As usual, there is so much to discuss and too little space. The U.S. Justice
Department has approved Phoenix's new districts. While the Council has not
set a date for the new districts to become effective, I'm including the new
area of District 5 in this mailing to let you know what is going on in the
district (see related story). The new area of District
5 is east of I-17 to 15th Avenue, north of Bethany Home Road to the Arizona
Canal (Dunlap Avenue).
The City Council
had the foresight to take quick action and cut $22 million from the current
year's city budget to handle the downturn in the economy. It allowed the City
to continue services at the current levels and not cut programs or personnel.
Although we must cut roughly $4 million over the next two years, services
and programs will not be affected.
Our mobile office visits proved to be extremely popular and successful with
many of you joining us at our Saturday morning visits. I enjoyed meeting and
seeing everyone. We are taking a break during the hot summer, but will resume
in the fall. We are also continuing our neighborhood forums, neighborhood
leader training meetings and the community breakfasts (see
list). New District 5 residents are welcome to join us at these meetings.
I'm available to attend Block Watch and neighborhood meetings as well, so
please call my office if you would like me to attend your meeting.
The Arizona State Legislature has agreed to initiate a study committee this
summer to look at and, hopefully, address the sex offender group home issue.
There will be several representatives from the City of Phoenix, including
myself (see related story). The State Senate killed HB
2651 (Dangerous Driving; Cruising bill) by one vote. Rep. John Nelson introduced
this bill, at my urging, to address the spontaneous cruising events that have
threatened the public safety of our community. We are disappointed, but will
continue our efforts next year.
In response to resident input, I requested special enforcement of overheight
front yard fences. In five months, 70 overheight fences were inspected and
66 out of the 70 are now in compliance with the Neighborhood Preservation
Code.
Plans for light rail are progressing on schedule. I spearheaded the effort
to change the light rail plan from a closed to an open track, resulting in
a $3 million savings per mile.
It's summer and that means two things — hot weather and cool water.
We need to remember that we live in the desert and need to conserve water,
especially this year as we enter the sixth year of a drought. Although the
electricity issue has improved since last summer, conservation allows us to
meet those peak capacity times and saves you money.
Last, but definitely not least, water draws kids like a magnet. PLEASE watch
children around water. At my request, the City will have a Water Safety Hotline,
a single telephone number, to handle non-emergency calls regarding water safety
issues. We'll be informing the public as soon as we have the line set up before
the July 4 holiday. Our Parks and Recreation staff members will be instructing
our young summer pool users on water safety this summer during the regular
swim breaks at all of our City pools.
Have a safe and enjoyable summer. Be careful, and let us know if we can assist
you.
Always
maintain eye-to-eye contact with children when they are in the water.
Never leave small children unattended around a bucket of water or other
liquid.
When doing household chores, immediately empty buckets when finished,
or move them to a safe place before taking a break.
Use an approved barrier to separate the pool from the house.
Never allow children to be alone near the pool or any water source and
store all toys outside the pool area.
Keep large objects such as tables, chairs, toys and ladders away from
pool fences.
For more information about water safety, visit the Phoenix Fire Department
Web site, phoenix.gov/fire or call Vice Mayor
Mattox's office at 602-262-7446.
Leaders from local and state agencies, law enforcement and neighborhoods
will come together to examine issues surrounding the clustering of registered
sex offenders within apartment complexes or "group" homes.
Residents must be notified when sex offenders are released from
jail and placed in their community. Some neighborhoods have experienced clustering
of sex offenders in apartment complexes or group homes willing to house them.
This can result in a concentration of sex offender residents in a neighborhood
and may be rather troublesome for other residents.
Suggestions offered by residents include limiting the concentration
of sex offenders being placed in neighborhoods and licensing operators of
these residences so the state of Arizona is required to oversee them.
Vice Mayor Mattox, along with other local and state officials,
will serve on a study committee established by Arizona House Speaker Jim Weiers
that will explore ways to address these neighborhood concerns. Look for updates
concerning this issue in future issues of West Side Story.
Ever wonder just how that abandoned shopping cart got into your alley, street
or a nearby parking lot? Each cart has a story, as they are often taken to
transport items, as a prank or for other reasons. As many as 15,000 carts
are unlawfully taken from retailers each week in Phoenix.
No matter how
they got there, these wayward carts are an eyesore in neighborhoods and can
be dangerous to the children who play in and around them. And, at $100 apiece,
businesses must pick up the tab for lost carts — a cost that could get
passed on to you, the customer.
Now, the city has a way to help residents keep their streets and neighborhoods
free of abandoned carts. It's the Arizona Cart Retrieval Line, which removes
and returns carts to their proper owners at no charge.
