A New Year is always a good time to learn something new!  Cities and towns are the best places to gain a little knowledge. From history museums to library cards, here’s to a resolution of lifetime learning.

Did you receive an e-reader for the holidays? If you find your Kindle still sitting under the tree, pull it out of its package and bring it to your local library! Many city and town libraries offer digital check-out of your favorite books. The City of Safford is hosting a workshop to help you learn how to download those audiobooks straight from the library website!

If you’re in the mood for mystery, the Scottsdale Public Library has a great way for you to get into the reading scene. Local author Jana Bommersbach will be visiting on Sunday, Jan. 25 to talk about her debut novel, Cattle Kate. Bommersbach is an award-winning journalist and author of The Trunk Murderess and Bones in the Desert. Find out more and RSVP here.

Check out your local city or town library for storytimes, technology workshops, digital downloads and good ol’ bookshelves for a New Year learning experience!

Whether you’re a history buff or just looking to brush up on your city’s past, your local history museum just might be the place to go. Many of Arizona’s cities and towns have museums full of artifacts and memorabilia to help you learn about those who came before you.

The Tempe History Museum is an especially fun place to learn something new in this New Year. Featuring “The Tempe Sound,” the museum is offering a look back at Tempe’s rockin’ past. Visit the exhibit to check out relics of bands who once graced Tempe’s streets or attend a lecture series to learn more about music and music history. Find out more at www.tempe.gov/museum.

Have you resolved to take pride in your community this year?

Arizona’s cities and towns work 24 hours, 7 days a week, 365 days a year to provide services to their citizens. Take pride in all your city does – from maintaining parks, to delivering opportunities at your local library and keeping the streets clean and safe.

A couple of Arizona’s towns are starting off the New Year with celebrations to help enhance your sense of municipal pride!

The Town of Queen Creek has been celebrating their 25th Anniversary all year and will culminate the year-long festivities with a time capsule burying early in 2015.

The 25th anniversary capsule will be buried at Queen Creek’s Founders’ Park at 9 a.m. on Jan. 6. The time capsule contains items that symbolize life in Queen Creek in 2014, including letters and mementos showing what makes Queen Creek special. It is scheduled to be opened by the residents of Queen Creek in 2064, during the Town’s 75th year of incorporation.

The Town of Gilbert started their #GrowingUpGilbert campaign in 2014. This campaign features individuals who were born and raised in the town of Gilbert and grew up to give back to their community. Check out some of the Gilbertonians who have been featured thus far.

If you grew up in Gilbert, AZ and have a story of your own, share it! You can e-mail your story to gilbert.digital@gilbertaz.gov or share it on social media using #GrowingUpGilbert.

How will you resolve to take pride in your community in 2015? Let us know what your resolutions are and how you plan to achieve them this year!

It’s time to ring in 2015! As we bid farewell to an amazing 2014 year, we’re looking ahead to 2015 with possibility on our minds.

Have you made your New Year’s Resolutions yet? If not, we’ve got 10 resolutions right here for you. From getting outdoors to learning something new, Arizona’s cities and towns have a variety of opportunities to help you experience the possibilities in this New Year.

Abraham Lincoln once said, “Your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other.” This year, our plan is to stick to our resolutions. Join us! Each day we’ll feature a new way to accomplish – and stick with – those resolutions this year.

2015 New Year’s Resolutions:

1. Get Outdoors

2. Learn Something New

3. Get Involved

4. Stay Fit

5. Have a New Experience

6. Celebrate our Great State

7. Build a Better Hobby

8. Save the Environment

9. Spend Time With Loved Ones

10. Take Pride in Your Community

Mia Amundsen’s rise to football fame pretty much began with the Goodyear Parks and Recreation Department – and a lot of dedication.

The Goodyear girl, who is a fourth grader at Palm Valley Elementary School, ended the National Football League’s prestigious Punt, Pass and Kick competition by finishing first to win a state championship.

She scored 129.5 points, the best in the girls’ 8-9 year-old division in a portion of the football program’s state championships held on the field of University of Phoenix Stadium during the Arizona Cardinals and Kansas City Chiefs game on Sunday, Dec. 7.

The Punt, Pass and Kick Program has been recognized by the NFL for more than 50 years. The free competition gives boys and girls ages six through 15 the opportunity to demonstrate their skills in punting, passing and place kicking.  Each participant is given one punt, one pass and one kick to accumulate a score.  Scores are received and calculated with distance and accuracy providing the final scoring distance.

Mia, who is the daughter of Ty and Diane Amundsen, advanced to the state competition after placing first in the Punt, Kick and Pass sectional competition at Sahuaro Ranch Park in Glendale on Nov. 1.

Although there was no guarantee Mia would advance to the state finals as there are other state competitions held throughout the state and the top four scores overall advance, her parents later received word via email that she advanced to the state finals. Her age group included more than 100 kids throughout the state.

For her state championship, Mia was shown on the Jumbo-Tron video screen and awarded a football for a trophy during the third quarter of the Cardinals’ game.

