Ahwatukee Foothills News - 8.4.2021 by Times Media Group

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Wednesday, August 4, 2021

Lakes course progress in dispute as new court round looms

BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor

Just when they thought the condition of the Ahwatukee Lakes Golf Course couldn’t get any worse, homeowners around the beleaguered site are up in arms over the trees, bushes and other vegetation growing out of filled lake beds.

Neighbors also complained of a smell last week that they attributed to the stagnant water, though they said the stench dissipated over the weekend.

The complaints come as lawyers for course owner Wilson Gee and the two homeowners suing him prepare for yet another courtroom showdown Aug. 18 before the third Superior Court judge to preside over the case since homeowners Linda Swain and Eileen Breslin filed their suit in 2014.

They want Gee to restore the 18-hole executive course that he closed in 2013 after he declared it had failed to make a profit for the seven years he owned it.

The hearing before Judge Alison Bachus is on a request by attorney Tim Barnes to hold Gee’s company, ALCR, in violation of Judge Theodore Campagnolo’s Nov. 7 order imposing a $500,000 penalty if design and pre-con-

the

struction work are not completed by May 31. Campagnolo, who at the beginning of this year was moved to a different division under Superior Court’s normal annual rotation of most judges, set another $1 million penalty if construction has not started a month from now and an additional $2 million penalty if the course is not open by September 2022.

Only optional on campus, masks required on buses

BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor

The law banning facemasks and COVID-19 vaccination mandates has no penalties and doesn’t even take effect until Sept. 29, but neither Kyrene nor Tempe Union High School District will require masks on their campuses.

But school bus passengers in both districts must wear them, largely because a federal law requires masks on all public transportation.

Attorney Jordan Ellel, who represents both districts as well as Tempe Elementary, advised against defying the mask mandate ban that the Republican majority in the Legislature passed in the waning hours of the 2021 session.

Phoenix Union School District became the

first in the Valley to challenge that ban by requiring all staff and students to wear masks on campus as school there resumed two days ago.

That drew the ire of Gov. Doug Ducey, who called it unenforceable.

Ducey also is in a battle that’s so far been only of words with two Arizona school dis-

Homeowners along

perimeter of the beleaguered Ahwatukee Lakes Golf Course are fuming over the vegetation growing out of at least one of the refilled lakes. (Pablo Robles/AFN Staff Photographer)

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Exposed wires on E. South Fork Drive have mystified neighbors and also have eluded attention by city streets crews. (Courtesy of Alison Price)

City handling of street repairs frustrates resident

BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor

Alison Price still remembers how relieved she was last month when she thought the Phoenix Street Transportation Department had finally answered her pleas.

For 18 months, she said, she had been calling and emailing the city to repair E. South Fork Drive in Ahwatukee’s Mountain Park Ranch community and fix the huge cracks and exposed wires on the street.

“The kids fall all the time and we are lucky nobody has gotten badly hurt,” she said, recalling how elated she was when a crew “finally started doing some patch repairs” and “told me they would be doing a much larger section.”

“We were thrilled to finally have a smooth road for driving and for the kids to play outside,” she said.

But Price’s gratitude soured quickly and gave way to shock when only a day or two later “a supervisor showed up and canceled the whole project.”

“They left half the road cut and quickly finished the part they were doing,” Price said. “He said there were other roads that needed it more.

“I inquired again and they said they’d smooth out the area in front of just my house,” she said. “They threw down some asphalt and attempted to smooth it out. It looks ridiculous.

“And now the project is done. Our street has paint everywhere plus a few random pavement patches and a huge Band Aid patch in front of my house.”

“Our road hasn’t been repaired or slurried or anything since 1992 when the neighborhood was built,” Price said. “The workers told me we have five more years before they are scheduled to fix our street. This is ridiculous.

“The main supervisor told me that roads are only meant for driving on so if cars could get through them, it didn’t matter that kids couldn’t play safely. He also told me his workers were cleaning out the wash instead of doing streets. They are just too busy to bother with little projects like this.”

AFN reached out to the city Street Transportation Department and a spokeswoman said she would research the issue. By the end of last week, she had not yet reported what she had learned.

Price echoed a familiar lament among Ahwatukee residents when it comes to things like street repairs.

She said it feels “like Ahwatukee is the step child that gets shunned because we are so far out of Phoenix.”

“We pay taxes too,” Price lamented. "We have little to no recreational services.”

Stating many families she knows “all go

to Tempe or Chandler because” the Pecos Center “doesn’t offer anything worthwhile for kids,” she said, “The City of Phoenix has forgotten Ahwatukee.”

Voters in 2015 approved a sales tax that was to generate millions of additional dollars for a wide range of street and mass transit projects.

As the result of a sales tax increase approved by voters in 2015, the city projected reaping $17.7 billion for street and transit projects over 35 years.

Of that, a Street Transportation official told the Ahwatukee Foothills Village Planning Committee in 2016, about $2.3 billion is reserved for street repairs.

But that same official also disclosed that when it comes to those street resurfacing, the city doesn’t allocate funding by neighborhood or council district.

Rather, the official said, resurfacing decisions are “mainly data-driven” and

based on pictures of road surfaces taken by a specially equipped van that travels Phoenix’s nearly 5,000 miles of streets to assess surface conditions.

All that is small comfort to Price, who recalled one man who called himself a supervisor telling her “if we got enough attention then maybe they’d come do it right.”

Things are so bad on some streets in her community, she said, that the HOA even puts out signs telling residents it is not responsible for their conditions.

“It’s humorous to me that our HOA will send us notices about sprinkler lines showing or dead bushes but never mind the street looking so horrible,” said Price, who is mystified about what the exposed wires running across E. South Fork Drive are even for.

Meanwhile, she continues to call the city asking them to come back out and fix her street.

“I’ve called and left messages on their voice mail because nobody answers the phone,” Price said.

Asked whether any of those messages were ever returned, she replied, “No, I never received a return phone call or email or any type of communication.” ■

Cracks like this are common on E. South Fork Drive, resident Alison Price said. (Special to AFN)

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I-10 closures set every weekend this month

East Valley and Ahwatukee motorists using I-10 every weekend this month - especially if they’re going to or from Phoenix International Sky Harbor Airport - need to be thinking alternative routes.

As part of the I-10 Broadway Curve Project, the Arizona Department of Transportation will be closing either eastbound or westbound lanes along various segments between US 60 and either State Route 143 or I-17 from 10 p.m. Friday to 4 a.m. Monday.

The closures will enable crews to scrape asphalt from the closed lanes as the I-10 Broadway Curve project picks up steam.

Aug. 6-9

Westbound I-10 will be closed from the US 60 to 40th Street. Westbound I-10 ramps at Broadway and Baseline roads will be closed. Drivers on westbound I-10 will have to take eastbound US 60 to northbound Loop 101 to westbound South Mountain Freeway to get back to I-10.

Aug. 13-16

Eastbound I-10 will be closed between state routes 143 and 51. Ramps that will be closed include: I-17 to eastbound I-10, Seventh Street to eastbound I-17, and the eastbound I-10 ramps at Jefferson, 24th and 32nd streets and Buckeye Road.

Eastbound I-10 motorists will have to take eastbound Red Mountain Freeway and get on southbound SR143 to return to I-10.

Aug. 20-23

Westbound I-10 between SR 143 and 24th Street will be closed, as well the southbound SR 143 ramp to westbound I-10 and I-10 westbound ramps at Broadway Road and 40th and 32nd streets. Westbound I-10 drivers will have to exit onto northbound SR 143 and access westbound Red Mountain Freeway to pick up with the open westbound I-10 lanes again.

Aug. 27-30

Eastbound I-10 will be closed between US 60 and SR 51. A slew of on ramps will

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be closed at Seventh, Jefferson, 24th, 32nd and 40th streets and Broadway and Buckeye roads.

Eastbound I-10 drivers will have to head east on the Red Mountain Freeway, take southbound Loop 101 and get on westbound 60 to get back to I-10.

ADOT has mobile apps that people can download on the App Store at rb.gy/gnpzao or on Google Play at rb.gy/smi4u9 for updates on closures. They also can find information at i10broadwaycurve.com.

At least 50 closures of one kind or another during the course of the project for the next three to four years. At some point the Broadway Road bridge over I-10 will also be razed, causing prolonged disruptions for traffic in that area.

The project includes widening I-10 to six general purpose lanes and two high-occupancy-vehicle, or HOV, lanes in each direction between US 60 and I-17 and adding a fourth general purpose lane in each direction between Ray Road and US 60.

ADOT will be adding collector-distributor roads that parallel I-10 between Baseline Road and 40th Street to separate

through-traffic on I-10 from local traffic entering or exiting the highway. Unlike frontage roads along portions of the existing freeway system, these CD roads will not intersect with perpendicular roads.

Crews also will be rebuilding the I-10 interchange with SR 143 to improve traffic flow and create direct connections to and from SR 143 for drivers in the I-10 HOV lanes. This part of the project will reduce lane changes a between Interstate 10 in the Broadway Curve and on State Route 143 at University Drive.

The entire SR 143 and I-10 interchange will be replaced by ramps that make a direct connection for drivers from the general and HOV lanes and eliminates the existing cloverleaf ramp that connects southbound SR 143 with eastbound I-10.

ADOT has scheduled a virtual public town hall on the project at 6 p.m. today, Aug. 4. To register: i10broadwaycurve. com or simply call by 6 p.m.: 855-7567520 Ext. 73680# (English) or Ext/ 73681# (Spanish) ■

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Gee and attorney Daniel Maynard dispute Barnes' assertions.

Gee has bragged that he’s way ahead of Campagnolo’s timetable and that the course will be open by this November. Maynard in a brief told Bachus the same thing.

Calling Barnes’ motion “premature, groundless and not made in good faith,” Maynard denied his assertions that the new course will not have 18 holes, that all its lakes won’t be filled and that he has failed to get a city permit for grading.

Gee said he doesn’t need a permit but will get one if it turns out he’s wrong and that the only two “lakes” he’s not filling are too small retention ponds.

He and Maynard also say the course will have 18 holes, though nine also will be used for a golf school and would be open to normal play when necessary.

In a filing last Friday, Barnes said, “Contradicting the court, ALCR asserts that it alone will choose how – even whether – to restore and operate the Ahwatukee Lakes Golf Course.”

He characterized Maynard’s response to his contempt request as “only the most recent expression of determination to upend the will of the Ahwatukee homeowners and the orders of the court to restore and operate the previously PGA championship-grade 18-hole executive golf course.”

