| Volume 8, Number 7 | July, 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. Citizens for Picture Rocks usually meets the third
Tuesday of each month. The next meeting is July 20 at 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.
It was a windy day on June 11, 2010. Lawn chairs were overturned and loose items blown around throughout Southern Arizona. For 15-year Picture Rocks resident John Cosgrove it was the day from hell as a "dust devil" tore his single-wide manufactured home apart. Technically, it was a microburst, a wild wind caused by a small, intense downdraft. Microbursts last only a few seconds, but with winds over 100 mph, they pack the power of a mini-tornado. Cosgrove, 54, was doing laundry in the shed near his home and had just stepped out when the wind hit. "It sounded like a plane, and I couldn't see a thing because of the dust. I grabbed on to the corner of the house and held on tight." The wind peeled the house's roof off "like a sardine can," Cosgrove said. The shed, ten feet from the house, was untouched. It all happened so fast that many neighbors never knew it happened.
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Cosgrove had lived in his home on Massingale Road for 11 years. A victim of the current recession, he lost
his job as an electrician a year ago and has survived on unemployment insurance. Faced with a financial
choice between insuring his truck or his home, he complied with the motor vehicle law and let his
homeowner's policy lapse. Now, he says, he's "at the end of his rope." The
Red Cross
provided a room for awhile so he could shower and hook up to the Internet
to job hunt.
Picture Rocks Digest sent out the above story as a special email on June 16, and
Dist. 3 Supervisor Sharon Bronson's office swung
into action. Bronson aide Kiki Navarro (often seen at C4PR meetings) contacted
Pima County Community Development Program
Manager Allen Kulwin and, in less than a week, a donated
replacement mobile home had been located and the non-profit
Community Home Repair Projects of Arizona had agreed to remove and
dispose of the wrecked trailer and deliver the replacement. All it would cost John Cosgrove for his new home were the
necessary regulatory and utility hookup fees.
Meanwhile neighbors were also responding with help, and the
Arizona Daily Star
picked up the story. At Digest deadline the new home was not yet in place. (To be continued...)
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The Picture Rocks Fire District is seeking a new Fire Chief. The successful candidate must be a dynamic leader with significant experience in the fire service and an innovative thinker with strong customer service vision and a proven track record of professional accomplishments. Anyone interested in meeting the candidates for the position is invited to stop by the new Fire Station 121 at 7341 N. Sandario on Tuesday, July 13. Introductions will be made at 6:30 p.m. and there will be an opportunity to visit until 8:00 p.m.
The Marana Unified School District's annual Summer Food Service Program for children began in June at Desert Winds and Roadrunner elementary schools. Free breakfast is available for children at 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. and lunch is served 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. The program runs through August 5. For more information, call 682-4712. In other school news, MUSD budget cuts have forced some consolidations. Former Picture Rocks Intermediate Principal Pam Beine has been moved to DeGrazia Elementary School. Denise Linsalata will be Principal of both Desert Winds Elementary and Picture Rocks Intermediate schools.
Residents of Picture Rocks, Avra Valley, Three Points and the Tohono O'odham Nation qualify for free spay/neutering of cats and dogs. The program is provided by Pima Animal Care Center and Animal Welfare Alliance of Southern Arizona. Appointments are available on a first call, first served basis, and there is a two-pet limit. Participating clinics are:
Dogs must be on leash or in carriers; cats must be in carriers. Pets must be at least two months old and younger than five years, and weigh at least three pounds. Call for an appointment and say, "Pet Fix by AWASA."
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Citizens for Picture Rocks (C4PR) is a 501(c)(4) non-profit community improvement organization founded
in 2002 by a group of neighbors who were concerned with crime, including meth labs and theft rings.
Those concerns soon broadened into other areas, including establishing a positive identity and fostering a
sense of community.
Over the years, C4PR, with the help of Dist. 3 Pima County Supervisor Sharon Bronson, played a
significant role in establishing Picture Rocks Park (2004), Ortiz Community Clinic (2004), Picture Rocks
Pool (2007), Tucson Mountain Sheriff's Station (2007), the new BMX/Skate Park and security camera
system (2010), and in getting Picture Rocks removed from an unnecessary flood plain designation (see
article on p. 3).
Grants written by C4PR and its members secured funding from PRO Neighborhoods to purchase tools for twice-yearly Adopt-a-Roadway cleanups, to publish the 2007 "Get Connected Picture Rocks" directory of local businesses and services, and to host the 2009 Picture Rocks Pride Community Faire.
Community Development Block Grants
written by C4PR members provided the shade covering over the children's playground in the park and, in cooperation
with Picture Rocks Fire Department, a forthcoming electronic sign that will announce community events.
Safe Routes to Schools,
a project scheduled to begin construction this fall, will create sidewalks, multi-use pathways and landscaping
on Rudasill and Sanders Roads so our kids can walk or bike to school and the park safely.
