East Valley Business - 04.03.2022

east valley

Volume 4 Issue 38 Mesa, AZ

April 3, 2021

Nursing college expands to Arizona just in time

BY JOSH ORTEGA Tribune Staff Writer

E

IN THE BIZ

xperts say a shortage of nurses may worsen over the next few years but help has arrived in Mesa.

Alverno College held a ribbon-cutting ceremony recently at its new Mesa location at 1201 South Alma School Road, Suite 5450.

Mayor John Giles and Councilman Francisco Heredia attended the ceremony, along with college leaders and alums.

This moment comes at a crucial time when the area and its medical staff have already experienced trying times, the mayor said.

“This is good for the residents of Mesa and for the health industry, leading to more qualified health professionals to fulfill workforce needs in our city and the region,” Giles said.

The 13,000-square-foot facility houses classrooms, offices and a state-of-the art simulation lab. It sits inside the Financial Plaza building – the tallest building in Mesa, and in the heart of Heredia’s district.

Heredia called the college a “huge addition” to the area. “It will help in the revitalization of the Fiesta District and meet the growing demand for nurses throughout the Valley,” he said.

Alverno will offer a direct entry master of science in nursing program at its Mesa location.

This program originally launched in partnership with Arizona-based Synergis Education on its flagship Milwaukee, WisPublic Notices ............... page 3 © Copyright, 2022 East Valley Tribune

Cutting the ribbon for Alverno College’s new nursing school in Mesa are, from left, Mayor John Giles; Alverno College President Andrea Lee, and Synergis CEO Norm Allgood. (Special to the Tribune)

consin, campus in January 2020.

The DEMSN will award graduates both a bachelor of science and a master of science in nursing. The 77-credit program is designed to be completed with full-time study in 18 to 20 months. It’s designed for students who already hold a bachelor’s degree in a non-nursing field and will prepare them to sit for the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) exam.

Enrollment has already begun with the first classes expected to begin in August 2022. At full capacity, the private, nonprofit college, which was established in 1887, will be able to accommodate more than 200 students annually at its Mesa location.

The college said it’s already forging impressive clinical relationships with Banner Health and the Mayo Clinic.

As its presence in Mesa develops, the college hopes to bring attention to its oth(USPS 004-616) is published weekly

Mailing Address: 1620 W. Fountainhead Pkwy., Suite 219, Tempe, AZ 85282

(480) 898-6500 Steven Strickbine, publisher Paul Maryniak, executive editor

er innovative degree programs.

Founded in 1887 by the School Sisters of St. Francis, Alverno College is a four-year, private Catholic liberal arts college.

In April 2021, Maricopa County had 5,685 Registered Nurse vacancies, a 40% increase from the previous year.

“We are thrilled to launch this program in a region where there is so much demand for skilled, compassionate health care providers,” Alverno College President Andrea Lee said.

With more than 500,000 RNs expected to retire by 2022, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects the need for 1.1 million new RNs for expansion and replacement of those retirees, and to avoid a nursing shortage.

They project the employment of registered nurses to grow 9% from 2020 to 2030.

“Alverno has always sought to meet the needs of the time,” Lee said. ■ Subscriptions are $26 for 2 years, $14 for one year.

Periodicals postage paid at Phoenix, AZ 85026.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: East Valley Tribune, 1620 W. Fountainhead Pkwy., Suite 291, Tempe, AZ 85282

BBQ chef’s East Mesa restaurant a big hit

BY JOSH ORTEGA Tribune Staff Writer

M

ore than a year ago, Eric Solheim finally answered his customers’ big question: “When are you going to open up a restaurant?”

The Mesa native opened Big Nate’s Family BBQ at 1722 North Banning in Northeast Mesa on Oct. 12, 2020, – National Pulled Pork Day. He and co-owner (and brother-in-law) Ray Dandridge and their wives had been running a food truck – and still do, traveling to six different locations around the area in a given week.

