A Few Words From the "South Mountain Laveen Chamber of Commerce"

Hello, this is Steve Glueck sitting in for John Sebald, the 2008-09 board chairman for the South Mountain/Laveen Chamber of Commerce. We are all celebrating John’s new position as principal of Arizona Lutheran Academy in Laveen. John replaces outgoing principal Dan Johnson, who accepted an opportunity to become the president of Wisconsin Lutheran College in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Speaking of celebrations, the Roosevelt School District No. 66 continues to trend upward in academic achievement, as measured by the most recent Arizona Learns results. That helped to influence a decision last month by the Arizona State Board of Education to not proceed with its takeover of the district.

The entire community benefits from academic excellence in our local schools. It impacts the quality of our future workforce, the future growth and sustainability of neighborhoods, and the quality of life issues that determine the future health of our South Mountain and Laveen villages.

We continue to welcome the new retail and commercial development additions to Laveen and South Mountain. Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market, PETsMART, Verizon Wireless, Chipotle and Sundance Studios are now open at the new Marketplace at South Mountain, located on the southeast corner of 24th Street and Baseline Road, next to The Secret Garden Event Center and Vintage Market restaurant.

Also, in Laveen, the Hat Rack Pub is now open in the new retail center on the northeast corner of 35th and Southern avenues. Just down the road, the commercial retail center at the corner of 35th Avenue and Baseline Road is nearing completion, and its new tenants will begin opening in October. In addition, the new Safeway store at the southeast corner of 51st Avenue and Baseline Road will open soon. And, don’t forget there are more retail and commercial additions to explore on Southern Avenue at 51st and 35th avenues.

At 7227 S. Central Ave., Raptor Guitars will host a Halloween Musical event, featuring a stage with local bands, games and treats for the kids, and a variety of food and prizes. Contact George Contreras at 602-510-6461 for more information.

Also, Pepi’s Pizza and owner Mark Messner will welcome a new addition, as Luxor Jewelers opens a new location inside the restaurant. This unique and innovative pairing of businesses is the result of "outside-the-box" thinking by Pepi’s owner Mark Messner and Luxor’s David Fierro. Would you like some diamonds with that pizza?

The Greater Phoenix Chamber and your South Mountain /Laveen Chamber chapter will host the greater Phoenix Real Estate & “Economic Outlook 2009” Breakfast at the Arizona Biltmore on Sept. 24. For more information about events, activities and membership in the South Mountain/Laveen Chamber of Commerce, please contact me at 602-402-6086 or sglueck@phoenixchamber.com.


September Events

Business for Breakfast
Wednesday, Sept. 10, from 7:15 - 8:30 a.m.
Bougainvillea Golf Club
5740 W. Baseline Road, Laveen

Business After Hours Mixer
TBD

South Mountain Leads Club – The Raven Grill at the Raven Golf Club
Meets each Wednesday at 7:15 a.m.
3636 E. Baseline Road, Phoenix

Sept. 2008 "The Mayer's Corner"

By Mayor Phil Gordon

During my years as Mayor, I have made it clear that my number one priority,

and the number one priority of this city, is public safety. And it was issues relating to public safety that I recently addressed during a short trip to Washington, D.C.

My first stop was at the Department of Homeland Security, to have a serious discussion with FEMA Director David Paulison. FEMA, of course, is the Federal Emergency Management Administration. Because of our innovative prevention, rescue and recovery programs and partnerships, FEMA has held Phoenix as a national model. For our part, the City of Phoenix developed and committed to a specific, long-term plan. For its part, the Department of Homeland Security had pledged to continue funding our program without making cuts for the next two grant cycles.

Nevertheless, we were disappointed to learn that our funding allocation had been reduced by $350,000 over last year’s. In spite of the fact that our community, and our needs, continue to grow.

These cuts may very well slow down our plans to fully implement our interoperability program, which allows all public safety departments to talk to each other. Or this reduction could delay getting the equipment we need to enhance our emergency response capabilities.

