Getting Involved in the Community

Here's an interesting article from the Arizona Republic about overall civic engagement in Arizona: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/2009/12/17/20091217morrison1217.html.  While it makes a pretty clear case for Arizonans not being engaged enough in volunteer efforts, charity, or even that most basic American right and responsibility, voting, I'd like to believe that we in Laveen are well above this average.  Not to mention, I wonder if the polls that were used in the research take into account some of the more opaque but nonetheless great activities that we have to offer in our community.

As I type this, Catherine is off to a cookie exchange with one of the two local moms groups with which she regularly participates.  While this is not exactly what most would consider a volunteer/charity event, I think it's important to consider the positive social role such groups play in our community by connecting neighbors with similar needs.  It's sort of like the blockwatch that a few neighbors and I created in our neighborhood in that we want to facilitate neighborly relations more than ever, given the negative trends that seem to have appeared elsewhere in communities where I've lived.  We want better and we're willing to work for it.

Here are a few other examples I've observed in our community:  I not only serve on my HOA board of directors (as many do in their HOAs), but have also represented us in the Laveen Association of HOAs.  And more recently, I have dedicated more time to my involvement with the LCC and on the Laveen Village Planning Committee.  Then there's the LPC/LCRD, Laveen Lions, Friends of the Library, Laveen Art League, and even the Laveen School District's governing board and the various PTSAs.  Each of these groups is very community focused in its own way, and they seem to each attract a slightly different subset of people interested in helping their community.  Also, each of these groups has shown incredible ability to affect positive change for Laveen as they support each other and raise funds for those who need them--such as our community sports groups, scholarships for our students, and similarly worthy efforts to help those in need.

And by the way, I'm totally omitting things like our planned farmers' market (search for it on Facebook) and the proposed Laveen Economic Development Council, both of which will emphasize strengthened sustainable commerce in our community (and also both lagging in moving forward--more about that later).  And then there are the organizations that cross boundaries into Laveen, such as the South Mountain/Laveen Chamber of Commerce, which has done excellent things for our community and its businesses, or the South Mountain/Laveen Village Festival Committee, which hosts great events for our families every year.  Also, let's not forget the churches, boy scout troops, and the many, many others who make this a great place to live (including even our local newspapers South Mountain District News and South Mountain Villager).  And I know several people who partake in their own pet projects around the metro Phoenix area (like Lisa Doromal's Dress for Success), and we'll claim those as well.  I'm certainly omitting several other important people and organizations here, but hopefully you can find mentions of them elsewhere on this blog, or else please let me know.

My point in listing every one of these groups is that they are certainly small and therefore may fly under the radar when outside pollsters try to evaluate our civic engagement, but they are incredibly accessible and influential, as community organizations ought to be.  Plus, the sheer number of volunteers who take part in these organizations' efforts really should prove other than the old 80-20 rule (aka Pareto Principle).  Sure, there are only so many people with the time, inclination, and energy to lead the efforts, but we've all seen the uprising of support whenever there's a community event or a call to action (see for instance the Loop 202, school bonds, or our zoning battles as great examples).  So I urge my fellow Laveen residents to stay involved and take pride in bucking these negative trends.

P.S.  Since our modern culture seems to be very sensitive to political discussion, I saved this part as an important afterthought to the main discussion.  You should also know that we have a few very active political groups in our community, and politics is a wonderful means by which we can all make the cogs of our system turn.  I urge my neighbors to engage in frequent and lively political debate in every appropriate forum possible, and hence learn the forgotten art of influencing policy for our benefit rather than just seeing and experiencing its effects.  As a Canadian coworker recently commented when we discussed our CEO's controversial political commentary at a meeting, "Isn't that what once made America great--that people could freely discuss their views?" 