Mia also plays volleyball, basketball and softball, and also is a member of her school’s chorus.

Her mother said that she became interested in the program when it was held at her school in September.

“She just thought it would be fun to give it a try for the fun of it,” Diane Amundsen. “This was her second year of participating in the program. She’s a busy one.”

Competitors begin competing at the local level with high scores advancing to a sectional competition.  Goodyear’s local competition was offered by the Parks and Recreation Department and held at Goodyear Ballpark on Sept. 30.  The four top scores from the five sectionals in each age division for both boy’s and girl’s advance to the state competition held at the University of Phoenix Stadium prior to an Arizona Cardinals game.

All NFL teams host a state competition with the four highest scores in each age division advancing on to the National Competition usually held prior to an NFL playoff game (city yet to be determined).  During each competition participants begin with a new score of zero.

Are you someone who spent their childhood #GrowingUpGilbert?

The Town of Gilbert, AZ recently released a campaign  highlighting the great things that those who grew up or are growing up in Gilbert are doing for the community.

The campaign explores the unique stories of residents who were born and raised here, and grew up to give back to their community.Check out those Gilbertonians who have been featured thus far: 

David Tirado

Dana Berchman

Emery Miller

Councilmember Ben Cooper

Share your “Growing Up Gilbert” story by using #GrowingUpGilbert on social media or by emailing Gilbert.Digital@gilbertaz.gov.

“Growing Up Gilbert” is a sneak peek into the theme of the 2015 Digital State of the Town, which will preimiere in February.

Follow @GilbertYourTown on Twitter or Gilbert Town Hall on Facebook as new “Growing up Gilbert” stories are released!

“City sidewalks, busy sidewalks, dressed in holiday style, as the shoppers rush home with their treasures…” 

It’s the holiday season and that can only mean one thing – shopping season is in full swing. If you’ve got that one final gift to purchase or are just getting started on your shopping spree, Arizona’s cities and towns have a few tips and tricks to help make this season successful!

When you’re picking out presents for loved ones, keep your community in mind!  When you shop at local retailers, you keep $73 in the community for every $100 spent. That’s $50 more kept in the local economy than when you shop at a non-locally owned business (According to Local First AZ).

Many cities and towns in Arizona are celebrating their local businesses through a variety of campaigns. Town of Oro Valley and the Town of Queen Creek are encouraging residents to shop local.  Oro Valley local shoppers can submit receipts to be entered into a raffle and consumers  in Queen Creek can win prizes for shopping local by Instramming or Tweeting their retail excursion and using the hashtag #ShopQC.

In addition to keeping your dollars in the local economy, it’s also important to keep safe during this holiday shopping season.

The City of Goodyear reminds everyone of a few quick tips to maintain your safety while wandering the stores:

• Lock car doors and roll up windows
• Park in well lighted areas at night
• Do not leave valuables in your vehicle
• Lock home doors and windows at night or when leaving
• Stay alert and be aware of your surroundings, walk with a sense of purpose
• Carry your purse firmly and close to your body or better yet leave it at home and only carry what you need in your pocket – such as a small amount of money, keys, and maybe one credit card.
• Have your car or house key in your hand as you approach the door.
• Follow your “gut instinct.” Don’t put yourself in an uncomfortable situation
• Use the buddy system, especially if out at night
• Use well lit and well-traveled streets and walkways

Happy Holidays!

For the second consecutive year, the City of Avondale came out on top in the 2014 Digital Cities Awards. Run by the Center for Digital Government and publisher e.Republic, the awards are a competitive honor with hundreds of municipalities contending each year. The program recognizes cities that use technology to engage their citizens, provide exceptional municipal services, innovate, and collaborate.

Avondale Mayor Kenneth Weise will accept the award on behalf of the city at a special ceremony during the National League of Cities Congress of Cities in Austin, Texas, on November 20th.

According to the Center for Digital Government, the top-ranked cities in their population categories – Los Angeles, CA; Winston-Salem, NC; Avondale, AZ; and Dublin, OH – provide financial transparency, performance measurement data, and opportunities for citizen feedback on city initiatives. They also have superior technology infrastructures, set data and application architectures, made strides in cybersecurity, and demonstrated collaboration efforts that provided cost savings and enhanced services.

Avondale received first place honors in the 75,000 – 124,999 population category. Avondale has placed in the top-ten of the Digital Cities Awards for four straight years with first place honors in both 2013 and 2014, earning recognition as a community that applies technology well in everything from operations to community relations to public safety.

“Avondale is demonstrating continued success in supporting our residents and businesses through technology,” said Rob Lloyd, the city’s Chief Information Officer. “We have an exceptional City organization that takes pride in working together to render superior services and achieve the City’s vision. It’s humbling to receive such a prestigious honor and to share a stage with impressive cities from across the nation that share in the public service mission.”

Avondale’s key efforts in 2014 were a community-driven and social media-supported branding effort with local citizens and businesses; innovative progress on cybersecurity and Green IT; the City’s action-oriented strategic planning process; and joint work with other communities in the areas like cybersecurity.

