October 26, 2012

The Annual Meeting was held Wednesday, October 10, 2012 at the Peter Howell School Library starting at 6:30 PM. PHNA Board members: President Chris Brooks, Treasurer Don Ijams, Secretary Jesse Zoernig, Gary Stone, Neil Scott, Abby Rosen(absent), Julie Pupkoff (absent) There were 44 names on the sign-in sheets and three others who did not sign in.

Council member Steve Kozachik: Mentioned the recent meeting held at the Ward 6 office of the Graffiti Action Forum, with Don Ijams and Nancy Huff participating. More below.

South Tucson Greyhound Park's use of anabolic steroids in dogs, while banned in S. Tucson, has occurred over the boundary line legally in Tucson. After Mr. Kozachik encouraged channel 9 to film the injections, in Sept 2012, the City of Tucson banned anabolic steroids for racing greyhounds, which was formalized Oct 9, 2012.

A motion picture multimedia incentives bill was not passed last year as Governor Brewer objected in the name of cost savings. The bill has been resurrected, encouraging film industry related business to spend in Arizona in exchange for subsequent rebates from state coffers. If passed it will bring in more money than than will be spent in rebates, and will encourage film action in Arizona.

CM Kozachik originally voted not to place Proposition 409 on the ballot for road repairs but will now vote for it since it is currently the best option available.

New noise ordinance changes have passed, which will now include construction activity (formerly excluded) in the list of possible noise problems. The new restrictions are not unfriendly to business as contractors can submit requests for exclusions as needed for specific activities.

Some Tucson city wards will be redistricted. Wards 2, 4, and 5 are growing, while Ward 6 is not. Ward 6 will need to grow and that could bring in parts of Ward 2 or Ward 4. A public hearing has been held this week. Peter Howell neighborhood will not change wards. Steve Kozachik likes idea of W6 extending toward River/Craycroft to allow for future annexation, so as to not be locked in as is currently the case by other ward boundaries.

Peter Howell Schools� Diane Sweringen and Linda Perry discussed the Walking School Bus pilot program. Volunteers are needed for once a week for walking with school children. Walks will be limited to groups of 10, mornings only, on pre-determined routes. Because volunteers will be paired with a staff member of Peter Howell School, there will be no liability for the volunteer. Substitutes are also needed.

The program will increase exercise, camaraderie, and attendance for children. It is likely to begin in January. Those interested in volunteering can contact Peter Howell School at 520-232-7200, or Linda at 520-232-7218, or Diane at 520-232-7217. The kids are excited about this program.

Also, a Peter Howell after school math tutoring program is proving successful and asks for more volunteers on a one time or repeat basis for 1 hour at a time. Call Linda Perry at 520-232-7218- or Ken Smalley 520-325-4000.

The annual election of PHNA board members took place during the meeting. The following members were elected by acclamation: Gary Stone, Neil Scott, Roland LaVetter, Julie Pupkoff and Abby Rosen. Any interested neighborhood member may offer to join the board. Meeting date for selection of officers was held October 24, 2012.

Part of the statement of purpose of this Annual Meeting was to amend the PHNA By-Laws. Article 4, Section 4.1 of the By-Laws say (in part): "The annual meeting of the Association membership shall be held on the third Wednesday in September of each year..." Proposal: change the word "September" to "October." That way there will not be a yearly conflict with holidays. President Chris Brooks made a motion, and asked for the people in attendance to raise their hands if they wanted this change. He then determined that there was much more than the 2/3rds approval needed. The motion for the change of the By-Laws passed.

Daniel Radson from Tucson City Water presented on a rainwater harvesting incentive rebate program available since July 2012. The program includes two levels of rebate, including gutters and passive collection up to $300.00 and 100% of expenses or active harvesting at once or in stages, up to $2000 or 50% of expenses. Attendance at a popular, 3 hour workshop is required, to gain understanding of program parameters.

State of Arizona tax credit for rainwater harvesting is no longer available, and this new program offers greater savings.

Don Ijams: The Neighborhood Support Network has existed since 2007 and supports a number of services to neighborhoods. The City�s police incident information, prepared by NSN, has been offline since August 1 during a major TPD computer software upgrade. Don is pushing for early reestablishment of available data, which will restore access to local crime statistics organized by neighborhood.

The Graffiti Action Forum is a citizen initiated effort to study graffiti in Tucson from all angles and to devise courses of action to reduce graffiti. The meeting on Oct. 13 produced an outline of focus areas for future action.

Utility company equipment is often targeted making utilities an interested party in the graffiti abatement program. Graffiti Protective Coatings (GPC) is the company Tucson City uses to clean graffiti. GPC had 4500 work orders in August alone. Three fourths of reported graffiti is on public property. Part of the prevention picture involves developing constructive activities for diverting young vandals, including programs such as those of Tucson Arts Brigade. Citizen awareness and involvement in reporting helps police build more extensive cases for prosecution. Citizens are encouraged to report graffiti incidents to 792-CITY or online.

