Scottsdale Progress 02-19-2023

What drought? Projects abound near Rio Verde Foothills

Many people around Scottsdale likely echo Scottsdale Councilman Barry Graham, who believes the city did absolutely nothing wrong by

cutting off its water to Rio Verde Foothills.

Even so, Graham and others scratch their heads at the city’s mixed messages regarding water.

The city begged residents to reduce water consumption last year and yet, Gra-

ham, noted in an interview, “It’s not fair to tell people to ‘cut, cut, cut’ – and then we authorize all this growth.”

“We tell them to cut and they see cranes. It’s kind of a disconnect.”

His website pays homage to Holocaust survivors

Even though Jerry Guttman was a child when he was introduced to the gruesome reality that his parents had survived during World War II, the Scottsdale man said it wasn’t until he was older that they began recounting the horrors they witnessed.

The youngest of three children of Irving Guttman and Rosie Polkenfeld of Detroit, Michigan, Jerry always felt a burning curiosity about his parents’ earlier life in Europe.

“I was very young when I learned that they were in the Holocaust, but my mom would never tell a story,” Guttman recalled. “My brother was born in a displaced prisoner of war camp (DPW) in Fürth, Bavaria, Germany, so he is also considered a survivor.

“My father told some stories… but most

people who went through the atrocity didn't want to tell their story.”

It wasn’t until his father passed away in May 1997 that his mother began talking about her life in the Nazis concentration camp at Auschwitz in the late 1930s into the early 40s.

Rosie Polkenfeld was born in June 1927 as one of six children in Petrova, Romania, but relocated to Hungary when she was 14 to care for her mother's cousin.

Upon her arrival in Hungary, she was met with the frightening presence of the German Nazi party’s growing presence.

Jerry Guttman, the son of Holocaust survivors Irving Guttman and Rosie Polkenfeld and the creator of OurHolocaustStory.com, looks over the memorabilia from his parents’ ordeal. (David Minton/Progress Staff Photographer) sEE GUTTMAN PAGE 16

An internal report suggests the city will be scrambling to meet a projected 9% increase in water demand within two years and a projected 35% rise by 2055.

Meanwhile, a long drought means possible reductions in the city’s Colorado River allotment – which accounts for about two-thirds of Scottsdale’s water, according to the city’s website.

Potential cuts have been used by city officials in justifying shutting off the RVF water. As Mayor David Ortega said: “The mega-drought tells us all: water is not a compassion game.”

Yet, even as city officials warily await potential water cuts, they have signed off on projects that will bring more thirsty people to Scottsdale.

When North Scottsdale residents hike the McDowell Sonoran Preserve Trails north of Rio Verde Road, the sound of traffic slowly fades, replaced by birds chirping, the crunch of boots on dirt – as well as hammers and power saws.

While the land is, as its name suggests, preserved from development,

dozens of homes are being built just to the east of the pristine wildlands.

While those houses are on county land generally identified as Rio Verde Foothills, two massive developments within the city limits are hardly more than a squirt-gun shot from the existing RVF homes.

Introducing: Fiesta Ranch and Reata Ranch.

Combined, they represent around 500 homes – coincidentally close to the size of the RVF community that had been receiving Scottsdale water via hauling companies that drew water from the now shut-down Scottsdale stand pipe.

While first-term Councilman Graham and others are wondering how the city can provide water to scores of new developments, Water Department spokeswoman pointed out Scottsdale Water Management Principles were approved last year.

These principles, she stressed, “added a requirement that City Council be provided with more information on water use when considering new developments.”

And, she said, one key water management principle “requires large-wateruse developers who require a General

Hammers

jor changes, the scores of existing projects under construction can continue as planned.

Graham, raised in Scottsdale and previously a member of the city’s Planning Commission and Building Advisory Board of Appeals, said he listened to alarmed voters during his campaign.

“I ran on a platform of a little slower growth,” said Graham, who pulled in 58% of the vote to top Pamela Carter in last fall’s run-off election. “Residents were concerned with runaway growth.”

Developers paint a different picture.

“There’s plenty of water available,” said Allan Stam, of North Scottsdale Land Development. “The problem is you have to pay more for it.”

He said water hauled in by private companies costs two to three times more than what city residents pay.

He knows the Rio Valley Foothills area inside out: “I’ve built a hundred houses up there from 2000 until now,” Stam said.

He noted he doesn’t have any project under construction, but not due to the water situation, “I stopped building seven months ago to see what was going to happen because all the prices were going up.”

Many other develoeprs are not waiting.

Plan or zoning change to provide additional information on their economic

The City of Scottsdale’s Planning Department provides an interactive map (scottsdaleaz.gov/planning-development/active-cases) showing 531 projects under construction and another

impact and water use as well as encouraging conservation measures above and beyond existing requirements.”

But, unless the developers make ma-

120 awaiting public hearing.

Dozens of projects are underway in

We are positively disrupting the way luxury real estate is bought and sold. Our omnichannel strategy leaves no stone unturned to bring a buyer to your home!

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City touts its water savings by public facilities

Scottsdale reached one of the city’s key goals in 2022: A significant cut in water use.

“Scottsdale saved more than 38 million gallons of water in 2022,” said Water Department spokeswoman Valerie Schneider.

In a release, Schneider said this represented “following-through on a commitment made last January in the face of worsening drought in the Colorado River basin.”

At the beginning of 2022, the city announced Stage One of its Drought Management Plan, which was tied to the federal government’s declaration of a Tier One Colorado River shortage.

Schneider boasted that city departments led the way, reducing water use by 6% compared to the average of the past five years.

“Different city departments achieved water savings through a series of infrastructure and operational improve-

ments like more aggressively finding and fixing water leaks, installing more efficient equipment and not planting winter grass in many parks,” Schneider said.

The not-as-great news: “Water use among residents and businesses did not appreciably change over previous averages,” Schneider said.

But there is hope, she added, as “the city saw record numbers in its grass removal rebate and outdoor water efficiency check programs during the year.”

Residents pulled out more than 200,000 square feet of grass, saving an estimated 11 million gallons of water per year.

“These numbers show that more people in the community are taking tangible steps to reduce their household water

use, momentum the city hopes will build and result in more community water savings in the years ahead,” the release said.

Managers of city parks led the way in savings by “aggressively finding and fixing leaks, implementing advanced drip irrigation systems, and reducing grass in areas of public parks that are not commonly used for recreation,” Schneider noted.

New cooling tower controllers at seven city facilities – Civic Center Library, Police Department and Fire Department Headquarters, Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West, Police District 1, City Hall and Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts – led to a 19% cut in water use, with even more water savings expected this year.

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Condo developer sees new “luxury corridor” here

North Scottsdale has often been nationally renowned for luxury neighborhoods like Silverleaf and Desert Mountain.

Now, Chicago-based luxury condominium developer Belgravia Group sees Scottsdale Road and Loop 101 as the city’s new “luxury corridor” due to some of its amenities.

“Kierland has some of the best luxury shopping corners in the broader Scottsdale area and then you look at TPC, Silverleaf and Greyhawk Golf Club – these things are all a stone's throw away from this project,” said Belgravia CEO Jonathan McCulloch.

“With everything already so close, it just makes sense to see this be part of the next incremental growth area in this corridor.”

The group had been scouting this area for some time.

“One of my business partners, Alan Lev, the chairman of Belgravia, has been visiting Scottsdale for a couple of decades but it was probably two or two and a half years ago where we started saying ‘we should be looking at other markets,’” McCulloch recalled.

McCulloch said that Lev raised his hand and recommended Scottsdale as a market to pursue.

“Lev said ‘Scottsdale is a great place and there are a lot of links between Chicago and Scottsdale and a lot of existing relationships,'” McCulloch said.

The contrasts between Scottsdale and Chicago posed the most promise for Belgravia Group’s, whose Portico project will include 112 luxury condos on 5 acres in nine five-story buildings on the easternmost corner of the One Scottsdale development.

One Scottsdale will include up to $2.8 million of retail and 2,000 residences upon completion.

It is also neighboring the $1 billion Optima community being constructed just across the street.

“When I think of what we look at in Chicago from an urban planning per-

spective, we look at having a diversity of uses in any given neighborhood,” McCulloch said.

“Scottsdale is a little more spread out, but that's exactly what we would hope to see with office uses and other retail uses in the neighborhoods.”

McCulloch sees it as the ideal community to build Portico.

“It sets us up for the type of product we want to build, which is a high-end luxury product without shooting for the very top of the market,” he said. “This made a lot of sense to us for a compelling value-driven luxury experience.”

