Ahwatukee Foothills News - June 17, 2020

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Club West course’s future could face months of delay

BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor

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hearing next week could put the future of Club West’s beleaguered golf course in limbo until at least October – and possibly much longer.

During an hour-long argument before Superior Court Judge Daniel Kiley on Monday, lawyers for the nonprofit Club West Conservancy and the HOA’s board agreed to an Oct. 5 hearing on an injunction that would block any homeowners’ vote on changing the course’s use pending a trial on the Conservancy’s lawsuit against the board.

If the injunction is granted, a trial likely

would not occur before February, Kiley indicated Monday.

That schedule hinges on the outcome of a June 22 hearing before Kiley on the HOA board’s request to dismiss the Conservancy’s lawsuit. Kiley also wanted to know by then if the board would agree to take no further action related to the course until that Oct. 5 injunction hearing.

The Conservancy claims the HOA board illegally assumed the “declarant rights” that enable it to determine how Club West homeowners would vote on the course’s future.

The board has countered that the Conservancy, comprising a group of Club West homeowners who oppose any plan for houses on

March for unity

SELLER STRONG

the site, has no legal standing to sue the board.

The Conservancy’s suit accuses the board of illegal actions that put the course’s ultimate fate in the hands of 31 percent of Club West’s 2,400 homeowners – with just over half of that percentage needed for approving a change in use.

The Conservancy contends any change requires the approval of three-quarters of all homeowners.

In an affidavit filed last week with the court, board President Mike Hinz said that had it not obtained the declarant rights, “a developer or group of bad actors could theoretically take

see WEST page 15

Kyrene jumps to head of class with digital campus

BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor

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The basketball teams from Desert Vista and Mountain Pointe high schools led a march for unity and to protest police brutality against people of color last Wednesday, drawing about 300 supporters who walked from one school to the other. For a report, see page 4. (Pablo Robles/AFN Staff Photographer)

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yrene School District may have jumped to the head of the class in dealing with the tricky issue of reopening campuses.

Not only did Superintendent Dr. Jan Vesely last week roll out a comprehensive reopening plan, but her unveiling of the Kyrene Digital Academy – aimed at statewide student recruitment – sent shudders through some East Valley districts.

In those districts, educators privately expressed concerns over a new competitor to worry about in the ever-present quest to maintain and increase enrollment, the key compo-

The latest breaking news and top local stories in Ahwatukee!

www.ahwatukee.com

see DIGITAL page 11

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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | JUNE 17, 2020

NEWS

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | JUNE 17, 2020

The Ahwatukee Foothills News is published every Wednesday and distributed free of charge to homes and in single-copy locations throughout Ahwatukee Foothills.

Times Media Group: 1620 W. Fountainhead Parkway, Suite 219 Tempe, Arizona, 85282 Main number: 480-898-6500 Advertising: 480-898-5624 Circulation service: 480-898-5641

PUBLISHER Steve T. Strickbine

VICE PRESIDENT Michael Hiatt

ADVERTISING STAFF National Advertising Director Zac Reynolds 480-898-5603 zac@ahwatukee.com

Advertising Sales Representatives: Karen Mays, 480-898-7909, kmays@ahwatukee.com Laura Meehan, 480-898-7904, lmeehan@ahwatukee.com

Classified:

Elaine Cota, 480-898-7926, ecota@ahwatukee.com

Circulation Director:

Aaron Kolodny 480-898-5641, customercare@ahwatukee.com

NEWS STAFF Executive Editor:

Paul Maryniak, 480-898-5647, pmaryniak@ahwatukee..com

GetOut Editor:

Christina Fuoco-Karasinski, 480-641-4518, christina@timespublications.com

Sports Editor:

Zach Alvira 480-898-5630, zalvira@timespublications.com

Designer: Ruth Carlton - rcarlton@timespublications.com

Production Coordinator:

Courtney Oldham 480-898-5617 production@timespublications.com

Reporters:

Jim Walsh, 480-898-5639 jwalshe@ahwatukee.com Wayne Schutsky, 480-898-6533 wschutsky@timespublications.com Cecilla Chan. 480-898-5613, cchan@timespublications.com Ahwatukee Foothills News is distributed by AZ Integrated Media, a circulation service company owned by Times Media Group. The public is permitted one copy per reader. For further information regarding the circulation of this publication or others in the Times Media Group family of publications, and for subscription information, please contact AZ Integrated Media at circ@azintegratedmedia.com or 480-898-5641. For circulation services please contact Aaron Kolodny at aaron@ azintegatedmedia.com.

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Our policy is not to run anonymous letters. Please keep the length to 300 words. Letters will be run on a space-available basis. Please send your contributions to pmaryniak@ahwatukee.com.

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The Ahwatukee Foothills News expresses its opinion. Opinions expressed in guest commentaries, perspectives, cartoons or letters to the editor are those of the author.

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Letters on Tempe Union SROs expressed various concerns

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BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor

T

he letters sent to Tempe Union High School officials demanding the reallocation of $450,000 earmarked for school resource officers at four high schools – including Desert Vista and Mountain Pointe – weren’t just related to the nationwide protests over police departments’ treatment of people of color.

The letters have provoked a study by Tempe Union officials – and a broad community debate – after Tempe Union Government Board members Andres Barraza and Brian Garcia to move on June 3 that the money be immediately reallocated to counselors and mental health officials.

That move was defeated, however, by the three other board members, who agreed to Superintendent Dr. Kevin Mendivil’s request for time to talk with police, principals and other parties in advance of a full consideration of SROs at the four schools at one of the board’s meetings in July.

In demanding the money immediately be allocated, Garcia cited some 360 letters that he and other district officials had received asking that the positions not be funded.

The SRO positions at the two Ahwatukee schools as well as Corona del Sol and McClintock, had been funded by state grants. But the state took that money away after more districts applied for the grants when the Legislature okayed their use for social workers, counselors and psychologists instead of SROs. Up until the June 3 meeting, the district had planned to fund the positions itself, but Garcia and Barraza made impassioned pleas for funding counselor positions.

While some letters did address the issue of uniformed officers on campus, others cited a need for counselors – but just not because of mental health concerns.

For example, one Mountain Pointe alumnus wrote about the need for counselors to assist students in getting into college, lamenting “how unprepared we were for college applications.”

“We believe Mountain Pointe failed us by not having enough counselors to explain to each student their college options,” the alumnus wrote. “I was fortunate enough to play a sport in high school and that is how I made my final college decision. However, many of my friends could have attended high ranking institutions but were not given the proper resources, nor the encouragement to reach for these higher schools.

“I remember our campus resource officer and have

see SROS page 6

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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | JUNE 17, 2020

During the march in Ahwatukee last week, some of the speakers included, above, from left: Pride basketball Coach Kaimarr Price, Thunder basketball Coach Gino Crump and Desert Vista alumnus Caleb Simmons; bottom left: county supervisor candidate Jevin Hodge; and bottom right: Tempe Union Governing Board President Berdetta Hodge. (Pablo Robles/AFN Staff Photographer)

Thunder, Pride march together as ‘Rivals for Justice’

BY ZACH ALVIRA AFN Sports Editor

A

pair of Ahwatukee rivals teamed up to raise awareness for social injustice both in Arizona and across the country last Wednesday, peacefully marching through the streets.

Members of the Ahwatukee community and others in the surrounding area joined the boys’ basketball teams from Desert Vista and Mountain Pointe for the “Rivals for Justice,” an initiative created by the two head coaches of the teams to raise awareness concerning police brutality.

“We wanted to do something peaceful in the community,” Desert Vista head boys basketball coach Gino Crump said. “The thought was, if we get our rival, our sworn enemy, to come together for a good cause it would be a good thing for the community.”

Crump and Mountain Pointe basketball coach Kaimarr Price brainstormed the idea just two weeks prior to the march.

Crump initially thought it would only involve about 50 people, which included players and their families. However, as word quickly spread on social media, more members of the community and the boys’ basketball team from South Mountain joined in.

A crowd of nearly 300 people left the

Mountain Pointe parking lot with Price leading the way. The group peacefully marched through the streets of Ahwatukee with the help of an escort from Phoenix Police.

Cars passing by honked in support of the group along their 4.6-mile journey.

“It’s encouraging,” Price said of the support. “Being from Ahwatukee myself, it’s great to see the community embracing change, embracing unity. That’s a huge thing to me. I love it.”

The premise of the march stemmed from other protests that have sparked across the country since George Floyd, an African American man, was killed by Minneapolis police after an officer knelt on the back of his neck for nearly 9 minutes. In a widely seen video of his death, Floyd can be heard pleading to officers to relieve pressure, saying repeatedly, “I can’t breathe.”

Floyd’s death, along with the slaying of Phoenix native Dion Johnson at the hands of Department of Public Safety officers on the same day, resulted in numerous protests across the Phoenix area, many of which called for police reform and for social justice and racism.

Malik Mack, who is heading into his senior season at Desert Vista, said he immediately wanted to be involved when he heard about the “Rivals for Justice” march.

“I was kind of surprised how we would set it up between DV and Mountain Pointe, but it all came together, and we all had a nice time,” Mack said. “When two rivals come together for something like this, it shows how powerful it really is and how strong the black community and everyone believes in creating a better future.”

Mark Brown, who started as a freshman last season for Mountain Pointe, was caught off guard by the amount of people that attended the march. He was equally surprised to see a number of young children.

“It’s great that everybody came out to support,” Brown said. “I didn’t think it was going to be this many, to be honest.

We all thought this was a great thing we were doing.”

Custom shirts were made for all the players and families to wear during the march.

The shirts donned both school logos and the name of the event. Others in the group wore custom shirts, some with the phrase, “I can’t breathe” in bold lettering.

Many in the group also carried homemade signs that were similar to ones seen on national television during large protests in Phoenix and other cities across the country.

It took the group nearly two hours to complete the walk, which took them along 48th Street and Chandler Boulevard, two

of the busiest streets in Ahwatukee. Water stations were set up along the route where water bottles were handed out. Many of those involved wore masks or other protective face coverings.

When the group reached the park, a number of people spoke to the group. Alumni of both schools, including Maricopa County Board of Supervisors candidate Jevin Hodge spoke to the group. Some speakers shared their own stories of racial profiling, while others offered word of encouragement to continue fighting for change.

Tempe Union High School District Assistant Superintendent of District Operations, Safety and Student Support also spoke along with district governing board President Berdetta Hodge, who praised the group for what they had accomplished in bringing a voice to the Ahwatukee community.

“I want to tell you guys how proud I am to see you here,” Hodge said while addressing the group. “If no one stands up for it, you need to stand up for it because you have to tell us what to do because we haven’t done a good job. I was out here protesting the same way in the 90s when Rodney King got beat up by the police. It still hasn’t changed and we haven’t figured out that problem. Maybe it’s up to you guys.

“I’m so proud of you guys.”

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | JUNE 17, 2020

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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | JUNE 17, 2020

SROS from page 3

no ill will towards him. I also have no recollection of a way in which he improved my life,” he added.

A former Mountain Pointe valedictorian echoed that theme, stating “During my time at Mountain Pointe, I learned firsthand that support counselors mean the world to the students they impact. My own counselor was instrumental in encouraging me to push myself academically and she was there to talk me through difficult decisions and help me overcome challenges along the way.”

There were concerns about mental health – as well as about what some writers felt was the intimidating presence of uniformed, armed police on campus.

Several Desert Vista graduates noted the numerous pleas for counselors made two years ago to the Governing Board by then-senior and current Arizona State University sophomore and Tempe Union board candidate Armando Montero.

“For almost two years,” one Thunder grad wrote, students and recent graduates “have expressed concern for the lack of resources our district has dedicated

to mental health. This is not just due to the popularity of wanting more mental health resources among students but also the reality of the situation at hand.”

Spending the money on SROs, one letter said, would “stress discipline over learning” and said “the presence of officers only increases the anxiety of students.”

Another Desert Vista grad wrote, “We brought petitions to the district and publicly spoke at meetings but did not see real change. Instead, students and parents continue to be greeted by a police officer when they walk into the Desert Vista Office. I hope all of you have thought of the symbolism behind this fact. Students are not greeted with a school that feels safe and inclusive, but rather militaristic and threatening. For students of color, this poses an even worse reality.”

A parent wrote that counselors would “develop critical thinking skills necessary to do and be good in their communities and at school while an officer who threatens violence or incarceration will lead the children to believe they are under surveillance and need to be forcibly controlled to have good conduct.”

One former speech and debate coach

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blasted the SRO at McClintock, saying that the unidentified officer once walked into a class and “calmly expressed to us why Darren Wilson was justified in murdering Michael Brown. I hope it is clear, given our environment today, just how wrong, insidious and harmful that was.”

Wilson in 2014 was a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, who fatally shot the 18-year-old African American, stating the victim was advancing at him during an encounter. The shooting sparked a wave of demonstrations, though the U.S. Justice Department cleared the officer of wrongdoing.

The writer went on to state, “TUHSD has a moral duty to immediately begin lessening police presence on all campuses.”

The letters were not just local, either.

Some graduates who have since moved out of Arizona wrote the district.

One Desert Vista grad now living in New York City said many high school students suffer anxiety that continues well after they graduate and said that alone underscored the need for more people who could address mental health.

But others combined both the need for more attention to mental health with

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what they termed the SROs’ “intimidating” presence.

“Like most high school students, I struggled with mental health and had few resources to cope,” one writer said.

“While I did not have the opportunity to seek a counselor at school, I did periodically see our School Resource Officer roaming campus. Seeing the officer’s presence on campus never made me feel safer or protected -- it only made me feel anxious and distrusted.

“The students who interacted with the SRO were rarely given guidance, resources, and tools to address their root problems. Usually, they were punished, scared, and reprimanded. TUHSD students deserve resources to treat the underlying causes of disruptive behavior.”

It’s likely the districts will be seeing letters supporting the SROs’ continued presence, given the reaction on social media to AFN’s report last week about the Governing Board’s June 3 meeting.

A number of posts said SROs at Mountain Pointe and Desert Vista actually help students while others suggested that school shootings remain a threat when campuses reopen.

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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | JUNE 17, 2020

Ducey signs 2 Bowie suicide prevention bills

AFN NEWS STAFF

S

tate Sen. Sean Bowie’s efforts to extend suicide prevention training for school personnel recently got a boost from Gov. Doug Ducey, who signed two bills the Ahwatukee Democrat introduced during the last legislative session.

Ducey signed SB 1445, which extends Bowie’s Mitch Warnock Act from last year to include suicide prevention training in all university and community college training programs for students studying to be school counselors or social workers.

SB 1446, which goes into effect the fall 2021, requires all high schools, universities and community colleges to issue student ID cars that include a suicide prevention hotline number.

While many school districts, including Tempe Union, have already been issuing ID cards with suicide prevention hotline numbers and related information, Bowie said the bill was significant because “the bigger impact is at the university and

State Sen. Sean Bowie’s two latest bills, signed by Gov. Doug Ducey, extend training mandates in suicide prevention for school personnel. (AFN file photo)

community college level.”

“Now all student ID cards at ASU and

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the other universities will have this information,” he said, adding it “will impact hundreds of thousands of students annually.”

The Mitch Warnock Act is named after Mountain Pointe High School Teacher Lorie Warnock’s son, a senior at Corona del Sol High School who was lost to suicide in 2016.

That bill, which takes effect in the coming school year requires all school personnel who interact with students from sixth through 12th grade get training in recognizing suicidal signs and knowing what to do in terms of getting students help.

The new bill signed by Ducey extends that concept to university and community college training programs for school counselors and social workers, who may not necessarily be able to recognize suicidal tendencies or know what to do when they see them.

Both new bills had wide bipartisan support, as did the Mitch Warnock Act last year. “We faced very little opposition to either bill, which I was excited about,”

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Bowie said.

With numerous education and other experts expressing concern over the impact of the pandemic and campus closures on students’ mental health, Bowie said both measures have taken on even greater importance – even though he introduced them before COVID-19 had become a major problem in the U.S. “Many students can’t see a counselor or social worker at the moment,” Bowie said, “so those resources will be really important for students once school resumes this fall.”

GOT NEWS? Contact Paul Maryniak at 480-898-5647 or pmaryniak@ timespublications.com

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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | JUNE 17, 2020

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NEWS

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | JUNE 17, 2020

DIGITAL from page 1

nent in the formula that determines the level of districts’ state funding.

Asked whether Kyrene will aggressively market the Digital Academy, spokeswoman Erin Helm told AFN: “Anything new in Kyrene, but particularly a whole new school, will definitely have an information campaign behind it. The Kyrene Digital Academy has been developed, first and foremost, as a response to a need within our existing Kyrene community, as families are seeking educational options that do not require them to send children to school in-person.

