After a thorough hiring and training process, the El Mirage Fire Department (www.cityofelmirage.org) is pleased to welcome four new Firefighters.  Candidates were chosen from hundreds of applicants that met the minimum EMT and Firefighter I&II certification requirements.

These recruits not only met the minimum requirements, but exceeded the high standards of the El Mirage Fire Department.  Mayor Lana Mook stated, “El Mirage is very excited to have these four Firefighters as the newest members of the El Mirage Fire Department.”  As part of El Mirage’s recruitment process, the Fire Department also has a cadet program, volunteer program, and offers citizen ride-alongs.

You may not always realize it, but your city or town’s public works department is at work all day to keep your life running smoothly. From making sure your recycling is picked up at your curb and the streets are paved for your commute into work; to ensuring that water is always clean when coming out of the tap and street lights are blinking correctly for a safe drive home, a city’s public works department is responsible for many of our day-to-day activities. 

May 17-23 is Public Works Week! This annual events celebrates public works professionals of our Arizona cities and towns who work tirelessly. The National Public Works Week is a celebration of the tens of thousands of men and women in North America who provide and maintain the infrastructure and services collectively known as public works. 

Communities across Arizona are taking time to recognize individuals who dedicate services to cities and towns, which include road construction, cleaning and maintenance services, sanitation and recycling, fleet services, and various other community provisions.

The City of Glendale and the City of Surprise both issued proclamations at their recent council meetings to announce their celebration of National Public Works Week and thank those members of their public works departments for their dedication.

City of Glendale issuing a proclamation celebrating National Public Works Week and recognizing those individuals who serve on their public works department 

Pull out that library card and head on over to your municipal library to check out a book – it’s National Library Week!

National Library Week is sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) and has been going on since 1958. The week is set aside each year to celebrate libraries and municipal public libraries are a perfect example of the great support libraries can provide for their communities.

You may remember your public library as just being a place to check out a book or do some research. But that’s no longer the case! Today’s libraries are gathering places to meet with friends and colleagues, attend in-person classes, get information on current technology and learn through a variety of activities. And of course, you can still check out books – both off the physical shelf and straight to your mobile device!

See what your city or town has to offer and check out National Library Week! And if your local library has made an impact on your life, share your story! Maybe your local library has helped your child discover a love for reading or maybe you learned a new hobby through a class offered at your library. Whatever your story, share it by using social media and the hashtag #LibraryMade. More details on the #LibraryMade contest from the American Library Association can be found here.

Here’s a look at some of the ways Arizona’s cities & towns are celebrating:

• Mayor Bob Irvin of the City of Willcox proclaimed April 12 – 18 as Library Week and encouraged all residents to visit the city’s Elsie S. Hogan Library.

• The City of Sierra Vista will be hosting a variety of events to help celebrate the week, starting with a book signing on Saturday, April 11 with travel writer Roger Naylor. The library will also offer events through the week including reading sessions with therapy dogs, a magic and juggling show and a special children’s storytime. For more info, click here.

• Phoenix Public Libraries will be offering Food For Fines, a fundraiser  that offers residents the opportunity to decrease their library account fines by donating canned food items.

Visit your local city or town library to find out what they’re offering this week in celebration of National Library Week!

A look at Glendale’s 100 year water history

Water; we all use it every day for drinking, cooking, cleaning, and public health and safety. On Feb. 25, 2015, Glendale Water Services Department will commemorate its 100^th year of providing safe, reliable, high quality water and wastewater services to the community. As part of the Glendale Water Services Department Centennial Celebration, a traveling display featuring historic photos and captions titled, “Glendale’s 100-Year Water Story” will be on display across Glendale through the year. The display was developed in partnership with Arizona Public Service, Central Arizona Project, Glendale Arizona Historic Society, and Salt River Project. A century ago, the then-town of Glendale purchased the Water Works Company from Floyd Holmes Sine for $12,000 and created the new Municipal Water Works Department on Feb. 25, 1915. The initial system had two wells, two elevated tanks, distribution pipes and 160 customers. The town immediately upgraded the system by drilling additional wells and installing new pressure pumps. A storm water disposal system, fire protection system and sewage system were installed just a few years later.

The water tower that was part of the purchase of the Water Works Company from Floyd Holmes Sine, which was sold to the Town of Glendale for $12,000 on Feb. 25, 1915 and resulted in the new Municipal Water Works Department. Photo courtesy: Glendale Arizona Historical Society.

Although Glendale has changed significantly over the last century, one thing remains constant; the city’s commitment to providing exceptional water and wastewater services to more than 230,000 people. Glendale uses state-of-the-art technology and a highly trained workforce to operate four water treatment plants, two water reclamation facilities and maintain more than 1,000 miles of water mains and more than 680 miles of sewer mains. Glendale Water Services Director Craig Johnson said “lessons from the past have helped us plan for the future.  We have a remarkable wealth of talent and experience among our employees.  Working in partnership with the community, the Water Services Department is committed to building on this firm foundation to meet the challenges that come our way.”