I had a productive conversation with Director Paulison, who pledged to work with me and find a way for them to keep their promise to the people of Phoenix. At the local level, we cannot continue to “do more with less” – and in Phoenix, we won’t accept reductions that impact the public’s safety without a good, healthy debate.

Next I headed over to Capitol Hill to meet with Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont. The topic was a program called LIHEAP (Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program). Essentially, in the colder parts of our country, low-income residents can receive assistance in paying their winter heating bills.

In the Sonoran Desert, we have the reverse problem. We have residents who, in the summer months, have real trouble feeding their families and paying their cooling bill. Sadly, we have all seen media reports about people who lose their lives to the summer heat waves.

Between 1994 and 2004, more than 400 deaths in Arizona were attributed to excessive heat as the primary cause. With summer temperatures averaging well over 100 degrees, this increased burden is especially hard on the very young, the elderly and disabled who are on fixed incomes and can no longer afford to cool their homes. APS recently reported that there has been a 52 percent increase in the number of households having difficulty in paying the utility bills and an increase of 20,000 families being disconnected compared to a year ago. So we’re asking for fundamental fairness here – in what is quite literally a matter of life and death – and asking the federal government to treat the summer heat waves the way it treats the winter cold snaps. Senator Sanders quickly grasped our concern and our argument. And I think we have found a real friend on this issue.

So that’s the quick recap of my public safety pilgrimage – except to add that I did it all with my nine-year-old son, Jake, with me. We managed to find a couple of hours to walk the Capitol Mall. As we sat on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and looked out at the reflecting pool, we talked about the wonderful principals on which our country – and our Constitution – were founded. It was a good trip, which took place in just a little over 24 hours, and which I paid for myself. And, as always, it was even better to get back home, to Phoenix.

Sept. 2008 "What’s Happening" In The South Mountain/Laveen Village’s

by George A. Young

“Well Folks; Please remember, try and spend more time with folks over 70 and under 6.”

The South Mountain Village Clean & Beautiful (SMVC&B) would like to hear from you if you would like to have us assist you in cleaning up your neighborhood or would like to join us in a clean up. Once again I ask you, “Have you picked yours today?” Trash that is. Well last month yours truly got a Certificate of Appreciation from the Phoenix Block Watch Advisory Board. Thanks to them and my friend Officer Mario for nominating me. Noel at the Dollar Store on Baseline and South Central Avenue got us a great deal on our stockings for the fun fest. Thanks to Noel and for all the volunteers that are busy decorating 1000 stockings. My friend Mr. George Contreras, the owner of Raptor Guitars is having a Halloween Party on October 31st. 2008 at his store on 7227 South Central Avenue. Please take the family and enjoy a great time of music and fun. The new Wal Mart Neighborhood Market is now open. Stop by and check it out. They donated $22,000 to local charities. Thanks go to Wal Mart and Mr. Bill Huckaby and his staff. By time you read this Chipotles, Pets Smart, The Hat Rack and Shakey Jack’s Bar-B Que will be open. Please stop by and see them. For information on the South Mountain Village Planning Committee agenda please contact our City of Phoenix Planner, Mrs. Chris Hood at 602-261-8727. To inquire about developments in the South Mountain/Laveen Village please e-mail or call George at (602-243-3162).

South Mountain Block Watch
Got questions about crime in your area? Want to know what the crime stats are? What about graffiti? Want to know what new developments are coming to your area?? Are you concerned about your safety? Do you care about your community?? If so, Please attend the South Mountain Block Watch meetings. We need your participation to keep our neighborhood safe. (Boundaries are from South Central Avenue west to 19th Avenue and South Mountain Avenue south to South Mountain Park). Our next meeting is September 11th. 2008. The time is 6 PM. The location is the City of Phoenix Fire Station at 1660 West Dobbins Road. Any questions or wanting to join us please contact George Young at (602) 243-3162 or gayoung@cox.net


• The South Mountain Village Planning Committee will meet on September 9th. 2008 at 6:30 PM at the Travis L. Williams Family Services Center, 4732 South Central Avenue. (NEW LOCATION)
• The Target Area B Citizens Action Committee will meet on September 24th. 2008 at 6:30 PM at the Travis L. Williams Family Services Center, 4732 South Central Avenue.
• The South Mountain Village Planning Committee Economic Sub-Committee will meet on September 22nd. 2008 at 6:30 PM at Travis L. Williams Family Services Center, 4732 South Central Avenue.
• The South Mountain/Laveen Village Festival Committee will meet on September2nd. 2008 at 4 PM at 3540 E. Baseline Rd.
• South Mountain Village Clean & Beautiful Committee will meet on October 1st. 2008 at 4 PM at the Heritage Neighborhood Resource building on 2405 East Broadway Road.