He also vowed to show Bachus evidence that “will reflect the golf course’s current scorched-earth condition” and “present state of utter devastation.”

Since Gee closed the course, Barnes contended, “the golf course has continuously deteriorated from, among other things, lack of irrigation, killing not only the grass but virtually all of the literally hundreds of majestic trees lining the freeways.”

“Left to his own devices, Mr. Gee would continue the golf course in its devastated holding pattern with minimal improvements, nine holes on which benefitted homeowners can play golf, unfilled lakes or lakes riddled with unsightly, noxious smelling scrub growth, a trailer for a ‘club house’ and barren features,” Barnes wrote, stating Gee and his partners “seem to want the golf course to fail until the

neighbors die and Mr. Gee attains his goal” of selling the site to a developer.

Maynard earlier had written, “One would think the plaintiffs would be delighted with the progress being made to rebuild the golf course a year ahead of schedule but it is clear they believe…that the court will not believe ALCR and will take this opportunity to sanction it.

“Such an action is not justified,” he continued. “This is one of the reasons ALCR has not only met the court’s deadline but

exceeded it.”

Slamming the contempt action as “completely unnecessary and only brought to try and get an award of attorneys’ fees,” Maynard accused Barnes and his clients of micro-managing someone’s private property.

“What’s next,” he wrote. “Are the plaintiffs going to want to ‘dictate the hours the course is open, how much it can charge, or whether it must rent carts.’ Enough is enough.”

Barnes and Maynard sharply disagree

over the specific intent of Judge John Hannah’s 2018 order directing Gee to restore the course.

Maynard said neither the order nor the site’s covenants, conditions and restrictions say how many holes the course should have, but added, “an 18-hole executive course is what is being built.”

He noted Gee has settled an outstanding tax liability of more than $1 million on the property and has kept Barnes and his clients posted on all the work he has been doing.

“As of May 17, 2021, ALCR had repaired one well, repaired the pumping station, built a bridge to the 5th tee box, began filling the irrigation lakes, had trees trimmed, removed dead trees, debris and volunteer trees,” Maynard wrote.

Offering to take the judge on a tour of the site, Maynard said, “The lakes on the golf course are actually 4 feet deep retaining ponds. ALCR intends to fill all of the lakes except for the small southwest lake which is a retention area and the lake behind the driving range, which has always acted as a spillover for the northwest lake. This is the current intent but can be modified.”

Homeowner Jane Emery watches one lake not far from her house and sees the debris and vegetation breaking through its surface. She and her neighbors fear it will keep growing or rot, contributing to the odor that she said plagued her neighborhood last week.

The odor disappeared Saturday, she said. While she feels it’s only a matter of time before it returns, Emery also reported that some people theorize the stench drifted into Ahwatukee from Maricopa.

She said Swain told her, “Gee needs to remove all of the vegetation, roots and all, before filling it, otherwise he’s creating a swamp."

Emery also expressed concern that dead trees and other vegetation along the banks could impact normal storm runoff in the event of heavy rains.

“The lake bank is eroding,” Emery said, adding she called Gee’s manager and he said the Ahwatukee Board of Management is responsible for the lake banks. ABM denies that assertion, she said.

“Prior to Mr. Gee, the Lakes Golf Course

The debris in and around at least one of the course’s lakes are symptomatic of what homeowners’ attorney Tim Barnes called “a state of total devastation.” (Pablo Robles/AFN Staff Photographer)

A dead palm tree lay along the banks of one of the golf course’s lakes. (Pablo Robles/AFN Staff Photographer)

Gov. Doug Ducey joins move to overturn Roe v. Wade

HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services

Gov. Doug Ducey wants the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn it’s historic decision in Roe v. Wade and leave the question of whether to allow abortion in Arizona to state lawmakers and to him as an unapologetic foe of the practice.

Ducey is among 12 governors who filed a brief last week with the nation’s high court in support of a Mississippi law that bans terminating a pregnancy after the 15th week. Enforcement of that law has been blocked by the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals.

But the brief goes beyond arguments by Mississippi that the law is a permissible regulation of abortion as it does not ban the practice outright.

Instead, Ducey and his fellow governors want the justices to revisit the original 1973 decision and subsequent rulings that say the government has no authority to decide a woman’s decision about whether to keep or terminate a fetus before viability. That, in turn, would leave the issue to the legislatures and governors in each of the states.

Potentially more significant, it might not even require a public debate or vote in Arizona on the question of the rights of a woman to an abortion.

That’s because legislators never repealed many of the laws that predate Roe v. Wade, meaning they remain on the books, albeit are currently unenforceable. That leaves the question of whether they would automatically take effect again if Roe is overturned.

If nothing else, it would again make the question of abortion rights front and center in future statewide and legislative political races, something that until now hasn’t been necessary given the Supreme Court ruling.

But that, according to the governors, is exactly what they want.

Ducey made it clear where his sentiments lie if Arizona gets to decide whether abortion remains legal here: “Every single life has immeasurable value. That includes children who are preborn.”

But Rep. Athena Salman, D-Tempe,

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- whose district includes part of Mesacalled Ducey’s legal efforts “patronizing, sexist and extreme.’’

“Here we have yet another man who will never become pregnant, who will never be faced with a choice of whether or not they need to get an abortion, abusing the position of his elected office to deny this fundamental piece of health care to the millions upon millions of people who will need it at some point in their lives,’’ she said, citing figures that one in four women will terminate a pregnancy.

Whitney Walker, a vice president of Planned Parenthood Arizona, questioned Ducey’s desire to get involved in the issue.

“Instead of focusing on the rising COVID-19 case numbers or educating the public to get vaccinated, Gov. Ducey is concerned with denying access to essential health care to the state’s residents, all in the middle of a global pandemic,’’ she said in a prepared statement.

In blocking the Mississippi law, the 5th Circuit said Roe held that the right to privacy “is broad enough to encompass a woman’s decision whether or not to terminate her pregnancy.

The judges said that was reaffirmed in a 1992 case, saying “the state’s interests are not strong enough to support a prohibition of abortion or the imposition of a

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Gov. Doug Ducey joined 11 other Republican governors seeking to overturn Roe v. Wade. (Special to AFN)

substantial obstacle to the woman’s effective right to elect the procedure.’’

Ducey and the other governors want the current crop of Supreme Court justices to conclude that these decisions were an illegal infringement on state sovereignty.

shape policy.’’

For the most part, though, the makeup of the Arizona Legislature has tilted toward adopting more and more restrictions in a bid to get around Roe v. Wade.

Ducey, in his six years as governor, has signed every bill restricting abortion that has reached his desk. And a panel of appointees hand picked by the governor even went so far as blocking state employees from making payroll deductions to Planned Parenthood yet allowing donations to Alliance Defending Freedom, an openly anti-abortion public interest law firm that has gone to court to defend legislation to restrict abortion rights.

In their legal brief, the governors said the question of whether to allow or outlaw abortion is one for the states to decide.

What that also would do is shift the debate stage.

“No longer would the issue dominate presidential campaigns,’’ the governors said. Instead, the focus would shift to the state level which they said “better allows those differing voices to be heard and to

Just this year, the legislature approved and Ducey signed a measure to make it a crime to abort a child because of a fetal genetic defect despite claims by foes that interferes with the rights of women to make decisions before the point of viability.

That same law also allows the husband of a woman who seeks such an abortion, or the woman’s parents if she is younger than 18, to sue on behalf of the unborn child and forbids women from getting otherwise-legal drugs to perform a medical abortion through the mail or other delivery services.

It also declares that the laws of Arizona must be interpreted to give an unborn child the same rights, privileges and immunities available to anyone else.

That law takes effect at the end of September. Planned Parenthood said no decision has been made whether to challenge it in court as violating the rights set forth in Roe and the subsequent court rulings. ■

tricts over their requirement that any unvaccinated student who comes in contact with an infected person stay at home for 10 to 14 days.

Kyrene and Tempe Union have indicated somewhat similar quarantine policies, stressing their actions will be aligned with whatever the county health department directs.

The ban on vaccine and masks mandates makes no mention of quarantine. But in his battle with Peoria and a Tucson area district, Ducey has contended that requiring an unvaccinated student to stay home for 10 to 14 days after close contact with an infected person is essentially imposing a requirement to get vaccinated.

The ongoing controversy over masks gained traction last week after the Centers for Disease Control advised that even vaccinated people should wear them to protect themselves and others from the virulent Delta variant of COVID-19.

That variant has taken a commanding presence in both Kyrene and Tempe Union as well as two of Ahwatukee’s three ZIP codes, according to data the county health department released last week.

That data show both districts as well as 85048 and 85044 at a “high transmission” level of COVID-19.

Cases per 100,000 are at 157 and 143 in Tempe Union and Kyrene, respectively, the data show. That reading marks a dramatic uptick in the number of cases, which had been in the 90s a week earlier and far lower a month ago.

The percent of positive new COVID-19 test results are at 15.2 percent and 12.6 percent in Tempe Union and Kyrene, respectively. An almost identical positivity reading also was reported in 85044.

Positive new test results were reported at 11.1 percent in 85048 and 9 percent in 85045. Cases per 100,000 were at 98 in 85045 and 142 in 85048, the data showed.

Tempe Union spokeswoman Megan Sterling said the districts’ lawyer “has reviewed extensively” the ban on mask mandates and acknowledged the law doesn’t take effect for nearly two more months.

“Under the newly revised school guidance released by the CDC on Tuesday, July 27, face coverings are strongly recommended in all K-12 settings for vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals,” she said Ellel advised.

“Additionally, the CDC is recommending

safety. This is a political jab at the more liberty oriented among us.

“Obviously state law prevents them from mandating masks in the classroom right now, but if this were honestly about the science, they’d tell parents that its unsafe to send the

and Tempe Union governing boards since last September.

Ducey last week issued a strident press release denouncing mask mandates and accused the Biden Administration of diluting its message on vaccines by recommending all people still wear masks.

“Arizona does not allow mask mandates, vaccine mandates, vaccine passports or discrimination in schools based on who is or isn’t vaccinated,” Ducey’s statement said. “We’ve passed all of this into law, and it will not change.

“The CDC today is recommending that we wear masks in school and indoors, regardless of our vaccination status. This is just another example of the Biden-Harris administration’s inability to effectively confront the COVID-19 pandemic.”

He also stated, “Here in Arizona, we’ve been consistent from the beginning: Arizonans should get this vaccine.”

that even fully vaccinated individuals wear a face covering in areas of substantial or high transmission – which applies to Maricopa County and the Kyrene School District boundaries based on current metrics.”

