City Manager's Update
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Date: |
March 22, 2007 |
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To: |
Mayor and City Council |
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From: |
Christopher J. Brady,
City Manager |
Council and Advisory Board
meeting calendar
Here is my update on City news. Please let me know
if you need more information about any of these
items.
Environmental Programs
Household Hazardous Waste (HHW)
Environmental Programs conducted another
successful HHW event on March 3. More then 800
residents attended the event. The next HHW event is
scheduled for April 21 and will be held at 2412
North Center Street.
Air Quality
Environmental Programs attended the Maricopa
Association of Governments (MAG) Air Quality
Technical Advisory Committee meeting on March 9. At
the meeting the committee recommended 41 new PM-10
control measures for the 5% reduction plan.
The final plan is due to the Environmental
Protection Agency by Dec 31.
Falcon Field Airport
Marsh Aviation
A new 40-year lease agreement has been signed
and executed with Marsh Aviation.
Northwest Quadrant Development
The Design Review Board approved the Reilly
Aviation development plan on March 7 with the
condition that certain issues be resolved directly
with Planning staff. Reilly Aviation also received a
zoning variance on March 13 regarding landscaping
and the hangar foundation base width.
Falcon Jet Center
Falcon Jet Center on Falcon Dr. broke ground on
its new hangar facility on March 5.
FINANCIAL SERVICES
Jumpstart Your Business
On March 2007 Tax Audit and Collection staff
attended "Jumpstart Your Business" Free Small
Business Resources at the Red Mountain Branch
Library. A short presentation included information
regarding the application of the transaction
privilege tax, the Tax and Licensing website,
licensing requirements, and tax responsibilities of
new businesses.
FIRE
Fire and Life Safety Education
Phoenix Coyotes Helmet Safety Night
The Fire and Life Safety Education Section of
the Mesa Fire Department teamed up with the Phoenix
Coyotes to sponsor a helmet safety night on March
15. The focus was on helmet safety because the month
of March is Brain Injury Awareness month. A Phoenix
Coyotes player teamed up with Mesa firefighters to
shoot a PSA encouraging helmet use as a way to avoid
a brain injury. In addition, MFD hosted a safety
information booth during one of their games.
Williams Gateway Event
The Fire and Life Safety Education Section was
one of the many divisions that participated in the
Williams Gateway Open House on March 10. Event
participants received information on water safety
and CPR. Children had the opportunity to take a ride
on the fire department Parade Truck and were given
9-1-1 educational coloring books. The event was
attended by thousands of residents from the Valley.
Colorado Conference-Volunteerism and Service
Learning
Michelle Denton represented the MFD/MCC
Connector Program at the CO Conference on
Volunteerism and Service-Learning in Colorado
Springs in February. Michelle was asked to be a
presenter at this conference to share the successes
of the long-standing partnership between Mesa Fire
Department and Mesa Community College. Michelle gave
a 90-minute presentation to other public safety
agencies and community college representatives,
sharing the benefits and details of the Connector
Program.
Emergency Management
Hospital Preparedness Council
Pandemic Education Sub-Committee will conduct
and eight-hour seminar at the Mesa Public Safety
Training Facility on March 30. Mayor Hawker will
provide opening remarks.
Neighborhood Services
Office of Human Services
During the month of
February volunteers from the Volunteer Income Tax
Assistance (VITA) program, as part of the Earned
Income Tax Credit Initiative (EITC), gave more than
500 hours and prepared more then 400 tax returns for
low-income individuals and families. The Earned
Income Tax Credit is the nation's largest
anti-poverty campaign. Each year the program helps
more then 4 million people get out of poverty
including 2 million children. Volunteers are still
available to assist with income tax preparation at
the four Mesa sites through April 14.
Neighborhood Outreach
The Building Strong Neighborhoods meeting in
Council District 2 kicked off March 8 at the Grace
United Methodist Church, 2024 E University.
Councilmember Mike Whalen, along with City Manager
Chris Brady and Police Chief George Gascon, spoke at
the meeting. Residents viewed a powerpoint
presentation that revealed the results of the
door-to-door survey, code compliance procedures, and
other information. City staff from many departments
contributed, sharing their knowledge and information
with residents. Three neighborhood teams were
formed: traffic, crime, and alleys. Team meetings
will begin on March 21, and all residents are
invited to attend.
Community Revitalization
HUD recently announced the FY 2007 allocations
for Community Development Block Grants (CDBG); HOME
Investment Partnerships (HOME), including the
American Dream Downpayment Initiative (ADDI); and
Emergency Shelter Grants (ESG). Letters providing
the formula allocation amounts were mailed to
Governors, Board Chairpersons and Mayors. The City
of Mesa's allocations are: CDBG $3,507,667; HOME
$1,045,790; ADDI $27,702; ESG $151,520. These
numbers are less than the 2006 allocations, and
slightly more than what has been estimated in the
2007 Annual Action Plan. The Plan will be adjusted
according to HUD's allocations, and City Council
will review the Action Plan and give final approval
at the April 2 Council meeting.
