It’s Arizona Cities and Towns Week! Help us celebrate!

Arizona Cities and Towns Week is set aside each year to recognize the services cities and towns provide, as well as honor those elected officials, staff and volunteers who serve in municipal government. This is the 16th Annual Arizona Cities and Towns Week.

We are excited to have so many of our Arizona cities and towns participating this year, including: Chino Valley, Florence, Gilbert, Litchfield Park, Peoria, Sierra Vista, Surprise, Tempe and many others!

Find out how your city or town is celebrating and participate in Arizona Cities & Towns Week by using the hashtag #AZCityWeek on social media.

The City of Casa Grande is proud to partner with Casa Grande Main Street to participate in the “Partners in Preservation: Main Streets” national campaign to create a vintage Neon Sign Park in historic Casa Grande.  As the only Arizona community competing, Mayor Craig McFarland is encouraging Casa Grande residents and the surrounding communities to vote for the project at VoteYourMainStreet.org.

Located at the Arizona Plaza at 408 N. Sacaton Street (between Florence Boulevard and 2nd Street), the proposed Neon Sign Park will contain salvaged historic neon signs from throughout the community, and will serve as a vibrant downtown destination for visitors.

“This is the perfect opportunity for Casa Grande to showcase its community pride, all by simply voting daily,” said Casa Grande Mayor Craig McFarland. “We may be the underdog compared to other larger competing cities, but I have complete confidence in the dedication and power of our residents to vote early, vote often, and help us create this unique space.”

The public may vote up to five times daily through October 31, and winners will be announced on November 2. The sites with the most votes will get grants of up to $150,000 each, with as many projects funded as possible from a pool of $1.5 million.

In an effort to highlight local preservation efforts and promote the campaign, Casa Grande Main Street will host a Media Open House and Community Mural Event on Saturday, October 7 at the proposed park site. The event will include a press conference to start at 11:00 am, followed by a community mural event that celebrates historic sites until 2:00 pm.

Partners in Preservation is a community-based partnership, created by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and American Express, to raise awareness of the importance of preserving historic places and their role in sustaining local communities. Partners in Preservation: Main Streets will award $2 million in grant funding from American Express to Main Street districts in need of preservation support across America.

For more information about the “Partners in Preservation: Main Streets” projects, or to place your vote, please click here. For more information about Casa Grande Main Street or the proposed Neon Sign Park, please contact Casa Grande Main Street Director, Rina Rien at (520) 836-8744.

City of Tempe Vice Mayor Robin Arredondo-Savage has been honored with the 2017 Service Award as part of the third annual Mesa Community College (MCC) Hall of Fame. The Service Award is given to a community member who has provided exemplary service to the community.

“I am honored to receive this award and to be recognized by such a dedicated group of educators,” Arredondo-Savage said. “I remain committed to working towards better education, more economic opportunities and improved care for veterans across our city.”

Vice Mayor Arredondo-Savage was recognized for her years of service to the City of Tempe, the State of Arizona and our country.  She is a U.S. Army veteran and served on the Tempe Union High School District Governing Board for eight years, including two years as President of the Board. She has also been serving on the Tempe City Council since 2010.

As an advocate for veterans’ services, Vice Mayor Arredondo-Savage was instrumental in securing Valor on 8^th, Tempe’s first affordable housing community designed for veterans with families.  She also started Tempe’s College Connect program which helps students to apply and find the resources they need to go to college.  Vice Mayor Arredondo-Savage remains committed to serving the community by focusing on education, jobs and programs that help veterans.

This is the third year of the MCC Hall of Fame awards, which recognizes alumni, community members and MCC employees whose personal and professional accomplishments have made positive contributions to the college and the community. Other awards include Alumni Achievement, Outstanding Athletes and Excellence in Teaching.

A reception and awards program to recognize this year’s awards recipients will be held on Thursday, Nov. 2 at 6 p.m. at the Mesa Community College Theatre. Click here for more information.

MEDIA CONTACT: Melissa Quillard, 480-350-8808, Melissa_quillard@tempe.gov