Gilbert Sun News - July 2017

Splish Splash!

Little Charlie Flathers fearlessly jumps off the side of the pool at Mesquite Aquatic Center into his mom Julianne Flathers’ arms.

Page Park Center to service Gilbert’s underprivileged

BY JIM WALSH

No one doubts that Gilbert is a fastgrowing, affluent community, but there are thousands of needy people who are often overlooked, hidden behind its sea of attractive homes with red tile roofs and parking lots full of shiny luxury cars.

Although these needy people aren’t part of Gilbert’s image, their existence was showcased in a needs assessment performed three years ago. Now, the town is advertising for a nonprofit social service agency that would operate a new “one-stop shop,” with a variety of ser-

vices, in the old Page Park Center, which used to house a library.

Despite some reservations, if not outright opposition, from Town Council members, the council approved spending more than $1 million in federal funds to renovate the closed library, which was built in 1964 and is next door to the Gilbert Community Center (which houses the Gilbert Senior Center) and adjacent to the Gilbert Boys and Girls Club.

see PAGE PARK page 6

Lindsay Road/ Loop 202 interchange plans moving along

BY SRIANTHI PERERA

Plans are moving along to build a freeway interchange between Lindsay Road and Loop 202 (Santan Freeway) in Gilbert. It’s expected to open in 2021.

During the third public information meeting held on the topic at the Southeast Regional Library recently, town officials said that a “full diamond” interchange has been recommended as the optimal solution for the traffic congestion in the area.

In addition, the town plans to widen the arterial roads immediately leading from the interchange.

Two projects are being designed to widen two miles of Germann Road from Gilbert Road to Val Vista Drive and a mile of Lindsay Road from Pecos Road to Germann Road. Each stretch is to have six lanes in each direction after the widening.

“We wouldn’t want to improve the infrastructure on the 202 itself and not improve the roadways to accommodate the traffic flow,” said Leah Hubbard Rhineheimer, assistant to the town manager.

see LINDSAY ROAD page 5

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Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport plans its future capacity growth

BY SRIANTHI PERERA

Having an airport in your backyard can be somewhat noisy. But it can also mean more convenient flights and economic benefits to your community.

How does an airport grow its operations while also balancing the impact on those who live and work around it? Also, how would it guard itself from the inevitable development encroachment?

These are the concerns that Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport sought to address when it began updating its land use plan. The one currently in use was compiled in 2000.

Between 2000-2010, the airport planning area’s residential population burgeoned from 100,000 to 250,000, a jump of 150 percent.

From 2010 to 2017, the population number is estimated to have grown to 300,000.

Earlier this year, the airport also announced that it had received Federal Aviation Administration clearance to develop 700 acres of land located northeast of its 3,000-acre site.

“The goal is: How do we provide guidance to ensure not only orderly growth but compatible new development, while we preserve the capacity and the potential of Gateway airport,” said Tony Bianchi, airport planner.

The plan took nearly two years to update and included conversations with stakeholders in Mesa, Gilbert and Queen Creek and unincorporated Maricopa and Pinal counties. It was finalized earlier this year.

The plan was capacity-based, Bianchi said, wherein the airport analyzed a reasonable capacity for the amount of operations (takeoffs and landings) it can handle.

The annual capacity was analyzed at half a million. The current annual operations are at about a quarter million.

“With the infrastructure that we already have in place now, we can accommodate almost twice as many operations,” Bianchi noted.

One of the key findings important to the communities is that the airport’s

Noise complaints

The Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport has had 258 noise complaints up to April, originated from about 100 callers.

On average, an airport of this size receives about 350 annual complaints, officials said.

A map plotting noise complaints from 2005-2015 shows a horseshoe pattern of complaint origination corresponding to the aircrafts’ northwest flow of traffic.

The calls are logged, officials help identify what aircraft it was and attempt to

The Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport updated its land use plan, one step in its goal toward being a

noise contours have actually reduced.

This is measured as the Day Night Average Sound Level or DNL, which is the cumulative noise exposure as measured during an average day.

“When we did the noise modeling in 2000, what we found was it encompassed a lot larger areas simply because we had much more military traffic,” Bianchi said. “As military traffic, while it’s still a presence, when it starts to decrease, and the aircraft get more quiet, more efficient, the sound footprint actually gets a little smaller.”

This means that some of the areas in Mesa, Gilbert and Queen Creek that had development restrictions because of the noise levels are now open for

understand what the callers are hearing.

Sometimes, the aircraft may originate from or arrive at the Chandler Municipal Airport or Falcon Field Airport. Between these two and the Gateway airport, there are about six flight schools operating.

Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport doesn’t have an enforcement arm to deal with complaints.

“A part of it is addressing it and understanding it and tracking it for patterns and make sure we do our best to make sure that

development.

“That was watched very intently by the communities and the development community,” he said.

The study also looked at the areas more prone to overflight activity, and found that most of Gilbert, and parts of Mesa and Queen Creek, are affected more than previously.

“About three-quarters of the airport’s traffic has what they

pilots are following the protocols,” said Ryan Smith, airport communications director. Complaint numbers have ebbed and flowed over the years. Besides neighboring density, shifting wind patterns, the improving economy helping more students enroll in flight schools and the very presence of an online complaint form have resulted in changing numbers of complaints.

To report aircraft noise, call 480-929-7902 or fill out the online form at gatewayairport. com/CommunityRelations.aspx.

call a northwest flow, so (airplanes) actually come in over Queen Creek and depart over Gilbert and Mesa,” Bianchi said.

The study considered data from weather patterns, wind patterns, radar tracks, noise complaint locations, development patterns and other factors to develop the new boundaries.

The changes in the overflight area are spurring the airport to make changes as well.

“If we were going to have more planes in the sky and we’re gong to route them, we need to spread them out at certain busy times of the day,” Bianchi said. “If they’re running parallel to the runways, we need to expand these boundaries out.

“For property disclosure and for neighborhoods, we thought that it is the airport’s best interest to disclose and say this is where we anticipate the growth to be, this is where we think the most over-

LINDSAY ROAD

The two projects will cost about $33 million and will be funded with a blend of regional transportation funds, bonds and developer contributions, town officials said.

The design is expected to be completed by mid-2018 and the approximately 16-month construction is expected to be completed by mid-2019. The town is due to hold public meetings prior to the projects getting underway.

Meanwhile, the full diamond interchange design was introduced as the one with the lowest cost, the smallest footprint, the least environmental impact and the most familiarity for motorists.

“That’s the type of interchange that you see up and down on the 202,” Town Engineer David Fabiano told the gathering.

The town is working with the Maricopa Association of Governments to identify regional funds for the interchange project, which has a current budgeted cost of about $25-$30 million.

Residents and business owners have until July 14 to address their concerns and provide feedback on the interchange that will change the dynamics of the area. So far, there have been 29 online comments.

“Any feedback that we receive will be looked at, evaluated and folded into the study,” Fabiano said.

The open house held in October drew about 150 people and feedback was balanced, with 56 negative, 58 positive and seven neutral comments. They included a request for bicycle lanes, rubberized asphalt, landscaping and control traffic for residents.

“Even folks that have concerns are asking really good questions,” Rhineheimer said. “It’s been a good dialogue.”

While opinions on the coming interchange are divided somewhat equally, business owners and commuters to nearby offices are pleased overall.

Homeowners, however, are vocal that the new body of traffic that would drive past their housing developments would shatter the neighborhood peace.

Among them is Bret Ryan, a resident of the area since 2009, who attended the recent open house.

“I’m just concerned about the added traffic; I can see it’s going to over double in traffic,” Ryan said. “I grew up in Gilbert; I’ve been here my whole life. They don’t have this interchange up at the (Highway) 60, on the other end, toward Mesa. Yet they’re making the findings that the interchange is needed here. But they have the same amount of houses up there.”

Gilbert is on its way to becoming the third-largest municipality in the Valley, officials said. Its population was 64,000 in 1996 and grew to 247,000 last year.

Side-by-side with the swelling populace is the growth in economic development.

One of the town’s key economic growth corridors, the Central Business District, is located along Loop 202 in the vicinity of Lindsay Road.

“We’re starting to see a high concentration of health care services and treatments as well as a growing diversity of highway signs in technology jobs and industries,” Hubbard said. The private investment in the corridor is almost $400 million through last year, she noted.

“The continued vibrancy of the Central Business District is key to the long-term sustainability for the Gilbert community,” she said.

Along Loop 202, Rivulon is a masterplanned development slated to house 3.6 million square feet of office space and 500,000 square feet of retail. Just south of the highway, the Park Lucero development will comprise 630,000 square feet.

Near Val Vista Drive and the Loop 202, healthcare investment has continued and

The location seems fitting, not only because of its central downtown location, but because Page Park is named for the late Walter Page, a Gilbert mayor in the 1930s who owned a grocery store, according to the town’s website. Page was known for his generosity to needy people during the Depression, when he extended credit to people who were out of work and gave marbles to children.

“We want it to be a one-stop shop for resources and information,” said Melanie Dykstra, the town’s community resources program supervisor.

She said the town has advertised for a nonprofit that would operate the new facility, with the Town Council selecting an operator as early as Aug. 17. The services provided would be some of those identified by the needs assessment, but the specific services are yet to be identified.

These services might include a combination of mental health counseling, immunizations, a dental clinic and counseling for veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

It would be the operator’s responsibility to recruit organizations that might be interested in providing the services, Dykstra said.

The “request for qualifications” says that Gilbert had grown from a town of 5,717 in 1980 to 242,955 in 2015, with a population of more than 300,000 expected at build out in 2030.

While Gilbert is generally an affluent bedroom community, the document identifies 14,000 residents who are living below the federal poverty level, or 6.4 percent of the population. More than 26,000 residents qualify as “low income,” and more than 8,000 residents 65 or older live below the poverty level.

Earlier, the council voted 5-2 to approve renovations at the closed library, with one council member concerned it might create a welfare state in Gilbert and eventually become a liability for taxpayers. Another warned that he doesn’t want Gilbert to support it financially and a third saying the

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flights are going to occur and disclose that to the community,” he said.

The overflight areas have to be updated in the municipalities’ zoning departments

The airport also has to disclose them through the State Department of Real Estate, while the municipalities’ zoning departments have to update the land development code in their respective general plans.

The disclosures would only affect new housing development because homebuyers have to be notified.

“They (home sellers) are required to

wellness center would be a perfect use of Community Development Block Grants.

Tom Freestone, a retired justice of the peace who spent more than 30 years representing the East Valley in a variety of elective offices, spoke in favor of providing more social services in Gilbert.

He said people without adequate healthcare are in need of services and that the town can control the types of services offered through a request for proposals issued to service providers.

“You can design by contract. I think it will be a great benefit,’’ Freestone said. “That is an ideal place for it.’’

Although he has always considered himself a fiscal conservative, Freestone also has spent most of his life responding to the needs of the less fortunate and has never turned his back on people in need. He served decades on the board of Mesa’s Marc Center, a wide-ranging, nonprofit social service agency that serves the developmentally disabled and also provides behavioral health services.

“They are in denial. They pretend that if they don’t have a place for them, they are not there,’’ Freestone said, with low-income Gilbert residents generally going to nearby Chandler to get services and Mesa’s nonprofits, such as Marc, offering regional services.

Freestone said he would like to see the wellness center offer healthcare to people without insurance, aimed at reducing communicable diseases, and dental services.

“It’s very unfair for those other cities to carry the burden of another town,” Freestone said. “We do have some people on welfare, through no choice of their own.”

But council members Victor Petersen and Jared Taylor voted against the construction project, expressing doubts about the lack of a specific plan for services and reservations about whether the town should have any role in social services.

“I support that outside of government. I think in the long run, it will end up a significant taxpayer liability,” Petersen said. “My view is that it will end up growing the welfare state in Gilbert.”

Taylor said there are other social

services in the area, including some that are privately run, and he does not want to duplicate services.

“We don’t really have a defined strategy here,’’ he said. “It does move us more into the business of social services.’’

Council member Jordan Ray also expressed some misgivings about the project, saying, “I don’t want the town to run this facility or pay for this facility. I look forward to handing it off to someone else.”

But council member Scott Anderson said the wellness center is the intended use of the federal Community Development Block Grants program that would provide more than $1.1 million to fund the renovations.

“I can’t think of a better use of these funds. I’d rather put this money into something that impacts lives.’’

Council member Eddie Cook said that one possible use for the wellness center might be a free dental clinic, offered on a limited basis by St. Vincent de Paul.

“That’s the kind of use I can see happen,’’ he said.

The town has limited social services available near Page Park already, at the Gilbert Senior Center operated by Azcend, formerly known as the Chandler Christian Community Center.

The services offered by Azcend include a food bank and the Community Action Program, which provides rent and utility assistance. The Chandler and Gilbert senior centers provided 70,000 meals last year, including home-delivered meals.

The food banks in Chandler and Gilbert distributed more than 17,000 food boxes that fed more than 58,000 people. Chandler also is home to My Sister’s Place, a shelter for women and children fleeing domestic violence.

Freestone said he has offered to take Petersen and Taylor on a tour of the Freestone campus of Marc Center, to show them how a nonprofit can be costeffective and make a huge difference in people’s lives.

“I have a great feeling that we will have this resolved favorably,’’ Freestone said.

post signs, put notifications on plats and on mortgage papers that they are in an airport overflight area,” said Kyle Mieras, Development Services director of Gilbert, who was involved in the plan update process on behalf of the town.

The Planning Commission will discuss the changes during July/August and the Town Council will do the same during the September/October time frame. The dates of these public meetings are not yet finalized.

“It was a great process working with the airport and they did a fantastic job of making sure everybody’s concerns

were addressed,” Mieras said.

Ryan Smith, airport spokesman, said that the airport’s goal is to be a good community steward.

“There are a lot of benefits that an airport brings, so we want to make sure that you’re successful, you’re protecting the neighborhoods and run a safe and efficient operation,” he said. “All of those go hand in hand and the efforts are part of that.”

Smith said that the airport was designed and built in 1942. Nowadays, in addition to the housing, there are more than 50 companies located within the

airport’s boundaries, employing more than 2,500 people.

“It was done when there was nothing around here, and it was out in the middle of nowhere. It’s finding that happy medium as houses grow up and as people choose to locate near the airport,” he said.

To read the 42-page Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan Update, visit gatewayairport. com/landusestudy.aspx. Comments may be sent to lucomments@gatewayairport.com.

there are three new skilled nursing facilities planned.

All that means is added vehicular traffic on the existing exits.

Both Gilbert Road and Val Vista Drive, Gilbert’s other north-south arteries nearby, currently carry 35,000 to 55,000 vehicles per day. The 2035 traffic projections show dramatic increases in both the east-west and north-south traffic, according to the town.

The daily traffic volumes on Germann Road and Pecos Road are anticipated to nearly double, while the daily volumes on Gilbert Road and Val Vista Drive are anticipated to grow between 30 percent and 60 percent.

Most residents acknowledge and welcome the economic development, but find it hard to come to terms with the personal adjustment.

“We like our bedroom community. We like to ride our bikes up and down. It’s busy as it is,” Ryan said. “For the safety of our kids – they go to South Valley (Junior High) – and almost the majority of them ride their bikes up and down Lindsey Road, I just think it’s going to be a nightmare.”

For more details and to share your opinion, call 480-898-4100 or visit connectinggilbert.com. Comments are accepted until July 14.

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Heritage Trail improvements make for better appearance and safer use

STORY AND PHOTOS BY SRIANTHI PERERA

Yet another stretch of trail that runs through Gilbert received some utility, safety and aesthetic features recently.

The less than 2-mile improved stretch of Heritage Trail along the Consolidated Canal runs from Warner Road to Western Canal, about a halfmile south of Guadalupe Road.

Even without a concrete pathway, the trail was apparently popular.

“It’s a very utilized trail,” said Ryan Blair, senior project manager in the town, who oversaw the project. “We didn’t realize how much people use this trail.”

The main focus of the project was to install a concrete pathway for pedestrians and bicyclists. Other features added were a ramada, bike racks, drinking fountains, benches and minor landscaping. Decomposed granite pathways were installed on either side of the trail for equestrian use because horses don’t like to step on concrete. The trail’s features were also made compatible with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

With the help of electricity, the drinking fountains yield chilled water.

“Trail users said they don’t use drinking fountains when they’re not cold,” Blair said.

Another detail is the two buttons at the crossing, one placed high and

the other lower, so that riders don’t have to get down from their horses to push the button to cross the street. Entry nodes onto the pathway from housing developments were also improved with landscaping and barriers “so people coming this way at night don’t run into the canal.”

While $1.2 million was used from the General Fund for the project, the town would most probably be reimbursed about 95 percent of the cost from Salt River Project’s aesthetic funding, Blair said.

