships and Impact -  to create a STEM program specifically geared toward refugee students.

Another partner organization, I Am You 360, provides students experiencing poverty and homelessness with hygiene products and clothing. Doolen Middle School has the highest percentage of students experiencing homelessness in TUSD, which means many students face significant life challenges that must be addressed before they can focus on their education. Having access to toothpaste and comfortable shoes can make a world of difference for these students.

The library at Doolen Middle School

With Arizona’s state legislature consistently slashing educational funding, and leaving our students last or next to last on the list of per capita education spending in the US, the majority of schools in our county and state desperately need programs like Restart SMART. As amazing as most teachers and school staff are, they are almost never given the resources they need to adequately address issues like student poverty, homelessness, and refugee displacement. In our meeting, Pima County School Superintendent Dustin Williams and Pima County Supervisor Rex School both sang the praises of this industrious program and noted the need to expand its reach.

In February 2021, Higher Ground started the Restart SMART strategy in Pima County with just two schools, and in less than two years, it has increased that number to seven participating schools. Six of those schools—Safford, Lawrence, Utterback, Grijalva, Southside, and Doolen—are located in the Tucson Unified School District. Higher Ground also works with Apollo Middle School in the Sunnyside Unified School District. 

A student mural on the campus of Doolen Middle School

On the Doolen Campus, Site Director Mohammed Al-Sammak is joined by Student Support Specialist Cristian Morales Reyes and Family Support Coordinator Kim Clark. In addition to identifying and addressing economic and cultural hardships, Reyes also works directly with students with behavioral issues who may need additional attention so that this burden doesn't fall exclusively on teachers.  Reyes helps students manage their anger, discuss emotional issues, and pursue more successful educational strategies. Clark works alongside students’ families to address issues related to problems at home. Far too often, these issues stem from a lack of resources, which Higher Ground is often able to provide through its many partner organizations.

The salaries for each school's Higher Ground staff are paid for by a combination of the participating school district funds, AZ Department of Education grants, donations, and Pima County funds. Supervisor Rex Scott was himself an assistant principal at Doolen Middle School 20 years ago, and many students then faced the same hardships due to lack of resources that Doolen students face today, so he was pleased to see that Higher Ground and their partner organizations have been able to address many of these needs. While it is a constant frustration for Arizona teachers to see students' educations so severely underfunded by our state legislature, it is inspiring to see what our county, school boards, and god-send non-profits like Higher Ground and their partners are able to do with limited resources.

If you want to help support Doolen Middle School and the Restart SMART strategy, you can make donations and get involved by going to their support page: https://www.higherground.me/donate

Pueblo de las Catalinas by Marlene Avelino

Pueblo de las Catalinas is a small, intentional community developed in the late 1970s just south of Limberlost Drive and west of Mountain Avenue. The community has 44 homes along a single street that forms a loop - Paseo Alegre. Residents love knowing that three times around is one mile, and plenty of neighbors walk the loop for exercise. Many residents have been in their homes for several decades and have close, personal friendships with each other.

The entrance to Pueblo de las Catalinas is clearly marked and helps establish a strong sense of place.

The neighborhood was built by well-known Tucson developer Louis Parrish to be an environmentally conscious community. For example, all the utilities are underground, there are no street lights, and porch lights are all yellow, low impact lights; these features minimize disruption of the natural landscape and reduce light pollution. The homes are also designed to utilize passive heating and cooling, so west facing walls have smaller windows to keep out the summer's harsh afternoon sun and heat, and south facing walls have larger windows to maximize natural light and heat during the winter. Additionally, the homes were built around the pre-existing mesquite bosque in order to save as many trees and as much native vegetation as possible.

The CC&R - Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions - for Pueblo de las Catalinas requires that only native vegetation be planted in public facing areas - non-native plants are not allowed there. CC&Rs exist within developments that include Homeowners Associations or HOAs. An HOA and CC&Rs are written into the development and are meant to control the neighborhood aesthetic, ‘protect property values’, and manage common areas.

Muted desert tones and native landscapes at Pueblo de las Catalinas

An HOA can exist within a neighborhood association area but cannot be a neighborhood association. Membership in an HOA is compulsory and there are often monthly fees associated with membership. A neighborhood association’s membership is voluntary, and dues are set in the bylaws, which can be amended with a vote. The City’s relationship with a neighborhood association is formal; they must register with Planning and Development, and some amenities are provided. An HOA has no formal relationship with the City, and our office is still getting to know the various HOAs in Ward 3.

