Ahwatukee Foothills News - 1.5.2022 by Times Media Group

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OVID-19 levels are as high, if not higher, than a year ago. Two of Ahwatukee’s golf courses are still closed. And home affordability remains elusive for many people as inventory remains low and prices continue to rise. Did someone say we have a new year? While many of the headaches and near crises of 2021 don’t seem to have budged an inch as Ahwatukee settles into 2022, there are a few bright spots on the horizon – though maybe many might still want a time machine.

Perhaps one of the brighter developments on the horizon is detailed in today’s AFN Opinion page by Arizona Department of Transportation Director John Halikowski, who announces that work on the I-10 Broadway Curve Improvement Project between Baseline Road and Chandler Boulevard will be completed this year – not by 2024 as originally planned. Of course, it’s not all roses for anyone who uses the I-10/US 60 interchange, travels beyond Baseline Road to get to work or those who use Phoenix International Sky Harbor Airport. Even Halikowski admits the project will “be

Inflation, worker . 26 shortages grip MEGA PLAYGROUND restaurants here

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The year ahead: Not quite same old, same old BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor

A VOLUNTEER'S VOLUNTEER

| S P O RT S P. 37 | G E TO U T P. 42 | C L A S S I F I E D P. 49

hip Mahoney, owner of Wicked Brews, Bites & Spirits in Ahwatukee, hasn’t had enough silverware since September. Normally, silverware is washed and folded into cloth napkins at the end of worker shifts but, instead, he spends his days driving to shops and supply stores hoping to find silverware and other supplies for the restaurant while staff washes and folds even during busy hours. “I’m driving around getting nowhere and wasting my day,” he said. “That’s not how I want to run my business – driving around the Valley looking for products that I need to run my business.” Wicked Brews celebrated its first anniversary in November, first opening its doors when pandemic dining

highly impactful in other areas of I-10, the US 60 Superstition Freeway and State Route 142. That’s because ADOT is radically altering the busiest route in Arizona with additional lanes, a new Broadway Road overpass, a total realignment of the US 60-I-10 West interchange, a realignment of the intersection of State Route 143 and I-10 and other work. While ADOT said it is trying to minimize traffic interruptions and detours with overnight and weekend work, officials admit disruptions in everyday rush hour travel will be

Showing wood's beauty

Phoenix Fire Engineer Joe Duffy of Ahwatukee displays his carvedwood topographical outline of Arizona, his work reflecting the state’s undulating peaks and valleys. It’s one of many pieces he’s designed as The Handy Fireman in his garage. For a look at how he’s turned his mastery of wood into a small business, see page 29. (David Minton/Staff Photographer)

see RESTAURANTS page 12

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see PREVIEW page 16

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | JANUARY 5, 2022

The Ahwatukee Foothills News is published every Wednesday and distributed free of charge to homes and in single-copy locations throughout Ahwatukee Foothills.

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Tom Scanlon, 480-278-6903 tscanlon@timespublications.com Cecilia Chan. 480-898-5613, cchan@timespublications.com Ahwatukee Foothills News is distributed by AZ Integrated Media, a circulation service company owned by Times Media Group. The public is permitted one copy per reader. For further information regarding the circulation of this publication or others in the Times Media Group family of publications, please contact AZ Integrated Media at circ@ azintegratedmedia.com or 480-898-5641. For circulation services please contact Aaron Kolodny at aaron@ azintegatedmedia.com.