The Arizona Track N’ Trail organizes twice-weekly runs on the Heritage Trail. Club member Ken Snow, a town of Gilbert employee, runs the trail weekly for nine months of the year.

“The trail has always been popular,

Salvage yard gets the go-ahead despite residents’ protests

BY WAYNE SCHUTSKY

The Gilbert Town Council conducted a marathon four-hour session on June 29 with the bulk of the time focused on a proposed Arizona Auto Parts salvage yard at the former Schuff Steel site that faced heavy opposition from area residents.

After spending two hours hearing from residents, town offi cials and representatives from Arizona Auto Parts, the council approved the project on a 6-1 vote. The only dissenting vote came from Councilmember Eddie Cook.

The project, on 13 acres on Cooper Road south of Guadalupe Road, initially gained the required approvals and a conditional use permit from the Gilbert Planning Commission on May 3. However, community opposition to the project motivated councilmember Jared Taylor to fi le an appeal.

The appeal focused on requirements for the conditional use permit that denote the project must not be detrimental to the health, rights and safety of people living in the area.

Much of the opposition focused on the project being within a current Arizona Department of Environmental

Quality WQARF (Water Quality Assurance Revolving Fund) site due to groundwater contamination caused by an off-site industrial company years ago. The program supports the ADEQ to assess and resolve contaminated groundwater sites in Arizona.

Residents are concerned that further contamination caused by fl uids associated with the auto salvage yard could exacerbate the issue.

“We have a federal superfund site present already on this location from (contamination in) the 1960s and the high risk of contaminants being brought to the area should not be ignored,” Gilbert resident Joe Backus said.

Later in the meeting, Gilbert Water Resource Manager Eric Braun addressed the issue and stated that Gilbert and the ADEQ are heavily monitoring the area for contaminants due to the previous issue and that the town will know if future violations occur due to that existing monitoring.

“For anyone who is developing in this area and has a possibility of illicit discharge, this is the place in Gilbert where we would catch it,” Braun said.

Thirteen Gilbert residents registered to speak against the motion at the beginning of the meeting, and six more residents chose not to speak but expressed disapproval.

Residents were also concerned about the security of the facility and how it would affect the landscape and views from their homes.

Eight speakers, some Gilbert residents, spoke in favor of the project, including Arizona Auto Parts fourth-generation owner Mike Pierson, who emphasized the company’s more than 100-year record of compliance with all local and federal environmental regulations at its other sites throughout the Valley.

“We provide a very responsible way for these vehicles to be recycled and reused,” Pierson said.

Sean Lake represented the applicant and spoke at length on the measures the company will take to address resident concerns, including erecting a 10-foot solid metal fence around the property and using industry standard equipment to capture contaminants from cars.

After a lengthy discussion regarding the potential for further contamination

of the site and the security of the site, the majority of the council expressed approval of the steps taken by Arizona Auto Parts to address community and environmental concerns.

The council expressed sympathy with resident concerns but also noted that the site falls within the heaviest industrial zoning in Gilbert’s general plan and, as long as the company abides by existing regulations, the town does not have the authority to bar an approved use of the land.

“I think we were able to protect the rights of the residents... but I also believe that the rights of the business owner should be recognized as well,” Taylor said.

The council approved the measure with some amendments. The council stipulated that depollution activities will take place on site underneath a canopy and vehicles awaiting depollution will be staged on a concrete surface that drains into an industrial oil/water separator.

Additionally, environmental reports generated by the company for ADEQ will also be provided to the town.

but also use varies with the season,” he said.

Snow appreciates the new sidewalk.

“As unimproved surfaces go, trip hazards are always a concern and the sidewalk makes the route much safer in this regard. Also, the concrete pathway makes the path much more friendly for young kids on bicycles, strollers and wheelchairs,” he said.

Gilbert has 52 miles of completed trails (concrete, asphalt or decomposed granite), about 20 miles of unimproved trails (gravel or dirt) and two miles of trail improvements in progress.

The town has completed several projects to improve connectivity of the trail system, which connects with Chandler, Mesa and Queen Creek.

Gilbert has three trail systems that run north-south (Heritage Trail, Santan Vista Trail and Marathon Trail) and one that runs east-west (Western Powerline Trail). They connect to most of the parks and the riparian preserves.

The trails parallel the canals that are part of the Valley’s canal system and are maintained by SRP.

Last year, improvements were made to a stretch of Western Canal from Chandler city limits to Cooper Road.

Future projects include improvements to a part of the Santan Vista

The drinking fountains provide chilled water year-round.

Trail, which goes along the Eastern Canal, running north-south from west of Greenfield Road to Gilbert/Riggs roads. Improvements are to be made between Ray and Warner roads on the east side of the canal. It will have a resting shade area about halfway between Warner and Ray roads, where two smaller trails connect.

The design is to be complete by August and the project is expected to be complete by September of next year.

Details: srpnet.com/water/canals/ distances.aspx

UnitedHealthcare provides access to Gilbert Hospital

BY GSN STAFF

Gilbert Hospital, a whollyowned subsidiary of New Vision Health, and UnitedHealthcare have established a new network relationship, giving people enrolled in UnitedHealthcare employer-sponsored, individual, Medicare and Medicaid health plans access to Gilbert Hospital and physicians.

Gilbert Hospital’s physicians and other healthcare providers are committed to improving access to quality care, enhancing clinical outcomes, lowering costs of care and creating an exceptional patient experience for East Valley residents in Arizona, according to a release issued by the company.

Located at 5656 S. Power Road, Gilbert Hospital is licensed as an acute-care general hospital with around-the-clock services including emergency, expanded in-patient including ICU; diagnostic imaging; pharmacy; laboratory; and surgical services.

“Gilbert Hospital and UnitedHealthcare will work together to enhance and improve access to critical health services for more of our patients at Gilbert Hospital,” said New Vision Health CEO Dennis Rutherford. “This new relationship with UnitedHealthcare will have a positive impact on its plan participants who live and work in Gilbert and the surrounding communities.”

“Gilbert Hospital is an important provider of health care services in Gilbert, offering patients and their families greater choice and access to quality, cost-effective care,” said Dave Allazetta, CEO of UnitedHealthcare in Arizona.

In Arizona, UnitedHealthcare serves nearly two million people enrolled in individual, employersponsored, Medicare and Medicaid health plans with a network of 96 hospitals and more than 26,000 physicians and other care providers.

Road restrictions expected in Fiesta Tech area through March

BY GSN STAFF

Due to underground infrastructure improvements, traffic disruption is expected to occur in the Fiesta Tech area near the southeast corner of Baseline Road and Country Club Drive in Gilbert.

The town has contracted with Achen-Gardner Construction to install a sewer pipeline, sewage lift station and water pipeline in the area.

The following is a tentative schedule for the work, which will begin on Baseline Road and continue to Fiesta Boulevard south to Guadalupe Road:

Phase 1: Scheduled to start July 10 and continue through September, pipeline construction will take place on the south side of Baseline Road, beginning east of Country Club Drive, to Fiesta Boulevard.

Work includes laying water pipeline west of Fiesta Boulevard and sewer pipeline from Country Club Drive to east of Fiesta Boulevard. Baseline Road will remain

open for travel; however, road restrictions will be in place to shift traffic away from the construction zone.

Phase 2: As pipeline installation nears completion in Baseline Road in September, work will move to Fiesta Boulevard, beginning at Baseline Road and moving in a southerly direction to Tech Boulevard. At this time, northbound Fiesta Boulevard will initially be closed for three to four weeks, between Tech Boulevard and Baseline Road for work in this area.

Guadalupe Road north to Tech Boulevard from December through February. Road restrictions will be in place, and flagmen may be used to assist in managing traffic on Fiesta Boulevard during this time.

Phase 3: Work will then take place on Guadalupe Road, from Fiesta Boulevard to east of the Union Pacific Railroad tracks, October through December. Guadalupe Road will remain open for travel with traffic shifted away from the work zone.

Phase 4: Work will continue on Fiesta Boulevard working from

Phase 5: Work will return to Fiesta Boulevard between Tech Boulevard and Baseline Road, and on Baseline Road east of Country Club Drive to east of Fiesta Boulevard in February and March to make necessary pipeline connections to the existing system. Baseline Road will remain open for travel; however, road restrictions will be in place to shift traffic away from the construction zone. Business access will be maintained during this work, which is expected to be completed in March.

For questions, call 480-8984090.

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Orbital unveils new satellite engineering building

BY WAYNE SCHUTSKY

Advanced aerospace manufacturer and longtime Gilbert employer Orbital ATK officially pulled back the curtain on its new satellite engineering building recently. The 60,000 square-foot facility is located on the site of Orbital’s existing satellite manufacturing plant at Elliot and McQueen roads. It will provide a basis for the company’s employment growth plans moving forward.

The expansion is part of a five-year plan that will see Orbital ATK hire 155 additional workers, mostly engineering scientists, through 2020, Orbital ATK Gilbert Site Manager Rick Kettner said.

The company will primarily be adding high-wage jobs with an average salary of more than $100,000, Gilbert Mayor Jenn Daniels said.

The grand opening kicked off with a ribbon-cutting ceremony with Daniels and Orbital ATK executives and followed up with an information session.

Orbital has a presence in 17 states across the country, and Arizona contains one of the company’s largest single state footprints, with more than 1,800 employees in Gilbert, Chandler and Mesa facilities.

The company officially moved engineers into the building in mid-June, culminating

the 16-month-long build.

The company chose to expand its presence in Gilbert due, in part, to its longstanding business relationship with the town. Its Gilbert manufacturing facility broke ground in 2001 and has played a large role in the town’s economic development since then.

“The sleepy, conservative enclave of Gilbert was about to be tossed into the big leagues,” said Joan Krueger from the Gilbert Chamber of Commerce, who was present at that groundbreaking in 2001.

Tax incentives, along with ready access to an educated workforce – buoyed by STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) programs at Arizona State University, Chandler-Gilbert Community College and nearby Mesquite High School – also played a role in Orbital ATK’s decision to expand in Gilbert, Kettner said.

The new facility also solves some logisti-

cal problems for the company by allowing for easy collaboration between engineering and manufacturing teams. Those groups often work hand-in-hand, and the co-location will allow the company to build and integrate systems under one roof.

“Gilbert is business-friendly and very proactive,” Kettner said. He added that the town is family-friendly, which is an important consideration for much of the

company’s workforce.

Safety and quality of life concerns were also taken into account, as the new facility will cut down on commute times for engineers who will no longer have to travel between two sites, Orbital ATK Space Systems Group President Frank Culbertson said.

Currently, the company has several programs in production at the Gilbert manufacturing facility for public and private entities.

It is under contract with Thales Alenia Space to assemble, integrate and test 81 spacecraft for the Iridium NEXT program. It is also working on the Ionospheric Connection Explorer satellite for University of California Berkeley/Space Sciences Laboratory and ICESat-2 ice topography measurement program managed by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Program Center.

Additionally, the facility is to begin production on Landsat9 and JPSS-2, which will contribute to programs run by National Aeronautics and Space Administration, United States Geological Survey and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Landsat9 is a $129.9 million project, and JPSS-2 is a $240 million project.

The expansion is another win for

Arizona’s robust aerospace manufacturing industry.

During his brief comments, Arizona Commerce Authority Executive Vice President Keith Watkins noted that Arizona’s economy is driven by industry leaders like Orbital ATK and that a Pricewaterhouse Coopers report ranked Arizona number one in aerospace manufacturing attractiveness nationwide.

“This expansion enhances Arizona’s already impressive aerospace and defense industry,” Watkins said.

Arizona has managed to develop this industry despite a political climate that is not always friendly to weather and climate science, disciplines that often utilize satellites created by Orbital ATK.

“Our strong demographics and commitment to the industry speak for themselves,” Daniels said. “Because we all work so well together as a region in the East Valley, we are lucky to attract employers like Orbital ATK.”

Kettner views Orbital ATK’s presence in Arizona as a net positive and a resource to keep an open dialog about climate change in the state. He referenced a carbon emission observatory manufactured by the company as a tool to help educate people.

“There are things technically that we can provide that can help us all make more informed decisions,” he said.

Wisdom Natural Brands receives global exporter recognition

BY GSN STAFF

Wisdom Natural Brands, makers of SweetLeaf Stevia Sweetener, recently received the distinguished Sun Corridor Export Award for the company’s global exporting achievements.

The Sun Corridor Export Recognition Program selected Wisdom Natural Brands and 16 other businesses from Pima, Pinal and Maricopa counties, to be honored at a recent event.

Michael P. May, the new president of Wisdom Natural Brands, is a former executive vice president and COO who brings knowledge and experience to his new role. He is expected to lead the company toward continued national and international growth, a company statement said.

May is now at the helm of the worldwide corporation with a presence in more than 30 countries and throughout the United States. His role encompasses a unique combination of overseeing the formulation and implementation of strategy, as well as management of operations for SweetLeaf and Wisdom of the Ancients functional beverages.

“We are constantly driven by the desire to help people live healthier lives through

the products that we offer,” May said. “This desire has no borders. We will grow intelligently, yet aggressively, at home and abroad so that we can deliver on our mission to make the world a sweeter place.”

Thinking about funeral planning, but still not sure?

Why it makes sense for advance planning: Regarded as an exempt asset when applying for assistance, affordable payment plans, when planned and funded and funded in advance, your family will experience less stress and avoid emotional over spending and sudden financial burden.

Come and get your questions answered!

Lunch and Learn dates: (Location 21809 S. Ellsworth Rd., Queen Creek, AZ 85142)

Wednesday July 12, 2017 from 12:00-1:00

Thursday July 13, 2017 from 12:00-1:00

Dinner and Learn Dates: (Location 21809 S. Ellisworth Rd., Queen Creek, AZ 85142)

Wednesday July 12, 2017 from 5:00-6:00

Thursday July 13, 2017 from 5:00-6:00

GPS appealing nearly $1 million state funding claw back

BY SRIANTHI PERERA

GPS Governing Board voted unanimously to appeal an Arizona Department of Education audit that directs it to repay nearly $1 million for erroneous reporting of student enrollment numbers.

Auditors determined the district mischaracterized students from parttime to full-time in 975 instances during fiscal years 2014, 2015 and 2016. As a result, the district was over-funded by $952,739.67, the report states.

Board members attribute the discrepancy between the enrollment, known as the Average Daily Membership, and the stateallocated funds to a Senate Bill related to school finance that was recently signed by Governor Doug Ducey.

SB 1156, which goes into effect August 9, “will change the way that the full-time equivalent students’ minutes and hours of instructional time are calculated at the high school level,” said GPS attorney Jennifer N. MacLennan, during a special meeting held at the GPS administrative offices recently. “That new calculation was not in effect at the time this audit has been published.”

school districts/charter holders to audit whether they properly reported student enrollment, which is directly tied to basic state aid.

This year, 33 audits have been done so far. Six didn’t have any discrepancy; the department has under-funded five and the balance 22 school districts have to return funds to the department.

Swiat said that million dollar figure returns due are not unusual either; Primavera, the online school in Chandler, was audited for 2012-2014 and had a funding adjustment of $1,415,675, while the Arizona School for Integrated Academics and Technologies was audited for 2010-2012 and had an adjustment of 4,721,456.

This year, Gilbert Public Schools was caught randomly in the department’s audit crosshairs.

“This audit came about after an inquiry by the school district as to how the ADM or full-time equivalency is calculated,” said Reed Carr, clerk of GPS board.

However, Stefan Swiat, a spokesman from the Arizona Department of Education, said: “That has nothing to do with anything. We performed an audit over the past three years; the law, the last three years, did not include SB 1156. Even if the SB1156 was real, and existed at this time, we would have to perform another student calculation.”

The three-year duration of the audit, released May 31, corresponds to the tenure of Superintendent Christina Kishimoto, who is leaving for a top education position in Hawaii that begins August 1.

Swiat said that the timing was a coincidence and that there were no red flags that prompted the audit.

“It’s an absolute coincidence that’s nothing to do with anything,” he said. “It never figured into why the school is audited.”

Each year, the Department of Education randomly selects about 30

“I reviewed correspondence from the school district administration to Arizona Department of Education and that’s correct,” MacLennan said. “The administration specifically requested that ADE (education department) assist in understanding how the full-time equivalent students in the high school level should be calculated and ADE then initiated an audit.”

Because of the appeal, it’s not clear yet whether the school district will have to make do with less funds the coming school year. The district’s budget already projects a reduction of about $6 million because of declining enrollment.

The district has 30 days from the date of receiving the audit report to file an appeal. It’s usually followed by an informal settlement conference between representatives of both parties, where it would make its case.

