Scottsdale Progress - 04.04.2021

SUSD hosting graduations / P. 4

Self-portraits at library / P. 26

An edition of the East Valley Tribune

INSIDE

NEWS................................. 6 Bike lanes could come to McDowell Road

BUSINESS................... 24 Eateries grappling with worker shortage.

FOOD.............................. 28 Pizza, bao restaurants combine forces.

NEIGHBORS..........................................20 BUSINESS............................................... 24 ARTS......................................................... 26 FOOD........................................................ 28 CLASSIFIEDS........................................30

FREE ($1 OUTSIDE OF SCOTTSDALE) | scottsdale.org

Sunday, April 4, 2021

New downtown parking requirements proposed

BY WAYNE SCHUTSKY Progress Managing Editor

S

cottsdale residents finally have their first look at proposed parking code changes – over a year after City Council first directed staff to address downtown business owners’ concerns that code deficiencies would lead to a shortage of spaces.

Council requested the review in February 2020, but little progress was made due to pandemic-related disruptions, accord-

ing to city staff.

That prompted Councilwoman Kathy Littlefield to propose a moratorium on downtown development until parking was addressed.

City staff’s proposal – which could go to Council as early as May 4 –revises parking requirements for new downtown condo and apartment complexes, hotels and office developments.

Parking requirements

for new multifamily projects would increase from one space per studio or one-bedroom unit to 1.25 spaces per studio and 1.3 per

see PARKING page 8

Driving good

Mask mandate was rarely enforced in Scottsdale

BY WAYNE SCHUTSKY Progress Managing Editor

T

hough Gov. Doug Ducey has rescinded local mask mandates, data from Scottsdale Police shows there was little enforcement of those mandates anyway even before his decision.

Data obtained by the Progress show police issued just three citations for mask mandate violations between June 18, 2020, – the day Scottsdale’s mask mandate took effect - and March 14.

A department spokesman said Scottsdale Police took an “education first” approach.

“When our officers respond to calls of mask mandate violations, we have a duty to educate the individuals involved about the current law,” Sgt. Ben Hoster said.

“The violators are given a verbal warning and an opportunity to comply with the law. If these individuals continue to refuse to comply with the mask mandate,

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see MASKS page 12

Scottsdale golfer Bob Kurtz marked his 80th birthday by driving into the Guiness World Book of Records for a seventh time and raising $20,000 for the Mesa-based nonprofit A New Leaf. See the story on page 20.

Pablo Robles/Progress Staff Photographer

(480) 999-2948 www.BVOLuxury.com

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SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | APRIL 4, 2021 SPECIAL ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE

Last State Restricted Silver Walking Liberty Bank Rolls go to state residents

Residents in Arizona get first dibs on last remaining Bank Rolls loaded with U.S. Gov’t issued Silver Walking Liberties some dating back to the early 1900’s and worth up to 100 times their face value for just the $39 minimum set for state residents - all other state residents must pay $118 per coin if any remain after 48-hour deadline STATE DISTRIBUTION: A strict limit of 4 State Restricted Bank Rolls per AZ resident has been imposed call: 1-800-929-4439 RWL1705 NATIONWIDE - “It’s a miracle these State Restricted Bank Rolls even exist.

That’s why Hotline Operators are bracing for the flood of calls,” said Laura Lynne, U.S. Coin and Currency Director for the National Mint and Treasury.

For the next 48-hours the last remaining State of Arizona Restricted Bank Rolls loaded with rarely seen U.S. Gov’t issued Silver Walking Liberties are actually being handed over to residents of Arizona who call the State Toll-Free Hotlines listed in today’s newspaper publication.

And here’s the best part. If you are a resident of the state of Arizona you cover only the $39 per coin state minimum set by the private National Mint and Treasury, that’s fifteen rarely seen U.S. Gov’t issued Silver Walking Liberties worth up to 100 times their face value for just $585 which is a real steal because all other residents must pay $118 per coin which totals $1,770 if any coins remain after the 48-hour deadline.

“Recently National Mint spoke with a retired Treasurer of the United States of America who said ‘In all my years as Treasurer I’ve only ever seen a handful of these rarely seen Silver Walking Liberties issued by the U.S. Gov’t back in the early 1900’s. But to actually find them sealed away in State Restricted Bank Rolls still in pristine condition is like finding buried treasure. So anyone lucky enough to get their hands on these Bank Rolls had better hold on to them,’” Lynne said.

“Now that these State Restricted Bank Rolls are being offered up we won’t be surprised if thousands of state residents claim the maximum limit allowed of 4 Bank Rolls per resident before they’re all gone,” said Lynne.

“That’s because the dates and mint marks of the U.S. Gov’t issued Silver Walking Liberty Half Dollars sealed away inside the State Restricted Bank Rolls have never been searched. But, we do know that some of these coins date clear back to the early 1900’s and are worth up to 100 times their face value, so there is no telling what state residents will find until they sort through all the coins,” Lynne went on to say.

The only thing state residents need to do is call the State Toll-Free Hotlines

printed in today’s newspaper publication before the 48-hour order deadline ends.

“Rarely seen U.S. Gov’t issued silver coins like these are highly sought after, but we’ve never seen anything like this before.

According to The Official Red Book, a Guide Book of United States Coins many Silver Walking Liberty Half Dollars are now worth $115 - $825 each in collector value,” Lynne said.

“So just imagine how much these last remaining, unsearched State Restricted Bank Rolls could be worth someday. Remember, these are not ordinary coins – these rarely seen coins date clear back to the early 1900’s.

JACKPOT: Imagine finding In fact, these coins have been forever the 1919-D retired by the U.S. Gov’t, and you can Silver Walking only get them rolled this way directly Liberty shown above worth from the National Mint and Treasury thousands of because these are the only State Redollars in collector stricted Bank Rolls known to exist,” value in one of these unsearched VALUABLE: It’s said Lynne.

Bank Rolls. There are like a treasure hunt “We’re guessing thousands of state never any guarantees, there’s no telling what you’ll find. residents will be taking the maximum but State residents who That’s because the dates and mint marks of the get their hands on these fifteen U.S. Gov’t issued coins sealed away inside limit of 4 Bank Rolls because they make State Restricted Bank Rolls will be the really lucky these State Restricted Bank Rolls have never been such amazing gifts for any occasion for ones because even more common coins are still worth searched. All we know is some of the coins are children, parents, grandparents, friends up to $115 - $825 in collector value. worth up to 100 times their face value. and loved ones,” Lynne continued.

“We know the phones will be ringing IMPORTANT: The dates and mint marks of the U.S. Gov’t issued Silver Walking Liberties sealed away inoff the hook. That’s why hundreds of side the State Restricted Bank Rolls have never been searched. Coin values always fluctuate and they are Hotline Operators are standing by to never any guarantees, but any of the scarce coins shown below, regardless of their value that residents answer the phones beginning at 8:30am may find inside the sealed Bank Rolls are theirs to keep. this morning. We’re going to do our best, but with just 48-hours to answer all the calls it won’t be easy.

So make sure to tell everyone to keep calling if all operators are busy. We’ll do our best to answer them all,” Lynne said.

“That’s why the private National Mint and Treasury set up the State Toll-Free Hotlines in order to make sure state residents get the State Restricted Bank Rolls before they’re all gone,” 1916-P 1919-P 1921-S 1938-D she said.

Mint: Philadelphia Mint: Philadelphia Mint: San Francisco Mint: Denver The only thing readers of today’s Mintage: 608,000 Mintage: 962,000 Mintage: 548,000 Mintage: 491,600 newspaper publication need to do is Collector Value: $55 Collector Value: $32 Collector Value: $80 Collector Value: $60 $265 $515 $800 $160 make sure they are a resident of the state of Arizona and call the State Toll-Free Hotlines at 1-800-929-4439 NATIONAL MINT AND TREASURY, LLC IS NOT AFFILIATED WITH THE U.S. MINT, THE U.S. GOVERNMENT, A BANK OR ANY GOVERNMENT IF FOR ANY REASON WITHIN 30 DAYS FROM SHIPMENT YOU ARE DISSATISFIED, RETURN THE PRODUCT FOR A REFUND RWL1705 before the 48-hour deadline AGENCY. LESS SHIPPING AND RETURN POSTAGE. THIS SAME OFFER MAY BE MADE AVAIL ABLE AT A L ATER DATE OR IN A DIFFERENT GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION. OH RESIDENTS ADD 6.5% SALES TAX. NATIONAL MINT AND TREASURY, PO BOX 35609, CANTON, OH ends. ■ 44735 ©2020 NATIONAL MINT AND TREASURY. R1018R-2

SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | APRIL 4, 2021

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CITY NEWS

An edition of the East Valley Tribune Scottsdale Progress is published every Sunday and distributed free of charge to homes and in single-copy locations throughout Scottsdale. To find out where you can pick up a free copy of Scottsdale Progress, please visit www.Scottsdale.org.

CONTACT INFORMATION Main number 480-898-6500 | Advertising 480-898-5624 Circulation service 480-898-5641 Scottsdale Progress 1620 W. Fountainhead Parkway, Suite 219, Tempe, AZ 85282 Publisher Steve T. Strickbine Vice President Michael Hiatt ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT Display Advertising 480-898-6309 Classifieds/Inside Sales Elaine Cota | 480-898-7926 | ecota@scottsdale.org TJ Higgins | 480-898-5902 | tjhiggins@scottsdale.org Advertising Office Manager Lori Dionisio | 480-898-6309 | ldionisio@scottsdale.org Director of National Advertising Zac Reynolds | 480-898-5603 | zac@scottsdale.org NEWS DEPARTMENT Executive Editor Paul Maryniak | 480-898-5647 | pmaryniak@scottsdale.org Managing Editor Wayne Schutsky | 480-898-6533 | wschutsky@scottsdale.org Staff Writers Kristine Cannon | 480-898-9657 | kcannon@scottsdale.org Photographers Pablo Robles | Probles@scottsdale.org Design Veronica Thurman | vthurman@scottsdale.org Production Coordinator Courtney Oldham | 480-898-5617 | production@scottsdale.org Circulation Director Aaron Kolodny | 480-898-5641 | customercare@scottsdale.org Scottsdale Progress is distributed by AZ Integrated Media, a circulation service company owned by Times Media Group. The public is permitted one copy per reader. For further information regarding the circulation of this publication or others in the Times Media Group family of publications, please contact AZ Integrated Media at circ@azintegratedmedia.com or 480-898-5641. For circulation services please contact Aaron Kolodny at aaron@azintegratedmedia.com

The content of any advertisements are the sole responsibility of the advertiser. Scottsdale Progress assumes no responsibility for the claims of any advertisement. © 2021 Strickbine Publishing, Inc.

SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | APRIL 4, 2021

SUSD planning graduations, proms

BY WAYNE SCHUTSKY Progress Managing Editor

A

year after their classmates missed out key end-of-year milestones, high school students in the Scottsdale Unified School District will likely have the opportunity to participate in graduation and prom.

According to an update from Superintendent Dr. Scott Menzel sent to families on March 26, the district is in the process of considering options to resume those events that were canceled last year due to COVID-19.

“This includes allowing proms to be scheduled with enhanced mitigation strategies and planning for in-person graduation ceremonies, with some restrictions on the number of attendees to allow for physical distancing while also ensuring the Class of 2021 has a graduation experience that is in-person,” Menzel wrote.

The district has not yet released the capacity restrictions for graduations, but stated those events will adhere to the district’s existing COVID-19 mitigation strategies.

“Each of our high schools is looking at the size of its graduating class and comparing the capacities of school and outside venue options in an effort to maximize family and guest participation,” Assistant Superintendent Dr. Milissa Sackos told the Progress.

Schools in the district are in the process of selecting venues for proms as well.

Unlike last year, Scottsdale Unified School District seniors will be allowed to have in-person proms and graduations this year. (Scottsdale Unified School District)

Proms will be held at venues selected by each school’s students where mitigation can mirror what is currently in place in schools, Sackos said.

Despite COVID-19 concerns, Sackos said principals have not expressed any concern about the availability of chaperones for the proms.

She did not specify whether or not teachers, parents or other adults would chaperone the event.

Menzel cited decreasing COVID-19 transmission in the community, stating he is hopeful the area will reach a “moderate” level of spread soon.

SUSD is currently in a state of “substan-

tial transmission” and case numbers are rising slightly after weeks of decline, according to county Department of Public Health.

According to the county, new cases per 100,000 residents within SUSD boundaries increased from 52 during the week of March 14 to March 21 to 57 from March 22 to March 27. Positive new test results rose from 4.26 percent to 4.97 percent.

“By taking deliberate and careful measures, I believe we will finish this school year on a positive note and be ready for a great start to the 2021-22 school year,” Menzel wrote.

meant an owner would lose a state license to do business following three violations of local ordinances within three months.

Rep. Jeff Weninger, R-Chandler, said those could include things like noise or other violations. And that, he said, would allow cities to address the problem of ``party houses’’ popping up in residential neighborhoods.

But most of his colleagues were unconvinced, voting 43-17 to kill what Rep. John Kavanagh, R-Scottsdale, called a ``BandAid’’ fix to a much more complex problem.

With no more committees set to meet this session, Thursday’s vote could end efforts this year to fix problems that were

first created in 2016 when legislators, lobbied by Airbnb and other home-sharing apps, stripped cities of any right to regulate these vacation rentals.

In some communities, homes and apartments in entire areas have been bought up by investors to be converted into these short-term rentals, drying up the availability of housing for local residents. ``The worst-case scenario, of course, is in Sedona,’’ Kavanagh said, where there had been testimony at hearings that up to 40 percent of residential rental properties are now vacation rentals. ``It’s even happening in my district in downtown Scottsdale."

Short-rental control on life support in Legislature

BY HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services

S

tate lawmakers last week quashed the last remaining measure to rein in short-term vacation rentals Thursday concluding that it did so little as to not be worth the effort.

SB 1379 would have allowed communities to impose fines on owners who fail to provide information for police and others to contact them if there are problems with tenants. It also would let them mandate owners maintain minimum liability insurance.

Potentially most significant, it would have

SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | APRIL 4, 2021

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CITY NEWS

SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | APRIL 4, 2021

McDowell Road bike lane project up to Council

The corridor was a retail and auto sales hub in the city for decades before the closure of Los Arcos mall in 1999 and the relocation of many of the city’s car dealerships away from the Motor Mile – the stretch of McDowell Road between 64th Street and Scottsdale Road – to the nearby Salt River Pima–Maricopa Indian Community in the 2000s.

The area has slowly transformed over the past 20 years following investments by the city and new development, including the SkySong research park, the Papago Plaza redevelopment and the thousands of new apartment units.

“McDowell Road Corridor is a transi-

tioning corridor from predominantly retail to mixed use and residential,” Davies said. “The increase in population and employment over the past five years has been significant.”

The bike lane project should also increase safety for cyclists along McDowell Road, which features two busy intersections and has a higher accident rate than many other Scottsdale streets.

According to Scottsdale Police data, McDowell Road accounted for more car accidents than almost any other street in the city last year.

Scottsdale Police officers filed a total of 28 incident reports connected to crashes

on McDowell Road in 2020, trailing only Scottsdale (85) and Hayden (36) Roads.

For comparison, McDowell Road in Scottsdale is only approximately three miles long, much shorter than Scottsdale and Hayden, both of which are well over 19 miles long.

According to the Maricopa Association of Governments, the intersection of Scottsdale and McDowell Roads had 122 vehicle crashes between 2015-2019.

That ranked 184 on MAG’s list of intersections countywide ranked by crash risk.

The project should complement the city’s efforts to become more bike friendly in recent years.

According to city documents, Scottsdale bike lane coverage increased from just eight miles in 1995 to 174 miles in 2019.

In 2019, the League of American Bicyclists named Scottsdale a gold-level bicycle-friendly city, the organizations thirdhighest designation, making Scottsdale one of over 480 communities to receive some level of recognition from the group.

At the time, Councilwoman Solange Whitehead, who can often be seen riding her bike to council meetings, praised the city’s efforts.

“Our kids would hop on bikes and end up miles away at Tempe Town Lake or thousands of feet up at Windgate Peak,” said Whitehead. “I cherish riding to work on the greenbelt and mountain biking in Scottsdale’s McDowell Sonoran Preserve….”

was driving east on Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd. in northern Scottsdale on Sept. 12, 2018 when the incident occurred.

McDonald was preparing to make a right-hand turn on to the Loop 101 freeway when Hawkinson allegedly rearended the car while McDonald waited for traffic to clear.

“Plaintiff stopped in order to clear the oncoming traffic when he was rear-ended by (Officer Hawkinson), who failed to notice that (McDonald) had stopped in order to insure he had a clear lane of travel,” according to the lawsuit.

Hawkinson was driving a police vehi-

cle at the time of the incident.

In addition to damage to his vehicle, McDonald suffered injuries requiring medical care as a result of the collision along with disability, emotional stress, anxiety and a loss of earnings, according to the lawsuit.

McDonald’s medical bills totaled approximately $105,000 and he projected future medical bills would cost approximately $125,000, according to a report prepared by city staff.

In court filings, a lawyer with the Scottsdale City Attorney’s Office admitted that a collision occurred but denied

Hawkinson was at fault or that the city was liable for damages.

Neither Hawkinson nor the city will admit liability as part of the settlement.

The $135,000 settlement will likely be covered by the city’s primary property tax.

According to city documents, Scottsdale has a long-standing practice of using the property tax to offset the costs of tort claim settlement payments greater than $20,000.

Last year, the $1.8 million in settlements paid by the city accounted for approximately five percent of the city’s total primary property tax levy.

BY WAYNE SCHUTSKY Progress Managing Editor

M

illions of dollars in federal grants funds could be used to help add bicycle lanes along the entire three-mile stretch of McDowell Road in Scottsdale between 64th Street and Pima Road.

On April 6, Scottsdale City Council will consider awarding a $3.8-million contract to AJP Electric to construct the lanes.

If approved, the project would narrow motor vehicle lanes and medians along McDowell Road to make room for bike lanes.

Even with that modification, the road would maintain three vehicle lanes in each direction and “will not remove any lanes along the corridor, only narrowing lanes to accommodate bike lanes,” said Gregory Davies, a city senior transportation planner.

If approved, construction should begin this summer with an estimated construction time of nine months.

About $3.6 million of the costs will be covered by the Federal Highway Administration’s Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Program. The remaining $240,000 will come from the city’s 0.2 percent transportation sales tax, according to Scottsdale’s capital improvement budget.

Davies said the city applied for the grant funds in 2016 as part of its longstanding efforts to revitalize McDowell Road.

The City of Scottsdale is planning to add bike lanes along the three-mile stretch of McDowell Road between 64th Street and Pima Road. (Progress file photo)

Police-civilian crash suit could be settled this week

PROGRESS NEWS STAFF

S

cottsdale is close to paying over $100,000 to settle a lawsuit brought by man who was allegedly rearended by a city police officer in 2018.

On April 6, City Council will consider approving the $135,000 settlement with Dana Joe McDonald, who sued in 2019 after he was involved in a vehicle collision with Officer Dustin Hawkinson.

McDonald initially sought $2 million, according to a notice of claim he filed with the city.

According to the lawsuit, McDonald

SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | APRIL 4, 2021

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CITY NEWS

SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | APRIL 4, 2021

PARKING from front

one-bedroom.

The proposal would also decrease requirements for units with two or more bedrooms from two spaces per unit to 1.7 spaces per two-bedroom unit and 1.9 spaces for units with three bedrooms or more.

Those new requirements mirror the parking code already in force for apartments and condos outside of downtown.

The proposal would also create a guest parking requirement for new multifamily developments throughout the city that would require developers to provide one additional guest parking space for every eight units.

Scottsdale City Planner Bryan Cluff said staff benchmarked the new proposal against 11 other Valley cities and found it would give Scottsdale more robust requirements than most other municipalities.

According to Cluff, four of the 11 cities have no guest parking requirement and another four require one space per 10 units.

Only three cities have requirements more stringent than the one guest spot per eight units currently proposed in Scottsdale.

The city is considering reducing overall parking requirements for hotels.

However, the city would also would require adequate employee parking on site as a way to address concerns that hotel workers are taking downtown spots that business owners want reserved for customers.

City staff is proposing decreasing the hotel parking requirement from 1.25 to 1 space per room – which Cluff said is closer to industry norms for suburban areas but is still high for a downtown core.

“Based on data both local and national available to the city, it’s estimated that the current parking demand for travel accommodation uses in the Old Town area is probably not much more than 0.8 spaces per room,” Cluff told the Planning Commission on March 24.

