When the new Goodyear branch of the Maricopa County Library system is completed near the end of this year, it could include space for the business leaders of tomorrow to work and brainstorm through a partnership in an incubator program with Arizona State University.

During the Goodyear City Council work session on July 8, Tracy Lea, Venture Manager at Arizona State University’s SkySong incubator center unveiled its Alexandria Model, a program that is planned inside an approximate 1,000-square-foot room in the new Goodyear branch library to serve as an entrepreneur and innovation center for those pursuing ideas and business projects.

City leaders were excited to see the presentation for the program, which will help to provide entrepreneurs the tools, resources and mentors to get on the pathway of development. Goodyear City Council will vote on finalizing the agreement with ASU and the county for the center sometime after it returns from its summer break next month.

“We appreciate SkySong because we know of its successes,” Goodyear Mayor Georgia Lord said. “I’ve heard of and seen the successes there, and we look forward to having our successes here.”

Having a business “incubator” in Goodyear is one of City Council’s initiatives and the city’s Economic Development Department has been working with SkySong in south Scottsdale to make center a reality in Goodyear for six months.

SkySong’s Tracy Lea said the center also could have a military focus.  Luke expects to see $260 million of construction over the next decade and other support businesses are expected to open with the arrival of the F-35A fighter pilot training program next year.

During the meeting, Lea said, “The Alexandria Concept will create a wonderful pipeline for development.  “It’s been extraordinary working with this group of people in this city, and I believe this is such a rich environment for this to take flight. The West Valley has some amazing growth right now. Goodyear is creating a terrific growth pattern in and of itself.”

The library, budgeted at $1 million, will include 9,600-square-feet that will feature a 1,600-square-foot multi-purpose room in addition to the 8,000-square-feet of library space.

The library will replace the current one at North Litchfield Road and Van Buren Street.  Design work for the new library is on schedule to be completed by the end of July and construction beginning as early as August.

Florence Mayor Tom J. Rankin was voted in at the Wednesday, June 19th Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) Regional Council meeting as the newest member to MAG’s Transportation Policy Committee (TPC).  The vote was unanimous. Congratulations to Mayor Tom J. Rankin!

You can find more about Mayor Rankin’s new position below:

http://www.florenceaz.gov/index.php?option=com_acymailing&ctrl=archive&task=view&mailid=515&key=6908a5fbaec078dd9169d0bf8620051d&subid=201-a68755507547037c79ff6975bdc65886

The Valley Metro and Valley Metro Rail transit boards have chosen new officers for fiscal-year 2013-14.

The regional public transportation authority for Phoenix, Valley Metro elected as its board chairman Scott Somers, who is a Council member for Mesa, AZ. Also elected were Chandler Council Member Trinity Donovan as vice chairman and Avondale Council Member Jim McDonald as treasurer.

Valley Metro Rail, which operates, maintains and expands the light-rail system in the greater Phoenix area, has elected Shana Ellis chairman and Dennis Kavanaugh, vice chairman. Shana Ellis serves on the Tempe Council and Kavanaugh, on the Mesa Council.

Read more about The Valley Metro and Valley Metro Rail transit’s new officers here:

http://tempe.gov/index.aspx?page=31&recordid=1668&returnURL=%2findex.aspx%3fpage%3d185

Arizona Cities and Towns work year-round to produce events that bring together both residents and visitors alike to celebrate everything from major holidays to small-scale celebrations. Events are an important component of prosperous and viable communities: they attract tourism, enhance economic growth and create positive quality-of-life for residents. Throughout the next several months, cities and towns across Arizona will be hosting unique and exciting events. Here are a few you won’t want to miss: 

Sierra Vista – Hummingbird Banding

Hold tiny hummingbirds in your hands in Sierra Vista! From April through October, more than 10 species of hummingbirds migrate through Southern Arizona while en route from their tropical winter retreats or northern nesting grounds. Known as the “Hummingbird Capital of the United States,” Sierra Vista is home to two hummingbird banding sites, giving visitors an up-close and hands-on experience as researchers capture, band, record vital statistics, then release these brilliantly colored birds. Find a schedule and learn more at                          www.VisitSierraVista.com

Phoenix- Night Flight Golf

Grab your glow-in-the-dark golf clubs and head down to Palo Verde Golf Course. The Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department is offering golfers a unique way to escape the daytime heat this summer with night golf at the city’s Palo Verde 9-hole course. The course will be lined with glow lights and players will receive a glow necklace and glow ball. Each event will run in a tournament format as a four-person scramble and include fun prizes and a goodie bag for each player. For a full schedule of upcoming night golf outings and to register, visit www.phoenix.gov/golf.