“Typically, they get a year to pay,” Swiat said. “We withhold state aid a little bit every month throughout the year next year. They also have the option to write a letter applying for hardship and they can get that paid out over two years.”

Opioid addiction focus of committee in the southeast Valley

BY SRIANTHI PERERA

With evidence of a full-blown crisis at hand, opioid addiction in the Southeast Valley has a new force to reckon with.

Tempe Councilmember Joel Navarro is heading a large, multi-agency and multi-city committee to find ways to share resources and ideas to create a best practices ap-

a result of an opioid overdose (opioids include heroin as well as prescription medicine).

The new numbers have prompted Arizona Governor Doug Ducey to declare a statewide health emergency and issue an executive order to increase the reporting

Opioid Epidemic In Arizona &

and Tempe shows medium-low activity.

Arizona Department of Health Services reported in July 2015 that from 2008 to 2014, there were 1,903 cases of neonatal abstinence syndrome, an increase of 235 percent, of babies born addicted to drugs because their mothers used them.

Navarro, a former fire fighter in Phoenix, worked last year on a national task force on drug addiction and met people who were battling the epidemic in the West Coast.

“We have opportunities to learn from best practices that are going on around the country and craft something that makes sense here,” he said, adding “We want to be effective; we want to be efficient; we need to advocate for programs that are going to make an impact.”

Navarro established the local committee in November, comprising representatives from Governor Doug Ducey’s office, Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, Chandler Coalition on Youth Substance Abuse (CCYSA), the Chandler Gilbert Substance Use and Treatment Task Force, medical, educational, public safety providers and substance use treatment and recovery groups from East Valley cities.

Ted Huntington, who heads CCYSA, is part of the Chandler Gilbert task force and

proach to the problem.

“It does not matter who you are; addiction will hit everybody,” said Navarro, addressing representatives from the Regional Opioid Action Planning Committee at the Graduate Hotel in Tempe recently.

“It’s a crisis, and right now, we’re in the middle of it,” he added. “Over-prescribing of pills, the availability of heroine, Fentanyl, Carfentanyl – all these things have really got us to this point. That’s why we’re here; to work together.”

According to new data from the Arizona Department of Health Services, 790 Arizonans died from an opioid overdose last year, showing a startling increase of 74 percent over the past four years.

The report also shows that more than two people from Arizona die each day as

of opioid-related data, allowing state health officials to have information within 24-hours.

Data collected during the third week in June under the directive show 191 suspected opioid overdoses, 15 of which turned fatal.

While data specific to the Southeast Valley is difficult to parse, Maricopa County shows that opioid-related mortality rates have increased between 20052015 for all types of opiates, pharmaceutical opiates and heroin.

The county also has created a map of Metropolitan Phoenix denoting drug activity by zip code – it shows high and medium-high activity in central Phoenix and Mesa, while Chandler and Gilbert show medium to medium-low activity,

also a member of Navarro’s committee, has been leading efforts to educate the community and counter drug abuse in Chandler for many years.

Working with five sectors – healthcare providers, pharmacists and dispensers, law enforcement, education and prevention and rehabilitation – the task force has devised a strategic plan to fit Chandler, and also added partners from Gilbert and Queen Creek.

Its strategies include constant networking; using the CCYSA’s website as a resource tool; community presentations on topics such as the prescription drug disposal program and alternatives to prescription drugs; helping schools with implementing their campaigns; changing health care as it pertains to prescribing practices, referrals to treatment and messaging to peers; and promoting pharmacists’ use of Controlled Substances Prescription Monitoring Program.

“The committee’s common theme is to allow for the leaders in the community to understand their community and then adapt these different principles to that and be flexible with that,” Huntington said.

Gilbert Briefs

Summer anthem

Gilbert is embracing the summer heat and the recently celebrated National Sunglasses Day (June 27) with a song. Gilbert Digital released a summer anthem: “We Wear Our Sunglasses All Day in Gilbert, AZ,” with the video and song lyrics promoting popular things to do and see around town.

The video features golfing, going to the pool, biking trails and dining. The song and video is a parody of Corey Hart’s “Sunglasses at Night.” The video is available on Gilbert’s Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

For more things to do in Gilbert, visit discovergilbert.com.

Smoking ban

The Maricopa County Parks and Recreation Department has expanded the annual fire ban to include smoking, excluding in vehicles and in developed areas including parking lots, picnic ramadas and campsites. Following the fire ban that took effect on May 8, the ban on smoking is a preventive step

against brush fires during extremely dry conditions.

Normal restrictions of the fire ban include banning campfires, fire pits and charcoal grills. It is still acceptable to use gas or propane grills in the designated areas.

Violation of the fire ban may result in a citation.

For more details, call 602-506-2930 or visit maricopacountyparks.net.

Weight loss sessions

The new Weight Loss Center at Dignity Health Mercy Gilbert Medical Center offers care from experts and support from peers to allow individuals to achieve their weight loss goals with dignity. The center also offers support groups on topics including weight loss procedures, exercise and nutrition, with no registration or cost.

The next sessions are as follows: Health Benefits of Weight Loss Surgery from 6-7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 15 and Managing Dietary Changes for Successful Weight Loss Surgery from 6-7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 17. The sessions will be held

at McAuley A. Medical Office Building, Third Floor, 3420 S. Mercy Road.

Details: 480-728-5673 or visit dignityhealth.org/ mercygilbert/weight-loss.

Opioid data

The Arizona Department of Health Services has a new way of collecting data on opioid emergency and opioid-related fatalities in response to the opioid epidemic. The new real-time data collection system was introduced following Gov. Doug Ducey’s recent executive order for immediate action in opioid emergency response, and for data to be reported to ADHS within 24 hours of an event.

There will be five categories of data collected in the new system including opioid-related overdoses and deaths, naloxone doses both administered and dispensed and cases of neonatal abstinence syndrome. ADHS also intends to train 700 law enforcement and emergency medical services personnel on administering naxolone, the overdose reversal drug.

ADHS will update its website with opioid-related reporting every Monday.

To view it, or for more information on

training, reporting requirements, opioid information and frequently asked questions, visit azhealth.gov/opioid.

Raising children

Gilbert was named on the list of SafeWise’s top 30 Safest Cities to raise a child recently. The town was named 16th on the list among selections from across the country. Gilbert was selected as a safe city to raise a family because of its roots as an agricultural town turned suburban living area.

The switch to suburbia has created an environment with a wide variety of programs for every member of the community, the company noted.

SafeWise names its top 30 familyfriendly communities by reviewing sex offender concentration, state graduation rates, overall school quality ranking and FBI violent crime data from its most recent collection in 2015.

SafeWise is a home security and safety brand working to increase safety education, awareness and preparedness in American communities.

More at safewise.com.

Banned refrigerant impacting area heat-pump owners

BY JIM WALSH

As temperatures soar across the East Valley, so is the cost of keeping aging heat pumps working for area homeowners.

Regardless of whether homeowners are trying to hang on to their existing heat pump till its last blast of cold air or are replacing it, they’re digging deeper into their wallets.

The choice: buying a new, more expensive heat pump or paying far more for a once-cheap refrigerant called R-22 to keep the old one hanging on.

A target in the war on climate change since the U.S. ratified the Montreal Protocol in 1988, the gas is being phased out because it depletes the ozone layer around Earth.

New heat pumps relying on it have not been manufactured since 2010 and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has declared that since a heat pump lasts an average 10 years, R-22 can no longer be produced at all starting Jan. 1, 2020.

The EPA has already ordered severe cutbacks in its production as part of the phase-out and a transition to new units that use the less offensive R-410 refrigerant, a chemical that depletes the ozone at a lesser rate.

Meanwhile, the law of supply and demand is driving up the price of R-22 for homeowners who are holding on to their older units.

While the R-22 is still widely available, the price has more than doubled, according to a Phoenix air conditioning contractor and the Air Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute, which represents the heat-pump industry.

The EPA ordered a steep, graduated step-down in R-22 production from 51 million pounds in 2014 to only 13 million pounds this year. Only nine million pounds will be allowed to be produced in

2018, and less than half that amount during its final production year in 2019.

While the price of R-22 is rising, consumer advocates are urging homeowners to resist scare tactics some air-conditioning businesses are using by telling them that the gas is no longer available and that they need the new and costlier heat pumps that use R-410.

Francis Dietz, a spokesman for the Air Conditioning Heating and Refrigeration Institute, said the rising cost of R-22 can motivate some homeowners to consider a higher-efficiency, R-410 unit.

“I would say it’s not as plentiful as it used to be and more expensive,” he added.

Dietz said it might be possible for someone to keep an older, less- efficient heat pump operating “if it is running fine and all it needs is to be topped off with some refrigerant.”

But, he added, “It’s never a bad idea to at least get a quote on a new unit and the efficiency rating.

“There’s a lot of misinformation in the market. In some cases, they are telling people there is no refrigerant available,” said Mike Donley, president of Donley Service Center in Phoenix, which operates a Gilbert branch serving the East Valley.

“Most units out there have R-22 in them,” Donley added. “They are working fine. People don’t have to do anything. People will have R-22 units well into the future.”

But if an older R-22 requires an expensive repair, such as replacement of a compressor, the consumer should consider replacing it with a new R-410 model, Donley said.

Donley said the prices of repairs as well as new units varies substantially in the market, depending upon the details of

an installation and the size of the house.

As a rule, he said, a new unit with installation can range from $5,000 to $8,000, with $7,500 an average.

“It depends on the efficiency level, the brand, who is putting it in,” Donley said. “The customer has a lot of options. We try to present the options.”

Donley said consumers need to make an informed decision on whether to repair an older heat pump, realizing that production of R-22 will be banned in three years and that they are looking at increasingly high repair bills in the event of a leak – a common repair issue with heat pumps.

The higher efficiency of new units and the promise of lower electricity bills also should be factored into the decision, he added.

The financial decision on whether to repair or replace a heat pump is not unlike the decision to pay higher maintenance bills to keep an older car running, instead of replacing it with a new or newer one, industry experts said.

Donley urged consumers to check out companies before hiring them, making sure they have a long track record in the business and a good rating from the Better Business Bureau.

“The most important thing is who you call, who is serving your home,” he said.

Along those lines, the Maricopa County Correctional Health Services has introduced MOSAIC, an intensive, six-week substance abuse treatment program to inmates. Consenting participants work with medical and mental health staff to overcome their addiction and develop skills to prevent them from failing and lapsing into unhealthy behaviors and returning to jail.

“You have to continue to service (people) outside of the jail,” Navarro said.

Questions such as: “Are there enough resources? Is there enough connectivity? And where do we lose people?” should be posed by communities in its efforts to find solutions, he said.

Another is the Community Paramedicine program, where cities send paramedics to individuals they have previously identified, help them along in their treatment and get specialized help if necessary. This also helps reduce 911 calls that create a large cost to cities.

Educating youth is another pillar that needs constant enforcement, officials said.

“We’re seeing a reduction in youth smoking by virtue of the campaign hitting them in the head about how bad smoking is,” Navarro said. “Those are powerful ways to do it; they cost money and they cost time. You’ve got to still hit on message over and over again.”

Navarro said that the committee will bring factors to light to show where the gaps and the shortfalls are.

During the committee’s last meeting at the Graduate Hotel, the participants divided to discuss a three-pronged approach: foster regional cooperation, increase public awareness by all means available and facilitate treatment in jails.

Committee members are working over the summer to achieve two to three items in the resultant action plan; they will reconvene on September 5 to evaluate their work.

“Our regional partnership will make a difference as we begin to execute our plan,” Navarro stated in an email to the group.

Gilbert continues to grow downtown with entertainment

Long overshadowed by its Valley counterparts, Gilbert is now making inroads as an entertainment destination, as long-gestating downtown development plans mature and draw key restaurants, retailers and other attractions.

The development plans behind Gilbert’s downtown follow a Valleywide trend that favors creating dense, walkable districts filled with local and regional vendors, versus the traditional mall and power center models popular in the past.

Theatre, is focused on developing additional retail and restaurant options, Amanda Elliot, Heritage District liaison said.

Fox Restaurant Concepts’ Culinary Dropout at The Yard is scheduled to open in Spring 2019 at the north end of the district to coincide with the new parking structure.

In what seems a direct contradiction to the walkable model, parking is another main concern.

Gilbert will invest in a new parking structure at the north end of the Heritage District that should open in early 2019 to coincide with the opening of the new Culinary Dropout at the Yard.

That parking will likely be necessary to support the influx of new business coming in alongside the homegrown brands that have provided the foundation for further development, like Joe Johnston’s Joe’s Real BBQ and Liberty Market along with other local fare like Bergie’s Coffee Roast House and The Farmhouse.

In addition to local fare, Gilbert has also attracted Phoenix-based restaurant tenants, including products from Fox Restaurant Concepts (Zinburger) and Upward Projects (Postino, Joyride Taco House).

The presence of those chains has helped Gilbert attract other successful local Arizona restaurants to the area like O.H.S.O. Brewery, said Todd Folger, CBRE Retail Services first vice president.

The new O.H.S.O. location is scheduled to open in Spring 2018.

Gilbert’s Heritage District, which already has a unique entertainment option in longtime resident Hale Centre

There are also plans to add an over 8,000-square-foot restaurant and retail co-op space in between Vaughn and Page Avenues on Gilbert Road. The space is being developed by LGE Design Build, and will be similar to the now-closed UNION at Biltmore Fashion Park in Phoenix with multiple small retailers in an open setting, Elliot said.

There are plans for an additional building on a site just west of the co-op that will also include ground floor retail and restaurants with three floors of office space.

Gilbert is also putting out an RFP to develop additional office space on an eight-acre parcel west of Gilbert Road near the canal.

That diversification – retail mixed with office – is being developed in response to requests from the business community.

“We know we need office in the area,” Elliot said. “Tech companies (and other companies in general) have reached out looking for office space in the Heritage District.”

Gilbert owns most of the land in the Heritage District and by the end of the next fiscal year it will have a masterplan in place for its remaining property in the area, Elliot said.

– Reach Wayne Schutsky at 480-898-6533 or wschutsky@timespublications.com.

SALES EVENT

306-8655

Gilbert artisan’s personalized jewelry fills a niche

BY HAILEY MENSIK

Most mornings after Shannon Clark gets her children ready for school and takes her youngest to day care, she comes home and gets right back to work.

Inside her Gilbert home, her office is just a tiny room filled with strange-looking industrial equipment – she has a laser engraving machine, metal stamping machine and walls donning shiny silver chains, pendants, crystals and anything else she could need to fulfill her customers’ requests.

Her company, “Branded Heart,” sells custom handmade jewelry, sometimes engraved with a favorite quote or loved one’s name per customer request. What started as a creative pastime took off as a growing online business and she continues creating and selling the pieces through the handmade section on Amazon.

Today, more than 50 percent of items sold on Amazon come from individuals and small businesses from every state in the U.S. and more than 170 countries around the world.

Other artisans in Arizona have also taken to the online platform for their businesses, with many rejecting the need for a physical storefront as the online retail industry swells, putting many traditional retailers out of business.

Despite online competitor Etsy’s focus on handmade items, Clark says Amazon reaches a much larger customer base that’s helped her company expand since she started in 2011.

After the birth of her third child, Clark wanted a personalized piece of jewelry as a keepsake. Instead of simply purchasing one for Mother’s Day, her husband, Sean Clark, bought her a sanding set and she taught herself to hand-sand jewelry.

Reluctantly, she posted her first piece on Etsy and watched requests flood in for more engraved pieces from buyers in just a week.

“I kind of thought it would start out as a hobby, you know, maybe I’d make $100 a year,” Clark said. “But after the first week it was blowing up.”

It’s now her full-time job, and with Amazon as a platform, she ships to customers all over the globe.

“I ship to the U.K., Canada, Australia, Singapore,” she said. “But I do receive a lot from the Phoenix area.”

As a mother of four, the ability to work entirely from home enables her to stay close to her family and maintain a flexible schedule – reflective of the brand itself, rooted in cherishing memories and loved ones.

“First and foremost, I’m a mom,” she said.

At ages 10, 7, 5, and 1, her four children help her implement new trends in her business.

“My kids kind of keep me in the loop with what’s going on,” she said.

One such trend is engraving personal handwriting on pieces, which she does with her laser-engraving machine, adding meaningful detail to her memorial pieces. She is able to design the writing on a computer and transfer it to the machine, which does the engraving for her.

On the site, customers choose a piece and list what they want it to say. Once Clark receives the order, she gets right to work designing and creating the piece and is able to contact them online with any questions that arise.

As noted on her Amazon site, she ships in five to seven days, but often can do it sooner.

“I know a lot of my pieces are memorial pieces and they mean a lot to people so I try to get those out to the person pretty quickly,” she said. “I do it all by hand, but I sometimes can do it in one day.”