A big thank you to the Pueblo de las Catalinas HOA for reaching out to our Ward office! it was a pleasure to learn more about your corner of Ward 3. Special thanks to Julie Ferdon for all your efforts!

Ward 3 Office Updates by Shannon Jenkins

Hello! I don't usually write articles for our newsletter because I'm busy putting it together behind the scenes, but this week, I have a few things to mention.

First, please join me and other Ward 3 staff members at our Cemetery Wash Clean Up next Thursday, November 10th!

We'll be at N. Balboa Ave. and W. Delano Street from 8-10 am removing litter and debris from this neighborhood waterway and wildlife corridor. We frequently receive calls about accumulated trash in this wash, so we'll be hosting clean ups there on the second Thursday morning of November, December, and January. We'll have a bunch of tools, gloves, and trash bags, and I'll be picking up some kind of breakfast snack for us, so please register HERE so I know how much food to bring.

Chief of Staff Katie Bolger, Council Member Kevin Dahl, Stephen Addison, Kristin Woodall, and Ricky Romero at our last clean-up at Cemetery Wash

And second, a big thank you to everyone who made Cyclovia last weekend such an amazing event! Whether you were a volunteer, an attendee, City staff, said hello to Council Member Dahl, helped with set up, or biked or walked or pole-vaulted along the route, we appreciated seeing you there!

In particular, we owe a very special thank you to Living Streets Alliance (LSA) and their Executive Director Emily Yetman for all the work they did to put on this wonderful event in Ward 3.

A photo taken by Kevin's son Brian Dahl from behind the Ward 3 table at the Donna Liggins Center during Cyclovia

Council Aides Shannon Jenkins and CJ Boyd enjoying Cyclovia

And one final note: our office will be closed for Veteran's Day next Friday, November 11th.

Next Mayor and Council Meeting
The next Mayor and Council Meeting is on Monday, November 14th, 2022.
Once available, the agenda will be posted here: Mayor and Council Meeting Agendas

Ward 3 Neighborhood Association and Coalition Meetings
Richland Heights West Neighborhood Association
Sunday, November 6th, 4:00- 5:00 pm
1404 E. Lind Rd.

Alvernon Grant Initiative  
Tuesday, November 8th, 6:00- 7:00 pm
Emmanuel Church, 1825 N. Alvernon Way

Sugar Hill Neighborhood Association
Wednesday, November 9th, 6:00- 7:30 pm
Parkside Terrace Apartments, 2150 N. 4th Ave.

Country Glenn Neighborhood Association
Tuesday, November 8th, 7:00- 8:00 pm
Pocket Park at Treat and Alturas, 2525 N. Treat Ave.

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 [email protected].

Ward 3 Events
Thanksgiving Dinner at the Marty Birdman Center

Upcoming Tucson Norte-Sur Open House Meetings

The City of Tucson Department of Transportation and Mobility (DTM) continues outreach for Tucson Norte-Sur: Investing in Resilient Communities + Transit, the equitable Transit-Oriented Development (eTOD) plan for a north-south corridor extending from the Tucson Mall/Tohono Tadai Transit Center in the north to Tucson International Airport in the south.

DTM, along with the Housing and Community Development Department, will present findings from Phase 1 of Tucson Norte-Sur at four upcoming Open House Meetings;

November 15, 6-8pm, City of South Tucson City Hall, 1601 S. 6th Ave (includes presentation to South Tucson City Council)
November 16, 5-7pm, Armory Park Center, 220 S. 5th Ave (Downtown Open House)
November 17, 5-7pm, La Esquina, 4876 S. 6th Ave (South Side Open House)
November 19, 10am-12pm, Jacinto Park, 2601 N. 15th Ave (North Side Open House, as part of Thrive in the 05 Block Party)
These meetings will include an overview of the Tucson Norte-Sur project, public input received so far, updates on affordable housing efforts underway along transit corridors, and opportunities to provide additional feedback. Food and activities for kids and adults will be provided! More info at tucsonnorte-sur.com.

Art & Craft Show on Saturday, November 20th

Request for Donations for the Lapan Sunshine Casitas

Goat Head Pulling on Thursdays in the Keeling Neighborhood Continues!

Thursday November 3rd - Glenn from Fontana West to Stone: 8-10 AM
Thursday November 10th - North side of Keeling School:  8-10 AM
Thursday November 17th - East side of Keeling School:  8-10 AM
Skip November 24th - THANKSGIVING (giving thanks we're not pulling goat heads)

Free Vaccines at the Humane Society