Public meeting draws feedback on regional water report

Approximately 80 people attended a Sept. 26 public meeting at Tucson Association of Realtors where the Regional Water Assessment Task Force (RWATF) presented its regional water report and solicited comments.

Numerous attendees expressed appreciation for the report and the Task Force’s work to extract key information and to prepare a succinct document. The report, completed last summer, summarized stakeholder input on water issues, priorities, management and infrastructure. Comments were received on the report and on the process until Oct. 31.

The report described the outcome from four computer-based ThinkTank sessions, held in late 2010, at which representatives from a broad spectrum of water supply and water use sectors generated and self-ranked nearly 900 different ideas.

Objective:
It is essential to ensure the region has a safe, reliable and sufficient water supply to meet the current and future needs of people, the environment and the economy.

Several attendees of the Sept. 26 meeting also endorsed the recommendation in the report which included conducting an evaluation of regional water management systems and case studies to inform the local process and to form regional solution strategy groups. The report suggested forming the following strategy groups: Supply, Infrastructure, Conservation/Demand Management, and Reliability/Sustainability/Aquifer Health.

Participation, leadership and financing are necessary if the region is going to move forward on the report’s recommendations. The Task Force is currently seeking input from water providers and other stakeholders to assess their level of interest. The Task Force will then evaluate the level of support for continued regional coordination at this time.
The report is posted on PAG’s website at www.PAGregion.com.

Profile: Greg Caton

Name: Greg Caton

Title: Interim Town Manager

Represents: Town of Oro Valley

Served in this capacity since: Greg was hired as the Town of Oro Valley’s assistant town manager in November 2010. In July 2011, he was appointed interim town manager.

Professional background: 
Prior to joining the Oro Valley team, Mr. Caton was assistant city manager for the City of Durango, Colo., for eight years. As assistant manager he was involved in a variety of projects, but he had direct management over: Solid Waste Collection, Recycling Collection and Processing, Environmental Programs, Human Resources, Business and Event Promotion, City Clerk’s Office, Records and Information Management, Municipal Court and Risk Management.

Mr. Caton started his local government career in 1998 with the City of Commerce City, Colo., where he was instrumental in strategic planning, implemented an employer housing assistance program, assisted with annual budget preparation and served as the City’s public information officer.

Mr. Caton holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Fort Lewis College in Durango and a master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Colorado at Denver.

Mr. Caton is a member of ICMA (International City/County Management Association) and the Arizona chapter, ACMA. He received the Credentialed Manager designation from ICMA, which is the premier municipal government leadership and management organization. Mr. Caton is one of approximately 1,200 local government management professionals currently credentialed worldwide, and one of only 31 in the state of Arizona.

Region’s most pressing issue in your opinion: 
Economic competitiveness and vitality.

Region’s best opportunity for economic success:
Collaboration and partnership.

In a time of economic challenge, when resources are stretched thin and businesses struggle to survive, there is a great need for collaboration, not just regionally, but within our own municipality. One way the Town of Oro Valley is addressing this need is through the launch of OV Dollars—a program which operates like a regular gift card, but instead of only being able to use it at one retailer, shoppers can swipe their card at any of the participating businesses in Oro Valley. Sales tax is a major source of revenue for the Town of Oro Valley, representing 47.5 percent of the general fund. There is a direct connection between shopping locally and our quality of life. By offering creative ways to support local businesses, everyone wins.

What do you like best about what is currently happening at the regional level? Lines on the map are no longer barriers to collaboration. We have realized as a region that when we work together, sharing resources and planning collaboratively, we can continue providing outstanding services to our residents in spite of a downturned economy.

The Town of Oro Valley is working to accomplish this by partnering with the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) to continue providing high-quality transportation services to Coyote Run customers. When state funding was cut, the future of this service was in question. But because of this partnership, the Town of Oro Valley and its staff will have an opportunity to continue to provide this transit service, providing the same quality transportation upon which the residents of this community have come to rely.

