Care to Serve on a City Commission?

Tucson has more than 50 boards and commissions composed of volunteers who provide expert advice and monitor important city programs. Some include members appointed by a Mayor and Council vote, and others have members that each city council member gets to appoint directly. Of those, there are five commissions with vacancies that I need to appoint. Are you interested in being considered? Below are brief descriptions. There is more information on the city website: https://www.tucsonaz.gov/clerks/boards

Even if you are not interested in being a commissioner, you might want to learn about the work of the commissions. You can follow the work of any commission that interests you: read minutes, attend meetings (most are virtual or hybrid), and provide input.

And if you want to know more about maybe being appointed to the following commissions, please contact me.

2017 Public Safety Tax Oversight Commission. Its purpose is to: 1) Monitor the progress of the public safety (police, fire, and 911 call center) improvement projects and expenditures funded by the 2017 charter amendment. 2) Ensure the purposes for which the charter amendment and related Public Safety Improvements Plan were approved are carried out and that revenues from the charter amendment are accounted for. 3) In any case where a change from the allocation described in the pamphlet and approved Public Safety Improvements Plan may be needed due to unforeseen circumstances or extraordinary considerations of the public interest and the matter is referred to the Committee by the Mayor and Council, to study the need for such change and make a recommendation to the Mayor and Council to either approve or reject the change.

Board of Adjustment. Established to hear and decide requests for variances from provisions of the Unified Development Code (UDC), appeals of Zoning Administrator’s interpretations, appeals by the applicant from administrative design review decisions, appeals from limited notice procedure decisions and other land use issues as provided by the UDC.

Tucson Greens Committee. Recommend to the Mayor and Council the extent and location of the various golf activities and facilities of the city, and procedures and policy as to their operation, maintenance, fees, and development. The Committee shall focus on financial oversight relating to the viability and accountability of the Golf Enterprise Fund and make recommendations to the Mayor and Council that will help the enterprise fund.

Pedestrian Advisory Committee. Its purpose is to provide input from a pedestrian perspective on major projects, such as road plans, bridges, street repaving, and Plan Tucson.

Public Art and Community Design Committee. Its purpose is to: 1) Develop the Public Art Plan, recommend changes to the Plan as necessary, and oversee its implementation. 2) Conduct a program of community outreach in support of the Public Art Program. 3) Select professionals in the visual arts and design fields to serve as jurors in the art selection process. 4) Gifts and Donations: Review and comment on gifts and donations in the areas of conservation/preservation expenses, placement, and appropriateness of inclusion into the Public Art Collection. 5) Conservation and Preservation: Conduct periodic surveys of the condition of the Public Art Collection.

- Kevin

Tucson Fire Station 8 - House of Love by Marlene Avelino 

Ribbon cutting featuring Council Member Dahl, Mayor Romero, Fire Chief Ryan, TPD Chief Kasmar, City Manager Ortega, and many others.

Last week, Council Member Dahl and I had the pleasure of attending the grand opening of the new Fire Station 8 at 1025 W. Prince Road. It is 14,000 square feet with 13 private dorm rooms, an expanded equipment bay for fire vehicles, a decontamination area, isolated storage for fire gear, a very roomy kitchen, and a workout room. The new station also received a new fire engine, paramedic unit, thermal imaging cameras, extrication equipment, cardiac monitors, and personal protective gear.

Outside view of brand new Fire Station 8 at 1025 W. Prince Road

The new station was built with $8.2 million of funds from Proposition 101 - Tucson Delivers Safer City, the half cent sales tax approved by voters in May 2017, and Fire Station 8 is the 2nd of 5 firehouses being built with Prop 101 monies. This brand new, state of the art firehouse replaces the 54 year old station on 250 W. King Road, which is one of the busiest fire stations in the country. Built in 1968 for 6 firefighters, Fire Station 8 is known as the “House of Love” by resident firefighters because of how busy it is. 

Congratulations to the crew of Fire Station 8 on your new space!

Tucson Mountain Association Recognizes Ward 3 by Shannon Jenkins

The Tucson Mountain Association (TMA) was founded in 1935 by families homesteading in the Tucson Mountains. According to their website, it is the oldest neighborhood association in Arizona. The members used to get together once a year for a big social gathering, and they still do!

The area TMA represents is bounded on the north by Twin Peaks Road, on the east by Silverbell Rd., on the south by 22nd St./ Starr Pass, and on the west by Saguaro National Park and Tucson Mountain Park.

TMA has an all-volunteer board and an active one; they lobby on behalf of issues such as re-zonings and road projects, the preservation of open space and connectivity for wildlife, and the expansion of Tucson Mountain Park, Saguaro National Park, and Sweetwater preserve. Members frequently participate in public meetings and encourage other organizations and neighborhood associations to participate in the political process as well.