The food truck is among some 100 parked at Bell Bank Park in east Mesa for its weekly Food Truck Friday event after a successful run at the the short-lived Power Food Truck Park, which closed early this year in the face of neighbors’ opposition and city officials’ pressure.

Solheim likes the food truck’s new home.

“It had a different type of charm to it,” he said. “I think Bell Bank Park will end up being fantastic.”

Solheim said the experience on the first day at facility was “dismal” primarily due to the chilly wind and slight drizzle people endured at the event.

Regardless, Solheim said it was only one night and he looks forward to being invited back again and again, though he said moving to Bell Bank from the controversial Power Food Truck Park was like relocating from a charming small town to a bustling big city.

Eric Solheim owns Big Nate’s Family BBQ in East Mesa and also operates a food truck.

(Josh Ortega/Tribune Staff)

Solheim said he dreamed of becoming a chef since he was a kid and that dream started to become when he got his first Traeger Grill 10 years ago.

He said he started out catering for various events for family and friends, and now anybody can go to the quaint restaurant to experience his slogan, “Welcome to the Family.”

“Treating people like family gets you loyal followers,” he said.

Patrons at his brick-and-mortar restaurant can expect home cooking in a main dining room that resembles a family living room.

But home cooking takes time. He said

the chicken takes about two hours, while the brisket takes more than 24 hours to get that tender, juicy flavor just right. And it must be good: Solheim said it sells out fast.

Solheim said he’s had to post a warning on their website because, if he’s not careful, they can easily sell out of food at least once per week.

He said while that’s not the goal, it’s one of the realities for the restaurant.

The goal he does work on: Making people happy.

“Making people excited about barbecue,” he said. “That drives me to do more and better.” ■

paying their bill asking if they would like to make a donation to United Food Bank.

When a patron makes a donation, Over Easy will match it dollar for dollar while Hickman’s will deliver one dozen eggs to United Food Bank.

So, for example, if a patron donates a dollar, United Food Bank will receive $2 and a dozen eggs!

East Valley Over Easy locations are at 140 N. Arizona Ave., Chandler; 211 E. Warner Road, Guadalupe and Dobson roads and 6451 E. Southern Ave. in Mesa and

Rittenhouse and Ellsworth roads in Queen Creek.

United Food Bank has provided hunger relief to people in the East Valley and eastern Arizona since 1983. As a Feeding America member food bank, it distributes food to around 145 partner agencies and programs in five counties.

In the past fiscal year, United Food Bank distributed more than 26 million pounds of food (nearly 60,000 meals per day), a 35 percent increase over the previous year. ■

Hickman’s, Over Easy help food bank

TRIBUNE NEWS STAFF

T

wo local “EGG-centric” organizations – Over Easy and Hickman’s Family Farms -- are once again teaming up to help raise funds and eggs for United Food Bank.

Last year the promotion raised $11,512 and 5,756 dozen eggs and this year’s goal is $20,000 and 10,000 dozen eggs!

Throughout April, customers who dine at one of the 11 Over Easy Arizona restaurant locations will see a prompt when

EAST VALLEY BUSINESS

2

APRIL 3, 2022

Public Notice PUBLIC NOTICE The City of Chandler Housing and Redevelopment is re-questing comments on the proposed 2022 Substantial Amendment Annual Plan prepared for the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The plans are the City of Chandler’s comprehensive guides to the policies, programs, operations, and strategies for meeting local housing needs and goals. The plans are available for review at the Housing Office located at 235 S. Arizona Ave., Chandler, AZ, 85225, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on our website chandleraz. gov/affordablehousing from March 28, 2022 to May 12, 2022. A Public Hearing will be held on April 6, 2022, at 4 p.m., located at 235 S. Arizona Ave., Chandler, AZ, 85225.