Tucson Clean and Beautiful local PHNA volunteers include Faith and Chris, Nancy Huff, and others who walk Alvernon Park and clean up routinely. You are invited to be actively involved in neighborhood up-keep activities. Any public space can be adopted for litter or graffiti clean up. The TCB website has a directory for recycling information and energy efficiency programs as sponsored by Tucson Electric Power.

Gary Stone talked about 'reclaimed water.' He said there are three main steps and costs for bringing it to our area:

1) Run a reclaimed water line from Randolph Park (this line can be tapped) to Peter Howell Elementary School, Alvernon Park, and Rincon/University High Schools. ($1,075,000 rough cost estimate)

2) Install new irrigation lines and sprinklers at each location. (projected cost $292,000)

3) Design the project (projected fees $73,000)

Tucson Water can potentially design the reclaimed water lines in-house. Tucson Unified School District (TUSD) can possibly use bond money that they currently have for the design of on-site irrigation. With Alvernon Park, representatives of Tucson Parks & Recreation have said they have no money for on-site irrigation design. However, they suggested several places where grant money could be found for that purpose. It is our wish that if we raise half of their $27,000 fee, maybe they can find the other half in their budget.

If our reclaimed water proposal is designed and 'shovel-ready,' how can we get the rest of the estimated $1.4 million to do this job? Federal infrastructure money, hopefully. If this happens, it will not take months, but years.

Watch for the PHNA spring meeting in March 2013 and the picnic in Alvernon Park in April.

Notes by Jesse Zoernig and Donald Ijams

April 15, 2012

Twenty five or so neighbors gathered this Sunday afternoon for the annual picnic in Alvernon Park. Lots of good conversation and plenty of good food to share.

March 22, 2012

Spring Meeting � March 22, 2012 - 6:30 PM Peter Howell School Library - Approx. attendance = 30

Steve Kozachik � Tucson�s Ward 6 Council member spoke on several topics. Tucson has a new outdoor lighting ordinance, which affects new construction. Circle K and QuikTrip are looking to build convenience markets with gasoline and liquor available on N. Alvernon, at Speedway and Lee, respectively. A meeting to discuss Circle K's proposal will be held March 28th at Ward 6.

The City of Tucson paid Graffiti Protective Coatings $1.2 million this past year for significant graffiti coverage. This figure does not include costs private businesses and residents paid for addressing graffiti issues. Many taggers are adults (18-34 yr olds). A city wide effort is under way to study the graffiti problem from multiple perspectives: Taggers, Tagging Supplies, Research Other Cities, Law Enforcement, Probation and Courts and Tagging Targets.

The $75,000 left over from the Ward 6 2011 budget will be used for road pothole repair and is pending appropriate weather conditions to resume repairs. TDOT states that $200 million needed, $600 million including residential road repairs. The Az State Legislature has swept Highway User funds for other needs; less income is coming in from gas tax due to fuel efficiency of vehicles. Increasing petroleum based product prices for road fill add to $ problem. Steve proposes that the Regional Transportation Authority ask the Pima County Board of Supervisors to allow voters to decide whether a percentage of the RTA sales tax should be directed toward road repair.

The Broadway Blvd road widening project, voter approved at $9 million, is projected to cost $21 million. The original bond proposal was based on a traffic estimate model that has not been supported by realtime Broadway traffic. Board of Supervisors and RTA are at odds regarding reassessment of $ projections. Widening to 150� on the north side of Broadway from Euclid to Country Club is a major cost element. Some planned bulldozing may affect properties listed under Historic Preservation codes.

Dave Overstreet, Principal at Peter Howell School welcomes all residents to visit the school. Helpers are welcome for gardens, tutoring, donations. 48 states including Arizona, 2 territories, and the D of C have agreed to meet Common Core standards.. AZ has the lowest per pupil funding by state in the US. Attendance at the school this year approximates 89-93%, ought to be at least 96%. Roger Stogsdill�s First Brethern Church and Peter Howell School collaborate in offering free coffee and donuts for the public; next Curbside Caf� Monday, April 23rd 7:30 � 9 am outside Peter Howell School.

Linda Perry of PHSchool is family liaison for �Walking School Buses�, a grant funded program. In coordination with Safe Routes to Schools, this program is hopefully to be brought to Tucson by Peter Howell School. The program arranges for organized escort of children as they walk to the school. Volunteers may apply at PHSchool.

Rob O�Dell, Arizona Daily Star reporter and PH resident, with Jamar Younger, wrote a Feb 2012 AZ Daily Star article highlighting Tucson burglaries mapped by police beat. Rob spoke about an upcoming story to be focused on neighborhoods and monthly reports. Conversation on motivations of burglars, security alarms and fees, movement of stolen property, and of security measures involved several attendees.