Last month their yearly meeting took place on a cloudy autumn day at Columbus Park. Council Member Kevin Dahl and Ward 3 Chief of Staff Katie Bolger were both honored with awards. After the abundant and delicious potluck, Council Member Dahl was presented with the Outstanding Public Official award for his opposition to the controversial rezoning on 36th and La Cholla. Katie received the Outstanding Public Servant award for her assistance in working with TMA and staff to ensure wildlife friendly culverts in the Silverbell Road widening project.

TMA President Paul Eckerstrom presenting Council Member Dahl with his award.

TMA President Paul Eckerstrom presenting Katie Bolger with her award. 

Thank you to the volunteers and residents of the Tucson Mountain Association for their recognition of the Ward 3 Council Office and for including us in their yearly tradition?

Richland Heights West by CJ Boyd 

While every neighborhood in Ward 3 is special, Richland Heights West has one feature that makes it unlike any of its adjacent neighborhoods—dirt roads. 

The neighborhood spans the area from E. Prince Road to E. Fort Lowell Road and from N. Mountain Avenue to N. Campbell Avenue, and only the perimeter of the neighborhood has paved roads. The interior is entirely unpaved. Add to this the fact that there is only one through street in the neighborhood, and you can see why Richland Heights West has lots of visitors on foot and very little car traffic.

Lind Road, near the intersection of Martin, two of the many dirt roads in Richland Heights West.

The lots are spacious in Richland Heights West, with luscious desert flora filling the area between the roads and homes. The neighborhood’s population is just 701, compared to a population of 1,387 in Richland Heights East, which is the same size geographically. While there are a few apartment buildings on the outskirts of the neighborhood, the majority of the housing is large homes on large plots of land with abundant Palo Verde trees, mesquite trees, and cacti of all sorts lining the roads.

The neighborhood association has put effort into keeping the area quiet by minimizing traffic. Besides keeping the roads unpaved, two of the intersections have been intentionally gated to prevent through traffic. The corner of Kleindale and Cherry, as well as Martin and Lind both have a gate preventing traffic from passing through, each with trees and other plants placed to make it feel less like an intersection and more like a dead end.

The would-be intersection of Cherry and Kliendale, where through traffic is prevented by a chained gate.

Paula Aboud, who has lived in the neighborhood for over 30 years, said, “What I love about this neighborhood is the dirt roads & the wildlife that abounds. Owls, coyotes, raccoons, coatimundi, hawks, bobcats, javelina & even deer have visited us. It’s a wonderful place to live. I also love how much our surrounding neighborhood dogs enjoy walking here!”

From the perimeter of the neighborhood, you’d never know that so many critters are nearby. Like most neighborhoods in the area, the boundary streets are lined with business, some local and some not. Only one restaurant falls within the neighborhood’s bounds, which is Mira Mar, a Mexican seafood restaurant.

Richland Heights West is home to three schools. The one public school in the neighborhood is Holaway Elementary, which is part of the Amphi Unified School District. The other two are charter schools. Presidio School, on Fort Lowell between Cherry and Martin, offers kindergarten through 12th grade education. On the corner of Fort Lowell and Mountain, we find Montessori Schoolhouse Charter, the first Montessori school built in Tucson, back in 1974. They provide preschool, kindergarten, and elementary school education based on the philosophy of Maria Montessori.

Holaway Elementary School on Cherry Ave and Greenlee Rd.

The neighborhood also has two churches on this perimeter. On the corner of Campbell and Lind sits St. James United Methodist Church, and at the corner of Prince and Vine sits Desert View Church of God. 

While most of the businesses in Richland Heights West are along the outside of the neighborhood, there is one gem of an attraction hidden just inside. The Franklin Auto Museum displays classic cars to the public from the first part of the twentieth century. From the outside, the property just looks like one of many large homes on a large swath of land, but inside there are fascinating old cars.

The entrance of Frankin Auto Museum on Kleindale Road and Vine Ave.

Next Mayor and Council Meeting 

The next Mayor and Council Meeting is on Tuesday, December 6th, 2022.
Once available, the agenda will be posted here: Mayor and Council Meeting Agendas

Ward 3 Neighborhood Association and Coalition Meetings

RillitoBend Neighborhood Association - Annual Meeting

Saturday, November 19th, 3:00- 5:00 pm
Valley of the Moon, 2544 E. Allen Rd. 