Additionally, beginning in January 2012, the Town of Oro Valley will receive Central Arizona Project (CAP) water for the first time ever. The delivery of this water will involve the Tucson Water system infrastructure—another example of regional collaboration to provide quality services.

What’s your No. 1 priority in your current role?
Fiscal responsibility by focusing on both sides of the income statement.
We must be mindful of and accountable for our expenditures, but we must also spend resources with the goal of improving revenues. When most people think of local government revenues, they think only of taxes. But I believe local government can play an important role in creating opportunities for economic activity.

Volunteers wanted for 5th annual: Beat Back Buffelgrass Day on January 28

Southern Arizona fires make all of us more aware of our biggest local fire danger Ö buffelgrass. This invasive weed is spreading along our mountain fronts, alleyways, roadway, often growing right up against our houses. Buffelgrass burns fast and hot: an entire football field can go up in flames in under 3 minutes. The slogan ìBuffelgrass is a Wildfire Waiting to Happenî epitomizes the concerns held by citizens and community leaders.

On Saturday, Jan. 28, over 500 volunteers from around the region will gather at various locations in the greater Tucson region to pull buffelgrass for disposal. The call for volunteers is out and the registration page will be available soon at www.buffelgrass.org. Beat Back Buffelgrass Day is a huge mobilization effort and every year gets bigger and more effective as an outreach tool as well as a removal effort.

Beat Back Buffelgrass Day is just one of the many efforts spearheaded by the Southern Arizona Buffelgrass Coordination Center (SABCC), a local nonprofit, which connects regional stakeholders so that, together, we can locate and remove buffelgrass from our fragile desert environment. Pima Association of Governments actively contributes by volunteering, serving on the SABCC Executive Board and providing funding if possible.

Bicycle/Pedestrian Count Volunteers: Thanks

PAG would like to thank all the jurisdictional staff and community volunteers who helped during the 3rd annual bicycle count. Over 70 volunteers helped count cyclists and pedestrians at over 100 locations throughout the region during the last two weeks of October. PAG is busy crunching the numbers and will release a count report in early January.

Sun Tran benefits from federal grants

Sun Tran recently received over $5.8 million from two federal discretionary grants; one from the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) State of Good Repair funding and the other from the Transit Security Grant Program (TSGP).

Both the FTA and TSGP funds are highly competitive. The FTA reviewed 839 project applications representing $4.9 billion in funding requests for its Alternative Analysis, Bus Livability, and State of Good Repair programs. Over 200 grant applicants sought more than $576 million in TSGP funding, with Sun Tran becoming one of only 39 transit systems awarded funding for fiscal year 2011. The FTA funds will be used to replace nine buses and upgrade the City of Tucson’s and Sun Tran’s existing CNG fueling facilities, while the TSGP funds will be used to provide additional security patrols by the Tucson Police Department and a security public awareness campaign.

RTA Project Status			RTA Financial Status
Oct. 31, 2011			Oct. 31, 2011 (000s)
Total Initiated Projects	547		RTA Excise Tax Collections	$ 352,546
Projects Under Construction/Implementation	20		Funds Committed	$ 621,000
Transit Projects Implemented	82		Funds Expended	$ 344,081
Total Number of Projects Completed	452		Fund Balance	$ 183,454

The RTA plan, approved by voters on May 16, 2006, is a 20-year, $2.1 billion multi-modal transportation plan with roadway, transit, safety and environmental and economic vitality elements.

For more information about the plan and projects, visit www.RTAmobility.com.

RTA Project Completions

La Cholla Boulevard, Ruthrauff to River Road, was dedicated Sept. 9. The project, managed by Pima County Department of Transportation, included widening to six lanes, a new bridge at the Rillito River, bike lanes and sidewalks. Other features include new storm drains along the roadway and to the Rillito River, curbs, bus pullouts, landscaping, public art by Vicky Scurri, and sidewalks that connect to the Rillito River Park Path. This project also included intersection improvements at Curtis Road and Ruthrauff Road.

