Arizona Museum for Youth
The response to the Henson exhibition has been tremendous. In fact, in the last month alone, approximately 9,300 people have visited the Arizona Museum for Youth (AMY) to see Jim Henson’s Fantastic World. This record-breaking attendance equates to an average of 100 people per hour, which surpasses the initial estimate of 60 per hour. The last exhibit to hit records for the museum was An Adventure with Wallace and Gromit, which had 40 visitors per hour in 1997. The museum has also exceeded expectations in Gallery Shop and membership sales. The number of new memberships grew by 111 in the month of December, accounting for about $7,000 worth of revenue for the Arizona Museum for Youth Friends Board. Gallery Shop sales also have skyrocketed, and visitors continue to flock to the store for unique Henson memorabilia.

Arizona Museum of Natural History
Arizona of Museum of Natural History staff and volunteers coordinated two successful programs during this past week: Home School Day with 100 participants and A Night at the Museum with 351 visitors.

Mesa Arts Center – Spring Out to Lunch Concert Series
Lunchtime performances return to Mesa Arts Center after a brief hiatus. The Spring Out to Lunch Concert Series invites music lovers of all ages to enjoy their Thursday lunch hours from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. outdoors under the sun. The series will begin on February 7. This season features a diverse group of local soloists and performers playing a variety of music such as rhythm and blues, jazz, swing, mariachi, classical and world music. Chairs and lawn seating are available.

Mesa Arts Center – Senior Discovery Program
Art Studios at Mesa Arts Center is about to launch their new Senior Discovery Program. For four Wednesdays in February and March, the Center is planning a variety of activities that encourage creative play and let participants end the day with a completed art project. Classes, aimed at the senior communities strewn throughout the East Valley, start at 9:30 a.m. and end at 3:00 p.m. Classes are taught by professional artists, and include projects in Pinhole Photography, watercolor cards, metalwork moths and butterflies, mosaic votive holders, and pottery tile making and painting. Registration is required.

ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAMS

Household Hazardous Waste Collection Event
The next event is scheduled for Saturday, February 2, 2008 from 8 am to 12 pm and will be held at the East Mesa Service Center (6935 E Decatur).

Wireless Internet Access at the Main Library
Free wireless Internet access is available at the City of Mesa Main Library. Patrons do not need a plug or phone jack, they just turn-on their notebook/laptop computer or other wireless device and start surfing. Wireless access is available all hours the Main Library is open. There is no time limit on using the service and a password is not required. Patrons simply launch a Web browser to establish a connection. A City of Mesa Library card is not required to access the wireless network, just a working email address. However, using an email address will limit the speed at which patrons will be able to access the Internet. The wireless Internet access at the Library is filtered. By choosing to use this free service, patrons agree to abide by the City of Mesa Library Policy for Use of the Internet. Currently, printing is not available via a wireless connection. Wireless access has not yet been actively advertised to the public, however the Library already has observed more than 30 users in the first two-weeks of operation.

Building Strong Neighborhoods Initiative
The Building Strong Neighborhoods Initiative meeting took place on January 17, 2008 at Redbird Elementary School. Residents reviewed the results of a survey conducted door-to-door by the Neighborhood Outreach Office. Traffic was the biggest concern for the neighborhood and as a result, three action teams were formed such as Traffic, Public Safety, and the Neighborhood Team. Approximately 45 residents attended the meeting to learn more about the program and to see how they could help make a positive change in their neighborhood. The neighborhood boundaries are between 8th Ave and Southern Avenue from Extension Road to Country Club Drive. City departments and local businesses participated with informational brochures and answered questions from residents. The goal of Building Strong Neighborhoods is to increase awareness of our city services and programs and to educate and organize our Mesa Neighborhoods.

2008 Homeless Street Count
The 2008 Homeless Street Count is being planned for Tuesday, January 29, 2008. A homeless street count is required by the U.S. Department of Human and Urban Development (HUD) to apply for HUD’s Stuart B. McKinney funding for homeless assistance programs, which awarded the Region more than $20 million in 2007. The data collected in the count is incorporated into the HUD grant application to provide hard data on the number of homeless people in our Region.

In 2007, 173 individuals were counted on the streets of Mesa. Results from the count are useful for planning purposes; demonstrating a need for resources; raising public awareness about the issue of homelessness; accurately measuring and identifying the needs of populations that are hardest to serve; and measuring performance in eliminating homelessness.

Mesa Police officers attended training provided by the Office of Human Services and Maricopa Association of Governments. Teams of officers at each substation will count each homeless individual encountered on their regular route throughout Mesa. A New Leaf-East Valley Men’s Center will also participate this year.

For more information contact Lisa Wilson, Human Services Specialist at 480-644-5831.

Free Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites open February 2
Free Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) will be provided to Mesa residents. The VITA sites at the Mesa Community College "Southern and Dobson" and Red Mountain campuses will open on Saturday February 2, 2007. Volunteers will be available to prepare simple tax returns as well as assist with the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC).

Two other sites will open soon after. Visit the www.cityofmesa.org/humansvc/ for site information and www.irs.gov for tax information.

Water System Optimization Team
A system optimization team has been formed with representatives from the Utility Control Center, Water Quality, and Water Supply, meeting at least once a month. One of the first tasks was putting together a schedule for running wells to reduce electrical costs, reduce well screen mineralization, and coordinate water quality sampling. This team will be reviewing rates for each site to make sure we’re on the right rate plan and operational costs are minimized due to the expected future increases for SRP Electrical Rates.