Tempe’s library complex is soaking up the sun with the completion of a new solar installation that will provide 35 percent of the complex’s power needs. To celebrate this renewable energy milestone, the  Mayor Mark Mitchell and several councilmembers will be “flipping of the switch” as power is moved to the solar grid on Saturday, April 30.

“This is exactly the type of project that makes Tempe great,” said Tempe Mayor Mark Mitchell. “We have improved our library for the hundreds of thousands of visitors each year by providing much-needed covered parking and a wonderful shaded outdoor gathering place for neighborhood events while saving money and reducing pollution with clean energy.”

Project features

• Five solar carport canopies that will provide 262 shaded parking spaces for patrons
• Large, north side canopy can be used for shaded  parking or as a community gathering space for festivals, events,  farmers markets and food trucks
• 486 solar panels on top of the library building
• Savings of more than $95,000 in utility costs over 20 years
• Five shaded wheelchair accessible parking spaces near the library entrance
• Increases the city’s renewable energy use from 3 percent to 5 percent
• Panels will produce 1.3 million kWh of energy, which is equivalent to reducing carbon emissions by more than 900 metric tons and taking 190 vehicles off the road each year.

Tempe’s renewable energy commitment

In June 2014, the City approved a goal to power 20 percent of city operations with clean energy by 2025. This goal is an important component of Tempe’s long-term asset management strategy to reduce the city’s overall energy use and utility costs. The city is currently at 3 percent, marking significant progress since the goal was adopted. The addition of the library complex project will bring the city to 5 percent. Tempe’s existing solar projects include:

• 263 kW system at the Police/Courts building in downtown Tempe. The system provides 12 percent of the building’s power needs and has saved the city $14,000 in just four months.
• 924 kW system at its South Water Treatment Plant that produces 15% of the plant’s energy and will save $2.3 million in 20 years

Upcoming projects include a 900 kW system at the Johnny G Martinez (JGM) Water Treatment Plant. For more information, visit www.tempe.gov/solar.

Word is quickly spreading that Clarkdale’s local celebrity Bald Eagle couple, Clark and Dale, successfully hatched a baby eaglet in their nest near TAPCO on the Verde River @ Clarkdale.  In February, 2014, Clark and Dale gained local recognition when their nest was discovered in a tree at the boat launch site that the Town of Clarkdale was developing as a public river access point.

To help insure protection of the nest site, and increase the chances that Clark and Dale would successfully fledge an eaglet, the Town of Clarkdale and land owner Freeport McMoran, Inc. took action immediately, and relocated the public river access point to its new location at the Lower TAPCO RAP (3400 Sycamore Canyon Road).

Unfortunately, Clark and Dale’s 2014 egg did not hatch, nor did the egg they laid in a nearby nest in the 2015 season.  This year, after a tip from Verde Canyon Railroad employees, Nest Watch volunteers documented that Clark and Dale had moved their nest to another new location (near the Verde Canyon Railroad tracks) and a single egg was incubated at the end of January, 2016.

Employees on the Verde Canyon Railroad have continued to observe Clark and Dale alternating shifts on the nest throughout the first quarter of the year, and were the first to report a sighting of the hatched eaglet in early April, 2016!

April will be a sensitive period for the young hatchling, as it will be vulnerable to the elements.  Strong spring winds in Arizona have been known to blow nests out of trees, killing the young hatchlings in the process.  At 4 to 8 weeks (during May), the vulnerability gradually decreases.  The biggest risks during this time occur if nestlings miss feedings or leave the nest prematurely due to disruption.  The period after the nestlings reach 8 weeks old (in early June) is another very sensitive time.   The eaglet is gaining flight capability, but may not be quite ready to test its wings.  If flushed from the nest prematurely due to disruption, the eaglet can die.

While uncharacteristic human activity in the area of the nest could pose disruption, the fact that Clark and Dale chose to nest near the train tracks indicates their tolerance for the daily trips associated with the Verde Canyon Railroad, and those trips should pose no unusual disruption for Clark, Dale and their young nestling.  Passengers on the train will get the enviable opportunity to catch a glimpse of the young nestling as it continues to mature before leaving the nest.  Because other activity in the area could pose a risk to the eagles, the Verde Canyon Railroad has established a Flickr photo page dedicated to watching the progress of this new eaglet!  Those who can’t ride the train to see the baby will have the opportunity to enjoy the progress here.

We’re hoping to see our young eaglet not only survive, but thrive, and take to the air sometime in June.  As we continue to follow its progress, we’d like the public to weigh in to help name the young eaglet.  On-line voting for a name will begin April 11^th on the Town of Clarkdale website.

Ryan Lantz, director of Arizona operations for the Cleveland Indians, 1 Millionth Fan Jean Wilson, Mike Saverino, director of Arizona operations for the Cincinnati Reds and Bruce Kessman, general manager of Goodyear Ballpark. Photo Courtesy of City of Goodyear.

Jean Wilson of Las Vegas, who grew up in the west Cleveland suburb of Westlake, Ohio, was recognized as the 1 Millionth Fan at Goodyear Ballpark in the middle of the fourth inning during Saturday night’s attendance record, sold-out Cleveland Indians spring training game against the Chicago Cubs (11,616). She was showered with confetti and a glittery hat as she jumped up and down in disbelief and excitement.

Wilson, a retired physical therapist and lifelong Cleveland Indians fan, also received a gift basket, a special jersey with the Reds and Indians team logos on the sleeve and won a trip to where else? Las Vegas. What are the odds of that? After the end of the Indians 10-5 win over the Cubs, Jean was taken onto the field where she pulled envelopes out of a basket to win a chance at winning $1 million, $10,000 or a trip to Las Vegas.

Jean and her husband, Craig, attend two Indians spring training games each year since Goodyear Ballpark opened in 2009. In fact, the screensaver on her cell phone is the 2016 Cleveland Indians schedule.

“I can’t believe it, I just can’t believe it,” Wilson said of being the 1 Millionth Fan. “This is one of the greatest things that ever happened to me. Win or lose, I’m an Indians fan. I want to see them win the World Series.”

Goodyear Ballpark’s 1 Millionth Fan, Jean Wilson. Photo Courtesy of City of Goodyear

Jean’s husband, Craig, said, “This is great. It doesn’t get any better than this. When we were coming into the game, Jean was talking about the 1 Millionth Fan – and she’s it. This is uncanny.”

A native of Cleveland, Wilson fondly recalled earning free tickets to Indians games at Municipal Stadium for earning Straight A’s in school.

In 2010, she also threw out the first pitch at a regular-season Indians game at Progressive Field, a birthday present from her sister.

Ryan Lantz, director of Arizona operations for the Cleveland Indians, 1 Millionth Fan Jean Wilson, Mike Saverino, director of Arizona operations for the Cincinnati Reds and Bruce Kessman, general manager of Goodyear Ballpark.

Pictured in the fourth picture are Jean Wilson and her husband, Craig, who met each other in Westlake.

“It’s been a pretty amazing year,” Todd Taylor, a principal traffic engineer in the city’s Transportation Department said.

Many would consider Todd’s statement amazing in itself, considering the trials he’s faced in the past two years. The positive remark is testament to an inner strength that has taken Todd all the way to the windy slopes of Winter Park, Colorado, and a dream of qualifying for the U.S. Paralympic Alpine Skiing National Team.

In early 2014, Todd was diagnosed with a degenerative eye condition called Retinitis Pigmentosa, or R.P. His condition progressed quickly and while Todd has some central vision, he has little to no peripheral vision, making him legally blind.

Todd took to the task of learning his new normal with the assistance of adaptive training and quickly learned how to do things like check emails, use his smartphone and travel to and from the office without driving.

“To lose your mobility, it’s life-changing,” Todd said. “But you have to keep going.”

So when a friend told Todd, an avid recreational skier and former Deer Valley Ski Patrol member, about an opportunity to reconnect with skiing through the Foresight Ski Guide Program in Vail, Colorado, Todd didn’t hesitate.

The program, which allows the visually-impaired to ski with the aid of a guide, was what Todd described as an “immediate form of cheap therapy.”

“It was liberating to feel that rush of wind against my face and my heart thumping in my chest,” Todd said. “There’s a lot of trust involved, knowing someone is watching out for you. My guide had to tell me, ‘Stop trying to see – just ski.’”

Todd also discovered he was fast. Skiing with Foresight triggered his desire to pursue his dream of ski racing in the Paralympics.

The first step – Todd had to become classified as a visually-impaired skier by the International Paralympic Committee. This required a trip last November to British Colombia, where Todd was examined and certified by the committee’s doctors.

Now, Todd has been invited to train as part of a Paralympic Development Program at the National Sports Center for the Disabled in Winter Park and participate in racing events to qualify for the National Team.

A new challenge for Todd and his family has been funding the expense. Alpine ski racing is costly due to specialized equipment, travel, training and race fees. As a visually-impaired athlete, Todd’s expenses dramatically increase because he must also pay for his guide and the guide’s expenses while he trains and competes.

But while the experience has not been without challenges, it’s a journey Todd is grateful for.

Sponsors, friends and family have helped with equipment and donations. Todd is thankful for the support and hopes to build on it, since it may take a few years of training and racing to make the National team.

He’s also in good company as part of the National Sports Center’s Paralympic Development Program, where he trains among an elite group of athletes with visual impairments, amputations, cerebral palsy and other physical challenges.

“It’s inspiring to hear other’s stories and to watch these athletes,” Todd said. “And I’ve had the opportunity to train with athletes from South Africa, Australia, Japan and other international teams.”

It was through the development program that Todd met Nick Manely – another disabled Alpine ski racer who now doubles as Todd’s guide.

As Todd shares his story, he recounts what defined his amazing year thus far:

The entire family – wife Nikki, sons Mack, 11, Brody, 9 and daughter Kate, 5 – learned how to ski.

He found a guide.

He improved his technical skiing – humbled by a few nasty wrecks and some direct coaching.

When he returned from his first competitive race, discouraged that he didn’t finish as well as hoped, Mack was there to put his accomplishment in perspective – excitedly greeting him at the airport and telling him he was proud that his dad had finished.

They’re amazing moments Todd holds tight to, as he looks ahead and continues his dream.

If you’re interested in supporting or learning more about Todd’s ski racing journey, visit http://tiny.cc/toddtaylor.

Story by Holly Walter, public information officer, City of Scottsdale

Boating Coordinator
City of Tempe

Born and raised in the city where she now works and still calls home, Alicia grew up in Tempe and spent her high school years playing varsity basketball.

Coming of age at a time when female athletes were finally starting to get the attention they deserved, Alicia saw first-hand how this recognition and the earlier passing of Title IX would come into play.  As colleges and universities were recruiting to fill spots on sports teams, San Diego State University came calling. They were adding a women’s rowing team to their collection of athletics and were recruiting female high school athletes.

Though she had never rowed before, Alicia was a respected athlete who jumped at the opportunity to move to San Diego and try out for their varsity rowing team. A year later, she was attending SDSU on a full ride rowing scholarship. She was the very first person in Arizona ever recruited to row at the collegiate level.

Meanwhile, Alicia’s hometown was undergoing some changes of its own. Discussions about the creation of an urban lake in Tempe had been going on for years and in 1999, during her freshman year at SDSU, Tempe Town Lake was filled.

Alicia enjoyed being out on the water and after graduating, she was brought on as an assistant rowing coach at SDSU. She spent two years in that position before becoming the director of rowing at the Mission Bay Aquatic Center in San Diego. The center, run by the State of California, gave Alicia her first taste of working with local government.

While she had come to fall in love with the City of San Diego, Alicia returned home to attend law school. In the midst of applying, she found a job posting as an assistant boating coordinator for the City of Tempe’s Tempe Town Lake. It was the perfect position.

Continuing her passion for boating and finding a newfound passion for working in local government, Alicia went on to receive her Master of Public Administration. After four years working as the assistant boating coordinator, Alicia moved on to work for four years as an assistant events coordinator in the city, followed by the position of senior boating coordinator, which she has now held for two years. Alicia is the third boating coordinator the city has seen since the lake’s inception.

As the senior boating coordinator, Alicia is essentially responsible for any activity that happens “on top of the water.” She oversees the boat house at Tempe Town Lake, which provides private storage for people to keep boats at the Lake. The City of Tempe offers recreation classes on the lake and Alicia manages rowing, kayaking and stand up paddling, in addition to hosting corporate, youth and teambuilding events. The lake also hosts three major regattas, which Alicia oversees. She also supervises junior rowing, which brings together students from all over the Valley. They row five days a week and travel across the country to participate in competitions. Many of these junior rowers hope to find success at the collegiate level, just as Alicia did.

And like Alicia, maybe one of those junior rowers will find their own perfect job someday. One where they can stay on the water all day, interact with the boating community and volunteers, and serve the city that they call home.

Librarian
City of Tolleson

Assigned to complete a Master’s-level course assignment a few years ago, Kim Eckhoff stepped into the Tolleson Public Library to evaluate the small and rural public library from a customer’s perspective and develop a plan from a librarian’s perspective to make it better.

The library’s centralized location inspired so many ideas in Kim.

From 1997 through 2013, Kim was a teacher and school librarian for the Tolleson Elementary School District. Having come to know children, parents and educators in the close-knit community very well while working as their teacher-librarian, she believed some reorganization and expanded programming would have a positive impact on the community. When the position for the city’s librarian became open, Kim was thrilled with the idea to apply and was given the opportunity to set in motion some of the ideas she had put into her assignment.

Libraries have always held a special place in Kim’s heart. As a college student, she found a part-time job working in the school library.

“To me, that was a coup, since the library has always been a special place for me. My mother was a librarian who made sure I had books in my hands every day, especially when I was a developing reader. I feel like a duck in water when I’m in a library,” says Kim.

Those feelings remain the same, as she still loves when she can recommend just the right book to a customer and help them find another when they return raving about her first recommendation.

Literature is still igniting imagination in Kim. After reading a book about a dragon last year with the library’s junior book club, she decided to build a dragon out of paper mache for the city’s Luces de Navidad Parade. It was 10 feet high and 15 feet long.

“I’ve had a lot of big ideas like that over the years and fortunately I have a husband who understands my wild ideas and helps me build them!” Kim says.

As a librarian in a small community, Kim has the opportunity to wear many hats. She spends a lot of time networking with other librarians in Arizona and nationally. She also runs with a lot of ideas to develop programming, coordinating the summer reading program, book clubs, a tutoring program and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) activities. The library staff also collaborates with other city departments to bring literacy awareness to city events.

“I march in parades, write grants, purchase books, and build the library collection,” Kim says. “Each day is different.”

She also finds that she’s witnessed some strides, both big and small, that the library staff has made this year. From kids chanting rhymes and building their appreciation for literature during story time, to adults learning how to use an e-reader for the first time, Kim feels proud about each accomplishment.

“Libraries transform communities and it’s really satisfying to be a part of that.”

Airport Customer Service Technician
Town of Wickenburg

A small-town Kentucky boy, Lee Cox traveled the world and landed at the airport in Arizona’s Wild West. Lee Cox was raised on a farm in Kentucky. At age 17, he enlisted in the U.S. Army as a parachute infantryman and served in combat deployments during Operation Just Cause and Operation Desert Storm/Desert Shield. After leaving the military, he worked in construction and as a gunsmith, later re-enlisting in the Army reserve as an aircraft structural repairman. He also worked as a cable splicer, apprentice electric lineman, certified back country guide, appliance repairman and guest ranch maintenance worker/wrangler, which is what eventually led him to Wickenburg. Landing in the Town of Wickenburg, Cox began as a communication specialist in 2006 with the Wickenburg Police Department. He also worked as a reserve officer and once he graduated from the police academy, was offered a position as a full-time officer. He served five years as a full-time officer, three as the department’s K-9 handler. Unfortunately, medical issues prevented Cox from continuing his position as a full-time police officer, which led him to apply for a position as the Wickenburg airport customer service technician. As the airport customer service technician, Cox gets to experience a variety of tasks on a daily basis. Encompassing several areas, Cox is responsible for facility and equipment maintenance, fueling aircraft, answering questions and assisting visitors with their travels to Wickenburg. He says that the best part of his job is getting to meet a diverse array of people from all over the country and world, not unlike many of the jobs he has held in the past. It’s clear that visitors enjoy meeting Cox and learning how a small-town Kentucky boy came to live in the small-town southwest. “I have been asked many times how I ended up in Wickenburg, as my accent gives it away that I’m not from here. I reply that it’s a long story,” says Cox. “Although I have traveled the country and world over the years, seen and done many things, I sometimes wonder how a small-town farm boy from Kentucky found his way to a small town in the desert of Arizona. It’s been a long road that led me here, but I can say without a doubt I am proud to now call Wickenburg my home.”

Deputy City Manager
City of Prescott

Many city or town employees have positions that require them to “wear many hats” in their day-to-day responsibilities. For some, the idea of taking on multiple projects and job titles could seem overwhelming. But Prescott Deputy City Manager Alison Zelms knows a thing or two about variety and tackles multiple projects like a pro.

Having grown up on Air Force bases around the world as a child, Zelms had the opportunity to move to different places, see the world and gain perspective. She spent time in West Germany and saw first-hand the vast differences in lifestyle from each side of the Berlin Wall. It was her experience witnessing West and East Berlin that inspired her interest in the importance and daily impact of public policy.

Taking these early-learned passions, Zelms went on to receive her bachelor’s degree and Master in Public Administration. During graduate school at the University of Arkansas, she began her work in local government, starting at the state’s Bureau of Labor Market Information. From there she became an assistant to the city manager in University Park, Texas, followed by a position in Evanston, Illinois as management analyst in charge of a $175 million operating budget.

Alison was brought to Arizona through an assistant city manager position with the City of Sedona. It was there that she honed her skills in multi-tasking as she oversaw the finance, economic planning, information technology, arts and culture, communications and public works departments. She also started the City of Sedona’s first intergovernmental relations program, serving as their legislative liaison in addition to her regular duties.