Written comments ad-dressed to “2022 Substantial Amendment Annual Plan” must be received by May 12, 2022, at 5 p.m. (MST); may be mailed or dropped off at 235 S. Arizona Ave., Chandler, AZ 85225; or emailed to chandler. housing@chandleraz.gov. For more information, please contact Amy Jacobson at 480-782-3200.

Notice to Individuals with Disabilities: The City of Chandler is committed to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and to maintaining accessible facilities, services, programs and activities; promoting inclusion through reasonable accommodations; and striving to make all interactions with City government positive and successful for all. Anyone who re-quires an auxiliary aid or service for effective communication, or a modification of policies or procedures to participate in a City of Chandler program, service, or activity, should contact the Housing Division, at (480) 782-3200 (or TTY 7-1-1, or via the Arizona Relay Service at 800-3678939, TTY English 800-367-8939 or Español 800-842-2088) or the City’s ADA Coordinator, Jason Crampton, at (480) 782-3402 (or 711 via AZ Re-lay Service) or ada. coordinator@chandleraz.gov, as soon as possible but preferably no fewer than two business days before the scheduled event or meeting. Complaints that a City program, service, facility or activity is not accessible to individuals with disabilities should be directed to the ADA Coordinator. For more information about the ADA and City services, programs, and activities, please see the City’s website (chandleraz.gov) or contact the ADA Coordinator.

It is the policy of the City of Chandler to take reasonable steps to provide timely and meaningful access for per-sons with limited English proficiency. The City of Chandler shall ensure this meaningful access in the entire scope of its work including participants in its pro-grams, activities, information, services, or benefits when appropriate, as well as the general public. Housing staff shall provide free language assistance services to LEP persons whom they encounter or

who contact the Housing Division.

For translation or interpretation assistance, at no charge, please contact the Housing Office at 480782- 3200, or email chandler. housing@chandleraz.gov.

Equal Housing Opportunity.

and construction drawings for the recommended and accepted improvements from the DCR. The second part of the project will require assessing the generator hardware/electronics, obsolete PLCs (Programmable Logic Controller) and components at the ATS’s (Automatic Transfer Switches) at Power Centers 2, 5A, 5B, and 6, including the conversion of the power centers to open transition configurations. As part of the assessment, it is expected for the Firm/Team to generate a list of required replacements and/or upgrades. This list will be developed through evaluating the electrical, instrumentation, and controls within these power centers. Recommendations and cost estimates for the replacements and/or upgrades will be presented in a Technical Memorandum. The project shall include detailed design and construction drawings for the recommended and accepted replacements and/or upgrades from the Technical Memorandum.

The third part of the project will require the installation of a metal canopy structure over the Chlorine Contact Basin to prevent infiltration of sunlight to deter algae growth inside the basin. The Firm/Team is expected to work with a single metal canopy manufacturer to obtain performance specifications and simple layout drawings. The Firm/Team will provide structural drawings showing the modifications required on the basins to support the canopy. The metal canopy manufacturer and supplier will provide all the necessary detailed design, structural drawings, and calculations for the canopy in a deferred submittal during construction.

City may include other miscellaneous improvements at the Site, as needed.

A Pre-Submittal Conference will be held on April 14, 2022, at 9 am through Microsoft Teams. At this meeting, City staff will discuss the scope of work and general contract issues and respond to questions from the attendees. Attendance at the pre-submittal conference is not mandatory and all interested firms may submit a Statement of Qualifications whether or not they attend the conference. An invitation can be requested from Donna Horn (donna.horn@mesaaz.gov).

All interested firms are encouraged to attend the Pre-Submittal Conference since City staff will not be available for meetings or to respond to individual inquiries regarding the project scope outside of this conference. In addition, there will not be meeting minutes or any other information published from the Pre-Submittal Conference.

Contact with City Employees.

