Opinion
www.SanTanSun.com
April 6 – 19, 2013
Community Commentary
Publisher’s Note
by Mayor Jay Tibshraeny
April in Chandler Remember when housing developments of 10 to 12 years ago felt like “war zones?” Roads were torn up, heavy trucks carried lumber, dirt and many other construction Laurie Fagen materials in and Photo by out and sounds of LightRainImages.com hammering could be heard from sunrise to sunset. The housing boom took its toll on our vehicles, too, as it was a common occurrence to get a flat tire from a nail on the street.
While it’s not quite the same, it’s good to see construction around the SanTan Sun area again, whether its apartments and multi-family homes off Arizona Avenue and Queen Creek Road, or the huge near-mansions going in at Fulton Ranch or the Paseo Linda community being built by Cachet Homes north of Ocotillo Road along Arizona Avenue. And to hear that houses are starting to sell again is also welcome news for many – including real estate agents – who have been waiting for market conditions to improve. Miriam Van Scott finds that home prices are going up, and the distressed properties that used to be on every corner are waning. Meanwhile, it’s budget time for the City of Chandler, and the results of a number of public meetings are on the City’s website at chandleraz. gov by clicking on “Government” and “Budget and CIP.” Chandler has always been dedicated to providing more parks than many cities, and Tracy House details some of the latest play areas being built. And it’s official: the new name for the
previous Holocaust & Tolerance Museum Project is Center for Holocaust Education & Human Dignity, a joint project of the East Valley Jewish Community Center and the City of Chandler, which is planned for the site next to EVJCC at Alma School and Ray roads. K.M. Lang writes about a Holocaust survivor, and we will let you know more about the Center as it’s built. It’s a good sign the economy is improving when restaurants and entertainment venues start opening again. Finally, a new eatery, Table 49, is open in the former Sautee restaurant on S. Alma School Road just north of Chandler Heights Road. That beautiful building has been shuttered for much too long, and we wish Chandler residents Sasha and Donna Cosic, owners of VaBene, the best of luck with their new venture. And I can see a lot of SanTan Sun area families heading down to Maricopa this summer – when it’s hot outside but cool inside the UltraStar Multi-tainment Center at Ak-Chin Circle. It’s an amazing place and not that far of a drive. Alarming statistics and new information about concussions have been in the news of late, so Alison Stanton checks in with a neurosurgeon, i9 sports and the CUSD athletic director for how we can keep our kids healthy in the latest SanTan Family Fun cover story. We welcome Executive Editor Shanna Hogan, an award-winning journalist and author, to the SanTan Sun team, as well as another awardwinning journalist, Christina Fuoco-Karasinski as editor. We have a lot of resources at our fingertips with the Times Media Group and look forward to continuing the growth of this newspaper that Geoff and I have built over the past 13 years. I am humbled by the outpouring of love and sympathy this past month following Geoff’s death. Thank you to the many who contacted us, and to all those whose lives Geoff touched. A reminder that a celebration of Geoffrey Dean Hancock’s life will be held from 3 to 5 p.m. Sun., April 7 at Valley Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 6400 W. Del Rio St., off Ray and McKemy roads in Chandler. Visit the Facebook pages for Geoffrey Dean Hancock or SanTan Sun News for details and where online condolences may be made. Thank you, dear readers, for your continued support.
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Some people believe the term “spring cleaning” comes from Persia. It is when families would perform “khooneh tekouni” – where everything in the house was thoroughly cleaned before the first day of spring – which also marked the Persian New Year. Here in Chandler, spring is the perfect time to do a little cleanup of your wellness routine. If Mayor Jay Tibshraeny you do not have a regimen for sustained health, think about starting one. If you do have a routine, maybe shake it up a little. The perfect place to start is the Mayor’s Health Connect Expo, set to take place from 9 a.m. to noon Sat., April 6 at the Tumbleweed Recreation Center, located at Tumbleweed Park, 745 E. Germann Rd., on the southwest corner at McQueen Road. Chandler has plenty to offer in terms of wellness and fitness, but my Health Connect initiative is also aimed at connecting residents with resources to make sure they also have good mental health and strong finances. With all the products and services on the market geared toward fitness and a more productive lifestyle, it can get a little confusing on just how and where to jumpstart your new devotion to a more fit routine. That is why we have brought together an array of displays, vendors and more, to help you make some new and healthy choices. The Tumbleweed Recreation Center – which is celebrating its fifth anniversary of delivering fitness opportunities to the community – will buzz with demonstrations, speakers and more than 30 nonprofit organizations and retailers. I will even help lead a cycling class in the courtyard at 10 a.m. Demonstrations include cooking, tennis, Zumba and other dance workouts and more. Vendors will represent a broad range of health and wellness establishments and organizations in Chandler. We are also lining up some speakers to hit on some critical Health Connect topics that include parenting, wills and trusts, depression and aging. There will also be plenty of giveaways and, best of all, the event is free! Our city public safety personnel will be on hand to offer free child car safety seat checks, provide CPR training and EZ Child I.D. kits. You can also get wellness checks for the whole family and oral screenings and fluoride varnishes for the kids. A critical part of last year’s Health Connect launch was a prescription drug card we have made available to the public at no cost. The card helps to save an average of nearly 60% on prescription drug fills at virtually any pharmacy in Chandler and has proved to be very popular with residents. The cards will also be available at the Expo – just visit the Coast@Coast RX table. For the first several hundred who attend, we have free T-shirts that are customizable to match your commitment to better health. The Expo is co-sponsored by our good friends at Dignity Health, and Chandler Regional Medical Center CEO Tim Bricker has graciously agreed to join me in leading the cycling class. For more details, go to chandleraz.gov/connect.
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