“Remember Folks; Some days you’re the bug and some days you’re the windshield. Most folks seem normal until you get to know them...”

September 2008 "Good Folks" of the South Mountain Village

Roosevelt School District “New Deal”

“To dream, the impossible dream . . .” as the Man from La Mancha sings in the musical based on Don Quixote (Cervantes classic of Spanish literature). That is what the Roosevelt School District has done over the last year. Some people thought they were tilting at windmills, but by the end of July all of their hard work paid off. According to the 2007-8 AIMS scores, over 90% of the Roosevelt School District’s schools are now labeled performing or performing plus schools by the Arizona Department of Education. Consequently, the Arizona State Board of Education recently decided to let the District control its own destiny going forward into the new school year, rather than to put it into receivership.

At the District’s formal “welcome back” event held on August 1, nearly 750 teachers cheered in unison when the news of Roosevelt’s success was announced. School District Superintendent Mark Dowling commented that “a great weight has been lifted from the shoulders of the staff, teachers, and administrators.” He also noted that “Roosevelt will be the district to watch as we continue to increase student achievement for all of our children. Everyone is genuinely excited about the ‘New Deal’ for the Roosevelt School District.”

So the children and parents in our community were greeted by a lot of ecstatic smiles from staff, teachers, and administrators on the first day back to school. Of course it is just a beginning, but the Roosevelt School District has made a lot of progress. To underscore that point, we want to help them thank a few individuals and organizations for their continued support:

Staff, Teachers and Administrators of the Roosevelt School District, Verna McClain, George Young, Mary Rose and Earl Wilcox, John Loredo, Steve and Dorothy Gluick, Dianne Smith, Dr. Eddie Lewis, Capitoria Lewis, Will and Helen Hill, Dr. Ken Garland, Dan and Cookie Goddard, Mark Messner, Be a Leader Foundation (including Gary and Melissa Trujillo), South Mountain/Laveen Chamber of Commerce, 100 Black Men, Campfire USA, Herman Orcutt and Winslow Orcutt Architectural Services, Ed McClellan and Southwest Behavioral Health, Arizona Education Association (including President John Wright, Vice President Andrew Morrill, and Governmental Affairs Lobbyist Jennifer Daily), Roosevelt Education Association (President Edna Doty), Arizona School Boards Association, and the Governor's Office (including Governor Napolitano and Education Policy Advisor Lauren Kielsmeier).

Moving forward into the new school year we are excited to join the Roosevelt School District’s glorious quest. It is time for the wider community to find out more about Roosevelt’s “New Deal,” and learn the story of the School District’s accomplishments. For example they were one of the few metropolitan Districts to pass a $60 million bond that will provide funding for a new technology center. They were selected by Pearson’s Publishing (a world class organization) to be a pilot developing reading tests. Roosevelt also partners with the nationally renowned John’s Hopkins Center for Data Driven Reform in Education. They are one of only six locations awarded the privilege of hosting Teach For America’s National Summer Teacher Training Institute. Locally, the Roosevelt School District also works with the Arizona State University’s BEST program.

Who knew that shaving basins would make such great helmets, as Don Quixote discovered. Apparently our children had the imagination to do so. The students will continue to thrive academically, and they will be inspired to a lifetime of learning as long as we support them in their “New Deal” with the Roosevelt School District. Therefore, we think it is fitting to conclude where this article started: “And the world, will be better for this, that [the Roosevelt School District and our children] . . . strove . . . To reach, the unreachable star.” (Man from La Mancha)