Of the 112 condominiums, 33 have been sold on conditional contracts at price points starting at $600,000 for a one-bedroom and up to between $1.6 and $2 million for four-bedroom units.

Despite the high price tags, Belgravia Group cites employers in the nearby area as a justification to afford the homes.

“When we think about our product, at this price point, the predominant buyers that we've seen are either an empty nester who's downsizing, who's already in the market or someone living in a second home or people where this is this is a primary residence because of the proximity to complexes

northeast Scottsdale, just west of Rio Verde Foothills. They include single-family home “one-off” projects and two Goliaths both still a long way from fruition.

Grant Grether, a Scottsdale real estate agent with Morgan Taylor Realty, is selling several homes under construction on unincorporated county land on the north side of Rio Verde Road

He said buyers are attracted to the stunning views, peace and quiet – and not being on a city’s tax roll.

“Taxes are certainly less expensive, no doubt about it,” Grether said.

He said most buyers are aware of the water situation and for those who are not, “We make it very clear to people: You’re buying property in an area served by hauled water.”

Told about plans for two projects on the other side of the two-lane Rio Verde Road, with some 500 homes that will be part of Scottsdale’s water system, Grether gave a rueful chuckle.

“It’s just laughable,” he said, noting big companies are building all over North Scottsdale and that the city has

plenty of water.

Indeed, water was not an issue on Jan. 21, 2020, when Scottsdale City Coun-

cil unanimously approved the master planned community of Fiesta Ranch, which plans 260 houses on 273 acres.

Fiesta Ranch is south of Rio Verde Drive between 136th and 141st streets.

A November 2019 planning document describes the Fiesta Ranch developer:

“The Lyle Anderson Company is a Scottsdale-based company known for developing luxury communities throughout the country for more than four decades.”

The developer previously built “Desert Highlands, an 850-acre community, and Desert Mountain, an 8,000-acre master-planned community.”

Just east of Fiesta Ranch is another eye-opening project: Reata Ranch.

The man behind the proposed 330home development is David Gulino, of Land Development Services.

“We’re currently processing the application for the preliminary plat,” he said.

If all goes well, he will start preliminary construction in mid-2024.

Reata Ranch is on 220 acres at the southeast corner of Rio Verde Road and 128th Street.

According to Gulino’s application, “Each neighborhood has been carefully

planned to provide great home sites and abundant open space… Water service will be provided by the city of Scottsdale.”

According to Gulino, “The water line first phase was approved four months ago. (Scottsdale will) bring water on a line to 128th Street.”

Another developer, who “needs a water line sooner than we do,” paid for the new line, Gulino said.

A water master plan

According to the city’s Integrated Water Resources Master Plan, approved by City Council last August, “Scottsdale Water's vision is to achieve water sustainability through stewardship, innovation, and people.”

While acknowledging “the continuing historic drought” that has “stressed Colorado River water supply availability,” the water report also had a giant caveat:

“This master plan does not address significant Colorado River water cutbacks to be mandated in 2023 due to increasingly receding water levels in Lakes Mead and Powell, as announced by the U.S. Bureau

sEE WATER PAGE 9

of Reclamation in June 2022.”

Yet the city is growing and almost certainly will continue to do so.

The water plan cited Maricopa Association of Government projections of Scottsdale growing from 253,370 – slightly higher than the U.S. Census tally of 241,361 – to 270,740 in 2025, topping 300,000 in 2040 on its way to 315,000 in 2055.

The population growth in just the next two years is projected at just under 10%.

And these figures don’t include business growth, another huge drain on the city’s water supply.

The report states Scottsdale will be drinking, bathing in and flushing 35% more water in 2055 than it uses today.

“By year 2055, the adjusted estimated annual average water demand is 93.3 million gallons per day, which is approximately 35 percent higher than the City's current average annual demand, it says.

The plan shows that, in step with the population increase, the city’s water use is expected to rise 9.2% by 2025.

extreme northeast Scottsdale would bring hundreds of homes–right next to the Rio Verde Foothills, where water long provided by Scottsdale has been stopped.Even as hundreds of Rio Verde Foothills just outside Scottsdale city limits are struggling to find water after they were cut off by Scottsdale, more homes are being built. Fiesta Ranch is one of two monster projects that would add some 500 homes inside city limits at the RVF doorstep.

(City of Scottsdale)

According to the General Plan approved by voters in 2021, the western town of Scottsdale isn’t what it used to be – nor what it will be:

“In 1960, the incorporated area of Scottsdale was only four square miles.

As of 2020, the city includes 184.5 square miles within its corporate boundaries… As of July 2018, Scottsdale’s population was three-quarters of the estimated built-out population projection of 316,700 by 2055.”

Though easy to breeze by in the 286page document, perhaps the most crucial sentence is hidden on the bottom of page 21:

“A priority facing the community is finding the resources needed to provide the same distinguished level of services and amenities current residents enjoy to the numbers of new residents expected in the future, while maintaining the high quality of life for all residents.”

In other words: Where’s the water?

Schneider was asked how Scottsdale Water plans to deal with the conundrum of increasing demand and potentially decreasing supply of water.

“While we don’t know the exact cuts the federal government will mandate in the future, we are planning for worstcase scenarios,” Schneider answered.

“We are prepared to take further actions once we know what we are dealing with from the Colorado River system.”

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Kolodin pushes water bill, blasts Ortega

Mayor David Ortega has been quite free in his criticism of Arizona legislators for what he calls their attempt to usurp city powers.

At his state of the city address last month, Ortega warned of “elements at the Legislature now threatening to take control of our Scottsdale Water facilities.”

This week, newly elected Rep. Alexander Kolodin, R-Scottsdale, seemed to be fulfilling Ortega’s prophecy with a bill that would force Scottsdale to again provide water to Rio Verde Foothills, albeit on a temporary basis.

Ortega has declined numerous interview requests from the Progress regarding RVF water. But, when Channel 12 news caught him at a pre-Super Bowl event and asked him about Kolodin’s bill, Ortega called bill’s sponsors – who include Scottsdale lawmakers Rep. Joseph Chaplik and Sen. John Ka-

vanagh – “very irresponsible.”

Ortega insisted, "The three Scottsdale representatives…acted alone and not by consulting with the city council or myself.”

Told about Ortega’s comment, Kolodin barked, “Ha!” – followed by an expletive.

Kolodin said Kavanagh and Rep. David Cook have been hounding Scottsdale City Hall.

“Cook’s been talking to those guys (in Scottsdale) for four months,” he exclaimed. “Kavanagh’s been talking to them for months. It’s all b.s.,” he said of Ortega’s comments.

Kolodin was taking the mayor’s statements personally.

“Look, I live in Scottsdale,” he said. “These people (RVF residents) want water. We’re in a Tier 3 water shortage – I get it.”

Meanwhile, Cook reached out to Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, who in an opinion said “a county board of

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A leak may be present if you:

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a distinct sulfur-like odor, similar to rotten eggs, even if it’s faint or momentary.

IF YOU SUSPECT A LEAK

HEAR: a hissing or roaring coming from the ground, above-ground pipeline, or natural gas appliance.

supervisors has the authority to temporarily supply water to county residents to preserve public health and sanitation.”

According to Cook, “I believe this could be immensely helpful in the effort to provide relief for Rio Verde residents who continue to struggle without a reliable point of access to water for their homes and families. I will continue working with the residents and other parties until a comprehensive solution is in place.”

The opinion, released Feb. 14, apparently had a fast impact. The next day, Scottsdale City Councilwoman Tammy Caputi posted on Facebook:

“Next Tuesday night (Feb. 21), the City Council will be considering an Inter Governmental Agreement (IGA) with Maricopa County (the elected representative for Rio Verde residents). This agreement would allow the County to provide water to their residents in Rio Verde, and eliminate any adverse impacts to the residents of Scottsdale. Scottsdale would be profitably reimbursed for all costs to our system and infrastructure.”

Similarly, Kolodin insisted the measure he supports is not in any way harmful to the city he has lived in since childhood. The text of the Kolodin bill, which passed out of committee Feb. 7 and now goes to a full House vote:

service area with whom the city or town has contracted to provide water.”

If it sounds like the bill was narrowly tailored to RVF’s needs – that’s because it was, Kolodin said.

“When hundreds of my constituents are running out of water – that gets my attention,” Kolodin said.

He said he was open to withdrawing the bill if Scottsdale agrees to re-start water to Rio Verde Foothills.

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“A city or town that provides water service shall provide water service through a standpipe for water hauling to persons residing outside the city's or town's water service area who do not have access to sufficient water if all of the following apply:

“1. The number of households to be serviced is not more than 750.