Currently, Clark uses Amazon just as a platform for customers to purchase

her items. She receives the orders, designs and creates the pieces, and packages and ships them off herself.

Her next goal is to use Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) , a service allowing merchants to sell online but to store their products in Amazon’s fulfillment centers so Amazon can pack and ship a seller’s products.

With FBA, sellers outsource customer service to the online retailer and its staff, allowing them to focus on making quality pieces. Amazon ships the products directly to customers and offers Amazon Prime benefits such as free shipping and fast delivery – within one day, on many occasions.

In 2016, sellers worldwide using the FBA service grew more than 70 percent.

Because Clark’s pieces are unique, with a relative’s name or special quote engraved, to use FBA she would create about 20 top-selling, more generic pieces for Amazon to store, but continue taking special requests and shipping those pieces herself.

Clark’s lifestyle and ability to work from home attracts others to the online handmade market.

For anyone wishing to enter the online retail industry, Clark’s hesitant first sell is an example of the platforms’ potential.

“I never knew it would become what it is today,” she said. “So if you enjoy doing it, list it online because you’ll never know where it will take you. You’d be surprised.”

Passion for food motivated innovative Grubstak owner

BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI

Colton Grubb knew when he stepped foot into his new Heritage District restaurant, Grubstak, that he made the right business decision.

“Walking in and seeing the lights turned on, and the first few entrees that went out, that was amazing,” says Grubb, the grandson of Valley auto magnate Lou Grubb. “The guests really enjoy the meals. That’s probably the most rewarding part.”

Grubstak bills itself as an upscale, fastcasual restaurant serving made-to-order meals built on stackable waffle fries, roasted root vegetables and crunchy greens. The eatery opened December 5 in downtown Gilbert.

“We have eight signature stacks,” he says. “With them, we either feature a roasted root vegetable medley or waffle fries.”

The Grubstak ($9.95) serves up 50/50 waffle fries, Schreiner’s breakfast sausage, pork belly, cheddar cheese, grub gravy and fried egg. The Gold Rush ($9.95) is a mélange of gold – 50/50 waffle fries, golden chicken, golden sauce, blue cheese, carrots and celery.

Grubatouille ($8.45) features roasted root veggies, Parmesan-crusted zucchini, yellow squash and tomato sauce. The Mac Attack ($9.95) is a restaurant favorite – Grubchetta macaroni and cheese, tomato chetta and more mac served with shishito pesto.

For those who have a sweet tooth, there’s the Give Me S’More ($6.75), which is made with cinnamon graham-cracker bread pudding, marshmallow fudge sauce and brûléed marshmallow.

The menu is an expansion of Grubb’s dream.

“The initial idea or ‘a-ha’ moment was when I thought to do something unique with French fries,” he says. “I like to be indulgent or decadent. I grew up eating very healthy, though. We always had veggies and salad at dinner. I needed to have the best of both worlds.”

Grubb then challenged himself to come up with a concept and menu that he could eat daily. He recruited the help of Gilbert resident and operations manager Seth Widdes.

The key to Grubstak is that everything is made fresh.

“Every time someone orders, we make that fresh to order,” Grubb says. “If you order fries, we drop those. We’re not cutting food out of bags. We braise all the proteins. We do all the prep work for our roasted veggies.”

Most important to Grubb is the kidseat-free promotion that requires the purchase of an adult entrée. It applies to children younger than 12.

“That’s something we take pride in,”

says Grubb, who married wife, Katie, in November.

Recently, Grubstak added brunch on Saturdays and Sundays that features French toast sticks ($7.75) with cinnamon and sugar, whipped cream and seasonal toppings; and farmers market veggie frittata ($7.99) with egg whites and seasonal vegetables from the Gilbert Farmers Market or Agritopia.

For Grubb, it was important to use local produce and artisans. He used Phoenix-based LGE Design Build to create the interior vibe. Vintage Industrial of Phoenix created three large community tables with power, purse hooks and USBs. The back wall is adorned with four photos of his grandfather farming on Long Island.

“I wanted to incorporate local as much as possible,” Grubb says. “All of our beers and wines are local. We have nitro cold-brewed coffee from the Roastery of Cave Creek. It’s on tap. We use Shamrock Foods, which is an Arizona company. Most of the components have a local touch.”

Choosing downtown Gilbert was an easy decision for Grubb.

“Gilbert was a town that I kept hearing about for the last few years, in terms of what was growing and doing well,” he says. “I grew up in Central Phoenix and spent time in Gilbert – when it was farms and not known as a happening place for food.

“When I got into this project, I looked at every corner of the Valley and kept coming back to Gilbert. I was able to spend some quality time out here. It has a unique vibe.”

The whole project satisfied his urge to start a business. Grubb, a graduate of Brophy and Southern Methodist University in Dallas, was previously employed in the auto business, and by the Phoenix Suns.

“I was getting out of the car business and I knew from my work experience that I wanted to hopefully have my own business and be my own boss,” he says. “I was really passionate about having food – good food.

“My brother-in-law gave me a little idea. I kept expanding on that and the idea evolved. I couldn’t stop thinking about it and went for it.”

Giving up the family legacy of working for car dealerships was fine to Grubb.

“I just didn’t have that passion working that many hours per week,” he says. “You really have to love what you’re doing. I finally made the decision not to force it anymore.”

With his family’s approval, he went forward with his plans for Grubstak.

“I learned a lot from my dad and my

grandpa,” he says. “I’ve been lucky enough to have some great mentors in different businesses. It all came together for Grubstak and the next phase of my life.”

Smoothie Run off to a good start in Gilbert

STORY AND PHOTOS BY SRIANTHI PERERA

A few months after opening, Smoothie Run’s signature products are proving to be a hit with its customers in Gilbert.

Laveen-based Marcus Moody opened the second outlet of his concept on the southeast corner of Higley and Ray roads, a stone’s throw from the Agritopia housing complex. His first Smoothie Run is in Laveen.

“People want healthful options,” Moody said. “That’s how all this came about.”

The suite housing his Gilbert location used to house a pizzeria, Moody said.

“Prior to coming here, I asked the community ‘what would you like here?’ and the top three things were smoothies, pizza and sandwiches,” he said. “This is exactly what we did. We made it happen.”

Smoothie Run offers 20 fruit and vegetable smoothies in various combinations, including cucumber, carrot and grape and celery, orange and lemon (all smoothies are priced $5.50 regular and $6.50 large). Besides the refreshing beverages, it also has pizza, salads and a selection of cold and hot sandwiches including the popular Spicy Jerk Chicken ($7.95 for 6 inches and $9.95 for 12 inches).

The latest addition to the menu is boba tea. Also called pearl or bubble tea, the drink became popular in Asian countries after it was founded in the 1980s in Taiwan. Ingredients in the traditional drink are tea, milk and tapioca balls, or pearls, that float in the bottom of the drink and then are chewed when slurped up through a straw.

“We have had several customers asking about boba tea, and we want to give our customers what they want,” Moody said.

Smoothie Run is also adding several other drinks to its summer menu, including fruit-based iced teas such as raspberry, mango and peach, sweetened and unsweetened iced tea, as well as blended and frozen iced coffee drinks.

While he hasn’t done much marketing of his restaurant so far, he has a plan in place.

“I felt that people really needed to come in and see who we are and buy into our system,” he said. “I wanted to organically see what people wanted and let them do the marketing for us for the first six months.”

About 40 percent of the restaurant’s customers order through Uber Eats, which is proving to be a good stream of revenue for him.

Moody, who has operated restaurants for 20 years, is also a marketing manager for Dunkin Donuts in the Western region. Previously, he held a similar role for Subway and at another sandwich place in Nebraska.

Moody and his wife, who works in behavioral health, moved to Laveen from Nebraska because of its farmland.

“Now it’s grown; it’s not rural anymore,” he said.

While he discounts moving to Gilbert anytime soon, Moody is taken up by the town’s character and economic development.

“This is an up-and-coming area. I’ve always loved Gilbert. I go downtown all the time.

It’s a great community. We knew it was up and coming. We wanted to be there because we’re up and coming as well,” he said. “It just all fit very well.”

Learning swim safety

Gilbert Parks and Recreation Department offers swim lessons to support water safety for children 6 months and older every summer. Here, a group of tykes splash around and get comfortable in the water at the Mesquite Aquatic Center recently.

1. Instructor Allie Lott gathers up her students in her arms during swim class.

2. Three-year-old Olivia Oborn shows off her swimming skills to instructor Adryen Covarrubias.

3. Shelby Nelson talks with her students, John Seeley and James Flathers.

4. Instructor Alex Bernal carries a load of students across the pool during class.

5. Mia Ortega gets a ride from instructor Scarlett Uribe during the swim lesson.

6. Ashley Orme pulls her daughter Sara, 1, through the water during swim class.

7. Isabela De la Torre, 10, practices her back dive during her diving lesson.

8. Kelsey Brown with daughter Eden, 2, enjoy the lesson.

9. Alex Bernal gives instruction to Jordan Dahl, 7, during her lesson.

10. Naomi Avery, 2, gets a kiss from mom, Jacquilyn Avery, during swim class.

instructor Christopher McCoy as she swims back to the side of the pool.

12. Instructor Adryen Covarrubias demonstrates the proper arm position to her students. 1 2 5 3 4 6 7 8 9 10 12 11

CGCC Teal & Silver recipients

Chandler-Gilbert Community College honored its 14th Annual Teal & Silver award recipients during a breakfast at the college’s Williams Campus recently. The 10 winners were recognized for their dedication and support of its students, employees, programs, services and the college community.

The recipients are:

Bill Rotondo, Chandler Christian Community Center; Community Organization Partner

City of Chandler & East Valley Jewish Community Center; Community Organization Partners

Cynthia Nannetti, CGCC Law Enforcement Training Academy Instructor; Community Leader

Diane Fernichio, Step Up Schools Mesa; K- 12 School Colleague

Dinah Guy, Highland High School; K- 12 School Colleague

Orbital ATK; Business Partner

Rosanne Shaw, Chandler High School; K- 12 School Colleague

Southwest Airlines; Donor Partner

Troy Rundle, ASU Vet Success; University Partner

Violet Nelson , Chandler High School; K- 12 School Colleague.

Details: cgc.edu.

Highland High teacher wins award for outstanding biology

BY GSN STAFF

Jamie Blum, a biology teacher at Highland High School, has received the 2017 Outstanding Biology Teacher Award for Arizona. The award is presented by the National Association of Biology Teachers, in conjunction with Carolina Biological Supply Company.

“Ms. Blum is a valued member of our education community. She has a passion for science that she shares with her students while holding them to high standards of learning,” said Dr. Daryn Stover, director of Arizona’s Outstanding Biology Teacher Award, in a news release.

“Her engagement with and encouragement of students in the classroom are truly impressive. We are pleased to recognize her years of dedicated service,” he added.

Given annually since 1961, the honor identifies a teacher from each of the United States, the District of Columbia, U.S. Territories and Canada who has made invaluable contributions to the profession, enhancing the teaching of biology. Its criteria include teaching ability, experience, innovation, initiative, positive student-teacher interac-

tions, and collaboration in the school and community.

Blum received her Bachelor of Science in Biology from Arizona State University and has a career in education spanning 26 years, 22 of which have been spent teaching biology, including honors courses, at Highland High.

She is also the school’s coordinator and an instructor for Advancement Via Individual Determination and the chapter sponsor for Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

Jamie Blum has taught biology at Highland High for more than 20 years and is the recipient of a national award for her work.

As the Biology Professional Learning Community leader, Blum also mentors her fellow educators and offers professional development sessions for new teachers.

Winners will receive their awards at the conference of National Association of

Biology Teachers in St. Louis, Missouri in November. Blum will also receive a gift certificate from Carolina Biological Supply Company and a complimentary year’s membership in the association.

Since being established in 1938, the association has been recognized as a “leader in life science education.”

Thousands of educators have joined to share experience and expertise with colleagues from around the globe; keep up with trends and developments in the field; and grow professionally.

Details: nabt.org.

John Woody Joins Weichert, Realtors – Home Pro Realty

BY GSN STAFF

Weichert, Realtors –Home Pro Realty is proud to announce John Woody has joined their Gilbert office. Woody joins a dedicated team of knowledgeable agents at Weichert, Realtors –Home Pro Realty, who bring many years of combined real estate expertise to their clients.

Weichert, Realtors – Home Pro Realty, located at 3011 S. Lindsay Road, is an independently owned and operated affiliate of Weichert Real Estate Affiliates, Inc. For more information, please contact Aaron Stradling at 480-8785300 or stradlingaaron@gmail.com

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Residence Inn Marriott Sold by Marcus & Millichap

BY GSN STAFF

Marcus & Millichap has announced the sale of the 100-room extended-stay Residence Inn Marriott in Gilbert. The terms of the sale were not disclosed.

Built in 2013, the property is located at 3021 East Banner Gateway Drive, a short distance from the Banner Health Center. Highways 60 and 202, the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and PhoenixMesa Gateway Airport are all close by.

“The sale of the Residence Inn Gilbert demonstrates that the hotel investment market remains liquid and active. Hospitality investors are actively seeking to place their capital into upscale, branded hotels with diverse demand-generators and powerful brand recognition,” Wes Christensen, a senior associate with Marcus & Millichap’s National Hospitality Group, said.

iRun4Good 5K jumpstarts woman’s love for running

BY JAMES ESTRADA

If an eighth day were added to the week (with apologies to The Beatles), Gilbert resident Ruth Estrada, 50, would spend that day consumed with what consumes most every day of her week –running.

Ruth found this passion only in the last year; in October 2016, she ran her very first race, the iRun4Good 5K sponsored by For Our City Gilbert.

Urged by friends to participate, Ruth took up the challenge as a way to help with the mission of the now annual race, to stem the awful tide of domestic violence.

This year’s race is on October 28 and will help in the fight to control substance abuse among youth.

“I believe in the cause,” Ruth said, “and I have found that I like to run.”

With this first 5K under her belt, she has since become an avid runner in many races taking place throughout the Valley. This spring, she finished first in her age category in her very first 10K. Ruth is planning on tackling a 15K and half-marathon in the very near future.

“Running is good for your cardiovascular system,” Ruth added. “It’s good for managing a healthy blood pressure and

your mental health as well.”

Now training four days a week, Ruth takes to the trails around the Gilbert community to build stamina. She includes a group of ladies who have taken up this healthy habit with her.

“We want to thank the organizers of iRun4Good who actually made us think

about this new venture,” Ruth said. “It’s been a long road since last October, with seven finishing medals on my wall, but it’s an enjoyable road. I love it!”

For details on iRun4Good, visit irun4good.org.

To save the family: Washington Federal’s four branches in the Southeast Valley, including Ocotillo, Gilbert and Mesa, donated $1,500 to Mesa’s Save the Family Foundation through its Washington Federal Foundation corporate giving program recently. Photo shows (from left): Tina Lopez, chief development officer at Save the Family Foundation; Lisa Shah, vice president/loan officer at Washington Federal; Lisa Davey, vice president/Northeast Arizona division manager at Washington Federal; and Linda Snidecor, grants manager at Save the Family Foundation. The donation is to be used toward offering transitional housing to homeless families. Save the Family Foundation has been serving the community since 1989 and currently operates more than 204 units of housing Valleywide that provide transitional housing for homeless families. The organization’s overarching goal is to equip families so they can address poverty, overcome homelessness and achieve self-sufficiency.

Trained K-9s join hospital security team

BY GSN STAFF

Chico, 2, and Scout, 1, are Czech Shepherds who have received extensive security dog training and are now working with fellow Chandler Regional security employees Mike Watkins and Robert Andazola.

“The dogs and handlers are still fairly new to each other, but their bonds grow each day,” said Chris Bellino, director of security for Dignity Health in Arizona. “We have had great success for nearly a decade with K-9 teams at Dignity Health St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix. With the addition of a Level-1 trauma unit at Chandler Regional, it seemed fitting that we expand the program.”

While Dignity Health’s current East Valley security dogs will primarily work at Chandler Regional, they will also occasionally visit Dignity Health Mercy Gilbert Medical Center. Hospital employees are also being trained how to work appropriately with the new teams to ensure the program’s success.

Hospitals around the country routinely use security dogs. Often, their mere presence results in a safer environment.

Chico and Scout will patrol all areas of the hospital with their handlers to provide a sense of comfort and serve as a tension reliever for patients and families who are going through stressful situations.

“We’ve been fortunate to have a very safe campus and we’re confident that the addition of the K-9 program will further enhance safety and security for everyone at Chandler Regional,” said Jane Hanson, chief operating officer of Dignity Health Chandler Regional and Mercy Gilbert Medical Centers.

