| Volume 8, Number 6 | June, 2010 |
Welcome to the Picture Rocks Digest,
a free newsletter about issues and events in the community. The print
version of this all-volunteer publication is distributed at area
businesses and community sites. If you have calendar events or news
items, or if you would like to be added to our email
list, please contact us at PictureRocksDigest@comcast.net.
The Picture Rocks Digest
is a publication of Citizens for Picture Rocks, Inc., a nonprofit
501(c)(4) civic organization dedicated to improving the quality of
life in the community. C4PR meets on the third Tuesday
of the month; the next meeting is June 15, 7:00 p.m. at the Picture
Rocks Community Center, 5615 N.
Sanders Road. Meetings are free and open to the public. Membership is
not required, but strongly
encouraged. Dues are $20/year for an individual or $25/year for a
family.
An estimated 300 adults and children attended the third Picture Rocks
Pride Community Faire on May 15
at the Picture Rocks Community Center. A little something for everyone
greeted participants, which was
hosted by Citizens for Picture Rocks, Picture Rocks Community Center,
Picture Rocks Community Center,
Inc., and Ortiz Community Health Clinic. Free hot dogs, chips and soda
were available in the all-purpose
room where members of Hummin' & Strummin' played country music at no
charge. (Hummin' &
Strummin' host an evening of music every Thursday night at 6:30 at the
Community Center.)
Free snow-cones and popcorn were handed out in the breezeway where a
number of groups had tables set
up to provide information. The groups ranged from the Red Cross to
political activists to diabetic eye
screening by two doctors of opthalmology. (In fact, Doctors Lane and
Levine found two neighbors with
potentially serious medical conditions who are now receiving treatment.)
A Reiki master teacher was
available for hands-on energy healing, and Saguaro National Park
provided skulls and skins of local critters
along with information about them. In a meeting room at the end of the
breezeway a senior's art show was
on exhibit; the artists are from the Drawing Studio's OATS program
(Outreach Art Tutoring for Seniors)
which meets every Thursday morning at the Community Center. The Library
was transformed into a Cake
Walk with winners walking away with home-made goodies.
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The kids had their booths outside. Fishing out a rubber duckie or
throwing a beanbag into a hole earned
prizes of plastic jewelry and stuffed animals. Older kids tried to tame
the Toxic Spider set up by the Boy
Scouts. The game was a large "web" of green string with bells attached,
the object being to step though the
web without setting off any alarms. If bells rang, the participant was
hit with water from bazooka-style
water guns. There were pie-eating contests for teens and younger kids. A
Pima County Library Bookmobile checked out 70 books to local readers,
and
Citizens for Picture Rocks gathered data on community needs with surveys
on transportation and other
needs.
Reconditioned computers were awarded as prizes in a free drawing for
neighbors filling out surveys,
courtesy of District 3 Supervisor Sharon Bronson. Winners were Debbie
Trimble, Roy Koeder, Willow
Beck and Milaya Romero.
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Some 150 neighbors and local firefighters joined on May 8 to
celebrate the opening of the new, multi-
million dollar Picture Rocks Fire Station. Fire Station No. 121, built
on nine acres of flat land after voters
approved a $5 million bond issue, has room for six trucks and beds for
six firefighters per shift, plus plenty
of work space and a big kitchen. Solar panels and natural lighting will
keep energy costs down, according
to PR Fire District Board Chair Mike Lytle.
Fire Chief Kathy Duff-Stewart opened the dedication ceremonies by
welcoming the crowd and thanking
the residents of Picture Rocks for approving the bond issue. She told
the crowd, "This is your station!" The
Chief was later surprised by presentation of a plaque honoring her 26
years of service in Picture Rocks. A
Fife and Drum Corps presented the colors, and District 3 Supervisor
Sharon Bronson told the crowd that
Picture Rocks "has arrived in the 21st Century long before Pima County!"
She also noted the presence of
Marana Town Council members Carol McGorray and Russell Clanagan.
Chaplain Bert Rucker gave the
blessing, and Board Chair Mike Lytle thanked Chief Stewart for "her
years of honesty and dedication," and
thanked Supervisor Bronson "for her years of support for the Picture
Rocks community."
 The new multi-million dollar fire station is at 7341 N. Sandario. |
 PRFD Board Chairman Mike Lytle (left), Dist. 3 Supervisor Sharon Bronson (center), and PRFD Chief Kathy Duff-Stewart (right) symbolically opened the new station by uncoupling a fire hose. |
 Two medical evacuation helicopters were parked behind the station allowing visitors a close-up view of the well-equipped interiors. |
The Picture Rocks Fire District was formed 33 years ago following a
fire that took the lives of two
children. One of the founders, John Rhodes, reminded neighbors that fire
trucks used to be kept in people's
yards because there was no fire station at first. The old fire station
will be used as an auxiliary garage for
fire equipment.
Architect Richard Luckett of the Breckinridge Group paid tribute to the
Board of Directors and the
residents. Chairman Lytle praised Luckett for "taking the time to get to
know us and our needs...and
creating the vision that you see today." Representatives from half a
dozen neighboring fire districts were
also present.
Following the brief speeches, there was the traditional uncoupling of a
fire hose to symbolize that the
station was now up and running, and visitors checked out the building's
interior and visited various
community information and vendor booths, including two medical
evacuation helicopters from LifeNet and
Arizona Lifeline. Retired Phoenix firefighter "Fireman Bill" Scott kept
kids entertained with fire safety
activities and singing safety songs. The new station is located at 7341
N. Sandario Road. In case of
emergency, always call 9-1-1.