“2. The city or town previously provided water service to the persons who do not have access to sufficient water.

“3. There is no other source of water for those persons within ten miles of their households.

“4. The city or town is reimbursed for the costs of providing and delivering the water.

“5. Providing the water at the standpipe does not reduce the amount of water available to households within the city's or town's water service area or to households outside of the city's or town's water

The bill, Kolodin said–and other options RVF residents have provided Scottsdale, he added–will not cost Scottsdale anything. Which makes him wonder:

“It’s very weird (Scottsdale is) taking a position like this,” Kolodin told the Progress. “If it doesn’t count against your allotment of water…and doesn't cost you anything, why in the world would you be opposed to it?”

Kolodin said he feels Ortega has some kind of personal problem with the community.

And Rio Verde Foothills remains parched, according to Cody Reim.

At the Feb. 14 Scottsdale City Council meeting, Rio Verde Foothills resident and organizer Reim spoke during public comment on “the crisis we continue to face.

“I plead with you and respectfully ask the council motion to…allow water to flow to Rio Verde Foothills,” Reim said.

“We are now 45 days without water.”

Wherever you live, work, or play.

New uncertainty looms over gas tax extension

State lawmakers are moving to wrest control of transportation planning from local officials to instead represent their own political philosophies.

And now the question is whose vision among all those lawmakers should take effect.

Strictly speaking, the debate on SB 1122 deals with whether Maricopa County voters will get a chance to extend a half-cent sales tax for transportation projects for another 20 years.

That can happen only with permission of the Republican-controlled Legislature. And several GOP lawmakers said they will give the go-ahead only if the amount set aside for mass transit is reduced from current levels – and if

absolutely none of that goes to fund light rail.

For the moment, the 4-3 vote on Feb. 13 to kill SB 1122 by the Senate Committee on Transportation and Technology quashes any future election.

The Maricopa levy is set to expire in 2025 unless lawmakers give the goahead for an election.

Last week’s debate and vote show that any county that wants to fund transit projects will get the necessary legislative approval to ask their own voters for approval only if the plan complies with how state lawmakers agree how the money should be spent.

And that has become tainted by political philosophies, including a specific bias toward roads at the expense of mass transit and light rail in particular.

sEE GAS TAX PAGE 12 2023

FILM FESTIVAL

Sen. Frank Carroll, R-Sun City, has backed a broader approach with continued funding for alternatives to freeway construction.

That's the plan prepared by and backed by the Maricopa Association of Governments, made up of elected officials of all area cities, tribes and the urban areas of the Maricopa and Pima counties.

But Sen. Jake Hoffman, R-Queen Creek, rejected that as being driven by "nudge theory.''

"It's a tactic the Left likes to use called 'choice architecture,''' he said, essentially forcing people to accept the policies desired by those setting the rules.

Hoffman said that's what's happening under President Biden by shutting down the Keystone Pipeline, curtailing offshore drilling and refusing to renew some lease permits for drilling in Alaska.

"The Left is making a concerted effort to drive up the cost of gas,'' he argued, to advance its agenda of reduc-

ing driving and emissions.

But Carroll, who supports more money for mass transit – and even sponsored a bill continuing dollars for light rail – said while that may be true, it's also irrelevant. He said the gas prices are a reality for taxpayers.

"They've still got to get to work, they've still got to get to places,'' Carroll said. And that, he said, makes it logical to assume that ridership on mass transit will increase with higher gas prices.

The more over-arching question is whether lawmakers, being pushed by groups like the Home Builders Association of Central Arizona whose members are developing housing projects farther from the county's urban core, know better than local elected officials what their constituents want.

Avondale Mayor Kenn Weise, who chairs MAG, acknowledged that not every community benefits from each part of the regionally developed plan. For example, he said, his residents would not be aided by light rail which doesn't extend into his community.

But he said the plan was unanimously adopted after "extensive public input'' as being the best for all concerned.

In fact, state lawmakers agreed last year to put that on the ballot. But that was quashed when then-Gov. Doug Ducey vetoed even letting the issue go to voters.

That resulted in this year's new and sharply modified plan, with more of the share going to pavement.

What the Legislature wants to do, Weise said, is override the locally adopted plan with its own priorities and those of "special interests,'' meaning groups who would benefit financially by financing more road-construction rather than transit.

MAG wants lawmakers to simply give voters a chance to approve the plan it created, the votes that adopted the tax and the first 20-year plan in 1985 and its renewal in 2005.

Weise rejected Hoffman's suggestion of two separate votes: One on road construction and the other on mass transit. That, he said, would destroy the idea of having a plan where everyone recognizes the needs of the larger com-

munity.

He said that's what enabled the MAG plan to include money for extension of State Route 24 in Hoffman's district even though his own residents might otherwise have wanted dollars for a new State Route 30 to funnel traffic into his own area of the county.

Hoff man and some other lawmakers also want to insert other political elements before giving local voters permission to vote on transit funding.

For example, he wants to say that projects cannot be developed to fit "demand management'' policies to reduce vehicle miles traveled. And he said he is not bothered if that means giving up federal dollars, a large share of transit funding that the state and counties receive.

The committee’s vote leaves in limbo the question of whether Maricopa County voters will get a chance to enact or extend existing taxes for their transportation plans if they do not meet with approval of a majority of lawmakers.

Scottsdale Library director headed for Montana

From her office at Scottsdale’s Civic Center Library, city Library Director Kira Peters quickly ran through her four years overseeing a forward-thinking public library.

How forward-thinking?

One of the highlights of her tenure that she cites is eliminating fines.

The threat of having to pay for over-

forms,” she explained. “So, becoming a fine-free library was really a significant achievement.”

She puts herself in the background on this one: “That was the work of a lot of people, especially our library board, but something I'm really proud of.”

Fitting for someone who moves fast, Peters is leaving after only four years a job many would cherish: This week, the tall, slim, energetic Peters is reluctantly checking out of the li -

due books – for decades a staple of American libraries – is now a thing of the past, in Scottsdale.

“The Scottsdale City Council unanimously voted on April 7 to do away with the fines for late returns, falling in line with other cities around the country and prodding from the American Library Association.”

Peters, who became the interim library director in 2018 and later was appointed to the position on a permanent basis, calls that the top highlight of her time at the top of the stacks.

“That happened right at the onset of the pandemic, when we became finefree,” she said.

“An essential mission of a public library is to provide equal and equitable access to information and all of its

brary and Scottsdale, which she has called home since her high school years.

“I am taking a promotional opportunity to be the assistant city manager in Bozeman, Montana,” she said.

Hearing herself say that, she added, “Wow.”

“It's going to be something new professionally for sure,” Peters said.

She is forcing herself out of her comfort zone after working for the city for 32 years, ever since she was a city lifeguard. She then moved on to special events, the McCormick Stillman Railroad Park and youth development programs before landing in the library.

Peters acknowledges eyebrows were

Excitement building over TPC sportsbook

The PGA Tour is taking the plunge into the world of sports gambling as completion nears of a one-of-a-kind DraftKings Sportsbook located across from TPC Scottsdale. DraftKings joins FanDuel, Caesars and BetMGM as sportsbook operations with brick-and-mortar venues in the Valley. The others are located at Footprint Center, State Farm Stadium and Chase Field.

Construction is currently ongoing and the grand opening is tentatively planned for October for the first ever physical sportsbook on a PGA Tour event site.

The goal of the partnership between the PGA Tour and DraftKings is to help use the growing popularity of sports betting to bring new fans to golf. In Arizona more than $618 million was wagered on sports bets in December

2022 alone, a figure that has steadily risen since legislation passed in 2021 to legalize online and retail sports wagering in the state.

“Part of the overall strategy is to

reach more new fans and to create more engagement with existing fans through the lens of sports betting,” said Norb Gambuzza, senior vice president of media and gaming for the PGA

Tour.

“When we talk about our strategy, that’s really at the top.”

With the rapid rise of sports betting in Arizona, it comes as no surprise that many spectators at the recent WM Phoenix Open were eagerly anticipating the sportsbook’s opening.

“Yeah, a sports book entices people to gamble no matter what,” said Patrick Fortuna, a Phoenix resident at the tournament. “I think a sports book would really push people in the direction of gambling on the sport and really being more enticed to come here and enjoy the sport.”

The sportsbook will include 40 betting kiosks and seven ticketing windows along with almost 400 seats across the interior and an exterior patio for people to sit and enjoy the highend dining and cocktail options.

Once sports betting was legalized in

sEE GAMBLE PAGE 15

FLEXSHADE

ZIP & NON-ZIP SCREENS

Arizona, the Tour brought the proposal to multiple betting operators. In the end, it was DraftKings that was able to strike a deal.