Girl Scouts–Arizona Cactus-Pine Council awards town residents

BY GSN STAFF

Gilbert residents Stephanie Carriere and Donna Pocano were honored with Girl Scout High Achievement Awards recently. The ceremony was held at Girl Scouts–Arizona Cactus-Pine Council’s newest facility, The Bob & Renee Parsons Leadership Center for Girls and Women at Camp South Mountain in Phoenix.

Carriere served as cookie manager, presenter at the Council Cookie Conference and member of the Council Boothing Committee this year. In the last role, she helped secure booths at grocery stores for the entire council.

She received the Appreciation Pin for her overall efforts.

Previously, Carriere served as a troop leader, service team member, neighborhood cookie manager and member of the Council Cookie Team. During her first year as cookie manager, Carriere increased the number of adult volunteers on the Cookie Product Team by 40 percent, enabling them to have a very successful cookie season.

Girl Scout awards

• The Appreciation Pin for those who have gone above and beyond the expectations of their position in at least one neighborhood.

• The Honor Pin for those adult volunteers who have delivered outstanding service in two or more neighborhoods.

• The Thanks Badge is the highest honor in Girl Scouts and recognizes an adult Girl Scout whose ongoing commitment, leadership and service have had an exceptional impact on the goals and mission of the entire council.

• The Thanks II Badge is given to those who have already received the “Thanks Badge” but continue to provide exemplary service in a leadership role to the entire Council.

Pocano, who was awarded the Honor Pin, holds multiple positions in her Girl Scout service unit, as well: archery instructor, a Getting Started volunteer coach and a delegate to the GSACPC annual meeting.

As an Authoring Your Own Life trainer, she has helped girls and women grow as they explore their own leadership stories.

“Volunteers are truly the backbone of our organization,” said Tamara Woodbury, CEO of the council. “They are the heartbeat and the heroes of Girl Scouting and play one of the most important roles in our girls’ lives – providing them a space for each girl to be herself.”

The award criteria are established by Girl Scouts of the USA.

The council holds a special recognition ceremony annually to honor these

volunteers, who are nominated by their peers and selected by the nominating committee. The honorees usually have served as a troop leader for several years and volunteer at the neighborhood level.

The organization’s jurisdiction is broken into 48 geographic areas called neighborhoods, which are run by volunteers and support the Girl Scout troops in their area.

Summer safety: Parents’ behaviors become learned behaviors

BY CARRIE HOLMES

With temperatures climbing across Arizona, we try our best to stay cool. But with fireworks and backyard barbeques, staying cool can sometimes mean showcasing adult habits that may not seem inherently dangerous, but when observed by kids, can become so.

Drinking is a very common component in social gatherings. For cookouts

you may not realize exactly how much you’re consuming.

Besides the fact that adults should always drink responsibly, it’s important to realize that parents’ behaviors can quickly become learned behaviors by their kids, particularly when it comes to alcohol, according to the National Council of Alcoholism and Drug Depen -

“Remember that children look to their parents as role models.”

on national holidays, like Memorial Day or Labor Day, or even just celebrating birthdays, anniversaries, and other events, often drinking plays a central role. Independence Day is no exception. In fact, it is the top beer-drinking holiday in the U.S., according to Market Research and WalletHub. And when you’re spending your entire day relaxing and having a good time with friends,

dence. As you might expect, drinking alcohol is a completely learned behavior; kids learn to drink by imitating what they see. If a child or teen sees their parent constantly drinking at social gatherings, they may begin to think consistent drinking at these sorts of events is normal. And teens may even begin to partake in it themselves, and at an early age.

The summer is more dangerous when it comes to teen drinking overall; more teens will have their first drink of alcohol on a summer day compared to a day during the school year, according to a survey from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. And on holidays when drinking is more prevalent, this risk only increases. Remember that children look to their parents as role models. Although parents may tell their kids “do as I say, not as I do,” kids will still learn from their parents’ behaviors. So whether you’re hosting a local neighborhood cookout or heading to the pool with friends, showcase responsible drinking habits, and remember not to drink and drive.

Carrie Holmes is the program coordinator of the School and Communitybased Counseling Services program at Southwest Behavioral & Health Services. Holmes has a master’s in social work and has been working with children and families for more than a dacade.

Mother-daughter business team helps people get organized

BY COLLEEN SPARKS

Getting organized can be an emotional rollercoaster for people as they struggle to decide what long-time possessions to keep and which ones to throw away or donate.

Recruiting the help of Erika Gentner and Kerry Rehberg, co-owners of Dependable Divas, a professional organizing company with clients in Gilbert, can help.

The mother-and-daughter duo spends much time in Gilbert, along with Chandler, Mesa, Ahwatukee and Tempe, tackling people’s messy closets, play rooms, garages and other areas of their homes.

“A lot of times when people call, they are in the middle of a life-changing event – if it’s death, divorce, a move, a new baby – so a lot of times people are very emotional,” Gentner, a married mother of two sons, said. “We’re probably greeted at the door once a week to someone crying. It could be tears of fear or tears of happiness. Fifty-percent of our job is counseling; the other 50 percent is actual organizing.

“I know how busy and hectic life can be,” she added. “I know how much better and smoother my house runs when it is organized.”

A former event planner with a degree in hotel and restaurant management from Northern Arizona University, Gentner

said she and her mother started the company 11 years ago. Gentner had also worked as a household manager for a family in California and Rehberg had worked as an assistant to a CEO.

The two women put their organizational skills together in starting the company, initially doing mostly personal assisting for people, including helping clients pay their bills and getting clothes from dry cleaners.

“Once we got into homes, we thought maybe they need help with their stuff,” she said. “We’d go from room to room and help them get organized.

“We mostly do the organization now,” Gentner said. “We help people with their moves, help get them de-cluttered before they move. We’ll help them unpack.”

Customers can request a certain area or get the whole house organized. Three to five contract workers will help Gentner and Rehberg to organize an entire house. Sometimes only two people are needed to organize an area.

Before starting their work, Gentner and Rehberg ask clients questions if they are comfortable sending photos of the space that needs to be improved.

“We ask them questions on the phone,” Gentner said. “What areas do you need the

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most? If you could wave a magic wand, what would it look like? Are you willing to get rid of items? Do you have built-in storage? How long has it been since you’ve been through your closet?”

After talking for about 30 minutes, the ladies have a good idea of “what the problem areas are” and how many people it will take to do the work, she said. About 75 percent of the calls are from women, often between the ages of 30 and 60.

It costs customers $55 an hour per organizer. The clients also must reimburse Dependable Divas for any products the business buys to help them get organized, including bins, baskets or shelves.

Rehberg said the company made in the six-figures after having only been in business for about two years.

When it comes to deciding what things the organizers will donate to charity or throw out and what items to keep, some clients want to see every belonging first, Gentner said. Some people want to supervise the organizers and approve everything before it’s given away, while other clients don’t want to be involved.

Gentner said often people have “too much stuff” in their master bedroom closets and have trouble parting with clothes that hold sentimental value.

She and Rehberg ask clients when they last wore clothes and if it’s been a while, they suggest perhaps they can donate it to someone else. It’s okay to keep some things for sentimental value, but the organizers urge them to display it somehow, perhaps in a frame or archivable photo box.

It’s easier for Gentner and Rehberg to be objective in deciding what clients might want to keep since they have no emotional attachment to the belongings.

“You don’t just want it wadded up in your sock drawer,” Gentner said.

Speaking of sock drawers, she and Rehberg said one special moment was when they were helping a young mother, whose husband had died suddenly, get organized. While they were packing the husband’s clothes, they discovered he had hidden money in his dress socks, which meant his widow, who had three young daughters, received more than $3,000.

They said the woman cried with joy.

Another perk of the job is seeing people excited about the positive changes in their homes.

“That’s probably one of the best parts about the job is at the end when you get that big smile and hug,” Gentner said.

Working with her mother is also a benefit of the job.

“It all just comes so naturally,” Gentner said. “We are able to finish one another’s sentences or act without even saying a word to each other.”

Rehberg also had praise for her daughter.

“Who do I know and adore more than anyone else in the world? My daughter. Erika was, and still is 11 years later, my number one choice as a business partner,” she said. “She is trustworthy and honest, which are huge in our line of work.”

For anyone who wants to try to get organized on their own, Gentner offered advice. When trying to organize bedroom closets, she recommends grouping clothes by types, including all pink shirts hung near each other and all black work pants in one section.

In children’s playrooms, Gentner likes to put toys in bins with labels bearing pictures on them to help younger kids know where to put things away.

Organ Stop Pizza celebrates ‘Christmas in July’ for a cause

BY KEN LAFAVE

When summer electric bills soar across the Valley, many families are forced to choose between paying for air conditioning and buying food. To help out, Organ Stop Pizza holds its “Christmas in July” food drive each year to keep their most vulnerable neighbors from going to bed hungry. It’s just one of the ways the iconic pizza restaurant repays the community’s loyalty after all these decades.

few people can play the massive, complicated instrument. Part of the reason is that only 40 theater organs currently exist in the United States, where once there were more than 7,000. The unique instrument with its horseshoeshaped console, originally designed as accompaniment to silent films, flourished between about 1910 and 1930.

Most needed items are:

• Cash donations

Christmas in July aims to help stock United Food Bank’s shelves. Organ Stop will match cash donations up to $5,000 from customers and Lew Williams’ Christmas CD “Holiday Pipes” will be on sale for $13.95. For each copy that is sold in July, $2 will be donated to United Food Bank, according to Organ Stop Pizza.

• Peanut butter

• Canned meat

• Canned fruit & vegetables

• Cereal – whole grain, low sugar

• Soup, stews, chili, beans

• Milk – canned/dried

• Rice and pasta

Please, no glass jars, baby food, or opened food

“When you drop off donations for this food drive in July, you will be able to step out of the triple digit temps into the spirit of the holidays,” Organ Stop Pizza co-owner, Jack Barz, said. “We’ll deck the Mighty Wurlitzer and walls with a Christmas feel. Jingle all the way to OSP in Mesa and help a worthy cause!”

The original Organ Stop Pizza opened in 1972 in Phoenix. Founder Bill Brown loved two things: pizza and theater organs – so he brought the two together. And the magic is still there.

The instrument at its Mesa locale boasts four keyboards and a pedalboard connected to 6,000 pipes. Very

“There’s probably only twelve to fifteen people who can play this instrument and play it well” Barz says. Organ Stop Pizza employs four of them.

“’The Phantom of the Opera’ is the most frequently requested song,” Barz says.

A close second to that is “anything Disney.”

On the other hand, don’t ask for “InA-Gadda-Da-Vida.”

Why not?

“None of our organists know it.”

Throughout July, Organ Stop promises to keep the air conditioning cranked up and the halls decked with holiday sprit, despite the sweltering temperatures outside. Bring in at least two approved non-perishable food items between July 1 and 31st and receive 10 percent off your entire kitchen bill that evening.

For more information, visit organstoppizza. com or call 480-813-5700. For more information about United Food Bank, visit unitedfoodbank.org or call 480-398-4464.

Sotheby’s opens office in Gilbert for Southeast Valley

BY PAUL MARYNIAK

Sotheby’s International Realty might be known for marketing places like the $165-million, 12-bedroom home and 15-acre ocean-to-lake estate in Manapalan, Florida, but that doesn’t mean the company doesn’t like what it sees in the Southeast Valley.

In fact, it is specifically opening an office in Gilbert because it likes what it sees – a lot.

So much that Sherri Monteith is leaving her home of 24 years in Flagstaff, where she has been the managing broker of Ross Lyons Sotheby’s office in that city, to assume the same position for the company’s new office.

“I’m making a huge change and making a huge commitment to this office,” said Montieth, a Pittsburgh native who has been in real estate for 17 years – all but three with Sotheby’s.

She has been Ross Lyon Sotheby International’s managing broker for its Sedona office for nine years and the rest of the time at its Flagstaff operation.

“This is a very important office she’ll be running,” said Jeff Hall, an Ahwatukee Realtor and retired attorney who will be one of 25 agents at the new office.

Hall is not only relieved he doesn’t have to drive to Sotheby’s Scottsdale office anymore, but he’s also excited about seeing

more exposure for Sotheby’s in the East Valley.

The 250-year-old British multinational company, based in New York City, is often recognized for its massive auction house operation.

But Hall said that when it comes to real estate, “We have the sophistication of a well-cut suit. Nothing is loud. Everything is subtle. That’s what Sotheby represents – quiet sophistication.”

And for agents like himself, he added, “The management is so professional and meticulous. They take care of their agents. They make sure their agents have every single tool they need, and the monthly fees are a quarter of what many agents pay elsewhere. They go all out to help the agents.”

market even though the company’s name often is associated with high-end luxury homes.

“Our bread and butter is the three-bedroom and two-bath home,” she said. “We do well in the high-end market because of the international exposure but the client selling the $100,000 condo will get the same treatment as the person selling the sevenfigure mansion.”

Conceding “we’ve always done very well in the high range,” she added, “but our emphasis has always been on quality, not price point.”

Montieth didn’t set out for a career in real estate when she started at Northern Arizona University, graduating with an advertisingmarketing degree.

been in management.”

And she sees her new job as an attractive challenge.

“I love start-ups and love meeting people” she said. “And I’ve always had my eye on the East Valley.”

“There’s plenty of room for this office to grow. In Flagstaff, you get to the Tonto Forest pretty quickly,” she noted, a reference to how nature hems in the firm’s geographical area.

Her job at the new office will be growing its presence in the region and making sure her agents have all the tools they need to succeed. “If they are successful, we’re successful,” Montieth said.

“I’m protective of the people we already have,” she added. “I want people to come in and be part of the family atmosphere. I take a huge interest in my agents.”

Hall said Sotheby’s decided to open a Southeast Valley office after studying upward-trending real estate markets worldwide.

Montieth said the decision has little to do with the region’s seven-figure housing

“I graduated and promptly remembered I was in Flagstaff,” she said, joking about the dearth of ad agencies there.

So, she signed up with Century 21 for three years before Sotheby’s lured her away.

Despite her long tenure in real estate, “I’ve never sold any,” she said. “I’ve always

Montieth said that as she figures out “how to use the Sotheby name and branding to build its business,” she’ll be pushing hard the notion that sellers can expect “the international treatment” from the company, whose trademark dark blue “sale” signs “carry a lot of prestige.”

As for home buyers, she said, “I think they will like the high-quality type of agent we attract.”

Mariposa Point of Gilbert open for senior care

BY SRIANTHI PERERA

Well-heeled seniors in Gilbert have a new place to spend their golden years with adequate care and near family.

Mariposa Point of Gilbert, a 65,000-square-feet facility for those needing assisted living and memory care, laid out its welcome mat recently. It comprises a total of 83 units with 49 devoted to assisted living and 34 to memory care.

Residents receive three individualized meals per day, light housekeeping and laundry, transportation to shopping and medical appointments, access to

reserved by mid-June. “Dementia, in general, is on the rise.”

The Dallas, Texas-based company McFarlin Group and Surpass Senior Living is opening five properties in the Valley, located near freeways and medical centers.

The Gilbert facility is located across from Mercy Gilbert Medical Center at the southwest corner of Val Vista Drive and the 202 Freeway.

a Registered Nurse and to recreational activities, among other services.

The long, rectangular footprint means there are no upper floors, so residents don’t have to ride an elevator or take a staircase to reach their apartments.

“We’re already a third of the way full in memory care,” said Leslie Davis, director of sales and marketing, adding also that 32 of the 83 units were

Mariposa Point Features

As senior living facilities go, Mariposa Point has a few unique features. Among them:

• Concierge Medicine: The program enables medical personnel to see residents in their own residence.

• Seven Dimensions of Wellness: Social, emotional, intellectual, spiritual, community connections, intergenerational and physical blends occupational pursuits with environmental, cultural and vocations interests. These are adapted from the Six Dimensions of Wellness developed by

The Mesa location is near Mountain Vista Medical Center, the Phoenix location is near Banner Estrella Medical Center, and the Surprise location is also in the vicinity of medical offices.

The positioning is deliberate, said Matt Johnson, principal of McFarlin Group.

Rios, regional director of clinical services; and Kevin DeRosa Advance Paper & Maintenance Supply and past-chair of Gilbert Chamber of Commerce.

Guests at the formal opening of Mariposa

for

He said that seniors, during the last 5-10 years, have delayed moving into facilities for care.

“They’re moving into assisted living at a much older age with more disease

Dr. Bill Hettler from the National Wellness Institute; the “intergenerational” was added in recognition and support of the important of seniors engaging regularly with other generations, including the very young, teenagers and young adults.

• Advisory board: A local board of advisors helps increase community connections and keeps the company accountable.