Ellel noted that state health director Dr. Cara Christ - who is leaving her post at the end of the month -and state schools Superintendent Kathy Hoffman also advise kids and adults to wear masks on campuses.

But he noted that Ducey “has been unmoved” and stated, “The conflict between the statute and recommendations of public health agencies must be resolved in favor of statute.

“Therefore, lacking any further movement from the Governor in the form of an executive order, the District will strongly recommend and encourage the use of face coverings at school and school events, but cannot make it mandatory.”

Both districts for now are keeping classrooms open five days a week.

Kyrene’s mask mandate for kids on buses didn’t sit well with some parents on social media.

One man wrote that he planned to wait at the bus stop with his kids “demanding they be allowed on the LOCAL bus to school without a mask because the idea that the Kyrene school bus is a federal operation is laughable.

“If the bus drive will not comply, I will drive my kids to school,” he stated. “I’m not here to start anything unreasonable. However, I am here to resist this unreasonable move by the district.”

He said, “This isn’t about ‘the science’ or

kids to school anyway, until they can reimplement a classroom mask mandate in addition to the bus mandate.”

His remarks set off what has become a typical storm of comments from both mask supporters and opponents making the same kinds of arguments that were made by people addressing the Kyrene

The county does not break down vaccine data by school districts but its data show that the percentage of eligible residents who are fully vaccinated in Ahwatukee’s three ZIP codes ranges between 58 and 68 percent. It is significantly lower in neighboring Tempe and Chandler. ■

State health director Dr. Cara Christ, who recommends that kids and adults wear masks on campuses, announced last week she is leaving her position at the end of this month to become chief medical officer for Blue Cross Arizona. (AFN file photo)

Larry Thomas Youth Development impacting youth

DREW SCHOTT AFN Staff Writer

On June 22, 2019, people gathered at the Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church in Phoenix to celebrate the life of Larry Thomas.

A dropout prevention specialist and head track and field coach at Mountain Pointe High School, Thomas died at 45 from brain cancer.

During his career at Mountain Pointe –where he was preparing to be the head coach of the freshman football team – as well as at Desert Edge and Copper Canyon high schools, he worked with numerous students and made a profound impact on those who he coached and mentored.

Between 75 and 100 kids showed up at the funeral and spoke about Thomas’ influence on them.

“It was just one story after another about how he had touched their lives,” said his father, Joseph Taylor. “How he had worked with them and pushed them in the right direction. My wife and I were talking, I said, ‘What can we do to help keep that going?’”

“‘How can we continue to help kids be successful?’”

To honor the legacy of their son, Joseph Taylor and his wife Charley Taylor started Larry Thomas Youth Development last year.

Defined as “a transformative organization empowering young people to excel beyond limitation,” LTYD is impacting kids across the South Phoenix and Ahwatukee area, most recently with a backpack drive for students at Kyrene de la Colina Elementary School.

Ahead of the 2021 school year, 150 backpacks filled with school supplies such as rulers, glue, pens and pencils and notebooks were donated on behalf of LTYD through fundraising and donations.

According to Charley Taylor, the principal of Kyrene de la Colina said she and teachers sometimes bought supplies for students who needed them in the past, a

role taken up by LTYD in 2021. She added that the organization hopes to do a backpack drive at the school every year.

Students impacted by Thomas contributed to the effort. One who currently runs track for Glendale Community College was “so excited” to offer supplies because Thomas inspired her, according to Charley Taylor.

“(There are) lots of stories like that where he just showed them that it was a better way of life,” Charley Taylor said. “They didn’t have to settle. They could be successful.”

The backpack drive is one of the many initiatives LTYD is embarking on across South Phoenix. It helped start the Mountain Pointe Pride Pantry, which has provided boxes of food to over 200 families with the help of high school students at Mountain Pointe.

The “Leave a Legacy” series brings in professionals across various fields to talk with kids about preserving through challenges and embracing opportunities. Additionally, LTYD gives a Legacy Award

to one or two Mountain Pointe students every month who are working on their goals and potential.

Another way the organization works with kids is through sports. LTYD runs a scholarship program with the Arizona Saints, a youth football program in Laveen that Thomas helped start in 2007. This summer, a wide receiver camp organized by LTYD and run by a former National Football League player will occur for the second straight year after a strong turnout in 2020.

In September, LTYD is hosting a golf tournament at Raven Golf Club in Phoenix. Originally planned for 60 people, there are nearly 150 registered to attend.

“The more we can do, the more we’re gonna have individuals coming to us, not only students that he’s worked with, but also organizations,” Joseph Taylor said. “It’s not always about a group of kids. It may just be about one kid that needs our help.”

Thomas was known for a saying that has become a guiding mission of LTYD:

“Each One, Teach One.” He reassured kids that he was a resource available to them whenever they needed him. Whether once a day or once a week, Thomas would talk with students about obstacles they faced and how he could help with a plan to conquer them.

One of Thomas’ students performed on the cheer team at Northern Arizona University at the time of his passing. After her freshman year, she was considering quitting and returning home to the East Valley. Thomas kept encouraging her to go back to NAU each year, and she eventually graduated.

During NAU’s virtual commencement, she included a message: “Thank You Coach Thomas.”

“He walked them from every aspect of their lives,” Charley Taylor said. “He found resources to help. We’re kind of that resource, you know we can’t actually walk in his shoes because he was the only one who could fill his shoes. But it’s been very, very rewarding.”

The Taylors hope LTYD becomes the preeminent organization helping South Phoenix youth within the next five to 10 years. Within the next few months, the organization hopes to expand to Tolleson.

One of the key ways it hopes to continue impacting kids is by learning what their needs are. For example, Joseph Taylor said students at Mountain Pointe came up with the idea of the Pride Pantry after sharing that they knew students who were not getting lunch and dinner at home. The pantry’s location at Mountain Pointe is just one of the many ways in which Thomas’ memory is being honored. Thomas’ drive was to educate and coach kids. He would listen to anybody who needed a mentor and would help them. Through the work of LTYD, his family is looking to continue that mission for years to come.

“Larry’s looking down on us smiling,” Charley Taylor said. “He’s so excited. He’s in awe of what we’re doing.” ■

From left: Jocelyn Taylor, Charley Taylor and Joe Taylor are all part of the Larry Thomas Youth Development, named in honor of former Mountain Pointe dropout prevention specialist, track and field and freshman football coach, Larry Thomas. (Pablo Robles/AFN Staff Photographer)

Therapy dogs return to delight Banner patients

BY SYDNEY MACKIE AFN Staff Writer

Banner Health hospitals across the Valley are reinstating their popular pet therapy program, once again bringing joy and comfort to patients with visits from certified therapy dogs that were benched for more than a year by the pandemic.

Among the first patients visited was 5-year-old Mesa resident Gordon Hardy, who has been receiving chemotherapy treatments at Banner Children’s Desert for Ewing sarcoma since November.

After months of hopeful anticipation, Gordon and his mother Elisabeth Hardy were greeted by Riley, a 9-year-old rescued dachshund mix.

Though his mother knew the dog would be coming, she didn’t tell Gordon “because we wanted him to be surprised.”

“At first, he didn’t like the idea of a visitor coming in, he thought it’d be some adult that was boring and not for him so he hid underneath a blanket,” Elisabeth Hardy recounted. “But he heard a little jingle from Riley’s collar and he just flew out from under that blanket and was so excited.”

This was a momentous visit for Gordon, who has been hospitalized intermittently during a time when the pandemic curtailed visits. Riley was one of his first non-adult companions that Gordon met during those arduous hospital stays.

“It was just him getting to have a friend in the hospital, it’s all been adults, adults, adults,” said Elisabeth. “Gordon often suggests that the one thing to make him feel better is a dog, so this visit is just wonderful.”

Riley makes an impression wherever he goes in the hospital. Several nurses were thrilled to see him and learn that pet therapy has returned after a long time without four-legged friends in the hospitals.

“It was just particularly heartwarming with Riley being the first dog at Banner Desert,” said Banner spokeswoman Nancy Neff. “It’s another positive sign for people that things are returning to seminormal.”

Not only that, but that day of Riley’s first visit was Gordon’s second-to-last chemotherapy appointment.

And while Riley and other dogs will be there every Friday from now on for twohour shifts, the family may not get the chance to see him again.

“We’re hopefully going into remission, so hopefully we’re there early enough next Friday to see a dog, but regardless, we’re glad that he got to end with a little bit of happiness,” Elisabeth Hardy said.

Noting the psychological benefits of the pet visitation program, Neff explained, “Studies have shown that a visit from a dog or just petting a dog can calm you and lower your blood pressure as well as give you a nice distraction.”

Neff hopes to continue rebuilding the program by getting both volunteers and their pets back into the hospital when the time is right.

Before the pandemic, the program boasted about 70 to 100 dogs of all manner of breeds across the Banner Health system, she said.

Gordon is also looking forward to more huge milestones, as he was to be fitted with a prosthetic foot and start learning to walk again with its assistance after his battle with bone cancer.

Gordon Hardy, 5, had been hospitalized since November with bone cancer and as his treatment neared the end, the youngster got a surprise visit from Riley, one of Banner Health’s many volunteer pet therapy dogs. (Courtesy Banner Health)

He eventually hopes to get his own service dog to help with his mobility.

“The thing about the dogs is that they love it, you can just tell they, have this strut or this look, and you know they’re just so happy to be able to help people,” Neff said. 

Horizon announces part-time SRO on campus

Horizon Honors Secondary School in Ahwatukee now has a new part-time school resource officer, thanks to a state Department of Education grant.

Phoenix Police Officer Jeremy Martin “will serve as our liaison to the Phoenix Police Department as well as a law enforcement ambassador for our commu-

LAKES from page 12

always took care of the lake bank and put chemicals in the lakes to prevent rot/bacteria/fungi etc.,” Emery said in an email.

nity members,” Horizon spokeswoman Melissa Hartley said last week.

Hartley said Martin will fill a variety of roles, that include “promoting a safe learning environment, fostering relationships with students, and providing resources to school leadership” but that he will only be on campus a few days a week.

“Families may see him inside and outside of our buildings before and after school. Students may see him during

“Mr. Gee stopped all that.”

Gee told AFN that if neighbors are concerned about odors, “all they have to do is call the guys over there... we’ll take care of it."

the school day in the classrooms, during lunch, and at other school-day activities,” she said.

Martin has over 13 years of SRO experience in school districts across the Valley. Prior to becoming an SRO, he was a field-training officer and an academy recruit training officer. He also was a patrol officer for many years in the South Mountain Precinct area.

