Garden District
Neighborhood Association
Grant to Speedway,
Swan to Alvernon
Tucson Police Department

NON - EMERGENCY POLICE
520-791-4444  NOT for crimes in progress.

FRONT DESK AT HARDESTY POLICE STATION 791-4253 8 to 5 pm M - Th Mask required.


LEAD POLICE OFFICERS:
Ofc. Scott Wakefield
520-589-8822

Ofc. Cory Atkinson  
520-306-6430

TPD CSO Renet Martin Neighborhood Watch, share video/photos of criminals, report suspicious activity or on-going crime concerns

HOMELESS OUTREACH TEAM 520.837.7425
tpdhot@tucsonaz.gov






CONTACT GARDEN DISTRICT NA




REPORT CODE VIOLATIONS, ROAD HAZARDS, GRAFFITI, ETC. 792-CITY (2489)


TUSD SECURITY TO OPEN PARK AT WRIGHT SCHOOL IF IT IS LOCKED 520-584-7676
TRASH ONLY THIS WEEK!
MARK YOUR CALENDAR: COMMUNITY-WIDE YARD SALE APRIL 9
It is not time to sign up yet, but 19 residents would like to do a community wide yard sale this spring, so why not? The date that the most residents voted for was April 9.

Mid-March I will put a notice in the newsletter and ask people to register. Then I will start the map which will be disbursed to the public

The idea of the event is to coordinate homes and businesses across Garden District to have sales on the same day and try to draw the biggest possible crowds to our neighborhood for the sales. 

NEIGHBORHOOD RESPONSIBILITIES:
  • Create a map of Yard Sale locations with addresses and post on thegardendistrict.org.
  • Put a live link to the Yard Sale map on the neighborhood webpage.
  • Advertise the Multi Home Yard Sales and distribute the map - On Craigslist, the Ward VI Newsletter, Facebook, Next Door, the GDNA webpage and newsletter. We will ask neighborhoods adjacent to us to advertise, also.
  • There is no fee to residents for participating.
YARD SALE VENDORS:
  • Prepare for a sale and register your address with GDNA when there is a notice in the newsletter.
  • YOU are responsible for posting signs to direct buyers to your sale. Please remember to take the signs down afterwards. The neighborhood will not be posting any signs.
  • Advertise to your own friends and on your social media sites.
UPCOMING ROAD CONSTRUCTION LOCATIONS NEAR US
TRAFFIC ALERT: PROPOSITION 101 'TUCSON DELIVERS BETTER STREETS' REPAVING PROJECTS - Roadway repaving projects are scheduled to begin this month as part of the voter-approved Proposition 101 "Tucson Delivers Better Streets" program.

  • Fort Lowell Road - Country Club Road to Alvernon Way (Wednesday, February 9) During this work, Fort Lowell Road will maintain one travel lane in each direction. This project is scheduled to be completed by the beginning of March
  • Glenn Street – Alvernon Way to Swan Road (Thursday, February 10) Glenn will close to one travel lane, and a pilot vehicle will escort vehicles through the work zone. This project is also scheduled to be completed by the beginning of March.
  • Wilmot Road - Grant Road to Pima Street (Tuesday, February 15)
  • Grant Road - Venice Place to Beverly Avenue  (Wednesday, February 16)
  • Grant Road - Craycroft Road to Wilmot Road (Wednesday, February 16)

Tucson Delivers Better Streets is a $100 million improvement program made possible by Tucson voters who approved a half-cent sales tax increase in May 2017. 
NEW NEIGHBOR AND AN OLD FRIEND: REAL ESTATE CHANGES
It looks like Youth on their Own in the yellow building at Pima and Alvernon will eventually be moving:
Youth on their Own bought 16,867 square feet at 2525 & 2509 N. Country Club Road from EA Woods Country Club Properties LLC for $1.5 million. Greg Furrier, with Picor, represented the buyer, and Michael Gross, with Tucson Realty & Trust Co., represented the seller. 

But we are getting new neighbors in Frontier Village, the shopping center on the NE corner of Pima and Alvernon.
Native Seeds/SEARCH leased 1,500 square feet in Frontier Village, on Pima Street and Alvernon Way, for a distribution facility supporting online sales of various crop seeds and other products. Elaina Elliot and Isaac Figueroa, with Larsen Baker, represented the landlord, Frontier Village LLC. Molly Mary Gilbert, with Picor, represented the tenant.
TRAFFIC DIVERTING THROUGH NEIGHBORHOOD DUE TO CONSTRUCTION
A number of residents have commented recently about the increase in cut through traffic due to construction work on Alvernon, Grant, and Columbus, with Pima thrown in occasionally. Construction signs have not been being placed to direct traffic not to travel our residential streets. In November, Bob Roggenthen, City of Tucson Department of Transportation and Mobility Project Manager, assured the neighborhoods bordering Grant and Alvernon that any time traffic was reduced to one lane, signage would be placed at the entrances to the nearby residential streets. This has not been happening recently.