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COVID derails city update of 34-year-old parks master plan BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor

Phoenix City Council subcommittee is scheduled today, Jan. 5, to discuss how soon parks officials can get a long-delayed master plan update back on track. But the pandemic could further stymie them from doing much to tune up a roadmap for future upgrades that hasn’t been updated since 1988. Back then, Phoenix’s population was less than half the 4.6 million it is today and the city had yet to develop many of the 200 miles of trails in desert parks and mountain preserve land, 185 parks, 32 community and recreation centers, 29 pools and eight golf courses it has today. A new master plan “will set a vision to guide longterm park development; ensure that park amenities reflect the community; review and recommend cutting edge programs; and address issues of equity, accessibility and sustainability,” according to a memo Deputy City Manager Inger Erickson sent Council’s Community and Cultural Investment Subcommittee. It also “will focus on meaningful engagement with the community, evaluating and inventorying existing developed and undeveloped parks, programs and facilities; and assessing community demographics and recreation trends.” Her January 2021 memo also expressed an intention to be “identifying national best practices and emerging challenges in the field of parks and recreation.” And an aquatics advisory committee that was reestablished in 2019 would “play a role to help assess, evaluate and make recommendations specific to aquatic programs and facilities, in conjunction with the new parks master plan,” she added, promising a first draft by January 2022. But the pandemic brought the process to a nearstandstill. In her latest memo, dated Dec. 15, she told the subcommittee, “Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the significant amount of public engagement required in a Master Plan process, the project was temporarily delayed.” Turns out, COVID-19 impacted what Erickson calls “the core of the plan” – gathering public input. Erickson first detailed its importance in January 2021, telling Council, “A key component of the parks master plan is a comprehensive and citywide public engagement process. The engagement process will include eight months of outreach and dialogue with park

see PARKS page 6

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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | JANUARY 5, 2022

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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | JANUARY 5, 2022

Pervert gives teen a scare at Telegraph Pass Trailhead AFN NEWS STAFF

17-year-old Ahwatukee girl had the scare of her life last week when she caught a man videotaping her while she was using a bathroom at the Telegraph Pass Trailhead not far from her home. The girl, whose name is being with-

PARKS from page 3

users, community groups, stakeholders, local businesses, non-profits and other recreation service providers. “The intent is not only to engage existing users, but also those who may not currently utilize the parks system.” The ambitious outreach will include both virtual and in-person public meetings throughout the city, workshops, community focus groups, interviews with neighborhood leaders and other stakeholders, surveys and even “youth engagement” events, according to the memo. “All outreach will be done in both English and Spanish,” Erickson said. BESTOF

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held, told Phoenix Police that she saw a cellphone slip beneath the partition of a bathroom stall. The victim screamed and the pervert bolted, quickly leaving the bathroom and walking fast toward his car. But lucky for her and unlucky for the pervert, the girl grabbed her cell and caught photos of his car and the license

Because some people have no access to technology, in-person contact was critical – an impossible goal as COVID-19 continues running rampant in a city where the last restrictions on park use were lifted less than three months ago. “The most time-consuming component of the plan is the thorough, citywide public and stakeholder engagement process,” she said. The outreach is important as “feedback will be directly incorporated into the Master Plan to help identify community needs and priorities, as well as barriers that may prohibit individuals from visiting city parks and participating in services or programs,” Erickson wrote recently.

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when department staff appeared before the Parks and Rec Board. At that Nov. 19, 2020, meeting, Erickson told the subcommittee in her memo last month, “The community and board members voiced overwhelming support for the project and their desire to participate in the process.” With the post-holiday surge in COVID-19 still yet to crest in January 2021, the council subcommittee didn’t even bother discussing the plan or Erickson’s memo, deferring it to last June, according to minutes of that meeting. Minutes of the subsequent June meet-

see PARKS page 15

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Moreover, she said, “Information gathered through the public engagement and assessment process will then be used to formulate strategic and realistic goals to help ensure the department is meeting the needs of the community and providing meaningful recreation amenities and services equitably throughout the city.” While outreach has been estimated to require at least eight months, the plan also will include “examining current service levels; conducting an equity analysis to identify gaps in services; and identifying national best practices and emerging challenges in the field of parks and recreation.” Groundwork was first laid for the overall master plan process in November 2020,

The incident occurred in board daylight, he said, and there were a number of people hanging out at the trailhead. Police reacted swiftly to the father’s report and are now tracking down the license plate. Anyone with information on the incident or a vehicle matching the victim’s description should call Phoenix Police. ■

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plate – a heads-up act that police say may help them quickly track down the creep. The man was described as white and in his 20s and driving a late model white Nissan Sentra with a New Mexico license plate. “It shook my daughter up all day,” her father said, warning women at the trailhead to be aware of their surroundings.

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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | JANUARY 5, 2022

2 seeking Kyrene Precinct constable post of 2022. Constable in the Kyrene Justice Precinct is one of many local offices that will be on the primary and general election ballots this year. A county spokesman said he did not know how soon the supervisors would make a decision. In her letter of application, Bellavigna says she has been an Ahwatukee resident since 1992 an a Navy veteran, adding, “I strongly feel the calling to be of service to my community, and am a strong believer in the principle of ‘Service Before Self.’” She said her experience as a small business owner, real estate broker and property manager since 2004 “has provided a great deal of depth and knowledge about writs, evictions and the handling of personal property. “As such, I believe I am very well suited to serve as constable. Additionally, I offer

AFN NEWS STAFF

wo people are seeking the Maricopa County Board of Supervisor’s approval to replace the constable whose justice court precinct includes Ahwatukee – and at least one of them is an announced candidate for election to a four-year term. Democrats Bridget Bellavigna and Jonathan Levenson are the only applicants to replace Ben Halloran, who resigned effective last Friday for personal reasons. Halloran himself was appointed to the position in 2019 after the elected constable, Kent Rini, resigned less than a month after taking office after a series of reprimands for his conduct by county officials. The supervisors must appoint a Democrat to the post because Rini was one and whoever is appointed would fill out the remainder of Rini’s term through the end

sound judgement, an ethical approach and strong organizational skills that would be useful in fulfilling the responsibilities of the Kyrene Justice Precinct Constable . Throughout my career my ability to interact with people from all demographics in a positive manner has been consistently demonstrated.” Her resume lists her as the owner of Desert Property Realty & Property Management since 2008 and owner of Ahwatukee CrossFit from 2015 to 2019. Bellavigna also lists herself as co-owner of a patent for a special lathe that makes contact lenses and an expert in providing audio and lighting services for live events worldwide. An aviation electronics technician 3rd Class when she was in the Navy from 198184, Bellavigna also was a U.S. Defense Department contractor, providing technical services on the Apache helicopter and at

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Luke Air Force Base. In his letter, Levenson notes that he was a constable in the Kyrene Precinct from 2006-10, a time when he “navigated a difficult period of economic downtown.” “I am proudest if the fact that I was able to be a fair, impartial constable who protected the rights of both parties in disputes and worked to help my fellow constables when needed,” Levenson wrote. He also pointed out that aside from any mandated training, he is ready to hit the ground running as a result of his prior experience. Levenson’s resume lists him as having a degree in geography from Arizona State University and a legal assistant and receptionist from 2011 to 202 at A-1 Legal Services. He also lists his participation in a number of volunteer activities in Tempe. ■

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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | JANUARY 5, 2022

RESTAURANTS from page 1

restrictions limited what the restaurant could do for the first four months. Mahoney said he and his employees worked to promote the new restaurant while adhering to COVID-19 protocols, such as reduced seating and closing a few days a week. “It was starting to get better until the supply chain and lack of employee interest, which has really been a damper over the past four months,” Mahoney said. “That’s actually harder than when we first opened.” Mahoney said it’s a numbers game, from trying to make sure Wicked Brews is stocked with products for the dining room while still trying to keep prices low to keep and attract customers. But even with product price increases that have led to higher menu prices, the bills are still stacking up. Mahoney said another part of his day-today routine is finding employees to work in the restaurant. As a mom-and-pop operation, he said the business doesn’t have enough money to pay for the number of people needed to properly staff the restaurant. Miracle Mile Deli has been proudly serving pastrami sandwiches for 72 years, but the pandemic has Josh Garcia’s restaurant in “survival mode.” “What we’re seeing is the normal products that we’ve been able to get ahold of easily, like chicken tenders, we can’t get ahold of,” Garcia said. “The manufacturers are experiencing staffing issues like we are, but now that the world is open, they can’t keep up with the demand, so they’re trying to recover and we’re on the receiving end of it.” Small businesses and restaurants across the East Valley and Phoenix are struggling to stay afloat because of supply chain shortages and price hikes as they compete with Walmart, Amazon and other powerhouses for products to fill shelves and pantries. They also compete for workers to fill essential staffing positions. Garcia touts Miracle Mile as one of the biggest pastrami users on the West Coast; the restaurant serves about 3,000 pounds of pastrami each month. But the price, he said, has gone up $2 per pound since the pandemic was declared in March 2020. “We’ve taken a 30% price increase on products across the board since COVID started, so whether it’s disposables, food or drinks, everyone has encountered some form of price increase,” he said. “All of the big stores have a lot of money and backing with investors and custom-