“I very much enjoy the rewarding ex-

He said he had heard no complaints about a smell or vegetation and suggested the odor could be coming from dying trees.

Stating that he has been somewhat hamstrung by the same labor shortage that has affected many companies, particularly restaurants, Gee said his crew is still working on the sprinkler system to increase water pressure and that he hopes to begin seeding the course this month.

Though he had said several months ago he hoped to start seeding in July, Gee said, “We’re not going to seed until everything is 100 percent ready to go.”

perience of the school environment,” Martin said. “I strive to build long-lasting positive relationships with my Horizon Honors community. I see my role in the school as a guardian, mentor, role model of good citizenship, and law enforcement resource.

“I use the lessons provided by the Department of Education to build trust and understanding with teachers and students in the classroom setting.” ■

He also said he is trying to hire students from nearby Mountain Pointe High School to help with removing weeds and expressed frustration with Barnes’ latest legal salvo.

“It’s kind of ridiculous,” Gee said, saying Maynard and he are wondering “why are we wasting all this money on court cases. I have no idea. They have all the proof.”

“I’m just moving ahead as fast as we can,” he added, stating he wants to “get it out of my hair, get it up and running and start generating some income over there.” ■

Scum on one of the lake’s surfaces alarms homeowners along the golf course. They wonder if that has caused a stench that plagued them last week, although they said the smell dissipated by Saturday. (Pablo Robles/AFN Staff Photographer)

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Artist, therapist team up on kids’ motivational book

BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor

Though their occupations are very different, Lisa Sterne of Glendale and Suzanne Whitaker of Ahwatukee have spent years engaging and inspiring children.

Sterne is a master’s level therapist who specializes in child development and parent-child relationships while Whitaker is an artist and muralist who has painted dazzling murals in corridors and classrooms of elementary and middle schools throughout the Valley.

Now, they are collaborating on a series of four picture books to help kids ages 7 to 13 turn some of the challenges typical for their age into opportunities for developing a strong sense of self.

Written by Sterne and illustrated by Whitaker, all four books are focused around a cat named Onyx.

Their first book, titled “What If I Try? A Book About Creating Yourself” and due

out next month, addresses the frustration or timidity that can arise when a

child wants to achieve a goal or skill that may initially elude their mastery.

“It’s basically the idea of speaking to kids about what do you do when you aren’t so good at something but you want to give it a try or you want to learn about it,” Sterne explained. “Or where do you go to ask for help to learn more about something you’re interested in but you might not be ready for yet?

“So, it’s helping kids deal with those insecurities and encouraging them to just do what makes them happy even if they aren’t that good at it. Who cares? Maybe you won’t make the choir but you can still enjoy singing, for example.”

Sterne said such self-doubt and frustration often fronts children who are diagnosed autistic or with an attentiondeficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Sterne believes that empathizing with

�ee BOOK page 23

It’s audition time for Ahwatukee Nutcracker

BY COTY DOLORES MIRANDA AFN Contributor

Dance Studio 111 founder and owner

Kimberly Lewis said she’s beyond thrilled to host auditions for the 22nd annual Ahwatukee Foothill Nutcracker Ballet.

Last December was a bust for any live performances, though Lewis strove valiantly to present the 21st annual holiday event through live streaming.

But this year, all stops are being pulled out as plans for this holiday staple - to be presented to a live audience once againbegins with auditions Aug. 14.

“You don’t have to attend my studio to audition,” said Lewis, who still has nightmares over the Year of COVID, when her Ahwatukee dance studio shuttered its doors and she struggled to stay afloat.

Like so many businesses, it was a year

Last year’s performance of the Ahwatukee Nutcracker was streamed virtually from the Madison Center for the Arts. (Special to AFN)

spent teetering on the edge.

“I’m just so happy we’re still here and planning once again for a real performance,” she said. “And this is open to all

dancers around the valley.”

The auditions are scheduled according to age, beginning at 9 a.m. for ages 3-5, followed by an hour each for ages 6-9 and

ages 10 through 13.

At noon, boys of all ages are slotted for a half-hour audition, with boys and girls ages 14 to 20 set for 90 minutes beginning at 12:30 p.m.

Auditions can be nerve-wracking, as Lexa MacKenzie discovered last year when she approached her first one. Even though the 14-year-old has been dancing for 11 years, she was new to Dance Studio 111.

“I was really nervous because I didn’t know what to expect, and because I was new and didn’t know any of the kids,” said Lexa, 14, a freshman at Horizon Honors Secondary School.

“After the audition I was antsy and anxious to know what role I’d get. I thought I’d done really well in the Arabian Queen part, so when I got up the next morning

Therapist Lisa Sterne of Glendale and artist Suzanne Whitaker of Ahwatukee show some of the illustrations for the ﬁrst of their four motivational books for children that will be built around a cat named Onyx. (Pablo Robles/AFN/Staff Photographer)

children and earning their trust is the key to their healthy development, even in spite of trauma.

This book and the series will focus on building resilience and communication, both of which develop children with a strong sense of self, she added.

For example, the second book will deal with sadness while the third will focus on feelings of being overwhelmed by life and the fourth will address uncertainty.

Once Sterne completed her first story, she needed an artist to illustrate it. She looked no further than Facebook, where she had met Whitaker through several shared interests.

Sterne not only saw Whitaker’s work but also had seen a picture of her pet black cat, whose name is Onyx.

Soon, the project was set in motion.

“What was really funny was Lisa and I met and I told her some of the rough ideas that I had for each page and how to break it out, it was not the way she saw it,” Whitaker recalled.

“So some of the things were really easy to visualize - like some of the words that she had. I knew what Onyx would be doing in that situation. And some of them were a little harder to get to, and had to be reworked a couple of times.

As Onyx grapples with his own inse-

Cub Pack 178 kicking off new year in Ahwatukee

Cub Scout Pack 178 is getting ready to kick off another year of scouting for the youth of Ahwatukee.

From 6-8 p.m. Aug. 9, the pack will be holding a Learn About Scouting event for all boys and girls in grades K-5 at Mountain View Lutheran Church, 11002 S. 48th St., Ahwatukee.

Pack 178 has been serving youth in the Ahwatukee and East Valley community for over 40 years. The program is designed to develop citizenship, character, personal fitness, and leadership in youth. This is done by teaching Scouts how to make ethical and moral choices throughout their lives and having a lot of fun in the process.

Information: join178@azpack178.com or azpack178.com.

curity, he gets inspiration from animal friends all cast by Whitaker with the same kind of inventiveness and warmth that have made the characters on her school murals a hit with legions of kids.

Assisting the two women in publishing and marketing the first of Onyx’s journeys is Nadeen Hathaway of The Marigold Agency, which specializes in business growth strategies.

Whitaker also credits Hathaway with

Cub Pack 278 schedules ‘Rain Gutter Regata’

Boys in K-6 grades are invited to join Horizon Pack 278’s Rain Gutter Regatta where they will build little boats out of recycled materials and race them down a 10-foot gutter.

The event is 9-11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 7 at Pecos Park, 17010 S. 48th St. The event will be held on the southside of playground near basketball courts. Kids should bring water, sunblock, hat and a camp chair.

As part of this event, the pack is requesting that participants bring donations of non-perishable foods and/or bottled water to support our local St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry and the Heat Relief Regional Network. Information: AZpack278@gmail.com or Ali Cook-Davis at 480-359-5621.

helping the flow of the book and the intermingling of Sterne’s words and Whitaker’s images.

While the book won’t hit the market until next month, Sterne and Whitaker have launched a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo to raise $7,000 to create enough copies to donate to schools and nonprofits that work with children.

Indiegogo is a platform where creative people raise funds for works in prog-

AHWATUKEE

Ahwatukee women’s group to look at adoption reform

Ahwatukee Friends, Family and Neighbors is holding a Zoom presentation called “Advocacy for Adoption Reform” at 1 p.m. Aug. 16. Sandy Rogers will share her journey, including how she was reunited with her son on his 20th birthday. She helped create new laws that allowed adult adoptees to petition the courts for their original birth certificates and testified to the legislature for similar law changes. Rogers is known locally as the “The Referral Queen” who provides consulting and promotes businesses, events, and products. To register: AFFANWomensgroup@gmail.com. Registration closes Aug. 15.

AFFAN also will be holding a luncheon on Aug. 23 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Special guest speaker Jay Eller will discuss air craft accident Investigations.

ress and so far, Sterne and Whitaker are about a third of the way to their goal.

On Indiegogo, people can buy the book, make a donation toward its wider distribution and even buy stickers and totes bearing Onyx’s face.

To order the book or help Whitaker and Sterne with their plan for its mass distribution, go to OnyxSays.com or indiegogo.com/projects/what-if-i-try-amotivational-children-s-book# ■

Eller has been in the Honeywell aircraft accident investigation department for the past 11 years. For details/reservations: affanwomensgroup@gmail.com. Cost for lunch is $17 prepaid. Registration closes Aug. 15.

Petition signing for protection of rights slated here

A petition signing effort to protect voting rights and public education funding is being held in Ahwatukee. Locations include: 7-10 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays at the Nosh Cafe, 4855 E. Warner Road; 9-11 a.m. Saturdays at Ironwood Library, 4333 E. Chandler Blvd; 8-11 a.m. Sundays at the Ahwatukee Farmers Market, 4700 Warner Road; and 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays at Pomegranate Cafe, 4025 E. Chandler Blvd. ■

LEFT: Onyx, the main character of the book, is a name shared by Whitaker’s pet cat. RIGHT: Artist Suzanne Whitaker created a cast of cartoon animals that befriend Onyx. (Special to AFN)

and saw that I had earned that role, I was really happy,” she said. “I can’t wait for the next audition and this year’s Nutcracker because I know there will be more memories and adventures to come.”

Memories remain for Madi Nash, one of three new choreographers for this year’s Ahwatukee Nutcracker. A long-time student and instructor at Dance Studio 111, Nash has performed annually in the Nutcracker in various roles.

“When I was 16 years old, I really wanted to be the Snow Queen, so I worked for it all summer,” she recalled. “I went to every ballet class and scheduled many private sessions to improve my skills. I felt so confident and at ease going into the audition.

“It turned out to be my best audition because I got the part and I couldn’t have been more excited about it,” the 2018 Desert Vista High grad said.

“All of my favorite memories from Nutcracker auditions growing up included a supportive environment from the judges and other dancers,” said Nash, who is in her last year studying business at Arizona State University and teaches dance at Dance Studio 111. “Although the auditions can be intimidating and nerve wracking, the judges were always teaching dancers professionalism, all while keeping the mood uplifted.”