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 on Friday, November 18^th

Thrive in the 05 Action Activities on Saturday, November 19th 

Two Thrive in the 05 Action Activities begin at 9 a.m. Living Streets Alliance will lead a block painting party between Kelso and Jacinto streets, and Tucson Clean & Beautiful will guide community members on tree planting. Participants should wear work clothes, closed-toe shoes, a hat, and bring water. In addition, the Department of Transportation and Mobility will hold an open house on the Tucson Norte-Sur proposed transit corridor, and Housing and Community Development will provide information on future Action Activities, Choice Neighborhoods, a $50 million implementation grant, and future affordable housing for the area. Both information sessions will be held from 10 a.m. to noon.

Amphi Neighborhood Fall Festival on Saturday, November 19^th

Corazon Trash Clean Up on Saturday, November 19^th

Food4Life at New Life Community Church of the Nazarene on November 19^th

Food distribution is Saturday, November 19th, at New Life Community Church of the Nazarene (3367 N. Geronimo). Sign-up begins at 8 a.m. and continues as long as they have food. Food is usually distributed beginning around 10 a.m., and they finish by 11 or 11:30 a.m. There will be vegetables, fruit, packaged food, desserts, dairy, and some meat. You get to select your own food, and there are no income, residency, or other requirements.

Thanksgiving Celebration on Sunday, November 20^th

Art & Craft Show on Sunday, November 20^th

Request for Donations for the Lapan Sunshine Casitas

Join Your Local Community Garden!

Plots are available at locations across town through the Community Gardens of Tucson. You can rent a 3 ft X 20 ft garden plot with automatic drip irrigation to grow your own food! Garden tools and supplies are provided on-site. Contact [email protected] or call 520-795-8823 for more information.

These Ward 3 gardens currently have available plots: 
 - Mansfield Garden - 2000 N. 4th Ave.
 - Blue Moon Garden - 1510 N. Oracle Rd
 - Keeling Garden - 2919 N. Los Altos
 - Homer Davis Garden - 4250 N. Romero Rd.
 - Presidio Garden - Near Fort Lowell and Country Club

BICAS 25th Annual Art Auction on December 9th & 10^th

The 25th Annual BICAS Art Auction will feature a huge variety of practical and fanciful handmade bicycle-themed art, most of which is created using upcycled bicycle parts. All the art is donated by some of Tucson’s best artists who support the mission of promoting education, art, a healthy environment & making transportation more accessible to our community.

The Art Auction is for all ages & will have food, drinks, and entertainment with bidding closing Dec.10th at 8pm. As a 501(c)(3), this is our biggest fundraising event of the year with all proceeds going toward our various community programs that help people learn how to fix a bicycle, earn a bicycle, create unique art from recycled materials, and provide programs specifically targeted towards youth. 

Bicycle Art donations are accepted until December 1st.

City Wide Events

Plan ahead for the holidays by checking transit schedules. Passengers can find route specific bus information three ways:

- Check schedules online at: suntran.com

- Call customer service at: (520) 792-9222 | TDD: (520) 628-1565

- Check schedules posted at transit centers or in the ride guide onboard buses

Thanksgiving Thursday, November 24th

Sun Tran: Sunday Schedule
Sun Link: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Sun Van: Sunday Schedule
Sun Express: No Service
Sun Shuttle: No Service, except for ADA-qualified passengers

Friday After Thanksgiving, November 25th

Sun Tran: Regular Friday Schedule
Sun Link: 7 a.m. - 2 a.m.
Sun Van: Regular Friday Schedule
Sun Express: No Service
Sun Shuttle: Regular Friday Schedule

Redistricting Advisory Committee Public Hearing on Thursday, November 29th

The Redistricting Advisory Committee continues to review and consider options to adjust ward boundaries and equalize the population in each ward. The Committee held a public hearing on Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022, and voted to continue the hearing, allowing for additional community input, to the meetings being held on Thursday, November 17th and Tuesday, November 29th. Information on the Redistricting Advisory Committee, and the proposed redistricting maps, are available online at this link: Redistricting Advisory Committee proposals. Two years after the decennial census is complete, the boundaries of the six wards of the City are reviewed to determine whether adjustments are necessary to equalize the population in each ward. The Mayor and Council established the citizens committee to assist with this effort.

Nominations Open: the Greater Tucson Leadership Community Impact Awards

Nominations for Man and Woman of the Year Award, Founders Award, and GTL Alumni Excellence Award are OPEN Now thru November 30th, 2022! It's a great opportunity to recognize people in our community who are making things happen! Click this link to make your nomination: https://greatertucsonleadership.org/form.php?form_id=39&c=1

Sign Up for Tucson's Climate Action Report! 

You can use this link to subscribe to the Climate Action Report through the City Manager's Office:https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/AZTUCSON/subscriber/new

Did You Know?

Connect Arizona Affordable Connectivity Program

Media Literacy Opportunities

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