Citizens for Picture Rocks members have scheduled a Family Preparedness presentation (Red Cross-based) and a CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) program for the July 20 meeting at the Picture Rocks Community Center. As you are aware, the various weather activities so far this year have created severe challenges in many communities nationwide. Much destruction and several deaths have occurred due to fires, floods, tornadoes, earthquakes and other storms. Initial recovery and the establishment/sustainment of a new daily life require prior planning. The access to or the damage to homes, utility systems, stores, medical facilities, banks, transportation and governmental activities require disaster support packages to be on hand. The previous guidelines of having three days' resources on hand are inadequate. Seven to 14 days is a more realistic planning figure. Our comments and handouts will cover these issues.
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Pima County pool fees have been increased to $1 for kids 17 and under (50 cents for low-income qualified) and $3 for adults ($1.50 for seniors over age 65, persons with disabilities, or low-income qualified). Season discount passes are on sale in all categories. Picture Rocks Pool will continue adult/senior swim time from 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m., with open swim on Mondays and Wednesdays, and water aerobics on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The pool is closed on Fridays. For more information call Picture Rocks Community Center, 682-7166.
In the April Digest we mentioned low-cost shots given by veterinarian Cynthia Hudman at the Post Feed Store on the first Saturday of the month. Her services have been discontinued by the store's owners. We apologize for any inconvenience.
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The Marana Town Council voted on May 18 to annex 1200 acres north of
Avra Valley Road and west of
Sanders Road owned by Vice Mayor Herb Kai. Kai did not vote and only
Council member Carol
McGorray voted against the annexation. The Council stated that the vote
had nothing to do with a proposed
landfill on 600 of those acres, but the only stated use for the land is
for it to be sold to DKL Holdings for a
privately-owned solid waste dump.
Neighbors living less than a mile from the proposed landfill have been
circulating petitions in opposition,
and have turned in some 850 signatures. Concerns include the effect on
property values, the flood plain and
Brawley Wash, and -- of concern far beyond Marana -- the fact that the
dump will sit on top of the large
Avra Valley aquifer. That water table currently sits at 200 feet below
the ground, and is rising due to
recharge from Colorado River water. While the Environmental Protection
Agency requires liners and
leachate collection systems, the EPA also notes that all will eventually
leak. A manufacturer of high density
polyethylene liners, Phillips Petroleum, warns that a number of common
household items will break them
down faster. At the May 18 meeting one Silverbell West resident told the
Council that her daughter has
cystic fibrosis and their doctor said living close to a dump would
threaten her life. With the County-run
Tangerine facility scheduled to close in 2020, no one has argued against
the need for a landfill somewhere,
but not so close to a rising aquifer and near a major wash in a flood
plain.
Another concern is the proposed 220-foot eventual height of the
landfill, which could make it the dominant
landmark in the Avra Valley, according to a map prepared by Pima County.
The landfill would be visible
all the way down to San Xavier del Bac. One observer suggested that,
since Vice Mayor Herb Kai will be
selling half the annexed land to the landfill developer, it be dubbed
"Herb's Hill."
Issues have also been raised about the landfill developer and operator,
DKL Holdings. DKL's principals
come with experience from Allied Waste; DKL President Larry Henk was
Allied's number two executive.
All that experience, however, may not bode well for a Marana landfill.
Allied Waste was fined over $1.5
million for landfill Clean Air Act violations across the country over
the last decade. In 2009 Allied had to
pay out $1.3 million to its employees for violations of wage and hour
laws in Massachusetts. Allied was
bought by Republic Services in 2008 and the headquarters moved to
Phoenix. Republic was fined $10
million for an uncontained landfill fire in Ohio, and another million,
plus a commitment to $36 million in
remediation, for Clean Water Act violations in Nevada. They were also
fined $725,000 by the state of
California for leaking hazardous waste into San Francisco Bay. Michael
Racy, lobbyist for DKL, told this
reporter that DKL was "better than most and no worse than others."
In a related matter, District 25 State Senator Manny Alvarez sent a
letter on May 12 to Marana's mayor and
council contradicting the information put out by a delegation opposed to
the landfill, denying that he had
offered them support, and praising Vice Mayor Kai. In a phone
conversation with this reporter on May 18,
Alvarez said that he didn't mean to imply that anyone was a "liar," and
that he "can't support anybody...I
don't know the issues. I'm not for or against...If they [landfill
opponents] need legislation I'll help as best I
can." Alvarez acknowledged that he had discussed the landfill with the
Vice Mayor "briefly" at a
legislative reception. Marana's Planning and Zoning Commission voted 3-2
to rezone the land prior to the
Council's action, and the rezoning will come before a special Council
meeting on June 22.
SUN VALLEY GROWERS TREES-SHRUBS-SOIL In Picture Rocks East off Sandario at 11205 W. Ina Road Open Tues-Sun 8am-5pm |
Saguaro National Park has announced that the normal $10 per vehicle fee will not be charged on the following dates: August 14-15, September 25, and November 11. Annual park passes are available for $25, and those over age 62 can obtain a Senior Pass for $10, good for life at all national parks and monuments. Disabled persons are eligible for a free Golden Access pass. These special programs are offered at the Tucson Mountain District (Saguaro West) during the month of June:
