Travelers wishing to enjoy the beauty of southern Arizona should look no further than state routes 82 and 83, along a stretch known as the Patagonia-Sonoita Scenic Road.

This stretch offers winding views of vegetation from fields of wildflowers to tall sycamore and cottonwood trees. The drive includes sights of the Patagonia and Santa Rita Mountains, which tower 9,000 feet.

The jaunt is a quick 52-mile stretch, which provides the perfect afternoon drive or daytime outing. Drivers start on State Route 83, which runs south near the community of Vail near Interstate 10. Route 83 goes through a harbor of vineyards resting in the southern Arizona soil. This road will connect with State Route 82, which then takes travelers to the town of Patagonia.

Part of Arizona’s Mountain Empire, Patagonia offers travelers a respite at Patagonia Lake State Park, a destination for hiking, picnicking, bird tours and boating.

After a brief afternoon rest, the State Route 82 continues in to Nogales, Arizona. Travelers can spend the rest of their day exploring Arizona’s largest Mexican border town. Enjoy shopping or wandering in the town or head to Pena Blanca Lake for fishing and boating.

Southern Arizona’s premier, competition-level facility includes a giant water slide, a splash pad for children, a 25-yard recreation pool, classrooms for birthday parties, community meetings and CPR classes, and other family-friendly amenities.

With family changing facilities, heated pools, and an aquatic facility that’s open all year, what more could you ask for in a water recreational facility?

Oro Valley Aquatic Center is a proud partner of:

USA Swimming

Arizona Swimmiing

US Masters

Arizona Masters

USA Synchro

Tucson Synchro

SAAA

This golf course will make any golfer feel like they’re a professional. With its elevation ranging from 2,300 to 3,200 feet, golfers are sure to face challenges and must find ways to be creative in order to overcome them—just like the pros.

The course was developed by Jack Nicklaus. It contains 27 holes and blends naturally among the saguaros and the surrounding Tortolita Mountain Range. The Golf Club at Dove Mountain provides panoramic views with its luxurious and authentic desert experience.  Nicklaus has integrated solid strategy, variety and fair shot values that harmonize with the high desert elevation of 2,300 to 3,000 feet.

The Golf Club at Dove mountain is home of the PGA Tour’s World Golf Championships— Accenture Match Play Championship.

The 250-room Ritz-Carlton resort hotel is also located along the course, for those looking for some good R & R after a long day spent golfing!

A life of a miner has never been an easy one. Miners spend their days in darkness doing grueling labor at a menial salary. Being a miner requires much strength, endurance and willpower. The Copper Queen mine once hosted such hardworking men and today, the Bisbee mine remains open as a tourist destination.

The Copper Queen Mine was one of Bisbee’s richest mines that operated from 1877-1975. Visitors get to learn all about the mine and about the people who spent many hours within it during the Copper Queen Mine Tour. This tour allows visitors to step back into the past as they adorn a hard hat, miner’s headlamp and yellow slicker throughout the tour. Tour guides lead groups 1,500 feet into the mine and recount mining days, techniques, dangers and drama. Visitors will even get to experience first-hand what it was like to work underground.

Escape the Arizona heat by going down under and taking a tour into the incredible Kartchner Caverns.

Discovered in 1974, Kartchner Caverns is home to remarkable minerals and formations

The caverns are carved out of limestone and filled with spectacular speleothems which have been growing for 50,000 years or longer. This tourist site holds the world’s largest stalactite formation. (A stalactite is a type of formation that hangs from the ceiling of caves, hot springs, or manmade structures such as bridges and mines.)

The 23,000-square-foot Discovery Center is another must-see at Kartchner Caverns. The center explains many aspects of the cave, including geology, the bat population and paleontology. Interactive exhibits help to explain the discovery of the cave and how formations develop.

The Water Infrastructure Finance Authority of Arizona (WIFA) announced that the Town of Clarkdale was selected to receive both of WIFA’s Project of the Year awards. This is the first time in WIFA’s history that both the Clean Water (for wastewater infrastructure) and Drinking Water Project of the Year awards went to the same entity. A special awards presentation will take place at the Town of Clarkdale Council Meeting on March 25th.

The 2013 Clean Water Project of the Year was for Clarkdale’s Broadway Reclamation Facility, a $5.5 million infrastructure project to replace an outdated lagoon treatment system with a recycled and refurbished mechanical wastewater treatment facility. After it was determined that their original plans to construct a new plant were cost-prohibitive, Clarkdale officials decided to purchase and refurbish a decommissioned wastewater treatment plant from a subdivision in Surprise.

“What an incredibly innovative and sustainable solution to improve water infrastructure and protect water quality,” said WIFA Board Chairman Henry Darwin, who is also Director of the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality. “Clarkdale staff really thought outside the box on this one and deserve this award.”

The outdated lagoon system posed significant water quality threats to the adjacent Verde River, designated by Congress as a Wild and Scenic River. The new wastewater treatment plant is enclosed and eliminates any potential discharge to the Verde River. The project was selected based on the significant improvements made to protect water quality, the highly innovative practices employed and excellent project management.

The 2013 Drinking Water Project of the Year award was for Clarkdale’s Twin 5s Water Main Replacement project. Clarkdale borrowed $1.6 million from WIFA, which included $800,000 in forgivable principal, to replace and relocate two above-ground 5-inch steel water mains.

The 90-year old exposed water mains were vulnerable to natural disasters and introduction of chemical or biological agents. By implementing these improvements, the Town of Clarkdale has eliminated the security risk and resolved operation and maintenance issues. The project was selected for the award based on Clarkdale’s exceptional dedication to the project and the significant improvements made to protect public health.

Smithsonian Exhibit Journey Stories

The Smithsonian Exhibit “Journey Stories” is here to stay until April 5th, and residents of Sierra Vista are loving it.

Culture influences, automobile evolution, and what has driven Americans from coast to coast are just a few of the engaging topics covered at this unique presentation, which is open Monday-Saturday, free of charge, at the city’s Henry F. Hauser Museum.

The idea that “everyone has a story” is a central theme of Journey Stories. The tales of travel to America-whether in hopes of a better life, by force, or original settlement-carry significant impact in the country’s history and formation, and the continuing diversification of its modern-day culture.

The Exhibit is a collaboration between both the Smithsonian Institution and State Humanities Councils, and is made possible by Arizona Humanities Council. It has been displayed in nearly 100 communities located in 18 different states. Nancy Krieski, the Hauser Museum curator, was quite instrumental in pulling together the countless events and activities complementing the exhibit on its opening day. Engaging speakers, a variety educational entertainment, and local storytelling were among a lengthy list of other complementary attractions residents enjoyed on February 22. Krieski expressed gratitude and appreciation of volunteers and donors that made a memorable opening day possible.

Those who missed the excitement from the February exhibit opening needn’t worry, as there are a variety of complementary events scheduled until the end of March. Aviation & Military Enthusiasts will love the presentation of Douglas Army Air Field, previously “one of Arizona’s largest and most important training bases.” Railroad buffs will appreciate the upcoming “tales and truths” session about railroads in Cochise County, set to take place on March 15. A tour and presentation of the unique Camp Naco historic site will happen on March 29, and a delightful “Children’s Music Maker” workshop is scheduled for March 30.

For more information, call the Museum at 439.2306 or visit www.SierraVistaAZ.gov.

Phoenix City Clerk Cris Meyer was named the 2013 Clerk of the Year by the Arizona Municipal Clerks’ Association (AMCA) at its annual conference..  The Municipal Clerk of the Year award is given annually to a deserving candidate selected by the AMCA’s Executive Board to recognize an AMCA member who has made significant contributions to the profession.  In addition to advising clerks across the state, Meyer serves as the AMCA Legislative Committee Chair and does training on campaign finance law at each annual elections conference.