Call 1-800-THE-CART (843-2278) if you would like to have an abandoned shopping
cart removed from your neighborhood.
Phoenix is proposed to be the next home of the International Genomics Consortium
(IGC), a nonprofit research corporation that aims to advance the treatment
of diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer's, cystic fibrosis and diabetes.
As a frontrunner
for the IGC, Phoenix's selection depends on the establishment of the Arizona
Bioscience and Biomedicine Institutes. State leaders are working to secure
additional funding and private donations to do this. The IGC should be prepared
to make its final decision by the end of June.
Establishing the IGC headquarters in downtown Phoenix would provide the opportunity
to bring additional
cutting-edge biomedical scientists and researchers to the Valley. Biomedicine
receives $20 billion annually in federal research support and, as host to
the IGC, the Phoenix headquarters would receive a generous portion of this
funding. This type of facility would attract companies that support medical
research and bring more jobs to the Phoenix area as well.
As the summer continues, so do the drownings and near-drownings in residential
pools and bathtubs. Although the city of Phoenix, along with parents, teachers
and community leaders, have worked hard to ensure the safety of children around
water, we continue to seek further ways for improving awareness.
Vice Mayor Mattox is working with city representatives from several departments
to address every aspect of water safety. The Fire Department will soon establish
a telephone hotline to provide callers with one-stop service for water safety
information. The Water Safety Hotline will be operational before July 4 of
this year and will answer any questions on water/swimming pool safety, whether
they relate to general drowning prevention, CPR classes, proper pool fencing
or any other topics.
City staff will also enhance water safety instruction for children at all
municipal swimming pools and expand its efforts to identify green (neglected)
pools, which pose serious dangers to children, as well.
To learn more about the city's heightened water safety and education efforts,
call Vice Mayor Mattox's office at
602-262-7446.
Between January 2001 and May 22, 2002, the District 5 office
opened 1,600 constituent cases and closed 1,411 cases. As always, our office
is ready to help you with any of your neighborhood issues. Feel free to call
us any time we can be of assistance to you at 602-262-7446 or e-mail me at
claude.mattox@phoenix.gov.
Although Phoenix may be the winter destination for vacationers and seasonal
residents, it is a very different story in the Valley during the summer months.
As we face rising temperatures, the need to preserve water is intimately tied
to the need to stay cool.
Here are some
things to keep in mind this summer:
Check your swimming pool, irrigation system and toilet for leaks.
Fix faucet leaks promptly.
Install low-flow showerheads and toilet dams.
Convert grass areas to Xeriscape or desert landscaping.
Water grass early in the morning or late in the evening every three days.
Be sure all the water you use in your yard is going on the grass and
not on the pavement.
The U.S. Department of Justice has approved the new City Council district
map that the city of Phoenix submitted for review this past January. These
new boundaries will affect the 2003 city election, in which council seats
in Districts 1, 3, 5 and 7 will be on the ballot. The date in which the new
districts take effect has yet to be decided by the council.
In 1982, Phoenix residents approved a district system for electing City Council
members. Every 10 years, the city's charter requires that districts be redrawn
to reflect population changes found in the 10-year census.
From September to December of last year, the city conducted more than 25
open houses to receive input from Phoenix residents regarding the redistricting
process and the redrawing of the City's district map.
District 5 will experience some changes due to the newly approved maps. A
portion of the district's southern residents will transition to District 7,
while District 5 will grow to the northeast into what is currently District
4. For a copy of the approved map or the existing City Council districts,
visit phoenix.gov/redistricting
or call the city's Public Information Office at 602-262-7176.
Despite gaining new residents and losing some to other districts, Vice Mayor
Mattox is committed to working with his fellow City Council members to ensure
that citizen issues and concerns continue to be met, regardless of district
boundaries.
Raising the thermostat when you're away actually increases
energy use. Later, air conditioners will work harder to cool the warmer
room.
Energy Fact:
There is always a net decrease in energy consumption when
thermostats are raised.
Energy Myth:
It is effective to run swimming pool pumps during the evening
— a low energy-use time of day.
Energy Fact:
The pool pump has two other tasks aside from cleaning the
pool: chlorine distribution and circulation to cool with spray, which
are needed more during daytime hours.
Energy Myth:
All air conditioners use the same amount of energy.
Energy Fact:
Air conditioners are rated by levels of efficiency. New
units can use up to 60 percent less energy than older ones. Instead of
replacing a failed compressor on an old unit, replace the whole unit for
better efficiency.
Energy Myth:
Don't turn lights off. The surge of electricity when lights
are turned on uses up any savings.
Energy Fact:
Savings always exist when electricity is not used. Also,
there is no "surge" when lights are turned on.
Energy Myth:
Turning the thermostat down very low will cool the room
faster.