• One Week University: Every quarter, top professors from the Valley present lectures for a week. The community believes that learning is a life-long process.

and disability and the residents are getting a lot more care services. A lot of time they come out of a hospital or a rehab facility into assisted living,” Johnson said. “So we like to be located nearby healthcare.”

The company’s fifth property in the Valley will also be in Gilbert. It is soon to break ground on a $40 million project to build 202 units of independent living in a complex nearby to be called The Aspens at Mariposa Point.

The continuum of care campus will enable residents to move to the assisted living or memory care as their needs change, Johnson said.

Mariposa Point of Gilbert is at 1445 E. Willis Road, Gilbert. Details at 480-545-8900 or mariposapointofgilbert.com.

Chamber puts business owners in the limelight

BY SRIANTHI PERERA

The Gilbert Chamber of Commerce presented the 11th Annual Business Awards at the DoubleTree by Hilton Phoenix-Gilbert recently. Chamber President Kathy Tilque invited on stage individuals and teams from companies who dedicated themselves to the chamber’s mission this past year (winner photos below). She presented them with keepsake awards and commended them for their contribution to the business community in Gilbert.

The chamber, which welcomed its 700th member recently, has had a good year with “continued significant momentum in many of our efforts and advocating on behalf of the businesses,” said Joan Kruegar, chair of the board.

Small Business Council; JW Rayhons of Rayhons Financial Solution, Partners in Progress Initiative; Michelle Taylor, Transamerica Financial Group Division, Ambassadors Committee; and Rich Vandermolen of Sub Zero Nitrogen Ice Cream, Public Policy Committee.

Liaison recognition: Cindy Barnes of Chandler-Gilbert Community College; Shea Joachim of Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport; Christina Kishimoto, Gilbert Public Schools, Gilbert Town Councilman Jordan Ray; Stephanie Salazar, Arizona State University; and Mike Thomason, Higley Unified School District.

Director recognition: Tom Murray, SRP.

Rick Kettner, Gilbert Chamber chair-elect; Holly Pritulsky, Holly Pritulsky Agency; American Family Insurance and Kathy Tilque, president of the Gilbert Chamber.

“A chamber of commerce is not a building or a location; a chamber is a collaboration of individuals who are threaded together by a common value,” she also said.

Award winners/nominees are as follows:

Committee chair recognition: Candy Body, board developer, Gilbert Leadership; Jasmine Holmes of 910 West,

Individual finalists: Jamy Belcher of Eternal Event Design; Cesar DelRosa of Delta 4 Benefits; Kina Harding of The Harding Firm; Rod Heibult of Prudential Insurance; Jan Simon of AAA Arizona; Felicia Vandermolen of Sub Zero Nitrogen Ice Cream; Kristy Vargas of Hyatt Place Phoenix-Gilbert; Ralph Willett of Willett CPA and Nelson Ruiz of Magic Pest Control.

Company finalists: 910 West; Bliss Realty & Investments; HG Roastery & Café; Phoenix Escape Room, Gilbert; The Harding Firm; and Herbally Yours.

Employer of Choice

Bowlero Gilbert offers a central destination for fun and games

BY JESSICA SURIANO

Bowlmor AMF has opened a massive one-stop shop entertainment venture, Bowlero Gilbert.

Brunswick Zone XL Gilbert became Bowlero Gilbert with activities for people of all ages after a multimillion dollar renovation. From 44 bowling lanes to an arcade to a laser tag arena, kids can escape the heat and adults can release their inner child.

In addition to these amenities, visitors will be able to chow down on an array of Instagram-worthy menu items such as an XXL Pretzel and the 14-inch-round Behemoth Burger. Adults 21 and older can wash the food down with a variety of drinks from the sports bar, including a Mad Mai Tai, old-school Moscow Mule or a Dunk Tank, a fishbowlshaped cocktail made for sharing with friends.

“Gilbert has evolved into one of the fastest-growing communities in the United States and is ready for new entertainment options as the population grows,” Samantha Bevacqua, director of brand management at Bowlmor AMF, said. “With more people wanting to live

and do business in Gilbert, Bowlero will transform the entertainment landscape by offering guests one central destination for casual fun, first-class family outings and unforgettable corporate events.”

Normal prices for bowling will range from $3.09 per person per game to $5.69 per person, per game depending

on the day and time of the week, and normal laser tag prices range from $5.99 to $7.99 per person, per mission.

“Bowlero’s modern amenities, retroinspired design, innovative amusements like laser tag, bumper cars, a state-of-the-art arcade with over 70 games, an inventive menu of oversized shareable eats and, of course, bowling,

sets Bowlero Gilbert apart from other entertainment venues in the area,” Bevacqua said.

Vanilla bean shortage threatens price of ice cream, baked goods

BY WAYNE SHUTSKY

The vanilla ice cream cone is in danger. The quintessential summertime treat may be harder to find in the East Valley this summer as local purveyors feel the effects of a global vanilla bean shortage.

Based on estimates from local business owners, the price of vanilla bean products – including extracts and pastes used to create ice cream — began to rise dramatically 6 to 10 months ago.

The source of price spike is a shortage of vanilla beans from Madagascar, which provides roughly 80 percent of the world’s supply.

Chelsea Mellor of Ahwatukee, owner of the bakery Iced For Life in Gilbert, said she uses vanilla bean paste “and the price has gotten so expensive.”

“Just last year I was getting one container for $40 or so and now the same container is about $94,” she said.

“About six months ago, I decided to alter my vanilla recipe to require less bean in order to save on costs, but ensure the flavor is still just as delicious. Our vanilla bean cake is one of our most popular, so it is crucial we still use the vanilla bean, but if it continues to rise we may have to find an alternative,” Mellor said.

The price that Chandler’s Ice Cream Sammies pays for its vanilla has gone up “by hundreds of dollars” in less than a year, employee Asia Caldwell said.

The price is not the only problem. The vanilla bean scarcity at the center of the issue also means that vanilla is harder to find for local businesses.

The shortage is not affecting all businesses equally as some have yet to feel the effects of the shortage. However, it does appear that word of the vanilla crisis is reaching those unaffected businesses.

“We personally have not been affected, but we have heard from some other vendors like Doc’s (Artisan Ice Creams) that they are seeing price increases on different grades of vanilla,” said Stefanos Proestos, general manager of Pomegranate Café in Ahwatukee.

Ice Cream Sammies staff has been able to insulate the company from the dramatic price increases and scarcity to an extent by stockpiling vanilla for future use. Caldwell also noted that only a handful of ice creams they make in-house use vanilla.

The shortage does not just affect ice cream. Makers of other vanilla-infused products – from coffee to cakes – are also feeling the burn.

For Mesa’s Smitholator Cookie Shop, the price of vanilla has risen roughly 30 percent over the past six months.

“It affects the bottom line a little, but it doesn’t cause us to raise prices because we just absorb it,” said Heather Smith, the shop’s owner.

Fluff It Marshmallows, a dessert shop in Gilbert, has felt the economic impact of the vanilla shortage as well. Owner Tricia Arce used to source her Mexican vanilla bean paste from an online retailer, but the price rise along with shipping costs forced her to look for a cheaper, local supplier.

Luckily, she found nearby Gilbert retailer Shar’s Bosch Kitchen Store.

Still, Arce has seen the prices at Shar’s rise in recent months, though a close working relationship with the provider has allowed Arce to keep her vanilla costs down.

“If (Shar’s) runs out, I will have to look elsewhere and that could raise prices,” Arce said.

Shar’s has seen vanilla prices rise 25 to 50 percent over the past several months, beginning in the Christmas baking season. The company has also experienced shortages and went through a nearly two-month period when it could not find vanilla products. It recently upped its order to avoid running out in the future, employee Lisa Westwood said.

Vanilla cultivation and curing is a laborintensive process, especially in Madagascar where the plants have to be pollinated by workers by hand. Vanilla was originally cultivated in Mexico where the plant is naturally pollinated by a small bee called Melipona, according to global vanilla supplier Nielsen-Massey.

Much of the scarcity has been caused by increased demand as more food manufacturers and consumers opt for natural vanilla over synthetic alternatives, according to Nielsen-Massey’s crop report for Spring 2017.

There is also a strong chance that the effects of Cyclone Enawo will further damage supplies in Madagascar.

That supply and demand imbalance has driven up the price of vanilla to historic highs during a price surge that has gone on for a half decade. Vanilla supplies dwindled early in the 2000s after a market crash forced many suppliers out of the industry. However, since that time, the use of natural vanilla has skyrocketed due to increased demand for natural flavorings from large companies like Whole Foods and Hershey.

Madagascar has also faced quality issues in recent years as some farm-

ers have resorted to early harvesting and less effective curing processes in order to combat the threat of theft and take advantage of soaring prices. This includes vacuum sealing green vanilla beans without properly curing them.

“The higher the price, the poorer the quality,” said Josephine Lochhead, president of Cook’s Vanilla, a gourmet vanilla supplier.

The government of Madagascar has set up official markets and put regulations in place to combat early picking and increase the supply of vanilla.

Last year, the price for green vanilla beans in Madagascar opened at $33 per kilo.

At the most recent market opening in Madagascar on June 20, buyers offered $34 per kilo for green vanilla beans while growers sought $120 per kilo.

The picked vanilla has to be sold

within four days, so it is likely the two sides will compromise on a figure between $60 and $70 per kilo, Lochhead said.

It takes roughly five to six kilos of green vanilla beans to produce one kilo of cured beans. However, the quality issues have driven that ration to around 8:1, according to the Nielsen-Massey report.

Even retailers like Fluff It Marshmallows that source vanilla from alternative markets are not protected from the price hikes since the Madagascar price heavily influences the world market.

Complicating the issue is the fact that some alternative markets like Mexico have had low yields recently. Mexico produced under six tons of cured vanilla so far this year. Madagascar has produced roughly 1,200 tons during that time.

The Madagascar price has skyrocketed so high that farmers are “swimming in cash,” Lochhead added, creating a volatile and potentially dangerous situation.

Banks in Madagascar are literally running out of cash, forcing the government to put regulations in place limiting the amount of cash that can be withdrawn and creating a volatile situation in the country.

How much longer the vanilla price surge will last is still up in the air.

Suppliers like Cook’s Vanilla are being very cautious in their buying practices and are hesitant to stockpile too much product. During the price crash in the early 2000s, the price dropped from $650 to $20 per kilo in one week, with devastating results for some companies.

“Nobody wants to be holding the beans when price drops,” Lochhead said.

Spectrum Car Care Center aims for integrity in service

BY JESSICA SURIANO

A local auto repair shop believes decency and honesty are its best business strategies to keep up with larger competitors.

Christian Bond, Gilbert resident and former high school teacher and information technology consultant, owns Spectrum Car Care Center, located in the central part of the town.

For several reasons, Bond started looking to purchase a business and break away from his education background. He had worked with his dad in an auto shop as a young adult, so when Spectrum hit the market, he knew it was a perfect fit.

“The main reason why I chose to buy this business was to get back to something more meaningful where I could help the people in my neighborhood like my father used to when he had a shop,” Bond said. “He built wonderful, long-lasting relationships with people that came to his shop. They were not just customers; they were friends that trusted him.”

Thanks to his history of teaching, Bond tries to educate customers on the basics of servicing cars.

Unlike his competitors, who he said try to sell customers more than they really need, Bond creates trusting relationships with his customers. With a quick glance at Spectrum’s Facebook page, people can see articles written by the business explaining topics such as car recalls and how to check seven different types of fluids found in a car on your own.

Even the website page at spectrumautogilbert.com/services aims to educate. Visitors to the page can read articles or watch videos on how to monitor and service some common car problems independently.

“For us it’s important to not just look at the bottom line and try to squeeze everything out of people – it’s about

having long-term relationships with people,” Bond said. “And you know what? The rest will follow.”

Spectrum is also a supporter of Starbright Foundation, 2DaRescue Dog Rescue, Spectrum Elementary School and Ashland Elementary School. The Starbright Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping abused children who have fallen victim to human trafficking.

2DaRescue is a no-kill shelter for dogs without homes; Bond has adopted his own furry friend and the business’s official “mascot” from 2DaRescue, Chloe.

“There’s thousands of nonprofit charities, but what I was looking for, basically, was something local working with neighbors,” Bond said.

In the past, Spectrum has held promotions in which the shop would donate $5 to the rescue for every customer serviced.

Bond said “good old human interaction” is what motivates him to stick with Spectrum Car Care, and his dedication to his customers seems to be paying off. In the approximate year and a half since Spectrum has been open, it has racked up as many five-star reviews as similar shops open for much longer.

“For us, it’s always the aspect of helping our neighbors – it’s extremely important to us,” Bond said.

One returning client of Spectrum, Margo Rockas, has been going to the shop for over a year, and has referred

her family as well as half a dozen neighbors to Spectrum. When she first visited the shop, it was for an oil change, but the staff also informed her that the air filter needed to be replaced.

Rockas was confused because another Gilbert auto shop had told her they replaced her air filter recently. The service manager at Spectrum informed her this air filter problem is a common “scam” by other shops; she was told sometimes shops will simply clean off the dust from a filter instead of completely replacing it, but tell customers they received brandnew ones.

“I feel, as a woman, we are always getting taken advantage of with repair shops so this was refreshing to be educated instead of taken advantage of,” Rockas said.

Another time when Rockas was in a dilemma, Spectrum gave her a rental car for a day. She said the staff understood she could not be without a car as a single mother.

“The shop is very women-friendly and they explain why and what you need for your car repair,” Rockas said. “Everyone needs a good, honest mechanic and I believe that should be Spectrum Car Care – we need to help our small local businesses stay successful.”

Toll Brothers’ Dorada Estates establishes entry monument

BY GSN STAFF

Dorada Estates, a Toll Brothers luxury home community located in Queen Creek just across the border from Gilbert, has established a noteworthy entry monument.

Located at Ocotillo and Recker roads just minutes from SanTan Village and the newly developed Queen Creek Marketplace, the housing development is set against a backdrop of mountains.

The gated entrance features a Modern Ranch architectural style and is flanked by brick towers with ornamental iron and dark wooden accents. A cascading waterfall, flowers and green landscaping complete the setting. By night, understated lighting illuminates the entry.

“In addition to aesthetic appeal, gated communities are popular with homeowners seeking an increased sense of exclusivity and privacy for themselves and their families,” said Rob Rasmussen, project manager for Toll Brothers.

Because vehicles must slow down to pass through the entrance, gated communities tend to have fewer speeding problems, he noted.

“Gated communities also have less traffic as non-residents are prohibited from using neighborhood streets as a cut-through to bigger thoroughfares or freeways. In a family- oriented community like Dorada Estates, children’s safety is a top priority,” Rasmussen said.

Dorada Estates has myriad neighborhood amenities designed for children to play and for family and friends to spend time together. They include a central park with a playground, ramada, half basketball court, greenbelts and walking paths.

“Our new gated entrance ensures that amenities here are only used by community residents and their guests,” Rasmussen said.

MATTRESS COMFORT:

Amerisleep, a company based in Scottsdale, opened its first store in Gilbert in the SanTan Village shopping complex. Its line of memory foam mattresses receive time and care in their construction. The store is at 2150 E. Williams Field Road. Details at amerisleep.com.

The entrance is a prelude to the luxurious homes and home sites situated beyond. Dorada Estates offers approximately half-acre home sites with single-family homes ranging from 3,461 to 6,668 squarefeet with up to six bedrooms and five-andone-half baths. Basements and casitas are optional features on some homes. A selection of six one-and two-story home designs, distinguished by open floor plans and large expanses of glass, are available. Two model homes are open for on-site viewing. Prices start from the mid-$500,000s. The development’s homes are extremely energy efficient and certified by Energy Star Version 3. They include cathedralized spray foam insulation to conserve the environment and save on heating and cooling costs. On the exterior, homes have a selection of Spanish, Andalusian or Craftsman architecture and up to five-car garages.

The Dorada Estates sales office is at 17673 E. Bronco Drive, Queen Creek, and open from noon to 5:30 p.m. on Monday and 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Details: TollBrothers.com/ luxury-homes/Arizona.

Teens win contest to record songs at conservatory

AND PHOTOS BY MELODY BIRKETT

Two valley teenagers recently won a contest to record an original song at The Conservatory of Recording Arts in Gilbert.

Aspiring singer/songwriters Sam Mortimer, 18, and Brittany Tews, 17, won the “Be Heard” contest. As part of that honor, they gave an intimate concert for family and friends in the recording studio. Two days later, they recorded a song they wrote.

“The conservatory is based on giving people the opportunity to get an education on the world of pro-audio and to connect them to their dreams,” said Ghery Fimbres, director of Admissions.