La Canada, Ina Road to Calle Concordia, was dedicated on Sept. 26. The project, managed by Pima County Department of Transportation, included improving the road to four lanes with a center median. Additional improvements included intersection improvements at Ina Road, Magee Road and Hardy/Overton Road. The roadway has five new concrete culverts at the Nanini, Pegler, Carmack and North and South Garfield washes and an enclosed storm water drainage system. Other features include noise and retaining walls, landscaping, sidewalks and a public use trail. Public art along the project limits feature art on the walls designed by Carolyn Braaksma Design Inc. KE&G Construction was the project contractor and HDR Engineering Inc. provided engineering services.

Tanque Verde Road, Catalina Highway to Houghton Road, was dedicated Nov. 3. The project, managed by Pima County Capital Improvement Department, included widening to four lanes, bike lanes and sidewalks, raised medians, storm drains, paved shoulders, landscaping and public art by Thomas Sayre.

The improved intersection of Golf Link and Kolb roads was dedicated on Oct. 29. Improvements included widening the existing intersection to provide dual left turn lanes in all directions, new six-foot wide sidewalks, a bus pull through at the northeast and southeast corners of the intersection and a bus pullout at the northwest corner of the intersection. The project, managed by the City of Tucson, is one of 200 intersection projects that are being constructed under the Regional Transportation Authority’s $2.1 billion, 20-year plan, approved by voters in May 2006. NAC Construction was project contractor. The construction cost was $2.3 million.

For project updates, please visit www.RTAmobility.com.

Modern Streetcar Update

Utility work to improve drainage on 8th Street in advance of the Modern Streetcar project is under way. The work is between 6th and 3rd avenues and is part of the Downtown Links Project and will be adjacent to Modern Streetcar facilities. Other utility relocation along the streetcar route currently is under way by CenturyLink and Southwest Gas.

The Cushing Street Bridge project, which began in July, is on schedule and within budget.

The project involves installation of pier columns, floodwalls, headwalls and abutments.
The design for the streetcar rail line is completed and the City of Tucson Procurement Department released an invitation on Oct. 28 for contractors to bid on the project. The 3.9-mile route will be built as a single project rather than as a series of projects.

Stay tuned on project updates at www.TucsonStreetcar.com.

Prepare Your Business for the Modern Streetcar

As construction of the rail for the Modern Streetcar begins in early 2012, the RTA’s MainStreet Business Assistance Program has been hard at work touching nearly 875 businesses located within a quarter mile of the streetcar route. MainStreet has been engaged with the business communities along this project since 2008 and has logged over 4,000 meetings and outreach conversations with the latest approved materials and updates to help businesses prepare for this project. A lot has businesses have been proactive over the past few years but, as usual, the MainStreet’s program’s participation level kicks into another gear as actual construction moves even closer. Nearly 90 businesses have already taken advantage of the free one-on-one confidential small business consulting services to prepare, with more coming on board every single week. MainStreet also provides additional consulting service modules in Construction Readiness Strategies, Construction Mapping, Hispanic Marketing and Social Media. MainStreet has conducted three Small Business Success Workshops over the past year to help businesses, including the latest one, "Prepare Your Business For the Modern Streetcar." Mainstreet also has posted its latest Construction Mitigation tip sheets as well as recently updated its 30-page Regional Small Business Resources Directory containing hundreds of resources to broaden the businesses "circle of support." For more information on the MainStreet program and its many free services, visit www.mainstreetinfo.org

RTA Annual Report

The FY 2010-11 RTA Annual Report and audit will be available online at www.RTAmobility.com by Jan. 1, 2012. Current project maps also will be posted.