Abby Rosen presented updates relating to pedestrian facilities in the public right of way. Several new installations of High Intensity Activated Cross WalK (HAWK) in Tucson, including in or on the boundaries of our Peter Howell Neighborhood, are neither accessible nor American Disabilities Act compliant, being too high or without concrete egress to the activator button. Some new bus shelters are not sized for wheelchairs. Abby has worked many hours to help Tucson become compliant on these and other pedestrian right of way concerns for Tucson citizens.

MetroGnome Music Store�s Todd Crawford announced the upcoming GnomeFest, showcasing locals entertainers to be held in the MetroGnome Music Store parking lot at 4044 East Speedway, 11:30-6:00 Saturday, April 7th.

Tucson Clean and Beautiful local volunteers Faith Peppler and Chris Conman (azpepcor at msn.com) and 5 others are helping with the upkeep of the wash north of 5th to Alvernon Park and north of 3rd along Montezuma. Members of Faith Lutheran Church clean the park itself. Thank you Volunteers of Clean and Beautiful. More volunteers are always welcome.

Hazardous waste collection was at Park and Drachman Saturday morning March 24.

The annual Peter Howell Neighborhood Picnic will be held Sunday, April 15th, in Alvernon Park 4-7 pm. Everyone is welcome. It is a potluck; bring your own food, utensils and chairs to join with others in our community for a relaxing party. Some non alcoholic drinks, and perhaps raffle prizes will be provided. Donations and volunteers encouraged. Updates forthcoming.

Americorps neighborhood project NOT DISCUSSED.
Code/Zone Enforcement NOT DISCUSSED.
Alley/Easement access NOT DISCUSSED.

Note: Following the meeting, PHNA President Nancy Huff submitted her resignation as president and from the PHNA board, due to continuing conflicts with two of the board members. Vice President Chris Brooks has taken over, as specified in the bylaws, and will serve until the September Annual Meeting when new elections will take place. Nancy has been thanked for the exceptional and thoughtful service she has given the neighborhood and for the many hours she has put in on our behalf.

PHNA Officers:
1* President: TBA (Nancy Huff present and officiating, then resigned)
2* Vice President � Chris Brooks (not present)
3* Treasurer � Don Ijams
4* Secretary � Jesse Zoernig
Additional PHNA Board Members
5* Abby Rosen
6* Gary Stone
7* Neil Scott
8* Julie Pupkoff

BLOG
PHNA Website
PHNA Discussion Group
Neighborhood Support Network (Police Incidents)
Picnic April 15th, Sunday; Next Meeting: September 2012

Notes by Jesse Zoernig / D. Ijams

October 13, 2011

Annual Board Meeting - Peter Howell School Library- 7:00-8:40 PM. PHNA Board members present included President Nancy Huff, Vice-President Chris Brooks, Treasurer Don Ijams, Secretary Jesse Zoernig, Gary Stone, Julie Pupkoff and new member Neal Scott (E. 4th St.). Board member Abby Rosen was not in attendance.

Nancy Huff has worked with Nora, blog assistant, and with Jeff, secretary of Poet's Square NA, on the process for creating the PHNA blog. Thank you Nora, Jeff, and Nancy. The blog site, available here, is to be used for communications on most topics. Information requiring immediate attention may still be communicated directly by President Nancy. Neighbors are urged to subscribe to blog updates (upper right on main page) to receive email notices when new new information is posted. Also, be sure that you have added your email address to our master list (lower right on main blog page).

President Nancy Huff, Vice-President Chris Brooks, Treasurer Don Ijams and Secretary Jesse Zoernig were reelected as PHNA officers for the 2011-12 term by acclamation.

Treasurer Don Ijams reported that the PHNA account, at Tucson Federal Credit Union, has a current balance of $1815.45. There was $1835.66 on hand in October 2009 when Don took over the Tresurer's position. Since then, there was one withdrawal of $25.00 to assist with the April 2010 picnic and a small amount of interest has accrued. The majority of the account is held in reserve, as it was obtained from donations a decade ago toward traffic abatement work that was never accomplished.

Discussion of a process for clearing these funds for other uses led to decision that our next newsletter will announce that anyone who made contributions to the traffic abatement effort and has a reliable receipt for such donation may receive a refund. Remaining funds will then be considered PHNA general resources, possibly to be used for future projects yet undecided, with constructive suggestions from neighborhood members welcome. Nancy will consult with Leticia of the City regarding the possibility of another City fuded newsletter mailing.

Mention of duties and functions of PHNA board members led to reminder that no single member speaks for the board, and while the board represents the PHN residents, board members also do not decide what residents want or don�t want. Board members may, and do, engage in community projects on an individual basis. Examples: Nancy works with the wash mural efforts, Americore, Graffiti clean-up; Don works with Neighborhood Support Network and Imagine Greater Tucson; Gary contributes time to having potholes addressed, and toward getting city reclaimed water lines to PHN. Abby, Chris, Jesse, Julie and new member Neal put efforts toward betterment of the community in various ways, not necessarily via organizations.