“While that is the school’s initial purpose, it is open to any child in the State of Arizona, and will be marketed beyond Kyrene’s immediate geographic boundaries, to ensure all families have the information they need about this new school.”

Kyrene’s overall reopening plan allows students back into its 25 campuses under a wide range of restrictions meant to keep them and teachers as safe as possible from COVID-19 while also providing two kinds of distance-learning options.

It beat virtually all East Valley districts in having a comprehensive plan ready to roll for the 2020-21 school year.

Although a reopening update is on the Tempe Union Governing Board agenda for its meeting tonight, June 17, a district spokeswoman said a formal plan was not likely before the end of the month.

Chandler Unified, Mesa Public Schools and Gilbert’s two districts also are not expected to have plans in place before next month.

Kyrene Governing Board member Michelle Fahy wanted more discussion on the plan to eliminate fall break – one of several scheduling changes that include cancelling early-release Wednesdays for 2020-21.

kids in brick-andmortar classes learn.

To be eligible for enrollment, families are required to have internet access, although the district will supply them with a laptop only the student can use – and only for school work.

While Kyrene may try to help in-district families who can’t afford internet service get plugged into an Robert Truman was part of Kyrene’s extensive deep-cleaning of all its campuses and online service, the district offices earlier this year and new safety protocols will be in order for students current requirewho return to campuses. (Special to AFN) ment for enrollBut board members generally were en- ment is that a family have online capabilthusiastic about Kyrene’s plan. ity.

Kyrene parents must now choose one of Under no circumstances will families three options for the new school year at living outside the district be helped with Kyrene.org/staystrong so that the district internet service if they want to enroll in will know how to allocate its staff. the Digital Academy, administrators told One option is returning to school, where the board last week. social-distancing concerns will keep K-8 Board President Michael Myrick said students in the same classroom all day the Digital Academy could dramatically and teachers will rotate in and out for core increase enrollment – and, hence, state subjects and electives. funding.

The “flex” option allows model that es“I think what we’re proposing for this sentially allows students to continue dis- distance partner is going to be very attractance learning at home and transition tive to a number of families outside of the back to campuses at intervals that the dis- country in school district,” Myrick said. trict will be setting.

“I’m predicting we’re going to have – But it’s the Digital Academy that cre- and I hope I’m right – a boom of out-ofated excitement among board members – district students but in-state residents and trepidation for some of the district’s who choose that model for all the reasons neighbors. that were outlined,” he said.

The academy will offer specially trained Those reasons, said Pueblo Middle Kyrene teachers with a curriculum devel- School Principal Dr. Kyle Ross, “will distinoped by the district that will mirror what guish us from other options that are avail-

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They include dedicated teachers who will be with students throughout the year and interacting live with them as well as a curriculum that mirrors that which is taught in classrooms and “not online content purchase from a vendor,” Ross said.

Ross noted that feedback the district received from its distance learning the last three months indicated that students didn’t have much connection with the online teachers because they weren’t the teachers they had prior to closure.

“The first aspect is that these will be Kyrene teachers,” he said, who will be “trained in the Kyrene instructional model, curriculum and the new professional development for online instruction. These teachers will be the teachers of these students.”

There also will be no difference between brick-and-mortar and online classes, he said, stressing, “What our students who are sitting on one of our campuses are learning in a given week, our online students will be learning.”

And the interaction will be robust, he said.

“Students will digitally interact with their teachers and other students and large groups, small groups and one-on-one activities – just as they would on campus using new and updated digital learning resources developed by our Kyrene staff,” Ross said.

“We will be offering all of our core courses, of course, as well as the same lessons and activities for social-emotional learning that our brick-and-mortar students will receive, he continued, adding: “In addition, we’ll be offering special areas and electives for students as well as providing services and accommodations for those students who require them – such as special education and gifted.”

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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | JUNE 17, 2020

Phoenix Council OKs $3M for police oversight of�ice “Our community is asking us to reconsider how we invest in them – let’s look at this moving forward,” Garcia said. “We have the opportunity now to change the way we’ve been doing things. What does it say about us leaders when we continue to ignore what the community is asking for?”

But DiCiccio apologized to police as he cast his vote, calling the oversight funding “completely unnecessary” for a force he said is “exceptional.”

“I’m sorry what’s happening today, my apologies to you,” DiCiccio said. “I’m just sorry that you’re being treated the way you are. It’s completely unnecessary you’ve done everything right.”

DiCiccio and Councilmember Jim Waring cast the only votes against the budget.

Nowakowski, Stark and Williams had voted against the increased funding for the oversight office during a six-hour budget hearing two weeks ago that heard testimony from close to 200 witnesses, many of them calling for sharp reductions to the police budget.

But council members were swayed

BY FARAH ELTOHAMY Cronkite News

D

espite Ahwatukee Councilman Sal DiCiccio’s opposition, the Phoenix City Council last week approved a sharp increase in funding for a new police oversight office Monday, after first making sure that the extra funds would not cut into a planned 1 percent pay raise for city workers.

The 7-2 vote raised funding for the new Office of Accountability and Transparency from the original $400,000 to $3 million in the fiscal 2021 budget. At the same time, council members also rejected calls from speakers at a hearing last week to slash police funding, as protests over the deaths of George Floyd and Dion Johnson in police custody raged.

Councilmember Carlos Garcia criticized the police department’s $745 million budget, which he called “historically disproportionate” to other parts of the government.

While police see $20 million increases in their budget, Garcia said, only $68 million is allocated to community services.

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Monday after being assured that funds to boost the accountability office will come from remaining federal COVID-19 savings and would not affect the 1 percent pay raise for city workers included in the fiscal 2021 budget.

“I’ll be the first one on your ass if you guys come back and say we don’t have enough money and we’re going to have to renegotiate furloughs and talk about layoffs,” Nowakowski said.

Joe Clure, executive director of the Arizona Police Association, said Monday that civilian oversight is “not unheard of” in Arizona, pointing to a Tucson oversight board that’s been in place for three decades.

But he said he does worry that the Phoenix board could develop into a situation where “officers are likely to be persecuted and prosecuted based on political agendas and most likely will result in a loss of their due process.”

Protesters at last week’s hearing had demanded that the police budget be cut by 25%, with the savings distributed to other community programs and services.

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Except for Garcia’s remarks, the council brushed past those demands in Monday’s hearing, devoting most of the hearing to expanded funding for the oversight office.

Still, Viri Hernandez, the executive director of Poder in Action, credited the vote to the work of black and brown community organizers, who she said have spent years pushing for an oversight board and holding police accountable.

“At the same time, we know that this is not enough,” she said. “We know that civilian oversight is not going to stop the killing of black people and the abuse that we’re seeing in communities of color.”

Hernandez said the fight isn’t over yet, and she and other community organizers will continue to advocate for defunding the police and demand that the city reallocate money to programs that keep communities of color “healthy and safe.”

Andre Miller, a pastor at New Beginnings Christian Church, said he does “not necessarily agree with” the call for defunding police departments. But he said

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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | JUNE 17, 2020

NEWS

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | JUNE 17, 2020

WEST from page 1

control of the association board of directors and unilaterally amend the golf course declaration to allow for development of the entire golf course.”

“Plaintiff falsely asserts that the purpose of the 2018 amendment was to reduce the percentage of approval by the association members from 75% of all owners to a majority 31% of the owners to ratify” a change in the course’s use, Hinz stated.

His affidavit states that the original declarant rights would have allowed a change to the site’s use if only 10 percent of the homeowners.

“To date, no proposal or plan for development of the golf course has been submitted or placed on the agenda for a vote by the board of directors,” Hinz’s affidavit also states, adding: “The board is unaware of any proposal by the current owner of the golf course that is to be presented to the community at an open meeting of the members.”

Comprising four local investors, The Edge earlier this month bought the course from Wilson Gee. The board issued a statement to residents when The Edge closed the deal on June 1 that said the new owners had renamed the course “The Park at Club West” and that they intended “a limited amount of development and a maximum amount of open space.”

Conservancy attorney Francis Slavin told the judge that “without your intervention, there’s a likelihood that the defendants and the Edge Group will continue along the path to convert the golf course to non-golf usage.

“We think it’s time for there to be a status quo put in place, allow us to develop this case, come forward in a preliminary injunction hearing and ultimately a trial and have it determined that the actions of the defendants do not allow for the golf course to be converted to non-golf use.”

“My client’s objectives are to block real estate speculators and profit seekers from destroying the Ahwatukee golf

course,” Slavin said.

Kiley rejected the Conservancy’s request for a temporary restraining order after attorney Scott Carpenter, representing the HOA board, said that Slavin’s request was so broad that it would prevent the board from even talking The Edge or with city Councilman Sal DiCiccio.

He contended The Edge is a member of the HOA like any homeowner – a contention that Conservancy attorney Francis Slavin disputes.

“What we have here is a dead golf course,” Carpenter argued. “It’s upsetting.

It’s upsetting to the city. It’s upsetting to the owners around the golf course. The club West Conservancy owners are upset.

Foothills Club West, my client is upset.

The board of directors are upset.

“The idea of enjoining Foothills Club West and the board from dealing with the dead golf course does not solve anyone’s problem the wording of Mr. Slavin’s request,” he said.

“This would ban me from calling Sal DiCiccio, the Phoenix city councilperson

who has been involved in this project, who’s been trying to get this problem solved for everyone involved. And the idea that the board of directors cannot talk to a city councilperson or mayor about a dead golf course is something we need to take seriously and be careful about.”

Slavin countered that nothing prevented the board from talking to city officials about getting cheaper water to the site – the issue which basically prompted Gee to first close the course in 2016.

Kiley agreed with Carpenter’s description of Slavin’s request for a restraining order, saying he would need more evidence and a persuasive interpretation of the First Amendment to persuade him to ban the board from talking to the Edge about its plans for the course.

But he also indicated that unless he grants the HOA board’s dismissal motion, he would expect it would not move on The Edge’s plan until he rules on the injunction request after the October hearing.

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NEWS

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | JUNE 17, 2020

Despite more virus cases, Ducey looking forward

BY HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services

G

ov. Doug Ducey said last week he does not intend to impose new restrictions on Arizonans or require wear masks despite more people contracting COVID-19.

Ducey’s press briefing last Thursday came as three Chandler restaurants and several in Phoenix announced temporary closures because some of their employees contracted the virus.

The Chandler restaurants included Hash Kitchen, Floridino’s Pizza and SanTan Brewing Company.

Floridino’s issued a statement saying that the employee who tested positive had not had any customer contact.

SanTan Brewing Company reopened Sunday, saying it had “thoroughly sanitized” its Chandler and Phoenix locations after two employees tested positive.

Ducey said at his press briefing, “We’re seeing increasing cases” – a statement underscored by the state Department of

Health Services showing a record 3,726 patients in Arizona hospitals – 10 percent of the 35,691 confirmed cases in the state, The day after his press briefing, the department reported a record 1,654 new cases.

So far there have been 1,186 deaths.

The governor rebuffed a question of whether he would consider re-imposing some of the restrictions he first put in place in March, stating, “It’s not Gov. Doug Ducey said he wears a mask when he goes shopping and encourages all residents to wear them in public. Maricopa County officials separately have under discussion.’’ urged masking whenever people leave their homes. (Capitol Media Services) “We’re going to continue our gradual and phased-in reopen- that had previously been imposed were ing,’’ the governor said. “We will balance designed to ensure that Arizona had public health with public safety.’’ enough hospital capacity to deal with an State Health Director Cara Christ put outbreak. a finer point on it, saying the measures And now?

“We know that it’s in the community,’’ she said.

“We are not going to be able to stop the spread,’’ Christ continued. “And so, we can’t stop living as well.’’

Ducey acknowledged that his efforts have had a two-pronged approach.

“This has always been about saving lives,’’ he said. And it’s also about livelihoods in the state of Arizona. We’re going to do this in a balanced and responsible way for the people of Arizona.’’

Christ separately acknowledged that there have been some “hot spots,’’ or places in the state where the virus has spread quicker than elsewhere. But Ducey rejected the possibility of giving city and county officials the options of imposing their own restrictions.

“I believe that the government that is closest to the people is best – except in a global pandemic,’’ he said.

“We want to have clarity and consistency for our citizens,’’ Ducey said. “And

ure since records were released.

ICU bed use by coronavirus patients is at 413, with a record 846 patients seen in emergency rooms.

Overall, the health department reported another 1,556 new cases, bringing the statewide total to 29,582. There also were 25 deaths, putting the tally at 1,095.

Noble said the key to the partisan divide may be the messaging that comes from leaders of both parties.

“For example, when you’re talking about the whole ‘fake news’ thing, when you’re looking among Republicans they’re the ones that probably believe that the most,’’ he said.

“Well, who’s talking about that?’’ Noble continued. “Trump. And he’s got a massive megaphone.’’

He said this partisan divide on COVID-19 is not just here in Arizona.

Overall, Noble said, it has largely been the states with Democratic leaders that have imposed the greatest restrictions in efforts to curb the spread of the virus. By contrast, he said, states led by Republicans also are “health conscious, but, hey, we

need to get the economy back on track.’’

Noble conducted the survey of 600 likely voters last week, about two weeks after Gov. Doug Ducey dissolved his stayat-home order and lifted closures for most businesses, albeit with recommendations on things like social distancing.

But even at that point, he found that 49 percent of those asked still believed the state is acting too quickly in removing restrictions, versus 34 percent who contend the state is moving too slowly and is risking hurting the economy.

Yet 19 percent of those questioned strongly approve of how Ducey is handling the COVID-19 situation, with another 40 percent saying they somewhat approve.

Noble said that may change when he does his next survey the first week of July.

He pointed out there has been extensive publicity in the past week about a spike in the number of cases as well as a sharp increase in people hospitalized.

The survey consists of about 40 percent live calls and 60 percent automated responses and is considered to have a margin of error of 4.0 percent.

see DUCEY page 18

Poll links virus fears to political af�iliation

BY HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services

H

ow scared Arizonans are of COVID-19 could depend on their political affiliation.

A new statewide poll finds that just 32 percent of people who identify as Republicans say they are at least moderately concerned about the spread of the coronavirus in Arizona. That’s down a full 10 points from the same time last month and is 23 points less when concerns hit their peak in April.

By contrast, 85 percent of Democrats say they are extremely or moderately concerned about how the virus is spreading in the state.

And what’s more significant is that figure actually is three points higher than in April.

Pollster Mike Noble of OH Predictive Insights said the numbers highlight what has become an increasingly partisan view of the risk of a disease that he said does not discriminate based on race, religious and party lines.

Yet, he said, it shows the kind of political polarization that appears to be surfacing on many other issues.

The survey comes as state health officials said Wednesday there were 6,369 in-patient hospital beds in use, whether

by COVID-19 patients or others. That amounts to a record 83 percent, the highest level since the pandemic began.

Ducey’s press aide Patrick Ptak said hospitals remain under an executive order banning them from doing elective surgery.

He acknowledged that hospitals have been conducting non-essential surgeries since the governor modified his directive in April.

But Ptak said that permission always has been under the condition of being able to show not only bed capacity but also sufficient supplies of equipment like masks, gowns and gloves.

And he said it is up to each hospital to curb elective procedures when they cannot meet the conditions.

There were 1,274 of those beds in use by people with a positive or suspected COVID-19 diagnosis, the second highest fig-

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | JUNE 17, 2020

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NEWS

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | JUNE 17, 2020

Ahwatukee residents rise to help a homeless family in need AFN NEWS STAFF

A

hwatukee residents rose to the call of a resident who sought donations to help a homeless family she happened to run into in the community.

Kelli Smalls had run into a couple and their two young daughters at the Circle K at Chandler Boulevard and 51st Street who were sitting with all their belongings.

The couple had lost their jobs because of pandemic-related closures and were homeless.

Smalls’ Boss paid for a few nights at the Extended Stay hotel on Chandler Boule-

vard and Zzeeks Pizza co-owner Jody Pectol agreed to collect donations.

Within a matter of less than two days, 150 people posted offers of money, clothing and other things and some even went to the motel to pay for additional nights while others dropped off food and some offered home-cooked meals.

The family had no car and also was in need of bicycles.

The community response was so great that Pectol said Ahwatukee 411 members had donated two truckloads of clothing, a dining table, couch and other essentials.

Another resident is looking for a rental

home.

“We have received enough donations to cover housing and essentials for the family for over two months,” Pectol said, adding that the Ahwatukee Chamber of Commerce agreed to handle the donated funds and run point on helping the family.