Said City Manager Dave Fitzhugh: “Our advances in technology are a core component of our larger efforts to sustain Avondale as a strong, growing community. Avondale’s forward-thinking residents, city leadership, and staff make this level of consistent achievement possible.”

Tempe, ARIZ –Community members and neighbors will gather at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 15 at Goodwin Park in Tempe to plant trees that were awarded through an NFL Super Bowl XLIX Forestry Grant. A total of 27 trees will be planted including: 7 Chinese Elm (Ulmus Parvifolia), 9 Red Push Pistache (Pistache X “Red Push”) and 11 Eldarica Pine (Pinus Eladarica).

“The City of Tempe is pleased to receive the NFL Super Bowl XLIX Forestry Grant,” stated Tempe Mayor Mark Mitchell. “Adding 27 new trees of varied species to the Tempe community will enhance our urban forest and provide a host of benefits – from environmental to aesthetic – and will be enjoyed by present and future generations. The planting of these trees would not be possible without the dedication and generosity of the Super Bowl Urban Forestry Program.”

Hundreds of trees will be planted throughout the Phoenix area this fall and winter as part of the greening of Super Bowl XLIX. Trees will be planted in public spaces in Tempe, Mesa, Phoenix and Glendale beginning November 15, 2014 in Tempe and finishing in Glendale in January 2015 – just one week before Super Bowl XLIX.

“Urban forestry has been part of Super Bowl for ten years – ever since our first tree planting project in Jacksonville back in 2005,” said Jack Groh, NFL Environmental Director. “It is one of the many ways that the NFL works to leave behind a positive legacy in each Super Bowl host community.”

The four cities applied for and were awarded matching grants by the NFL and the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee in partnership with Super Bowl sponsor Verizon and local nonprofit Valley Permaculture Alliance. Grants can be used to match the cost of trees for local urban forestry projects – in some cases allowing the city to double the size of an existing tree planting project.

The Alta Mira Neighborhood Association, which surrounds Goodwin Park, teamed up with the City of Tempe earlier this year to plant 50 trees in Goodwin Park. Funds for those trees were both donated by residents and awarded through the City’s neighborhood enhancement and beautification grant. The neighborhood aims to plant a total of 100 trees in Goodwin Park by spring of 2015.

On November 13, 2014, the City of El Mirage Fire Department received a new thermal imaging camera from the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation. The Foundation is dedicated to improving the life-saving capabilities of first responders and public safety organizations in communities served by Firehouse Subs by providing funding, resources and support.

 
The thermal imaging camera was on display today during a presentation ceremony held at the Firehouse Subs location near the Loop101 and 67th avenue in Glendale, AZ. Representatives from both the El Mirage Fire Department and the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation were on hand as El Mirage gratefully accepted their new piece of life saving equipment.

El Mirage Fire Chief Jim Wise summed it up when he said, “We are extremely grateful to receive such a valuable piece of equipment from a truly first class organization such as Firehouse Subs. The El Mirage community will benefit from this as it allows our firefighters to rapidly detect fires, rescue victims, and save lives.”

Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation recently donated
a thermal imaging camera, worth more than $9,600 to the
City of El Mirage Fire Department. The donated camera will
detect body heat and hot spots in burning buildings, allowing
firefighters to reach victims quicker and put out deadly fires.

 
For more information contact Christopher House at (623) 583-7968/chouse@cityofelmirage.org

The Goodyear Fire Department again joined forces last weekend with the Arizona Burn Foundation to help make homes safer by providing free smoke alarms in hopes of saving lives.
On Saturday, Nov. 1, 56 volunteers from Liberty Water, Waste Management, Goodyear Fire Department Cadets, and local high school students installed 106 new smoke alarms in 83 homes in Litchfield Park. Goodyear has contracted to provide fire and emergency services to the town for about the last four years.
About three out of five fire deaths happen in homes without smoke alarms or in homes where they are not properly maintained, according to information from the Goodyear Fire Department’s Risk Reduction division.
Tanja Tanner, community risk reduction coordinator for the Goodyear Fire Department, said she was grateful for the participation in the program as more homes become equipped with new smoke alarms.
“The program isn’t to save a house, it’s to save a life,” Tanner said. “Our goal is to have a working smoke alarm in every home. We look for the older homes that need them the most. Now, the majority of homes in Goodyear are at least 10 years old, and people need to know they should not only have a smoke alarm, but make sure it works.”
In the past, Goodyear fire has provided smoke alarms to homes in the Historic Goodyear, Canada Village and Palmateer neighborhoods, and has partnered with the Arizona Burn Foundation for five years for the free smoke alarm program.
“It’s important that people check a smoke alarm every month, and change the batteries once a year.” Tanner added. “Smoke alarms last about eight to 10 years, so it’s important to replace them at least every decade.”
Each installation in Litchfield Park also included information about how to maintain the new alarms and also information such as escape plans and proper 911 instructions.
For more information on this program, call (623) 882-7308 or visit or www.azburn.org.