Members of Floyd Holmes Sine’s family join members of the Water Services Department at the Jan. 27, city council meeting where the proclamation was read declaring February 2015 through February 2016 as Glendale Municipal Water Service Centennial Year.

For a full listing of when and where the Glendale Water Services Department display will be located, visit www.GlendaleAZ.com/waterservices. Partner locations include the Arrowhead Towne Center, Glendale libraries and recreation centers, and Glendale Community College.

When you woke up this morning, you probably took a shower, set out your recycling bin or drove to work on a safely paved street with working stop lights. Maybe this afternoon you’ll hit up a town park to enjoy this beautiful weather with your kids or check out a book at the city library. This evening, you can sleep assured knowing that police, fire and safety services would be there if you needed them.

Cities and towns are always working, from sun up to sun down, to ensure safety, protection, well-being, convenience and enrichment for all citizens to live, work and play. To celebrate the great things cities and towns do, Arizona will be celebrating its 13th Annual Cities and Towns Week, October 19 – 25!

Arizona Cities and Towns Week is set aside each year to provide citizens with important information about the services and programs provided by their city/town, and to introduce the employees that deliver them.

Arizona has 91 cities and towns, ranging from the large city of Phoenix with a population of 1.4 million, to the small town of Winkelman at 353 residents. 79 percent of Arizona’s residents reside in a city or town and these municipalities are vitally important to Arizona’s economy. In fact, 83 percent of Arizona’s workforce lives in a city or town and 93 percent of the state’s sales tax proceeds are produced within a municipality.

Many of Arizona’s cities and towns are celebrating this week through a variety of community events, proclamations and outreach to residents. Contact your local city or town to find out how you can celebrate with them!

For more information on Arizona Cities & Towns Week and a toolkit with ideas for participation, click here.

Fire Prevention Week takes place during October 5-11, and during this time cities and towns in Arizona are dedicated to educating the public about fire safety. During Fire Prevention Week professionals devote their time to teaching the public about the causes of fire, how to prevent this from happening, and how to be prepared in case of an emergency.

The National Fire Protection Association has designed Fire Prevention Week to be useful for all ages. In 1871 a huge Chicago fire killed more than 250 people and left 100,000 citizens without homes. This tragedy is the reason that Fire Prevention Week exists, and this week continues to raise awareness to our communities.

Nearly all of Arizona’s cities and towns are holding events to participate in and recognize National Fire Prevention Week.

The city of Tucson has been talking with citizens all week, teaching them the importance of smoke alarms. Here is a clip of Captain Barrett Baker of the Tucson Fire Department on a local news station, discussing how to check smoke alarms: http://www.jrn.com/kgun9/shows/the-morning-blend/video/tucsonfiredepartment-278479661.html

The city of Tempe has been holding workshops at the Tempe Public Library to teach citizens how to install fire detectors and have storytimes for children to learn about fire safety. In addition, the Tempe Fire Medical Rescue Department will be having a special event on Saturday, Oct. 18 at the Tempe Fire Training Center. For more info, click here: http://www.tempe.gov/Home/Components/News/News/3108/

The city of Avondale and many other valley cities also held open houses at their fire stations, so the community could visit with firefighters, see the fire trucks and learn about the importance of preventing fires.

Fire Prevention Week is designed to make our communities safer. It is important to continue spreading awareness and providing our community with the useful information they need to continue being educated and prepared.  Find an upcoming event or training in a city or town near you or visit the National Fire Protection Association to brush up on your fire safety tips.

Arizona’s cities and towns are constantly working to ensure the safety of their citizens. To continue their focus on safety, especially for those younger citizens, many cities and towns in Arizona will be participating in the nationwide Child Passenger Safety Week.

Child Passenger Safety Week will be held September 14-20 in an effort to inform parents and caregivers of the proper safety measures that need to be taken when transporting children.

Car crashes are a leading cause of death for children ages 1-13. These incidents can many times be prevented with the proper use of car seats, booster seats and seat belts. Saturday, Sept. 14 is “Seat Check Saturday,” a national day devoted to ensuring children’s car seats are properly installed.

The Surprise Police and Fire-Medical Departments will be hosting two child safety seat clinics to provide information on the different types of child passenger safety seats and educate the public on proper installation of the seats. The city’s clinics will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 16 and Saturday, Sept. 20 from 8:30 – 11:30 a.m. at Surprise Fire Station #305. For more information, visit www.surpriseaz.gov/carseat.