The Wicked Brews, Bites & Spirits team in Ahwatukee includes, from left, Mike Awalt, Chip Mahoney, Chef Creighton Gee and Zach Schroeder. (AFN file photo) ers, but we’re just a small mom-and-pop business that’s been around for 72 years with 24 employees.” Wells Fargo senior economist Mark Vitner said the $5.2 trillion in stimulus checks issued in 2020 and ’21 helped revive consumer spending more quickly than supply, which shut down when demand plummeted at the beginning of the pandemic. “We basically drew down inventories of just about everything, and production has been trying to catch up,” Vitner said. “We still haven’t recovered all the jobs that were lost during the pandemic, and factories and warehouses are having a hard time attracting workers back.” Vitner said he expects supply chain worries are at their peak, with prices going up by 7.1% in Phoenix from a year ago, accord-

ing to October Consumer Price Index data. “I think we have seen some modest incremental improvement in just the last few weeks,” he said. “And I think that six months from now we’ll be in a better place, but we’re not going to get completely past these supply chain issues for at least a year.” Although restaurants aren’t as affected by supply chain problems and shipping issues as much as other industries, such as construction and homebuilding, small businesses don’t have the bargaining power when it comes to keeping restaurants open without exhausting staff, Vintner said. “Some chains are even closing underperforming stores while some are converting to ghost kitchens that serve the delivery market,” he said. “It’s a real tough

Wicked Brews opened in Ahwatukee in November 2020 as another spike in COVID-19 was beginning. (AFN file photo)

environment to operate in.” The alcohol industry is also being affected by shipping and other supply chain issues, with many breweries and distilleries struggling to find supplies to bottle their booze. Brothers Josh and Jason Duren, who coown Cider Corps in Mesa, have been laboring to get apple juice and fruits to brew their ciders, but they also have had a hard time finding cans for said ciders. Wendy Tilton from Wild Hare Distillery in Tempe said her issue isn’t finding bottles to put their alcohol in, but finding the same style of bottle to continue brand consistency. “Our last order was supposed to come in August, and I still don’t have it yet,” she said in late November. “We ordered 375-milliliter bottles earlier this year and waited for months to get them. And once they did come in, the bottle company could not find corks or sleeves to seal it.” Mairead Buschtetz and her husband, Fabrice, are also struggling to find workers for their multiple restaurants and bistros across the Valley, including Cuisine & Wine Bistro in Chandler and Copper & Logs in Gilbert. It feels like they’re in a “vicious circle,” Mairead Buschtetz said. “We got great federal help last year to stay open, and we were very blessed, but this year, there’s no federal help left,” she said. Normally, Buschtetz said, five people work in the Cuisine & Wine Bistro kitchen at a time: Her husband, the executive chef of all the family’s restaurants, works with three other cooks and a dishwasher. Right now, however, Fabrice is the only cook and there is no dishwasher. Instead, the Buschtetzes and their three children have been filling in where they can to keep the restaurants going with Frenchie Pizza in Gilbert facing the most challenges with staffing. Even though she needs to hire workers, Mairead said she can’t afford to pay them because of increasing costs elsewhere in the business. Even with wages ranging from $13 to $23 per hour, Mairead said, the family can’t compete with companies like Amazon and Whole Foods. “Our rent is more expensive by at least $1,000, and the case for the payroll costs are huge with our products coming in at least 30% more expensive than usual,” she said. “It’s a terrible situation to be in, and I can’t see a light at the end of the tunnel.

see RESTAURANTS page 15

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | JANUARY 5, 2022

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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | JANUARY 5, 2022

State, county saw population grow in 2021 BY HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services

Area population changes Community

rizona added nearly 109,000 new residents last year. But they were picky and choosy about where in the state they decided to live. New figures from the state Office of Economic Opportunity showed the state grew at a rate of 1.5% between June 30, 2020 and a year later. That’s how the agency tracks annual growth. And the more than 860,000 new residents in the past decade amounted to a 13.4% increase. So where did a lot of them go? Think about areas near the state’s major population center, but far enough away to have houses that are affordable. Queen Creek, which is big enough to spill over into Pinal County, posted a 10% year-over-year growth in population. Buckeye, on the extreme other end of the Valley, was not far behind at 8.9% And since growth for Phoenix to the im-

2021 population

Apache Junction

39,009

1.1%

8.0%

280,189

1.1%

17.8%

Gilbert

273,796

1.9%

29.1%

Maricopa

61,109

4.2%

38.2%

Mesa

510,792

1.1%

15.5%

Phoenix

1,630,195

1.2%

12.2%

Queen Creek

66,275

9.0%

144.8%

Scottsdale

243,528

0.7%

12.0%

Tempe

181,548

0.8%

12.3%

Maricopa County

4,507,419

1.6%

17.3%

4,507,419

1.5%

13.4%

Arizona

-- Source: Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity

mediate south is blocked by the Gila River Indian Community, that left Pinal County communities of Coolidge and Eloy at 7.1% and 5.3% respectively. The desire for affordable homes also boosted the population of Casa Grande by 4.3% and Maricopa by 4.2%.

Florence probably should have been in that list somewhere. But the official tally shows that community actually lost close to 1,600 residents over a 12-month period, making it the community with the greatest percentage loss at 6.2%.

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What’s behind that, though, has little to do with the desirability of the community. Jim Quang, the state demographer, said it has to do largely with the fact there are fewer people in the custody of the state Department of Corrections there. Population in the Eyeman and Florence units went from 9,031 in June of 2020 to 7,796 a year later. And the trend continues, with the most recent inmate count at the two facilities now below 7,500. Anchor cities are growing slower than the rest of the state. Phoenix added about 19,000 residents, but only enough to post a 1.2% year-overyear increase. Mesa and Chandler grew at 1.1% annually, with Scottsdale at 0.7% and land-locked Tempe pretty much were it was a year earlier. At the other end of the area, Glendale added just under 1,900 residents, a 0.7% increase. But nearby Peoria -- stretching much further out and with room to grow -- managed to post a 1.9% growth rate, increasing

see POPULATION page 15

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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | JANUARY 5, 2022

ASU fitness major uses skills to help homeless BY PRINCE JAMES STORY Cronkite News

or some, Saturdays are a day of relaxation after the workweek grind. For Tierra Hopkins, they’ve become an opportunity to make a difference in the community. The Arizona State University exercise and wellness major has spent many a weekend working out in parks around metro Phoenix. When the 24-year-old began noticing the number of people experiencing homelessness at the parks, she combined her passion for fitness with a desire to help those in need. Hopkins started leading workout sessions at area parks for free, with one ask

PARKS from page 6

ing show the subcommittee passed over it again, never setting a date for a discussion. The city has hired a lead consultant, Information EPG, and “an additional team

RESTAURANT from page 12

I don’t know how long people are going to be able to hang in there.” Many restaurants have had to get creative by either changing restaurant concepts or adding partnered experiences to continue attracting customers and make up for some of the shortages. Josh Duren of Cider Corps said these challenges have created a “forced level of creativity” that, in the end, could benefit American small businesses. “It’s built a really strong kind of bond where people realize that to survive, you have got to rely on other people for help,” he said. Wild Hare partnered with a local chocolate company, Stone Grindz in Scottsdale, to create a tasting event catered by a choc-