For your reading pleasure, here are a couple of viewpoints about how political discourse factors into our modern society: Here and here.  Here's an entertaining bit of satire on the subject.  And then there are the hazards of our political discourse becoming increasingly noisy and vicious: here, here, and here.  But I have an idea: let's discuss every way in which we want to improve our society, keep it civil, and try to respect independent thinking and intellectual curiosity.  I've always believed that contrary to the most conservative modern etiquette guidelines, you should prepare to discuss politics when in my personal space and it is my right to live by this policy (work is a slightly different story for most, but I mean at home, at a restaurant/bar, or while out and about).  And guess what, I still have tons of friends on Facebook (and yes, in real life too), where I have been known to toss out random politically charged URLs, etc.  Many of my friends disagree with me on important issues, but as long as they have a difficult time pigeonholing me into a particular group and view me as being tolerant of opposing views, they seem to tolerate my attitude well (not to mention that anyone who knows my family knows that this is a hereditary trait, so they may just pity my helplessness in the matter).

New Loop 202 Update

I think my comment on the following story's comments section says it all: http://www.azcentral.com/members/Blog/PHXBeat/69689

Let's hope that this freeway begins moving forward sooner rather than later....

The Future of Phoenix

So, I know I've been slacking on this whole blog thing lately--more on that soon. For now, I felt compelled to note a couple of important developments related to our Village's plan and that of the entire city and metro area. First, in case you are not one of the dozen or so people who attended the last meeting, I have proudly joined a great group of people on the Laveen Village Planning Committee. Councilman Nowakowski submitted my name and received City Council approval in a September meeting, and then I sat in on my first official LVPC meeting last week.

This leads to the next important topic: PlanPHX. If you are any sort of community leader (i.e. block watch representative, HOA board member, or similar), City of Phoenix representatives likely found you and invited you to help with Phoenix's 2050 plan (see the website for more info). Please accept the invitation. After all, as one of my readers, I assume it's safe to say that you care about how our region develops and want to have a say. Although we will leave the nuts and bolts up to our highly able planning staff, please understand that they are eager to hear public input and put it to good use. So come to the next LVPC meeting and let Mr. Zonn know what Laveen residents want to see for the future of our city, so he can share with the rest of the planning department as they compile results from all the villages. (BTW, how cool would it be if, for once, Laveen were one of the squeakiest wheels....)

We all know that Phoenix is at a critical point right now, as we prepare to complete several important infrastructure projects to serve an ever-growing population (see the recent news on our population from the Urban Land Institute here). It's important to understand that while we strive to define the overall character and interconnectedness of our metropolitan area, we are directly impacting how future growth will occur here. And as noted by many business leaders, including Phoenix's own Kimber Lanning, our current housing market has forced people to stick around and improve our communities rather than constantly chase greener pastures. Overall, this is a great silver lining on otherwise cloudy skies, but there is plenty of work to do.

It sometimes saddens me that not only must we all try to lead our community down the right path, often arguing about what its true assets are and how to address the challenges, but we also must constantly fight cynicism and apathy. And then there's negative external attention that we definitely do not need..... Please see the blurb that I somehow discovered linked to a more current article, in which the writer bashes Phoenix as one of the cities that will not/should not survive future green planning. As one of my neighbors, I'm sure that you believe this is utter nonsense--especially if you travel frequently to other major metropolitan areas and deal with the traffic, pollution, litter, and other problems that Phoenix seems to handle much more effectively (and at generally lower tax rates--but we can debate our state/local budgets later if you like). Below is my hastily written reply to the author's article; while not nearly perfect, I feel that it effectively highlights the kind of response that such articles deserve. So please, let your pen be mightier than a sword and remain vigilant of opportunities in which we need to better inform the misinformed masses about our great village, city, and state.

• 
  
  

  Interesting point about Phoenix, since he fails to note some important facts related to the future growth of this metropolis and its surrounding cities:
  
  1: Warm weather places have a green head start, since the carbon produced to cool buildings is far less than the energy needed to heat them, due to less energy required to lower temps by one degree than to raise them the same amount (not to mention that the total annual swing in temperatures is relatively small here compared to many places).
  
  2: Most of the population growth in Phoenix can and will be accommodated by utilizing plans that embrace a new-urban model rather than the outdated suburban growth of the 1950s-1990s. This means that the largest cities in the area are divided into smaller districts/villages to allow multiple high-density centers of development and commerce (see Phoenix Villages, for instance). The remaining areas that are already dense (Tempe, central Phoenix, south Scottsdale) are encouraging more vertical development.
  