Other new choreographers include Jordan Hill, another Nutcracker veteran, and Ashley Jerger, who teaches ballet at Dance Studio 111.

Lewis has produced all prior 21 Ahwatukee Foothill Nutcracker Ballets.

“We’re pretty proud of what we accomplish every year. Once auditions hit in August, we jump in, full force, and have eight, sometimes nine-hour days each Saturday,” she said, adding that often mid-week re-

hearsals are called as the troupe readies not only for the December productions, but also special area ‘sneak peek’ minishows during Thanksgiving.

As she looks forward to the upcoming auditions that will launch the 2021 Ahwatukee Foothills Nutcracker shows on Dec. 18 and 19th, Lewis recalled anxious moments as she scurried to put on the holiday show in the midst of a pandemic.

“Pulling off a Nutcracker during a pandemic in 2020 was one of the most challenging things I’ve ever done. First, no theater in town was open, so we couldn’t get a theater,” she said, adding the show’s usual venue at Desert Vista High theater was unavailable due to the Tempe Union High School District’s shutdown of all campuses.

“I was able to find only one open theater in town and that was the Madison Center for The Arts. We were told we could have a live audience at limited capacity. I wanted to keep some sort of normal routine for

appreciative responses locally and from viewers in other states as far away as South Carolina, Lewis said.

So, she plans to offer both a live-stream this year in addition to the full-capacity live stage performances.

“It’s not easy doing a live feed and the cost is a lot, but it’s so worth it for loved ones who cannot travel to Arizona, or due to COVID are hesitant to go out, and can now enjoy the magic of the Ahwatukee Foothills Nutcracker in the comfort of their homes,” she said.

Further information and required audition attire for the upcoming auditions for the 2021 Ahwatukee Foothills Nutcracker: AFNutcracker.com.

Lewis said some dancers will be asked to remain for other audition slots, so a flexible schedule is necessary.

our children.

“So much was taken away from them due to the pandemic so it was very important to me to pull off this Nutcracker,” she said. “And this was the first year we had nine brand new queens performing.”

“One week prior to our opening night, we were told that we could not have a live audience due to a spike in COVID cases. Without ticket sales, we could not cover any cost that goes into this production.”

And yet, as is her modus operandi, she persevered.

“I couldn’t let our cast down. The children had been rehearsing every weekend August to December, so the show had to go on. I was able to hire a live-feed company to come in at the last minute to stream our Nutcracker, so the show did go on. And I had my sound tech add in clapping sound effects so our dancers felt that there was an audience in attendance.”

The last-minute live feed drew many

And she stressed that the auditions and performance is not just for dancers. Anyone ages 3 to 19 is welcome as there are numerous roles for non-dancers.

The three 2021 holiday performances this year are slated to be held once again at the Madison Center for the Arts, a 3-year-old Phoenix venue located at 5601 N. 16th St.

The state-of-the-art, 160,000 square foot Madison Center for the Arts features a 908-seat auditorium.

“It was again the only theatre open at the time we were looking for a rental,” explained Lewis, who opened her dance studio 28 years ago. “And because this theater was so kind to us last year, renting to us when no one else was. We’re grateful to do Nutcracker in this lovely theater this year with an actual live audience.”

Dance Studio 111 is located in suite 111 at 4910 E. Chandler Blvd., Ahwatukee. Information is also available at DanceStudio111.com and by phone at 480-706-6040. ■

Dance Studio 111 owner and longtime Ahwatukee resident Kimberly Lewis is ready to welcome dancers and non-dancers to her Aug. 14 auditions for the 22nd presentation of Ahwatukee Nutcracker. (AFN file photo)

Real Estate Guide

With the federal moratorium on evictions no longer in force, Phoenix has spent just over half of its $51.1 million in federal Emergency Rental Assistance Program funds, the city reported last week.

Meanwhile, at least 2,000 households are waiting for their online relief applications to be processed, the same report states. The program, which covers rent and/ or utility assistance, is partially administered by the city and partially by the non-

profit Wildfire, which was authorized by City Council to distribute up to $25 million of the city’s total allocation.

And of that $51.1 million, up to $5 million was set aside for “administrative costs.”

Although city reports given Council weekly do not break down those expenses, Human Services Department Director Marchelle Franklin told Council in a Feb. 25 memo that the city and Wildfire were finalizing a process “to ensure duplicate services do not occur” when the program

Rents unaffordable for minimum-wage earners, study �inds

BY EMMA ASCOTT Cronkite News

Full-time minimum wage workers can’t afford a two-bedroom apartment in any state, according to a recent report from affordable housing advocates, and with housing costs skyrocketing in Arizona, many workers are struggling.

According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition’s annual Out of Reach report, those workers in 93 percent of U.S. counties can’t afford a one-bedroom, either. In Arizona, workers would need to put in 73 hours a week to afford a two-bedroom rental. Excluding weekends, that’s 14.6 hours per day. Still, that’s better than the national average of 97 hours per week, the report said.

The report defines affordability as the hourly wage a full-time worker must earn to spend no more than 30% of their income on rent. Workers would need to earn $24.90 per hour for a two-bedroom rental and $20.40 per hour for a one-bedroom. The average hourly worker earns $18.78 per hour, and the federal minimum wage

is $7.25 per hour, unchanged since 2009. In 2019, 13.5 percent of Arizonans were living below the federal poverty level of $25,750 (for a family of four), compared with 10.5 percent nationally. This year the federal poverty level is $26,500.

Even under the best of circumstances, rent is unaffordable for most low-wage workers, the report said, and addressing the long-term housing affordability crisis in this country requires increasing rental assistance to all who need it. In Phoenix, the average monthly rent for a two-bedroom apartment is $1,449 – a 12 percent increase over July 2020 – according to Zumper, which analyzes active apartment listings.

“In most places, $15 an hour isn’t a living wage, the Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign, told Cronkite News. “But it’s more than double where the floor is now. And we know that when you lift from the bottom, everybody rises. So we say $15 an hour now, and index it to inflation so that the wage floor will rise with the cost of the things everyone needs to survive.”

Although raising the minimum wage

launched March 8.

to $15 would help lift people from poverty, American workers deserve more, said Allynn Umel, national director of the Fight for $15.

“Fast-food workers in Arizona and across the country face the mounting costs of rent, food, transportation, child care and so much more every single day,” he told Cronkite News in an email. “$15/ hr is the bare minimum that workers

anywhere need to survive, which is why fast-food and other essential workers have been out in the streets marching and shouting for $15 for nearly nine years, including McDonald’s workers in Phoenix just this week.”

Sen. Kyrsten Simena, Democrat of Arizona, is part of “a bipartisan working group negotiating a raise in the federal minimum wage, and is currently working with Senator Mitt Romney to craft bipartisan legislation,” her office told Cronkite News.

In March, Sinema voted no on a provision for an incremental raise toward a $15 minimum wage. Her office noted her past support for “an indexed minimum wage in 2006, and supported the voter-approved state minimum wage increase in 2016.” While Sinema gave a thumbs-down, Kelly gave a thumbs-up.

Arizona’s minimum wage stands at $12.15 per hour, but advocates say it’s far from sustainable for the average worker. Leaders of Fight for $15 said workers

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In the latest report to Council, Franklin said that since its launch, the program has helped 3,315 households representing 7,720 residents at a total cost of $23.8 million.

Of that, Wildfire helped 1,413 households, spending $11 million of that $23.8 million total.

Franklin also reported that the city initially thought it had 4,000 unprocessed online applications but later discovered

that number “was inaccurate as there were discrepancies with the report calculating the number of applications in the queue that were deemed active.”

It’s unclear how many households in Phoenix or even the Valley face possible eviction now that the moratorium has expired.

Since June, more people in the U.S. fell behind on rent, leading to an increase in the number of renters at-risk of eviction as the federal moratorium is set to expire on July 31,” Zillow.com reported, stating that while “renter confidence” has grown

since the original March expiration date, “the reality of the moratorium ending has become more real to renters over the past month.”

Based on U.S. Census estimates, Zillow said 138,492 renter households in Arizona are currently behind on rent 45,312 more than in June.

“It’s estimated there are 63,537 renter households currently at risk of eviction,” it added, noting that number had nearly doubled since May.

In all, Zillow estimated there would be 10,324 eviction requests filed in courts and that they would result in nearly 4,000 eviction orders.

More than 7.4 million U.S. households are behind on rent, according to Census Household Pulse Survey - about 326,000 more than was reported in June. ■

UNAFFORDABLE

have

their demands and guarantee a wage they can survive on.

But there could be drawbacks to a $15 an hour minimum, experts warn.

Any attempt to remedy the situation with significantly higher minimum wages will benefit some while others will find fewer available positions or hours reduced in their positions, according to Dennis L. Hoffman, professor of economics at the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University.

“Many employers today are having trouble finding workers even when wages are above minimum wage,” he said. “I believe that the labor market is undergoing significant changes in worker preferences for hours flexibility and type of work, including more options to work from home.” ■

BY PATRICK MACQUEEN AFN Contributor

As of Aug. 1, the Centers for Disease Control eviction moratorium should no longer bar landlords from evicting tenants. By virtue of the expiration of the moratorium, we anticipate that many justice courts in Arizona will be handling a backlog of landlord/tenant issues. After all, there were various laws that made evictions very difficult for landlords for the past 15 or so months.

For landlords who had their eviction cases put on hold, most will need to file a motion with the court to request the issuance of a writ of restitution and many landlords may also need to request an amended judgment to reflect that more

money is owed to the landlord.

When these motions are filed, courts will likely conduct a hearing on the motion and, thereafter, order the writ of restitution and provide an amended judgment.

The pleadings to initiate this process can be filed now. Landlords will need to provide an updated rent/fee ledger and file various other documents with the court.

Other options for landlords exist, as well. A landlord could seek to amend an existing eviction judgment, but only through the date of the writ of restitution.

Similarly, landlords can initiate a completely new eviction proceeding altogether in order to create a “cleaner” record of what is owed and what occurred during the tenancy.

In such a scenario, a landlord would likely need to issue a new notice for the delinquent rent amount and seek to va-

cate any existing orders and judgments involving the landlord and tenant.

The normal procedure for filing eviction cases will likely apply to these situations and cases will be heard in a similar fashion as those completed prior to the moratorium.

In all likelihood, there will be priority given for those landlords who previously started the process and are filing motions to amend and seeking writs of restitution.