POPULATION from page 14

to 3.8% for even farther out Surprise. Pima County lags not just Maricopa County but the statewide average. And the key according to George Hammond of the Eller College of Business at the University of Arizona is how the economy is built.

of her participants – bring an item to donate to those without homes. “I don’t know this exact quote, but it’s something along the lines of, ‘Contribute to your world,’ or ‘Add to your world,’” Hopkins said. “I feel like I have an obligation.”

see HOMELESS page 22

Tierra Hopkins, kneeling, leads participants after a workout at Margaret T. Hance Park in Phoenix. When Hopkins began noticing how many people were experiencing homelessness, the Arizona State University student started holding workouts at area parks for free, with one ask of her participants – bring an item to donate to those without homes.

(Prince James Story/Cronkite News)

of subconsultants have been identified to support EPG in the plan efforts,” Erickson noted. In her latest memo, she lengthened the time it will take to produce a draft for the subcommittee, adding six months to an

olatier who paired different chocolates with their spirits, and Tilton said they will continue for the holiday season; by reservation only on Fridays, Saturdays and some Sundays. At Wicked Brews, live music wasn’t something Mahoney intended to provide, but since introducing it during the pandemic, it has become a regular thing Wednesday and Friday evenings. “You have to adjust your business plan, know your market and your guests to just stay on top,” he said. “Every penny counts right now.” ■

initial 12-month completion time. And the pandemic has again forced Erickson to leave the subcommittee in suspense, explaining she doesn’t know when the planning process can begin, explaining:

“The department continues to monitor the COVID-19 transmission spread level and will work with the Parks and Recreation Board to identify a timeline to launch the Master Plan process based on this data.” ■

But he also said that geography plays a role in economic development. Hammond said as firms look to locate or expand in Arizona, the Phoenix area is “just more of a draw,’’ with things like much better airport connections. Elsewhere around the state, Prescott Valley continues to grow more rapidly

than Prescott, at 2.1% versus 1.8%. But even those were outstripped by a 3.1% population increase in Clarkdale and 2.4% in Chino Valley, though Cottonwood grew by just 1.1% Sedona posted a 1.0% growth rate. And Flagstaff actually lost 345 residents, translating to a 0.4% loss. ■

The Buschtetz family – from left, Clementine, Steven, Laura, Killian, Mairead and Fabrice – owns Cuisine & Wine Bistro in Chandler and Copper & Logs, B Gastrobar and Frenchie Pizza in Gilbert (Courtesy of Buschtetz family)

“Tucson is just a less dynamic economy,’’ he said, heavily reliant on jobs in federal, state and local government. “We just have a lot more of that. And it’s just not a growth industry.’’ There is a plus side to all that. Hammond said it tends to make the economy less susceptible to wild swings.

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PREVIEW from page 1

impossible to avoid. Meanwhile, something coming up this year that 2021 didn’t have will be elections, though how one greets that news likely will depend on a lot – including one’s stomach for curbside signs, robo calls, a social media pounding and the usual heavy advertising on the airwaves and in mailboxes. This year, Arizonans will elect a new governor and vote on all statewide offices. Closer to home, Ahwatukee voters will get to vote on a successor to termed-out city Councilman Sal DiCiccio. So far four people have expressed their intent to run – and two are Ahwatukee residents. The local aspirants for the job are businessman Moses Sanchez and Joan Greene, the founder and owner of a marketing company and a business that raises money and awareness for nonprofits. Also running are Sam Stone, DiCiccio’s former chief of staff, and Kevin Robinson, a retired Phoenix Police assistant chief with 36 years of service. Ahwatukee voters also will be deciding two seats each on the Tempe Union and Kyrene governing boards. In Kyrene, the terms of both Ahwatukee resident Margaret Pratt and board President and Tempe resident Kevin Walsh are expiring and the same is happening for Tempe Union Governing Board President Brian Garcia and Vice President Andres Barraza, both Tempe residents. So far, only one person, Kristi Ohman of Ahwatukee, has filed a statement of interest in running for one of the Kyrene seats and no one has filed for the Tempe Union board. But that’s not unusual: there is no primary for school boards and election petitions won’t be due until mid-year for the Nov. 8 election. Ahwatukee voters also will be casting ballots for Kyrene Justice of the Peace and constable. And they will be voting for a new state senator since Sean Bowie is calling it quits. They also will be picking two representatives for what will be a newly numbered legislative district – 12 instead of 18 because of the work of the Arizona Redistricting Commission. In that district, state Rep. Mitzi Epstein is going after Bowie's senate seat. No Democrats have yet filed either for her seat or for the seat held by Rep. Jennifer Jermaine of Chandler, whose interest in a third term