“Their rent will be paid weekly in accordance with a few simple rules and expectations concerning the health and well-being of the girls and family,” Pectol wrote. “Once again, Ahwatukee, you have risen to the call and we can’t thank you enough.”

Pectol said the drive was discontin-

ued because there was no longer a need for immediate help. She also asked that the family’s privacy be respected so they could “take this opportunity to work things out for themselves going forward.”

She also said the couple have been submitting job applications and “we are all very confident they will gain permanent employment shortly.”

“We believe we should look at this as a successful story in helping a family in need so they could get back on their feet to help themselves permanently,” Pectol wrote, thanking Smalls “for seeing a need and getting this rolling.”

But economist George Hammond said the state is far from being out of the fiscal woods.

He told Capitol Media Services that some sectors of the economy, like bars and restaurants, are finding they really can’t return to pre-pandemic business levels because of “social distancing” restrictions.

At the same time, many Arizonans are not confident about the safety of going back out, at least not yet.

Hammond said that will lead to new layoffs as well as some people who had only been furloughed realizing that they’re not going to be called back and deciding they need unemployment benefits.

The new report on first-time jobless claims, directly linked to the pandemic

and the governor’s subsequent orders, shows the trends are less clear.

DES reported the number actually increased from the prior week. But the figures are complicated by questions about how the agency tracks the applications.

Since the governor put his orders in place, the agency lists nearly 650,000 Arizonans who have sought basic state benefits to those who lose work through no fault of their own. They’re entitled to half of what they were making, subject to a cap of $240 a week, the second lowest in the country.

But DES officials say there could be some duplication in those numbers. Yet, the bottom line remains that, whatever the counting methodology, Arizonans are

continuing to apply for aid.

Hammond, the director of the Economic and Business Research Center at the University of Arizona’s Eller College of Management, said the numbers reflect the diversity of the state economy and that not all sectors are recovering at the same rate.

He cited restaurants and bars, now allowed to open.

“It’s hard to see them being able to recall the workers who were laid off,” he said.

“So there are some people who maybe thought they were going to get recalled maybe giving up and filing.”

Hammond said some restaurants that had brought back workers may be finding that business is not what they expected, leading to new layoffs – and new claims.

Jobless picture remained murky as businesses reopened

BY HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services

A

rizona employers are continuing to lay off workers even with the end of restrictions Gov. Doug Ducey had placed on individuals and businesses.

Figures last week from the Department of Economic Security show that 23,037 individuals filed for first-time jobless benefits in the first week of June.

That is a sharp decline from what happened to the Arizona economy after Ducey ordered the closure of nonessential businesses – leading to claims for basic state unemployment benefits, which previously had been running in the 3,500-a-week range, ballooning past 132,000.

DUCEY from page 16

we want to reduce the confusion that’s happened across the state and across the country.’’

Ducey and Christ have repeatedly argued that Arizona has more confirmed cases of coronavirus than elsewhere because more people are getting tested.

But statistics from Johns Hopkins University, updated Thursday morning, show that Arizona, at 13 percent average, has a higher rate of the tests that come back positive than any other state.

And the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University found the positive test rate for Wednesday, the most recent figures available, actually hit 24 percent.

“We have noticed an increase in the percent positivity,’’ Christ said.

“We do know there is community spread,’’ she continued. “We are going to be working at trying to bring that back down.’’

Part of that, Christ said, will be a “public health message.’’

What that message includes, she said, is encouraging people to wear a cloth face covering when they cannot “physically distance’’ from others and to make sure that they’re staying home when they’re feeling sick.

Ducey endorsed that advice.

“I’m all for face masks when you can’t physically distance,’’ he said. And the governor said he does wear a mask in those circumstances.

“I was in Walgreens picking up some things on the way home and I’ve been to the grocery store,’’ Ducey said. “And in both places, I wore a face mask.’’

But masks remain voluntary.

“There are some people that can’t wear masks for whatever reason, shortness of breath or they are asthmatic,’’ the governor said.

Ducey also disputed reports that Arizona hospitals are reaching capacity.

Christ conceded reports from some hospitals – they self-report and she did not name names – showed that more than 80 percent of their beds were occupied. That is a trigger point at which, under the governor’s executive orders, a facility can no longer do elective surgery.

But the health director said she has not clamped down on any of them, saying she wants to work with hospital administrators to see if they agree with the numbers.

Ducey, for his part, said he was unconcerned even if hospitals do hit that 80 per-

cent level.

He pointed out that all facilities are required to have plans in place to expand the number of beds by at least 25 percent if needed.

The state also purchased the old and vacant St. Luke’s Hospital in Phoenix and is keeping it in what Christ calls a “warm ready’’ situation should the beds there be needed.

Members of the Health System Alliance of Arizona, which make up about 80 percent of hospital beds, put out a statement of its own that there is sufficient bed capacity “and surge plans are in place to continue to serve the people of Arizona.’’

Christ also said that there are sufficient doctors and nurses available should the number of COVID-19 patients increase sharply.

NEWS

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | JUNE 17, 2020

Protests fuel calls for Confederate monuments’ removal

BY HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services

P

rotests against racism have renewed the calls for the removal of Confederate monuments in Arizona – including one in Gold Canyon and another at the State Capitol.

On June 8, Secretary of State Katie Hobbs asked a top aide to Gov. Doug Ducey to remove a monument to the Confederacy from a state park across from the Capitol.

The following day, about 20 Gold Canyon residents held a silent protest over a monument near US 60 to Confederacy president Jefferson Davis that organizer David Coward called one of “the symbols of racism that exist within our community.”

The monument, near the Peralta Road turnoff was installed decades ago by a pro-confederate women’s group when a state board named the old U.S. 80 the Jefferson Davis Highway. The group disbanded in 2002.

“It was part of a commemorative highway that stretched from coast to coast through the south,” Coward said, noting the highway’s name was in opposition to the Lincoln Highway that stretched across the northern half of the country.

“Efforts have been underway for several years to remove this monument to racism to no avail,” he said in an email to neighbors.

Coward asked them not to post the message on social media, warning, “This is a peaceful memorial service but there are elements in our community that approve of this symbol of racism and may want to disrupt this event.”

He said he wanted to “bring attention to this stain on our community and to honor George Floyd and all the other people who are victims of our unequal justice system.”

Meanwhile, in a letter Monday to Andy Tobin, director of the Department of Administration, Hobbs said the Capitol monument was erected not right after the Civil War but not until the early 1960s, when the country was on the brink of several

POLICE from page 13

he hopes the new civilian review board can change police culture and encourage officers to use de-escalation techniques instead of aggressive policing tactics.

Secretary of State Katie Hobbs wants this Confederate monument at the Capitol stored away.

(Special to AFN)

major civil rights breakthroughs.

“It was a clear attempt to repudiate the progress of our country,’’ she wrote.

Now, Hobbs said, the nation “once again faces a moment of transformation.’’

“We won’t heal the divisions in our country by honoring those who would divide us,’’ she said.

The letter went to Tobin, named to the position by Ducey, because Arizona law gives him the power to relocate any of the monuments in Wes Bolin Park.

Ducey himself has been hostile to prior efforts to remove this and other Confederate monuments, saying in 2017 he does not favor their removal.

“I don’t think we should try to hide our history,’’ the governor said, including this one which is within view of his office window at the Capitol.

But Hobbs’s letter took issue with that point of view.

“Removing this monument isn’t a choice to erase our history, it’s a choice to embrace our future,’’ she wrote.

Hobbs said it does not deserve to remain in the public park.

“This is a monument to soldiers on the losing side of a war who rose up against the country in treason to protect the practice of slavery,’’ she told Capitol Me-

“When you look at civilian oversight, my hope is that it actually will have teeth, where they can actually bite down at some things and actually change or help change the culture of the Phoenix Police Department,” Miller said.

dia Services.

Tobin said he’s been personally bothered for years that there was a road from Phoenix to Globe named the Jefferson Davis Highway.

The issue of monuments and the Confederacy has taken on new life in the wake of the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, an incident that was captured on video.

That has energized nationwide protests and resulted in Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam saying he intends to remove a statue honoring Confederate General Robert E. Lee. Hobbs acknowledged that if the Capitol monument is removed it is likely to be little more than symbolic.

“This is not going to solve anything,’’ she told Capitol Media Services. “But I think it would make a really strong statement about the priorities of our state leadership to do something about this monument.’’

The monument at the Capitol was a gift to the state in 1962 by the now-defunct Arizona chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy – which also moved the Jefferson Davis monument from Duncan, near the New Mexico border, to Gold Canyon with state approval in 1961.

State officials at the time were making a stand against the Civil Rights Movement.

In justifying the governor’s position in 2017, a press aide cited a national Marist Poll done for NPR and PBS that said 62 percent of Americans think the monuments and statues to the Confederacy should stay.

A statewide survey at the time found that 51.5 percent of the 400 people said the memorial should be allowed to return.

Hobbs said she favored the 2017 effort to move the monument when she was in the legislature.

But she added, “Right now, we’re at a tipping point” and suggested the Capitol monument be moved into non-public storage at the Capitol Museum, which falls under her purview.

That, she said, ensures it preservation

The Arizona chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union also issued a statement, stating, “police violence and brutality against black and brown communities must end.”

“By reducing funding to police depart-

19

East Valley residents protested against this Jefferson Davis monument in Gold Canyon last week. (Special to AFN)

and protects it from vandals.

The Gold Canyon monument bears chisel scars from previous acts of vandalism.

ADOT Director John Halikowski acknowledges that the Arizona Highway Commission voted in 1961 to designate U.S. 80 through Arizona as the Jefferson Davis National Highway.

But there is no longer a U.S. 80 in Arizona, Halikowski pointed out in a letter three years ago and that various stretches of the roads it covered now carry different numbers, including U.S. 60 and Arizona 80.

As U.S. 80 disappeared, Halikowski said, so did the designation.

Still, the Davis monument remains in Gold Canyon with at least tacit state permission.

An ADOT spokesman in 2017 said department engineers have determined it’s “not an immediate safety hazard,” so there are no safety reasons to remove it.

He said ADOT wants to talk to whoever owns the monument before making any decision — but conceded the state has no idea who that is.

The spokesman also noted the ADOT might have “to do some historical analysis pursuant to federal law to see if it qualifies for federal protection.”

ments and reinvesting those funds into black and brown communities, state leaders can take these much-needed steps to prevent further harm and to restore the promise of our Constitution for all people,” the statement read.

20

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | JUNE 17, 2020

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Ahwatukee pilot built his own stairway to the heavens out it was for a naval aviation program.

“I passed the two tests and it was one of those twists of fate that happen in your life. A door opened and I walked through it. I didn’t have an affinity for flying airplanes and I had no interest prior to that time at all.”

That twist of fate decades later led to another adventure that might be described as a pilot’s version of buying a piece of furniture from Ikea: assembling a 17-footlong airplane with a wingspan of 33 feet and a take-off weight of 2,500 pounds.

BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor

T

he skies are more than friendly for Scott Williamson. They’re his home.

Sure, on terra firma, he lives in Ahwatukee but the retired commercial airline pilot’s heart soars when his immediate neighbors are wispy clouds and a sea of blue.

“It’s just a part of me, a form of self-expression for me,” Williamson explained.

“When I’m up in the air in my airplane, I feel at home. I like the feeling.”

That feeling has been with him since 1970, when a twist of fate put him in his first cockpit at age 23 as a Navy recruit.

After seven years as a naval pilot, he flew commercial airlines, first for now-defunct Braniff from 1978-85 and then Southwest before he retired in 2007.

Retirement didn’t ground him, though.

Indeed, even before he turned in his Southwest wings, he started building an experimental, four-seater Bearhawk. And in 2017 – 13 years after he started – he had his own stairway to the heavens.

Often accompanied either by his wife May Beth and their dogs or friends like Ahwatukee resident Kevin Deutscher and fellow Bearhawk owner-pilot Pat Fagan of Paulden, Arizona, he has crisscrossed Canada and the United States, often zooming into remote camping areas otherwise accessible only by boat or horse.

Last month he chalked up a new adventure in the skies: With Fagan flying his own plane and Deutscher riding shotgun in his own, Williamson visited all 89 airports and two air museums in North Dakota in 10 days.

Before getting to the significance of that accomplishment, some history is in order, starting with how he became an airborne adventurer in the first place.

In 1970 at a California community college, a Navy recruiter overheard Williamson complaining that he was going to get drafted.

Years of toil

Scott Williamsson, left, and fellow Bearhawk owner-pilot Pat Fagan took their planes and crisscrossed North Dakota for 10 days, flying into 85 of the state’s 89 airports and making another landing at an unofficial airstrip on a friend’s farm. (Courtesy of Scott Williamson)

“He said, ‘Hey, come back here at noon I’ll get you an immediate deferment if you pass these two tests and all you got to do is

go up to Alameda and take a physical.’ I had no idea what it was for. All I knew is the guy offered me a deferment and it turned

Pausing at the terminal of one of the airstrips they visited in North Dakota are, from left, Kevin Deutscher of Ahwatukee, who is building his own Bearhawk and rode shotgun with Scott Williamson, center, while Pat Fagan, right, took his own plane. (Courtesy of Scott Williamson)

“You can build it from scratch with plans where you make everything and that’s how Pat built his,” Williamson explained.

“I kind of cheated a little bit. I purchased what’s called a quick-build kit where most of the welding is done on the airplane. I’m not a welder.”

For several years, he was still a commercial pilot, so the project occupied many hours on his off-days.

“I was a fairly senior captain so I was basically able to work three, with four off,” he said of his days.

Those four days were hardly spent kicking back. “lt would consume the whole day,” he said. “Part of the experience of building an airplane is how much you learn about stuff you didn’t know how to do. It’s a lovehate thing. It really is. You love it some days, then you hate it other days. But it’s for personal growth. I was facing retirement and I wanted something else that would continue to challenge me and I already was in aviation and we really enjoy camping. So, it was just hand-to-glove for what we wanted to do and it was a great experience and still is a great experience.”

About six years into that labor of love, May Beth had an idea.

“When we were first building the airplane, the plans we were building the air-

�ee DAKOTA page 26

REAL ESTATE

Real Estate Guide Sellers’ position gets stronger as home inventory falls AFN NEWS STAFF

W

hile many business sectors are still struggling beneath the weight of the pandemic-fueled recession, the Valley’s housing market is soaring – for sellers.

On the other hand, homebuyers in the Phoenix metro region are even in worst shape than they were even a month ago as inventory continues to dwindle and prices continue to rise, according to the Cromford Report, which tracks the market here.

While active listings dropped 3.9 percent in May from April, it reported that

active listings without a contract fell over 15 percent.

“This tells us that a large chunk of the available supply went under contract during May and very little was replaced by new inventory,” Cromford said.

“It is therefore getting much harder for buyers to find the home they want and when they find it, they are likely to find many other buyers trying to buy the same house. Multiple offers are piling up.”

Moreover, buyers who don’t have their sights set on luxury homes are due for more disappointment as Cromford report-

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REAL ESTATE

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | JUNE 17, 2020

Mortgage rates getting hard to pin down AFN NEWS STAFF

A

nyone who’s planning to buy a home, or thinking about refinancing the loan on their current abode, has probably been giving mortgage interest rates a lot of attention – and getting frustrated as they fluctuate up and down.

The average interest rate for the most common type of loan hit a new all-time low of 2.94 percent last Thursday, according to Mortgage News Daily, for a fixedrate 30-year loan.

While that’s great news for borrowers, who can potentially save hundreds of dollars a month as a result, rates may not stay below 3 percent for long.

Mortgage rates have been all over the place, falling after the coronavirus pandemic threw the nation’s economy into turmoil, then rising temporarily as lenders were deluged by a tsunami of refinance applications.

Two weeks ago, they were on the up-

swing again, climbing to 3.24 percent by June 5 after May’s unemployment report showed the economy was recovering.

The most recent plunge comes thanks to the U.S. Federal Reserve making an announcement a week ago that drove investors back into mortgage bonds, which drove rates back down.

Rates have changed rapidly over the past [few] days,” said Matthew Graham, chief operating officer of Mortgage News Daily. “For the first time ever, the average best-case-scenario rate on a conventional, 30-year fixed-rate is under 3 percent. Most lenders are able to quote 2.875 percent.”

But he cautioned that these ultra-low rates are reserved for borrowers with “flawless credit, more than 20 percent equity, and no other additional risk factors.”

Experts don’t quite need a finance degree to understand what’s going on – but it sure wouldn’t hurt.

Lenders typically don’t like to hold on to the mortgages they make, as it

ties up cash that could be used to make new loans.

So, they sell the loans, which are bundled into a collection of mortgage-backed securities (aka mortgage bonds), in the secondary mortgage market. These securities are similar to U.S. Treasury bonds – they’re viewed as safer, yet less lucrative, investments than the stock market.