Former Scottsdale Transportation Director Paul Basha, who now operates a consultancy that advises developers, told the commission that the actual needs of downtown hotels are around 0.6 spaces per room, citing surveys of hotel operators.

Cluff said developers downtown can still request an additional decrease. City staff can approve decreases up to 20 percent to 0.8 spaces per room while larger ones require Council approval.

In May, City Council is scheduled to consider a host of changes to the city’s parking requirements for new developments in downtown Scottsdale in response to business owners’ assertions that their customers can’t find a place to park. (Progress file photo)

Some tenants at the Galleria Corporate Center purportedly provide shuttle rides for employees who park their vehicles in downtown public spaces rather than inside the corporate garage. (Special to the Progress)

However, any hotel developer that requests a reduction in parking requirements will also have to submit a parking plan identifying how it will provide employee parking on site.

Hotels with conference rooms or restaurants will also have to include plans showing how they will provide parking for those uses.

The new proposal will also address longstanding concerns that downtown call centers are overextending the existing public parking supply.

In 2019, the Progress reported that some tenants at the Galleria Corporate Centre – including Yelp – were providing a shuttle service to employees who parked in public spots downtown rather than in the Galleria’s garage.

The new regulations would create a new category requiring call centers to provide one parking space per 200 square feet, up from the one space per 300 square feet currently required.

City staff presented the proposed parking changes to the public last week at two open houses.

While the myriad of proposed changes addressed some concerns raised by Council in February 2020, local stakeholders are not completely satisfied.

Some stakeholders, especially downtown gallery owners, have long scoffed at projections by developers, planning experts and city staff showing that an increase in rideshares like Uber means less parking should be required at apartments and hotels.

But opponents argued that any inroads that rideshares made into Arizona’s carcentric culture were largely reversed by COVID-19.

Business owner French Thompson pointed to skyrocketing rates for rental vehicles in Arizona as evidence.

Jonathan Weinberg, CEO and founder of car-rental site AutoSlash, wrote on the company’s blog in March that there is an impending car rental “apocalypse” caused by a combination of low supply and demand that has risen steeply for the first time since the pandemic began.

He wrote that several major markets, including Phoenix metro, were sold out of rentals almost a week out.

Weinberg told Forbes in early March that last-minute rentals in Phoenix were going for as much as $700 per day.

Some residents and property owners also voiced opposition to the apartment proposal.

The Coalition of Greater Scottsdale sent a letter to city staff requesting a further increase for multifamily developments to 1.5 spaces per one-bedroom unit and keeping the two-space requirement for units with two bedrooms or more.

The group also asked the city to increase the new guest parking requirement to one space for every four units in a complex.

Downtown Gallery owner Bob Pejman argued that the decrease in parking requirements for larger units canceled out the increased requirements for studios and one-bedroom apartments.

“This is essentially a wash, and ends up with the same parking space count given an equal mix,” Pejman wrote to staff.

The apartment proposal was opposed by nearly all 21 attendees at the March open house for either providing too much or too little parking.

According to a poll of attendees, 71 percent thought the proposal didn’t do enough to address the problem.

Cluff said if the new rules were applied to some recent apartment developments downtown, it would have resulted in more required parking.

“The new ratio in combination with the guest parking requirement of one per eight results in an average increase of 15 percent in required parking,” he said.

The proposed changes would also modify and remove some existing programs designed to reduce parking requirement

see PARKING page 10

SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | APRIL 4, 2021

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CITY NEWS

SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | APRIL 4, 2021

PARKING from page 8

burdens on small property owners who plan to do minor upgrades to their properties, including the in-lieu parking program.

That program allows smaller property owners downtown to pay into a parking fund when they cannot meet city requirements on site. That fund affords them a credit and is then reserved to pay for future new parking.

Critics have called the in-lieu credits “phantom spaces,” arguing the city charges too little per space and has not used the fund to build new parking in years.

Under the new proposal, property owners could no longer purchase in-lieu spaces but could still lease them, meaning the in-lieu credit would not run perpetually with a property and would expire if the space was no longer needed.

That pitch did not sit well with COGS as the organization wants to get rid of the inlieu program altogether.

“The collected funds have not provided new, much-needed parking garages, nor replaced the aged Civic Center Parking Garage,” according to the COGS letter. “The 3rd Avenue garage has been predominately occupied by Call Center/Galleria employees to the detriment of 5th Ave and area businesses and its employees.”

At the community open house on March 30, Sonnie Kirtley, COGS executive director, said she saw no difference between the new proposal and the existing in-lieu program.

Cluff offered little clarity on that point, only stating that is” something that we’re continuing to consider through this process.”

According to city records, 1986-2020

saw 496 in-lieu spaces permanently credited and 855 built with in-lieu funds. The city currently charges property owners $13,800 per in-lieu space – well below the what it actually costs to new spaces.

As of 2020, the in-lieu fund was around $306,000, which would only build between six and 15 spaces based on city and developer estimates that have priced parking at anywhere from $20,000 to $50,000 per stall.

The $319-million bond approved by Scottsdale voters in 2019 also included $20-million to construct parking downtown but the plan did not address when the city would use those funds.

The current proposal only addresses issues directly tied to the city ordinance but does not include changes to downtown parking management strategies that were requested by Council in February 2020.

Cluff told the Planning Commission the city could come back with a review of those strategies – including adding more timing restrictions, considering paid parking for special events, and improved way finding – at a later date.

One main issue holding back those other recommendations is the lack of an updated parking study for downtown that would analyze where new parking is needed and where the existing supply is underutilized.

The last study was produced in 2015.

“We were hoping to be able to have an updated parking study, but because of the pandemic, a real-world update of those downtown parking conditions has not been possible,” Cluff said.

Cluff said the pandemic disrupted normal traffic and activity downtown last year, meaning any study in 2020 would not reveal useful data.

solar consumers, maximize the value of their solar investment and advocate for fair solar policies.”

Members of the solar co-op receive a group discount on their system installation, as well as guidance throughout the process from the co-op.

“Solar is widely popular in Arizona, but the many solar installers and options available can be overwhelming,” said Bret Fanshaw, Arizona program director for SUN. The federal solar tax credit slated to end after 2021 and systems must be in operation by the end of December to qualify for the credit.

After a competitive bidding process facilitated by SUN, co-op members will together select a single company to complete their installations. Members will have the option to individually purchase panels and

electric vehicle chargers based on the installer’s group rate.

Additionally, throughout the process, Solar United Neighbors hosts online webinars as well as virtual site visits.

Solar United Neighbors has hosted five solar co-ops in Arizona since 2019, including one in north Phoenix.

According to the group’s estimates, the 95 homes and businesses that now have solar panels in Arizona because of co-ops represent 670 kW of solar power, $1.8 million in local solar spending, and more than 26 million pounds of lifetime carbon offsets.

Homeowners and business owners can sign up for either a Phoenix or the Scottsdale co-op group, depending on where they live. East Valley residents will be eligible to join the Scottsdale group.

Local partners for the solar co-ops include Physicians for Social Responsibility – Arizona Chapter and Arizona Interfaith Power and Light. The Scottsdale solar co-op is made possible by funding from the Leon Lowenstein Foundation.

“Physicians for Social Responsibility Arizona is proud to co-sponsor the SUN co-ops,” said Barbara Warren, PSR Arizona chapter director. “Solar energy is a very cost-effective and important tool to help reduce health-threatening pollution and our seriously warming climate.”

“People of faith and conscience in Arizona join with St. Francis, the Patron Saint of Ecology, to promote the beauty and power of solar energy,” said Rev. Doug Bland, executive Director of Arizona Interfaith Power and Light.

Nonpro�it developing solar co-op for Scottsdale

PROGRESS NEWS STAFF

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cottsdale home and business owners can join a cooperative that promises to secure rooftop solar panels at one of the cheapest – if not the cheapest – rate possible.

Solar United Neighbors, a Minnesota nonprofit that has been working nationwide to establish co-ops for the purchase and installation of solar panels is hosting two free online information sessions about their coops.

Sessions are slated at 6 p.m. April 6 and 6 p.m. April 21 and registration can be made at solarunitedneighbors.org/Arizona.

The co-ops are part of Solar United Neighbors’ mission “to create a new energy system with rooftop solar at the cornerstone” and “help people become informed

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CITY NEWS

SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | APRIL 4, 2021

Mesa senator rips push for virus vaccinations

BY HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services

A

state senator from Mesa decried the push for COVID-19 vaccinations, stating, “I am afraid for our society.”

Republican Sen. Kelly Townsend’s remarks as the Senate Appropriations Committee last week voted 6-4 along party lines last week to bar companies from refusing to serve customers who are not vaccinated.

Townsend, who once called efforts to ensure that school children are vaccinated to Communism, said the whole push for vaccination is wrong.

“I’m afraid for where we’re going because we have completely abandoned all sense of human rights because we’re afraid of a virus,’’ Townsend said. “It’s time to say ‘no.’"

HB 2190, crafted by Rep. Bret Roberts, R-Maricopa, also would allow employees to refuse demands by their bosses that they get inoculated without fear of being fired.

And it would specifically preclude any effort in Arizona to have what has been proposed by the Biden administration as a universal “vaccine passport’’ that people could use to show they have im-

MASKS from front

they can be cited.

Ducey first gave local municipalities the power to issue mask mandates last June.

Scottsdale became one of the first cities in the state to act on that authority when former Mayor Jim Lane issued a mandate on June 18. Maricopa County supervisors adopted a similar mandate countywide the next day.

Lane eventually allowed Scottsdale’s mandate to lapse in September in favor of the county’s regulations, but new Mayor David Ortega reinstated the city’s mandate when he took office in January.

Though Ducey took away the power to impose mask mandates, Scottsdale’s will remain in effect in city buildings and facilities for the foreseeable future, according to a statement

munity and get the products or services they want.

“I’m somebody that has a respect for an individual to choose whether or not they want to inject something into their body,’’ Roberts told the Senate Appropriations Committee.

“I don’t think it’s right for a business to basically have the capability of refusing service to individuals and having them participate in commerce and things of that nature simply because they choose not to do so.’’

But the idea of the state telling businesses they can’t turn away unvaccinated customers drew derision from Rep. Tony Navarrete, D-Phoenix.

He pointed out that many of the people who support this legislation are the same people who have backed the ability of businesses to deny service to customers based on their sexual orientation.