Indeed, the fastest procedure for recovering possession of the premises will likely be to file a motion to amend to update the amounts owed and to request a writ of restitution.

Note: Landlords will need to be careful in proceeding against certain tenants if the tenants recently received rental assistance. Certain rental assistance agreements may limit eviction rights. Certain

other restrictions may also apply. If you need any forms to initiate or complete your eviction action, feel free to ask. It may be wise to consult an attorney as to the next steps you should take in order to quickly recover possession of your property. You can view more about evictions here: mandglawgroup.com/eviction.

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Arizona court upholds home warranties

BY HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services

Home builders can’t escape their legal responsibility to create “habitable’’ houses by instead giving buyers a different kind of warranty, the state Court of Appeals has ruled.

In a new ruling, the judges acknowledged Tina Zambrano signed an agreement with Scott Homes Development Co. that provided for a “limited warranty” on the property.

More to the point, that document said that warranty “is the only warranty applicable to the purchase of the property.” And it said that she, as the buyer, “waived any right to any other express or implied warranties dealing with things like habitability and workmanship.”

But Judge David Gass, writing for the three-judge panel, said her signature on that document is irrelevant.

“A new home buyer cannot waive and a builder cannot disclaim the implied warranty of workmanship and habitability,” he wrote. “This prohibition precludes a waiv-

er even when, as here, the building gives an express warranty in consideration for the waiver.”

And Gass said public policy supporting the idea of an implied warranty outweighs any argument about the freedom to contract.

Spencer Kamps, lobbyist for the Home Builders Association of Central Arizona, said this is the first court ruling of its kind saying that sellers and buyers cannot waive the warranty rights they have under Arizona law by providing something else.

But Kamps, whose organization was not a party to the litigation, pointed out that the implied warranty law is essentially a remedy for home buyers created not by the legislature but instead by the Arizona Supreme Court. And he noted that the appellate judges said that means they are bound by those precedents unless and until the top state court revisits the issue.

James Holland Jr. said that his client Homes was not seeking to avoid being responsible for any issues, saying it recognizes it has an obligation to build quality homes.

“It just wants to define everyone’s rights ahead of time to avoid disputes and misunderstandings,” he said, something that can be done with a specific warranty, spelled out in print, versus a more generic implied warranty.

Holland said he has not yet discussed the prospect of an appeal with his client.

According to court records, Zambrano sued under the implied warranty law when she claimed construction defects including popped nails and defects affecting the home’s foundation, such as soil preparation, grading and drainage.

The trial court tossed her lawsuit because she had waived her right to all implied warranties. But Gass said it’s not that simple.

On one hand, he said, Arizona has a policy of allowing parties to enter into contracts without interference.

“Accordingly, Arizona courts decline to enforce a contract terms on public policy grounds only when the term is contrary to an otherwise identifiable public policy that clearly outweighs any interests in the term’s enforcement,” the judge wrote.

And that, Gass said is what is at issue here, saying this isn’t a contract between two equally knowledgeable parties.

“Builders hold themselves out as skilled in the profession,” he wrote.

“Modern construction is complex and regulated by many governmental codes,” Gass continued. “Home buyers are generally not skilled or knowledgeable in construction, plumbing, or electrical requirements and practices.”

He acknowledged that some states do allow home buyers to waive their rights under implied warranties.

But he and his colleagues sided with other states that have rejected this trend after concluding that the whole purpose of the implied warranty is to protect a homeowner from defects that may be hidden or not appear obvious at the time of the sale.

“As we study the scales, we conclude the public policy supporting the implied warranty clearly outweighs the freedom-ofcontract interest in the waiver’s enforcement,” Gasss wrote. And that makes it illegal for a buyer to waive that implied warranty even if she or he gets something else. ■

Griffin 602-692-7653 martygriffin@q.com

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www.ahwatukee.com

Ahwatukee man’s company makes aircraft hangars shine

BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI AFN Staff Writer

Erik Nagli was searching for a business to acquire when he came across Airpark-based Brilliant Epoxy Floors in 2018. It was a perfect fit.

“I spent the better part of 10 years looking for a business that was vertically integrated, meaning you are the solution from the beginning to end,” said the Ahwatukee resident, whose resume is rich with experience in building materials and running large construction businesses.

“If you’re reliant upon somebody else, that’s where you get into trouble. I also wanted a company that had a great reputation.”

Brilliant Epoxy Floors is a concrete restoration and epoxy coatings installation company that offers hangar flooring systems. The 27-year-old company provides consultations and epoxy flooring installation services for general aviation and privately owned hangars.

“In the last several years, we’ve developed somewhat of a niche and become well-known for our work within aircraft hangars,” said Nagli.

“While we attribute our success within the aviation industry to several factors, one of the reasons we get referrals and repeat business is that we understand the rigorous demands placed upon a hangar floor. We know which

coating system to use, how to properly prep the surface, and how to professionally install the coatings so that the floor not only looks amazing but is able to stand up to harsh conditions.”

According to Nagli, aircraft hangars have several requirements that separate them from traditional commercial and industrial environments. His company offers coating systems that meet those needs.

“Choosing the right flooring for a hangar is critical,” he said. “It can literally impact the efficiency and success of an operation, as well as the safety of those in the environment.

“The difference that separates us is

McCarthy Building bringing training facility here

McCarthy Building Companies, one of the Valley’s most prominent construction firms, has broken ground on a new training facility that will educate the region’s aspiring carpenters and builders.

Located in a 40,000-square-foot building near Kyrene Road and Erie Street, McCarthy’s new workforce center will house the company’s education program that caters to more than 400 local craft workers.

Local dignitaries last month met with McCarthy’s leadership team to commemorate the groundbreaking by donning hard hats and breaking down a wall with sledgehammers -- a skill that will likely be learned by the center’s future students.

The facility, which is projected to open early next year, includes multiple classrooms and workspaces for McCarthy’s staff to learn new trade skills in prefabrication, technical training and solar power production.

career and technical education classes.

Amber Shepard, McCarthy’s self-perform assistant manager, said the workforce center will be a great recruiting tool for attracting the next generation of builders.

“I’m really excited for this facility and bringing in the community,” she said. “Not only is it going to support the development of our current workforce but it’s going to support (the) future workforce.”

Shepard was born into the construction industry and credits her father with introducing her to the many career opportunities that exist in the local market.

Now she wants to offer the same guidance to high schoolers and college students who may be hesitant about seeking out jobs in construction.

“I think there’s a misconception that construction is hard,” Shepard added. “But it’s really for everyone.”

McCarthy is known for building schools,

AFN NEWS STAFF

Erik Nagli of Ahwatukee is giving airport hangers a shiny new look with his unique ﬂooring system. (Pablo Robles/AFN

Chandler city Councilman Terry Roe swung a sledge hammer to help take down a wall during an unusual groundbreaking for McCarthy Building Companies’ upcoming training facility. (Pablo Robles/AFN Sta Photographer)

we’re vertically integrated. We do all the prep. Our techs are trained in every facet of the coating business.”

Since Nagli purchased the company, he has doubled business, especially on the commercial side. He partners with Sherwin Williams to train and provide Brilliant Epoxy Floor’s staff with the latest cuttingedge technologies. They also jointly warranty all floor installs.

“Scottsdale Airpark was built in the early 1990s,” he said. “It was built with aggregate. The coating can’t stick to it. This is well known in the Airpark.

“We did Southwest Jet, which is the largest FBO operator in the Airpark. We are able to prep the concrete correctly and educate them on our process; why one guy can charge $3.50 a square foot and the other is $2.50 a square foot.”

Nagli said there are reasons for this. It comes down to preparation, the quality

MCCARTHY �� 27

bridges, and hospitals across the country and has contributed to several projects around Chandler.

The firm recently built a new elementary school for the Chandler Unified School District and a five-story parking garage in the city’s downtown region.

Shepard said the work done at the training center will provide support for McCarthy’s projects by supplementing materials that can be incorporated into the construction of buildings.

“We use it as a training opportunity as well as a direct support to our job sites across the country,” she added.

Plans for creating a new workforce center in Chandler began not long before the construction industry was interrupted by the coronavirus pandemic.

As McCarthy was closing on the center’s property, the rest of society was shutting down and the future of economic development became clouded in uncertainty.

Justin Kelton, president of McCarthy’s Southwest region, said McCarthy continued to push the project forward dur-

of the materials used, the quality of the technician.

“We focus on that pretty heavily,” he said. The flooring used within hangars must have excellent compressive strength to withstand the weight and mass of an aircraft, while being flexible.

It must also resist chemicals, fuels, corrosive liquids, waxes and other substances commonly used within hangars. Superior high-wear properties are required so the flooring can resist scratches and abrasions.

I spent the better part of 10 years looking for a business that was vertically integrated, meaning you are the solution from the beginning to end.

Finally, the flooring must be protected against staining that can be caused by hot tires coming in off the runway.

“For these reasons, resinous floor coating systems have long been a preferred

specification for aircraft hangar floors due to their durability and performance factors,” Nagli said. “Epoxy resins combine with the concrete, creating a continuous layer and a surface that is stronger than concrete alone. This increased strength dissipates the load and increases the weight bearing capacity and durability of the concrete base, all while remaining flexible under stress.”

Within aircraft hangars, high-gloss epoxy systems in neutral colors, such as white or gray, are typically specified to improve available light and brighten the facility. In addition to showcasing the aircraft, the use of lighter colors and highgloss finishes creates light reflectivity, which provides illumination above and un-

do this,” Kelton said.

A workforce center can help McCarthy put out a better product, he added, and result in better price certainty for the projects they build.

“This is a culmination of what we’ve been doing for years,” the president said.

McCarthy expects the workforce center to assist Arizona in filling the many construction jobs that will be generated in the next few years.

derneath the aircraft, as well as better visibility to spills, items or debris on the floor.

While epoxy floors are often specified for hangars, according to Nagli, not all epoxy floors are the same. He explained that the overall quality of the floor depends on several factors, including choosing the right coatings for the space, the quality level of the epoxy coatings, the proper restoration and preparation of the concrete surface.

“I ultimately decided that no matter how high I got, I still had a boss,” he said. “I had an idea of how I wanted to run a business. I found that in Brilliant Epoxy Floors.

“We take extremely good care of our employees. They’re all trained on highend equipment. Our core value is to do the right thing.” ■

Brilliant

Epoxy Floors

16099 N. 82nd St., Suite B-11, Scottsdale 480-203-2444, brilliantaz.com

rently struggle to fill hourly craft jobs or salaried positions in construction, per the Associated General Contractors.