The sportsbook is being built on the corner of Bell Road and GreenwayHayden Loop, directly across the street from TPC Scottsdale’s clubhouse and the Stadium Course’s 18th hole.

The facility will be front and center near the entrance to the most attended tournament in golf. The only other sportsbook in the area is The Sportsbook at CAZ Sports Bar at Casino Arizona.

“If you kind of map and plotted where all these (sportsbooks) are, you’d see that we have a bit of a geographic advantage, we’re separate and we’re also in an area that’s got kind of, from an economic standpoint, a bit more of an affluent clientele nearby,” Gambuzza said.

“So, I think that’s one of the reasons that DraftKings also was intrigued with this, due to its ability to be a little bit different from the others.”

The DraftKings Sportsbook will be the closest physical sportsbook to

many residents of the North Valley.

On top of the location, the opportunity to bring a sportsbook to TPC Scottsdale, home of one of the most popular events on Tour, made perfect sense once sports betting was legalized.

The PGA Tour had been talking about partnering on a retail sportsbook for a year or two before Arizona legalized sports betting, opening a door for the deal to be made.

“It’s this golf tournament that has

this very distinct personality and massive attendance,” Gambuzza said.

“It kind of became like, ‘If we’re going to do this, we’ve got the ingredients for a really special and successful venture, so let’s do it.’”

While the sportsbook is expected to open in the fall, it will not be open to the public at the next WM Phoenix Open. Instead, the space will be used by DraftKings and the sponsoring Thunderbirds as a VIP hospitality area.

Although only VIP fans will be able to place bets there, the sportsbook’s location during the WM Phoenix Open will make hundreds of thousands of people aware that it’s there.

“Yeah, that’ll be so great, not having it this year is just a huge shame,” said Elliot Wood, another WM Phoenix Open spectator. Wood and his friends traveled to the tournament from Canada and said they look forward to seeing the completed building at a future WM Phoenix Open.

The sportsbook will be open to the public for the remainder of the year, but restricting access to patrons at next year’s tournament isn’t exactly in keeping with the event’s “The People’s Open” brand.

And it’s something that Fortuna, as a fan, doesn’t believe is a good idea.

“I think a lot of the time with gamblers, it’s like an everyman’s thing,” he said. “You know, it’s like a lot of people are gambling, whether they’re VIP or not. I think that should be open to everyone. I don’t think it should be exclusive to one or the other.

“Gambling on the app is a whole lot less fun than gambling with a whole group of people at a sportsbook.”

March 3, 2023

Phoenix, AZ

Footprint Arena

March, 4, 2023

Glendale, AZ

Dessert Diamond Arena

March 5, 2023

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GUTTMAN from PAGE 1

Though she led a somewhat normal life throughout her early teens, Polkenfeld’s life was ripped away from her around age 16 when she was taken from her home, shaved of her hair and transported to Auschwitz. She split her imprisonment between there and the camp at Bergen-Belsen throughout the Holocaust.

She shared a bed with 13 other people and subsisted on one loaf of bread a week and a bowl of soup that contained one potato and a bean.

She worked on an assembly-line-style conveyor belt, examining hundreds of bodies prisoners executed in gas chambers and harvesting any valuable dental work before they were incinerated.

Although workers were expected to remain emotionless during their long, draining days of work along that assembly line, Polkenfeld one day was overwhelmed by the shock of seeing her pregnant cousin's corpse.

Prison guards reacted by lashing her, leaving permanent scars on her shoulder.

Rosie remained in concentration camps until English forces advanced onto the eastern front and began liberating camps.

Irving Guttman was born as one of six kids in 1915 in Poland at a time

the country was already becoming a battleground that evolved into World War I.

“The Great War” put the Guttmans in a strong economic position as the family owned a successful creamery that was so busy Irving left school after the seventh grade to work there. The creamery was closed after Germany invaded Poland in 1939.

German soldiers showed up at the Guttman home, forcing Irving and his brother to hide and listen as the soldiers executed his mother and three sisters.

Irving refused to live in a German settlement and eluded the invaders, spending months on the run from the Nazis.

“He would always try to find places under stairs and he'd have a piece of wood with him so he could go under the stairs, pull the piece of wood, and then they would not see him,” Jerry recalled his mother telling him.

When his father was captured, Irving surrendered and was sent to a labor camp, where he worked alongside his father until the two were stricken by typhoid. Irving returned to work but his father was too weak to return.

They never saw each other again.

Irving was sent to a small camp

in Poland of 800 Jews that were under looser supervision than other camps.

One rainy night, he slipped under a fence and ran to the forest, eventually finding refuge in a Polish village where he was given clothes and a place to live for months.

Irving later found work working on a highway alongside the Russian army paving his way through what was then Czechoslovakia, Poland and Germany. He eventually ended in the same displaced persons camp where Polkenfeld had been searching for her family.

Polkenfeld and Guttman fell in love, married and gave birth to their first child at this camp. They eventually got to the United States in the early 1950s, living in their cousin's basement in Michigan and working multiple jobs.

“(My dad) worked three jobs and my mom worked two jobs,” Jerry recalled. “They worked for Dodge, they worked for Chrysler. My dad used to move furniture at midnight. They did whatever they could to scrounge up what money they could.”

Eventually, the Guttmans saved enough funds to purchase a small storefront in Hamtramck, Michigan, that was originally a furniture store that would become the famous Irving’s Delicatessen.

Though the duo became known for their delicious dishes like gefilte fish, fresh challah bread and chicken-inthe-pot with kreplach, matzah ball and boiled potato, they were most renowned for the care that they showed to every customer who walked through their door.

“If you came into our restaurant, my mom would walk up to you, see what she was cooking in the back, talk to get your name, your phone number and learn a little bit about you,” Jerry recalled. “She would take your kids in the back in the kitchen where they'd make bread and they’d make coleslaw.

“Then they'd go to my father, who would teach them one of six Slavic languages of the day, then he put a pack of gum in their pocket and gave them a scoop of ice cream and you became

part of our family.”

Jerry recalled instances where his parents sent a week's supply of food to regulars if they were ill and said they remained active in the community even after they sold their booming business that grew to as many as three locations.

What stuck out the most to Jerry was how welcoming his parents were to fellow immigrants.

“My dad used to give me a little piece of paper on a Saturday (with an address on it) and say, ‘Go pick up these folks,’” Jerry said. “(My parents) would give them clothes, food and money to get them settled and help them adjust to the country. My parents were just amazing people in the Detroit community.”

Yet, their traumatic background haunted Jerry throughout his life – especially because he still had so many questions about where his parents came from.

Because of this, Jerry began tracking down documents relating to his parent’s past in Europe about a decade ago and has since recovered his father’s European driver’s license, records stating his parents had been at displaced person camps, sponsorship documents to immigrate to the United States and loads of photos of his parents.

Although this piqued his curiosity, Jerry then realized that he couldn’t be alone and felt compelled to create a website called OurHolocaustStory. com, where other survivors and their children could keep these stories alive.

“As I compile things and as I learn more, the more they become my heroes to survive what they went through,” Jerry said.

Jerry hopes that he can hear more heroic stories about how people survived one of the worst genocides in history and keep the dark history of what happened decades ago for generations to come.

“My goal with this is to have other survivors or family members who have documentation, pictures, videos, audio that we can upload for them, and create a library so others or teachers can use it to teach people and try to eliminate hate,” Jerry said.

PERIPHERAL NEUROPATHY AND CHRONIC PAIN TREATMENTS NOT WORKING!!

Mesa AZ – When it comes to chronic pain and/ or neuropathy, the most common doctor-prescribed treatment is drugs like Gabapentin, Lyrica, Cymbalta, and Neurontin. The problem with antidepressants or anti-seizure medications like these is that they offer purely symptomatic relief, as opposed to targeting and treating the root of the problem. Worse, these drugs often trigger an onset of uncomfortable, painful, and sometimes harmful side effects.

The only way to effectively treat chronic pain and/or peripheral neuropathy is by targeting the source, which is the result of nerve damage owing to inadequate blood flow to the nerves in the hands and feet. This often causes weakness, numbness, balance problems. A lack of nutrients causes the nerves degenerate – an insidious

cannot survive, and thus, slowly die. This leads to those painful and frustrating consequences we were talking about earlier, like weakness, numbness, tingling, balance issues, and perhaps even a burning sensation.

The drugs your doctor might prescribe will temporarily conceal the problems, putting a “Band-Aid” over a situation that will only continue to deteriorate without further action.

Thankfully, Mesa is the birthplace of a brandnew facility that sheds new light on this pressing problem of peripheral neuropathy and chronic pain. The company is trailblazing the medical industry by replacing outdated drugs and symptomatic reprieves with an advanced machine that targets the root of the problem at hand.

1. Finding the underlying cause

2. Determining the extent of the nerve damage (above 95% nerve loss is rarely treatable)

3. The amount of treatment required for the patient’s unique condition

Aspen Medical in Mesa

AZ uses a state-of-the-art electric cell signaling systems worth $100,000.00. Th is ground-breaking treatment is engineered to achieve the following, accompanied by advanced diagnostics and a basic skin biopsy to accurately analyze results:

1. Increases blood flow

2. Stimulates and strengthens small fiber nerves

3. Improves brain-based pain

The treatment works by delivering energy to the affected area(s) at varying wavelengths, from low- to middle-frequency signals, while also using Amplitude Modulated (AM) and Frequency Modulated (FM) signaling

It’s completely painless!

THE GREAT NEWS IS THAT THIS TREATMENT IS COVERED BY MEDICARE, MEDICAID, AND MOST INSURANCES!!

The number of treatments required varies from patient to patient, and can only be determined following an in-depth neurological and vascular examination. As long as you have less than 95% nerve damage, there is hope!

Aspen Medical begins by analyzing the extent of the nerve damage –a complimentary service for your friends and family. Each exam comprises a detailed sensory evaluation, extensive peripheral vascular testing, and comprehensive analysis of neuropathy findings.

Aspen Medical will be offering this free chronic pain and neuropathy severity evaluation will be available until February 28th, 2023. Call (480) 274-3157 to make an appointment.

Due to our very busy office schedule, we are limiting this offer to the first 10 c allers Y OU DO NOT HAVE TO SUFFER ANOTHER MINUTE, CALL (480) 274-3157… NOW!!

We are extremely busy, so we are unavailable, please leave a voice message and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

As displayed in figure 1 above, the nerves are surrounded by diseased, withered blood vessels. A lack of sufficient nutrients means the nerves

Effective neuropathy treatment relies on the following three factors:

Depending on your coverage, your peripheral neuropathy treatment could cost almost nothing – or be absolutely free.

Aspen Medical 4540 E Baseline Rd., Suite 119 Mesa, AZ, 85206 *(480) 274-3157*

raised when she was hired, considering she has a master's degree in organizational leadership from Northern Arizona University.

“It was – and still is – a little bit unique, I think, to have a library director without a master's in library science,” she said. “But really, what I applied was leadership skills to the library system – and really trusted the professionals who are outstanding in the Scottsdale Public Library

system….“So what I have found is I did not necessarily need a master's in library science to effectively lead the library system.”

Taking her 12-year-old son with her (she has two other adult children), Peters is packing up and heading for a city where the low this Wednesday is projected at minus 10 (Thursday’s high will be 6 degrees).

For Peters, that means getting back to her roots.

“I was actually born and raised in a small Inupiat Eskimo village on the

north slope of Alaska,” she said.

As she prepared to lead her last Library Board meeting, Peters pondered the idea: Maybe, like a library book that gets loaned out, one day she’ll be “returned.”

“This isn't a matter of leaving because I'm unhappy,” she stressed. “This is really going for the next level of professional experience and a little adventure along the way.

“I'm ready for that next level of executive leadership,” she said. “But maybe, someday – who knows – I'll end up back in Scottsdale.”

Know anything interesting going on in Scottsdale?

PORTICO from PAGE 6

like Cavasson and Mayo Clinic,” McCulloch said.

“We have seen a tremendous response and demand every week and we’re continuing to see a great flow of leads and appointments in our sales center and a great response for those listings,” he added.

The project is currently in its infancy, hoping to have its building permits approved by the end of the month and McCulloch and his team are targeting a Spring 2025 opening.

However, once completed, McCulloch reiterated that he believes this development will aid in making the area off of Loop 101 and Scottsdale Road the new “luxury corridor” of Scottsdale.

Climbing stairs shouldn’t feel like climbing Camelback.

Get back to the little things you love with stronger joints. Whether it is climbing Camelback Mountain or climbing your stairs without joint pain, we’re here to get you back to the life you love. Our highly specialized physician and patient care staff works with each patient to establish a personalized treatment and rehabilitation program.

Discover how we can get you back to living your life your way.

Ex-Scottsdale couple mark 75 years of marriage

Achance encounter on the L train in Chicago led to a marriage lasting over seven decades for a couple who lived in Scottsdale until a little more than two years ago.

Bob and Betty Hopkins recently marked 75 years of matrimony with champagne and cake, surrounded by family and friends at Sky Ridge assisted living facility in Gilbert.

“We got along well,” said Betty, 94. “He knew I liked to dance. He used to take me up north to the big ballrooms and we would take the L on Saturday nights and go up there.”

Betty is a bit hard of hearing and Bob can’t recall things and uses a wheelchair to get around – but their love has withstood the test of time.

Betty recalled the day that she met Bob, who had served as a Marine during World War II.

It was in the summer of 1946 and

she was already running late when she boarded the train for her job in Chicago’s Loop.

“We were partway downtown,” said Betty, then 17 and was sitting with two other girls she knew. “But the train stopped.

“I didn’t know where (Bob) came from but he got up and spoke with the motorman in the front and he found out what was going on. There was a train wreck; the car ahead of us had an accident. And so, we were on the train, I don’t know for several hours.”

The train eventually arrived to a station and the passengers disembarked.

“We got off and we had to walk to the south side of Chicago and it was not a good neighborhood,” Betty said.

She said the motorman suggested to Bob, “Why don’t you walk with those girls just to make sure.”

And so, Bob did accompanying the three girls for a couple of blocks to catch a streetcar. Bob and Betty got off at the same stop.

“Then he looked at me and said, ‘Do you want to go in for a cup of coffee?’”

she recalled.

The two went to a Walgreens and instead ordered Coca-Cola at the soda fountain.

“And then we walked to the corner and he went one way and I went the other and that was that,” Betty said matter-of-factly.

“Never saw her again,” Bob, 97, interjected tongue-in-cheek.

However, later that day Bob spotted Betty as she was leaving work. They took the same train and he ended up walking her home and asking her out.

The two dated for a year and in September 1947, Bob proposed to Betty on her birthday, presenting her with an engagement ring and a watch.

The two married four months later. It was a short engagement because of the housing situation.

Chicago, like the rest of the country, was experiencing a severe housing shortage due to factors such as the Great Depression and a temporary home-building moratorium during the war.

“At that point, apartments were hard

to find,” Betty explained. “His sister happened to know a neighbor that had an apartment for rent. And so we said, ‘When’s the apartment available?’ He said the end of January.

“So that was when we got married.”

The couple’s first five of their eight children were born within six years and Betty and Bob still managed to have date night twice a week, their daughter Mary Formichella said.

Bob went from buying corsages for Betty during their courtship to bringing home roses every Friday from the train station after they married.

When the family moved to Arizona in 1974, Bob continued bringing roses to Betty every time he went to the store.

The family initially lived on the West Side and three years later relocated to Scottsdale, where Bob opened a business.

The couple lived in Scottsdale until a little more than two years ago, when Formichella moved her parents to Sky Ridge closer to her Gilbert home.

Although Betty carried the conversation Bob’s playful wit surfaced every once in a while.

When asked what attracted him to Betty, Bob responded, “She was a girl.”

He said he couldn’t recall why he asked her out, which prompted a response from Betty.

“He used to tell me he liked my eyes and my legs,” she said.

“And her a**,” Bob whispered.

He said that keeping the flame burning in his relationship with Betty was “easy stuff” – unlike the “expensive stuff,” such as having children.

Betty noted that Bob came from a family of nine children and that “he always said he wanted 10 kids, more than his father but he didn’t get there.”

“The SOB beat me,” Bob added.

ANNIVERSARY from page 20

According to the U.S. Census, the divorce rate for those 75 and older is 24% and just 6% of married couples even reach their golden wedding

anniversary or 50 years of wedded bliss.

The Hopkins are a rarity, even beating the late Queen Elizabeth II’s 73year marriage to Prince Philip until his death in 2021.

Besides the eight children, the couple has 13 grandchildren and 10 greatgrandchildren.

Bob and Betty’s loving relationship hasn’t gone unnoticed by their children.

“It’s the little things,” said Formichella, who’s been married for almost 25 years. “They would always kiss hello and goodbye. They hold hands.

“On Christmas Eve even with eight kids they would stay up after all the kids went to bed and exchange one gift the two of them. So it was those little things that you pick up on.”

