Notes for September 2008
G.A.I.N. highlights crime-fighting efforts
Crime down sharply
Book sale raises funds for library
Sheraton downtown hotel opens
Web site addresses foreclosure issues
Walk to School events spotlight safety
Plays to mark Prostitution Week
Arson investigators get new mobile van
Nominations sought for human rights awards
Hazardous waste collections set
AIDS Walk Oct. 5
Disposal transfer stations change hours
G.A.I.N. highlights crime-fighting efforts
Successful community efforts to prevent crime will be in the spotlight next month as Phoenix neighborhoods join others from across the state in hosting G.A.I.N. block parties and other activities.Block Watch organizations, apartment and condominium complexes, neighborhood groups, businesses and many others are expected to take part in the statewide event Saturday, Oct. 18.
G.A.I.N. – Getting Arizona Involved in Neighborhoods – is the state’s celebration of National Night Out, which is held throughout the country every August. Because of the summer heat, the state opted out of the event and, instead, developed G.A.I.N. and hosts it during a cooler time of the year.
The day is set aside to celebrate the successes of crime prevention through community involvement. Police use the event to show appreciation for those in the community who support their efforts in the daily fight against crime.
If you haven’t planned your neighborhood events yet, there’s still time.
To learn more about G.A.I.N. and how you or your organization can participate, call 602-495-0597, send e-mail to Police Officer Deb Iodice at deborah.iodice@phoenix.gov or visit cityofphoenix.org/police/gain1.html
Crime down sharply
Violent and property crimes in Phoenix saw their largest decline in more than 10 years during the first half of 2008.Police say that reports of violent crimes in the city were down 6.4 percent from the January to June period in 2007, while reports of property crime fell by 8.4 percent during the same six-month period.
They were the largest decreases recorded during a six-month reporting period in the past decade.
When the city’s population is taken into account, the numbers represent a decline of 8.5 percent in violent crimes and 10.4 percent in property crimes per 100,000 residents.
“It’s great to hear the numbers that this crime went down or that crime went down, but what it really means to the community is that there are fewer victims out there on the streets,” noted Public Safety Manager Jack F. Harris.
He cited multiple factors for the decline, including programs involving crime suppression and targeted enforcement.
Mayor Phil Gordon agreed, saying that the Police Department’s continuing efforts to zero in on the “worst of the worst” – felons wanted on warrants, repeat offenders, drug dealers and others involved in major violent and property crimes – also played a major role.
Book sale raises funds for library
Thousands of hardcover and paperback books, videos, books on tape, DVDs and CDs will be on sale Oct. 24 to 26 at the annual Friends of the Phoenix Public Library Fall Sale at the group’s warehouse, 1330 N. 29th Drive.Proceeds from the sale will benefit programs throughout the library system.
The sale will be open to the public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 25, and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 26, which will be special half-price day.
An early sale for members of the nonprofit organization will be held from noon to 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 24. Instant memberships will be available at the door for $25 during the early sale event.
For more information, visit plfriends.org or call 602-534-5208.
Sheraton downtown hotel opens
Phoenix’s newest and largest downtown hotel opens its doors next month.The Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel will begin checking in guests Wednesday, Oct. 1.
A special ribbon-cutting ceremony is planned for 10 a.m. the same day and the public is invited to attend.
The opening of the hotel is the first of three major happenings that will take place in the downtown before the end of the year. Both the expanded Phoenix Convention Center, located just a block from the new hotel, and the METRO Light Rail, which will run through the heart of downtown, are due to open in December.
The new hotel is seen by business and community leaders as helping bolster the city’s growing convention business by providing more rooms close to the Convention Center, which is being tripled in size. A lack of hotels rooms often was cited as a reason for large conventions passing up Phoenix in favor of cities with more downtown hotels.
The Sheraton, which is owned by the city and managed by Starwood Hotels, features 1,000 guest rooms and 80,000 square feet of flexible, state-of-the-art meeting space including a nearly 29,000-square-foot ballroom, a 15,000-square-foot junior ballroom, 17 meeting rooms, two boardrooms and a terrace for outdoor events.
It also has a 6,500-square-foot fitness center and a 2,000-square-foot outdoor pool and sundeck.
The hotel is located at Van Buren and Third streets.
Web site addresses foreclosure issues
Homeowners, residents and prospective home buyers now can turn to a new city Web site for help in finding answers to many of their foreclosure questions and concerns.The site on phoenix.gov/nsd contains a variety of valuable information, including a list of counseling agencies in Phoenix that can help individuals involved in a foreclosure.