Tempe – Healing Field

To remember and honor the nearly 3,000 victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, Tempe will hold the annual Healing Field Tribute at Tempe Beach Park. The public is invited to view the display of American flags representing the victims of that terrible day. A moving display of patriotism and unity, Tempe’s Healing Field Memorial is the nation’s longest consecutive running event.
Flags will be placed at Tempe Beach Park Tuesday, Sept. 10 through Saturday, Sept. 14. A memorial ceremony will be held at 5:40 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 11 and a candlelight vigil will be held at 7 p.m. that evening. For more information, visit www.Tempe.gov/HealingField

Avondale- Tres Rios Festival

The city of Avondale took one of its natural resources and turned it into an outdoor community celebration. The Tres Rios Nature Festival is one-of-a-kind, focusing on the rich diversity of wildlife, habitat, history and ecology of the Gila, Salt and Agua Fria Rivers. The festival, which began 10 years ago, is an exciting opportunity for the Avondale community and visitors to learn and embrace amazing wildlife habitat and history of these systems. Attendees can participate in boating, paddleboarding, fishing, archery, hiking and wildlife viewing. The Tres Rios Nature Fall Festival will be held on Oct. 26. Find out more at                                                                         http://www.TresRiosNatureFestival.com

July is National Park and Recreation Month! The National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) wants you and your community to celebrate parks and recreation! NRPA is encouraging the public to show how much fun parks and recreation are, while learning about the many benefits they bring to the community. There are several national initiatives planned to help accomplish that. Visit NRPA’s website below and tell them what you love about parks and recreation.

http://www.nrpa.org/july/?utm_source=Homepage&utm_medium=Coverflow&utm_content=ParkRecMo560x204&utm_campaign=Homepage_Coverflow_2013

In support of NRPA’s effort, AZ Cities @ Work is featuring Arizona’s cities and towns that help their communities stay active this summer. Read these articles to see why parks and recreation are so vital for our lives!

Find out how Tucson was recognized with rankings in two national top ten lists for bicycle friendliness! Great job Tucson!

http://cms3.tucsonaz.gov/announcement/tucson-ranks-top-10

Mesa Moving Forward: Mayor Scott Smith highlights the unique partnership between the City of Mesa and Mesa Public Schools

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3D1YgrM2zk&feature=youtu.be

Vote for your park! The search for America’s Favorite Park is on, and your votes could make the difference.

https://parks.livepositively.com/parks/index.html#findpark?searchterm=arizona

Flagstaff’s Recreation Department brings you Touch -A- Truck

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=644636342232902&l=b4f21175b2

By Donyelle Kesler, Digital Information Specialist

When Engineering Technician Salamatullah Sayeed looks at Queen Creek, he said he sees a community with enormous potential for growth and development. Those were things he also said he saw for himself with the opportunity to work with the town’s Development Services department.

“Queen Creek is a community growing at a very fast pace. With my academic background and experience, I felt I had a lot to offer and saw a great opportunity to be part of that expansion,” Sayeed said.

Since joining the town staff in January 2013, Sayeed has taken on a number of responsibilities. He reviews engineering plans and retention basins, issues encroachment permits, and works with custom home and general subdivision developments issuing permits throughout the construction phases. He works closely with Engineer Marc Palichuk, Senior Inspector Todd Sautter and other divisions to ensure operations run smoothly.

Sayeed received his bachelor’s degree in engineering in 2008 from Arizona State University. His previous work experience in the private sector and with the city of Tempe’s Public Works Engineering Division make him instrumental in the town’s efforts to be responsive to customers, according to Development Services Director Chris Anaradian.