Garden District is in for a very, very long, disruptive, frustrating haul with road re-paving, water main repairs, re-location of utilities and then, beginning in June, the actual RTA construction to widen Grant Rd. Bob Roggenthen said that Grant will look like Broadway for probably two to two and a half years. TEP, Tucson Water, and SW Gas are currently in our neighborhood, and there are numerous other contractors for cable companies who will also be working in our neighborhoods in the next few months.

If you have significant concerns about cut through traffic, unsafe egress and ingress to our neighborhood, lack of directional signage, etc., please contact:

Bob Roggenthen Project Manager, City of Tucson
Department of transportation and mobility
520-349-3963

You can also copy our Ward VI aide, Dora Maldonado, and let the Ward know about your concerns.
SPEED HUMPS
Granite Construction is finishing up re-paving the SW Quadrant (Columbus to Alvernon, Pima to Speedway). A resident concerned about the significant speeding issues on some streets contacted the Ward VI office this week to see about speed humps in her quadrant. Our new Ward VI aide, Dora Maldonado, pursued the resident's questions with the Department of Transportation and Mobility (TDM).

When TDM re-paves an area, they will replace any existing speed humps. However, to receive new Speed humps/tables, 60% of the residents on abutting streets need to sign a peitition that they agree. Then funds have to be raised by the residents to pay for permits, signage, and installation. $4,500-$5,000 per speed hump and $5,000-$5,800 per speed table.

Once a year, each Ward office is allowed five speed humps at $500 each. That is FIVE per Ward. Not five per neighborhood. Needless to say, these $500 speed/humps go very quickly. The next round will be July 1st.

What Is a Speed Hump?
The difference between a speed bump and a speed hump, showing the standard City of Tucson hump dimensions. The city does not allow speed bumps.
What Is the Difference Between a Speed Hump, a Speed Table, and a Speed Bump?
  • Speed humps are nationally accepted, and are used on residential streets. A speed hump is 12’ wide and 3” to 3 1/2” high.
  • Speed tables are nationally accepted, and are used on secondary emergency streets when the Fire Department has determined that speed humps are not appropriate. A speed table is 22’ wide and 3” to 3 1/2” high.
  • Speed bumps are prohibited on local streets, and are used exclusively in shopping centers, apartment complexes, and other private properties. A speed bump is 2’ to 3’ wide and 4” to 6” high.
What Is the Purpose of a Speed Hump?
The purpose of a speed hump is to reduce the speed of vehicles on residential streets where speeding is occurring. They are not designed to change the volume of traffic on residential streets, and do not significantly reduce cutthrough traffic.

How Effective Are Speed Humps?
In The City of Tucson, speed humps have been shown to be very effective in reducing the speed of vehicles traveling on residential streets. Recent speed hump studies have shown a 40-60% reduction in vehicles exceeding the speed limit\
How Does a Citizen Have Speed Humps Installed In Their Neighborhood?
  1. A neighborhood or an association representative fills out the Speed Hump Request Form
  2. A petition form and highlighted neighborhood map will be sent to the mailing address provided.
  3. Petitions are filled out and require 60% approval signatures from neighbors on abutting streets.
  4. The petition is then be scanned and emailed to, neighborhoodtraffic@tucsonaz.gov or taken to, ATTN: NTMP 201 N Stone Avenue – 5th Floor.
  5. DTM will conduct a study on approved applicants.
  6. If the street is approved for construction the contact/liaison will be notified. (If your street is denied an explanatory email will be sent.)
  7. Approved applicants will receive an email with a payment link. 
  8. Once payment has been received a date for construction will be established and relayed to applicants.
  9. Please Note:
  10. Residents may request speed humps, but need to pay for the permit and installation cost. 
  • Speed humps/tables can be added at the price of $4,500-$5,000 per speed hump and $5,000-$5,800 per speed table.
  • Some speed humps may not be approved due to potential flooding issues or other circumstances.
WRIGHT ELEMENTARY NEIGHBORHOOD INFORMATION KIOSK
Garden District's thanks go out to Deborah on Desmond. Deborah saw what sad shape and disrepair the Neighborhood Information Kiosk on Catalina and Linden had fallen into. She sanded it and repainted it, put in new background cloth, and added up-to-date flyers with into about events and our neighborhood.