Attorney Don Johnson testified that legislators are treading into areas of free enterprise in trying to tell companies what policies they can and cannot have about their employees.

“This bill would throw the boss into jail if the boss decides that this kind of safety measure is important for his business,’’ he said. “I don’t think the Legislature should assume the obligation of

telling employers how to run their business.’’

What appears to have sparked the issue is an official in the Biden administration saying it is working on creating some standards for people to prove they have been vaccinated against COVID-19.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said there will not be any federal mandate for people to obtain such credential. Nor would there be any centralized vaccine database, she said.

But the President himself has said that life could be back to normal by Christmas, with the idea that these kinds of credentials could help.

Townsend said creation of these documents could lead to violations of various federal laws.

That includes the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act whose key provisions protect individual medical records.

Allowing businesses to demand to see someone’s “vaccine passport,’’ she said, essentially forces them to disclose some of that information.

Adding to that, said Townsend, is that this is not even a vaccine that’s been approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration.

Instead, all the versions are currently

Governor Doug Ducey rescinded local mask mandates in March, but masks will still be required in schools and City of Scottsdale buildings and facilities, including the city’s libraries. (Progress file photo)

being distributed under an “emergency use authorization, essentially a procedure allowing the FDA to allow the use of unapproved medical products in an emergency.

And now, Townsend said, there is a push to have people prove they agreed to take this vaccine to participate in commerce.

“For those who can’t, or won’t, does that not create a different class of society where those with the vaccine have privileges that those without do not have?’’ she asked.

The measure does have provisions that have raised some questions.

Sen. Sean Bowie, D-Phoenix, said the legislation appears to even preclude those who hire doctors and nurses from requiring them to be vaccinated. Roberts acknowledged that’s the case.

But he did say that perhaps there needs to be some provision to allow the employers of first responders like ambulance attendants to get vaccinated for at least things like Hepatitis B which can be spread through things like blood or body fluids from one person to another.

The measure now goes to the full Senate. If approved there, it would still need to be approved by the House, which has never seen this language.

issued by the city “I look forward to the day when we can declare ‘all clear’ and remove all restrictions – but that day is not today,” Ortega said. “While we have seen encouraging progress, and more and more people have received the vaccine, COVID remains a concern.

“We will continue to exercise caution. Mask Up Arizona is a successful campaign and remains the best advice – keep your distance from others, and mask up when you cannot.”

Ducey’s executive order did not impact schools.

“Please note that yesterday’s order did not address the mitigation efforts that are required by public and charter schools and did nothing to undo what we, as a school district are required to do...with regard to wearing face masks

see MASKS page 14

SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | APRIL 4, 2021

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CITY NEWS

SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | APRIL 4, 2021

MASKS from page 10

by students and staff while at school,” read a letter to parents by Scottsdale Unified School District on March 26.

Ducey’s order lifted mask mandates on private businesses, putting the onus on them to optionally enforce one if they choose.

In the wake of the decision, crowds have flooded back to Old Town Scottsdale, where social media posts show maskless throngs of young people have filled many clubs in the area to pre-pandemic levels.

The mandate’s reversal comes as COVID-19 case numbers – which had been on the decline – could again be on the rise.

“Our seven-day trailing average has increased a little bit,” said Dr. Joseph LaBaer, executive director of Arizona State University’s Biodesign Institute.

“That says that we’re at the very minimum stabilized; I think we’ll have to keep watching it to see if that becomes a solid upward trend,” he added.

In Scottsdale, new cases per 100,000 residents and positive new test results were up recently in three of the city’s 10 ZIP codes, according to Maricopa County.

The largest spike was in 85259, which had 82 new cases per 100,000 from March 21 to March 27, up from 43 the week prior. Positivity also jumped from 3.11 to 5.7 percent.

LaBaer called Ducey’s decision premature.

“From my position, there are no biomedical indicators that would suggest that now is a good time to reduce mitigation efforts,” he said, adding: “I think from the current position where we’re at, roughly at least half of our population is still either not vaccinated or has never had COVID-19, so they remain at risk of COVID-19 infection, and we know that the incidents of bad outcomes is still high.”

LaBaer said that means there is still a need to practice mitigation, including mask wearing and avoiding crowds.

“Behavior in public affects everyone...when you wear a mask, if the other people are not wearing masks, you’re certainly at higher risk of getting infected than if both parties are wearing masks,” he said.

But others have questioned the true impact the mask mandates had.

Following Governor Doug Ducey’s decision to lift restrictions and rescind local mask mandates, large crowds returned to venues in downtown Scottsdale’s entertainment district like Maya Day and Night Club. (Instagram)

Following Governor Doug Ducey’s decision to lift restrictions and rescind local mask mandates, large crowds returned to venues in downtown Scottsdale’s entertainment district like INTL. (Instagram)

Will Humble, executive director for the Arizona Public Health Association, said he doesn’t believe the rescinded mandate will be the driving force behind case increases because the mandates were ignored by many and had little enforcement.

“There hasn’t been any enforcement to speak of so when it comes to bars, restaurants and nightclubs...I don’t

think there is going to be an explosive impact,” he said.

LaBaer, too, acknowledged that enforcement impacted the effectiveness of mitigation measures, noting that Arizona faced a massive surge in cases over the winter when the mandates were still in effect.

Humble said he believes an increase in cases will likely be driven by new

COVID-19 variants.

Dr. Efrim Lim, a virologist at ASU, said several variants have emerged in Arizona.

He said his team recently identified a new variant with mutations that have shown to reduce antibody response in lab tests, though researchers still don’t know how those lab tests translate into real-world scenarios.

Humble said the mandates helped businesses that wanted to enforce mask use avoid uncomfortable confrontations with customers.

“There are places where owners wanted to do the right thing, and used the government’s requirement as the heavy; now, they can’t use that, so they have to decide ‘I’m going to fight my customers, so I’ll just give up,” he said.

Dr. Cara Christ, director of the Arizona Department of Health Services, said the main reason restrictions were imposed was to avoid overwhelming the state’s health care system with COVID-19 patients.

Now, she said, the use of hospital and intensive-care beds is way down, and Christ said many of the people who are most at risk, meaning the elderly, already have been vaccinated.

Humble agreed that vaccination rate among seniors is good news.

But he said Ducey should have left the mandates in place for another six to eight weeks, at least until a larger percentage of young people are vaccinated because “they are transmitting it to others who are dying.”

LaBaer also noted that young people, though not in the same risk category as the elderly, are still vulnerable.

“It’s worth remembering that a quarter of the people who died in Arizona were not 65-plus and over; in fact, they were middle-aged and younger,” he said.

Humble said surveys of young adults conducted by students he is working with suggest placing vaccination sites at popular spots could increase vaccination rates, because many respondents were worried about convenience, not the vaccine itself.

“What they found with young adults is it’s not vaccine hesitancy...it needs to be easy to access, but if you have a chance to get vaccinated at (downtown club Bottled Blonde), they’d probably do it,” he said.

SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | APRIL 4, 2021

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16

CITY NEWS

SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | APRIL 4, 2021

Polluted vistas going beyond littering in Arizona

BY LEO TOCHTERMAN Cronkite News

F

ace masks, plastic bottles and bags – and feces, both dog and human – are some of the unsightly waste you could encounter these days while hiking in the red rocks of Sedona.

Discarded masks also litter the beaches of Southern California, which already were battling a growing scourge of plastic and microplastics in the ocean.

Environmentalists fear the situation will get worse as the nation emerges from a year of pandemic restrictions.

With Americans unable to pursue many of the activities they enjoyed before COVID-19 emerged last year, scenic spots across the Southwest have offered a respite and a safer form of entertainment courtesy of the great outdoors.

Many natural spots in Arizona were considered essential services during the state’s stay-at-home order, leading to packed hiking trails and facilities.

In California, many beaches were closed during the peak summer tourism season but have since reopened, leading to crowds.

The downside of that influx of visitors is increased litter on beaches from San Diego to Malibu, and in favorite Arizona spots like Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon.

Keep Sedona Beautiful Inc., which started in 1972 to protect and sustain the area’s unique environment, has done its best to curb litter with a combination of education, advocacy and litter lifts.

Carla Williams, the nonprofit’s executive vice president, has noticed an uptick in people traveling to Sedona and has seen a major increase in day-trippers and overall travel to red rock country during the pandemic.

“The parking lots are certainly full during the pandemic and have been busier than I’ve ever seen,” she said. “It’s been like a zoo on some weekends.”

Cathedral Rock, which features perhaps the most popular hiking trail in the area, has been particularly littered, Williams said.

“I noticed on Cathedral Rock Trail during last summer there were a lot more garbage, bottles, cans, which I hadn’t really seen before on trails,” she said. “Normally,

Carla Williams of Keep Sedona Beautiful says traffic to Sedona has surged this year.

“It’s been like a zoo some weekends.” (Sofia Fuentes/Cronkite News)

it’s rare to see feces on real popular trails, but people were going to the bathroom out there more frequently than normal.”

The group has been doing all it can to remove garbage and maintain the natural beauty at one of Arizona’s most popular tourist attractions.

“We want visitors and residents to feel like there’s a place in this area where they don’t have to look at piles and piles of litter,” Williams said.

The Arizona Department of Tourism says 48.6 million people visited the state in 2019, the most recent year not affected by COVID-19.

The state’s crown jewel and biggest tourism attraction, the Grand Canyon, hasn’t seen quite as much tourism in recent months, with snow and COVID-19 closing parts of it. As the weather warms and summer travel picks up, Grand Canyon and other national parks could face similar challenges with crowds.

The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, whose mission is “To protect and enhance public health and the environment,” created an app to help Arizonans document the trash they find in and around popular nature areas.

“They can pick up trash kind of by any stream or lake, and kind of let us know what they found and take pictures, and then send that data to us,” said Meghan Smart, the department’s environmental

senior scientist/citizen science coordinator. “We have lots of people around Arizona hiking, and this would just be an easy way to kind of help Arizona.”

Smart said ADEQ removed more than 8,000 pounds of trash from natural areas in 2020, which is the first year they’ve measured it.

A major goal of the department has been disposing of feces near streams and lakes, which can leak into water bodies and infect swimmers with E.coli, an intestinal bacterium.

“We asked people to find toilet paper and pit toilets, because what we’re trying to do is protect people from swimming with high E.coli levels,” Smart said.

Plastic pollution has befouled nature for decades, but it’s particularly dire in the world’s oceans and along its beaches.

From San Diego to Santa Barbara, Southern California’s coastal towns have seen a surge in visitors, particularly during holiday weekends, resulting in more discarded plastic. In a normal year, California beaches attract more than 100 million people.

Oceansasia.org, based in Hong Kong, has been focused on marine plastic pollution and its effect on its wildlife and ecosystems – which Teale Bondaroff, director of research, called a much larger issue than most people realize.

“Because it’s microplastic and small, I think that we as humans don’t appreciate

the sheer amount of plastic waste we’re putting into the environment,” he said.

An estimated 8 million metric tons of plastic entered the ocean during 2018, but with the spread of COVID-19 around the world, a relatively new item has been wreaking havoc on oceans: face masks, gloves and other personal protective equipment.

Bondaroff authored a study that estimated that 1.56 billion masks entered oceans in 2020. The study found it can take up to 450 years for masks to break down, slowly turning into microplastics.

Microplastics can affect such marine wildlife as turtles, seabirds and fish in a number of ways, Bondaroff said.

“It can poison them, it can impair their reproduction and weaken them making them more susceptible to disease and predation,” he said.

Bondaroff also noted that microplastics can go from the ocean floor into the stomachs of fish and eventually onto our dinner table.

Eben Schwartz, marine debris program manager of the California Coastal Commission, said masks “already ranked as the 12th most picked-up item that we removed during Coastal Cleanup month last September – which is remarkable for something that’s only recently been introduced really in a large way to our society.”

During coastal cleanups, he said, the group picks up tons of items, mostly singleuse plastic items.

“Take a convenience store, rip it up on the inside and shake and everything that falls out is what we’re picking up,” Schwartz said.

The best way to stop the degradation of oceans by plastics is to eliminate singleuse plastics completely, he said.

“They can’t become plastic pollution if they don’t get issued in the first place,” Schwartz said.

Bondaroff said the issue of dealing with plastic pollution in the ocean is multifaceted, and the influx of masks is just another issue that will continue to plague the Earth’s oceans and the wildlife that lives in them.

“The 6,000 tons of face masks that are entering our oceans each year is quite literally the tip of the iceberg when it comes to marine plastic pollution,” Bondaroff said.

SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | APRIL 4, 2021

Rule change sought for parents of disabled kids

BY CASEY FLANAGAN Progress Staff Writer

T

wo Valley mothers have started a push to permanently extend a pandemic-era rule that lets Arizona parents become paid direct care workers for their own children with disabilities.

The Arizona Department of Economic Security Division of Developmental Disabilities put the temporary policy in place April 8, 2020, a release on their website said.

The policy allows parents or guardians of children with disabilities to “temporarily be hired by a qualified vendor agency,” where these families would usually find out-of-family providers, “to be a direct care worker (DCW) for their child,” the release said.

The release said parents must complete all the same training and certification necessary to become a regular direct care worker. The same accountability standards apply, and parents are paid accordingly, the release said.

At the end of the COVID-19 national emergency, which President Joe Biden extended in February, “DDD will rescind this exception and parents will no longer be able to be paid to provide care for their children,” the release said.

Lauryn Van Rooy of Mesa and Brandi Coon of Surprise are both mothers of children with disabilities. They decided this temporary policy should be “extended permanently because of the benefits we’ve personally seen,” Coon said.

The two mothers started a Change.org petition to permanently extend this pandemic-era policy.

Since the mothers released the petition, it has surpassed 2,700 signatures.

“Overall, we’ve had really good support,” Coon said. “I think the struggle comes in with educating those who are unfamiliar with what we as families with children who have disabilities experience on a daily basis.”

Coon said one of the most prominent issues facing parents of children with disabilities is the high turnover rate among out-of-family providers.

“We have a high turnover of providers very often, where we will be interviewing people that the agency sends, we’ll do some in-home training, and within a few months – if they last that long – then we’re on to the next person,” Coon said.

Coon said providers are needed when “the parents can’t physically lift their child or they can’t physically care for them, or single parents who can’t just do that care 24/7 without being run down.”

“Our hypothesis is that through this program, there hopefully will be more providers available to help the cases and be really specific where that need is,” Coon said.

Van Rooy said the policy cuts down on consistency issues resulting from the high turnover rate for direct care workers.

According to Van Rooy, after an out-offamily provider is trained and certified, “it’s then the family’s responsibility to train the provider on what is needed for that specific case.”

“The biggest thing with having parents be able to be providers is that they don’t require that additional training,” Van Rooy said.

The consistency made possible through the parent provider policy has resulted in a “huge amount of progress,” for Van Rooy’s son, she said, “because it’s something where he knows an X amount of time a day, whatever time of day we’ve picked, he’s gonna be working on these goals with Mom.” Van Rooy said the policy has significant financial benefits for families as well.

According to Van Rooy, “many mothers in particular have to resign from their careers in order to care for these children.”

She said the policy helps them to be financially stable while “doing a lot of this work anyway.”

Coon said the policy is especially important for single parents looking to provide the best care for their child with disabilities.

“This gives them an opportunity to do that themselves, or to navigate how much

see PARENTS page 18

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time they want to do that, versus having an outside provider if they choose to work outside the home,” Coon said.

Coon stressed, and Van Rooy agreed, “we’re not advocating for ‘only parents are the only capable provider of our children.’”

“Both Lauryn and I need breaks,” Coon said, “and all of the other parents in our situation need breaks, and we want those qualified providers to help in the way that we choose.”

“But the reality of the situation is a lot

“But the reality of the situation is a lot of us are fulfilling those hours regardless of if we’re able to bill them or not. And we want to be able to choose at any given point in our child’s life, what their best care in that moment is, whether that is us, or whether that’s a different person.”

of us are fulfilling those hours regardless of if we’re able to bill them or not. And we want to be able to choose at any given point in our child’s life, what their best care in that moment is, whether that is us, or whether that’s a different person,” Coon said.

Coon said she completed multiple classes and passed a background check in order to be accepted into the program, and must thoroughly report daily activities to a qualified vendor agency, just like an out-of-family provider would.

Once the COVID 19 pandemic’s national emergency status is lifted, “we would be given a 60-day transition period where the agencies would be then required to find providers to fill the hours that parents are currently fulfilling,” Van Rooy said.

Coon said ending the policy could put families back into a “financial crisis mode,” as they deal with familiar problems like “inconsistent providers, high turnover, and things of that nature, which makes having outside employment very difficult to maintain long term.”

People interested in supporting Coon’s and Van Rooy’s cause can sign their Change.org petition at bit.ly/3rmlkjV.

SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | APRIL 4, 2021

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NEIGHBORS

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Octogenarian golfer drives into record book

BY KRISTINE CANNON Progress Staff Writer

S

cottsdale resident Bob Kurtz spent March 25 celebrating his 80th birthday year the only way he knows how: Racking up his seventh Guinness World Record at Scottsdale TopGolf, where he hit more than 1,000 drives in less than 12 hours.

Kurtz is “The Ironman,” after all.

“That was really satisfying — very satisfying,” he said.

But the best part of the accomplishment for Kurtz?

The event, dubbed Ironman 1000, raised $20,000 from sponsors and individual donors to benefit the Mesa-based nonprofit, A New Leaf, which provides homes and essential items for homeless families and veterans in the Valley.

Bob Kurtz completed a total of 1,115 drives at TopGolf Scottsdale on March 25, meeting his goal 90 minutes sooner than he thought he would. (Pablo Robles/Progress Staff Photographer)

“I get double pleasure out of it: the pleasure out of doing something that’s extraordinarily difficult that a much younger man can’t do, and the true pleasure of doing something for a charity,” Kurtz said. “And I just think the world of A New Leaf. What they do is incredible.”

Kurtz’s goal was to hit 1,000 drives in 12 hours.

Each drive had to travel at least 200 yards and stay within a 40-yard grid.

But for a pro who owns several world records for golf marathons and endurance marks, it came as no surprise that he exceeded the goal with 1,115 drives.

“It was a long day as Bob started the record attempt at 10 a.m. He took very few breaks because he wanted to keep momentum going, so his pace was faster than

see GOLF page 22

Writing books bring mom, son even closer

BY KRISTINE CANNON Progress Staff Writer

D

r. Hilda Villaverde is a jack of all trades.

She’s an ordained minister, a published author, a speaker, and a professional hair stylist who has worked in the Scottsdale beauty industry for 50 years – more than half of that at her boutique hair salon.

But when the pandemic temporarily shuttered the salon, Pluma Designs at Shea Boulevard and Scottsdale Road, Villaverde found herself quarantined at home without a project.

Then, her son Ron Fusselman suggested they write a book together.

“In the beginning, I thought it’d be fun for my mom and I to write a children’s book because I was reading all these chil-

At the start of the pandemic, longtime Scottsdale resident Dr. Hilda Villaverde teamed up with her son, Ron Fusselman, to write not one but two books about their relationship. (Hilda Villaverde)

dren’s books to my kids,” said Fusselman, a San Diego resident, as he bounced his newborn daughter on his lap.

“Then, it progressed into something that was a bit more, I guess, ‘adult,’” the 49-year-old continued. “The more we wrote, the more it became more of an autobiographical thing.”

Fusselman and Villaverde ended up publishing two books: “Dear Son, Dear Mom: Thoughts I Wanted You to Feel,” which details their moving and dramatic story; and “Dear Son, Dear Mom: Lessons I Learned from Somebody: Uncomfortable Tales from a Son and a Mother Raising Each Other.”

The project brought the already-close mother and son team even closer.

“My mom and I are very close, and we’re

see HILDA page 22

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NEIGHBORS

GOLF ���� page 20

anticipated,” recalled Joe Dulin, Chief Philanthropy Officer for A New Leaf. “Bob hit his 1,000 drive around 8:30 p.m. and we cheered his success.”

Those donating to the event gave anywhere from 10 to 50 cents per completed drive.

“We are grateful for their support,” Dulin said. “The dollars raised will have an immediate impact on families who have been impacted by COVID-19.”

A New Leaf provides multiple services to the community to help domestic violence victims find protection, provide shelter to the homeless, help children find family and help veterans find peace.

Amid the pandemic, it has seen an increase in demand for its services.

“A New Leaf provides support and services to around 30,000 people annually.