Formichella said although her husband doesn’t make it a habit of bringing her flowers he did buy her 28 rose bushes in their backyard when they bought their house “so I’ll always have roses.”

And son Randy Hopkins buys his wife, Wendy, flowers every week. The two have been married for 45 years.

Asked for the secret to the longevity of their marriage Betty said, “It wasn’t our time to go.

“When we got married it was for forever.”

Scottsdale pastry restaurant is James Beard nominee

It still doesn't seem like nearly a decade ago that Jenna Leurquin, who grew up in Belgium and was a top golf player with a scholarship to Boise State University, was scouring Idaho in search of a bakery that offered any semblance of the sweets she enjoyed in her native Barcelona, Spain.

When she discovered none, the thenmajor in business and accounting finance decided to go to Paris and attend Le Cordon Bleu where she learned to create delectable pastries.

She then spent two years working as a consultant for some of the most renowned restaurants and bakeries in Belgium before returning to the states and taking a position as head pastry chef for Silverleaf Country Club.

After two years at the club, she decided to head out on her own, opening JL Patisserie, located off Scottsdale Road and Shea Boulevard.

After a few months here, Leurquin established a large enough following to open a second location in Phoenix near Camelback Road and Central Av-

enue.

Despite the early success, Leurquin admits that the early years were tough and when the pandemic took root in early 2020, business hardly got easier.

However, Leurquin attributes her business’ survival to her staff's commitment to showing up to work each day and committing to staying true to her products.

“We just started focusing on the community and just staying true to my product,” she recalled. “That's what I said I was going to do and people sup -

No matter how much it cost or the labor that it took, that's something that I pride myself in doing and I hope my team prides itself in doing.”

Because of this, Leurquin feels that her business’ nomination for a James Beard Award reflects her staff rather than herself.

“It means the most to my team because I did not get here by myself and I am glad that the recognition reinforces the good work that my team comes in to do every day,” Leurquin said.

Because of this, she says her staff was

ported us and that’s how we kept growing.”

Even with challenges like supply chain disruptions and rising costs of ingredients like eggs, Leurquin credits her team for pushing forward.

“We never sacrifice quality for time or anything like that,” said Leurquin. “Sometimes it was really hard to fit it all in with a limited staff, but I always said ‘it has to be baked fresh and it has to be our quality.’

elated when they learned the news of the nomination.

“They were very excited when I told all of them,” Leurquin said. “I told them ‘you should be proud to be here with me because I'm very proud that you are part of this team as we're accomplishing those goals and big awards.”

Leurquin had a somewhat different reaction to the news, partly because

she was on vacation.

“I was skiing because I just needed a little break after the crazy holiday season I just had,” Leurquin recalled with a laugh. “Then, I got a phone call saying ‘we’re nominated for a James Beard Award’ and I was like, ‘Really? That's awesome.’”

The winners of the James Beard Award will be announced on June 5 at an official ceremony in Chicago.

But because of the honor that even

the nomination carries, Leurquin said she and her team feel as if they have already won.

“I think we’ve already won,” she said. “Whether I win or not, I think just the nomination is already a win, and whatever happens, for me, just the pride of being nominated is very good.”

In the meantime, Leurquin is remaining focused on her recently expanded Scottsdale establishment, which recently added more space for dine-in seating and expanded its kitchen.

Now’s the Right Time

“So, we started the expansion project in the summer and we recently knocked part of our wall down and extended the storefront but we're still working on auto kitchen expansion so we can hopefully have more space to work in,” she said.

She also hopes to expand beyond her two storefronts and join more community events around the Valley.

“I do wish to expand to more farmer's markets and get more of a connection with the community through other means,” Leurquin said.

Overall, Leurquin is mostly happy that she and her team are being rewarded for their hard work and dedication to their craft and plans to have some unique offerings to complement upcoming holidays.

7342 E. Shea Boulevard #108, Scottsdale

480-859-4459, jlpatisserie.com

Why I stand with Dr. Scott Menzel

Sharing inaccurate, incomplete facts is a problem. It is important that we verify information carefully.

Supporting disinformation campaigns and making defaming claims about individuals in our community is counterproductive to our progress as a society.

Recently, some members of our community fell prey to such antics and made quick calls for the termination of our SUSD Superintendent, Dr. Scott Menzel.

The propaganda stemmed from the deliberate manipulation of an extensive 2019 interview, intentionally distorting the context to elicit a negative call to action. This type of community engagement is disingenuous at best.

I appreciate those of you who have taken the time to read the extensive interview through the entirety of it and have made educated decisions based on the facts.

If you have not read the entire in-

terview, here is your chance (search “Torchlight interview with Dr. Menzel”). After reading through it in its entirety, if you have questions about the genuine intent of the conversation, ask to speak with Dr. Menzel. Facts are relevant.

We have had about 13 assorted lead administrators in SUSD over my 30 plus-year tenure as a resident, employee, and parent in our Scottsdale Unified School District.

I believe that I understand the traits which are necessary to lead in this

community and feel Dr. Menzel is key to our future success. Dr. Menzel has served our district admirably during one of the most challenging times in the history of our district and public education. Discover a few of these successes under his stewardship, at SUSD. org.

Dr. Menzel is a necessary stabilizing force to our employees who overwhelmingly support his leadership. He recognizes the strain which has been placed on the profession after decades of underfunding our public schools.

Dr. Menzel understands that supporting our employees is a paramount step to retaining highly qualified employees to work for the good of our district and the children we support.

Dr. Menzel is working hard to creatively address the multitude of impositions and improve our district public schools because he clearly sees the value in supporting the opportunities for ALL students. He also views our students as unique individuals who are worth the investment of time, resources, and emotional forti -

tude.

I recognize that our hard-working and dedicated school district employees continue to be placed at the center of the blame target for the inaccurate claim that our public schools are failing, often under the false veil of accountability measured only through testing.

I see our ongoing accomplishments as indicative of a different narrative. Despite the efforts to starve and sabotage our district public schools, we succeed.

I implore the nay-sayers to invoke a different perspective and support us as valuable partners. The multitude of challenges which are intentionally inflicted upon the public school system create unnecessary stumbling blocks towards attaining optimal student accomplishment and staff retention.

I will continue to direct my board work according to facts and the needs of our students. I stand with Dr. Menzel because he stands with and for our students and employees.

Arizona’s Community Colleges present

These Community College Students are selected for their academic achievement, leadership and service to the community. All receive scholarships from Arizona’s community colleges, as well as Arizona Board of Regents tuition waivers for any Arizona public university. Students are eliglible for selection to the All-USA Academic Team. For information, contact the local chapter of Phi Theta Kappa national honorary society at any Arizona community college.

Presented as a public service by the

Dillingham’s first signing class ripe with new talent

Ayear ago, in what would be the last offseason of the Herm Edwards era, the Arizona State football recruiting class ranked last in the Pac-12 and 103rd in the country after National Signing Day.

After this year’s signing day, new head coach Kenny Dillingham and his staff built a class ranked ninth in the conference and 47th overall, per 247 Sports. The class was highlighted by one of the highest-rated high school commits in recent history, four-star quarterback Jaden Rashada, who broke the news of his plans to join ASU on Twitter.

“I’ll be attending Arizona State University, my childhood dream school, my alma [mater], a place where I’m happy and a school where the [h]ead [c]oach has always had my back,” Rashada said. “Can’t wait to carry on the family name at the [u]niversity and start my journey!”

ASU football is a tradition in the Rashada family. Jaden’s father, Harlen, played defensive back for the Sun Devils from 1992-1994, tallying two interceptions over three seasons in Tempe.

The decision for Rashada to become a Sun Devil came less than two months after signing a national letter of intent to the University of Florida. Almost a month to the day later, he decommitted from Florida and, a week after, took an unofficial visit to national championship runner-up TCU.

Arizona State was one of the first programs to give Rashada an offer in 2020 under the direction of Edwards. As Rashada’s tweet suggests, the relationship with ASU’s new coach ultimately led to his commitment.

“I have some connections in the QB private training world from my time

coaching guys at my prior schools,” Dillingham said. “They want to send kids to somebody they trust.”

The 6-foot-4, 185-pound quarterback threw for 3,055 yards and 32 touchdowns in his senior season at Pittsburg High School in California. He joins an already talented quarterback room that includes last year’s starter Trenton Bourguet and Notre Dame transfer Drew Pyne.

“The reality is, everywhere around the country, you’re gonna compete against four or five guys,” ASU offensive coordinator Beau Baldwin said. “At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what you did before, it’s about what you’re doing right now.”

