Your Neighborhood News - June 11, 2015
JPNA sponsors EDIBLE URBAN FOREST WORKSHOP  
No registration necessary - Just come on by  *   includes a short bike tour
Snacks provided by JPNA
Questions? contact Tres English at [email protected]
FRIDAY NIGHT MOVIES IN WARD III
June 12 - August 7
7:30 pm
St James United Methodist Church
3255 N Campbell
(Just north of Ft. Lowell)
  Family friendly movies.  Bring chairs or a blanket to sit on if you wish.  
They have drinks for sale and popcorn for free!
They will post the movie titles on their marque
so check it out when you drive by!
NEW FARMERS' MARKET NEARBY
Wednesdays 3 to 6  at Boondocks (3306 N.First Avenue)

Farmer's Market in the parking lot at the Boondocks.  We have fresh produce from our gardens and beautiful fresh farm eggs.   Bill Crouse, Mountain view
MEETINGS WITH BANNER HEALTH CONTINUE
Jefferson Park most affected by the expansion.
The Jefferson Park Land Use Committee met with Banner/Health on Tuesday, June 9. The committee is comprised of five to seven neighbors and advisers who are working with Banner to create a Memorandum of  Understanding (MOU)  that covers issues ranging from water run-off and helicopter noise to green space.  This MOU will be a legal document that covers the agreements that are reached between Banner and Jefferson Park. Members of the Land Use Committee are available at every JPNA meeting for your questions. The neighborhood owes  a debt of gratitude to that committee for shouldering a time-consuming job on behalf of the entire neighborhood.
WHO IS DOING WHAT ON THE GRANT ROAD PROJECT???
JEFFERSON PARK WORKS WITH OFFICE OF INTEGRATED PLANNING
Neighbors input necessary...
COALITION - formed by neighbors 
Jefferson Park Neighborhood Association and SAMOS (our neighborhood to the north) have agreed to work together with the Tucson Office of Integrated Planning (OIP). It is through these meetings that the JPNA hopes to get clarification, updates, and changes if necessary.  Neighbors are encouraged to sit in on the meetings and hear the discussions. If you have questions or wish JPNA to address a certain issue contact Joan Hall at [email protected].  
June 16, 10 am Ward III Office
July 21, 10 am, Ward III Office
August 25, 10 am, Ward III Office
The JPNA board voted unanimously to give priority to negotiating for noise and visual mitigation and green space for the section from Hampton to Highland.  Several residents stated they remember the city promises of wall treatment similar to the Campbell project.  Currently those are not in the project.

The summer months will see important decisions become cemented.  Neighbors, particularly along Grant and Edison are important voices in the decision making.

GRANT ROAD  TASK FORCE - appointed by the city
This group was formed by the city to oversee the entire Grant Road project.  About half the task force members are from neighborhoods.  The others are developers and city staff.  The city will release the 90% plans first to the Task Force (Jefferson Park section from First to Fremont). JPNA decided this group needs input from SAMOS and JPNA to guide their recommendations to the city.  OIP has indicated that there will now be time for "call to the audience" at the Task Force meetings.  The next meeting will be 
July 16 * 5:30 pm  
Tucson Realty Offices on Country Club just north of Grant.  
Mark your calendars and plan on attending.

REDRAWING THE HISTORIC BOUNDARIES OF JEFFERSON PARK
Important item for the preservation of the Historic Status of the neighborhood
Jefferson Park must maintain 51% of its homes as contributing properties in order to retain its Historic Status.  Loss of contributing properties on Grant and Lester endanger that ratio.  To mitigate that effect, a neighborhood is allowed to redraw the boundary once the blocks have be demolished.  Banner Health has made a firm commitment to incur the costs of the consultant to complete the redistricting caused by the Lester demolitions.  Notes from OIP indicate that the city will do likewise for Grant.  Because Grant demolitions will occur eight years apart, the method and commitment is less clear.
60% MAPS OF GRANT ROAD PLANS
These preliminary plans foresee 90% plans to be released in July
Jefferson Park Assn. requested the 60% plans of Phase II, which were completed in October 2014, in order to share them with the neighborhood.  Yellow lines are curbs and orange lines are concrete medians. The Office of Integrated Planning (OIP) facilitated getting the Phase II map to the association.
WHAT IS THE FATE OF THE PROPERTY FROM HAMPTON TO PARK AVENUE?
Hampton to Park is scheduled to be a water retention basin.A landscape image is available at the WARD III office for viewing. 
SOME REMAINING QUESTIONS:  Who will maintain the riparian area?  What will happen to the cleared lots while they await the transition to a park/retention basin.  How will the city mitigate the dust and noise?  Will there be public art  as promised?
 