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | JANUARY 5, 2022

their eye on.

COVID-19. Perhaps nowhere does the new year seem like a carbon copy of 2021 at this early stage of the calendar than with virus levels and the controversy over one of the efforts to combat it – namely mandatory facemasks in schools. Confronted by some of the highest COVID-19 levels since the beginning of the pandemic, Kyrene School District officials reversed course over last weekend and reinstated a mask mandate as kids returned to classrooms this week from winter break. The latest county health department data show 402 cases per 100,000 people and 14.2 The Arizona Department of Transportation will be percent new positive test reramping up work this year on the massive I-10 Broadway sults within the district. That Curve Project, posing three years of headaches for thou- level has not been seen since sands of everyday and occasional commuters. (ADOT) the post-holiday surge early is unclear at best. Several Republicans last year. and a Libertarian Party candidate have Kyrene early last month announced face already filed statements of interest in the masks would be optional when students legislative seats representing Ahwatukee. returned from winter break. Tempe Union People who file statements pf interest in held fast to its mandatory mask policy and elections aren't necessarily going to run; that will remain in force this week and for they can change their mind. In the City the foreseeable future. Council District 6 race however, the four In a message to parents, Kyrene Superannounced candidates do appear certain intendent Laura Toenjes attributed the to duke it out. district’s change of heart to both the elHere are some other major issues in evated virus levels as well as new county 2022 for Ahwatukee residents to keep guidance on quarantine and updates.

Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams and Executive Assistant Police Chief Michael Kurtenbach have laid out a grim picture of the department’s staffing levels for a City Council subcommittee, but Council hasn’t reacted much. (AFN file photo)

That guidance, following the same change by the Centers for Disease Control, cut the quarantine period from 10 to five days. “The new guidance allows students to return to school sooner following isolation and, in some cases, to avoid quarantine, but it requires face coverings. It is the first change to quarantine and isolation guidance since the school year started. This significant new development, combined with elevated community spread within our Kyrene boundaries," will require mandatory masks, she said. “Kyrene’s goal is still to make face coverings optional. However, it is also the District’s primary goal to keep schools open for in-person learning and to have students present on campus as much as possible,” Toenjes said. “Maintaining face coverings at this time will give the Kyrene Emergency Management Team time to see what impact the new guidelines may have on the spread of illness within our schools. Limiting spread is not only in the interest of health and safety but is also critical to ensuring adequate staffing to keep our schools open. “We may yet have challenges ahead, and as always, our plans are flexible to respond to the ever-changing landscape of this global pandemic,” she said. Mandatory masks for months have been a lightning rod for controversy in both Kyrene and Tempe Union – which, along with Tempe Elementary, are the only districts currently imposing mask mandates. Supporters and opponents of mandatory masks have often dominated public comments at both the Kyrene and Tempe Union governing boards, and it’s likely they will continue to be vocal as the new calendar year begins Look for Republicans in the Legislature – and a very eager lame duck governor – to resurrect an effort for a ban on vaccine and mask mandates – this time without trampling on the state constitution as they did last June. There already are several measures aimed at preventing the some future enactment of measures Gov. Doug Ducey took early last year to reduce virus spread – particularly ordering businesses to close. Even if a mask mandate ban wins quick approval, it likely would not take4 effect for 90 days. So it's likely the school year might be close to an end before a mask mandate

see PREVIEW page 18

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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | JANUARY 5, 2022