A long list of accolades follows Rashada’s name. He is the 31st-ranked overall prospect in the ESPN 300, the highest-ranked recruit to sign with Arizona State since the 2020 class and a top-5 rated prospect of all time to be-

come a Sun Devil. But what made him an appealing prospect was more than what he could do on the field.

“This is a really, really good kid who wanted to be an Arizona State Sun Devil,” Dillingham said. “This is a kid who gets to live out his dream, and that’s pretty special.”

The Sun Devils went to the transfer portal for many signees, most of which local to Arizona.

Dillingham and his staff brought home former Chandler quarterback Jacob Conover, running back DeCarlos Brooks and linebacker Tate Romney. Former Saguaro standout tackle Bram Walden signed with the Sun Devils to return home and play for former coach Jason Mohns, who left the Sabercats to join Dillingham’s staff in December as the tight ends coach.

Tristan Monday, who signed with Wisconsin out of Saguaro in 2022, also transferred to play for Arizona State.

Jake Smith, a standout athlete at Notre Dame Prep, will play for the Sun Devils next fall after stops at Texas and USC.

The Sun Devils also tabbed a pair of players from Mesa in Mountain View offensive lineman Sirri Kandiyeli and Red Mountain athlete Lenox Lawson.

Dillingham and his staff brought in a record 43 new signees to the program, which only further breeds competition at each position on the field. Each player will get a chance to compete, but no one is guaranteed a starting position.

“We’re looking for guys to come in, have a mindset to learn, to grow, to listen,” Dillingham said. “They didn’t get promised anything other than an opportunity to be pushed to a level they’ve never been pushed … in an environment where you can have a lot of fun getting better.”

Pet palaces on the block at special auction

For the ninth consecutive year, Facings of America will switch its prized products with some of

the swankiest pet palaces around.

The Scottsdale business – which boasts some of finest tile, stone and architectural features in the world –is hosting an auction of uniquely designed dog and cat houses to benefit

the Arizona Animal Welfare League. The nonprofit is state's oldest and largest no-kill shelter and houses over 4,000 pets while funding low-cost vaccine clinics, rural rescue efforts and a community vet clinic.

“Animals really touch everyone's hearts and here's just something about the love an animal can bring you that I think a lot of people can relate with,” see DESIGN page 30

A more robust Spring Baseball season beckons this year

There were times in the past three years when Huss Brewing Company considered getting out of the Spring Training business.

“We did have some hearts-to-hearts about it,” said Chip Mulala, the director of operations for the company, which sells its local craft beers at seven of the 10 Cactus League stadiums.

The past three years have hurt businesses and frustrated baseball fans who like to visit Arizona in March for the nice weather and Spring Training games.

First, the COVID pandemic forced an end to nearly all sports in mid-March 2020, abruptly ending a strong Cactus League season. In 2021, stadiums had to deploy social distancing, limiting capacity to 50%. Plus, they started late and had fewer games.

COVID was not a problem last year, but Major League Baseball’s labor dispute was. The owners locked players out until they reached a new collective bargaining agreement, forcing a late start and fewer Spring Training games.

In 2019, there were 220 Spring Training games played in Arizona, drawing 7,900 fans per game. The number of games dropped to 143 in 2020, hit 208 with the limited capacity in 2021 and bottomed out at 135 last year. The impact those three years had on the state’s tourism and the industries

that support it is still being felt.

“It made something abundantly clear,” said Steve Chucri, the president/ CEO of the Arizona Restaurant Association. “Spring training is crucial to a lot of restaurants.”

The Cactus League schedule begins on Feb. 24, and for the first time since 2019, a full slate of games awaits with no capacity restrictions.

“In 2023, we are looking forward to a ‘normal’ season,” said Bridget Binsbacher, executive director of the Cactus League. “Combine that with an upswing in tourism and I’m optimistic we will see much higher attendance. Everywhere I go, people tell me how excited they are to get back out to the ballpark.”

There are 15 Major League Baseball teams that train in the Valley, playing their games at 10 stadiums. Five ballparks are home to two teams.

Most of the stadiums are supported by local charity groups, such as the Thunderbirds in Scottsdale and the HoHoKams in Mesa, that raise money and then spread it around to local charities.

The charities’ ability to do that has been hurt during the past three seasons.

Binsbacher said before 2020, the Cactus League generated $644 million annually for the local economy. In 2020, that dropped to $363.3 million. The league does not have the numbers for the past two years yet.

One Scottsdale based-business, Bella

Palazzo Collections, rents out private homes. Owner-operator Margie Van Zee said MLB’s labor issue last year was the hardest on her business. Many of the people renting some of

the 80 homes in her collection are ballplayers.

“We had to have a cancellation clause

see CACTUS page 30

said Facings of America spokeswoman Carrie Hamblin, calling the league “an amazing partner with us” that has helped make the dog house auction its biggest fundraiser of the year.

The Arizona Animal Welfare League nearly a decade ago was one of three nonprofits that Facings was considering partnering with.

“At the time, Facings was going through a little bit of a cultural shift in a positive way,” recalled Hamblin. “We decided that we wanted to do a lot more community service and a lot more charity work, so we polled the staff and asked ‘what are some things that people are into?’ And we chose the Arizona Animal Welfare League as one of three.”

Eventually, Facings proposed recruiting designers to build state-of-the-art pet palaces that could be auctioned off to benefit the nonprofit.

“We work with the top talent as far as designers, architects and builders in the Valley. Some of them we've been working with for decades,” said Hamblin.

“We asked them if they wanted to build these pet houses and they spent their own money, got their sponsorships to build the houses and recruited their friends in the industry.”

Among the 15 participating builders is Phoenix-based designer Sherwood Wang who is returning for his second year and will be the lone solo designer in the showcase.

“The AAWL was a big part of it since

it's such a well-run organization and I know they do a lot of important work in the community for these dogs and cats,” Wang said. “It's always a really good time seeing everyone in the community come together.”

Wang has spent between 60 and 80 hours crafting a home with complex shapes that fit together almost like a LEGO set.

He also decided to differentiate himself from the pack by creating a home for cats.

“This year, we decided to focus on cats, which is kind of an area where hopefully we'll be in front of the few cat houses over there,” Wang said.

Not only will his design stand out because of its use, but Wang also created three levels in the home for the animals to explore.

Because of this, Wang hopes to win the best in show and fetch a steep price tag for his home to raise as many funds as possible for the Arizona Animal Welfare League.

“The goal is to get these houses into homes and have pets enjoy them for that time,” said Wang.

However, the big goal is to raise near-

ly $60,000 for the nonprofit — which is especially important as the Arizona Animal Welfare League continues to navigate its way through inflation.

“We always need the support of our community as a nonprofit since we rely directly on our generous supporters for that funding,” said Arizona Animal Welfare League spokeswoman Kimberly Vermillion. “We don't receive any government funding, so any support that we can get makes it possible for us to do our lifesaving work.”

In addition to auctioning off swanky pet palaces, the Design for Dogs event will also feature live music, food trucks and the Arizona Animal Welfare League will have animals on site available for adoption.

Because of this, Hamblin hopes to witness another successful event and see record sales of the homes.

“I hope we have more attendees than last year. We had about 600 people last year and we’re hoping for at least 650 to 700 people,” Hamblin said. “I would also love to see the dog houses go for as much as we can because the designers and builders work so hard and invest so much time and money in building them. That's really what I would love to see.”

If You Go:

Design for Dogs Event to Benefit Homeless Animals

When: 5 p.m. Friday, February 24

Where: Facings of America Showroom,  16421 N. 90th Street, Scottsdale

Cost: $55 per general admission ticket or $100 for two.

Info: designfordogs.org/

in our contract so that if MLB continued to obstruct the ballplayers, then they could get out of it,” Van Zee said, adding that it forced her to be more flexible.

Ironically, the pandemic’s onset in 2020 led to an increase in business.

“2020 was the best year we’ve ever had, even during the pandemic,” she said. “What happened was nobody wanted to go back to their hometown.

They were already here for spring training, COVID happened. A lot of them would have to go back to their cold weather climates and areas that were still shut down.

“So, a lot of the ballplayers just said we’re extending, many of them extended and stayed till the beginning of the year.”

Mulala said Huss Brewing Company decided to stay in the Spring Training business. In fact, they just opened a new location – Papago Brewing Com-

pany, close to Sloan Park in Mesa where the Chicago Cubs play.

“We actually have it set up that we’re going to have a shuttle that is going to be taking people to the games on game day for most games that start at one o’clock,” he said.

While the past three years have been difficult, right now is a great time to be in the restaurant business. In addition to Spring Training, the Super Bowl and Waste Management Phoenix Open were also in town.

All those events brought a lot of tourists.