Other cities and towns host regular car seat checks. The City of Chandler will be holding a car seat clinic each Saturday in September. The City of Buckeye, City of Mesa , City of Scottsdale and City of Sierra Vista are just a few others who regularly hold free car seat checks.

To find an upcoming seat check event near you, visit www.azgohs.gov or contact your local city or town.

Nothing beats spending a summer day biking on a trail, playing in a park, or swimming in a refreshing pool.

During the summer months, we can’t get away from the outdoors. That’s why, as designated by the U.S. House of Representatives, Park and Recreation Month is being celebrated nationwide in the month of July.

Some Arizona cities that aren’t formally celebrating Park and Recreation month in July will instead be celebrating at a later time when the temperature cools down.

This year the National Recreation and Park Association has encouraged communities to show and share the love parks and recreation with a 2014 theme of “OUT is IN,” making this the year that people go outside, change their outlook, and get involved in their community through parks and recreation.

We love what Queen Creek is doing for Park and Recreation Month and hope other cities and towns follow suit.

Queen Creek opened the community’s first dog park and first splash pad to celebrate the special summer month.  The town recently held a grand opening celebration for Queen Creek’s Pocket Park for Pups, located at 22526 S. Ellsworth Road. The ribbon cutting ceremony for the 4,100-square-foot Splash Pad will take place at Founders Park, 22555 S. Ellsworth Road, at 9 a.m. on Saturday, July 5.

Queen Creek’s Mayor Gail Barney says these unique features will “help increase [Queen Creek’s] property values, expand the local tax base, increase tourism and the attraction and retention of businesses, greatly improve community healthy and reduce the amount of crime in Queen Creek.”

Is your city or town celebrating Park and Recreation Month in a momentous way? We want to hear about it! Be sure to leave a comment about what your city is doing, today!

For more details other activities Queen Creek is offering throughout the month of July, visit QueenCreek.org/Recreation

It’s National Safety Month. To help kick off this month, Glendale is launching a campaign designed to reinforce safety messages during the summer. The campaign is called Operation: Safe Summer and it culminates with a public event at Westgate on June 20.

There are several departments that will offer programs and events to remind residents of their mission: to keep the city’s residents safe with an outstanding quality of life. These departments include the Police and Fire Departments, the Transportation Services Department and Parks, Recreation and Library Services.

With a dedicated website and logo, the campaign features a different safety message each week, covering timely summer topics such as kids out of school for the summer, children being home alone and out riding bicycles more often, heat-related issues, vacation and travel safety, BBQ and fireworks precautions, and of course, water and pool safety. Information will be distributed through public facilities in Glendale and at certain events, as well.

The public event will be held on June 20,  6:30-8:30 p.m., called “Surviving the Summer,” at Westgate Entertainment District, 6770 N. Sunrise Blvd. Held in the shopping center’s Fountain Park, this free event will feature a variety of agencies and vendors to educate residents on water and sun safety and much more.

For more information on the event and the Operation: Safe Summer campaign, including great tips and resources you can take advantage of, visit www.glendaleaz.com/safesummer.

Avondale Mayor Marie Lopez Rogers unveiled the city’s new logo/brand during her State of the City Address on May 8.

The launch of the new city logo was the result of a year-long process that involved considerable input, engagement and extensive research regarding Avondale’s identity from more 2,000 citizens from the community.

“Avondale is a community where people share a deep sense of pride in what has been accomplished and how far we have come today,” Mayor Rogers said. “In Avondale, there is strong belief that the blending of cultures comes from a true sense of harmony throughout the community, not mere rhetoric about diversity.  In Avondale, people and businesses are welcomed with open arms and supported in a way that exemplifies a progressive, intelligent and driven city.”

The fresh new look of Avondale’s design keeps up with the tempo of the city’s up-and-coming growth in population and businesses, and is, in a sense, a reward to the hard-working citizens of the city who strive to maintain Avondale as an “aspiring, achieving, and accelerating” city, as Mayor Rogers said.

“The new brand is flexible and multi-faceted, and reflects all that is positive about our community,” said Dan Davis, Economic Development Director for Avondale. “The new brand celebrates Avondale’s most powerful assets: its people, diversity and sense of optimism.”

Mayor Roger’s office has said that the city will ensure fiscal responsibility, and use a phased-in approach to implement the new brand over the next few months.  The focus is on launching the logo through digital communications and incorporating it wherever possible in public outreach and marketing materials, which are already factored into the current city budget.

Avondale will also work with a variety of community  solidify and reinforce a strong and positive identity, “to build a brand which sets us apart from other cities in the region and country and contributes to community pride, appeal and economic prosperity,” Mayor Rogers said.

For more information, visit www.avondale.org, or www.avondale.org/branding . Also, take a moment to view the new video, which shares the Avondale Story from the view of our residents and businesses.