With almost 7,000 residents and 74% rental rate in our one square mile neighborhood, it is very difficult to communicate and connect as a community. Communication and making connections with each other -- that is what will turn us from a disconnected collection of houses and apartments into a neighborhood. From strangers into neighbors. 

We only have a small portion of the neighborhood on this email list.  The more people in the know about our neighborhood, the better the neighborhood will be. Please share the newsletter with your neighbors and encourage them to sign up. Alternatively, if someone does not have email or easy access to a computer, recommend they swing by one of the two neighborhood information kiosks -- the corner of Catalina and Linden beside the Wright Playground and another at Bryant and Fairmount.
NEIGHBORHOOD IDENTIFICATION SIGN UPDATE
The ink has finally arrived!

Representatives from the sign committee met this week with Jude Cook and his color specialist to finalize the color selection for our signs. It will take at least a month to manufacture the 54 signs. Cook & Company is using a silk screening process which means our signs will retain their color and appearance for the longest amount of time. With six vibrant colors that means long drying times in between layers.
LOOKING AHEAD - PLANT SWAP AND GIVE AWAY APRIL 2
SAVE THE DATE:

PLANT SWAP/GIVE AWAY
SATURDAY, APRIL 2, 2022
WRIGHT SCHOOL PLAYGROUND

Bring plants.
Bring garden questions and stories.
Plenty of space to social distance. 
Plenty of shade, green plants to share,
and good company.
 
Start preparing for a Plant Swap and Give Away on April 2 and stockpile some favorite plants to share. A plant swap is where neighbors share, swap, or simply give away plants to neighbors. (and we will have lots of plants to give away!) You might share cactus, bulbs, aloe, cereus, spider plant babies, agave, century plants, cuttings from geraniums, pothos, mint, etc.  Also, seeds are wonderful to share at a Plant Swap -- from wildflowers to veggies. Put your plants in papercups, plastic pots, or fancier containers. Be creative!! We've seen plants in shoes and old kids' trucks.  You might want to bring a bag or box for taking your treasures home!!! 
 
NO PLANTS???  
NO PROBLEM.
STILL COME TO THE PLANT SWAP!
THERE WILL BE PLENTY TO SHARE. 
 
Bring a box or bag to carry your treasures home in.
 
If you are bringing plants . . . 
It would be wonderful if you labeled the plant 
and even included a little info on how to care for it. 
If you are bringing cactus, please bring some tongs for sharing it.
We would also appreciate it ,if you could bring your own table or a wagon to display your plants on
SEEKING DONATIONS OF POTS - seeking donations of used or new pots for plants - clay or plastic. Will be painted and decorated and available at the plant swap for a donation to the neighborhood. Leave pot donations on the front porch of 3973 E Desmond (between Village and Alvernon.)
SEEKING COLORFUL SEED PACKETS
Some residents are building a new Little Free Library which will be placed near the entrance of the Community Garden in the NW Quadrant on Bell. They are seeking colorful unopened or opened with the picture intact vegetable or flower seed packets. They plan to decoupage the back inside of the library using seed packets.

They will empty any seeds out into a container and cut the directions on the back of the packet off to include with the seeds. These will be saved for the Plant Swap/Give Away. The fronts will be used for decoupaging.

If you have some old seed packets lying around, please leave inside the Little Free Library on the corner of Lester and Justin under the big mesquite tree.
TEP THEROMSTAT SPECIAL ENDS FEB. 22
You have the power to start saving today with great deals on advanced thermostats. 
Did you know heating and cooling are the biggest energy users in most homes? Tucson Electric Power is offering some great deals on advanced thermostats in the TEP Marketplace to help you save energy and money and preserve the environment.
We’re passing along both instant rebates and generous manufacturers’ discounts on smart thermostat models to reduce your upfront cost and help you save energy for years to come.
  • $50 Off Google Nest Learning Thermostat - $149.00
  • $30 Off Google Nest -$49.99 
  • $40 Off Honeywell Home Wifi Color - $79
  • $30 Off Emerson Sensi Classic - $45 
  • $20 Off Emerson Sensi Touch - $99
Smart thermostats learn your heating and cooling habits and automatically adjust to your preferences. They can also be programmed or adjusted remotely using a Wi-Fi connected device, such as your phone or tablet. Homeowners can save an average of 10-12 percent on heating bills and 15 percent on cooling bills.
For even more energy savings, receive a free 4-pack of LED bulbs with any Marketplace order.
But hurry! These rebates are only good through 5 p.m. Feb. 22 in the TEP Marketplace while supplies last.