Update: Gary Stone said that he gave the Tucson Department of Transportation(TDOT) a list of potholes and cracks on 12/17/10, and has been in contact with them several times since then. He added that a 54' crack on Alvernon Way that ran east to west has been repaired, along with a 47' crack that ran north to south. At the time these repairs were made TDOT also fixed the road, in many places, for two blocks south of the cracks on the PHNA list.

Regarding neighborhoodly concerns such as debris or weeds, talk with neighbors first about cleanup, and if needed you can go to the City's Code Enforcement section to report the violation. The City asks for your email address in order to send you a case number, and inspection details. Your report will still remain anonymous if you prefer. For graffiti violations, click here

And, always consider setting a good example - accomplish what you want to see accomplished and some others will follow! Check with neighbors on your block, maybe they will let you clean graffiti off their property, and later do it themselves. Mention was made that some grants might be available for property upkeep. Get involved in community clean up through Tucson Clean and Beautiful.

Next PHNA meeting will be Thursday March 22, 2012.

The Peter Howell Community Picnic will be Saturday, April 14th, 2012 at Alvernon Park 4-7 pm. Please bring your own tableware, and something to share if you can. Also, we'd love for you to bring a neighbor to the picnic and to check with Nancy if you can volunteer to help with arrangements. We look forward to your company.

Please bookmark and regularly check the PHNA blog for notices, missing dogs, found property, new projects, meeting notices, etc.

Notes by Jesse Zoernig / D. Ijams

September 29, 2011

Annual Meeting - Peter Howell School Cafeteria - 6:00 - 7:45 PM. PHNA Board members present included President Nancy Huff, Vice-President Chris Brooks, Treasurer Don Ijams, Secretary Jesse Zoernig and Gary Stone. Approximate attendance: 40

Nancy Huff opened the meeting with a welcome to all neighbors and thanks for attending.

Tucson Police Officer D. Zeis spoke about crime in the neighborhood, saying that Peter Howell continues to be relatively quiet when compared with other areas in Tucson. Many of the police incidents that do occur in the neighborhood are on the major streets bordering our area. Neighbors are encouraged to continue watching out for each other and to call 911 for anyting that seems suspicious.

Peter Howell school principal David Overstreet is in his second year at Peter Howell and welcomed neighbors to the school. He considers the school very much a part of the neighborhood and welcomes residents to stop by any time. Consider using the school for meetings or other neighborhood activities. Peter Howell is a 'community school.' Please contact Dave or Linda Perry, the school's family liaison, for any needs.

Council Member Steve Kozachik spoke to the crowd on a number of topics current in city government. The City's 911 dispatch center is in much better shape these days, with technical problems being mostly resolved, morale up, internal communication better and problems being addressed. Kozachik echoed police advice to call 911 whenever incidents come up involving suspicious activity or persons.

Council Member Kozachik said potholes in Ward 6 will start to be repaired when the the rains are over... and it's possible that some of our streets will get chip-sealed. Since 12/17/10, when the Tucson Department of Transportation received the Peter Howell Neighborhood list, out of the 26 worst potholes and cracks, 7 have been repaired, and one turned out to be a water valve opening... so we have 18 more to go.

The City's Board of Adjustment upheld the development plan for El Con that includes Walmart's new development. El Encanto residents have still not received movement toward resolving their concerns - an appeal to superior court is possible. In the next six months, the City will be hiring a number of new department heads and a new city manager. With the elections coming, there will be a significant change to the face of city government. Kozachik has taken on the issue of Rio Nuevo's obligation to spend money on TCC upkeep and improvement.

Evren Sonmez of Tucson Clean and Beautiful spoke about the many programs they have, including, Home Shade Trees, buffelgrass eradication, Adopt a Park and Adopt a Wash. Faith Lutheran school has recently increased its work with keeping Alvernon Park clean and in good condition. Two recycling containers have been placed in the park on a test basis, to see if they will be used for their intended purposes without constant monitoring. Neighbors are invited to help with this test program as they visit the park.

Neighbors are invited to paricipate in PHNA's Adopt a Wash commitment for the portions of Alvernon Wash not in the park. The block of Longfellow N. of 5th St. up to the park and Montezuma from 3rd St. to 2nd St. are the focus - please help pick up trash in these areas as you do your walking in the neighborhood.

Fran LaSala, the City's Waste Diversion Manager, spoke about several current efforts to increase recycling. These include the 'Know Where to Throw' campaign, focusing on four items not usually thought of for recycling (crayons, bras, eyeglasses and athletic shoes), 'Do (even) More Blue,' the Household Hazardous Waste program, 13 Neighborhood Recycling Centers and a new Materials Recovery Center that will come on line in Summer 2012 allowing the recycling of all types of plastic except thin film types.