  3: The overall Phoenix area has grown much more transit-friendly in recent years, with the opening of a highly successful light rail line, frequent and extended bus service in core areas (every 15 minutes in Tempe), with ongoing discussions about expanding local rail service and even introducing a regional system. Plus, we are far more bike-friendly by design than almost any other large urban area (required bike lanes and urban trail systems in newer areas).
  
  4: AZ is going solar, and in a big way. Tempe is home to one of the foremost solar producers in the country (FSLR), and several cities and utility districts in the area have already announced huge investment plans to promote more centralized and distributed solar generation (not to mention wind energy and major solar thermal projects).
  
  5: We manage our water. Unlike many arid growth regions in the western U.S., Arizona has known for its entire inhabited life that we need to remain creative about sustaining our water supply. Coupled with the exceptional growth spurts in recent decades, our research into continued water preservation has been quite effective and forward thinking (unlike the dry-lake scenarios encountered in California's deserts in the last century).
  
  So put all of this together and consider the incredible potential that Phoenix possesses, rather than its comparatively minor limitations as a green city of the future. And one more important thought on this subject: conservation advances in Arizona almost always happen affordably and in accord with other market dynamics, rather than requiring the same level of high subsidization and stratification amongst community members who benefit disproportionately from "green" advances. That should really be what it's all about.
  

  
  UPDATE (11/19/2009): I just came across this rather timely article about ADOT's growth plans for the Valley, from ABC 15's website.  Toward the end, you will find yet another great link to provide your input: http://www.bqaz.gov/index.asp.  So please do check this out.  (And by the way, I initially tried to post this as a comment, but didn't like how it appeared; hence the deleted comment on this post.)
  
  
  
  

Flu Shots Are Here!

Everyone, please get your flu shots this year. It's not so much that I care about your safety, but I don't want you to get me or my family sick! Okay, just kidding... I do care about my friends and neighbors. So, to make things easier for anyone willing to take care of this immediately, I've organized a list of where to get your shots by date. (Hey, I had to do the research anyhow! Why not share?)

First, though, you should take a look at these nifty informational websites and not blame me for any omissions or liability of any kind whatsoever:
American Lung Association's "Find A Flu Shot" Page
ALA's Page about the Flu
The Centers for Disease Control Flu Page
CDC Flu Activity Report
Google's Flu Trends Page

***Catherine just returned from Walgreen's, where they told her that she needed a prescription in order to get a shot today. So please call ahead to make sure you have everything you need, and to check on appointment requirements, specific costs, insurance options, etc.

***Good Night Pediatrics (Baseline/Central) might offer shots for kids, but I wasn't able to reach them because they open at 5:00pm. Can anyone verify? Thanks.

Wednesday, September 23rd
Fry's (51st/Baseline) - 10:00am to 6:00pm (Mollen Clinic)
Concentra Urgent Care (51st/Buckeye) - 8:00am to 5:00pm
Walgreen's (both locations) - by appointment

Thursday, September 24th
Fry's (51st/Baseline) - 10:00am to 6:00pm (Mollen Clinic)
Walgreen's (51st/Baseline) - 1:00pm to 5:00pm (clinic)
Walgreen's (35th/Southern) - 1:00pm to 5:00pm (clinic)
Concentra Urgent Care (51st/Buckeye) - 8:00am to 5:00pm
Walgreen's (both locations) - by appointment

Friday, September 25th
CVS (51st/Baseline) - 10:00am to 6:00pm (Mollen Clinic)
Concentra Urgent Care (51st/Buckeye) - 8:00am to 5:00pm
Walgreen's (both locations) - by appointment

Saturday, September 26th
CVS (51st/Baseline) - 10:00am to 6:00pm (Mollen Clinic)
Walgreen's (both locations) - by appointment

Sunday, September 27th
Walgreen's (both locations) - by appointment

Monday, September 28th
Fry's (Baseline/7th Street) - 10:00am to 6:00pm (Mollen Clinic)
CVS (Southern/Central) - 10:00am to 6:00pm (Mollen Clinic)
Concentra Urgent Care (51st/Buckeye) - 8:00am to 5:00pm
Walgreen's (both locations) - by appointment