LOST YOUR VAX CARD?
Excerpted from Steve Kozachik's Feb. 7 Newsletter:

Many businesses and events are requiring proof of vaccination for entry. If you’ve lost your vaccination record card, there are limited ways you can get it replacedArizona is one of the states in which you can access your vaccination records from a smartphone. You have to set up an account to get that access. Use this link to get started: Arizona

If you had your shots administered by your own doctor, that office should have a record of when you received the shot(s.) And most states require the health care provider who administered the shots to log that information in with state health officials. If your doctor doesn’t have your records, you can try www.azdhs.gov. What is certain is that the CDC will not send you a new card. The feds passed the vaccination administration task down to states and localities,so they don’t even have the records, and it’s not worth your time checking in with them about a lost card.
TAKE SURVEY ABOUT IMPROVEMENTS AT MC CORMICK PARK ON COLUMBUS
McCormick Park is on Columbus between Glenn and Ft Lowell.
Survey
Take the survey below to provide feedback and help prioritize park improvements. The survey will close on Sunday, March 6, at 11:45 p.m.

On Nov. 6, 2018, the City of Tucson voters approved Proposition 407, a $225 million bond package for capital improvements via General Obligation bonds. Thank you! McCormick Park is budgeted for $86,106 in bond dollars for renovations and improvements.
McCormick Park is a 14.2-acre neighborhood park located at 2950 N. Columbus Blvd in ward 3. The park includes the Lighthouse YMCA, a pool, playground, ramadas, basketball court, walking paths, fitness stations, picnic tables, grills, benches, drinking fountains, a multipurpose field, and a restroom.  

There are future improvements slated at the park. Funds have been identified for irrigation improvements that will be coordinated with green stormwater infrastructure improvements that will allow more trees to be planted. This work will likely commence in early 2022. In the next 12-24 months, Parks and Recreation and UA Landscape Planning Studio will work to develop some concepts that may be useful for future improvements. Take the survey to help us plan and prioritize improvements. 
FREE CULTURE PASSES NOW AVAILABLE AT MARTHA COOPER LIBRARY
Culture Passes
A Culture Pass is free admission for two people at participating arts and cultural institutions. One pass = two free admissions. Culture Passes are available at Martha Cooper Library and other libraries on a first-come, first served basis
You can check out one Culture Pass per family in a one-week time span. You can check out a total of up to two Culture Passes per family every 30 days.

Please bring the pass to the service desk at the library to have one of our staff members check it out. You can't check them out using the checkout machines.

You'll receive a receipt from the library showing that you have checked out a Culture Pass to a specific museum/cultural attraction. Take this receipt to the museum/cultural attraction and turn it in at the admissions desk. You will be given admission for up to two people for that day only.

Please note:
  • Only residents of Pima County with a valid, full-service Pima County Public Library card may check out Culture Passes.
  • Culture Passes are not valid for most special events and exhibitions at the designated venues. 
  • Culture Passes cannot be reserved, set aside for later pickup, or transferred to another library for pick up.
  • Culture Passes cannot be renewed.

Culture Passes are available for:
  • Amerind Museum
  • Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum *passes not accepted October 1 – April 30
  • Cave Creek Museum
  • Desert Botanical Garden
  • The Heard Museum
  • Pueblo Grande Museum
  • Reid Park Zoo
  • Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art
  • Sedona Heritage Museum
  • Superstition Mountain Museum
  • Tohono Chul Park
  • Tucson Botanical Garden
  • Tucson Jewish Museum and Holocaust Center
  • University of Arizona Museum of Art
RECYCLING ON VALENTINE'S DAY
WARD VI NEWSLETTER FROM STEVE KOZACHIK
Read the Ward VI newsletter by clicking here:
Date: 02/07/2022
Topics in This Issue:
  • Cold Protection
  • RTA and Prop 101
  • More Dangerous Behavior at Sol Student Housing 
  • Housing Shortage 
  • Afghan Refugees 
  • Film Incentive Bill 
  • Did You Lose Your Vax Card? 
  • Omicron Surge 
  • Flu Season 
  • TMC Book Festival 
  • TPD Car Seat Event 
  • Sustainable Tucson 
  • COVID Case Counts 
  • Harvard Global Health Institute 
  • Community Sale benefiting Casa Alitas Welcome Center

Council Member Steve Kozachik
3202 E 1st Street
Tucson, AZ 85716
Ph: 520.791.4601
Ward VI Councilperson Steve Kozachik
FREE WATER HARVESTING CLASSES AND REBATE INFORMATION
Click here for information on $2.000 rebate from Tucson Water for active and passive rainwater harvesting. Also, click here for more info from Pima County.