When the economy is strong, investors often prefer to sink their money into stocks, where they hope to get better returns, and when it’s weaker, they’ll often turn to bonds.

When the unemployment numbers came out, investors were encouraged by the better-than-expected unemployment rate. Many moved money out of Treasury and mortgage bonds and into the stock market.

Since mortgage rates move in the opposite direction of bond prices, when bond prices fall, mortgage rates go up – and vice versa. That’s what happened on June 5.

REAL ESTATE

JUNE 17, 2020 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS

MARKET from page RE1

ed, “The general market below $600,000 is now booming; supply is dropping very fast.”

Meanwhile, the iBuyer market is nearly in free fall with the four major operators – Zillow, Knock, OfferPad and Opendoor showing a combined 53 percent decline in sales from a year ago and a 90 percent drop in purchases of homes.

Overall inventory for the four companies has fallen 68 percent from last year, according to Cromford.

“In the current frenzied market, it is not uncommon for a home in the iBuyers’ target price range to receive more than 20 offers within a few days of listing,” Cromford explained, saying those companies are “finding it much harder to make new purchases than sell what they already have.

“This lack of inventory means their market share is down substantially from last year and their turnover is also lower than a year ago,” it continued.

While the sellers’ market “should make it easier to achieve a good gross margin,” Cromford gave an example of how rough things have been for iBuyer firms.

It said Zillow purchased a home in April

However, on June 10 the National Bureau of Economic Research declared the U.S. had officially entered a recession in February. That spooked investors, who suddenly rediscovered the appeal of bonds.

Then the Fed announced it would continue to purchase mortgage bonds in the secondary market. The move was designed to keep the market strong— and brought investors back to mortgage bonds. When demand rises, so do bond prices. Hence, mortgage rates fell.

Whether mortgage rates will stay below 3 percent is anyone’s guess. It will likely depend on the strength of the economy, how quickly a coronavirus vaccine becomes available, and a whole host of still unknown factors.

“Mortgage rates move up and down all the time,” said Realtor.com Senior Economist George Ratiu. “I expect for the rest of the year that they’ll bounce around the 3-3.5 percent range.”

Realtor.com provided this report.

Leading Luxury Home Experts

2019 for $490,000 and listed it $502,900.

“It took 13 price reductions before it eventually sold in February 2020 for $421,000.

Ouch,” Cromford reported.

Cromford noted that iBuyers are targeting higher-priced homes to grow their business because “homes below $250,000 become increasingly hard to find.”

Despite the rosy outlook for sellers in the Valley, Cromford said “some ominous dark clouds” could become troublesome.

The uncertainty surrounding the trend in COVID-19 cases is a big factor, it said, especially since positive cases in Arizona continue to rise.

“An even bigger cloud for the housing market and a medium-term threat to its stability is the fact that so many people have stopped paying their mortgage or their rent,” it said.

“This would not be a problem if they started paying them again soon. But what if they have lost their job and have little saved to fall back on? With unemployment around 20 percent, the threat that many tenants will be evicted is very high.”

Cromford also expects some homeowners “will receive notices of trustee sale over the next 12 months because of dam-

age to their income and thus their ability to pay their mortgage. This will probably include landlords who cannot pay their mortgage because their tenants cannot pay their rent.”

Cromford said the picture on mortgage and rental payments has been clouded by government assistance programs that have helped renters and owners in the short term.

“Foreclosure activity in Arizona is down to a trickle, mostly vacant land and unoccupied homes that are not eligible for protection,” it said.

“Tenants too cannot be evicted for nonpayment of rent. However, these actions are strictly temporary. The revision to normal life will no doubt mean a large increase in eviction notices and a surge in foreclosures. A key question is, ‘What will homeowners do at the end of their forbearance period?’”

It noted that nationwide, 3.6 million homeowners were past due at the end of April, the highest total since January 2015.

The national delinquency rate almost doubled during April from 3.39 percent to 6.45 percent, though Arizona’s rate is well below that, Cromford said.

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3,444 sqft, 6 bedrooms + Office, 4.5 bathrooms. Situated in the center of a Cul de Sac within the community of Crimson Canyon. Walk up the travertine pavered path to the oversized double wooden doors where you are welcomed into an amazing interior! This home has been highly upgraded from wood floors to exceptional lighting. Upon entry into the bright and open interior you will be greeted by a lovely staircase to the right you will find a beautiful formal living room and dining room with a gorgeous chandelier to the left an executive office, a secondary bedroom with a full bath. Perfect for guests or as an in-law-suite. The remodeled gourmet kitchen is a dream come true. Includes a resort style backyard with views of South Mountain!

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2,472 sqft, 3 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms. A charming single level Spanish Colonial style home full of designer upgrades located in the private gated community of Rosewood Canyon Estates which sets adjacent to the 16,000 acre South Mountain Park. Enjoy having access to an exclusive entrance to the many hiking, biking and nature trails just a few doors down from this stunning property. With a welcoming entry, find yourself inside this ‘like new’ home with a fantastic open concept main living area blending together; a great room, dining room and gourmet kitchen to create an amazing space. The great room & dining room have gorgeous mountain views! The gourmet kitchen is the center of attention! Bright and light with upgraded stainless steel appliances, 36"cook top, granite countertops, upgraded cabinets, over-sized walk-in pantry, centered kitchen island with seating and special to this home over-sized pull out drawers for all of your storage needs. Enjoy your relaxing, low maintenance backyard offering both covered and uncovered sitting areas, mature flowering landscape, synthetic grass with South Mountain for your viewing pleasure. Catch the sunsets in the West with mountain views from the luxurious master bedroom. An open, roomy master bathroom with his & her sinks, separate soaking tub and shower, private toilet room and a walk-in closet completes this en suite. With two spacious secondary bedrooms plus a full bath, powder room and an over-sized laundry room this home has all you could want or need!

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14621 S 1st Street

$1,740,00

7,303 sqft, 6 bedrooms, 7 bathrooms. Located in the Hillside gated community of Summerhill, this custom luxury estate has it all! 6 bedrooms, executive office, 4 full bathrooms and 3 powder rooms plus a basement, a Chef ’s dream gourmet kitchen with all the upgrades, formal living room with gas fireplace and a wide in-line pocket door that brings the outside in, an elegant master bedroom en suite has a gas fireplace with a sitting area which opens into a luxurious master bathroom with a 6 foot two person Jacuzzi jetted tub complete with spectacular mountain views!

EAGLE RIDGE

12675 S Honah Lee Court

$1,499,000

6,316 sqft, 5 bedrooms, 5.5 bathrooms. Located in the prestigious Ahwatukee Custom Estates community, this single level, Mediterranean-style home boasts a combination of old-world sophistication and comfortable charm. The private 6,316 square foot home is nestled in a cul-de-sac on an over half acre lot and boasts 5 bedrooms, 5 and ½ baths, two master suites, a spacious exercise room that can double as a bedroom, a private, gated driveway, gorgeous, mature landscaping, and an elegant courtyard. The formal dining area is intimate and opens to the living room, which has custom wooden beams, a large Cantera stone gas fireplace, and an inline door that merges the indoors and outdoors into an entertainer’s paradise with a diving pool, spa, built-in BBQ and multiple sitting areas with a roof top terrace. The kitchen is right in the heart of it all and includes refinished cabinets, upgraded Viking appliances, a walk-in pantry, and a temperature-controlled wine room. Plus a 4 car air conditioned garage with a bonus art & craft room. There is a lot to love in this beautiful home!

Each Keller Williams Office is Independently Owned and Operated.

SALE PENDING

FEATURED LISTING

15802 S 7th St

$2,489,900

A completely Private Mountain Top Estate located within Eagle Ridge on a sprawling 4.6 acres overlooking the Ahwatukee Foothills with views as far as the eye can see. An impressive, property boasting 7,003 sqft of living space with 5 bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms. Enter this private property through a personal gate, arrive to a spectacular 2 story home with large columns, a front balcony, over-sized custom wrought iron doors and a pavered circular driveway that displays the overall grandness that continues into the interior of the home. Upon entry you will be greeted by the bright open space with floor to soaring ceiling windows providing amazing views of not only the mountains but of the unbelievable resort style backyard.

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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | JUNE 17, 2020

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SPO OTLIGHT home Circle G at Riggs Ranch Estate living with refined tranquility in this exquisite setting. Meticulous stonework adorns entire exterior of this luxury home. Inviting entry opens to diagonally laid tile with granite inlays and dramatic wooden staircase. Formal dining room with stacked stone fireplace.

Gourmet kitchen features granite countertops, large island, Subzero refrigerator, and Wolf gas cooktop with double ovens. Fireplace and wet bar in great room.

Floor plan boasts seven bedrooms, playroom and large game room. Expansive master suite includes large sitting area with two-way fireplace, crown molding, separate walk-in closets and spacious bathroom. Three custom iron doors lead to massive covered patio with pavers, built-in barbeque, heated pool with waterfall and slide, gorgeous landscaping with fruit trees and koi pond.

Large secondary bedrooms. Oversized laundry room with sink, granite countertops, cabinetry and room for a refrigerator. Additional upgrades throughout include 8’ solid core doors, speakers, surround sound in numerous locations, designer paint and exterior security cameras. Three masonry fireplaces.

Anderson windows installed six years ago on entire first level. Four Trane a/c units with variable speed. Over-sized side entry four car garage. Availability to park an RV in the back as long as a garage is built for it. Over 7,000 square feet of stone on exterior. Almost acre-sized lot affords complete privacy.

Listed for $1,950,000

Mike Mendoza 480.706.7234 www.MendozaTeam.com

PRISTINE & CLASSY GATED CALABREA ESTATE!

kw

®

SONORAN LIVING

KELLER WILLIAMS® REALTY

2127 E BARKWOOD ROAD 6,640 sqft, 5 bedrooms, 7.5 bathrooms. This is a breath-taking luxury all custom property sparing no expense, which is nestled on the mountain side in the highly coveted gated community of The Sanctuary. The exterior of this home is striking with a private gated and pavered drive that invites you into a spectacular courtyard with covered patios, open sitting areas, a negative edge spa which cascades into a roman style pool all situated to take in the amazing mountain views of South Mountain. Feel the opulence upon entering the very open and grand family room with 22 foot high ceilings, dual wrought iron staircases leading to the Master en Suite and Secondary Bedroom Suite each with their own personal balcony, gorgeous wood floors and stairs, climate control wine room, dual gas fireplaces surrounded in Cantera Stone absolutely perfect room for entertaining and all with stunning views of South Mountain. A spacious master en suite includes a sitting area, and a private balcony also with views of South Mountain, a two-sided gas burning Cantera Stone fireplace warms both the bedroom suite and master bath, jetted soaking tub, dual walk-in shower, his & her vanities and closets all with beautiful wood and stone flooring and custom tile. The custom designed kitchen boasts SS Viking appliances, dual ovens and dishwashers, built-in custom cabinetry, high-grade granite counter tops and island finished with double bull nose edge. This gourmet kitchen opens into a spacious family room with a beautiful Cantera Stone gas burning fireplace, custom wood built-ins and fully equipped walk-in wet bar with a refrigerator. Continuing down from the family room is a bonus room/office with a full bathroom and your very own private Theater with large screen projector, comfortable red recliners, snack counter and table area.

There are another two Large Secondary bedrooms with full bathrooms located on the first level, as well as, an entire In Law Suite with washer/dryer hook up. Not to be forgotten are the two separate garages offering a total of four parking spaces and built-in garage cabinets. One garage has the option to have air conditioning.

The upgrades are endless, the views are amazing this is absolutely a must see!

Great Ahwatukee Foothills Location ~ Award Winning Kyrene Schools ~ Ahwatukee Foothills Voted #1 2019 Best Places to Live in the Phoenix Area by the Phoenix Business Journal! Winner ~ Best Home on Tour ~ Ahwatukee Luxury Tour

PRISTINE & CLASSY GATED ESTATE ON A PREMIUM 2/3 ACRE HILLSIDE LOT • PRIVATE CUL-DE-SAC • 6 BEDROOMS, 4.5 BATHS, 5200 SQFT OF PURE LUXURY FINISHES • STUNNING VIEWS IN EVERY DIRECTION • IRON DOOR • BUTTED GLASS WINDOWS IN ENTRY & KITCHEN • CUSTOM WINDOW TREATMENTS • DECORATOR PAINT • DOME CEILING FOYER & GROIN VAULTED CEILINGS IN LIVING ROOM • TRAVERTINE & HARDWOOD FLOORS THROUGHOUT • 7-INCH BASEBOARDS • MEDIA ROOM • DREAM KITCHEN INCLUDES S/S APPLIANCES,SLAB GRANITE COUNTERS, ALDER CABINETS,HUGE ISLAND,WALK IN PANTRY • LARGE MASTER SUITE W/STONE FIREPLACE • MASTER BATH W/JACUZZI TUB,3 VANITIES & SNAIL SHOWER • PARADISE BACKYARD W/TRAVERTINE IN VERSAILLES PATTERN,TURF GRASS,PEBBLETEC POOL/ JACUZZI,4 WATER FEATURES,LARGE COVERED PATIO,STACKED STONE BBQ • 4 CAR GARAGE W/EPOXY & STORAGE! YOUR DREAM ESTATE AWAITS!!

Listed for $1,499,000

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Listed for $1,449,000

Geno Ross (602) 751-2121 www.GenoRoss.com

®

Bonny Holland

SONORAN LIVING

KELLER WILLIAMS® REALTY

602.369.1085 • www.LeadingLuxuryExperts.com

REAL ESTATE

JUNE 17, 2020 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS

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Realtors aim to cheer up nursing home patients AFN NEWS STAFF

T

he West and Southeast Realtors of the Phoenix area, now united under the name WeSERV, want to help make some nursing home patients’ lives a little brighter.

The association asking people to write “be the sunshine in their day notes” for residents in Bandera Healthcare affiliated nursing homes in the Valley.

“We are asking members of our association and the community to take a little time out of their day to write notes, letters, cards or have your children draw pictures for these patients who are in need of some sunshine,” said spokesman Daniel Ochoa.

“Those who participate, can bring their letters to any of our WeSERV locations to exchange them for a lollipop.”

A lollipop might not mean much to the giver, but what the giver brings could mean the world to the shut-ins.

Patients have not been able to see friends and family members for months because of fears over COVID-19 transmission.

480-706-7234

Tapestry Canyon

WeSERV put together this colorful marketing illustration to encourage people to participate in the Realtors’ effort to bring a little cheer to the lives of isolated residents in nursing homes.

(Special to AFN)

The campaign will last through June and at the end of the month, WeSERV’s Southeast Valley Member Engagement Committee will deliver the notes to 17 Bandera Healthcare facilities, which are located mainly in the West Valley, Mesa and Scottsdale.

Artwork and letters can be dropped off at WeSERV’s headquarters at 1733 E.

Ahwatukee’s #1 Team for Over 30 Years 5 BR / 5.5 BA / 5,002 SQFT

5 BR / 4.5 BA / 4924 SQFT

Magnificent mountain luxury retreat perched high on elevated hillside lot in exclusive gated community with majestic views.

Majestic Southwest contemporary estate on private hillside lot with stunning mountain and city light views. .

Listed for $1,510,000

3 BR / 2 BA / 2,147 SQFT Spacious, immaculately maintained split floor plan. Updated kitchen and baths. Pebble Tec pool plus 2019 exterior paint.

Mountain Park Ranch

Tapestry Canyon

Beautifully remodeled patio home. New kitchen, baths, flooring plus interior and exterior paint. 2019 roof.

Listed for $389,900

Mike Mendoza MendozaTeam.com

Listed for $1,325,000

3 BR / 2 BA / 1,733 SQFT

Pointe South Moutnain

Northrop Blvd., Chandler, near the Chandler Airport.

“It is so humbling, gratifying, and exciting to know we have members who are taking time to bring a little joy to others,” said Dena Greenawalt, 2020 WeSERV President. “I love seeing their enthusiasm and commitment to this project. It makes me proud to be a leader for this organization.”

Ochoa said there are a variety of things that people can create.

“Share positive, thinking of you, thoughts in your notes and pictures – anything hearts, rainbows and unicorns, sunshine, and happiness will help,” he said. “If it makes you smile, it’ll make them smile.”

A Bandera spokesperson added, “Our residents need positivity, love, and support.”

WeSERV formed last year after members of the West Maricopa Association of Realtors (WeMAR) and SouthEast Valley Regional Association of Realtors (SEVRAR) voted to merge the associations.

Today, it is one of the largest nonprofit advocates of private property rights and a leading group of real estate professionals creating opportunities for homeownership.