Neighbor Melanie Emerson described the terrible Aug. 24 attack on her dog 'Maia' by a male pit bull and two puppies while walking near 4th St. and Columbus. Maia was critically injured and is just now recovering. Beyond keeping dogs under control at all times, tips on how to handle such situations are needed, as is education of neighbors on how to help.

Gary Stone updated two ongoing projects: pothole remediation and extending use of reclaimed water. Gary's extensive list of PHNA's potholes was presented at the Ward 6 meeting during the last several weeks. A few of the potholes have been repaired with more to go. The reclaimed water line proposed to pass through the neighborhood has been extended to Rincon/University High School. The project's scope has thereby been extended as has the cost. Many support letters have been received including those from PHNA board members, Peter Howell school and Rincon High. Progress is slow but steady.

New PHNA board members were sought by President Nancy Huff. By acclamation, current members present in the meeting (Huff, Brooks, Zoernig, Ijams and Stone) were reelected. Others willing to serve should contact Nancy.

Updates include:
  • Imagine Greater Tucson will be seeking neighbor input on alternate scenarios for development of our region beginning in January 2012
  • No progress has been made on the Randolph Park Hotel/Elmwood St. redesign due to the poor economy
  • The PHNA spring meeting will be held in mid-March 2012 - please check the PHNA blog for updates
  • The annual PHNA picnic will be held on Saturday April 14, 2012 - 4 PM at Alvernon Park. Please contact Nancy to help. More information to come on the PHNA blog.
Communication in the neighborhood remains a problem. Please bookmark and regularly check the PHNA blog for notices, missing dogs, found property, new projects, meeting notices, etc. On the left side of the main page is a text box (click on Comments if needed) where you can post your notices of the same items. Please be courteous, civil, non-political and respectful in your messages. Also, please send Nancy Huff new email addresses for her master list - we can't count on mailed notices any longer.

Notes by D. S. Ijams

March 16, 2011

Peter Howell Neighborhood Association Spring Meeting
Peter Howell School Library - 6:30 - 8:30 PM

Board Members present: Nancy Huff, President; Chris Brooks, Vice President; Don Ijams, Treasurer; Jesse Zoernig, Secretary; Gary Stone, Julie Pupkoff. Abby Rosen was absent, and missed.

Rachel Greenfield of Volunteer Southern AZ/Americore, is youth coordinator of Service Learning Projects for 11-18 yr olds. Her group has been beautifying the concrete wash walls north of Alvernon Park with mural painting every Sunday 1-3pm, and will continue most Sundays through mid-May. Please visit Sunday early afternoons to show your appreciation.

Don Ijams updated on PHN crime statistics, listings of which are available on the Neighborhood Support Network website. Tucson crime rates, including those for PHN, are in very slight decline generally, and have been for a couple years. Peter Howell neighborhood remains a quite safe area, especially when compared with other Tucson neighborhoods.

Don updated on Imagine Greater Tucson. IGT is a grassroots, multi-year effort to gather information from the community to create a planned future Tucson. Stage one information gathering ended in February. April 7th will be a public meeting exposing information results according to 9 categories. The meeting is at 3 pm at the University Marriot on April 7th. It will bring the community an opportunity to participate in the development of alternative scenarios for the region's future. More information is available on IGT's website.

Gary Stone synopsis of 18 notable potholes: at least 2 of which have been filled. A positive sign, given city lack of funding.

Gary spoke regarding Tucson�s reclaimed water projects. Line closest to PHN is a few blocks South of Broadway just east of Reid Park. To encourage movement of future federal infrastructure funds to Tucson, some Tucsonans are encouraging interested residents to express interest in area projects, such as getting reclaimed water lines brought to Peter Howell School, Rincon High School, and Alvernon Park, point being to reuse water and not use valuable, limited drinking water for lawn use. Theoretically, interested neighbors would eventually be able to tie into the reclaimed water lines for residential use. Idea is to inform our elected officials of the value of reclaimed water infrastructure and use, and the energy moves onward. Some Tucson neighborhoods already have access to reclaimed water. Thank you, Gary.

Chris Brooks described his experience on the Citizens Water Advisory Committee, and with the Watershed Management Group in Tucson. Water rates will increase again this year. Hope is to change Tucson Water�s method of rate determination, so increases would occur more fairly than current method. Tucson per capita water use is quite low in comparison to other municipalities, giving Tucson some degree of �green� status. Keep it up, good people.

Chris also added to the conversation about reclaimed water use and its meaning, and of grey water. Wonderful and useful comments from several meeting attendees added to the information gathering.

Note made that Nancy is not a web master, so meeting updates and announcements are not necessarily on PHNA website - volunteers to help set up a new website are welcome. Volunteers also welcome to deliver PHNA information fliers, to homes in the neighborhood that are not on our email list. Jesse Zoernig provided an update regarding hand delivery of PHNA notices, which involves time and repeat visits, for success. Nancy noted some new email addresses from the deliveries and Julie suggested a resident from each block volunteer to deliver to the block.