  
SUPPORT THE BUSINESSES THAT HAVE SUPPORTED GARDEN DISTRICT
BE SURE TO LET THE BUSINESS KNOW YOU ARE FROM GARDEN DISTRICT AND
WHERE YOU READ ABOUT THEM!
Thank you to the following Garden District businesses for donating to our neighborhood identification signs. We appreciate their partnership and support of our neighborhood. When you visit these businesses, please be sure to tell them you are a Garden District resident and you read about them in our email newsletter.

The Garden District Dairy Queen coming summer, 2022 at Alvernon and Lee.
1725 N. Swan every day 10-5
letsplay@mildredanddildred.com
Free local delivery our neighborhood: orders $30 or more!
Voted "Best Toy Store" in Tucson Weekly 2021
520.326.9363
3719 E Speedway
Arizona's got the sun.
We've got the skill.
You get the power.
520-207-4053
2130 N Alvernon Way
(520) 303-3945
A Journey into the Spirit of Japan
3959 E. Mabel St.
520.477.9324
1225 N. Catalina Ave.
520-299-1582 TTY 711
Charming, quiet, garden-style "all studio" apartment community with pool
Servicing vehicles of all makes.
4373 E Speedway Blvd
(520)477-0582
Opening of new facility at 4585 E Speedway
expected Spring, 2022
Call Us: (520) 327-4505
Tellurian Eco Design: Stephen Monroe
(520) 342 9761
Designing With Nature: Rainwater, Greywater, and Stormwater Harvesting, Passive Solar Landscape Integration, Design+Build, Consultations
Qualify for up to $2000 with City Rebates
SIGN A NEIGHBOR UP FOR THE NEWSLETTER
Logo Garden District
Please forward and share this e-newsletter with neighbors. Communication and making connections with each other -- that is what will turn us from a collection of houses and apartments into a neighborhood, from strangers into neighbors. We only have a small portion of the neighborhood on this email list.  
 
To sign up, you can either reply to a newsletter or sign up on our neighborhood website. thegardendistrict.org  

YOU CAN ALWAYS CONTACT THE NEIGHBORHOOD BY HITTING REPLY TO A NEWSLETTER OR GOING TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD WEBSITE thegardendistrict.org Complete the Online Form.
GARDEN DISTRICT NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION
DEPENDS ON YOUR GENEROSITY TO FUND NEIGHBORHOOD PROJECTS
Garden District Neighborhood Association does not charge dues and has no means other than fundraisers or your generous donations for raising funds for GDNA's many different projects in the neighborhood. We are a registered 501(C)3 for your tax deductible donations.  

Make checks payable to "Garden District" and mail to. 
GDNA
c/o Lois Pawlak
P.O. Box 32384 
Tucson, AZ 85751

When you shop at smile.amazon.com, Amazon donates 0.5% of your eligible purchases - at no cost to you.Designate “Garden District” in Tucson as your charity and support your favorite neighborhood!
Garden District Location: Tucson, AZ
Support Garden District at no extra cost when you shop at smile.amazon.com.
Garden District Neighborhood
Association Information
Logo Garden District

AGI (Alvernon/Grant Initiative) Crime Meeting with Tucson Police and  
Neighborhoods and Businesses surrounding Grant and Alvernon 
2nd Tuesday of EVERY month, 6:00PM 
Location and whether in person or Zoom will be announced in this newsletter.

Garden District Neighborhood Association Quarterly Meetings - Time and date will be announced in this newsletter.
President: Lois Pawlak 
Vice President:   Deborah Bicksler
Treasurer: Lisa Maher
Secretary and E-Newsletter:  Meg Johnson

QUADRANT LEADERS:
NW (PIma to Grant, Alvernon to Columbus) - Lois Pawlak 325-7611                      
NE (PIma to Grant, Swan to Columbus) - Juan (JP) Jorquera   981-3746 
SW (Pima to Speedway, Alvernon to Columbus) - Phyllis Montgomery 248-9915                  
SE (Pima to Speedway, Swan to Columbus) - Judy Ostermeyer 326-1517

YOU CAN ALWAYS CONTACT THE NEIGHBORHOOD BY HITTING REPLY TO A NEWSLETTER OR GOING TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD WEBSITE thegardendistrict.org AND COMPLETING THE ONLINE FORM.
"TAKE A BOOK. LEAVE A BOOK"
GARDEN DISTRICT'S LITTLE FREE LIBRARIES
Little Free Library NW 1 - Justin and Lester
Little Free Library NW 2 - North St. between Isabel and Marion
Little Free Library SW 1 - Bryant and Fairmount
Little Free Library SW 2 - 4044 E. Pima