“Cris consistently finds new and improved ways of serving the public,” said former Phoenix City Manager David Cavazos.  “Those innovations have become models for other local governments.  He is a tremendous asset to the city of Phoenix and is well-deserving of this honor.”

Meyer has been involved in Phoenix elections in various capacities since he joined the city in 1985 and has participated in conducting more than 30 elections.  He has managed the development and implementation of Phoenix’s successful early voting by mail program that now accounts for more than 90 percent of all ballots cast.  Most recently, he managed the launch of the city’s innovative voting centers, which is the first in the nation to offer three days of voting, with one of those days being a Saturday.

He is the recipient of several public service awards, including the Governor’s Excellence Award in 1994 for coordinating a state interagency effort to better handle child support cases.  He also received a City Excellence Award in 2011 and 1997.

Meyer has a law degree from the University of Illinois and is a member of the Bar in Arizona and Illinois.  Prior to joining the city of Phoenix, he worked as a law clerk in federal district court and as assistant attorney general in the Arizona Attorney General’s Office.

Report identifies key performance metrics; promotes transparency and opportunities for increased efficiency

The town of Gilbert is pleased to present its first benchmark report, which is available online at http://www.gilbertaz.gov/home/showdocument?id=2862. Created as a component of the town’s performance management strategy, the report includes 83 measures across 17 departments, utilizing a total of 33 benchmarks in 15 states. Ten Arizona communities are listed as benchmarks.

Navigating the Report
Page 11 provides a map of the benchmark communities in each state; pages 12-15 include a matrix of the benchmarks and departments, as well as some high-level comparative data, such as median home value and per capita income. Department benchmarks begin on page 17.

Benchmark Uses and Benefit to Citizens
Benchmarks provide greater context to municipal operations and are a valuable tool in gauging performance. They allow a city or town to look outside its four walls to examine how it compares to other municipalities of similar size and function. Similarly, benchmarks offer citizens perspective on the various services their city or town provides. For example: How many acres of developed parks are in each community? What are average response times for fire and emergency services? How do local sales tax rates compare? What would an average monthly water bill cost?

These measures and many more are included in the report.

For the town of Gilbert, benchmarks were also designed to identify not only where the town is excelling, but also where the organization might look to incorporate demonstrated successes and process improvements that other organizations have explored.

As other cities and towns explore similar efforts, each will be able to share data and compare operations – all with the ultimate goal of determining the services and offerings that are best fit for each community. To that end, the town of Gilbert is a member of the Valley Benchmarking Cities group through the Alliance for Innovation and ASU, a group comprised of several Phoenix metropolitan area cities that meet monthly to share and discuss performance metric data. The member cities have been a tremendous help in sharing data and providing feedback on the Gilbert report. The town looks forward to continuing its work with this group.

Through these and other efforts, the town of Gilbert’s performance management strategy drives the organization to continually seek new opportunities to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of services.

Questions? Comments? Visit http://www.gilbertaz.gov/departments/management-budget.

In Apache Junction, George Hoffman serves as the City Manager. Serving his community since 1987, Hoffman is an excellent leader, implementing long-lasting improvements and holding high ethical standards. He has prepared the community for growth, positively positioned the community with a low level of bonded indebtedness and demonstrated that Apache Junction is a community on the forefront with the first LEED Certified municipal building in Arizona.

George has not only benefited the citizens of Apache Junction; he strives to ensure positive and proactive partnerships with the business community, as well as other government entities in the region. Hoffman said that as city employees, they are “blessed to have responsibility for an organization and for a community.” He said that they “do not ‘own’ the organization, but we have the opportunity to serve others and to leave an organization and a community better than when we started.”

For his leadership and dedication, George recently received the 2013 Dwight W. Patterson Lifetime Achievement Award from the East Valley Partnership.

City managers like George are some of the many people who make Arizona cities and towns work!