It also offers advice on how homeowners who are having trouble making their monthly mortgage payments can contact their lenders and what information they will need to provide when they speak or visit with them.
Information for residents who need rental assistance or who are interested in learning about the city’s home-buyer assistance programs also can be found on the site.
In addition, it provides information that can help neighborhoods deal with the blight that often follows foreclosed properties, including homes in disrepair and yards with overgrown weeds.
Walk to School events spotlight safety
More than 20,000 students from Phoenix and other Valley communities will learn about pedestrian safety as they take part in Walk to School Month activities planned for this month and next month.The event was expanded this year from one day so that more students could participate.
At least one Walk to School event will be held each weekday during the month, including children gathering at a central location near their schools and walking to school as a group.
Schools also will host special sessions for the youngsters so they can learn about pedestrian safety and how to be safe around the city’s new METRO Light Rail system that begins operating in December.
Plays to mark Prostitution Week
The city’s Prosecutor’s Office will mark Prostitution Awareness Week by joining with Catholic Charities in presenting a series of one-act plays portraying people affected by prostitution.The plays, “The Life of Prostitution,” will be held at the Maryvale Community Center, 4420 N. 51st Ave., at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct 1, in English, and 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 2, in Spanish.
Other activities include a Candle Light Walk at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4, that will begin at 51st Avenue and McDowell Road.
For more information, call 602-285-1999 (extension 51903) or 602-486-4973.
Arson investigators get new mobile van
The Phoenix Fire Department now has a comfortable on-scene place to pursue its investigations of arson fires.And a cool place for investigators to escape from the heat at the same time.
Fire investigators last month began working out of a 35-foot van that was donated to the department so that investigators would have a convenient place to interview and tape record witnesses and suspects, fax search warrants and other information, and do other important investigative tasks.
In the past, they had to do most of their on-scene work outside, often spending hours alongside still smoldering fire scenes and in 100-plus degree summer temperatures.
The van came with a colorful wrap designed by world famous artist Michael Israel, one of several sponsors that donated it to the department. Others included the 100 Club of Arizona, the Davidson Family Foundation, garagefly.com and For Those Without a Voice.
Nominations sought for human rights awards
The Phoenix Human Relations Commission is seeking human rights awards nominations for Phoenix residents who contribute significantly to creating a compassionate and socially just community.The Calvin C. Goode Lifetime Achievement and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Living the Dream awards will be presented in January at the Arizona Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Breakfast.
The Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes an individual who has made Phoenix a better place to live by promoting social and economic justice and civil rights, while the Living the Dream Award honors individuals who embody the ideas of King through a personal commitment to human relations and justice.
For applications, call 602-261-8242 or 602-534-1557/TTY or visit phoenix.gov/eod.
Hazardous waste collections set
Phoenix residents can dispose of common hazardous wastes and other items at collections 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 16, 17 and 18 at Paradise Valley Community Center, 17648 N. 40th St., and Nov. 13, 14 and 15 at North Phoenix Baptist Church, 5757 N. Central Ave.The events accept batteries, oil, paint, antifreeze, pesticides, pool chemicals, computers, five road tires per household and household appliances that use refrigerants, including refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners and heat pumps. Commercial loads will not be accepted.
The city also will pick up household appliances at your home for a fee. Call for a collection appointment. For information, send e-mail to pwserve@phoenix.gov, visit phoenix.gov/publicworks or call 602-262-7251
AIDS Walk Oct. 5
Join in AIDS Walk 2008 and you can help raise funds for more than 20 local HIV/AIDS service agencies in the metro Phoenix area.The walk, which the city is sponsoring with Aunt Rita’s Foundation, will be held Sunday, Oct. 5 in downtown Phoenix.
Visit aidswalk2008.org for more information and to register.
Disposal transfer stations change hours
The North Gateway and 27th Avenue transfer stations will switch to winter hours next month.From Oct. 4 through May 1, the weekend and holiday hours for disposal of trash at the two facilities will be 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Weekday hours remain unchanged at 5:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The 27th Avenue Transfer Station is closed Sundays and both locations will be closed Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 27; Christmas Day, Dec. 25; and New Year's Day, Jan. 1.
For disposal facility information, call 602-262-7251 or visit phoenix.gov/publicworks.