That number will certainly increase this

HILDA ���� page 20

very lucky that I came out of hardship, and we were able to get even closer,” Fusellman said.

The books deal with their heart-wrenching. Villaverde discusses things like a cancer diagnosis at 19 and being told by her doctor that she would need an abortion.

“The truth is, I wanted this child. I had this feeling that I need to have this baby,” Villaverde said. “Now, look at Ron here.

Now I have these precious grandchildren, and I really thought that somebody, I thought we needed to share that story.”

It was an emotional journey for Villaverde to not only put pen to paper and share her most personal stories but to also share that experience with her son.

“Our lives have transformed from uncomfortable secrets into a loving and cherished mother-son relationship – a blessing we could not have imagined,” Villaverde said.

“I knew she was strong, but I appreciated her even more — and especially being a parent now,” Fusselman added. “And just knowing what my mom was doing and going through and how she protected me and how she basically formed the parent I am today, I’m really appreciative of that.”

Fusselman and Villaverde began writing the book, her 10th, in April.

“People keep saying, ‘Write your life story, write your life story,’” Villaverde said.

She split her story into two tiny books.

SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | APRIL 4, 2021

past year due to the impact of the pandemic,” Dulin said.

In response, A New Leaf partnered with the City of Mesa to provide millions of dollars to families through rental and utilities assistance in an effort to help keep people stable in their homes.

“A New Leaf will continue to work with state and local governments over the next year to utilize funds provided by the American Rescue Act to stabilize families and help those seeking employment find good jobs,” Dulin said.

The idea of the Ironman 100 was the brainchild of Kurtz, who approached A New Leaf about the fundraising event.

He was more than familiar with the nonprofit, as his wife is a volunteer and donor.

“Bob has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for charity through his endurance golf records. Because Bob is turning 80 years of age in May, he wanted to take

on a couple of new challenges this year,” Dulin said.

Raising money for a charity as part of his world record attempts is something Kurtz started in 2006, when he played his first marathon, playing 168 holes in a row and averaging 18 holes in less than one hour.

Kurtz’s other world records include most times for a golfer to score their age or below in 24 hours; 500 consecutive holes without rest or sleep, which he accomplished in 39 hours; most holes played in one week, 1,850; completing 72 holes of golf in three hours and five minutes; and completing a round of golf in 39 minutes, shooting a 71.

“There’s no better feeling than to accomplish something of significance, but then to have it have a significant outcome, which is the money that was raised for A New Leaf, that was very, very rewarding,” Kurtz said.

This year is a milestone year for both A

Dr. Hilda Villaverde poses with her then-4-year-old son, Ron Fusselman. (Hilda Villaverde)

“We knew it was going to be a tiny book, but a tiny book with a big message,” she said.

Fusselman suggested to his mother that

they write the book together as a way to help keep Villaverde, who was 365 miles away, busy.

“And I thought writing something to-

New Leaf and Kurtz.

Founded in 1971, A New Leaf celebrates their 50th anniversary this year and will host its 50th Anniversary Camaraderie Gala on Oct. 23 at JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort & Spa in Phoenix.

Kurtz, on the other hand, plans to ring in his 80th birthday by doing what he does best: adding another world record to his growing list of accomplishments.

This time, he plans to golf his age 10 times in one day, in July.

To prepare, he’ll train on the course, much like he did for the Ironman 1000 event, where he spent several hours each day for three months on the driving range at Ancala Country Club in Scottsdale.

“People say age is just a state of mind,” Kurtz said. “I’m 80 years old, and I’m doing things that a 30-year-old can’t do. And that’s very satisfying.”

Information: turnanewleaf.org, golfsironman.com gether would keep her mind busy, that’s like a therapy, through this whole thing,” Fusselman said.

“It was very cathartic for both of us,” Villaverde added. “I cried a lot.”

The books have received nothing but positive reviews on Amazon.

Reviewers describe the book as a “touching tribute to moms and sons everywhere.”

One reviewer wrote the “pain and anguish jumped off the page.”

“My heart was breaking for both of them,” the review continues. “The gift in this book is that I learned that love is stronger than fear. I have respect for anyone that can look fear in the face and listen to their heart.”

“Women have emailed me and said, ‘I wrote my son a letter and asked him to forgive me,’ or, ‘I want to reconnect with my son,’” Villaverde said.

In addition to Amazon, the books are available to purchase at Villaverde’s Scottsdale hair salon, where her clients have also raved about the books.

One client was so moved she bought an additional 10 copies to share with her friends.

“We really want our story to motivate many other families out there,” Villaverde said. “I would love every mother to feel the way I feel about my son — that sense of pride that I have in him.”

Information: dearsondearmom. com

SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | APRIL 4, 2021

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24

BUSINESS

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Restaurants grapple with small hiring pool

BY KRISTINE CANNON Progress Staff Writer

A

s they continue to struggle the impact of the pandemic, restaurant owners are grappling with an unexpected obstacle: finding workers.

“It’s been surprisingly difficult,” said Melissa Maggiore, owner of the soonto-open northern Scottsdale restaurant The Italian Daughter.

It has been so difficult for Maggiore to fill all 25 positions at her restaurant that she had to delay opening nearly two weeks.

“As a restaurant owner, I have been counting down the days until we are finally open again and able to just go back to ‘business as usual’ and I thought that employees would have been as ecstatic as well,” she said. “We’ve all been in this rollercoaster together and I would have thought that there would have been a

Melissa Maggiore, owner of The Italian Daughter in northern Scottsdale, is just one of several restaurant owners faced with a surprising obstacle: hiring challenges.

(Pablo Robles/Progress Staff Photographer)

line out the door that people would be fighting for their jobs back.”

Other restaurant owners in Scottsdale and beyond echo her concerns as

they emerge from a year that at one point saw 80 percent of the industry’s workforce laid off.

“We have been posting notices for multiple positions in multiple locations and just aren’t getting a lot of feedback,” said Kristin Dossetti, co-owner of Zinqué at Scottsdale Fashion Square.

Owners cite several possible reasons for the hiring troubles, such as enhancements of unemployment benefits.

Owners also attribute the hiring challenges to former employees gaining new skills and moving out of the industry.

“They went and got a different skillset. They started other careers,” Maggiore said. “I know several people that got their real estate license, or they went back to school, and they went to do something different that would be more lucrative during the pandemic.”

see STAFFING page 25

Caring for his mom inspired home-care CEO

BY GLENN SWAIN Progress Contributor

S

teve Alfonsi is on a mission to assure dignity and respect for individuals and families needing care at home, those facing illness, and bringing comfort at the end of life.

On the second floor of his Scottsdale office, Alfonsi is CEO of Royal Hospice and Vital Palliative, and franchise owner of ComForCare Scottsdale, AZ, an inhome care agency.

He spends his days directing his home care services and at the same time continuing a legacy to his mother’s memory.

In November 2005, Alfonsi’s mother,

After a personal loss, CEO Steve Alfonsi found his mission is to provide homecare for those in need. (Claudia Johnstone/Special Progress)

Shelby, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, a fast-moving disease.

Alfonsi, who was then an executive for Proctor & Gamble in Chicago, had his mother move in with him so he and his wife could provide personal care.

Alfonsi says he went “full bore” into his new caregiving role. Growing up in a small town in central Illinois, Alfonsi learned the importance of one’s family and the responsibility to provide care and support for the family when needed.

Alfonsi began doing everything from making doctor’s appointments to changing bed sheets.

see CARE page 25

BUSINESS

SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | APRIL 4, 2021

STAFFING ���� page 24

“Now, they don’t want to come back.”

Mark Tarbell, the James Beard Foundation-nominated chef and owner of Tarbell’s in Phoenix, noted, “Many potential or past team members have moved out of state, to other careers or are hesitant to return for a variety of reasons that arise from the pandemic.”

The restaurant industry was already struggling with labor shortages before the pandemic.

Now, the small pool of qualified applicants has led to what Maggiore calls a “bidding war.”

“There’s a small percentage of people that are looking for jobs in the restaurant industry but because they’re so few and far between, they will show up for one day, they’ll do an interview, they’ll accept the position, but then they’ll get a different offer from someone else. And there’s almost a bidding war, if you will, among the restaurant workers that are willing to come back to work,” Maggiore explained.

Tarbell said he has seen this level of competitiveness at least three times over the past 25 years.

“Usually, it gets better in six to eight months and always the industry standard of pay is increased,” he said.

But Maggiore said that even with higher wages, the real problem is a tiny percentage of people currently looking for jobs in restaurants.

The pool is so small that it has left

CARE ���� page 24

“I was a corporate executive with the responsibility of millions of dollars and working with a team,” Alfonsi says. “I thought I could figure it out. But I was also in denial. There was much I did not know about, but I quickly learned.”

At the time, Alfonsi wasn’t aware of all of the available home-care options.

Alfonsi remembers he and his sisters spent the last days and weeks of their mother’s life acting more as caretakers than as a son and daughters.

“Mom just wanted us to be with her and hold her hand,” he says. “Instead, we were doing dishes or taking care of her other needs.”

Shelby made her transition in March 2006.

“I dealt with my mom’s passing by

Mark Tarbell said the rush to hire quickly can create staffing problems later. (Special to the Progress)

general managers like Jeff Berger of Zinqué in the dust.

“Recently, I’ve been hiring for multiple positions and I’ve noticed how quickly people are accepting the first offer they receive because nearly half the interviews I schedule are canceled by the applicant because they’ve accepted a position elsewhere,” Berger said.

Berger said as restrictions like capacity limits are lifted, more people are being hired in a shorter amount of

working longer hours and days,” Alfonsi says. “It was a way of processing what had happened. Over the years, I found out that there was more to life. I wanted to find a way to honor my mom and leave a legacy for her.”

Following a move to Scottsdale as an executive with Henkel, Alfonsi was determined to leave a legacy for his mom.

He learned the home care industry’s ins and outs, intending to start a company to serve families who find themselves in the same position he was in back in Chicago years before.

Alfonsi’s passion for serving others began when he purchased a ComForCare franchise for Scottsdale in March 2015.

Four years later, Alfonsi started Royal Hospice, which provides compassionate care and supports families, and Vi-

time, but he is trying to avoid another problem.

“However, with the vetting process being minimized, or eliminated, restaurants are going to see a lot of turnover, which is costly in many ways and something I’m trying to avoid,” Berger explained. “I don’t want to take too much time and potentially lose a great addition to my team, yet I don’t want to rush my hiring process either.”