It counts some 24,000 Realtors and other professionals in the industry as members.

People who might need some ideas on what to make for the seniors can email the association’s member relations manager, Marilyn Zwick, at mzwick@ weserv.realtor.

Mountain Park Ranch

Listed for $417,500

4 BR / 2.5 BA / 2,450 SQFT

7 BR / 4.5 BA / 8,873 SQFT

Superb updates throughout with downstairs master suite.

2019 interior paint, pool pump, water softener, refrigerator, washer and dryer.

Estate living with refined tranquility in this exquisite setting.

Meticulous stonework adorns entire exterior of this luxury home.

Listed for $475,000

Listed for $1,950,000

Circle G at Riggs Ranch

Tapestry Canyon

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | JUNE 17, 2020

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Ahwatukee Custom Estates One of the most amazing view lots in

$2,099,000

SOLD!

all of AZ. Custom home with everythingl 10,000 sq. ft., 3/4 acre prserve lot, 6 bedrooms, 6 bathes, Executive Office Suite, Master Suite with Sitting Room, Master Bath with Jacuzzi, Theater Room, Exercise Room, Loft, Guest House, Grand Foyer, Gourmet Kitchen, Resort Backyard with Pebbletec Diving Pool, Watertalls, slide, Volcano, firepit, Spa, Sport Court, Grassy Play Areas, & Outdoor Kitchen, 4-car A/C Garage. A true masterpiece!!!

Calabrea

Ahwatukee Custom Estates

$1,449,000

$1,950,000

Pristine & Classy Gated Estate On A Premium 2/3 Acre Hillside Lot, Private Cul-De-Sac, 6 Bedrooms, 4.5 Baths, 5200 Sqft Of Pure Luxury Finishes, Stunning Views In Every Direction, Iron Door, Butted Glass Windows In Entry & Kitchen, Custom Window Treatments, Decorator Paint, Dome Ceiling Foyer & Groin Vaulted Ceilings In Living Room, Travertine & Hardwood Floors Throughout, 7-Inch Baseboards, Media Room, Dream Kitchen Includes S/S Appliances, Slab Granite Counters, Alder Cabinets, Huge Island, Walk In Pantry, Large Master Suite W/Stone Fireplace, Master Bath W/Jacuzzi Tub, 3 Vanities & Snail Shower, Paradise Backyard W/Travertine In Versailles Pattern, Turf Grass, Pebbletec Pool/Jacuzzi, 4 Water Features, Large Covered Patio, Stacked Stone Bbq, 4 Car Garage W/Epoxy & Storage! Your Dream Estate Awaits!!

Calabrea $1,099,000

Cabrillo Canyon $689,000

SOLD! Stunning Single Level Custom Remodel on a huge corner lot in a cul-de-sac! *4 Bedroom, 2.5 Bath *The highest quality custom finishes throughout *Grand foyer *Formal living & dining room *Familt room w/fireplace *Wetbar *Designer kitchen includes: quartzsite counters & island, s/s appliances, custom cabinetry, walk-in pantry *Recessed LED lights throughout *Plantation shutters *Large master suite *Master bath w/walk-in shower, free standing tub, & walk-in closet *Laundry room w/sink *Wood flooring *Custom fixtures *Trane A/C’s *Private backyard w/covered patio, pebbletec pool, turf, & RV gate with tons of room to park the toys *3 Car garage with epoxy *The lot is very private *The house shows like a new build *Do not miss your opportunity to own this amazing Cabrillo Canyon Estate!

Amazing Remodeled Custom Estate with mountain views located at the end of a cul-de-sac.Over 8000sqft of pure luxury finishes.6 Bedroom,5.5 Baths.Custom Kitchen.Elevator.Executive Office.Basement Media Room.Dance Studio.Huge Backyard with Pool, Jacuzzi, Turf, BBQ, Sportcourt.This Spectacular Estate has it all!!!

Summerhill $1,099,000

5 bedroom / 3 bath, 3,506 SqFt, Cul-de-sac location with huge backyard, sports court, built-in BBQ, mature shade trees, very private backing to wash. Good size SOLD! bedrooms, master downstai5. Features a large office with balcony, plus office/loft with built-in bookcase and 3 full baths. Th� home is perfect for family gatherings BEST NEAR THE LOOP 202 in gated withand stunning mountain only. views. andLOCATION entertaining.

CanNEW be previewed with 24Calabrea hour notice appointment Complete with the highest quality build and finishes. Gourmet kitchen includes slab granite counters, alder cabinets, and stainless steel appliances. This estate also features a media/ theater room with 105 inch screen. The basement includes a full wet bar, family room & 2 bedrooms. Resort Backyard with pool. A perfect 10!

www.GenoRoss.com Donna Leeds TOP GRI, ABR REALTOR

®

�

949.310.5673

lf"fl!

SOLD!

Geno Ross

Stunning single-level custom estate gated summerhill on a 1/2 acre lot. beautiful mountain views. Gourmet Kitchen. Master Suite w/sitting area. Two master suites. Split floorplan. Executive office w/built-in cabinets. Tropical paradise backyard w/covered patio, gazebo, pebbletec pool, rock waterfall, built-in bbq, turf, & putting green. This estate has the perfect floorplan!!

602.751.2121

wwwBestAgentWUSA.com

Making Ahwatukee

Home Dreams Come True Since 1986 www.WestUSA.com I 480.893.0600

4505 E. Chandler Boulevard, Suite 170, Phoenix, AZ 85048

Phoenix

Pointe South Mountain

SOLD!

$397,000

Gorgeous Ahwatukee home, an absolute dream, 2254 square feet, 3 bedrooms plus den/loft, 3 full bathrooms, 2 car garage, newly installed hardwood floors, Updated galley kitchen & cabinets, granite countertops & stainless steel appliances. Travertine in kitchen and bathrooms. Enjoy your beautiful back yard overlooking the golf course and custom made fountain.

149,500 UCB

Litchfield Park

PENDING! 2 DAYS ON THE MARKET

(Under Contract Backups)

Upstairs highly upgraded one bedroom unit with gorgeous pool and Mtn. Views in gated community.

Complex boasts a heated community pool with spa, clubhouse w/ library, pool room, fitness center, barbecue area & covered assigned parking space,. Located near ASU, freeways, light rail, Sky Harbor, Tempe marketplace, Old town, and adjacent to 1200 acre Papago Park with direct gated access perfect for hiking/biking.

Jenifer Bulfer 480-297-6968 jbulfer@westusa.com

Jill Ostendorp 480-678-7308 jillo@homesbyjillo.com

Mesa

Chandler

$549,900

$499,900

$459,900

4 bedroom, 3 bath, 3252 Sq Ft. This gorgeous family home with it’s backyard oasis combines the best of indoor and outdoor living . The remodeled kitchen overlooks the dining/family room with gas fireplace and offers granite counter tops, stainless appliances, duel ovens, wet bar and large pantry.

Recently repainted inside & out and re-carpeted in 2019.

Lovely Home in the Gated Community of Lehi Crossing in Mesa. 2776 sq.ft. 4 Bedrooms , 3 Baths plus a Loft. Lots of upgrades. 15 foot Glass Slider, Shutters T/O, & Upgraded Gorgeous Kitchen. Mountain Views.

Close to 202 access.

Troy Royston 480-435-3461 troyston61@gmail.com

Appraised at $472,500. ENTERTAINERS DREAM BACKYARD includes BBQ, extended covered travertine patio, pebble tec pool w/ Smart technology, & waterfalls. Gourmet kitchen opens to Family room which offers three panel sliding doors bringing the outdoors in.

Jill Ostendorp 480-678-7308 jillo@homesbyjillo.com

Ahwatukee

SOLD!

$425,000

Geri Thompson 480-239-7589 gerithompson@westusa.com

SOLD!

Custom home located on one acre irrigated horse property. 2,210 sq ft-4 Bed plus den 2 bath . Built in 2003. Home features three car extended garage, vaulted ceilings, split floorplan.

Tracy Bartosch 520-440-9988 realtortracy@msn.com

COMMUNITY

JUNE 17, 2020 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS

JORDAN HILL

TAYLOR KNIGHT

23

TY BROWN

Dance Studio 111 welcomes back 3 students as new teachers AFN NEWS STAFF

J

ust in time for the reopening of her Dance Studio 111 in Ahwatukee, owner Kimberly Lewis said she’s ecstatic that three established dancers-teachers who grew up learning their moves under her tutelage are joining her staff.

The return of Jordan Hill, Taylor Knight and Ty Brown as faculty members is “pretty surreal,” Lewis said, thrilled how the “circle of life” has played out over the 27 years since she founded the studio.

The three professionals “all grew up as children dancing at dance studio and they told me their favorite memories were their childhood years at the dance studio,” Lewis said.

Knight has danced on Ellen DeGeneres’ show and was with the group Suga N Spice Crew, which competed on the TV show “America’s Got Talent.”

Knight also has danced with the Zendaya Z Swagg, Balvin Vibras, the Janet Jackson Rhythm Nation performance, Bebe Rexha in the Nickelodeon Teen Choice Awards, Coachella, Lollapalooza, a Justin Bieber Purpose music video, Kevin Hart, the Latin Billboards and Rihanna Savage x Fenty Fashion Show New York Fashion Week.

Brown worked as a dancer for Disney and danced on the Disney cruise ship.

Hill, who has been dancing since age 3, danced competitively for Dance Studio 111 and attended the Arizona School for the Performing Arts and also trained in concert choreograph at Peri-dance in New York City.

She’s worked with the Alonzo King Lines Ballet and majored in dance and business entrepreneurship at the Dominican University of California.

She’s performed with Ballet Arizona in

“Nutcracker,” as well as with Debora Cox, Heather Headly, Jordin Sparks and Conrad Sewell and was a guest performer at SXSW and the NAACP’s 50th anniversary gala.

“She loves to share her knowledge while continuing to encourage herself and her students to always be the best versions of themselves,” said Lewis, noting that Hill has worked with a broad variety of choreographers in a broad range of dance styles.

“I love the fact that they all reached out to me and want to come home and teach at the studio they grew up in,” Lewis said.

“It’s so much more than just taking dance lessons as a child. There are many amazing memories that are made at a dance studio. That’s why I say we train them for dance, but prepare them for life. Ask any dancer who grew up in a dance studio how they use their life skills taught at the

dance studio as an adult.”

The trio of new staffers comes at a time when Lewis just reopened her studio at 4910 E. Chandler Blvd. after it was closed during the state quarantine orders for more than two months.

Lewis has implemented a range of safety protocols for her students to ensure social distancing and a highly sanitized environment.

And while she was forced to cancel her annual summer musical for the first time in two decades, she’s going full steam ahead with preparations for her 21st presentation of Ahwatukee Nutcracker this December. Auditions for all interested people ages 3-18 who want to be in the Nutcracker will be held Aug. 1 and Lewis is expected to release more details in a few weeks.

Information on her classes: dancestudio111.com or 480-706-6040.

24

COMMUNITY

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | JUNE 17, 2020

Ahwatukee man republishes ‘Sassy Saguaros’ book

BY COTY DOLORES MIRANDA AFN Contributor

A

hwatukee retiree Steve Ryan has a penchant for both photography and the ever-unique Sonoran Desert Saguaro cactus and combined the two passions into a coffee table book.

“Sassy Saguaros,” originally published in 2014, has recently been re-released by a new publisher and is available for purchase online.

Ryan, who lived in Ahwatukee in the 1980s, moved back to the village last year after a sojourn in Ocotillo.

He said he carefully curated the 22 saguaros that appear in his book.

“I spent hundreds of hours each year for three years searching the Sonoran desert for the saguaros that eventually ‘qualified’ for my book,” Ryan said.

“By that I mean that I was never willing to settle for any saguaro that wasn’t so unique that any person wouldn’t have to say ‘Wow, I’ve never seen a Saguaro that looks anything like the one before my eyes,’” he explained, adding:

Steve Ryan of Ahwatukee hopes readers will get a kick out of the oddly shaped saguaro cactuses he found on his jaunts through Arizona’s desert. (Special to AFN)

“In other words, I never settled for a saguaro to which I could assign a usual description to. The saguaro had to be totally unique and unlike anything anyone had likely seen to make the book.”

He stated at least “90 percent of the time” he’d return home from his arduous trips through the desert without snapping a single photograph.

“I never lowered my standards just to get the book published,” he said. “Time didn’t matter, nor should it when you’re dealing with saguaros that are over 100 years old.”

Ryan said he went down “every trail or backroad from Wickenburg to the west, Saguaro Lake to the east, and Black Canyon City to the north.”

He got to those out-of-the-way places by hiking or biking on his trusty 25-yearold Gary Fisher mountain bike.

“I suffered more flat tires than I can count,” he laughed. “I often had to walk my bike miles back to my car.”

People often ask him why he chose to

photograph saguaros for his first book.

“I’ve always loved the Sonoran Desert because it is so unique compared to the Midwest where I grew up,” he explained.

“And I’ve loved mountain biking on all the trails surrounding Phoenix where I’d look at the Saguaros and note their individual and unique styles.

“So, one day I decided to start taking my camera with me on the trails and, as they say, the rest is history,” said Ryan.

His camera of choice is a Panasonic Lumix FZ35.

And as evinced by his years searching for the perfect photo of the saguaro cactus, the captions he chose to accompany them were not blithely brought about.

“I could never just look at a cactus and say to myself, ‘Okay, think of a funny caption for that one. Quite to the contrary, every saguaro featured in my book was selected because when I first saw it, the caption raced through my mind automatically,” he said.

“There was never any doubt or question what the saguaros were doing or saying.”

Ryan admitted that though he could have included “countless more photos” to make the book bigger, that was never his objective.

“My goal was to locate saguaros that were unique, one of a kind, and uniquely expressive as to the caption I assigned to the picture,” he said.

“As one good example, the photo in the book where the saguaro literally bends over at a 90-degree angle is a look I’ve never seen in my 45 years here in Arizona,” said Ryan. “What act of nature could

�ee CACTUS page 27

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25

Welcome

Dr. Velazquez Ahwatukee Animal Care Hospital is excited to introduce our new bilingual Associate Veterinarian, Dr. Alexandra Velazquez. In addition to general practice, Dr. Velazquez specializes in a variety of services that involve reproduction. Please join us in welcoming her to the beautiful Ahwatukee community and our veterinary team.

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26

COMMUNITY

DAKOTA from page 22

plane from were like a puzzle to us. We didn’t quite understand and she said, ‘You know, Scott. if we had another airplane to go by, a similar airplane, another Bearhawk to go by, it’d be easier building ours and you’ll have something to fly.’”

So, Williamson and his wife had a plane to fly in while he was building another.

They’d pack the dogs, camping gear and enough provisions and head for backcountry regions of Utah, Idaho, Arizona and other states.

When they weren’t on an adventure, he’d be hard at work at his Chandler Airport hangar working on the plane.

“I had a lot of help from my friends,” he said. “My wife did the fabric on the airplane. She did a great job on the fabric and she did the upholstery on the seats and she was with me on most of the major decisions about how we were going to outfit the airplane.”

Then, in 2017, he took his homemade Bearhawk on its maiden voyage at Chandler Airport.

“I was a little concerned going up in an airplane I built,” he recalled. “You start thinking ‘Did I tighten this up? Did I measure that correctly?’ All these things go through your head. I knew the engine was good because it was put on a test … It flew like a dream. It went really, really well.”

It performed superbly last month too when he went on his North Dakota adventure.

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | JUNE 17, 2020

would fly from one strip to the next – Williamson and Deutsch in one plane and Fagan in the other.

They hit a record 17 strips one day. Their worst was a day when it poured so hard that they couldn’t fly. Instead, they used a courtesy car – most of the strips make one available for pilots – and drove to four strips.

At each strip they landed, they’d have their Fly North Dakota Airport Passport stamped – needed proof to earn those leather jackets.

Sometimes at night, they’d The trio charted their zigzagging itinerary across North Dakota, flying into use that airport’s cour85 of the state’s 89 official airports and driving to four others because of tesy car to visit the nearby heavy rains. (Courtesy of Scott Williamson) tiny downtown and look around, maybe have a real dinner instead “was an immensely fulfilling experience.”

“It was so beautiful up there,” he said. of camping chow.

And at most every airport, they’d meet “Every little town of 1,000 to 2,000 people would have a landing strip and North Da- someone. kota supports their landing strips little terminals, Lazy Boys, a kitchen, a flush potty, More doors to walk through sometimes the shower and there’s always “The people in North Dakota were so a couch. So, Pat and I would set up our cots nice,” Williamson said. “Sometimes some and Kevin would sleep on a couch.” of the people would call their brother and For 10 days, they’d get up at the crack sister and friends over. It was pretty amazof dawn and, following the itinerary they ing. They were all so friendly. It renewed had mapped out before leaving Arizona, my faith in America, to tell you the truth.