Justin Dent, the company’s senior vice president of operations, said the industry needs to engage with young workers and McCarthy’s new workforce center will offer more opportunities of engagement with prospective builders.

“We have to invite and get people to join our company and join the trade,” Dent said.

McCarthy believes its new facility will help its workers to learn about the many pathways that exist for them to advance their careers.

ing the pandemic because the company knew it needed to invest in the region’s workforce.

“There was no way we weren’t going to

According to the Greater Phoenix Chamber Foundation, Arizona will need 228,000 craft professionals by the end of 2024 to support all the development that’s projected across the state.

More than 80 percent of employers cur-

The city’s elected officials approve of McCarthy’s plans to boost the local workforce and are excited to see how the training center assists locals in moving up the career ladder.

Councilman Terry Roe said he’s proud that Chandler gets to house a safe place for McCarthy’s construction workers to learn their trade in a controlled environment.

“I’ve been a fan of McCarthy for a long time,” Roe said. “Chandler is the city of innovation and I see that in McCarthy.” ■

McCarthy Building Companies Vice President Antonia Williams addressed the groundbreaking for her company’s new training facility in Chandler. (Pablo Robles/AFN Sta Photographer)

Saving can have a powerful impact on retirement

BY DR. HAROLD WONG AFN Guest Writer

There are only so many variables to any retirement plan: how much you save; your investment return on investment; how much you lose in taxes; and the income generated by your savings when you retire.

There is a final factor, however: losses in future stock market crashes.

Before the coronavirus pandemic, Americans averaged a savings rate of 7.6 percent of disposable, after-tax household income. The field of financial planning claims that one should save 10 percent.

One must actually save 20-30 percent of gross income to enjoy the same standard of living in retirement as when working.

This article examines the retirement challenges of a high-income couple that starts saving at age 40. If these numbers are too high for your situation, just reduce the numbers by half or 2/3rds.

Example 1: A married couple has $300,000 gross household income. If they save 10 per-

cent, or $30,000/year and earn a 5 percent annual ROI for 25 years, the future value will be $1,503,403. This assumes there are no stock market crashes and no tax, which is of course fantasy land. Moneychimp.com shows that 4.57 percent is the compound growth rate of the S&P 500 stock market index from Jan. 1, 2000, to Dec. 31, 2020.

If one retires at 65 and continues to earn 5 percent of $1,503,403, that’s a $75,170 annual income, not counting Social Security.

This is 25 percent of the $300,000 household income when working. One would need a 30 percent savings rate for 25 years to generate a $225,510 annual income. When one adds SS, now income approaches one’s working income.

Example 2: Suppose that the couple in Example 1 have a 28 percent average combined federal and AZ tax rate. Now, the assumed 5 percent ROI becomes a net 3.60 percent due to a 28 percent tax rate. The couple still saves $30,000 a year for 25 years, but their future retirement fund will drop to $1,226,792 and annual income is $44,164 (3.6 percent of $1,226,792). Not counting SS, this $44,164

retirement income is only 15 percent of their $300,000 working income.

Example 3: Suppose that the couple can earn a 7 percent steady ROI, but pays no tax on that income. In 25 years, their $30,000 of annual savings becomes a $2,030,294 retirement fund.

In retirement, 7 percent of $2,030,294 becomes a $142,120 annual retirement income, which is still only 47 percent of working income.

Example 4: Suppose the household with $300,000 gross income has $50,000 of annual deductions, reducing taxable income to $250,000. In 2021, that would result in $48,042 federal tax and around $7,206 of AZ tax, for a total of $55,248 of income taxes.

If this household does serious tax planning, saves $40,000 a year of tax, and earns an average 7 percent ROI, in 25 years this becomes $2,707,058.

When one adds it to the $2,030,294 retirement fund in Example 3, total retirement savings is now $4,737,352. Retirement income can now become 7 percent ($4,737,352) = $331,614, which exceeds the $300,000 income while working.

St. John Bosco Catholic School meets the needs of all learners

By Alison Stanton

When parents drop their children off for their first day of school on Wednesday, Aug. 11, at St. John Bosco Catholic School in Ahwatukee, Principal Jamie Bescak wants every family to know the school is dedicated to meeting the needs of all learners.

“We are open to all students of any race, creed and learning ability,” Bescak said.

She and the entire staff at St. John Bosco Catholic School are devoted to educating the whole child.

“Any student who wants to receive a quality education at a private Catholic school is welcome to enroll, regardless of their financial background,” Bescak said. “We work overtime to provide opportunities for families to obtain financial assistance.”

Bescak said parents can rest assured that teachers will meet their preschool through eighth grade students at their level, and will help them grow as learners.

“One way we do this is by small group instruction,” she said. “Our classrooms have an average teacher to student ratio of 20 to 1.”

Although the school was open for in-person learning for most of the 2020-2021 school year, Bescak said volunteers were not allowed to be on campus. That changes when school resumes, she said.

“We are so looking forward to seeing our parent volunteers and grandparent volunteers and welcoming them back to campus.”

Bescak said she enjoys speaking with parents who share their children’s progress at St. John Bosco Catholic School and how they “absolutely love” the teachers, pastors and administration.

If one adds SS that is maximized by waiting until age 70, SS might be $72,000/year even if the spouse never worked. Now total retirement income is $403,614, or 135 percent of one’s $300,000 income while working.

Conclusions: The above four examples show that substantial income tax savings has a much more powerful effect on one’s future retirement fund and income than ROI.

You don’t have to do risky Wall Street investments if you save taxes. This is why many have to work until age 70 or beyond because of their small retirement income.

Free live seminars and lunch: at 10:45 a.m. Sept. 18 and Oct. 9 at The Old Spaghetti Factory, 3155 W. Chandler Blvd.; Chandler. Topic is “Double Your Social Security & Other Retirement Income and Pay Less Tax.”

To RSVP or schedule a free consultation, please contact Dr. Harold Wong at 480706-0177 or harold_wong@hotmail.com. His website is drharoldwong.com.

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

“We truly have a team effort on all levels, including assigning all new families a mentor family who can help answer questions, and I love meeting every student and family in person.”

While parents can enroll their children at any time

during the year, Bescak said it is ideal for students to start school on the first day. She is conducting tours daily and is looking forward to Meet the Teacher on August 9. St. John Bosco Catholic School is located at 16035 S. 48th Street, Ahwatukee. For more information about the school and/or scholarship opportunities, email admissions@sjbosco.org, call 480-219-4848 or visit sjbosco.org.

(Photo courtesy of Savoy Images)

2000 S. San Tan Village Parkway Gilbert AZ 85295

In the very near future, Copenhagen will be announcing the opening of our brand new showroom, to be located in the heart of Gilbert’s thriving shopping district, and directly across from San Tan Village Mall. This newly constructed, 32,000 square foot showroom will offer inspiring furniture vignettes, with a specific focus on the contemporary and modern designs you’ve come to know at Copenhagen. Of course, our classic Scandinavian, our fine collection of teak furniture, as well as our fabulous collection of contemporary accessories, including art, rugs and lighting, will also be represented. This will undoubtedly be the area’s most unique furniture shopping experience. We can’t wait to show it off. On behalf of the entire Copenhagen team, we looking forward to seeing you very soon!

Architectural rendering of the future Copenhagen, Gilbert. Construction is well under way!

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Y0036_21_92127_M 936621 b

Opinion

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Share Your Thoughts:

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

Foothills HOA board is moving in the right direction

BY DAVID RANDOLPH AFN Guest Writer

Two years ago, I wrote an open letter to my fellow members of the Foothills Community Association advising them that our HOA was in trouble.

One year ago, homeowners spoke up loudly demanding change. They voted 11:1 for bylaws reforms intended to increase transparency, accountability, and responsiveness to the interests of the Association’s members.

This year, I can report that the HOA is moving in the right direction and great progress is being made toward realizing the goals of the reform movement.

One laudable example of this new transparency is that the HOA’s website now posts the packet of materials prepared for directors for monthly Board meetings, as well as videos of board meetings. Homeowners can now see exactly what the Board is acting on. Outstanding!

The reforms created term limits for board directors, and this facilitated the election of three new directors in October. I have been delighted that these new directors and the four incumbent directors have been able to work together in harmony.

Incumbent director Gary Reny was elevated to be board president and he has

done a superb job of managing the melding of old and new directors.

At all times, he has shown balanced and objective leadership, and a willingness to give all directors - and all homeowners -their say. The rancor and sense of ‘us versus them’ that previously plagued meetings are distant memories.

I am particularly proud of Rob Doherty, who had been my colleague in the reform campaign.

Rob was appointed treasurer, and he has done a superlative job of tightening up the HOA’s �inances. For example, he closed a redundant bank account containing signi�icant funds for which there was no budget and transferred these funds to the budgeted reserve account.

One unexpected bene�it of having Rob on the board centers on the rescue of the Festival of Lights, whose dire situation was revealed last month in the Ahwatukee Foothills News. He was the �irst to grasp the need for the HOA to take over the FOL in order to preserve this cherished Foothills tradition.

Rob conceived a plan to save the FOL without any increase in the HOA’s �inancial commitment. While questions remain concerning long-term issues, Rob’s plan ensures the FOL will live on while the community decides these issues.

The Board now welcomes the greater in-

volvement of the HOA’s homeowners. It is forming new committees to join the existing ones in tackling key issues.

The reconstituted Lakes Committee is energetically acting to address the many aspects of restoring our lakes to prime condition.

A new Landscape Committee has been created, and it is blessed with a wealth of exceptionally quali�ied and highly energized homeowners. I already have seen the fruits of the committee’s labors as I tour the community.

The committee that was addressing the 14th Way and Dry Creek Road erosion dilemma has had its mandate expanded to include serious erosion problems throughout the HOA.

A new Election Policy Committee (on which I serve) is developing a formal policy to ensure free and fair elections.

One committee of particular interest to me is the Bylaws Committee created in 2019 to review and update the HOA’s bylaws. Gary initially chaired it, but he passed the chairmanship over to Rob when he became president.

The committee’s extensive reworking of the bylaws is now posted on the HOA’s website for review, and it could be voted on by the HOA’s membership in October.

I thank Gary, Rob, and the others who served with me on the Bylaws Committee

for their tireless efforts over many months to update and strengthen the Bylaws. I urge all HOA members to vote in favor of the proposed amendments, as they ful�ill a major promise of the reform movement.

I commend the board for its initiative in delving into some of the critical issues facing the HOA that had been avoided for too long.