Suggestion made for PHN to consider an annual yard sale or craft sale, with some proceeds going to the PHNA, for use at public events. Do share your thoughts on this.

Elaine Lim, Abby Rosen and Julie Pupkoff have really worked in past years to help make the Annual Peter Howell Community Picnic a success. Please volunteer if you are able. President Nancy Huff can be contacted for this at [email protected].

Note made that Chris Tanz of El Encanto and interested parties are still working on encouraging the impending El Con WalMart store to consider neighborhood pleas for changes to current WalMart store front entrance, and 24 hour plan, each of which will greatly impact the neighborhood. Please make your concerns known to Ward 6 office or Chris Tanz.

Nancy noted value of Community Justice Board, an organization serving 8-17 year old youth in legal trouble. 20 area Justice Boards have about 180 volunteers who help the youth fulfill their commitments to the community and victims of crimes committed. This helps lighten the case load for Juvenile Justice courts.

EVENTS:

A new Farmer�s Market will set up at Our Saviour�s Lutheran Church , on Campbell just north of Speedway, from 3-7 pm Sundays.

On Saturday, March 19th will be free Red Cross CPR training at 6 Tucson locations, provided for by Walgreens and Safeway. And reminder- Thursday April 7th, University Marriot, 3 pm is public event for Imagine Greater Tucson.

Thank you to Principal Dave Overstreet and Peter Howell School for assistance to PHNA, and to Mike Censky of HSL Properties/Randolph Park Hotel, for help with PHNA flier copies.

Thanks to Dunn Edwards Paint Store for donation to the mural project.

The Peter Howell Community Picnic will be April 16th, Saturday, at Alvernon Park 3-7 pm. Please bring your own tableware, and something to share if you can. We look forward to your company.

October 19, 2010

Peter Howell Neighborhood Association Board Meeting
Peter Howell School Library - 7:00 - 8:00 PM

Present:
Nancy Huff, 2009/10 President
Chris Brooks, 2009/10 Vice- President
Don Ijams, 2009/10 Treasurer
Jesse Zoernig, 2009/10 Secretary
Abby Rosen
Gary Stone

Huff, Brooks, Ijams and Zoernig were re-elected to their same offices for the 2010-2011 year by acclamation. Abby Rosen stays on the Board and Gary Stone joins as a non-officer board member.

There was discussion of bylaw requirements for notification of neighborhood residents of officer elections - notification should be within 15 days of 19 October meeting:
Nancy Huff --- E. 1st St, 520-979-5622
Chris Brooks --- E. Kilmer St
Don Ijams --- E. 4th Place
Jesse Zoernig --- N. Longfellow Av (S. of 5th)
Abby Rosen --- E. 2nd St
Gary Stone --- N. Longfellow Av (S. of 5th)

Logistics for future PHNA Newsletters were considered, given city funding losses. Nancy and Abby will pursue engagement of neighborhood businesses for advertising in PHNA Newsletters. Since postal mail is expensive, other methods were discussed, including hand delivery and offering subscriptions.

Neighborhood LETTERS on tiles on the wall at the Speedway and Alvernon Way intersection, SE corner, were damaged beyond repair by an auto crash incident in May 2010. There was a subsequent accident in Sept that re-damaged wall. Discussion took place on whether to replace the letters wall with a different, less impact prone mode for noting the Neighborhood Assn. name. (The choice of full-time dirigible floating above intersection was voted off the docket) Ideas, anyone? Possibly a banner?

Pedestrian walkway dangers at Whitman and Alvernon were raised, north of the bus stop involving the walkway and curb cuts; a concrete joint level problem in sidewalk between Lodge On The Desert and Alvernon Way was described. There is a large plant at Alvernon Way and 1st St. that obscures pedestrian access. Nancy will contact DOT, or HSL who will be doing improvements when the Elmwood/hotel project begins, but who knows when that might be?

An issue was brought up of Alvernon Park field use by permit only, given recent heavy use with spiked shoes. Jesse will pursue the question of park permits and relevant ordinances.

The next PHNA Meeting will be Wednesday March 16th, 2011, 6:30 PM. Details and location will be announced on this website and through the PHNA email list. The annual picnic will be April 16, 2011, Saturday 4-7pm. Details and location to be announced on this website and through PHNA email list. A big thank you to Peter Howell School Principal, Dave Overstreet and the school.

Until further notice, updates and information such as the above will only be posted on this web site and emailed to the PHNA email list. Additions to the email list are encouraged - please forward names, addresses and email addresses to Nancy at [email protected].

September 30, 2010

Annual Meeting - Peter Howell School Library - 6:30 - 8:30 PM
PHNA Board Officers: President Nancy Huff, Vice-President Chris Brooks, Treasurer Don Ijams, Secretary Jesse Zoernig present at the meeting.