“Sayeed is part of our next generation of technical specialists who will help us increase the quality of life for all in Queen Creek as the town experiences the next leap of growth and development,” Anaradian said. “He is providing the kind of added value that prevents problems from happening when they are on paper, before becoming costly delays on a construction site. Everyone benefits from that kind of assistance.”

“Having professional individuals like Sayeed working for our community makes us stronger as a town and a more appealing place for developers to build quality projects,” said Queen Creek Mayor Gail Barney. “We’re fortunate to have such qualified staff whose attention to detail is unwavering.”

Sayeed says the biggest challenge he’s faced since starting with the town was beginning work on a number of subdivision projects already in progress while still becoming familiar with the layout of the town. He says he is also looking forward to future projects he will have the opportunity to assist on, including working towards town plans for a possible hotel and public transportation.

“There’s lots of variety with my job that I really enjoy,” Sayeed said. “I like being able to take on multiple tasks and no two are the same, so I’m constantly interacting with different people. It keeps my job from being repetitive.”

Settling into his new position, Sayeed said one thing he has observed and enjoyed most about being part of the town staff is the dynamic among employees and their ability to work closely as a team no matter which department they belong to.

“With every department in one building and working so closely together I think it has a positive impact on the town,” Sayeed said. “It seems that everyone shares the same vision of where we want Queen Creek to be five, 10 years from now. We have people who have come from other places and know the challenges growing communities encounter and how to best deal with them and then there are people who have been here for a long time that really understand the community and can share their knowledge.”

How does your city help you? Watch The League of Arizona Cities and Town’s Communication and Education Director, Matt Lore, talk about the many different services and programs that are  available through your city.

By Martin Dickey, Special Event Division Manager, City of Glendale

Glendale has become a community known for its festivals. From its downtown holiday light display to a whole weekend dedicated to chocolate, the city’s festivals have garnered recognition around the state and the region. Annually, about 350,000 people visit Glendale to attend a festival. Attracting new and returning visitors to our city is the primary reason we plan these free, family-friendly festivals and continue to fund them moving forward. But the result of the decision to create these festivals nearly two decades ago is more complex than just bringing people here.

The benefits of putting on annual events like these are numerous. First and foremost is economic impact. In a 2010 International Festivals and Events (IFEA) study, it was determined that attendees’ spending at two weekend festivals contributed about $3 million annually to our economy. This represents the economic impact just two of our six annual events! Our festivals have not only branded our city as a visitor destination, but have also helped to revitalize our downtown. The independently-owned businesses that make up our downtown area have maintained their business through these events, and the area continues to attract high quality merchants. For example, a California couple visited during Glendale Glitters and loved the downtown so much that they opened a business here, a charming bed and breakfast in a historic building. Another business owner decided to open a hair and nail salon after attending one of the city’s signature events. Business owners know the amount of people that each festival brings will provide excellent exposure for them on an ongoing basis.

In addition, Glendale’s signature festivals give our residents and businesses a sense of pride in their community. People are proud of the city’s small town feel and many bring their out-of-town guests to the events. Other families make it their family tradition year after year. Some also have told us that they came as a child, and now they are bringing their children, so it truly has affected generations of our residents. Glendale’s festivals also play a role in giving back to the community. We partner with a civic organization that works our beverage sales for a portion of the proceeds which they, in turn, donate to many non-profit groups, students and other city programs that have a tremendous impact on residents.

Glendale Glitters

Mesa, Chandler, and Gilbert history museum advocates have teamed up together to form the East Valley Museum Coalition. Read this informative article describing the ways these east valley cities have come together to better share museum resources.

http://www.azcentral.com/community/mesa/articles/20130626sharing-history-way-future-museum.html

The city of Casa Grande launched a new website. The new site offers visitors an easier way of accessing information. Read below to find more information about the websites highlights and features. Your frequently searched items are now just a click or two away!

http://casagrandeaz.us/news/casa-grande-launches-new-website/