For example, the board is looking seriously at the problem of exterior walls. I fear this is a ticking timebomb, with potentially major �inancial implications. The sooner the situation is addressed, the better.

Another vexing issue is the HOA’s relationship with the Foothills Golf Club. Given the history of the other golf clubs in Ahwatukee, it is imperative that the HOA make this a priority.

Overall, I am very hopeful that our HOA has turned a corner. There is a lot of hard work yet to do, but things are moving in the right direction.

I thank the board directors, both old and new, who are all volunteers who have been sel�lessly giving our HOA so much of their time.

I also thank all the HOA homeowners who backed the reform movement and voted for Rob and the other new directors last October. Your support was crucial to achieving this progress. ■

In-person education critical for autistic children

BY O. ROBIN SWEET AFN Guest Writer

Going back to work or back to school takes a bit of adjustment after months of COVID-related isolation. In addition to exchanging sweatpants for business attire, many of us are re-learning a few social skills that may have atrophied after months of staring at a screen.

So, imagine the readjustment process

for young people with autism, individuals who struggle to attain the socialization skills most people take for granted.

I co-founded Phoenix’s Gateway Academy with Dr. Thomas Bloom to serve students (6th through 12th grades,) who are academically capable, and diagnosed with a level 1 Autism Spectrum Disorder.

To protect the health and safety of our students last year, we quickly made the transition to remote learning, when schools were compelled to close because of COVID.

But when our students left the classroom, I knew the hard work would begin, once the health crisis subsided. Indeed, the lost ground in terms of social skills can be tragic. But it’s not permanent. What was lost can be retaught.

Our school has twin missions, giving students the academic skills to achieve their collegiate and career goals, and giving them the social skills to lead ful�illing and complete lives. The latter can only be accomplished through in-person learning.

We are not the only school making this

readjustment. I am sure mainstream learners and their families are re-learning a few lessons, when it comes to social interaction.

For most autistic students, the process is exponentially more challenging. Autistic children need in person social interaction to keep those social-emotional skills in the forefront of their minds.

Arizona is indeed fortunate to have the Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA)

@AhwatukeeFN |

@AhwatukeeFN

program which gives parents the opportunity to send students to our school, and those like it, tuition free. Under normal circumstances, this gives parents an effective and exciting option. Post-COVID, it can be a lifeline for families of autistic children.

As classes resume across Arizona, this is a challenging time for all teachers. I like to think it is a most welcomed challenge. There is no higher calling than educating young minds, whether that involves learning long division or learning to form long term relationships with peers.

I tell our parents autism is an explanation, and does not de�ine their children. High Functioning Autism should not deter their children from having full, successful, and productive lives. Likewise, the pro-

longed isolation following COVID need not be an obstacle to getting students back on track and comfortable with in person learning. It’s an exciting time to be a teacher. It’s especially exciting when you’re teaching exceptional students such as ours. The COVID crisis brought our mission into focus and I believe Gateway, as well as most Arizona schools, learned some valuable lessons and are better off for it. We’d better be. The lives of so many are depending on it.

O. Robin Sweet is executive director/ CEO of Gateway Academy, which offers a private education for students in grades 6-12 with a diagnosis of a Level 1 Autism Spectrum Disorder. Information: rsweet@gatewayacademy.us or 480998-1071. ■

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

Sports & Recreation

DV hires Pat Herrera as next head baseball coach

BY ZACH ALVIRA AFN Sports Editor

Pat Herrera, who previously led Skyline the last eight seasons before he stepped down in June, has been hired to take over the Desert Vista baseball program.

Desert Vista Athletic Director David Klecka con�irmed Wednesday the school hired Herrera, completing a near monthlong search for a new baseball coach after parting ways with former coach Cody Brass�ield on June 30.

“I did my homework on Pat,” Klecka said. “I reached out. He is respected by his peers, which is a big thing for me. He’s one of the best baseball coaches in the state and when I say he’s creative, he looks at what he’s got and coaches to that team.

“Pat’s a winner and he is never satis�ied.”

Herrera was hired to take over the Skyline baseball program in 2013 after nine years with Desert Ridge, where he led the Jaguars to two state titles in 2009 and 2010. He took over the year after Skyline won just three games and quickly turned the program around.

He led the Coyotes to the 6A semi�inals just four years into his tenure. Skyline went 124-73-2 overall under Herrera, making the postseason six times and had a winning record seven of his eight total seasons.

Herrera stepped down in June after his son, Patrick, graduated. Herrera also coached his older son, AJ, at Skyline during his tenure. AJ now attends the University of San Diego. Patrick, a high-level baseball recruit and standout basketball player at Skyline, signed with Northwestern to continue his career on the diamond.

Initially aiming to step away from coaching for a year to watch Patrick, Herrera made the dif�icult decision to step down at Skyline. However, he said once the position at Desert Vista opened, he felt it would be the right move for him and his family.

“The tradition of Desert Vista, it was such a huge opportunity for my family and

der Brass�ield, who was hired as the head freshman baseball coach in 2008 before being promoted in 2017 to the varsity level.

He shares the same level of excitement he had when he moved on from Desert Ridge in 2013. The lust with building a new culture at different programs is what drives Herrera.

Not to mention, he has a chance to do it at a school decorated with championship banners in other sports.

“For me, it was the tradition this school has had with the success of the baseball program,” Klecka said.

“I want to honor that. It drove me to build another program. I built Desert Ridge, built Skyline and now I have a chance to rebuild the tradition and legacy at Desert Vista.”

an Ahwatukee resident. The two met on July 12 for two hours. Klecka planned to pick Smith’s brain about what to look for in a baseball coach. That meeting quickly turned into a workshop about leadership and building a culture.

“Tracy, you can say he gave me marching orders,” Klecka said. “He gave me an outline of a successful coach.”

Klecka became enamored by Smith. So much so he invited him to be part of the hiring committee. He agreed to be a part of the process.

They then set out to �ind Desert Vista’s next baseball coach. In their minds, they wanted an individual who would always put the team �irst and in contention for a title. Klecka said the coach didn’t have to win it every year, but they wanted to be consistently in the conversation.

me,” Herrera said. “And this was a family decision because I did have the freedom to go see Patrick play. But it’s Desert Vista. That’s really what it was.”

Herrera takes over a Desert Vista program that went 45-44-1 in four years un-

Herrera plans to hit the ground running with summer baseball camps at Desert Vista. In the fall, he will transition into a role as a teacher at the school.

Klecka sought help from former Arizona State baseball coach Tracy Smith,

Additionally, they wanted someone who truly valued the culture of the Desert Vista community and athletics programs. He believes he found that in Herrera. Smith agreed.

“(Smith) knew what we were looking for and he speaks very highly of coach Herrera,” Klecka said. “It makes me proud.”

Klecka said it wasn’t just Herrera’s interview that made him stand out from the rest.

On separate occasions, Herrera went to Desert Vista and walked the school grounds. He went to the baseball �ield and began to analyze facilities, including the grass, dirt and cages. Klecka said Herrera created a vision for the program there in his head and presented it in his interview an hour later.

It was at that point Klecka knew he had his guy.

“When I found out Pat got to Desert Vista an hour before his interview to walk the grounds, that’s what a baseball coach does,” Klecka said. “He looked at everything from a baseball perspective.

“He could have called someone to ask about the �ield. But the fact he came to the school, more than one time, that impressed me. He wanted the job.” ■

Desert Vista Athletic Director David Klecka sought advice from former Arizona State head baseball coach Tracy Smith, an Ahwatukee resident, on what to look for in a baseball coach. The two met for two hours on Monday, July 12 and Smith was part of the hiring committee.

(Courtesy David Klecka)

Pat Herrera, who previously led Skyline the last eight seasons before he stepped down in June, has been hired to take over the Desert Vista baseball program.

(Pablo Robles/AFN Sta )

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King Crossword

TGrilled Ahi makes for great salad

here is the classic Salade Nicoise with its lovely composition of tuna, tomatoes, sliced eggs, olives, potatoes, haricots verts and anchovies - or variations thereof. The tuna is generally canned, and there is very little in the way of lettuce leaves.

Then, there is the more updated trend, the Ahi Tuna Salad, with its delicate strips of seared fresh ahi tuna, arranged in overlapping slices and serve on a bed of lettuce often with a wasabisoy- mustard drizzle or honey ginger vinaigrette. Combine the best of both salads, add a rainbow of color and crunch, and you have a hearty, healthful main meal dish with the unusual twist of fresh tuna served, not in slices, but rather in cubes to get the sear on all sides. If your New Year’s resolution is to eat

Ingredients for the salad:

4-6 oz fresh Ahi Tuna steak, carefully cut in 1-inch cubes

Sea salt and course ground pepper

2-3 tablespoons olive or avocado oil

1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half

1 ripe avocado, cubed

1/2 small red onion, sliced paper thin

1/2 cup red pepper, diced

1/2 cup yellow or orange pepper, diced

4 medium tomatillos, quartered

3-4 cups arugula (or Mesclun or Spring Mix)

healthy and somewhat preservative-free, the Grilled Ahi Tuna Salad is your creative and crunchy kick starter in a bowl!

Ingredients for the dressing:

1/2 cup olive, avocado or grape seed oil

1/3 cup rice wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons orange juice

1 tablespoon lime juice

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon honey

1 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced (optional)

1 garlic clove, minced

Dash of hot sauce

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup no shell pepitas (pumpkin seeds), roasted and salted* (See Jan’s notes)

1/2 cup wasabi green peas*

1/2 cup Marcona almonds* (or blanched and toasted raw almonds)

Directions

If using raw almonds instead of marcona almonds, blanch almonds in boiling water for 2-3 minutes.

Drain and remove skins. Pat dry. In a small skillet over medium high heat, roast almonds in enough oil just to coat the almonds until lightly toasted, about 3-4 minutes. Sprinkle with a little salt. Set aside.

Brush the tuna steak with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and press into steak.

Cut steak into one-inch cubes. Heat oil in skillet and cook cubes on high heat until seared on all sides. about 2 minutes. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine cherry tomatoes, avocado, red onion, red pepper and yellow pepper, tomatillos, arugula or greens, pepitas and wasabi peas, almonds and tuna cubes.

In a food processor, blender or with a whisk, mix together dressing ingredients until well combined. Drizzle dressing over salad and gently toss. Add salt and pepper as needed.

Jan’s Notes: I found pepitas and wasabi peas at Whole Foods and Sprouts. Marcona almonds can be found at Whole Foods, Aj’s Fine Foods, and select grocery stores. ■

For more great recipe ideas and videos, visit jandatri.com.

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