On to North Dakota

The trip was organized for the most unlikely of reasons: His friend Pat wanted a leather jacket.

It’s the prize awarded by the Flying Legacy Program sponsored by the North Dakota Aeronautics Commission and the state’s Department of Commerce.

The jacket – which isn’t handed out until a banquet in December for all the pilots who complete the program – is the prize for zigzagging across North Dakota and visiting all 89 landing strips – as well as the two museums and sit through three lectures.

Actually, Williamson exceeded the airstrip goal, since he also swooped in for a 90th landing that isn’t part of the Flying Legacy Program. He decided to visit a friend for lunch, so he landed his plane on the friend’s farm.

All in all, he said, the North Dakota trip

There are some good, good people out there.”

With two or three exceptions, moreover, the airports were remarkably well maintained.

One terminal in the western half of North Dakota, home to numerous oil drilling operations, stunned the three flymates.

“It must have been professionally decorated because it was so opulent. It had a remote-control fireplace. It had marble floors. Everything was immaculate. It had a fully stocked kitchen. Then there were three or four airports that were really rough. There were no accommodations.

The runway was rough. We landed there anyway. It was a challenge.”

Though North Dakota is largely flat, the bird’s eye view of the terrain impressed Williamson.

“You get up 1,000 in the air and the terrain changes, depending on how the farmers till their fields,” he said. “There’s rolling hills, the crops are just coming up. In the eastern half there’s a lot of standing water and they will contour all the plowing they do around the standing water.

You go farther west, it gets drier. It’s gorgeous from the air, it’s really pretty.”

For a while anyway, only an average nine people a year did what Williamson did last month. He’s not sure if he’ll go to the banquet to collect his leather jacket and if he does, he thinks he might fly commercially given North Dakota’s propensity for harsh winter storms.

But there’s one thing that he’s sure of.

There are other states that have similar programs to North Dakota’s and he feels another door has opened that he’ll be walking through.

“Now that we’ve done this, I think we’ll do a little research to find out what other states offer something like this.”

GOT NEWS? Contact Paul Maryniak at 480-898-5647 or pmaryniak@ timespublications.com

The Bearhawks owned by Scott Williamson and Pat Fagan served them well on their adventure in North Dakota.

(Courtesy of Scott Williamson)

COMMUNITY

JUNE 17, 2020 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS

The first thought that came to Steve Ryan when he saw this saguaro was that it looked like a penitent seeking a blessing, so he dubbed it “You are forgiven, my son.” (Special to AFN)

CACTUS from page 24

possibly cause that saguaro to do that and still look totally healthy and otherwise normal?”

The fittingly captioned photo he referred to is humorously entitled “Man, I hate those Scottsdale height ordinances!”

“There are always one of two reactions when people see the photo. The photo and the caption either make you laugh out loud, such as ‘7,8,9,10. (cq) Ready or not, here I come!’ or make you sigh and go ‘Aww’ – like the ‘You are forgiven, my son’ photo.”

The latter photo he mentions is a towering beauty of a saguaro that appears to be blessing the smaller one below with a bowed head.

Other fan photo favorites include “United States Marine... in camouflage” and “Twin Girls,” each crowned with circlets of spring cactus blossoms – Arizona’s State Flower since 1931.

And you’ll not be finding any salacious saguaros among Ryan’s curated photos.

“I deliberately avoided using any pictures where the saguaro’s arms and ‘legs’ could lead to a sexually suggestive caption and I’m sure you’d know, there are saguaros out there who would fit that role,” he chuckled.

The saguaro’s scientific name – “Carnegiea gigantea” – was given in honor

of Andrew Carnegie, who established Tucson’s Desert Botanical Laboratory in 1903.

It is found throughout the Sonoran Desert in Arizona, the Mexican state of Sonora, Southern California’s Whipple Mountains in eastern San Bernardino County and reportedly small pockets in Imperial County’s Palo Verde Mountains.

Saguaros are the largest cactus in the United States. Two of Arizona’s tallest saguaros on record – the 46-foot-high “Grand One” in Tonto National Forest and 40-foot ”Oro Valley Saguaro” have both died.

Another giant, once standing proud in Tucson’s Saguaro National Park, was estimated to be 300 years old when the 40foot saguaro started dying in the 1990s.

It was said to be the oldest, biggest and with 52 arms, the most thicklylimbed saguaro.

In its first printing, Ryan’s book found fans locally, many of whom purchased additional copies for friends who’d visited Arizona or were considering doing so.

“Not one person has ever not truly loved it, literally everyone who’s seen it,” said Ryan. “And nearly everybody in Arizona has family or friends living in the Midwest or Northeast, and the book makes a great gift as it shows how ‘fun’ Arizona is, and how great it is to live here.”

Rene Thompson of Gilbert is one of those who both saw and loved the “Sassy Saguaros” book, then purchased a copy for her family.

“I’ve looked through “Sassy Saguaros” several times over the years and I laugh out loud at the photos and captions every time,” said Thompson, a Realtor. “Laughing out loud at pictures you’ve seen many times before says it all.”

Thompson, who has lived in Arizona since 1978, said she and her children always enjoyed seeing the unique and diverse shapes of the saguaro.

27

“Our children always loved competing with each other to discover the most unusually shaped saguaro. This book playfully demonstrates precisely that, adding humorous quips to match. It’s a perfect coffee table addition; you can’t help but enjoy it over and over again. I think Steve’s book is a perfect souvenir of Arizona; it always makes me smile.”

“Sassy Saguaros” is available for purchase on Amazon and BarnesAndNoble.com.

To see more pictures and maybe have a laugh: sassysaguaros.com.

28

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | JUNE 17, 2020

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OPINION

Opinion JUNE 17, 2020 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS

29

Share Your Thoughts:

Send your letters on local issues to: pmaryniak@timespublications.com

www.ahwatukee.com

School chiefs address inequalities in America We value the richness that comes from our diverse cultures

BY DR. KEVIN J. MENDIVIL AFN Guest Writer

T

he events occurring in the aftermath of the death of Mr. George Floyd bring renewed attention to racial injustice and the inequities that exist in our society.

These issues are very real and painful.

If left unresolved, many in our TUHSD community will be impacted in unproductive ways.

Research shows that societal issues impact school communities. For guidance

in this – and all – important matters, we turn to our core values and beliefs as a District, which state: We put students’ academic and social/ emotional needs at the forefront of everything we do.

We believe that people bring value to our organization.

We value the richness that comes from our diverse cultures.

We bene�it and learn from the voice of our diverse community.

Equity in educational opportunities for all of our students is central to the work we do each day.

We �irmly believe that students and families choose Tempe Union High School District because of the district’s core values and beliefs. They understand that these elements are inherent in the education they will receive.

We are proud that our school community is representative of the diversity of our nation.

Tempe Union is committed to doing our part to ensure that the diversity represented in our students, our staff, and our wider community is honored.

We pledge to continue working to be informed and educate our students and

staff during these challenging times. By doing so, we build a sense of hope and positive change.

Hateful words and behaviors of any kind have no place in Tempe Union. Within our school communities, we will not tolerate racism or injustice of any kind.

Please join us in this undertaking so that each of us can, as Maya Angelou wrote, “live a life that is not merely to survive but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, and some compassion.”

Dr. Kevin J. Mendivil is superintendent of Tempe Union High School District

the unceasing ways institutional racism, economic injustice, and other systemic inequities deny the fundamental civil liberties and human rights of Black people and communities.

We at Kyrene stand with the individuals and communities who are less safe physically, emotionally, and economically due to the effects of racism, exacerbated by the disproportionate effects of COVID during this brutal time.

It is incumbent upon us all to act in a manner that prioritizes equity and seeks to understand and eradicate racism.

As we navigate opening contingencies and distance learning, the long overdue work of systemic transformation will be harder than ever.

Alongside this distressing reality, we feel optimistic that people are moved to act more than ever right now.

We, as education leaders, have the potential to create conditions that will connect staff to their common humanity and transform opportunities for marginalized populations of all races, creeds and

backgrounds.

The heart of our work is about equipping leaders to inspire others toward building systems that truly work for every student.

Research shows lasting change is more possible when leaders insist upon a high-quality learning experience for each student.

The time is now for bold leadership to inspire and seed new practices this year that will be critical to the lasting change we must all demand of ourselves, our organizations and the institution of public education.

In this time of uncertainty, it’s easy to lose sight of our mission and our vision for Kyrene.

I and my administrative team have been working around the clock the past few weeks, grappling with the challenge of developing a plan to return to the classroom, the outline of which we just presented to the board and the community in the special session.

In that work, we have been mindful of

our responsibility and commitment to address the needs of all our students in Kyrene, and we have stayed true to our core values which re�lect the basic principles of equity and inclusion.

Kyrene remains committed to the work in addressing equity and inclusion in our schools and I am thankful to our Governing Board for their unwavering commitment. We intend to continue that work once we have settled back into a new school year, with the goal of moving forward in closing the gaps in achievement, discipline and opportunity.

Hubert Humphrey said, “Equality means equality for all--no exceptions, no ‘yes, buts’; no asterisked footnotes imposing limits.”

As we create a new normal for teaching and learning in Kyrene, we will do our very best to ensure that every student in Kyrene has the support they need to realize their full potential, no “yes, buts,” no asterisks, no limits.

Jan Vesely, Ed.D., is the superintendent of Kyrene School District

Time to transform opportunities for marginalized populations

BY DR. JAN VESELY AFN Guest Writer

W

e �ind ourselves in one of the most traumatic, uncertain and challenging times in recent memory.

In March, we found our lives abruptly interrupted with the onset of COVID-19.

With the closure of schools and the order from the Governor to shelter in place, life as we knew it changed.

We were robbed of the opportunity to properly say goodbye to each other for the summer, and were unable to enjoy the many traditional end of year celebrations.

It has been a long few months, and just as our communities were beginning to emerge from stay in place and reopen their doors, our nation has exploded in a wave of civil unrest.

The most recent horri�ic acts of racist violence against Black citizens are heartbreaking and a painful reminder of

Share Your Thoughts: Send your letters on local issues to: pmaryniak@timespublications.com

30

OPINION

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | JUNE 17, 2020

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Former ABM board member responds to critics

My family and I have lived in Ahwatukee for 43+ years and I love this community.

Yes, I have spent countless hours volunteering and serving in many capacities to try to “give back” to do my part in being a productive, involved member of this community.

Thank you for your acknowledgement of my involvement. It is much appreciated.

My response to your letter to the editor published in the Ahwatukee Foothills News June 10 concerning the Ahwatukee Board of Management’s decision to accept funds from the 2020 Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act’s Payroll Protection program is as follows: The Arizona Corporation Commission designates ABM as a homeowners association. An HOA is not a business open to the general public. Its sole purpose is to maintain a high quality of life for the lot owners.

Upon request, Arizona State Statute 331803 allows lot owners to receive almost all documents of an HOA. On May 5, I requested a copy of ABM’s Small Business Administration application form and related documents necessary to apply for the funds. I received a copy of the application on May 15, two days after ABM’s “emergency” board meeting was held in which the board voted to accept the funds.

My intent was to attend the ABM May 20 monthly board meeting (as listed on our website at the time) to voice my concerns but learned that the board held an emergency “secret” meeting. (That is the actual word used when I was informed.)

On the application, ABM is listed as a 501(c)(3) nonpro�it. The ABM is not a nonpro�it charitable organization. The application also lists two employees of the ABM with titles as secretary and assistant treasurer. That section states “list all owners of 20 percent or more of the equity of the applicant.” In reviewing the Arizona Corporation Commission listing of the ABM, I do not �ind their names listed.

Also, the corporate annual report has not been updated since April 2019 and there is at least one board member no longer serving still listed.

Why haven’t the lot owners been advised of the names of the new board members as the result of the annual election last March? They are not listed on the corporate documents with the state nor did I �ind

them listed on the ABM web site.

An addendum page was attached to the application noting that the bank lending the funds advised the employees on how to �ill out the U.S. government’s loan application including what titles these employees be given.

It concerns me that this application was manipulated in order to get it through the system. There is an “additional owners’ section” in the loan application but no lot owners were listed.

An HOA is “owned” by each individual lot owner, not an employee.

One of the executive of�icers of the board has stated that the funds are a “grant.” In reviewing the SBA Promise to Pay Note document, it states that the “loan” in the amount of $178,750 has an interest rate of 1 percent with a payment starting in seven months in the amount of $10,059.40 and thereafter monthly.

I cannot �ind the word “grant” anywhere in the application or the note.

Bullet point 9A under general provisions of the note, among several other points, states, “All individuals and entities signing this note are jointly and severally liable.”

Also, as prescribed in our HOA documents, any loan request over $100,000 requires the approval of at least 51 percent of the lot owners.

As I was leaving the board in April 2019, there was a committee formed to plan a separate budget for the Community Center for the purpose of understanding income vs. expenses in that operation.

I have not been able to locate such budget as of this writing. The recently posted ABM 2020 annual budget (01/01/2012/31/20) on their website is listed as $2,083,989.

Your letter erroneously states the budget as $2,104,216. In reality, that is the budgeted income for ABM! Our annual income comes from numerous sources, such as apartment parcel assessments, currently about $200,000, RV rental storage $89,250, documentation/inspection fees $69,000 and Desert Montessori land rental $4,463, to name a few. It is true that our homeowners’ assessment income totals $1,121,555.

ABM’s 2020 budget does have almost $900,000 allocated for salaries for 21 employees. This does not include health/life insurance of $108,650, disability insurance of $6,960 and pension contributions

of $73,386. Nor does this include sick time or vacation time provided to employees.

This money comes from our annual income budget. In the event of extenuating circumstances, such as COVID-19, a budget can be revised just like the ABM board revised their budget in the economic collapse in 2008. In �ive minutes, looking over the 2020 budget, I found $280,738 that could be reallocated if need be.

I have questioned, and am able to �ind solutions, to budgetary issues because of my many years as an executive member of the ABM board. I am also concerned for the two ABM employees who have possibly placed themselves in a �inancial liability position by having their names on the federal government’s documents.

-Christopher Gentis

Grateful for AFN, community support of Swaziserve

I just want to say thank you so much to AFN for publishing the article on our nonpro�it, Swaziserve, and the work we do in southern Africa.

I also want to express our deep gratitude to our Ahwatukee community for your generous donations towards those in desperate need. We love our wonderful neighborhood!

-Kay West

Foothills candidate urges bylaw change approval

I am running for a seat on the Foothills Community Association’s Board of Directors in the upcoming elections.

For years, I have been following the Association’s activities and regularly attending board meetings. Last year, I spoke at the annual meeting stating that money in the Association account is not our greatest asset.

We as community members come from many walks of lives, with skills and expertise in a multitude of areas. By reaching out to the community and encouraging members to get involved, the Association can tap into the most valuable resource our community has.

If elected to the board, I will strive to bring members into the work of the Association.

One way is through the creation of committees, such as the Bylaws Amendment Committee (on which I serve) and the ad hoc committee working on the 14th Way

and Dry Creek erosion issue. These are great models of what can be done.

One of the �irst new committees should be charged with revising the Etiquette Policy adopted last year so as to make it more “member friendly.” This alone would help welcome member involvement.

I also propose periodic meetings, perhaps quarterly, where members could bring their issues to the board’s attention. As currently formulated, the board’s monthly business meetings simply do not facilitate in-depth discussion of key issues.

Another big step toward transparency would be for the Association’s management company to make non-sensitive documents routinely available on the website.

This would bene�it members, and it would spare the Association the time and expense of processing document requests.

Community involvement with complete and easily accessible transparency for our community will be the tools needed to ensure the Association overcomes its current problems and is able to move forward.

Finally, I have been a strong supporter of the ongoing reform campaign. The bylaws reform amendments vote in the af�irmative is a very important step to ensure the Foothills Community Association moves in the right direction.

I hope all members will join me in voting “Approve” July 16 and I would appreciate your vote in the board election that follows.

-Vicky Glover

Racism is a weed that’s not been eliminated

Racism is true as with most things in life, like in gardening.

If you chop off only the top of weeds, the roots are still there to grow.

-Judy Wade

Share Your Thoughts:

Send your letters on local issues to: pmaryniak@timespublications.com

OPINION

JUNE 17, 2020 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS

Putting our helping hands together for the dads

BY DAN SHUFELT AFN Guest Writer

T

he website dadtography.com tells us that “a dad is someone that is there for his children. A dad watches and actively participates in their lives, helps them grow up, raises them, nurtures them and is present.”

