INSIDE:
C O M M U N I T Y P. 2 8 | B U S I N E S S P. 3 3 | O P I N I O N P. 3 7 | S P O R T S P. 4 0 | G E T O U T P. 4 2 | C L A S S I F I E D P. 4 6
www.ahwatukee.com
Wednesday, July 6, 2022
@AhwatukeeFN
No fire station likely anytime soon for SW Ahwatukee
INSIDE
BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor
NEWS.................................
@AhwatukeeFN |
3
Early voting for the Aug 6 Primary Election begins tomorrow and LD12 has two big contests
BUSINESS.................. 33 A new build-your-own juice purveyor has opened in Ahwatukee.
W
estern Ahwatukee is a high priority for a new fire station, but its construction may depend heavily on whether it makes the cut for the $500 million bond issue the city hopes to put before voters next March, according to a presentation June 27 by a top city Fire Department official who addressed the Ahwatukee Foothills Village Planning Committee.
“There are definitely plans,” said Executive Assistant Fire Chief Scott Walker, calling the need for a new fire station “certainly sensitive to the community” and conceding that a portion of southwestern Ahwatukee is outside the four-minute response time his department tries to maintain as its ideal standard for most Phoenix neighborhoods. But Walker conceded, “To be perfectly honest, we’re not going to have a fire station down there in the next three years.” And if the project does not get on the 2023
bond project list, simple math may dictate an even longer wait for a fire station, Walker said, because the only other alternative might be revenue from impact fees that a developer must pay for each new home that is built. “We have about $150,000 in the (impact fee) account today that we could use to offset to build a station,” he said. “The reality is we probably need about $9 million, maybe $10 million to build and buy
see FIRE page 22
Federal probe of Another school, another wall Phoenix PD costs $1.9M so far BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor
REAL ESTATE ....RE1 The Valley housing market is hurtling to a condition not seen in several years.
SPORTS....................... 40 A new training program could inject new track-andfield talent into Ahwatukee high schools.
T
he city so far has spent $1.9 million on its efforts to cooperate with the U.S. Justice Department civil investigation into Phoenix Police. The bulk of that expense up to now has involved the $1.35 million in salaries paid to the nine fulltime employees who have been assigned to gather materials requested by the Justice Department since it began its investigation Aug. 5, according to a memo that City Manager Jeffrey Barton and the city Law Department sent City Council on June 30. The investigation is focusing on five broad areas of police conduct: whether the department uses excessive force, including deadly
see POLICE page 5
Artist Suzanne Whitaker, left, celebrates with Kyrene de la Esperanza Principal Carolyn Payne, center, and librarian Debbie Rhodes the completion of a mural in the school library that made the school the 10th Kyrene campus where the Ahwatukee muralist’s work brings some cheer and a message for students and staff alike. For the story, see page 28. (David Minton/AFN Staff Photographer)
INDOOR/ OUTDOOR LIVING A TREND THAT’S NEVER OUT OF STYLE
4454 East Thomas Road • Phoenix, AZ 85018 602.508.0800 liwindow.com Mon-Thurs 8:30-5p.m. | Fri 8:30-4p.m. | Sat 9-2p.m. | ROC#179513