Parks & Recreation/Community Services
Baseball fans set new Cactus League attendance
record
Spring Training in Mesa is as popular as ever.
During the first seven Chicago Cubs home games at
HoHoKam Park a total of 68,063 fans have gone
through the turnstiles. This number includes a
single game Cactus League record of 12,903, on
Sunday March 4, when the Cubs hosted their
cross-town rival the Chicago White Sox. With an
increase of 21.5 percent from last year the 9,723
per-game average also leads the Cactus League. Two
of the first seven games have been sold out
including the Cubs, White Sox game, which was sold
out 35 minutes after the tickets went on sale and
the Cubs game against the Milwaukee Brewers, March
11.
Transit Studies
On March 14 a staff and consultant kick-off
meeting was held for the Alternatives Analysis
(planning study) for the extension of high capacity
transit into downtown Mesa. The planning study will
evaluate light rail and Bus Rapid Transit
technologies along Main Street from the light rail
terminus at Sycamore to Power Road and south to
serve the Superstition Springs Mall.
Police
Annual Safety Day affects hundreds
The Mesa Police and Fire Departments held the
2nd Annual Mesa Safety Day at Superstition Springs
Mall on March 3. The Police Crime Prevention Unit
etched V.I.N. numbers on 72 vehicles to help combat
auto theft in Mesa. Of those people, 38 signed up
for Watch Your Car (an auto theft prevention
program). The Police Department's Motorcycle Unit
inspected 20 child safety seats to ensure they were
in good condition and were properly installed.
Document shredding was offered to help reduce
identity theft crimes, and more then 1400 lbs of
personal documents were shredded. Several groups
participated.
Officers in Church Justice Workshop
Red Mountain Officers recently participated in a
workshop on "Reclaiming our Communities – Criminal
Justice Agencies Serving the Community" at the Holy
Trinity Community AME Church. The Church organized
the event as part of observances for Black History
Month during February. The purpose of the workshop
was to provide information to church members and
ministry staff to deal with emergency situations
confronted with and where to go for help in the
justice system. Officer Mark Reyes, Detective Diana
Tapia, and PD Community Partnership Coordinator
Denise Traves participated along with
representatives of the judiciary to discuss
relationships between the community and the criminal
justice system .
PD Graduates Academy Class
36 recruits will graduate from the Mesa Police
Academy on March 23 in Class #27. All graduates will
go into a field-training period before assuming
police duties. Although the MPD Academy often
includes recruits from other PDs in the Valley, this
class represents all Mesa recruits who will stay and
work in our community .
Transportation
Roads & Street Maintenance Rodeo
The City of Mesa hosted the Arizona Chapter of
MSA (Maintenance Superintendents Association) annual
Roads & Street Maintenance Rodeo at the East Mesa
Service Center on March 15. There were 151 entrants
(the largest field ever) from as far away as Yuma.
Larry Crawford placed first in the Master Equipment
Operator event. First place also went to Dave
Strader (Forklift), Ken Fair (Wheel Loader), and
Richard Elizondo (Sign Installation). Second place
awards went to Roger Coe (Street Sweeper) and Reese
Rucker (Backhoe). Third place awards went to Ed
Crabtree (Grader), Glen Curtis (Traffic Marking),
and the Asphalt Patch Crew consisting of Alvino
Gutierrez, Charles Dougherty, Jeff Hatcher and Ryan
Gasch. The Concrete Repair Crew, Scottie Tobbe,
Henry Padilla and Ron Frum, tied for third but lost
on the tie breaker, and the Crack Seal Crew with
Frank Subia, Ray Pierson, Steve Medina and Lionel
Garza, in their first time participating in the
events, took fourth place. Congratulations to all!
Wet Reflective Tape Installation
The Contractor began installing road markings
using tape with a wet reflective element on Dobson
Road from Southern to the Chandler border. This tape
is unique because the reflectivity of the paint gets
brighter when it is wet, providing greater
visibility.
Test Installations of Rubber Speed Cushions on
Maple and Dragoon
A new type of speed hump will be installed on
Maple between Broadway Road and Pueblo, and Dragoon
between Val Vista Drive and Dewberry. Rubber speed
cushions will be installed to test their durability,
effectiveness, and impact on fire trucks. Materials
were ordered in mid-March and installation is
expected to start by early April 2007.
Notices are being mailed to approximately 500
area residents. Approximately three months after
installation, an evaluation will be done that will
include speed studies, field observations, and an
opinion survey.
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