I’ve had the honor to meet some amazing dads in my work at Arizona Helping Hands.

Foster dads don’t have nine months to wrap their heads around the responsibilities of parenting. They are called on often at a moment’s notice because children desperately need that one caring adult who will be present in their lives.

A foster parent tries to mend the many broken pieces of children who have been abused and neglected.

They take on all of the risks that come with a child whose life has been damaged by others. It takes a true hero, �illed with love and commitment, to willingly accept

this role, and fortunately, for so many boys and girls, heroes do exist.

John and his wife changed their lives to take in their two grandchildren after drug addiction consumed their daughter.

Eric and his wife have fostered 40 children, adopting 12; Curtis has adopted nine – four from foster care, along with his �ive grandchildren. The hero list goes on – thankfully.

I met Mike earlier this year, to assist his family with licensing safety items and with support for his expanding household.

He told me that he and his wife had a blended family – three of his wife’s children, along with two of his biological kids. As parents of kids aged 16 to 22, they did their part, working together to raise a family.

Mike was ready for a taste of freedom as the kids found their space and grew into young adults, but his wife had other ideas.

She wanted to foster.

They started classes to become foster parents, seeking to foster a baby, as they had no children together. Then the call came in – the three children of a cousin

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were in foster care, each in different foster homes.

After some discussion, Mike agreed, and they began the process to reunite the children under their roof.

On Feb. 1, the 10-year-old, 16-monthold and 6-month-old children were all brought home. Mike says that his heart and his life were changed forever.

The daily challenges of raising a youngster, a toddler and an infant are huge, but it is all worth it, watching their peaceful sleeping faces, knowing they are safe and loved.

That’s what a dad does for his kids!

Arizona Helping Hands helps men like Mike on the foster journey.

We assist with the safety items needed to become a licensed foster home, with beds and cribs for the children to sleep on, along with clothing, diapers, back to school items and even birthday packages to celebrate their special day.

After disruption, abuse and neglect, these kids truly need our helping hands, and there is no greater honor than to as-

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sist the heroes who choose to set their needs aside to care for children in need.

I love helping dads like Mike and foster parents from all over Arizona who come to us for assistance when they answer the call from a child in need.

Mike said, “Being a dad is being the man that the kids look up to and learn from by example. Letting them know that no matter what happens, they will always be loved. This applies to all the kids – bio, step and foster – I won’t put that label on them, they are all MY children.”

Those boys and girls are incredibly blessed to have Mike, who is truly a dad, in their lives. I wish Mike and all dads – biological, foster, adoptive, step - a beautiful Father’s Day, I hope you are surrounded by the smiles and laughter of your children. Thank you for being their hero!

Dan Shufelt is president/CEO of Arizona Helping Hands, the largest provider of basic needs to Arizona’s children in foster care. Information: azhelpinghands. org or dshufelt@azhelpinghands.org.

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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | JUNE 17, 2020

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Ahwatukee Skin & Laser now offering in-house treatments

BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor

I

t’s been a couple of challenging months by manager Sarah Neumann PA-C and the rest of the staff at Ahwatukee Skin & Laser have resumed cosmetic and other procedures in-house.

Until recently, Physician Assistant Neumann’s clinic had been limiting surgeries and was still treating patients with skin cancer and other disorders.

But while the business was considered essential and not covered by Gov. Doug Ducey’s shutdown orders, which were lifted last month, Neumann elected to transition about 90 percent of the clinic’s visits to virtual and telehealth visits.

While still providing telehealth visits, Ahwatukee Skin & Laser is also scheduling in-house elective procedures under COVID-19 safety protocols recommended by federal and state health officials.

“We’re excited to offer popular servic-

es again such as fillers and Botox but we also want to remind everyone that summer is upon us and they need to get their skin cancer exams,” said Neumann.

“Safety is of the utmost importance to us,” she said. “Patients are checked in at their vehicles and our entire staff is wearing personal protective equipment.

Temperatures are taken at the door and travel questions are asked to every visitor. We also use directional travel within the office and social distancing between patients.”

For patients who don’t require an office visit, telehealth appointments are available through popular platforms such as Doxy.me, Zoom and Google office.

“We have been pleasantly surprised at how effective and convenient these types of appointments are and most virtual visits are covered under insurance,” said Neumann.

�ee SKIN CARE page 34

Ahwatukee Skin & Laser’s surgical team includes, from left, Austin Rike, Jennie Urlacher and Dr. Bradley Rasmussen.

(Special to AFN)

Chamber honors 2, slates annual golf tournament AFN NEWS STAFF

T

he Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce has saluted two ambassadors and is getting ready for its annual golf tournament later this month.

The Chamber named as its Ambassadors of the Month Kim Steedman & Shelley Yakubow of Music Maker Workshops.

Music Maker Workshops is a familyowned and operated music school that provides music lessons for a variety of instruments with a talented faculty of over 30 teachers.

In addition to lessons, it offers seasonal camps, ensembles, and instrument rentals for band and orchestra instruments.

Bev Bigam, the two ambassadors’ mother, started the business in 1997 and Steedman and Yakubow joined in 2001 to help teach the younger students.

“The studio has grown throughout

thankful for the opportunity to serve the teachers and students of the studio.”

Music Makers has reopened for in-person lessons.

“It’s exhilarating to see the students again,” they said.

“We are starting with a small team of teachers. We have new safety precautions and are taking our time to make sure Music Maker Workshops owners Kim Steedman and Shelley Yakubow are the Ahwe don’t rush the watukee Chamber of Commerce’s Ambassadors of the Month. (Special to AFN) process.”

About 40 percent of their students the years and it’s been an exciting journey,” the two said. “We are humbled and sought in-studio lessons but Music Mak-

ers also will provide virtual lessons for students who feel safer at home during the pandemic.

“Kim and Shelley are not only Ambassadors but are actively involved with Women in Business, Ahwatukee,” Chamber Executive Director Andrew Hayes said.

Information on Music Makers, located at 3233 E. Chandler Blvd., Ahwatukee: mmwaz.com or 480-706-1224.

Meanwhile, the Chamber will hold its 23rd annual Master’s Tournament with registration at 6 a.m. and shotgun start at 7 a.m. June 26 at Foothills Golf Club in Ahwatukee.

Cost is $150 for one and $550 for a foursome. Cost covers breakfast and lunch, a Calloway golf shirt and cart. Prizes will be awarded and raffles will be held.

Information/tickets: ahwatukeechamber.com.

34

BUSINESS

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | JUNE 17, 2020

Different ways available to save on income taxes

BY DR. HAROLD WONG AFN Guest Writer

T

he coronavirus pandemic shutdown of most of the U.S. was devastating.

However, the economic is now slowly coming out of lockdown and many predict that we will have a strong fourth quarter in 2020 and strong economic recovery in 2021.

For many upper middle-class families, income taxes are one of the two highest single expenses, along with housing expenses. It’s the highest expense once your house is paid off.

Let’s examine several major tax-savings options.

Tax-Deferred retirement plans: Include the IRA and 401(k). IRAs allow one to deduct up to $6,000 annually (or $7,000 annually if one is age 50 or older) but are limited to employee earned income.

The 401(k) has much bigger annual contribution limits. In 2020, one can contribute up to $19,500 (and up to $26,000 if one is age 50 or older).

SKIN CARE from page 33

ASL boasts a comprehensive team approach to medicine with a personal touch. The office features an in-house board-certified dermatologic surgeon and a Mohs surgeon to handle complex skin cancer cases.

Neumann has been practicing dermatology for over 20 years and founded both ASL and Sun City Dermatology in Sun City West. Using her savings, she opened Ahwatukee Skin & Laser first in 2010.

With some people at least still staying home and possibly working on their tans, Neumann also advises them to be

t o Gews?

N

However, one’s contribution is limited to the amount of earned income that year. If one’s 2020 earned income is $12,000, then that’s the maximum one can contribute to your 401(k).

Solo 401(k): If you own your small business and have no non-family employees, you can set up a solo 401(k) and have the same employee maximum contribution limits.

If you have substantial profits, you can also do an employer “match” and the total maximum contribution in 2020 is $57,000.

If there are substantial profits and both spouses own and work the business, there can be a maximum $114,000 of annual tax-deductible contributions to the solo 401(k) plan.

Solar business equipment: This could involve solar panels on the roof of commercial buildings or solar refrigeration equipment (called reefers in the food industry) attached to the front of refrigerated trailers that transport frozen foods, meat, dairy, fruits and vegetables to grocery stores.

In 2020 the solar tax credit is 26 percent. If one has a high income – caused

by high earnings, a Roth IRA conversion or gains from selling stock or real estate – one would also want to use Section 179.

Section 179 allows one to deduct the cost of business equipment in the year it is “placed in service” instead of having to depreciate the cost over a period of years.

Example: You purchased $120,000 of solar reefers in 2020. Your cost basis must deduct half of the 26 percent solar tax credit ($31,200) and this results in an $104,400 cost basis.

Suppose a single taxpayer had $250,000 of taxable income in 2020 and would owe $62,295 of federal tax.

After using the Section 179 deduction of $104,400, revised federal taxable income is $145,600. The federal tax is $29,023.

Now apply the $31,200 tax credit and you owe no federal tax in 2020.

You have $2,176.50 of excess solar tax credit, which can be used to recover federal tax paid in 2019.

The total federal tax savings is $64,471.50 (the $62,295 that would have been paid plus the $2,176.50 of

careful.

“Of course, if patients are going to be On the other hand, a little sun might out for hours at a time, we encourage even help. photo protection/ “Given the cursunscreen.”

“If your shadow is shorter rent circumstancNeumann recthan you, seek shade, people ommends indies, we encourage vitamin D expoviduals try to avoid should lather up with a sure (exposure sun during the sunscreen with a minimum of the to sunlight) 15 to hottest times of the 20 minutes daily SPF 30 to prevent sun damage. day and abide by - Sarah Neumann, the “shadow rule.” as it can assist Ahwatukee Skin & Laser Manager in reducing viral “If your shadow replication as well is shorter than you, as boosting imseek shade,” Neumunity and aiding in improving mental mann said, adding, “People should lather health,” Neumann said. up with a sunscreen with a minimum of

2019 tax recovered. Arizona income tax savings would be $4,698 and total tax savings would be $69,169.50.

In order to take the Section 179 expensing provision, there are seven ways to qualify to be an “active” or “materially participating” investor.

The easiest way is to spend at least 100 hours per year managing your investment and “it can be as much time as anyone else.” This means you should own the equipment individually.

In contrast, if there are 5,000 investors in a $1 billion solar farm sold by a major Wall Street firm, the investors are deemed to be “passive.” They would get the 26 percent solar tax credit, but could not take Section 179. They would be allowed to take their pro rata annual depreciation of the project equipment.

Free webinar: A free webinar on solar investments will be held monthly starting this month. RSVP: 480-7060177 or harold_wong@hotmail.com.

Harold Wong earned his Ph.D. in economics at University of California/Berkeley and has appeared on over 400 TV/radio programs.

SPF 30 to prevent sun damage.

Now that more in-office appointments are possible, Neumann is upbeat.

“We can’t wait to start seeing our amazing patients again and meet new faces here in Ahwatukee,” she said.

The practice earlier this year won three first place sports in Best of Ahwatukee in the categories for Best Medical Specialist, Best Physician Assistant (Sarah Neumann) and Best Skin Care for esthetician (Tiffany Barragan).

The clinic is located at 4425 E. Agave Rd. in building #9, suite 148. Information: 480-704-7546 or ahwatukeeskincare.com.

Contact Paul Maryniak at 480-898-5647 or pmaryniak@timespublications.com

JUNE 17, 2020 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS

Stillery still plans for downtown debut

BY DENA ROCHE Contributor

A

s restaurants reemerge from their pandemic half-life, Chandler residents can still look forward to Nashville’s hottest restaurant and live music venue, The Stillery, opening in the New Square development in downtown Chandler.

Despite the hardships being felt by the restaurant industry and the overall economic downturn, The Stillery is still on track to open by November.

The Stillery is the brainchild of husband and wife serial entrepreneurs Steve and Alane Kovach, Chandler residents for the last 30 years. They have two Stillery locations in Nashville.

They also own a local construction company and are co-owners of the popular The Living Room restaurants and ChOP Steakhouse in Chandler.

The 5,800-square-foot Stillery will become the largest live music venue in Chandler when it debuts.

Some of Nashville’s top performers will bring a wide variety of musical styles to the stage every Thursday-Saturday, with no additional cover charge for the entertainment.

According to Steve Kovach, The Stillery is actually going to be able to bring in even bigger name acts ready to debut new tracks after the COVID-19 crisis.

The Stillery is known for its from-scratch kitchen serving elevated comfort food and a wide variety of southern-style mason jar cocktails and local craft beers.

The same menu is planned for Chandler, swapping Arizona brews for the Nashville suds.

During the current shutdown, The Stillery has kept one of its restaurants in Nashville open to provide take-out on weekends and has kept all of its managers on the payroll.

We recently sat down with the Kovachs to learn more about The Stillery’s debut in Chandler.

Q. You have deep roots in Arizona, why did you launch The Stillery in Nashville

and not in Arizona?

A. We did a construction project in Nashville and found at that time there wasn’t a strong culinary scene downtown and we saw an opportunity. We had gotten into restaurants about 10 years ago as a passion project because we are foodies and believed we could fill a void in the Nashville market.

Q. The Stillery opened in 2015 in Nashville and launched a second location there in 2017. What made you decide to bring it to your hometown?

A. Our friends from here who had been to The Stillery in Nashville kept begging us to open a location here. There really isn’t anything like it in the Southeast Valley and when our business partner Spike Lawrence began developing New Square it seemed like the ideal time and location.

Q. What has made The Stillery a success in Nashville that we can expect here?

A. We have excellent chefs, we make everything from scratch, from our cheese to our sauces, and we have outstanding cocktails. But more than all that, we have

BUSINESS

35

a stellar team. We will replicate the menu and find the same quality staff for our Chandler location that we’ve been lucky enough to find in Nashville.

Q. What kind of music will you have?

A. Coming from Nashville people expect it to be country, and we will have that, but we will also feature other styles. Our focus is on bringing the top singer songwriters from Nashville to Arizona.

Q. What is your signature dish and signature mason jar cocktail?

A. Our Hot Chicken Pizza is the house favorite. This special type of fried chicken is unique to Nashville. We use it, white sauce, cheddar, mozzarella and bacon to top a ranch crust pizza.

Our most popular Mason jar libation is the Stillery Sour featuring American bourbon, blackberry jam and sour.

The Stillery is slated to open this fall in the New Square development at Arizona Avenue and Chicago Street. Job interviews are expected to start after Labor Day. The restaurant will be open for lunch, dinner and weekend brunch.

36

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Pride’s Tucker picked by Indians in MLB Draft

BY ZACH ALVIRA AFN Sports Editor

D

reams turned into a reality for recent Mountain Pointe graduate Carson Tucker Wednesday night, as he was selected 23rd overall by the Cleveland Indians in the 2020 MLB Draft.

Tucker, a 6-foot-2, 180-pound shortstop, follows in the footsteps of older brother Cole Tucker, who was drafted out of Mountain Pointe in 2014 by the Pittsburgh Pirates at No. 24 overall.

“It is a dream come true,” Tucker said.

“When it happened, I couldn’t really believe it but now I’m kind of realizing that it is real. It’s pretty crazy. It was a special moment for me and my family.”

Tucker becomes the 14th Mountain Pointe alum to be drafted to the big leagues either right out of high school or college, joining the likes of Joe Mather, C.J. and Kevin Cron, Cole and others. Of course, being drafted one spot ahead of his older brother has already been met with some friendly bickering between the two.

“It’s a crazy thing for my family, especially for my parents,” Tucker said.

“Wherever I got picked, it would have been a special moment. But going a pick higher than my brother, I’ve got a little bit of bragging rights for the rest of my life. It’s funny, me going higher was one of the �irst things he said to me right after. Everyone kind of gave him a little crap for it.”

Tucker was surrounded by members of his family and close friends when MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred read his name in front of a national audience. The

was just crying on the couch,” Tucker said.

“There were a lot of different emotions. I had a lot of my close friends there, too, and more came by later on to stop by and say congrats.

It was great to have them there and it was a really special moment for all of us.”

Tucker was on the radars of college and pro scouts early on in his prep career. His power at the plate and quick hands and feet from the shortstop position made him an intriguing prospect. He was offered by a slew of major powMountain Pointe shortstop Carson Tucker was selected 23rd overall by the Cleveland er-5 colleges as Indians in the 2020 MLB Draft. (Zach Alvira/AFN Staff) a sophomore. As announcement was met with cheers and a junior, he committed to the University even some tears. of Texas and signed last fall.