National Geographic BioBlitz

Pima Association of Governments participated at the 2011 BioBlitz at Saguaro National Park on Oct. 21-22. National Geographic and the National Park Service hosted the BioBlitz, which is a 24-hour event that teams volunteer scientists, families, students and teachers in the community to identify as many species of plants, animals and microbes. The goal of BioBlitz also is to draw people in an urban area to experience the natural environment in their backyard. More than 5,500 people attended the two-day event. The PAG Booth featured a Desert Spin-o-Rama to help educate participants about air quality, water quality, rideshare, buffelgrass, clean fuels and greenhouse gas. At the right, Lisette Borquez, 9, takes a spin as her mother, Magda Borquez, and PAG’s Melanie Alvarez watch.
 

Project Grad Extreme Car Show

CNG Services of Arizona educated attendees of the Project Grad Extreme Car Show on CNG home fueling options. The car show, alternative fueled vehicle division, was held Oct. 15 at Canyon del Oro High School.

Solar Home Tours 

The Southern Arizona Regional Solar Partnership Solar Home Tours provide an opportunity for the public to learn about the benefits of solar power first hand. Four tours have been held this year, including this one in the Old Fort Lowell Neighborhood, and a tour in the Dove Mountain community is scheduled for March 2011. Visit www.PAGregion.com for updated information.

Car Free Tucson

Hundreds of people in Tucson joined the millions of people around the world who left their cars at home on Car Free Day, Sept. 22. Car Free Day is an international event that promotes car free transportation, such as biking, walking and transit. As part of the celebration, participants were asked to post their commute stories on the Sun Rideshare website or Facebook page to qualify for prizes.

Well over 50 people told their stories, which in many cases were funny, as well as inspirational. Several people rode their bikes to work for the first time as a result of this promotion. Others met fellow commuters at the breakfast station sponsored by Tucson Department of Transportation at 3rd Street and Country Club.

Honors and awards
Tucson Clean Cities Coordinator inducted into Clean Cities Hall of Fame

Colleen Crowninshield, who manages the Tucson Clean Cities program at Pima Association of Governments, is a 2011 inductee into the U.S. Department of Energy’s newly unveiled Clean Cities Hall of Fame. Crowninshield, who has been the Tucson Clean Cities manager since 2001, received the "Coordinator of the Year" in 2005. All past Coordinator of the Year recipients join two others who were inducted at the Clean Cities Stakeholder Summit this past summer in Indianapolis.

"These coordinators did not merely demonstrate excellence in one single year, but rather have done so year after year," said Dennis A. Smith, P.E., U.S. Department of Energy National Clean Cities Director. "They have made impressive ongoing contributions to reducing petroleum use. They serve as examples for others across the country. And they embody what it means to be a Clean Cities coordinator."

Crowninshield oversees the 78-member Clean Cities Coalition, which meets bi-monthly. The coalition coordinates with member jurisdictions to develop clean-fueling infrastructure, advance the understanding of the benefits of clean-fuel vehicles and work to develop Clean Corridors on interstate highways and trade routes.

Visit http://www1.eere.energy.gov/cleancities/hall_of_fame.html for more information.

PAG Planning Director receives 2011 Thomas E. Ford Award

PAG Planning Director, Cherie Campbell received the 2011 Thomas E. Ford Award on Oct. 4 from the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT). The award is presented in recognition of excellence in ADOT’s Transportation Enhancements (TE) program.

Campbell’s efforts include working with ADOT staff when federal funding for the TE program first became available in 1992 to design the program requirements and to ensure that funding was made available to local jurisdictions for local facilities and not limited only to state-facility projects. She established the framework for the PAG regional TE program/review process, participating in a variety of roles at meetings and reviews at both the local and state levels for several years.

The PAG regional TE process has led to successful TE funding applications for over 80 different projects throughout the region valued in excess of $32 million. Some notable TE projects around the region Campbell helped secure funding for include:

• Gates Pass Scenic Overlook
• Snake Bridge
• Basket bridge
• Mission Plaza Enhancements, San Xavier Mission
• Segments of Pima County’s Urban Bike Loop
• Mountain Ave.
• Sentinel Plaza (I-10 @ Congress)
 

Communications Director and PAG receive Impact Awards

PAG Communications Director Sheila Storm received two PRSA Certificates of Excellence during the PRSA Southern Arizona Chapter’s Impact Awards Ceremony on Oct. 25. One certificate was presented for Regional Objective, PAG’s quarterly online newsletter, which received a new look and new name last year incorporating a "think regional" focus.