Granting organizations always look at membership to determine if the applicant organization represents a
community, as opposed to just a handful of individuals with their own agenda. Politicians always want to
know who C4PR is speaking for. That's why C4PR needs YOU. Dues are only $20 a year for an individual
or $25 for a family. No one in C4PR gets paid for anything. The money goes toward printing the monthly
newsletter, Picture Rocks Digest, and for community-building events like the Faire. You can join at any
C4PR meeting (the next one is July 20, 7:00 p.m., at the Community Center) or contact Membership
Coordinator Robin Nicholson at 404-3280.
Two seats on the Picture Rocks Fire District Governing Board
are up for election this November. The district is seeking qualified residents interested in the positions.
Picture Rocks Fire is governed by five board members whose four-year terms are staggered so the whole
board is never up for re-election all at once. Board members must live within the fire district and be
qualified to vote. Board positions are unpaid. The board generally meets at 7:00 p.m. the second Thursday
of every month at the district's Administrative building, 12121 W. Picture Rocks Road.
The Fire District provides fire and emergency services for about 10,000 residents within a 35-square-mile
area. Anyone interested in serving on the board or wanting more information may call the Pima County
Elections Dept. at 351-6830; or go to www.pima.gov/elections; or call the Fire District at 682-7878.
Eleven 24-hour surveillance cameras have been installed in Picture Rocks Park to cover the park, swimming pool and BMX/Skate Park, as well as the park and community center entrances and parking lots. This was part of the package requested by the community when the BMX/Skate Park was proposed to the Pima County Neighborhood Reinvestment Program. Access to camera data will be limited to Community Center staff and law enforcement in the event of a problem, so no one's privacy will be violated. C4PR members Greg Mattison, Tom Allen and Karen Zopf provided liaison between the C4PR Board of Directors and Project Manager Jason Bahe of Pima County Natural Resources, Parks and Recreation to ensure the project stayed responsive to community needs.
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A Stanley Security Systems employee
installs wiring for a portion of the $30,000 camera system at the community center and park |
On June 19, seven members of the Picture Rocks Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) joined members of other CERT and support groups for the 3rd Annual Shelter Rodeo, presented by the Southern Arizona Chapter of the American Red Cross. http://www.redcrossarizona.org The rodeo was a hands-on training experience designed to make shelters a place where residents feel safe and cared for. C4PR CERT members Ken Kisthardt, Chris Banks, Tom Allen, Keith Winans, Robin Nicholson, Jim Pethe and Wes Stewart found the rodeo both informative and fun.
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The Pima Council on Aging is looking for more Picture Rocks volunteers to assist aging and disabled neighbors in need of household assistance, yard work, shopping trips, wellness checks or just plain companionship. Trip mileage is reimbursed and insurance is provided while volunteering. Volunteers work though Interfaith Community Services. For more information or to sign on, call Cheryl Anderson, 297-2738, ext. 206.
The former Picture Rocks Feed Store on Orange Grove Road has been sold, and Marana Feed and Supply has taken over the business. New owners T.C. and Ace Chicago have been in the feed business for two years at I-10 and Cortaro Road, and are now open for business at their second location. Veterinarian Cynthia Hudman is providing low-cost shot clinics at the Cortaro Road store on the first Saturday of each month.
It was "Ladies Night Out" on June 18 at
Picture Rocks Community Center,
with 25 women attending the three-hour event. The night began with a trip to the buffet table for hot wings, fruit,
relish and dessert. The light supper was followed by 12 hands of Funny Rummy. Using play money, the two losers of
each hand paid the two winners $25 each. The losers moved on to the next table and the next hand of the game. For
each hand a different suit was trump or no-trump. Each trick was worth 10 points. As the losers moved around the
room, everyone had a different partner for each hand. There was much fun involved!
Twelve raffle prizes and three grand prizes for game winners were given out. The raffle tickets were
purchased with play money and tickets were drawn at the end of the evening. The grand prizes went to
those who won the most "money" at the end of the game. Wanda Hilde won a handmade quilt, Jan Covey
won a decorative plate and stand, and Jamie Kisthardt won a one-hour professional massage. The evening
was planned and guided by PRCC Coordinator Wanda Crawford, and another Ladies Night Out is expected
to be scheduled soon.
Most residents were not aware of it, but as of January 2009 they were living in a County-designated flood
plain, maybe even needing flood insurance to protect their homes. Pima County's
Regional Flood Control District had quietly made the change, but some
members of Citizens for Picture Rocks found out about it and said, "WHAT?" Supervisor Sharon Bronson set up a meeting
between C4PR and the Flood Control staff, and the County agreed to revisit Picture Rocks with an on-the-ground
analysis. It turns out, as we pretty much knew all along, that Picture Rocks is NOT in a 100-year flood plain zone.