Until now, it has been all behind-thescenes education. Students learn to become engineers and audio technicians and learn about “work in a recording studio, live sound, broadcast audio sound at the movies, some for television,” Fimbres said.

Thousands of students, both local and from around the world, train in the 11-month program at both the Gilbert and Tempe campuses. Students train in stateof-the-art audio recording and mixing equipment – the same technology used in today’s best studios and remote broadcast facilities. They learn broadcast audio, live sound, film and TV audio, music, and video game audio.

Graduating from the Master Recording Program II opens doors for employment. All students must finish a 280-hour industry internship in order to graduate. So far, two graduates from the conservatory have been nominated for the 2017 Grammy Awards. This is the first competition where they’ve invited “recording” students to participate.

“What we did is, we decided to build a songwriting competition to let young people know there is a life in that kind of field,” Fimbres said. “We built the opportunity to have a competition, we gave people two weeks to put together some kind of demo of their original recording, and they submitted them. We chose two winners.”

He admitted it was tough to choose even two since they were flooded with submissions from very talented local teens.

Sam Mortimer just graduated from Marcos de Niza High School in Tempe. He wants to pursue music as a career after he gets back from a mission with his church.

Mother-son sock hop

Photos by Cheryl Haselhorst

Gilbert moms and boys turned up in their poodle skirts and jeans to bop and jive at the mother-son sock hop held at the Gilbert Community Center recently, put on by the Gilbert Parks and Rec department. Guests noshed on casual diner foods like burgers and root beer floats and each family received a photo to commemorate the evening.

1. Liam Matic, 5, along with his mother, Leah, lead the way as they “stroll’ between lines of dancers.

2. Isaac Presley, 2, checks out the competition while dancing with his mom, Amber Beyersdorfer.

3. Dancers form a conga line to dance across the floor.

4. Participants slip under the limbo bar.

5. Jackson Jones, 3, walks under the limbo bar alongside his mother, Ammarie, who shows her flexibility.

6. Shateena Brown cuddles with her son, Tere, 8, as they slow dance.

7. Vanessa Carell and son Michael, 6, slow dance on the dance floor.

8. Jensen Sturino, 4, reaches for the top of a stack of Jenga blocks as his mom, Ashley, watches.

9. Ammarie Jones swings her three-year-old son, Jackson, into the air while dancing.

Mateo Herrera, 8, dances with his mom, Barbi.

Jessica Pfeifer cuts some moves with her son, Aiden, 6.

Brenda and her son, Sean, enjoy the dance floor. 1 2 5 3 4 6 7 8 9 10 12 11

Higley school district extends superintendent’s contract

BY GSN STAFF

The Higley Unified School District Governing Board recently voted unanimously to approve a two-year extension to Superintendent Mike Thomason’s contract.

Dr. Thomason began as superintendent in July 2015 with a threeyear contract that was scheduled to expire June 30, 2018. With the decision, Superintendent Thomason’s contract will continue through June 30, 2020.

“I am excited to continue serving the students, staff, teachers and families of our Higley schools. We have an incredible community that is committed to the educational future of its youth,” Thomason said. “I want to thank the board for this opportunity and am ready to see all that can be achieved here in the Higley Unified School District, especially as we roll out our new strategic plan.”

Thomason began with the Higley district in 2009 as director of Special Education. He also served as assistant superintendent of Student Services and assistant superintendent of Operations. He has more than 20 years of educational experience within Arizona.

Governing Board President Kristina Reese praised Thomason for the past two years and said she also looks forward to the future.

“We are pleased to be able to have

the opportunity for Dr. Thomason to continue the great work he has started here in Higley. We are excited to be rolling out our strategic plan. This will provide continued stability with our district for our students, staff and community,” she said.

Higley Unified School District serves approximately 12,000 students in preschool through high school on 13 campuses.

Sam hails from a musical family and has been playing guitar for two years. As he puts it, “I’ve been doing music since I was a baby. We all sang; we all did piano. Mom sings and plays piano and her family was also musical. My dad died when I was nine, but he was also very musical.” He worked at the conservatory before Sam was born. Sam’s dad played guitar, recorded two albums, plus built a studio.

Sam is a triplet. His brother, who’s the same age, plays keyboards and violin, while his sister sings. Sam also has a 21-year-old brother, who plays drums, and a 24-year-old brother, who joined him in the recording studio playing guitar.

Sam enjoys all types of music. “I listen to everything. I love the oldies, soul, folk, I like country, rock. But I think I’d be interested in playing pop. I’d love a little jazz in between there.”

The song he wrote and recorded is called “Amazing People Do.”

“Originally, I wrote this song to do as a featured solo for my school choir. After my audition, my teacher called me back in and said, ‘You know, since you did an original song, we want to make you aware that there’s this contest going around. That if you submit an original song, and if you win, you get to record it, and do all this cool stuff in the studio.’”

That was enough for Sam, although he never thought he’d win. In fact, Sam admits he recorded his demo the night before it was due.

“One day in class RJ came in – he’s one of the people in charge – and he announced that I won. And I’m like, ‘wow’; I wasn’t expecting that at all. I was kind of freaking out, I was just sitting there. I didn’t know what to think. Just awesome I won. The experience I’m having

right now is super cool. Hopefully it’ll continue. I’m thankful for this opportunity,” he said.

Brittany Tews will be a senior at Scottsdale’s Desert Mountain High School. She has been singing all of her life but only taken it seriously the last few years.

Brittany found out about the contest through her guitar club at school. “The teacher is a really great mentor. He gave me a flier and said, ‘You need to enter this,’ so I did.”

Even though Brittany only had two weeks to submit a song, the country singer said it wasn’t a big deal. “I had a lot of songs to choose from” – all songs she has written.

“Meet in the Middle” is what Brittany recorded at the studio.

She plans to go to college and major in engineering. It’s a “money maker” as Brittany puts it, “But I’m definitely going to keep chasing this with everything I got.”

Brittany is the only one in her family who sings. She has a brother, 23. Her dad used to be a trumpet player and studied music in college, but ended up going in another direction.

The teen hopes to get a good response with posting the recording online. “I’m probably going to get… a really good version of the song and I’m hoping to release it.

“Check me out on Spotify, iTunes and Google Play,” Brittany added.

For more information on the Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences, visit cras.edu or contact Kirt Hamm, administrator, at 1-866-757-3059, or email to info@cras.edu.

Highland High receives award for most blood donations

BY GSN STAFF

With an estimated 21,500 blood donations by the end of the last school year, teens have retained their status as United Blood Services’ largest donor group for the 13th consecutive year.

Most

The Arizona Diamondbacks honored their dedication in the 2016-17 High School Blood Drive Challenge by donating 1,000 tickets to 74 award-winning schools for their May 10 game against the Detroit Tigers.

schools earning the highest honors.

The 195 high schools participating in the blood drive challenge organized 485 blood drives

backs signed on as sponsors of the High School Blood Drive Challenge in 1998.

Hank Aaron: Co-champs Apache Junction High School and Williams Field High School, Gilbert.

Lou Gehrig: Poston Butte High School, San Tan Valley.

Roberto Clemente: Highland High School.

across Arizona.

Highland High School received the award for the most total donations, 725, and was invited to share a party suite at the game.

Championship banners were presented on-field during pregame ceremonies to the ten

“High school donors are the top contributors to Arizona’s blood supply,” said Sid Lewis, Senior Director of Donor Recruitment for United Blood Services, Southwest Division. “One in every six blood transfusions comes from a teen in Arizona, far surpassing any other age group of donors.”

Teen donations have more than doubled since the Diamond-

The challenge was launched in 1984 for all Arizona high schools organizing drives with United Blood Services. Participating schools compete against other schools with a similar number of seniors to earn achievement awards.

Based on percentage participation, schools that reach gold or higher award levels receive tickets to an Arizona Diamondbacks game to celebrate their accomplishments. The eight division-winning schools, as well as the two schools with the highest number of donations and the highest percent participation, are formally recognized on the field during pre-game ceremonies. For

STUDENT EXPLORER: Trey Leveque, a student at Williams Field High School, Gilbert, won the local Nat Geo Mundo Explorer competition – a unique travel program that offers students the opportunity to go into the field with National Geographic photographers, scientists and writers. The competition was created to provide four deserving students (two from the United States and two from Latin America) the opportunity to embark on a National Geographic Student Expedition, all expenses paid. Photo shows (from left) Steve Tannenbaum, principal of Williams Field High, Warren Shillingburg, assistant superintendent of Higley Unified School District, Brenda Peden, teacher at Williams Field High, Trey Leveque, Gilbert Mayor Jenn Daniels and Toni Morales with AT&T.

Where Character Leads

HIGLEY HAPPENINGS

Mandarin student advances in sophomore year

SUBMITTED BY EMILY LIU

Noah Jorgensen, 15, began learning Mandarin in his first year at Cooley Middle School. Now, after two years of study and continuous dedication to the language, the soon-to-be Williams Field sophomore qualified for a second year at STARTALK, an intensive language study program at Brigham Young University.

Through July 1, the language camp engaged students in an immersive environment that included field trips, sports and cultural activities, such as Chinese calligraphy.

Jorgensen entered the program at STARTALK Level 3, thanks to the language skills he gained at both Cooley Middle School and Williams Field High School. While studying Mandarin at Cooley, he gained enough high school credits to advance him to Honors Mandarin III as a freshman.

Jorgensen said he initially chose to study Mandarin based on his interest and future opportunities. In his sopho-

more year, he will take AP Mandarin IV.

“Everybody takes Spanish, so I wanted to take Mandarin because it looked interesting and different, and because

there are a lot of businesses using it,” he said.

Jorgensen hopes to get a college degree in engineering, where his language skills will make him more employable, or be a business ambassador to China in the future.

Williams Field High gets leadership honor

REESE

Due to its focus on service and quality leadership this year, the Williams Field High School Student Council was awarded the 2017 National Association of Student Councils’ National Gold Council of Excellence award.

Williams Field is one of only two high schools in Arizona to earn this honor. Earlier in the year, the student council won a similar award from the Arizona Association of Student Councils.

Student body president Trey Leveque saw the award requirements and realized his group could be in the running for the recognition. He then put together the application packet, including a scrapbook of photos highlighting the group’s spirit, service and leadership activities.

“I think a lot of it is having advisors that care and students who care,” Leveque said.

“I think it spreads to other people in the council and we work hard,” said Tori Smith, the council’s spirit chairwoman.

“Gilbert is very community-oriented and so are a lot of people who go here. They care about getting involved and care about making a difference. They all have big goals for the future and are dedicated to giving back to the community,” said Halle Fink, the senior class representative.

Leader in Me

SUBMITTED BY MICHELLE REESE

Students at San Tan Elementary school are not only embracing the language of leadership into their school, but putting it into practice in their homes, activities and day-to-day interactions.

This is evident, sixth-grade student Amity Clayton said, in her observations around campus.

“I’ve noticed kindergarteners synergizing as they’ve lined up and walked to and from their classrooms. First graders now know what being proactive is as they bring in optional homework on Fridays,” the student body president said during the school’s Leadership Day recently.

San Tan Elementary became a Leader in Me school last school year, with staff and teachers undergoing training to pass along the tenants of the highly popular leadership program set by “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.” Leadership Day was held to showcase the habits to visitors.

Principal Ray Mercado brought the idea of adopting the Leader in Me program to the school three years ago when he started at the campus. The nine-year principal veteran said teachers saw the benefits and the full program rolled out in 2016.

“Many of staff and students not involved last year want to be involved this year,” he told visitors. “At least 95 percent of the staff will have the training from Franklin Covey next year.”

Not only is the program helping school discipline, but it’s attracting families to the campus. Since Mercado joined the school three years ago, enrollment has gone up from 550 to 780.

“I feel a lot of that has to do with Leader in Me,” he said.

Through Leader in Me, students are adopting the seven habits in their day-to-day activities. They are:

Be Proactive. Begin with the End in Mind. Put First Things First. Think Win-Win. Seek First to Understand, then be Understood. Synergize. Sharpen the Saw.

Mom Leah Davis said she’s started using the language at home.

“I have heard my kids talk about the seven habits, as well. I use the language too, like when I say ‘first things first,’ instead of being an argument, they know what I’m talking about,” said Davis.

One project the group was particularly satisfied about this year was a holiday gift program to provide presents for children in need. The student council started it internally, but as other groups and clubs heard about the project, it grew.

Students and teachers formed a “lighthouse team,” to design and create ways to bring the habits to life at the school. This includes signage around the hallways and doors, and activities to bring students together.

“I like how we are learning to do good deeds and act nice together,” fifth-grader Cameron Boudreau said.

HIGLEY HAPPENINGS

Seniors earn a collective $33 million in scholarships

SUBMITTED BY MICHELLE REESE

Higley Unified School District high school seniors will graduate with more than $33 million in scholarship offers.

Graduating Summa Cum Laude are Natalie Sampson, Brooke Lindsey, Megan Stoke and Ethan Despain from Higley High School. Williams Field High School seniors Julie Nguyen, Michelle Liu and Emily Nasiff will also graduate in the top one percent of their class.

According to Career Center Specialist Mary Buscema, Williams Field’s 398 graduating seniors collectively earned more than $19 million in scholarship offers.

Alexa Lemke and Trey Leveque are two Williams Field seniors who excelled in their search for scholarships this year. Each will enter Arizona State University with more than $10,000 in scholarships. Lemke, who will major in business (sustainability), gained the ASU Leadership Scholarship and Friends Place Community Volunteer Scholarship. Leveque will study business (global politics) on the Medallion, Dean’s, Ronald McDonald House Charities and Burger King scholarships.

“I’m really excited to go to college and just take classes that allow me to follow my passion and allow me to experience the real world,” Lemke said.

Higley High Career Center Specialist

Patti Smith said the students in Higley’s Class of 2017 collectively earned $14.8 million in scholarship offers.

Lindsey Brooke will attend Cornell University to study biology and society, and plans to attend law school after she graduates. She is a National Merit Scholar.

“Whatever your passion is, whatever your dream is, you should pursue it wholeheartedly,” Lindsey said. “If you found that thing that really just stirs your interest, you should follow that. Don’t listen to anyone who tells you that you can’t do it because you can.”

Other graduates have big plans, as well.

Williams Field senior Tre Bugg will play Division I football and study at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado. Heading to New York University, Higley senior Abhiram Tadepalli plans to study finance with the Andy Grove Scholarship from Intel, Burger King Scholarship and Kiwanis Club of Queen Creek Scholarship.

Higley National Merit Scholar An-

naLisa Ortiz will attend the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque to study biology on the full-ride Regents’ Scholarship. She received $1 million in scholarship offers and plans to work in pediatric cardiology.

Williams Field seniors Tayla Daniels and Megan Davis both received full-ride scholarships. Daniels will study nursing at Northern Arizona University, while Davis will study biochemistry at Monmouth College in Illinois. Both students said their teachers were big influences on their growth.

“With them encouraging me and enlightening me on what I want to do in the future, it really helped me prepare for college and my life after I leave Williams Field,” Davis said.

Graysen Meyers, a soon-to-be Higley High graduate, will study software engineering at the University of Arizona. He received the President’s Scholarship, Engineering Honors Scholarship and a National Scholar award – the highest merit-based scholarship available from UA.

Virtually done: More than 100 students graduated from Arizona Virtual Academy recently with plans to attend colleges and universities locally and across the country. Students receive instruction from their teachers during live interactive online classes and recorded sessions.

The Arizona Virtual Academy Class of 2017 is pictured during its graduation ceremony held at Gilbert High School.

Spiritual Connections

The Bridge Church

645 N. Gilbert Road, Suite 180, Gilbert 480-294-7888

bridgechurchaz.org

Service: 10 a.m. Sundays

We exist to help people know God and become everything God created them to be. We do this by helping people begin a relationship with God, grow in that relationship to find freedom from the struggles they experience, discover the purpose for which God made them and live out their purpose to make a difference in the church and in the world.

Central Christian Church-Gilbert 965 E. Germann Road, Gilbert centralaz.com

Services: 4 and 5:30 p.m. Saturdays and 9 a.m., 10:30 a.m. and noon Sundays

While the Bible itself is the church’s official document of faith, the website lists a variety of statements that fundamentally define the church. Please visit the website for more information.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

3301 S. Greenfield Road, Gilbert 480-822-5000 lds.org

First United Methodist Church of Gilbert

331 S. Cooper Road, Gilbert

480-892-9166

gilbertumc.org

Services: 8 and 9:30 a.m. (traditional services) and 11 a.m. (contemporary service) Sundays

The two traditional services feature the Chancel choir and traditional worship.

The 11 a.m. service has a contemporary feel, with music from the Praise Band.

The 9:30 a.m. service generally has the largest attendance.