Tuesday, September 29th
Fry's (Baseline/7th Street) - 10:00am to 6:00pm (Mollen Clinic)
CVS (Southern/Central) - 10:00am to 6:00pm (Mollen Clinic)
CVS (Baseline/19th Ave.) - 10:00am to 6:00pm (Mollen Clinic)
Concentra Urgent Care (51st/Buckeye) - 8:00am to 5:00pm
Walgreen's (both locations) - by appointment

Wednesday, September 30th
Fry's (51st/Baseline) - 10:00am to 6:00pm (Mollen Clinic)
Concentra Urgent Care (51st/Buckeye) - 8:00am to 5:00pm
Walgreen's (both locations) - by appointment

Thursday, October 1st
Fry's (51st/Baseline) - 10:00am to 6:00pm (Mollen Clinic)
Walgreen's (both locations) - 1:00pm to 5:00pm (clinic)
Concentra Urgent Care (51st/Buckeye) - 8:00am to 5:00pm
Walgreen's (both locations) - by appointment
West Baseline Clinic (51st/Baseline) - by appointment

Friday, October 2nd
Concentra Urgent Care (51st/Buckeye) - 8:00am to 5:00pm
Walgreen's (both locations) - by appointment
West Baseline Clinic (51st/Baseline) - by appointment

Saturday, October 3rd
Walgreen's (both locations) - by appointment
West Baseline Clinic (51st/Baseline) - by appointment

Sunday, October 4th
Walgreen's (both locations) - by appointment

Monday, October 5th
Wal-Mart (75th/Lower Buckeye) - 10:00am to 6:00pm (Mollen Clinic)
Concentra Urgent Care (51st/Buckeye) - 8:00am to 5:00pm
Walgreen's (both locations) - by appointment

Tuesday, October 6th
CVS (67th/Lower Buckeye) - 10:00am to 6:00pm (Mollen Clinic)
Wal-Mart (75th/Lower Buckeye) - 10:00am to 6:00pm (Mollen Clinic)
Concentra Urgent Care (51st/Buckeye) - 8:00am to 5:00pm
Walgreen's (both locations) - by appointment

Laveen Economic Development

I know, I know, I know...... I've teased about this before. But this time, I mean it. We are moving forward with a committee to help guide economic development in our Village. Erika Keenan and I have begun working with the City, through our planner Jacob Zonn, and the various community representative groups, and it looks like we are making significant progress.

Why, you may ask, would we want to take on such a challenging project? Because we as residents need to step up and let the rest of the world know what Laveen is all about and what we expect to see out of the inevitable growth the future will bring. If you scroll back through past blog posts, you will see that this has been my primary concern for the community, hence all of the attention that I've given the freeway planning process. Also, I've realized that no one else is nearly as well prepared or intent to promote Laveen's harmonious growth than us, the residents of Laveen.

So please let me know if you are interested in participating in this discussion. Otherwise, I offer you at least the anticipation of big news in the near future (near future, btw, is a relative term, as we have yet to work through all the community groups and the city to create this group). So please stay tuned.

Loop 202 Update (Again)

Josephine already posted this on the last entry, but I thought it was worth repeating, this time on the main page of the blog. From Councilman Nowakowski (via Facebook):

Dear Neighbors,

Like many of you I was disturbed by the news of the 202 construction not beginning till 2017. This was contrary to my conversations I had with the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) and the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG). After speaking to both entities it is abundantly clear that the news reporter erred in her reporting. The head of transportation for MAG, Eric Anderson, has asked the reporter for some corrections, and has clearly expressed to our office that the dates are incorrect.

Of course it is difficult to exactly determine when the 202 construction will begin or end. There is a couple promising assurances that MAG has made. First, the threat of litigation will no longer hold up this process from moving forward. The highway will go forward no matter what and we will meet the lawsuits as they come. Secondly, all efforts will be made to expedite the building and design of the highway. Lastly, while opponents of the highway will try to find a different route for the highway south of South Mountain that is something that will be adjusted as the process continues, but not an excuse to slow down the original plan.