Energy Fact:
he room will cool just as quickly if the thermostat is set
at 78 degrees as it will if it is set at 58 degrees. It just won't overshoot
so far.
Whether you are
driving across the Valley or across the state, information about Arizona's
highway conditions and public transit services is at your fingertips. Dial
5-1-1 — the new three-digit telephone number dedicated to providing travel
information. This new number is an easy alternative to the longer 1-888-411-ROAD
number, which has been used since 1998. The current 888 hotline will continue
along with 5-1-1.
The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) updates the toll-free 5-1-1
system every five minutes with information such as road conditions and construction
restrictions on highways across Arizona. The information is also available
online at www.az511.com/HCRS/arizona.html.
Arizona is the third state to offer statewide 5-1-1 service, joining Utah
and Nebraska. Minnesota and Kentucky, as well as the San Francisco metropolitan
area, will launch 5-1-1 services later this year.
West Plaza Neighborhood Association — boundaries are Bethany Home
Road to Glendale Avenue, from 35th and 43rd avenues.
Glen Canyon Vista Neighborhood Association — boundaries are Glendale
to Northern avenues, from I-17 to 27th Avenue.
The Phoenix City Council designates eight new Fight Back neighborhoods each
year to enhance and improve the community. The goal of the Fight Back program
is to offer designated neighborhoods specialized support over a limited period
of time to assist resident-driven neighborhood improvement efforts. These
efforts focus on revitalization, sustainability, crime and blight reduction,
resident participation, neighborhood leadership, physical improvements and
community building.
Thank you to the neighbors in West Plaza Neighborhood Association and Glen
Canyon Vista Neighborhood Association for their commitment to improving the
community!
Residents living near the Agua Fria River between Indian School and Camelback
roads should notice a decrease in dust pollution and noise. After working
for months with residents, Maricopa County Environmental Department, the Bureau
of Land Management (BLM) and the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality,
we have secured the closure of this area to off-road vehicles.
This closure will be monitored and enforced by the BLM, Maricopa County Sheriff's
Office and other law enforcement agencies. My office will continue to work
with these other jurisdictions to ensure this issue is addressed.
If you have any questions or would like to report off-road vehicles in this
area, please call 623-580-5596.
Breakfast with Vice Mayor Mattox and West Phoenix
Business Alliance
Wednesday, Sept. 11
7 - 8:30 a.m.
Call 602-262-7446 for location.
Community Forum
Tuesday, Oct. 8
6:30 - 8 p.m.
Fire Station 30
2701 W. Belmont Ave. (south of Northern Avenue)
Community Forum
Tuesday, Oct. 22
6:30 - 8 p.m.
John F. Long Family Services Center Conference Room
3454 N. 51st Ave.
Mobile Office Visit
Saturday, Nov. 9
10:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Maryvale Park
51st and Campbell avenues
Many District 5 residents enjoyed Vice Mayor Mattox's
mobile visits this winter and spring. Plan to attend our next mobile
visit in November and get acquainted with other District 5 residents
and the Vice Mayor
(see calendar at left).
"Westside Story" is posted on the city's Web site at www.phoenix.gov.
For alternative format/reasonable accommodations, call 602-262-7176 or TTY
602-534-5500.
Your comments, suggestions and story ideas are welcome by calling Vice Mayor
Mattox at 602-262-7446, e-mail claude.mattox@phoenix.gov
or mail to City of Phoenix, 200 W. Washington St., 11th Floor, Phoenix, AZ
85003.
Message from Vice Mayor Claude Mattox 
The City Council
had the foresight to take quick action and cut $22 million from the current
year's city budget to handle the downturn in the economy. It allowed the City
to continue services at the current levels and not cut programs or personnel.
Although we must cut roughly $4 million over the next two years, services
and programs will not be affected.
Always
maintain eye-to-eye contact with children when they are in the water.
No matter how
they got there, these wayward carts are an eyesore in neighborhoods and can
be dangerous to the children who play in and around them. And, at $100 apiece,
businesses must pick up the tab for lost carts — a cost that could get
passed on to you, the customer. 
As a frontrunner
for the IGC, Phoenix's selection depends on the establishment of the Arizona
Bioscience and Biomedicine Institutes. State leaders are working to secure
additional funding and private donations to do this. The IGC should be prepared
to make its final decision by the end of June. 
Here are some
things to keep in mind this summer: 
Whether you are
driving across the Valley or across the state, information about Arizona's
highway conditions and public transit services is at your fingertips. Dial
5-1-1 — the new three-digit telephone number dedicated to providing travel
information. This new number is an easy alternative to the longer 1-888-411-ROAD
number, which has been used since 1998. The current 888 hotline will continue
along with 5-1-1. 