All firms interested in this project (including the firm’s employees, representatives, agents, lobbyists, attorneys, and subconsultants) will refrain, under penalty of disqualification, from direct or indirect contact for the purpose of influencing the selection or creating bias in the selection process with any person who may play a part in the selection process. This policy is intended to create a level playing field for all potential firms, to assure

Public Notice CITY OF MESA, ARIZONA ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS (RFQ) NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the City of Mesa is seeking a qualified Consultant for the following: GREENFIELD WATER RECLAMATION PLANT RELIABILITY AND REDUNDANCY IMPROVEMENTS PROJECT NO. CP0625GN03 The City of Mesa is seeking a qualified consulting firm or team to provide complete design services for the Greenfield Water Reclamation Plant Reliability and Redundancy Improvements project.

All qualified firms that are interested in providing these services are invited to submit their Statements of Qualifications (SOQ) in accordance with the requirements detailed in the Request for Qualifications (RFQ).

This project has three parts that will be designed simultaneously to improve different areas at the Greenfield Water Reclamation Plant.

The first part of the project will require assessing what modifications need to be made to take Headworks Building No. 1 completely offline. This assessment will look at how the process, electrical, instrumentation, and controls (EI&C), ancillary facilities (such as the grit removal system), Primary Odor Control Facilities No. 1 and 2, Primary Clarifiers, etc., are affected when Headworks Building No. 1 is taken offline and powered down.

For example, the chemical pumps necessary to operate the Odor Control Facilities are powered out of Headworks Building No. 1.

Due to this, a complete shutdown of Headworks Building No. 1 is not possible for any extended period of time. Additionally, there are a number of off-site meters, valves and instruments that are controlled, powered or both controlled and powered from Headworks No. 1 that need to remain functional during a building shutdown.

These also will be evaluated in conjunction with the above. As part of the assessment, it is expected for the Firm/Team to generate a list of required improvements to make the Headworks redundant.

This list will be developed through evaluating the hydraulic, civil (yard piping), structural, mechanical, electrical, instrumentation, and control limitations in operating both Headworks Buildings independently. Recommendations and cost estimates for the improvements and modifications necessary to accommodate the requested Headworks redundancy and desired operational options will be presented in a Design Concept Report (DCR). The project shall include detailed design

EAST VALLEY BUSINESS

3

that contract decisions are made in public, and to protect the integrity of the selection process. All contact on this selection process should be addressed to the authorized representative identified below.

RFQ Lists. This RFQ is available on the City’s website at http:// mesaaz.gov/business/engineering/ architectural-engineering-designopportunities.

The Statement of Qualifications shall include a one-page cover letter, plus a maximum of 10 pages to address the SOQ valuation criteria (excluding resumes but including an organization chart with key personnel and their affiliation).

Resumes for each team member shall be limited to a maximum length of two pages and should be attached as an appendix to the SOQ. Minimum font size shall be 10pt. Please provide one (1) electronic copy in an unencrypted PDF format to Engineering-RFQ@ mesaaz.gov of the Statement of Qualifications by 2 pm on April 28, 2022. The City reserves the right to accept or reject any and all Statements of Qualifications.

The City is an equal opportunity employer.

Firms who wish to do business with the City of Mesa must be registered and activated in the City of Mesa Vendor Self Service (VSS) System (http://mesaaz.gov/ business/purchasing/vendor-selfservice).

Questions. Questions pertaining to the Consultant selection process or contract issues should be directed to Donna Horn of the Engineering Department at donna. horn@mesaaz.gov.

BETH HUNING City Engineer ATTEST: Holly Moseley City Clerk Published East Valley Tribune, Apr 3, 10, 2022 / 455XX

BE DEBT FREE IN 24–48 MONTHS! If you owe more than $10,000 incredit card or other debt, see how National Debt Relief can resolve your debt for a fraction of what you owe.

Call today:

1-866-696-2697 ACCREDITED BUSINESS ®

APRIL 3, 2022

the tickler

east valley 1620 W. Fountainhead Pkwy., Suite 219, Tempe, AZ 85282

PERIODICALS U. S. POSTAGE PA I D GOODYEAR, AZ 85338