A check of addresses in various parts of the community finds that we are in "Zone X," and outside of the
0.2% chance flood plain. Neighbors can check their own properties by going to the County
website and viewing the list that comes up.
Scroll down to "Flood Insurance," type in the number of your address, find it
on the list that comes up, and it will tell you the zone you are in. The website does have one caveat: the
County was not mapped by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Zone X does not necessarily
mean that there are no flood hazards. Even so, flood insurance is not required.
Federal stimulus money has found its way to Picture Rocks. The Weatherization Assistance Program helps
low income home owners by reducing their utility bills and making their homes safer, healthier and more
efficient.
"So they're replacing the heating, air conditioning, hot water heater and refrigerator," Joyce Kotzamanis
said. She was injured on the job a few years ago and struggled with medical bills for years. She was forced
to sell her house in Catalina and purchased a mobile home in Picture Rocks. Still unable to work, she
returned to school and is working towards a degree in psychology, so money is tight. That is where Pima
County and stimulus money came into play.
"We're using stimulus money out here now," said Jesus Duran, a Housing Rehabilitation Specialist with
Pima County. "Before we had the stimulus money, we had a smaller type version of this program. But the
stimulus has really ramped up our program..." His office has added three employees, and that is helping
Joyce with a healthier place to live. The price tag for Joyce's weatherization is, "Right around maybe
$13,000 for the entire job, labor and material," said Duran.
Pima County Community Development and Neighborhood Conservation Dept. received $1.7 million in
stimulus money to be spent over three years. For information on eligibility and how to apply for assistance
go to www.weatherization.azcaa.org/. (Adapted from
KVOA News, 6/2/2010.)
The Town of Marana has their proposed private landfill on a fast
track, with the Zoning and Planning Commission voting 3-2 to rezone 1,200 acres owned by Marana Vice Mayor Herb
Kai long before formal annexation on May 18. A landfill "study session" on June 22 played like a landfill
sales pitch, with the promised public health report missing. Neighbors of the annexed Kai land, primarily
from the Silverbell West subdivision, are vigorously opposing the proposed landfill, and an investigation
by this reporter shows that they may have good reason.
DKL Holdings President Larry Henk was the President and Chief Operating Officer of the nation's second-
largest waste company, Scottsdale-based Allied Waste, until he resigned in 2001 following the purchase of
Browning-Ferris Industries (BFI). Researching Allied's landfill record I found numerous Clean Water and
Clean Air Act violations, including groundwater contamination, millions of dollars in fines, landfill fires,
containment failures, and more. I found violations of wage and hour law, gender and age discrimination,
threatening opponents, connections with organized crime in New York, and contempt of court. For an e-
mail with the complete 18-page investigative report attached in Word, write me at
bluemoon@dakotacom.net.
The Pima County-run Tangerine Landfill is not scheduled to close until 2020, and the Pima County Board
of Supervisors has formally asked Marana to slow down and do a complete risk analysis. The dump is
projected to rise to about 200 feet high, over 20 stories, in the future, making it a dominant "landmark" in
the wide and flat Avra Valley, visible clear down to San Xavier del Bac, according to a Pima County
viewshed analysis. Questions have also been raised about the ability of Avra Valley Road to carry the
expected increase in truck traffic.
Landfill opponents maintain a website at www.nomaranadump.com.
They have turned in over 1,000 signatures on petitions opposing the dump. They find it ironic that Vice Mayor Herb
Kai and lobbyist Michael Racy both opposed a landfill in Marana in 1991. That one would have been too close to the
Vice Mayor's home.
NOTE: The views expressed are those of the author, and not necessarily of Citizens for Picture Rocks, Inc.,
a non-profit civic organization which seeks to educate readers on local concerns but takes no position on
political issues.
Picture Rocks Community Center, Inc., has a new website at www.picturerockscommunitycenter.com. PRCCI continues to maintain a thrift store and diaper bank and distributes supermarket surplus bread and produce weekday mornings at 9 a.m. PRCCI is at 6691 N. Sandario Road; open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Saguaro National Park's
Tucson Mountain District (Saguaro West) will offer a
one-day Junior Ranger program for kids 6 to 12 years old. This Junior Ranger Day Camp will be held on Friday, July 16,
from 7:30 am to 1:30 pm. The camp includes a variety of fun, hands-on activities such as hikes, exploring the great
outdoors, looking for awesome animals and their tracks, searching for secret stuff on a scavenger hunt, games and
crafts, making fabulous friends, and just having a good time. The day camp will be held at the park’s Environmental
Education Center, near the Red Hills Visitor Center which is located at 2700 North Kinney Road (approximately 2 miles
northwest of the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum). The fee for the camp is $10.
As space is limited, advanced registration is required. For additional information, or to register a child for the
camp, please contact Ranger Adrian Garcia at 733-8614, or by email at
SNPandKids@gmail.com.