It was met with even more positive reHe made an immediate impact as a actions on social media as word quickly freshman on the varsity roster at Mounspread. tain Pointe, batting .289 with 10 RBI. “My family started going crazy and I He increased his average to .418 as a

Have an interesting sports story?

Contact Zach Alvira at zalvira@timespublications.com and follow him on Twitter @ZachAlvira.

sophomore and .453 as a junior. He was well on his way for yet another season of improvement in 2020 before the season was suspended then ultimately canceled after schools across the state were shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Against Perry on March 5, the Pride’s second-to-last game before the season was canceled, Tucker went 5-for-5 with two home runs and 5 RBI in front of several professional scouts in attendance.

“I’m so thankful to have this opportunity to represent who I am and the school I come from,” Tucker said. “I always looked up to my brothers when they played (at Mountain Pointe) and I always dreamed of playing there. I’m de�initely very happy to have been a part of the Mountain Pointe baseball program. It’s something I don’t take for granted.”

Tucker has yet to decide whether he will immediately sign with the Indians or go to Texas to play at least one year of collegiate baseball.

According to MLB.com’s Jim Callis, siting the negotiations between league and player’s association of�icials due to the now shortened 2020 season, Tucker’s signing bonus with Cleveland will be just under $3 million.

He said it’s a decision he will make soon.

“It’s something we still have to discuss with my agent and with the team,” Tucker said. “When it’s all said and done, we will see what happens. I have two really good options and I’ll probably make that decision soon.

“Right now, I’m just trying to enjoy the moment.”

JUNE 17, 2020 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS

37

King Crossword

Merchandise

ACROSS

1 St. Louis landmark 5 Hostel 8 Grime 12 Silver salmon 13 Kan. neighbor 14 Sandwich cookie 15 Destruction 16 Thrilling 18 Passage 20 Idles 21 Still 22 “You’ve got mail” co.

23 Really fun time 26 Leave out 30 Thither 31 Beer cousin 32 Queue 33 Shout out 36 Co-star with Ball, Arnaz

and Frawley 38 Branch 39 Dine 40 Larynx output 43 Surpasses 47 “My bad” 49 By word of mouth 50 Night light?

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Job involves running errands, care, transfers, fun errands, and feeding the client. Must be responsible and honest.

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Went to a restaurant Put forth, as energy -- cava The yoke’s on them PC picture

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If One Needs a Job, They Look Every day!

For a Quote email: class@times publications.com 480-898-6465

DOWN

Employment General Local scientific company seeking part-time Administrative/Operations Assistant to help with Analytical services, sales support, customer service, shipping and general office duties.

Two years administration and customer service required, background in science helpful. This is the perfect position for an individual looking for a parttime position in Ahwatukee. Forward resume & cover letter to hr@nanoscience.com

V1 Salon Space is looking to fill positions! *Room Rentals $840 per month *Chair Rental $630 per month

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480-217-0407 Your newspaper.

Your community.

Your planet.

Complete Lawn Service & Weed Control

Irrigation Repair Services Inc. Licensed • Bonded • Insured Technician

Specializing in Controllers, Valves, Sprinklers, Landscape Lighting, P.V.C. & Poly Drip Systems

Call Lance White

480.721.4146 www.irsaz.com

ROC# 256752

Starting @ $60/Month!

Please recycle me.

• One Month Free Service • Licensed, Bonded Insured for your protection.

• Call or Text for a Free Quote

kjelandscape.com • ROC#281191

480-586-8445

Painting

East Valley PAINTERS

FREE ORGANIC LAWN FERTILIZATION TREATMENT WITH CORE AERATION FERTILIZATION * SOIL AMENDMENTS * LAWN SOIL TESTING

ROC 282663 * BONDED * INSURED YOUR LAWN EXPERT SINCE 1995

480.345.1800 ROC 304267 • Licenced & Bonded

SH ALL YOU NEED IS A PU

480.898.6465

MAKE A LOT!

Painting

HOME IMPROVEMENT & PAINTING Interior/Exterior Painting 30 YEARS EXPERIENCE Dunn Edwards Quality Paint Small Stucco/Drywall Repairs

We Are State Licensed and Reliable!

Free Estimates • Senior Discounts

480-338-4011

ROC#309706

The Valley’s Premier Painters

• Best Painters EVER! • Epoxy Floors & Concrete Coatings • Interior & Exterior “Professional, Punctual & Clean”

Paint Interior & Exterior • Drywall Repair Light Carpentry • Power Washing • Textures Matched Popcorn Removal • Pool Deck Coatings Garage Floor Coatings • Color Consulting

10% OFF

We Beat Competitors Prices & Quality Free Estimates!

Home of the 10-Year Warranty!

480-688-4770

www.eastvalleypainters.com CLASS@TIMESPUBLICATIONS.COM

SPEND A LITTLE…

Residential • Commercial

Voted #1

theplugman.com

PROFESSIONAL PAINTING Interior, Exterior House Painting.

Stucco Patching.

Gate/Front Door Refinishing.

Quality work/Materials Free Estimate Ignacio 480-961-5093 602-571-9015 ROC #189850 Bond/Ins'd

Proudly Serving Ahwatukee for 15 Years!

Family Owned & Operated

WANT A GREEN LAWN?

480-940-8196

Painting

Family Owned & Operated Bonded/Insured • ROC#153131

Now Accepting all major credit cards

ACP is 100% Veteran Owned Like us on Facebook to stay current & Receive 5% Off Services

www.AcpPaintingllc.com Licensed - Bonded - Insured ROC 290242

FREE ESTIMATES • CALL TODAY!

(480)785-6323

CLASSIFIEDS 480-898-6465 class@times publications.com

CLASSIFIEDS

JUNE 17, 2020 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS

Painting

Plumbing

Pool Service / Repair

SUN TECH

PAINTING

AHWATUKEE SPECIAL

INC.

Serving Ahwatukee Since 1987 Interior / Exterior

$

Off 40work done *Any

• High Quality Materials & Workmanship • Customer Satisfaction Free Est imates • Countless References • Carpentry Services Now Available

$25 OFF

Filter Cleaning!

Monthly Service & Repairs Available

Visit us at Suntechpaintingaz.com or view our video promo at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GM5pbvpZJlg

602.625.0599 ROC #155380

602-546-POOL 7 6 6 5

Family Owned • Free Estimates

www.barefootpoolman.com See our Before’s and After’s on Facebook Licensed, Bonded & Insured ROC# 272001

Pool Service / Repair Watch for Garage Sales in Classifieds!

Juan Hernandez

Pavers • Concrete • Water Features • Sprinkler Repair

PPebbleOcracking, O L Plaster R Epeeling, P ARebar IR

You will find them easy with their yellow background.

Garage Sale Fri & Sat 7a-11am Household, clothes, kitchen items, furniture, electronics, mason jars, kid items, DVDs, MORE 555 W. Lane Dr Mesa

showing, Pool Light out? I CAN HELP!

FALL SPECIAL! $500 OFF COMPLETE REMODEL! 25 Years Experience • Dependable & Reliable

Only $27.50 includes 1 week online

Call Juan at

480-720-3840 Not a licensed contractor.

To place an ad please call: 480-898-6465 class@times publications.com

“We get your house looking top notch!” ★ Interior/Exterior Painting ★ Drywall Repair & Installation ★ Popcorn Ceiling Removal

Roofing

Family Operated by 3 Generations of Roofers! We have a “Spencer” on every job

★ Elastomaric Roof Coating

and every step of the way.

★ Epoxy Floors ★ Small Job Specialist

Scott Mewborn, Owner 480-818-1789 License #ROC 298736

Place YOUR Business HERE! in the Service Directory

480-446-7663

1st Month of Service FREE For a limited time

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Call for our 3 Month Special!

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Your Ad can go ONLINE ANY Day! Call to place your ad online!

Classifieds 480-898-6465

Classifieds: 480-898-6465

Ahw Resident • Owner Operated Maintenance & Repair Professional and Superior Service

Ahwatukee’s Premier Tile, Shingle & Foam Roofer!

We maintain, repair and service all types of pools, equipment, filters, cleaning systems, fresh water and salt water systems

Call me, Howard:

480.231.9651

Plumbing

FREE Estimates • Credit Cards OK www.spencer4hireroofing.com ROC#244850 | Insured | Bonded

AZPoolExpert.com BBB Member Not a licensed contractor.

Plumbing

PLUMBING

ROC # 272721

SERVICE • REPAIR • REPLACEMENT

$35.00 Off Any Service Call Today!

A+ RATED

We Repair or Install

41

AHWATUKEE’S #1 PLUMBER Licensed • Bonded • Insured

704.5422

(480)

We offer personalized service for our customers.

We use the best materials that we can find.

Owned and Operated

by Rod Lampert Ahwatukee Resident Serving Ahwatukee for over 25 years

Our services include: Sinks, Toilets, Faucets, Water Heaters, Garbage Disposal, Drain Cleaning, Pressure Reducing Valves, Pressure Vacuum Breakers, Hot Water Circulation Systems, Main Service Valves and Hose Taps.

(480)

279-4155

Licensed • Bonded • Insured • ROC 189848

42

CLASSIFIEDS Pool Service / Repair

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | JUNE 17, 2020

Roofing

CLR Pool Service LLC

Family Owned & Operated for over 30 years

Excellent Service...

First time, Every time!

Charles Rock - Ahwatukee Resident

480.399.ROCK (7625)

charles@clrpoolservice.com

www.clrpoolservice.com

Roofing

Tree Services

Roofing

ROC #152111

Quality Repairs & Re-Roofs Complimentary & Honest Estimates

602-938-7575 $ 1000 OFF when you show this ad

Call our office today!

480-460-7602 Ask us about our discount for all Military and First Responders!

www.porterroofinginc.com

TREE ART Tree Trimming, Palms, Removals, Haul off and Yard clean-ups. Weekends.

Not a licensed contractor.

13 yrs exp.

480-329-2239 arpjeff103@gmail.com

Your newspaper.

Your community.

Your planet.

Please recycle me.

Roofing

on qualifying complete roof replacements

Over 30 Years of Experience Family Operated by 3 Generations of Roofers!

Let us show you the IN-EX Difference!

Tiles, shingles, flat, repairs & new work Free Estimates • Ahwatukee Resident

Valley Wide Service

Licensed, Bonded, Insured

Over 30 yrs. Experience

480-706-1453

Licensed/Bonded/Insured • ROC #236099

Spencer 4 HIRE ROOFING

Serving The Valley Since 1996

See MORE Ads Online!

inexroofing.com Call for your FREE Roof Evaluation

www.Ahwatukee.com

PHILLIPS ROOFING LLC Member of ABM

480-446-7663

10% OFF with this ad

Ahwatukee’s Premier Tile, Shingle & Foam Roofer!

Licensed • Bonded • Insured ROC 223367

All employees verified Free estimates on all roofs 36 Years experience in AZ Licensed contractor since 2006

New Roofs, Repairs, Coatings, Flat Roof, Hot Mopping & Patching & Total Rubber Roof Systems

FREE ESTIMATES & MONSOON SPECIALS 30 Years Experience References Available

CR 42 DUAL

623-873-1626

Your leaks stop here!

SAME DAY SERVICE

Valleywide

Licensed • Bonded • Insured ROC # 269218

HIRING? People are looking in the Classifieds Every Day! Email Your

Licensed Bonded Insured ROC 286561

Senior & Military Discounts

480-280-0390

FREE Estimates • Credit Cards OK www.spencer4hireroofing.com ROC#244850 | Insured | Bonded

phillipsroofingaz.com phillipsroofing@cox.net

Job Post to: class@times publications.com

or Call 480-898-6465

JUNE 17, 2020 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS

43

palmabrisa.com

NOW SELLING

A new gated resort community is coming soon in the Ahwatukee Foothills with a dramatically different style. It feels exclusive, but also lively and exciting — and it's called Palma Brisa.

• Modern resort-style gated community with stately palms

• Diverse architecture: Modern Bungalow, Urban Farmhouse, Italian Cottage, Andalusian, Modern Craftsman, French Country, and Spanish Mission • Four amenity areas connected by expansive lawns

• Homes from 1,700 sq. ft. to 4,000 sq. ft. from the $400’s

ERIC WILLIAMS

480-641-1800

TERRY LENTS

© Copyright 2019 Blandford Homes, LLC. No offer to sell or lease may be made prior to issuance of Final Arizona Subdivision Public Report.

Offer, terms, and availability subject to change without prior notice. Renderings are artist’s conceptions and remain subject to modification without notice.

44

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | JUNE 17, 2020

STOREWIDE INVENTORY

E C N A R A CLE 58” 4K UHD SMART TV

1.6 CU. FT. OVER-THERANGE MICROWAVE

• 2 HDMI Inputs • Airplay2 Built-In

449 $199

$

UN58TU7000

• 950 Watts of Power • 10 Levels of Power • Sunken Glass Turntable

GREA T DEAL !

WMH1162XVQ CLOSEOUT

TOP LOAD WASHER

• 3.8 Cu. Ft. • 12 Wash Cycles • 2 Water Levels • 5 Temperature Options • Power Wash Agitator MVWC416FW CLOSEOUT

• Large 7.0 cu. ft.

Capacity • Wrinkle Control Option • Heavy-Duty Motor MEDC415EW CLOSEOUT

EACH EACH

DISHWASHER

OVER THE RANGE MICROWAVE

• 1.6 Cu. Ft. • 1000 Watts • Glass Turntable • 10 Power Levels FFMV1645TS CLOSEOUT

30” RANGE

23 CU. FT. REFRIGERATOR

• PureSource® Filtration • Adjustable Store-MoreTM Shelves • Deli Drawer • Gallon Bins FFSS2315TS

DISHWASHER • 14 Place Settings • 4 Cycles • Heated Dry FFCD2418US

259 1999

$

12 MONTHS NO INTEREST**

• 2 Adjustable Glass Shelves • Fixed Gallon Door Shelves • Sealed Drawers with Glass Cover GRM183TW

469

$

only

$

SIDE-BY-SIDE REFRIGERATOR • PureSource 3® Water • SpillSafe® Glass Shelves Filtration • Store-More™ Capacity

FFSS2614QS CLOSEOUT

999

$

• 4.9 Cu. Ft. Capacity • Quick Boil • 5 Heating Elements • Store-More Drawer FFEF3052TS CLOSEOUT

28 CU. FT. FAMILY HUB™ 4-DOOR FRENCH DOOR

• Normal Wash Cycle • Heated Dry On/Off HDA1100FMCC

18 CU. FT. REFRIGERATOR

DRYER

429

$

NO MATTER WHERE YOU SEE IT, READ IT, Give Us A Call , OR HEAR IT, Buy Over SPENCERS WILL The Phone BEAT IT. IF WE AREN’T ALREADY 1000’S OF ITE MS LOWER, JUST LET US IN S T O C K FO R KNOW, BECAUSE WE FA S T D E LI VERY! GUARANTEE A LOWER PRICE!

• Bixby Voice Assistant • FlexZone™ Drawer

BUYS ALL 4 PIECES

• Adjustable Shelves • Twin Cooling Plus®

1899

$

LI M IT ED S U P P LI ES

!

** NO INTEREST IF PAID IN FULL IN 12 MONTHS. $799.00 Minimum Purchase Required Minimum Payments Required 30.79% APR If the promotional balance is not paid in full by the end for the promotional period or, to the extent permitted by law, if you make a late payment, interest will be imposed from the date of purchase at the APR noted above. This APR is as of 7/4/2019 and will vary with the market based on the Prime Rate. Your card agreement, the terms of the offer and applicable law govern this transaction including increasing APRs and fees and terminating the promotional period.

MESA SHOWROOM & CLEARANCE CENTER 115 W. First Ave. | 480-833-3072 AHWATUKEE 4601 E. Ray Rd. | Phoenix | 480-777-7103 ARROWHEAD RANCH 7346 W. Bell Road | 623-487-7700 EAST MESA/GILBERT Gateway Towne Center | 4630 E. Ray Rd. | South End by Target | 480-988-1917 GILBERT Santan Village | 2711 S. Santan Village Pkwy | 480-366-3900 GLENDALE 10220 N. 43rd Ave | (602) 504-2122 GOODYEAR 1707 N. Litchfield Rd | 623-930-0770 RECONDITION CENTER 160 EAST BROADWAY | 480-615-1763 SCOTTSDALE 14202 N. Scottsdale Rd. | 480-991-7200 SCOTTSDALE/PHOENIX 13820 N. Tatum Blvd. | (602) 494-0100

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