Answers to these and more at the coalition meetings and through your JPNA representatives.
60% PLANS PARK AVENUE TO FREMONT TO SANTA RITA
PARK AVENUE TO FREMONT TO SANTA RITA -  showing proposed "remnants"
PLANS FOR PARK TO SANTA RITA
    The two blocks east of Park  are scheduled now for acquisition and demolition--and some has begun.  All demolitions will be completed by January 2016.  At that time, the City of Tucson will hire a contractor who will begin the construction of the new Grant Road (from Castro to Santa Rita).  The contractor will decide whether to proceed from east to west or from west to east. The realignment shown in this map brings Grant road back to four lanes at Santa Rita while it awaits Phase 5 which will then remove three more blocks (per plans on City website) before it crosses over to SAMOS to take the north side to Campbell.  Completion of Phase II is projected to be January 2018.  Phase 5 is scheduled for as much as 8 years from today.
WHAT IS THE FATE OF THE LOTS FROM PARK TO SANTA RITA?
      These two blocks have less definite plans.  Neighbors at the JPNA meeting remembered a promise initially for a treatment similar to Campbell Avenue.  Recent documents show "remnant parcels" being redrawn and how those will be used remains to be seen. The JPNA Board and Office of Integrated Planning are working together to evaluate the options.
      The "remnant" lots remain within the neighborhood as R-1 (single family homes) and under the NPZ (Neighborhood Preservation Zone). The NPZ has stricter building codes to make homes compatible with the neighborhood. Additionally, twenty three of the homes from Hampton to Santa Rita will be demolished which are contributing to the Historic status of Jefferson Park. 
A BIGGER QUESTION MANY KEEP ASKING - Why does Phase II stop in the middle of the only truly residential strip along the entire corridor - the most sensitive, displacing the most homeowners, and destroying historic homes. Its a break which covers, at the most 8 years of time, keeping the area in transition for 8 YEARS! 
OPTIONS BEING CONSIDERED?  Will the city create an "overlay" in order to change the zoning?  Will the project create the buffers and green space for which many of the neighbors have asked?  Will the Grant Road treatment facilitate a neighborhood loop for a greenway for walking and biking?   Loop = Lester-Park-Grant-Campbell.  Will the scalped lots be landscaped/treated/bermed to preserve the vegetation and  abate the dust and noise until their fates are determined?  It is possible that the work on the most eastern lot could be as late as 2018.
Answers to these questions and more at the next coalition meeting and from your JPNA representative.
Flexible Pole System for Bikes
Recommended for Mountain and Grant Intersection both on north and south side of Grant Road.
JPNA requests installation this summer.
BIKE AND CAR SAFETY AT THE INTERSECTION
A n n Chanecka, City of Tucson Bike and Pedestrian Project Manager, re por ted at the JPNA meeting that a recent evaluation of the Mountain/Grant intersection recommended a treatment similar to the intersection of Granada and St. Mary's .  

Further, that it should be establis hed on both north and south sides of the intersection. Other recommendations were suggested at the Wednesda y meeting.  The board voted to support the installation of the flexible pole arrangement. Ann Chanecka can be reached at 837-6691 or [email protected],  if you have any questions or concerns.

GRAFFITI ABATEMENT PAINT FREE 
AT WARD III OFFICE
Green and/or black paint for the 55 gallon city trash barrels will be available at the Ward III office at 1510 E. Grant.  The paint is not spray paint, but rolls on. Rollers also supplied.  

So spruce up your alley!  Get rid of those tags. Make those summer vandals work harder!  As the Grant Road project scrapes away the south side of JP it is exposing the garbage barrels and encouraging taggers. 

The paint is provided for city property only.  Be careful about painting anyone's private property!
NSN - A website for Tucson's Neighborhoods
Crime Stats and  Code Violations listed by neighborhood
A site listing all the neighborhoods in Tucson, and  important things effecting them.
City Code Violations in Jefferson Park  code violations such as weeds, garbage, abandoned vehicles, etc.
Police Incident reports for Jefferson Park  the 80 most recent incidents are reported here.
Tucson NewsNet Daily Digest - A service of the City of Tucson
Interesting things posted about things going on in the city, from Reid Park, city classes available,  news about Road Paving.  New every day.
TRRG - Tucson Citizens for Responsible Government.
 A group that monitors the city's response to neighborhoods and advocates for safe and secure neighborhoods.  See their website at  
tucsontrrg.org .  Their latest project is improving code enforcement.  Their mission is a more transparent city government. This site is informative.
CCRC - Campus Community Relations
 A group of neighborhood leaders and UofA staff that promote best practices between the University and the surrounding neighborhoods.   Click here for the May minutes.
Follow Jefferson Park on 
Jefferson Park Neighborhood Assn
WEDNESDAY
June 24, 2015 
6:00 pm
Ward III office 
1 510 E. Grant Rd 
Meetings are open to everyone interested in Jefferson Park!
Renew your voluntary membership -$15.   Membership form
Renew your dues on-line with paypal. Click
HERE.
Friends 
of Jefferson Park, Inc. 
Summer Vacation!
Next Meeting
August 24, 2015
Ward III office
1510 E. Grant Rd. 
Meetings are open to anyone interested in Jefferson Park!
NEIGHBORHOOD
REPRESENTATIVES
Area #1 - needs rep
Area #2 -  Bobby Kimmel
[email protected]
Area #3 - George Milan
[email protected]
Area #4 - Judy Janson
[email protected]
Area #5 - J. Lisa Jones
[email protected]
Area #6 - Chad Waits
[email protected]
2015 FORD MUSTANG  RAFFLE
This year's car is very special - a beautiful 2015 Ford Mustang, 50th Anniversary Edition approx value $48,190. 
Tickets are $25 each 
or five for $100.   
at all neighborhood meetings or call Joanne Osuna at 798-3602.


Description of procedures for reporting an unruly gathering
U of A
Good Neighbor Program
24 hr hot line
520-282-3649
Report problems
concerns

What is Happening on Grant Road?
City website with maps and phases.
TDOT Park Avenue Plans
City web-site with plans and meeting dates.
LEND-A-HAND  
Senior services 55+
Doctor appts, errands, yard work etc.  
Call Michelle at 
248-6882
Joan Daniels, co-editor
[email protected],  3 23-2165
Joanne Osuna, co-editor
[email protected],  79 8-3602

Copyright ©
May 2015. All Rights Reserved.