In October, MAG will meet to vote on this plan. I have spoken with Councilmember Peggy Neely (our representative on MAG) about the importance of the 202. She has been a strong ally for us and will continue to fight with me for the current alignment. Again we do not know exactly the completion or start date of this huge project. What we do know is the start date of 2017 is completely off base. ADOT, MAG and the City of Phoenix are in unison about expediting the building of this necessary highway.

Thank you,

Michael Nowakowski
Councilmember District 7

Welcome to the Newly Renamed Loop 202 Blog (or not)

It's Loop 202 all the time! Get your Loop 202 news here! Hot off the presses!

Again, our proposed freeway is in the news. Two articles published today in the AZ Republic highlight the most recent plan proposed by MAG to get this freeway back on track:

http://www.azcentral.com/community/phoenix/articles/2009/08/03/20090803ar-smfreeway0804.html

and

http://www.azcentral.com/community/ahwatukee/articles/2009/08/03/20090803ar-freeway0805.html

The first article is geared toward the more general "Phoenix" audience, whereas the second one focuses more specifically on the Ahwatukee perspective. As such, I think you'll see that the first article is slightly more informative about the overall process that has taken place thus far, i.e. the city has made a recommendation to MAG, which will then vote to pass the plans on to ADOT for finalization; this is moving forward. The second article panders to its audience, as do the quotes included in it, so I thought it deserved my treatment.

First, DiCiccio and his political opponents are either misguided (and I don't think this is it), or they are misdirecting their constituents' attention by claiming that the city has had little or no say in these matters. To the contrary, I think our friends in District 7 and on city staff deserve a huge thank you for helping this dying plan rise again out of the ashes. As I reported last month, our city's transportation department moved forward with a street plan that was made to accommodate the north-south section of freeway through Laveen. Furthermore, the city resolved that it supported the Laveen alignment and passed along instructions to MAG and ADOT to "expedite" their plans (backtrack here). Yes, DiCiccio's council seat is up for grabs, thus making this a hot topic; but the primary reason that this is in the news again is thanks to Wylie Bearup in our Street Transportation Department, Ruben Gallego, and Councilman Nowakowski.

Second, Tim Tait of ADOT notes that the freeway is "not a done deal." It is not, this is true.... But it is now working it's way through the process and is perhaps one of ADOT's best candidates for future federal stimulus funds (remember all that talk about money for roads and bridges?). It is also a great cause for the city of Phoenix to rally in support of revenue potential from all the retail tax and professional business development that will assuredly follow the freeway. I can't help but compliment Mr. Tait for his carefully selected words, but let's prove him wrong about a current lack of certainty by helping to steamroll this directive through MAG and ADOT as fast as possible.

Third, Eric Anderson of MAG is hardly quoted or even acknowledged in these articles, but I must say that I have learned a great deal about the mechanics of our freeway plans from him and Tim Tait throughout this process. Remember, he's the staff guy who must work out all the details on behalf of our political representatives at MAG, so I will look to him for news of future progress on this topic, and then refocus my efforts on ADOT.

Many have inquired as to what we as a community can do right now to have our voices heard. Well, as noted, the ball is in the hands of MAG..... and let's not forget the minor impact of Sal Diciccio's campaign on the politics of this issue. While it appears that he has mostly stepped aside to let the freeway happen, he still cannot allow the city's MAG representation to emerge too strongly in favor of the Ahwatukee alignment, no matter where it lies. This is the reason, I think, that we have divided the Ahwatukee and Laveen portions of the freeway for most planning discussions. So we need to express strong unified support for at least the Laveen alignment prior to the October meeting.

I will post more details as soon as I can get them, but please help do the same. Contact your MAG representatives (see list here) and let them know that you want your voice heard by contacting the Director of Communications, Kelly Taft, at ktaft@mag.maricopa.gov. Get a spot on the next meeting agenda to discuss the Loop 202 freeway, or choose from any of the following discussion topics:

• Necessary local route AND bypass.
• Necessary for Laveen's commercial growth.
• Laveen and Desert Ridge are Phoenix's two most promising growth areas.
• It's already taken almost 30 years........
• Residents of Ahwatukee and Laveen benefit from proposed hospital.
• Laveen general plan rivals Scottsdale; freeway further enhances quality of life.
• Improved South Mountain park access.
• Any other reasons I may have missed that are important to you.