While owners are struggling with filling all positions, from front to back of the house; Tarbell and Maggiore say the entry-level dining and culinary positions are the most challenging to fill.

“It’s been very difficult to find a kitchen staff,” Maggiore said. “You need somebody with experience to work in a kitchen and to be able to put out the dishes and the menu that you’d like to see executed.”

Plus, Tarbell added regarding entrylevel dining positions: “Minimum wage is just not interesting enough in today’s world.”

Arizona isn’t the only state facing these hiring challenges.

In a recent Ohio Restaurant Association survey, 36 percent of respondents said they were unable to fill open positions, and another 32 percent said they had difficulty filling open jobs.

“I have called all of my friends that are all over the country — restaurateurs throughout the Valley, as well as California, New York, Washington, DC. — and it seems to be something that is

tal Palliative, a company offering care for severe and chronic illnesses such as congestive heart failure, cancer, AIDS, kidney failure and Alzheimer’s.

Alfonsi plans to open Royal Hospice and Vital Palliative in Tucson later this year, along with further expansion to the Portland, Oregon, area.

“It’s something I feel passionate about,” Alfonsi says. “We provide respect and dignity for others. We aspire to be perfect.”

Alfonsi advises people who find themselves in a caregiving role for those who are ill or need assistance that help is always just a phone call away.

“Make those last hours, days, and weeks a better experience for your loved ones,” Alfonsi says. “Life is precious; the time goes by so fast. Spend it with loved ones.”

25

being experienced in our industry nationwide,” Maggiore said.

While Dossetti, who has several Zinqué restaurants in California, has an “incredibly strong core team” at all of their locations, she’s had just as difficult of a time finding and hiring on team members at her California restaurants as she has her Scottsdale restaurant.

“It’s just been very difficult to find people,” Dossetti said, “and I’m not talking about one category of worker, I’m talking about front of house, back of house, management level — across the board.”

Currently, Berger is in search of one more host and one more busser/food runner at Scottsdale Zinqué. He’s been trying to fill those positions since January.

Maggiore, on the other hand, has about 20 positions left to fill at the Italian Daughter, including servers, line cooks, bartenders and hosts.

For Tarbell, the situation now impacts the future. “We have some big goals for this year,” he said, “and we need good people to grow.”

Information: theitaliandaughter.com, tarbells.com, lezinque.com

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

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‘Tents by the Track’ sells out at Railroad Park

BY KRISTINE CANNON Progress Staff Writer

D

rive by McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park the weekend of April 10 and you’ll spot a unique

sight.

You’re likely to see rows upon rows of pitched tents occupied by various families and small groups from Scottsdale and beyond, all spending the night as part of the first event of its kind at the Railroad Park – Tents by the Tracks.

Announced in February, Tents by the Tracks invites families to pitch tents by the tracks and experience a night of fun while camping at the 30-acre theme park in Scottsdale.

In addition to being the largest slumber party Scottsdale may have ever hosted, Tents by the Tracks offers families a host of activities, including a movie, unlimited train and carousel

Buddy Lee is spotted doing some prep work for the McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park’s upcoming — and completely sold-out — Tents by the Tracks event on April 10. (McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park/Facebook)

rides and even ice cream.

And the event was so well-received by the public, it’s now sold out.

Tents by the Tracks had eighty

12-foot-by-12-foot spaces for groups of no more than four people available to reserve for $150 each, and thirty 18-foot-by-18-foot spaces for groups

up to six for $250 each.

“I’m not necessarily surprised,” Nick Molinari, operations supervisor, said of the event selling out.

“At the Railroad Park, we’ve observed this desire from the public to get out and do things as a family,” he said. “And at the Railroad Park ... we’re, for the most part, an outdoor park where visitors can distance, have a picnic away from others, and stay within their family unit. So, the Tents by the Tracks event checked all those boxes.”

Families and groups can arrive at 4 p.m. to check in and set up their own tents and sleeping bags.

Kids can then take train shed tours from 5 to 7 p.m. and unlimited rides from 7 to 9 p.m.

Dinner is served just before the movie, which will show from 8 to 10 p.m.

see TENTS page 27

Civic Center Library exhibit features self-portraits

BY KRISTINE CANNON Progress Staff Writer

A

juried portraits exhibition featuring the works of 25 artists is now on display at the Scottsdale Civic Center Library.

“I Am You, You Are Me: Portraits” is a collection of just portraits that includes work by two Scottsdale artists.

The exhibit explores the question of “what does the artist see?”

“When someone is rendering a portrait, the line between the artist and the sitter are blurred, and the portrait is a representation of the relationship between artist and sitter, however brief or lengthy. There’s energy exchanged between these people,” explained cura-

Scottsdale-based artist Dana Corbo has two pieces on display at the new “I Am You, You Are Me: Portraits” exhibition at the Civic Center Public Gallery: “Stubborn,” a self-portrait, and “Nicholas in Trouble,” depicting her friend. (Scottsdale Public Art)

tor Wendy Raisanen of Scottsdale Public Art. Some pieces are portraits created by artists of fellow artists.

For example, longtime friends and collaborators Jane Kelsey-Mapel of Phoenix and Becky Frehse of Tacoma, Washington, created portraits of each other holding their dogs and posing with their artwork.

“As a visual artist, I am usually in the role of the observer. For this show, I became the subject matter as well,” Kelsey-Mapel said. “It was a bit like putting the shoe on the other foot. I thought ‘Oh, that’s how she sees me!’”

Other artists, including Dana Corbo

see PORTRAITS page 27

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | APRIL 4, 2021

TENTS ���� page 26

as families munch on complimentary popcorn.

And, finally, lights out at 11 p.m.

Attendees are even treated to breakfast the next morning as they tear down their respective campsites.

“We’ve been excited to hold this event for a while,” Molinari said.

The city initially wanted to host Tents by the Tracks last year, but due to COVID-19, it was put it off another year.

And because the event is held outdoors and can easily be set up to en-

PORTRAITS ���� page 26

of Scottsdale, not only submitted depictions of another subject, but they also submitted self-portraits.

Corbo titled the self-portrait “Stubborn.”

“For my self-portraits, I choose to share a more holistic story about myself,” Corbo wrote in a statement accompanying his piece. “Because I am compulsively honest, I wanted to highlight my bad qualities in addition to my good ones.”

Corbo continued: “In ‘Stubborn,’ I painted a portrait of myself with brutal honesty, exaggerating the leg hair I stubbornly refuse to shave.”

The two paintings focus on opposite features.

In her self-portrait, Corbo shows her entire body from a low angle, offering few facial details. Her other painting, “Nicholas in Trouble,” focuses on her subject’s face.

“I wanted to re�lect the hard and soft dichotomy that I see in his personality,” Corbo wrote. “In his personality, I painted an expression that may seem gruff initially, like he does when you meet him, but is full of concern and deep feeling.”

Corbo said that analyzing a person and then reconstructing them through painting brings her joy.

“The challenge of painting a face, revealing a person’s character, is equal to the reward of doing it successfully,” Corbo said.

Fellow Scottsdale artist Lilach Keren will exhibit a mixed media self-portrait.

“Re�lection” is unique in that it shows half of Keren’s face, with her daughters’

sure all families and groups are socially distanced, the event made perfect sense to host this spring.

“This year, it makes even more sense considering the physical makeup and structure of the event and COVID and having maintaining some degree of separation,” Molinari said. “It’s this perfect little fit for the environment that we have now relative to public health.”

In addition to socially distanced tents, implemented COVID-19 health and safety protocols at the event include hand sanitizing stations available throughout the area, masks re-

faces re�lected in her eyes.

“During a particularly complex time, it came to me: handling the current realities, trying to cope with my work and aspirations on the one hand and the need to be there for my family on the other,” Keren explained.

The exhibition also features Susan Allred (Tempe), Laura Amphlett (Phoenix), Neil Borowicz (Tempe), Rebecca Clark (Tucson), Turner Davis (Phoenix), Katherine Del Rosario (Tempe), Jerome Fleming (Phoenix), Lex Gjurasic

quired by guests when not at their respective campsites, and rides loaded at half capacity to ensure social distancing between groups.

“The biggest thing that we wanted is just to provide an opportunity for families to get out and have some level of activity at the park,” Molinari said.

While Tents by the Tracks isn’t a “huge revenue opportunity” for McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park, Molinari said they plan on hosting the event once, possibly twice a year moving forward.

“We have a lot of families who come here all the time. They ride the train.

(Tucson); Others include Dain Q. Gore (Laveen), Ira Grin (Chandler), Tiesha Harrison (Phoenix), Galya Kerns (Litch�ield Park), Kathi Knox (Phoenix), Brianna Noble (Phoenix), Eliza Plumlee (Tucson), Kara Roschi (Phoenix), Alexandra Ross (Mitchell, Manitoba, Canada), William Touhey (Tucson), Chris Vena (Tempe), Johanna Virgil (Goodyear), Ingrid Wells (San Francisco) and Wendy Willis (Phoenix).

“I Am You, You Are Me: Portraits”

27

They go on the carousel. They play in Western Town. They’ve been to Holiday Lights. They love the park. But this is something totally new for them,” Molinari said.

“For the kids to be able to have an allnight sleepover, providing a unique experience and something that’s new to the people that already use the park is our goal,” he added.

This summer, McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park is bringing back its popular Summer Concert Series.

Tickets go on sale April 26, and the event kicks off May 30.

Information: therailroadpark.com will remain in the library for viewing through June 21.

If You Go:

“I Am You, You Are Me: Portraits” When: Through June 21 Where: 3839 N. Drinkwater Blvd.

Cost: Free Website: scottsdalelibrary.org, scottsdalepublicart.org

28

FOOD & DRINK

SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | APRIL 4, 2021

Food & Drink

Scottsdale.org l

@ScottsdaleProgress

/ScottsdaleProgress

Pizza chain partners with popular bao concept

BY KRISTINE CANNON Progress Staff Writer

F

ired Pie has joined the ranks of local restaurants with their own ghost kitchen.

The fast-casual pizza concept launched a ghost kitchen out of two of its locations, both of which are located in Scottsdale: at Fashion Square and at Northsight.

But the ghost kitchens won’t be serving pizza.

They will be used by Chicago-based Asian street food concept Wow Bao, which serves steamed bao, as well as potstickers, steamed dumplings, rice and noodle bowls, and more.