Chucri expects to see between a 20to-25% increase in sales just because of the Super Bowl.

“The restaurant economy, for all of our hopes and desires this February and March, is going to be very, very much needed,” Chucri said. “[We’ll] really get a huge boost when it comes to these these big events coming to the state, especially Spring Training.”

Papago Brewing ready for spring ball fans

With Spring Training just around the corner, Huss Brewing Co. is ready for thirsty fans at its new Papago Brewing Company taproom at Mesa Riverview – realizing a dream of owners Jeff and Leah Huss.

The taproom, occupying the former home of The Brass Tap at 1033 N. Dobson Road, is inside a standalone 2,100-square-foot, 104-seat taproom and restaurant that will pour an ever-changing selection of 60 craft draft beers, plus packaged beers to-go.

Its opening earlier this month coincided with Huss’ refresh of the Papago brand. Leah Huss spent 14 years as co-owner of the original Papago Brewing Company in Scottsdale and helped pioneer the local craft beer scene, including the creation of Papago’s signature beer, Papago Orange Blossom.

Leah and her husband Jeff Huss made the new taproom a personal passion project and said she long dreamed of reintroducing the Papago Brewing experience to the East Valley – not with a rehash or a replica of the old taproom, but a brand-new iteration.

“I really wanted to envision what Papago Brewing would look like in 2023,” Leah said. “So, we’ll still have elements of a traditional Europeanstyle beer pub and vintage furnishings, yet very fresh and forward-looking.”

Beside freshly crafted brews spanning the entire Huss family of beers, the new taproom will also feature local beers from Arizona, along with small-batch and experimental beers. It includes past favorites such as Elsie’s

Milk Stout and Hopago IPA, all paired with a compact menu of premium bar bites like the sausage and pretzel board as well as 12” pizzas, paninis, sandwiches and salads.

Most important, Leah said they’re excited to build on the solid craft beer foundation built by Brass Tap owners Jesse and Jason Rowe.

“They’ve been great stewards of the Mesa craft beer scene, and we’re excited to introduce Huss and Papago to the neighborhood,” she said.

The quiet locale at Mesa Riverview runs contrary to what’s happening for the rest of their locations – especially their taproom inside the Phoenix Convention Center.

Brewmaster Jeff Huss – a diehard Chicago Cubs fan – looks forward to the next month-and-a-half when Cubs fans will fill nearby Sloan Park as part for Spring Training.

Starting on Feb. 25, Papago will open for lunch at 11 a.m. and offer free shut-

tle from Papago Brewing Co. to Sloan Park for those attending Cubs Spring Training games.

MaLeea Cole-Briggs, Mesa Riverview property manager, said called the taproom a welcome addition to the center coming at an opportune time.

“The opening of Papago Brewing Co. couldn’t have been better timed,” ColeBriggs said in a statement. “The pub’s wide selection of craft beers and oldworld ambiance will provide a comfortable gathering space that we are sure our guests, including the area’s top sports fans and tourists, will heartily embrace.”

Leah and Jeff Huss have 35 years of combined experience in the brewing industry. Jeff, a former head brewer for BJ’s Brewing in Chandler, attended the Siebel Institute in Chicago and the Doemens Academy in Munich, Germany.

Huss Brewing Co. opened in 2013 with taprooms inside the Tempe brewery.

In 2016, Huss acquired the Papago Brewing Company in Scottsdale, creating the newly formed Huss Family of Beers and transforming Huss into the third largest brewer in the state.

Although the Scottsdale taproom eventually closed, Leah and Jeff Huss made sure Papago’s pioneering spirit lived on, purchasing Papago Brewing Company in 2016 and expanding the product line to include Papago Cherry Blossom and the brand-new Papago Blueberry Wheat beers.

And now approaching nearly two decades of existence in the Arizona marketplace, Huss has taken the iconic brand to the next level with newly designed cans.

“This refreshing and iconic brand is almost 18 years old, so we wanted to give it a bright and fresh new feel,” Leah Huss said. “The new cans really showcase the oranges and refreshing nature that has made Papago Orange Blossom one of Arizona’s favorite beers for almost 2 decades.”

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NOTICE OF PLANNING COMMISSION HEARING

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Planning Commission of the City of Scottsdale, Arizona, will hold a public hearing on March 8, 2023, at 5:00 P.M in the City Hall Kiva, 3939 N. Drinkwater Boulevard, Scottsdale, Arizona, for the purpose of hearing all persons who wish to comment on the following:

Written comments submitted electronically at least one hour prior to the meeting are being accepted. A written Public Comment may be submitted electronically to PlanningCommission@ScottsdaleAZ.gov. Public comments will also be accepted at the meeting.

3-AB-2022 (Kaufax Residence Abandonment) Request by owner to abandon portions of N. 69th Street, E. Mark Lane, and N. 70th Street, adjacent to parcels 216-68-099A, 216-68-097A, 216-68-099B, and 216-68-097B, with Single-family Residential, Environmentally Sensitive Lands, Foothills Overlay (R1-70/ESL/FO) zoning designation, located at 28357 and 28221 N. 69th Street, and 28228 and 28212 N. 70th Street. Staff contact person is Jesus Murillo, 480-312-7849. Applicant contact person is Pearl Kaufax, 480-947-5504.

5-AB-2022 (Martinson GLOPE Abandonment) Request by owner to abandon the 33-foot wide GLO roadway easement along the northern property line and to abandon 250 square feet of a ¼ cul-de-sac abutting N. 69th Street of parcel 216-50-028A, with Single-family Residential, Environmentally Sensitive Lands, Foothills Overlay (R1-70 ESL FO) zoning located at 31421 N. 69th Street. Staff contact person is Chris Zimmer, 480-312-2347. Applicant contact person is Wayne Rosendahl, (480) 599-1263.

7-UP-2022 (Puttshack) Request by owner for a Conditional Use Permit for a Bar use (Puttshack at Scottsdale Quarter) in a +/- 26,244 square foot building with +/3,097 of outdoor patio space, located at 15059 N. Scottsdale Road, Suite 100 with Planned Regional Center (PRC) zoning. Staff contact person is Bryan Cluff, 480-312-2258. Applicant contact person is Brian Greathouse, 602-234-9930.

For additional information visit our web site at www.scottsdaleaz.gov search “Scottsdale Planning CaseFiles” or in your URL search bar you can type in https://eservices.scottsdaleaz.gov/bldgresources/Cases/

A COPY OF A FULL AGENDA, INCLUDING ITEMS CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS MEETINGS IS AVAILABLE AT LEAST 24 HOURS PRIOR TO THE MEETING AT THE FOLLOWING: Online at: http://www.ScottsdaleAZ.gov/Boards/planning-commission

CHAIRMAN

Attest

CAITLYN GULSVIG PLANNING SPECIALIST

PERSONS WITH A DISABILITY MAY REQUEST A REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION BY CONTACTING THE CLERK’S OFFICE AT (480-312-7767). REQUESTS SHOULD BE MADE 24 HOURS IN ADVANCE, OR AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE TO ALLOW TIME TO ARRANGE ACCOMMODATION. FOR TTY USERS, THE ARIZONA RELAY SERVICE (1-800-367-8939) MAY CONTACT THE CLERK’S OFFICE AT (480-312-7767).

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t t s d a l e

The Most Unexpected Real Estate Trend to Come Out of 2022

The market flipped! Nobody expected the bottom to fall out, but like a good upside-down cake, there is opportunity for everyone We will continue to see the shift in the market throughout 2023 with home sales about 20% below the 6 1 million home sales of 2021 and 4 8 million home sales in 2022

For buyer’s the pro’s are long and the con’s are short.

Pro’s:

• More inventory

• Price negotiations

• No need to waive inspections

• No need to waive appraisals

• No bidding wars

• Move in at close of escrow

• Time to think

• Seller paid closing costs

• Seller repairs

Con’s:

• Higher interest rates that are still reflective of 30 year averages

Conclusion: Buyer’s can now marry the house they love and date the rate

For Seller’s the pro’s and con’s are flipped but let’s focus on the pro’s.

• Move up to a larger home with recent equity gains

• Downsize to a smaller home with cash

• Sell NOW and capitalize on equity gains while sitting on the sidelines. You never lose money taking chips off the table

Help Buyers Emotionally Connect

Staging is about showcasing an engaging, move-in ready home that creates an emotional connection with the buyer Updating décor with on-trend, inviting style particularly in living rooms, primary bedrooms, kitchens, and dining rooms can make a memorable impression.

If you are thinking of selling your home, now more than ever your home must be in TOP condition. At BVO Luxury we offer FREE home improvement and staging consultations

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