Gilbert Presbyterian Church

235 E. Guadalupe Road, Gilbert 480-892-6753

azgpc.org

Services: 8:30 and 11 a.m. Sundays

Gilbert Presbyterian Church is called to be a Christ-centered covenant family nurtured by the Holy Spirit to worship God and to share God’s love.

The Lawrence Memorial AME Zion Church

1141 E. Guadalupe Road, Gilbert

480-772-3603

Services: 10:15 a.m. Sunday; Bible study is 6:30 p.m. Tuesday

The Lawrence Memorial Church is a contemporary church. We are a multicultural church that is simply looking to reach the unreachable with love.

Living Water United Methodist Fellowship

Highland Park Elementary School

230 N Cole Dr., Gilbert livingwaterum.org

Services: 10 a.m. Sundays

Living Water exists to bring people in to meet Christ, build people up to follow Christ and send people out to share Christ.

Mission Community Church

4450 E. Elliot Road, Gilbert 480-545-4024

mission68.org

Services: 4 and 6 p.m. Saturdays and

9, 10:30 and 11:59 a.m. Sundays

The Bible is God’s word to all people. It was written by human authors under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. Because it is inspired by God, it is truth and without error in the original manuscripts.

Redemption Gilbert

1820 W. Elliot Road, Gilbert 480-632-2220

gilbert.redemptionaz.com/about/ a-brief-overview/

Services: 8, 9:30 and 11 a.m. Sundays

Gospel means good news, but it is truly the most profound and glorious truth ever revealed. It is not advice, nor is it a system or philosophy to add to the congregants’ lives. It is an exclusive truth claim, a holistic worldview, the true story of the whole world, which by its very nature must redefine and recolor everything else.

Resurrection Episcopal Church

Meets at Gilbert Community Center, 130 N. Oak St., Gilbert 480-719-5343

resurrectiongilbert.org Services: 10 a.m. Sundays

Resurrection officials say the congregation is a church you can believe in because you belong. This means it welcomes and embraces all people because God already has. Come for worship, fellowship and Bible study on Sundays and join the group on a spiritual journey to better understand God’s plan for our lives.

San Tan Bible Church

1424 S. Promenade Lane, Gilbert Phone number not available. santanbible.org

Services: 8:30 a.m. (Bible hour); 9:30 a.m. (Café 2:42) and 10 a.m. worship service Sundays

The church believes the glory of God is the chief end of all we do.

Sun Valley Community Church

456 E. Ray Road, Gilbert 480-632-8920

sunvalleycc.com

Services: 4 and 5:30 p.m. Saturdays and 9, 10:30 and 11:59 a.m. Sundays

The atmosphere is casual and friendly at Sun Valley Community Church. It places high value on authentic Christian living and placing Christ at the center of all our teachings. The church also offers worship music that is current and uplifting, along with focused weekend sermons that break down the Bible in a way that makes it easy to connect the word of God with today’s busy life.

Two Rivers Church

326 E. Guadalupe Rd., Gilbert 85234

480-892-2435, 2riverschurch.org

Services: 6 p.m. Saturdays; and 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. (Spanish) Sundays

Two Rivers Church exists to help lead congregants into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ by encouraging and equipping them to love God intimately and serve others. It has a casual environment with a serious faith.

Vineyard Community Church

601 S. Cooper Road, Gilbert 85233 480-892-5828

vineyardaz.com

Services: 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Sundays

Vineyard Community is a casual, friendly and inviting church. Its desire is to be a safe place where people’s lives are being transformed by Christ in community for the world.

The diverse community of Christfollowers seeks the radical in-breaking of the kingdom of God here and now. Followers worship God with the intention of touching heaven and changing earth.

‘The Little Mermaid’s’ Ariel to flip on the Hale Stage

BY DON ANDREWS

Hale Centre Theatre in Gilbert will be transformed into an underwater kingdom when it presents Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” from July 7 through August 19.

The production features fantastic costumes, special effects and beneaththe-sea settings with sophisticated theatrical techniques to create gliding movements.

Theater owner and show producer Dave Dietlein said: “We’re pulling out all the stops for this show. Underwater effects, exquisite costumes, glowing shells and enchanting music all add up to an evening of exhilarating entertainment for children and adults alike.”

Hailed by critics as “an ocean of fun” and “a beguiling romp,” the musical features a young mermaid named Ariel (played by Caelan Creaser), who becomes bored with undersea life and pines to be part of the human “World

Hale’s 2017-18 season

Aug. 25 to Oct. 7: “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” a musical;

Sept. 12 to Nov. 14: “Kiss and Tell,” a romantic comedy;

Oct. 12 to Nov. 25: “Meet Me in St. Louis,” a classic, romantic musical comedy; Nov. 30 to Dec. 23: “A Christmas Carol,” a musical; Dec. 30 to Feb. 10: “See How They Run,” an English comedy; Jan. 16 to April 17: “Life Could Be a Dream,” a jukebox musical romp; Feb. 16 to April 1: “No, No, Nanette,” a musical comedy; April 5 to May 12: “The Importance of Being Earnest,” a hilarious satire on Victorian manners by Oscar Wilde; May 18 to July 1: “Big Fish,” an entertaining big fish story set to music; July 6 to Aug. 18: “Sister Act,” musical comedy about a disco queen who takes refuge in a convent.

Ashman. The story is based on a classic tale by Hans Christian Andersen, which was made into a record-breaking movie by Disney in 1989. The success of the film spawned a Disney Broadway musical which bowed in 2008 and ran for more than 700 performances. The movie won two Oscars and the Broadway musical was nominated for two Tony Awards.

The memorable songs include “Fathoms Below,” “The World Above,” “Part of Your World,” “Under the Sea,” “Kiss the Girl,” and “Eric to the Rescue.” The Hale production is directed and choreographed

Above.” That’s strictly forbidden by her controlling father, King Triton. She disregards him and underwater convention to save the life of the handsome Prince Eric (Matt Krantz), who falls overboard from his ship during a raging storm.

The couple quickly falls in love, but Ariel must make a deal with the evil sea witch Ursula (Melissa VanSlyke) to stay with Eric. The deal calls for Ariel to lose her voice for three days in order to become human and charm Eric as her loved one. Complications in the

romance arise because Ariel cannot speak.

Nevertheless, Eric chooses Ariel over her competition, a bevy of beautiful princesses that his advisor, Grimsby, has assembled for Eric’s review. After Eric dismisses all of the other young ladies, he chooses Ariel to be his bride. But Ursula appears at dusk and declares the deal is off because three days have passed. A battle ensues for Ariel’s fate, but she and Eric triumph. The lovers are then married on a beautiful beach and sail off into the sunset to live happily ever after.

Music for the show was composed by Alan Menken with lyrics by Howard

is by

“The Little Mermaid” plays Friday, July 7 through Saturday, August 19. Tickets are $30 for adults, $20 for children and $22 for students with ID. Hale theater is at 50 W. Page Avenue in Gilbert’s Heritage District.

Season tickets are available. Call the box office at 480-497-1181 or visit haletheatrearizona.com.

ON STAGE

The Little Mermaid , WednesdaysSundays, July 7-Aug. 19, HCT. Head under the sea for Disney’s musical adaptation of its classic “The Little Mermaid” including your favorite characters and songs.

Disney’s Beauty and the Beast , Tuesdays-Sundays, July 7-16, HER. Disney’s musical version of the classic “Beauty and the Beast” brings your favorite characters and songs to life.

Earth, Wind & Fire and CHIC ft. Nile Rodgers , Tuesday, July 18, TSRA. See two of the most influential names in contemporary music in one huge concert. The stadium seating will even be modified to encourage dancing.

Happy Together Tour , Friday, July 21, CT. Join The Turtles, Flo & Eddie, The Association, Chuck Negron of Three Dog Night, The Box Tops, The Cowsills and the Archies for a throwback concert you can’t miss.

Jonny Lang, Friday, July 21, CCA. Known for his blues, gospel and rock songwriting and guitar playing, Grammy-winning artist Jonny Lang brings his unique style to the Valley stage.

I Love The ‘90s – The Party Continues Tour, Saturday, July 22, TSRA. Jump back 20 years for a concert that includes TLC, Blackstreet, All 4 One, Rob Base, Biz Markie and C+C Music Factory. TLC will also premier songs from its new album.

Billy Cobham and the Spectrum 40 Band, Saturday, July 22, MAC. Legendary drummer Billy Cobham brings his band Spectrum 40 to the Valley for an evening of jazz and other eclectic styles.

Los Morenos, Friday, July 28, SCPA. For the first concert of Live & Local Fridays, Arizona Blues Hall of Famer Mario Moreno brings Latin blues, cumbia and more to the stage.

House of Stairs, Friday, July, 28 SCPA. This local jazz band claims to draw inspiration from the works of M.C. Escher, and adds in pop and progressive soul as well.

Motown Comedy Blast Tour, Saturday, July 29, MAC. Spend an evening of laughter courtesy of comedies that include Red Bone, Richard Pryor Jr., Jill Kimmel, Rodney Hood and Swayde Wilson.

John Mayer, Tuesday, August 1, TSRA. Hit artist John Mayer (“Your Body Is a Wonderland,” “Gravity,” “Free Fallin’”) brings songs from his new album “The Search for Everything to the Valley.”

Santa Pachita with Funky Bonz, Friday, August 4, CCA. This nine-piece band combines musical styles such as ska, cumbia, rumba-salsa and more into a dance-friendly night of energy. This concert kicks off Chandler Center for the Arts’ free concert series.

Whiskey Kiss, Friday, August 4, SCPA. This local band brings a modern edge to classic vintage rock. Part of the Live & Local Fridays series. Cocktails and snacks available.

Neil Diamond, Friday, August 4, TSRA. Join one of the best-selling artists of all time, Neil Diamond (“Sweet Caroline,” “I’m a Believer,” “Song Sung Blue,”) as he celebrates 50 years of music.

ONSTAGE VENUE INDEX

CCA—Chandler Center for the Arts

Tickets: 480-782-2680, chandlercenter.org

CT – Celebrity Theatre

Tickets: 602-267-1600, www.celebritytheatre.com

HCPA—Higley Center for the Performing Arts Tickets: 480-279-7194, higleycenter.org

HCT—Hale Centre Theatre Tickets: 480-497-1181, www.haletheatrearizona.com

HER – Herberger Theater Center Tickets: 602-252-8497, www.herbergertheater.org/

MAC—Mesa Arts Center

Tickets: 480-644-6500, mesaartscenter.com

SCPA—Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts Tickets: 480-499-8587, scottsdaleperformingarts.org

TSRA – Talking Stick Resort Arena

Tickets: 602-379-7800, www.talkingstickresortarena.com

New York City Ballet promotes Gilbert dancer

BY AMY SCHRADER

Childhood dreams can come true. Just ask Gilbert native Gabriella Domini.

From the moment she saw the New York City Ballet perform “The Nutcracker” during a vacation with her family, the then 9-yearold set her dreams on becoming a ballerina.

“I have a very vivid memory of one moment in the Sugar Plum pas de deux where the ballerina is balancing on one point shoe, being led across the stage by her partner, giving the illusion that she is floating,” Domini said. “In that moment there was something special there that captivated me.”

That moment captivated Domini enough for her to work hard and chase her dreams.

On June 5, Domini’s hard work paid off when she was chosen as one of only eight new apprentices at the New York City Ballet, founded by legendary choreographer George Balanchine and was presented with the 2017 Mae L. Wien award for outstanding promise.

The dancer, who attended the School of American Ballet (SAB) in New York, a feeder school into the New York City Ballet, was presented with the Mae L. Wien award onstage at the beginning of SAB’s annual Workshop Benefit performance.

After the show, Peter Martins, ballet master in chief of the New York City Ballet, gathered a small group of dancers onstage and delivered news of the apprenticeships.

“I was completely overwhelmed with emotion,” Domini said. “My wildest dream had come true. After dedicated years of work and sacrifice, especially moving away from home, I felt that it had all culminated in that moment. It was surreal”

The hard work began in a garage dance studio in Gilbert, where a 6-year-old Domini took dance lessons from a family friend. When she was nine, she began seri-

ous ballet training at the School of Ballet Arizona after auditioning and being cast in its showcase of “The Nutcracker.”

At 13, she enrolled at Ballet Etudes in Gilbert, under the direction of Sharon Meko, and later danced Aurora in the school’s production of “The Sleeping Beauty.”

“There was always something special about Gaby,” said Meko, Ballet Etude’s founding artistic director. “Her work ethic was remarkable. While other students would stop and take breaks, Gaby continued to work, always perfecting her technique. While a driven and focused student, Gaby was an exemplary role model and was always polite, kind and respectful.”

Gabriella attended SAB summer courses in New York before enrolling there as a full-time student in 2014, at the age of 15. This entailed her moving to New York to live in the school’s dorms and attend the world-renowned school, which can be described as an elite ballet boarding school.

“I come from a very tight-knit family, so it was hard to wrap my head around moving across the country to pursue my dreams,” Domini said. “It didn’t take long to realize that it was where I was supposed to be. Being surrounded by people who shared my passion was invigorating.”

The dancer’s schedule while attending SAB kept her busy. Dancers take multiple ballet classes six days a week, and on top of that, have extra rehearsal and Pilates hours. While maintaining her dance schedule and practice, Domini completed high school classes online.

All of the hard work helped Domini achieve her childhood dream, as she will officially begin her apprenticeship with the

Gabriella Domini performing the principal female role in George Balanchine’s “Scotch Symphony” in early June at the School of American Ballet’s 2017 Workshop Performances.

New York City Ballet in August.

Domini will attend ballet class and rehearse every day with the company and will also perform in up to seven of their shows each week.

Even though Domini had to move across the country from her family home to pursue her dreams, her parents, Matt and

Jennifer Domini, have supported her every step of the way.

“We couldn’t be happier for Gaby, as her accomplishments are definitely the result of hours of hard work and dedication,” Jennifer said. “This has been such a wild journey. We are so incredibly proud of her.”

County budget tells who we are and where we are going

BY DENNY BARNEY

Here’s something I believe that most everyone else will think is crazy: Budgets are not just interesting; they’re enlightening. Let me explain.

Whether you’re talking about a single family, a small business, or a large entity like a government, people speak with their wallets. How we spend money gives others a sense of our priorities. A budget, then, isn’t just rows of numbers: It’s a reflection of the people making it. A mirror of sorts. Budgets are enlightening because they tell a story about who we are and where we’re going.

As chairman, I had the privilege of leading the discussion about our fiscal year 2018 budget. We talked about how to be a lean, efficient government that provides exceptional customer service. I challenged elected leaders and department heads to use existing resources whenever possible to cover their needs. I met with them one-on-one in many instances, but I also leaned heavily on the judgment and expertise of others: our county leadership and budget office, and my fellow elected officials and their advisors.

In one case, a department came to us and said they no longer needed 11 staff positions and felt that money could be better used elsewhere. Another department requested less money than its budgeted baseline, which happens about as often as a snowstorm in Phoenix.

There’s a balance to be had. It’s great to cut costs, but we also realize, as the fastest-growing county in the nation, there are areas in which we need to invest.

One example is the new intake/transfer/release jail facility we are building. This facility will make the booking process more efficient, putting law enforcement officers back on the streets faster and shortening jail stays for those eligible for release. Facilities like this cost money up front, but will save us money in the long haul.

Nearly 54 percent of our FY 2018 budget is allocated to public safetyrelated activities because this board has prioritized creating and maintaining safe communities.

We’re also putting money into other areas: improvements to our parks system; an expanded space for Animal Care & Control; robust road management and maintenance;

Is Your Quality of Life Suffering Because of Your Knee Pain?

and additional resources for the Office of the Medical Examiner, to name a few.

Of course, there is no shortage of challenges as Maricopa County continues to grow and evolve.

The jail excise tax is supposed to cover detention costs, but the formula doesn’t work and this year we’ll have to shift $30 million from our general fund to the detention fund to cover operations. We will need help from the Legislature to address that.

State cost shifts are decreasing – and we’re grateful to lawmakers and Governor Ducey – but mandated costs still represent a large chunk of our budget. This year, the biggest change was a substantial increase in mandated county contributions to the Arizona Long Term Care System, which may be an unintended consequence of Prop 206.

But that’s life and that’s budgeting. There are costs you’d rather not have to eat, but you plan for the unexpected. That’s why the board commits to retaining two months of expenses in case of emergency.

budget tells a story. So what’s the story in FY 2018? I’d invite you to read more at

Maricopa.gov/2018budget. But here’s the short version: We deliver great service at a reasonable

Have you been told that your knee pain can only be fixed by surgery? Are you living on pain medication in order to make it through your job or workouts? Have you changed the way you do things in order to avoid the pain? Do you think your pain will just “go away” on it’s own?

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