In December, Alison celebrated four years of service with the City of Prescott. Drawing on her experience in legislative work from Scottsdale, one of her “many hats” in Prescott also includes serving as the city’s intergovernmental affairs liaison. Within this role, she monitors legislation, develops the city’s annual legislative policy with the city council and communicates the city’s positions during the legislative session. Multitasking is essential for Zelms and any “part-time intergov,” whose full-time positions only offer them minimal time to work on legislative issues, as she is also responsible for oversight of seven operational areas and is engaged in budget development, personnel management, policy implementation and day-to-day operations.

Zelms thrives in the variety of her multi-faceted position. Though it can be a challenge to cover so much ground, she appreciates the combination of broad supervisory duties and leadership on complex policy issues, in addition to continuous education on new issues and making new connections between people and topics.

“This position is never boring,” said Zelms. “There are always opportunities for even small gains to be made in gaining an audience for an issue or creating solutions.”

Utilities Director
City of Safford

The City of Safford, settled at the base of Mount Graham in rural southeastern Arizona, is a very unique municipality.  Safford is the sole owner of all utilities; water, wastewater, gas and electric. Jenny Howard has have been employed with the City of Safford for 11 years.  In the spring of 2015 she accepted the position of utility director, managing all Safford utilities as well as wastewater treatment, landfill and solid waste services.

With a 23-year background in electric infrastructure projects in western and central a US and 12 years in project management and controls, she feels right at home in the industry.  Howard came to the City of Safford in 2004 from POWER Engineers, a world- renowned electrical engineering firm based in Idaho. She relocated temporarily to Safford from Sun Valley, Idaho for a job assignment in construction management on a large high voltage transmission line and substation project for Phelps Dodge Mining (Now Freeport McMorran).

Well, during her tenure with Phelps Dodge, she met and fell in love with a cotton farmer and they were married in 2004.

“It’s kind of funny that happened,” says Howard. “The first agricultural crop I saw when driving to Safford was a cotton field and I laughed out loud asking myself, ‘They grow cotton in Arizona?'”

After her contract was complete at the mine, she was hired by the City of Safford in procurement. Once on board with Safford she continued to develop knowledge in infrastructure operations and regulations in the wastewater, water and gas industries while attending the college of business at Eastern Arizona College.  In 2007 she moved to a project management position and in 2015 became utility director. Howard loves the diversity of managing the utilities.  As with all utilities, the challenges of replacing aging infrastructure, planning expansion with new development, and keeping the lights on and water flowing, means a well-managed maintenance program and a very detailed and well planned 5-year CIP.  That is a challenge in itself (x 6).  The city water infrastructure consists of 8,000 services and 250 miles of water pipe and serves not only the City of Safford but also the surrounding communities and unincorporated areas of Graham County.  Safford also serves 4,000 electric and 3,500 gas, sewer and solid waste customers within the Safford city limits, as well as owns and operates the landfill which serves all Graham County population of 30,000.

Along with the daily challenges of providing multiple utility services to our customers, Howard loves Safford’s diverse community and the networking associated with the director position.

“Getting involved in community outreach and working alongside such a great team of Managers and employees is certainly an attribute to the overall success of the Utility Department.  I couldn’t ask for a better team.”

Queen Mine Tour Manager
City of Bisbee

People find their careers and their passions through a variety of different ways. For Douglas Graeme, he was born into it.

Doug Graeme’s storied history with the city began in 1883 with the arrival of his great grandfather, who came into town looking for work. Over the next several decades, he settled and raised a family in this town, growing a passion for its history.

Doug was born years later in Bisbee and took his cues from generations past, as he spend much of his free time exploring, collecting artifacts and learning about his city’s history.

Together, with his siblings, Richard W. Graeme IV and Emily Grame Larkin, Doug helped write a book about Bisbee’s history. Inspired by the past of their own family members, the siblings took to paper to share tales about copper mining, natural disasters, and the people who came to settle and grow the popular southern Arizona community.

Bisbee is an old mining city in southern Arizona, rich in history and culture. Their account of the city’s past incorporates the geological significance of finding copper ores, the major influences of Native America culture, presence of early culture like opera houses, rodeos and saloons, and the tragedies that occurred during the early days of mining camp.

In addition to sharing Bisbee’s history through the written word, Doug serves as the Queen Mine Tour Operator for the City of Bisbee. Approximately 50,000 people a year visit the Queen Mining Tour to commemorate Bisbee’s prosperous mining heritage and experience what it was like working underground.