The second certificate was presented for PAG’s logistics brochure, "How did this get into my hands?" The brochure was created with the freight planning program to highlight logistics industry and career information that could be used at a job fair in October 2010 and to promote the southern Arizona logistics industry in other venues, including Pima County OneStop, and among partners and members of the Southern Arizona Logistics Education Organization.

Tucson Mayor Robert Walkup, left, shown with Gary Hayes, was presented with a Diana Madaras print during his final appearance as Mayor at the PAG Regional Council/RTA Board meeting.

PAG announces new Sustainable Environment Program

Pima Association of Governments announces the formation of a new Sustainable Environment Program. This program combines watershed and air quality planning with travel demand management to create an integrated and cohesive group poised to work with sustainability efforts throughout the region.

The goal for the program is to become a resource for member jurisdictions in support of the long-term environmental, economic and social vitality of our community. As part of this effort, the program will work to position the region to apply for sustainability grants and use other funding sources not otherwise available.

PAG’s Sustainable Environment Program will promote environmental stewardship throughdata development, monitoring, education, planning, advising and coordination. The program will continue to meet our designated local, state and federal requirements and key program elements such as regional coordination, air quality modeling, travel reduction planning (TRP), rideshare, Cienega Creek monitoring, stormwater pollution prevention and jurisdictional assistance, and our responsiveness will be unaffected by the change.

Claire Zucker, formerly PAG’s Watershed Planning Manager, has been named the Sustainable Environment Program Director. The PAG Clean Cities and Solar Programs will continue to be managed separately under Colleen Crowninshield.
 

PAG Annual Report

The FY 2010-11 Pima Association of Governments’ Annual Report is now available online at http://www.pagregionorg/documents/AnnualReport/2011PAGAnnualReport.pdf

Facebook Presence

Pima Association of Governments has a new Facebook page. Please visit us at www.facebook.com/PAGregion. Several PAG programs have Facebook pages as well: Tucson Clean Cities, Sun Rideshare and Clean Water Starts with Me.

I-10, Ruthrauff Road to Prince Road, Widening Project:
Prince Road Traffic Interchange to close in early 2012

The Arizona Department of Transportation is widening Interstate 10 between Ruthrauff and Prince roads and, as part of the project, the I-10 Prince Road underpass and entrance and exit ramps will close in spring 2012 through late 2013. However, Prince Road outside these areas will remain open throughout the duration of the project.

OVERALL PROJECT CONSTRUCTION

• Construction is anticipated to last approximately 26 months.
• As part of the project, the Prince Road underpass and ramps will close in spring 2012 and will remain closed until the project is completed by late 2013.
• I-10 will remain open with three lanes in each direction during construction, including emergency access lanes, with only minimal short-term lane closures along I-10 in the project area when necessary.

CURRENT PROJECT CONSTRUCTION

• The eastbound I-10 frontage road is closed for a brief distance between the Ruthrauff Road entrance ramp and the Prince Road exit ramp through early 2012. Access to all businesses along the eastbound frontage road between Ruthrauff Road and Prince Road is possible by using Ruthrauff Road, going west under I-10 along Ruthrauff Road, and immediately turning south to enter I-10. After entering I-10, going a short distance and then using the Prince Road exit ramp to reach the frontage road, there is full access to all businesses in the area, such as the Emissions Testing Station.
• Prince Road is closed west of the I-10 frontage road.
• While Prince Road is closed west of the I-10 frontage road to vehicles, pedestrians and bicyclists, access is available from the east side of Prince Road at I-10 to the west side of Prince Road at I-10, where it connects to the frontage road.
• Riverpark Drive, La Cholla Boulevard and Business Center Drive, west of I-10 at Prince Road, are closed through early 2012.
• The eastbound and westbound I-10 frontage roads and ramps at Prince Road remain open.
• Access to businesses in the project area is available at all times.