“The quality of this product is amazing,” said Fred Morgan, co-founder of Fired Pie. “At Fired Pie, we offer our guests the highest quality ingredients possible and Wow Bao’s menu aligned with our mission to continue to do that,” co-owner Doug Doyle added.

Wow Bao’s signature item, its bao, is a soft, fluffy dough filled with savory or sweet flavors and steamed to perfection.

They have four flavors from which to choose, including whole wheat vegetable, BBQ Berkshire pork, teriyaki chicken, and spicy Mongolian beef.

Since Fired Pie brought on the fast Asian concept, customers have raved about the BBQ Pork Baos and the chicken dumplings.

“The rice bowls are also starting to take off, and the Kung Pao Chicken is the most popular,” Morgan said.

Morgan calls customers’ response to Wow Bao “amazing” – so much so they nearly sold out of all of their Wow Bao products the weekend of March 20.

“It has been better than we had projected, with little advertisement or promotions,” he added.

Thus, their biggest challenge since the launch of Wow Bao in the Valley has been keeping up with demand and keeping their

Fred Morgan is the co-owner of Fired Pie, a fast-casual pizza concept that recently launched a ghost kitchen out of two of its locations, both of which are located in Scottsdale: at Fashion Square and at Northsight. (Pablo Robles/Progress Staff Photographer)

Fired Pie has launched a ghost kitchen operating out of two of its Fired Pie locations, both in Scottsdale. (Fired Pie/Wow Bao)

kitchens stocked with enough product.

“The other issue we had early on was the delivery drivers trying to find Wow Bao, not understanding they needed to pick it up inside of Fired Pie,” Morgan said.

Morgan and Doyle searched for seven months for the perfect concept for their ghost kitchen.

They initially gave a Grubhub-created concept called Tyga Bites a shot, but it didn’t work out because it was only available to Grubhub customers.

“We then started doing a lot of research on ghost and virtual kitchens and found out Wow Bao was operating as a ghost kitchen,” Morgan explained. “As soon as I received more information from them, I knew this was the one for us.”

“Our customers have been turning to online ordering, takeout and third-party delivery during the pandemic, so we felt this was the perfect time to launch our ghost kitchen,” Doyle added.

Wow Bao was founded in 2003, but it wasn’t until last spring that it launched a pioneering business model to increase restaurant partner’s revenue while also expanding the company’s footprint throughout the U.S. As part of their business model, restaurant partners, like Fired Pie, serve Wow Bao staples while third-party delivery providers, like Postmates, DoorDash, Uber Eats and Grubhub, deliver the goods.

Since launching the partner kitchen program in April, Wow Bao will reach 1,000 locations by the end of this year – up from 150 locations in January and only six at the beginning of 2020.

“We didn’t conceive this for the pandemic, but as soon as it started, we realized these partner kitchens were perfect for the critical situation restaurants are facing right now and will face for some time,” said Wow Bao CEO Geoff Alexander.

see BAO page 30

SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | APRIL 4, 2021

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Alex Mason is a co-owner of Press Coffee, which recently announced that all proceeds from their Community Blend coffee will be donated to local school districts.

(Pablo Robles/Progress Staff Photographer)

Press Coffee initiative helping school districts

BY KRISTINE CANNON Progress Staff Writer

W

hen customers purchase a bag of Press Coffee’s new Community Blend, they’re doing more than supporting a local company.

All proceeds from the Community Blend are donated to local nonprofits and community-based initiatives.

And from now through July, proceeds will go specifically to local school districts.

“We feel strongly and like the fact that [Press Coffee stores] are our community centers within their neighborhoods. Every store is a little bit different than the others, but one thing every store has in common is we are frequented by students, parents, teachers — and another major community place is their local school,” said Alex Mason, co-owner of Press Coffee.

The program is part of the company’s PressOnCharities initiative, which was started in 2018 to make an impact on Arizona communities Since March 1, Press has sold more than 300 bags of the Community Blend, in turn raising $320 for local school districts, including Scottsdale Unified School District.

“We are grateful to Press Coffee for including us in its effort to support area

school districts,” said SUSD Superintendent Dr. Scott Menzel.

“We are always grateful for the partnership of our local businesses and will look to use any funds that are generated to support our students with the greatest needs,” Menzel continued. “The past year has been a difficult one for everyone, so we very much appreciate that our neighbors at Press are thinking about students.”

Six school districts benefit from instore and online purchases of the Community Blend, with in-store purchase benefiting the district within which the Press store resides.

The Roastery and Scottsdale Quarter stores will benefit Paradise Valley Unified School District; Biltmore sales will benefit Madison Elementary; the Waterfront store is helping SUSD; Muse, Phoenix Elementary; Skywater and Nexa will benefit Tempe Elementary District; and Ocotillo and Gilbert will benefit Chandler Unified.

Those who purchase online can choose a local district via the dropdown menu.

If unspecific, proceeds will go to the Balsz School District and Tillman Middle School, which are close to Mason.

“My wife works in education [at Tillman

see PRESS page 30

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BAO ���� page 28

“This is a lifeline that quite literally can mean the difference between profitability and extinction to restaurants.”

Any restaurant can join the Wow Bao program for less than $1,000; and according to Wow Bao, most partners have been surpassing the expected sales mark of $2,500 or more in six weeks.

“I like the idea that this is an established brand, many people know it, and they have a loyal customer base,” Morgan said, adding that it was a “no-brainer” to partner with Wow Bao. “We are excited to align ourselves with a concept that has seen explosive new growth in the past year,” Morgan continued. “As the ghost restaurant trend continues to grow, we expect to continue to add virtual concepts to our local storefronts.”

Currently, Wow Bao operates out of two Fired Pie locations in Scottsdale, but Fired Pie has plans to add Wow Bao to 12 more locations within the next three months — four of which are slated to launch within the next 30 days.

PRESS ���� page 29

Middle School]. So, I see a lot of firsthand what she goes through. And as we’ve been going through the challenges that were and continue to be COVID, schools faced a lot of similar hurdles and challenges the service industry did,” Mason said.

“So, we had the feeling of, ‘How can we help each other?”

PressOnCharities initially benefitted the Arizona Coalition for Change, a Phoenix Black-led organization that advocates for progressive public policies and empowers people to transform their community through leadership development and community collaboration.

Press Coffee donated $2,000 to the nonprofit, which used the funds to support their Civic Scholars program.

“This program trains and prepares high school juniors and seniors over the summer to lead Arizona Coalition for Change civic engagements chapters at their school this fall,” said Reginald Bolding with AZCC. “These chapters engage in civic engagement activities such as community service, voter registration and civic education.”

“Recognizing and supporting the work

They include Fired Pie’s San Tan Village store, their Tempe store, their Ahwatukee location, and their Phoenix location on 19th Avenue and Northern Avenue, Fired Pie’s newest concept.

Unlike other Fired Pie locations, the 19th Avenue and Northern store is a fast-casual rapid online and carryout locations, meaning it specifically caters to those on the go.

“Carry-out and delivery stores are in demand, especially those with customizable options, and we have something for everyone, including gluten-free, vegan and plant-based options,” Morgan said in a release. “We’ve chosen a great location for this store, where our customers can easily have their meal made fresh in under 10 minutes.”

In addition to increasing the number of Wow Bao kitchens in the Valley, Fired Pie also has plans to expand its Wow Bao menu.

“We have a new bao coming out in a few weeks: a cheeseburger,” Morgan teased.

To order Wow Bao, visit wowbao.com or order directly on the Postmates, DoorDash, Uber Eats or Grubhub apps.

others are doing in the community to improve inequalities, better our schools, or support those in-need is something we believe strongly in,” Mason said.

The Community Blend initiative also helps spread awareness of Arizona’s various nonprofits.

“It accomplishes a couple of really big goals for us, not the least of which is monetary donation,” Mason explained.

“I think as important, though, that we found is exposure to a lot of these organizations. This offers a really nice platform that we can provide of saying, ‘Here’s an organization you might not be familiar with that we love.’”

Press Coffee also hosts annual Days of Giving at their locations, during which they donate 100 percent of profits from sales to a local nonprofit. Last year, donations went to Phoenix Children’s Hospital.

Community Blend, which boasts tasting notes of strawberry, nougat, and sugarcane, and comprises of 60 percent Ethiopia Aricha Washed and 40 percent Mexico Bella Vista Washed, sells for $19 for a 12-ounce bag. They’re available in-store and on Press’ website at presscoffee.com.

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NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the City Council of the City of Scottsdale, Arizona, will hold a public hearing on April 20, 2021, at 5:00 P.M. Until further notice, City Council meetings will be held electronically. While physical facilities are not open to the public, City Council meetings are televised on Cox Cable Channel 11 and streamed online at ScottsdaleAZ.gov (search "live stream") to allow the public to listen/view the meeting in progress.

13-AB-2020 (Richards Abandonment) Request by owner to abandon the eastern 10 feet of roadway easement (located along the western boundary) of a +/- 1-acre residential lot with Single-family residential (R1-35) zoning located at 8008 E. Desert Cove Avenue. Staff contact person is Casey Steinke, 480-312-2611. Applicant contact person is Katie Richards, (630) 338-3508.

For additional information visit our web site at www.scottsdaleaz.gov search "Scottsdale Planning Case Files" or in your URL search bar you can type in https://eservices.scottsdaleaz.gov/bldgresources/Cases/ A COPY OF A FULL AGENDA, INCLUDING ITEMS CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS MEETINGS AND ANY MEETING LOCATION UPDATES, IS AVAILABLE AT LEAST 24 HOURS PRIOR TO THE MEETING AT THE FOLLOWING: Online at: https://www.scottsdaleaz.gov/council/ meeting-information/agendas-minutes CHAIRMAN Attest Chad Sharrard For additional information visit our web site at www.scottsdaleaz.gov PERSONS WITH A DISABILITY MAY REQUEST A REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION BY CONTACTING THE CLERK'S OFFICE AT (480-312-7620). REQUESTS SHOULD BE MADE 24 HOURS IN ADVANCE, OR AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE TO ALLOW TIME TO ARRANGE ACCOMMODATION. FOR TTY USERS, THE ARIZONA RELAY SERVICE (1-800-367-8939) MAY CONTACT THE CLERK'S OFFICE AT (480-3127620).

Published: Scottsdale Progress, Apr 4, 2021 / 37297

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