Council member Steve Kozachik discussed concerns about the new Walmart at El Con, the City Budget, and some of the propositions to be voted on Nov. 2.

Walmart: they do not have a completed schematic as yet; they intend to be open 24 hours, a plan some neighbors want to change; they intend to sell Alcohol, and the location of store will be an issue; they don�t intend to sell guns or ammunition. Meetings about Walmart at El Con occur at Ward 6 office.

Budget: City Mgr .Mike Letcher sees a 50 million dollar short fall for FY2012, therefore a call for passage of the sales tax increase on the November 2010 ballot.

Propositions: Prop. 400 is a temporary .5% sales tax increase, to lessen the budget shortfall. Councilman Kozachik wants to see a .25 % tax increase action rather than the allowed .5 %, to invite success of the proposition.

Proposition 401: Four proposed charter amendments are tied together. Mayor gets be part of a number of votes and the city manager gets the right to hire and certain administrators. Kozachik asks for tax increase end date to relate to revenue increase, not to sunset clause of a specific number of years; he wants designated funds to go to designated areas, not anywhere else, and for there to be a maintenance of effort for four core depts., with no raiding of their funds.

Police Dept officer C. Kerlin notes spike in burglaries recent 2-4 months: says be nosy neighbors, and trust �bad� feelings and call in concerns. The information may help police identify criminals, or assist with other crimes, even if not the exact crime you call in. Mention that �for donation� curb painters (of house numbers onto your curb) may be criminals scoping resident patterns.

Call in gunshots - quantity of calls will inform police response. Write down serial numbers of your home belongings even if insurance doesn�t require that detail. Helps with recovery. Get your house numbers on your curbs to assist emergency responders.

Officer Kerlin mentioned that prescription pill abuse BIG problem, by young, old, rich, poor. Turn in your old or unused scripts, and keep safe from �visitors�.

Principal Dave Overstreet and Family Liason to School and neighborhood Linda Perry: the school courtyard is available by arrangement for functions and rooms can be available for rehearsals, meetings. Visitors are welcome and the school has several events: Drive-through Doughnut for adults, reading intervention volunteers, Math literacy night, Halloween Carnival, reading buddies, Mentors, Oasis program, First Grade Opera. You are invited to get involved with the school. Donations of Craft supplies, school supplies, other goods, candy for the carnival, clothing and time are all invited.

Volunteer Center of Southern AZ: Michelle Lesco presented on various projects. Volunteers do many good things in neighborhoods including projects you may request. The Volunteer Center inspires, mobilizes, and prepares kids and organizations to empower for the community. Youth Volunteer Corps are 11-18 yrs old with Experience Corps college adults guiding. RSVP is program for senior volunteers: Retired Seniors Volunteer Program.

UPDATES: Nancy Huff noted success and need for the Alvernon park dumpster so she will organize them more often. Please use the dumpster and quit when it is full. Do not leave trash or yard waste outside the dumpster.

PHNA annual picnic will be Saturday April 16th 4-7 PM, perhaps at Peter Howell School or perhaps at Alvernon Park. Location and details to be announced by email.

Nancy notes that Code Enforcement has an online form for residents to report code violations, such as standing water issues, overgrown yards/lots, etc. Please take advantage of this.

Officer Becky Noel is available to meet with residents for Neighborhood Watch activation and crime prevention tips.

The following residents were elected to the PHNA Board of Directors for the 2010-2011 year: Abby Rosen, Gary Stone, Don Ijams, Nancy Huff, Chris Brooks and Jesse Zoernig.

IMAGINE GREATER TUCSON: Don Ijams gave a presentation on the recently activated IGT. Citizens are invited to participate in a several year process to design Tucson�s future in keeping with what we desire rather than to let our future happen passively in a non planned manner. Your input is a guidepost for the development of Tucson�s future, to press lawmakers and the like to make decisions you want. They hope to reach a wide cross-section of the region's residents by spreading the word to harder to reach populations such as Homeless, Spanish-only speaking residents, elderly in assisted living. Help your friends and neighbors be heard. Three IGT Community Conversations have occurred already in the varied locations of: Civano, an Assisted Living facility, and in an office downtown.

Click here to get involved with IGT and to give your input. Your voice is what matters.

All Peter Howell neighbors were urged to provide President Nancy Huff at [email protected] with an email address since City supported postal mailings have been severely curtailed. Updates and notices will be very hard to deliver to neighbors in the future.

The Peter Howell Spring Meeting will be held Wednesday, March 16, 2011 at 6:30 PM at a location to be announced by email.

Thanks to the speakers, to Dave Overstreet for welcoming us to Peter Howell, to Kathy, Lynette, Judy and the refreshment committee �� and all the neighbors who took time to come and be involved.