PLANNED IMPROVEMENTS

• Widening the I-10 freeway to four lanes in each direction to accommodate increasing congestion and traffic.
• Reconstructing the Prince Road traffic interchange so that Prince Road will pass over the Union Pacific Railroad tracks and I-10 and minimize delays for motorists.
• Updating the entrance and exit ramps to provide better connections and improved access for motorists.
• New landscaping along the project area.

For more information about this project, please visit www.azdot.gov/tucson10widening or call (855) 712-8530 or contact ADOT Senior Community Relations Officer Linda Ritter at (520) 388-4266, lritter@azdot.gov or ADOT Community Relations Officer Paki Rico at (520) 388-4233, prico@azdot.gov.
 

SAITE recognizes former long-time PAG employee

The Southern Arizona Institute of Transportation Engineers (SAITE) recognized former Pima Association of Governments’ employee Rich Corbett on Oct. 21 with an award in honor of his many years of service and dedicated efforts to improve transportation in southern Arizona.

Corbett retired in 2007 after working for nearly 35 years with PAG’s transportation planning division, first when it was housed at the Arizona Department of Transportation and later when it moved to the regional metropolitan planning organization.
In his many years of service to PAG, Corbett worked on development of the long-range Regional Transportation Plan, the short-range Transportation Improvement Program, the Intermodal Management System Plan, the Regional Aviation System Plan, regional bicycle and pedestrian plans and socio-economic data forecasts used for numerous planning efforts.

Corbett’s passion and vision for improving the region’s bicycle safety and infrastructure were applauded by David Bachman-Williams on behalf of the region’s Tucson-Pima County Bicycle Advisory Committee in the following statement:

"Rich Corbett was a pioneer in the Tucson bicycling community. Through his work and volunteer efforts he helped several facets of the bicycling scene get under way. He was a key figure with the group that designed the very first Regional Bicycle Plan. He helped establish some of the first bicycle routes in the metropolitan area. He was an early member of the Perimeter Bicycling Association of America. As part of his volunteer work he put endless hours into making El Tour de Tucson happen every year. He traditionally has had the job of keeping the front line in check until the official start sent riders on their way. He was a member and held various positions of the Tucson-Pima County Bicycle Advisory Committee for more years than anyone else. He was the first certified bicycle safety instructor in Tucson. He has been involved in discussions between bicyclists and law enforcement working out the areas of friction that occasionally arise. In short, there is probably no element of cycling in Tucson that Rich was not of part of getting it off the ground and rolling. His efforts over many years have been very useful in leading our community to its current status as a ‘gold’ standard bicycling region that ranks sixth among the largest 72 metropolitan areas of the country. We in the bicycling community thank Rich for his many pioneering efforts. Thank you, Rich, for making this a city in which it is ‘cool’ to be pro-bicycle."

SAITE is a chapter of the Arizona Section of the International Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) and encompasses members in Pima County, Cochise County, Santa Cruz County, Graham County, and Greenlee County.

Accenture Match Play returns Feb. 20-26

For the sixth consecutive year, the golf world converges on Marana early in 2012 for the
Accenture Match Play Championship. The event is one of four World Golf Championships that bring together the best players from the globe’s top professional tours.

The event comes to the Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain, Feb. 20-26. This is the fourth year thetournament is being held at the resort. Before that, the tournament was played at The Gallery Golf Club in Marana.

More than $7.5 million has been raised for area charities since the tournament moved to Marana from southern California in 2007. The Town of Marana and the region gain invaluable exposure during the tournament, which is televised live to 140 countries and viewed by hundreds of millions of households.

More information and tickets for the event can be found at www.worldgolfchampionships.com.