April 12, 2010

The PHNA Annual Picnic at Alvernon Park on Saturday, April 10, 2010 was great. There were at least 50 people, and a blend from both sides of 5th Street. There was a wonderful selection of food, games, conversations and terrific prizes. Our thanks to Feast, Kazoku, Old Pueblo Grill, Varsity Clubs, Village Inn, Lucky Strike Bowling and Brandye Ferguson (a new neighbor) for their generous gifts. Additional thanks to Abbey, Elaine, Jesse, Judy, Laurie, Chris for all they did to help make it such a great event.

March 17, 2010

The PHNA Spring Meeting was held Wednesday, March 10, 2010 at the Lodge on the Desert. Board Members in attendance: Nancy Huff, President; Chris Brooks, Vice Pres; Donald Ijams, Treasurer; Jesse Zoernig, Secretary; Abby Rosen, Elaine Lim

PHNA President Nancy Huff began the meeting at 6:30 PM with the introduction of Adam Springer of the U of A School of Natural Resources. Adam is a Doctoral Student asking for participation in a study relating to water use practices and use changes between 2000 and 2009 by Tucsonans. For more information, 520-307- 6761; [email protected]

As Deputy Criminal Prosecutor for Pima County Neighborhood Protection, Brad Holland described the work of his office and urged neighbors to organize rather than agonize. For example, a citizen can go to Pima County City Assessors GIS (geographic information system) website to find who owns a property, to assist in reporting neighborhood problems. Also, Tucson Police Community Service Officer Rebecca Noel (791-4253) can meet to provide vital information for neighborhood safety, particularly related to Neighborhood Watch.

Michael Wilson of the Volunteer Center of Southern Arizona's Youth Volunteer Corps presented information regarding graffiti removal, repainting and potential mural painting to discourage further graffiti and tagging. A couple of neighborhood members donated paint and will donate painting supplies for the March 13 repaint of the wash to cover graffiti. People expressed interest in helping paint a mural at a future time. Abby Rosen offered that businesses in the neighborhood appreciate paint donations for graffiti coverage. The Volunteer Center can be contacted for coordination on projects.

Mike Censky of HSL Properties gave an update on the Elmwood Street purchase from the City and the Randolph Park Hotel remodel. March 24 or April 6 will be date of Mayor and Council final approval of the $63,000 sale of the relevant stretch of Elmwood to HSL. Nancy Huff has the email address for Mike Censky with permission to give it out, and she has historical records concerning PHNA and HSL discussions on walls, handicap ramps etc. Mike Censky asks for PHNA to come up with a history and pictorial of Peter Howell Neighborhood to help with the redesign. The Indigo Hotel Group is interested in managing the site. Discussions are under way with STG Design, a national design firm, as the possible designer for the new hotel.

Having a pedestrian access from Longfellow into the hotel property will save HSL $23,000 and that money can be used for certain improvements, to be decided later with neighborhood input. Perhaps 18 months from now, after abandonment of Elmwood, the street may be closed and construction will begin. The next public hearing will be approval of HSL development plan by Mayor and City Council.

Ward 6 City Council Member Steve Kozachik discussed graffiti as a huge problem in Tucson, directly and indirectly affecting Peter Howell neighborhood. Funds allotted from graffiti abatement have been shifted to the Transportation Department - no department has enough funding for needs. Mr. Kozachik is pushing for an ordinance change relating to graffiti offenses, wanting to get parents / guardians involved sooner rather than later with a child's infractions. He asks for input on a regular basis regarding our interests and needs as a neighborhood. He asks individuals to donate money if they are able to help where needed as the City's budget is exceedingly tight. May 1st is County election and Steve Kosachik will find out where the new Peter Howell voting location is, as last location failed to meet ADA standards for accessibility.

The week of March 22nd is the Brush and Bulky pick up.

Saturday, April 10, 2010 from 4 PM is the Neighborhood Picnic in Alvernon (Longfellow) Park. Citizens are encouraged to call Nancy Huff (881-2303) to volunteer. A beer permit might be obtained for the event.

Please donate extra citrus from your yards and gardens to the Community Food Bank or Michelle's Refugee programs contact Nancy Huff for more information.

Ken Smalley of Longfellow near Burns is running for State Representative in District 28. He has background in Finance and wants to help balance the state budget. Clean Election financing requires a minimum of 200 voters to donate $5.00 to a Clean Elections candidate in order for the state to provide matching campaign money.

A half hour presentation on wildlife and urban cohabitation, including how to prevent incidents with coyotes, is available by appointment from the Arizona Department of Game and Fish, if our neighborhood expresses interest and ability to attend.

Hazardous Waste collection will be at Himmel Park April 17th from 8 until 1200

For more information or to join the neighborhood email list, contact PHNA President Nancy Huff at 881-2303 or nbh at email.arizona.edu

Next PHNA meeting will be in September 2010. PHNA Website
PHNA Discussion Group  Neighborhood Support Network
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Meeting adjourned at 8:15
Notes by Jesse Zoernig, Nancy Huff and Donald Ijams

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