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become a reality early in the year. Thus far, most City Council members have not said much about the issue or offered solutions – something which DiCiccio has expressed alarm over.

ban took effect. Meanwhile, in a related matter, the Biden administration will be weighing in on Ducey’s effort to withhold $5.2 million from Kyrene and $2.8 million from Tempe Union because they refused to go along with a ban that the Arizona Supreme Court found unconstitutional.

School resource officers As the nation recorded 149 school shootings last year, the Tempe Union Governing Board initially tried to abolish school resource officers by the beginning of the next school year. It stepped back from that in the face of widespread opposition and opted to spend this year surveying various segments of the community – including parents, students and staff – and studying the whole issue of school safety. Now, Kyrene board members Wanda Kolomyjec and Michelle Fahy have expressed interest in studying whether SROs have a place in middle schools. Fueling the moves in both districts are concerns about whether uniformed armed officers on campus intimidate students, particularly students of color and whether they treat those students more harshly than their white classmates. At least two Tempe Union board members, Armando Montero and Sarah James, also have been highly critical of the Phoenix Police Department, which is now under investigation by the U.S. Justice Department for a variety of reasons, including officer shootings. It’s unclear when – or if – Kolomyjec and Fahy can persuade at least one other board member to undertake the study of SROs. Meanwhile, Tempe Union will likely soon announce various public forums to discuss public safety.

Phoenix Police staffing Last fall, Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams and her top aide painted a dire portrait of police staffing levels. Scores of officers are leaving either for more lucrative jobs with other law enforcement agencies or because they’re just calling it quits. And despite incentives like a $7,500 signing bonus and an intense nationwide advertising campaign, the number of recruits is not nearly enough to fill the vacancies. Williams already has raised the possibility that some types of calls for service – to-

Ahwatukee Lakes Golf Course has something it didn’t have this time last year – grass. Owner Wilson Gee said he’s ready to open the first nine holes as soon as he gets a permit for a bathroom. (AFN file photo) taling 80,000 to 90,000 annually – will be shifted to civilian city employees inside or outside the department just to “maintain baseline service delivery.” As of Dec. 8, the department had only 68 potential bodies – including 37 academy recruits and another 31 field trainees – to fill 370 vacancies. The city has the money to pay for 3,125 officers but right now has 2,775 on the payroll. The types of service calls Williams said could be dropped by her department include so-called civil matter stand-bys for situations such as child exchanges between estranged parents with shared custody or property retrievals between embittered former roommates.

Also under study for a hand-off to other departments are complaints about abandoned vehicles and illegal parking, calls about found property, non-injury minor collisions and noise complaints. An Arizona State University study the department is using also has recommended that police no longer: respond to burglar alarms; assist firefighters and paramedics with unruly people or respond to a citizen’s call to check on the welfare of a relative, neighbor or friend; rescue drug overdose victims; corral loose animals; or stop people from smoking marijuana in public. So far, those shifts in service calls are just on the drawing board but some could

The old Clarion Hotel may reopen this year as The Quinn Ahwatukee, an up-scale 110-unit apartment complex targetting young professionals with most one-bedroom, apartments and 10 studios and "micro-studios," (Special to AFN)

Housing prices What goes up must come down – except these days in the world of residential real estate and rents. The Cromford Report, which closely watches the Phoenix Metro housing market, just days ago said that inventory is down 12% from last year – and 2021 saw nearly historic lows to begin with. “Not a good start from a buyer’s point of view – the lowest supply level for Jan 1 since we started recording in 2001,” Cromford noted. It also predicted that the average persquare-foot price would rise by the middle of this month by 3.2 percent over what it was Dec. 15 and that “the short sale and pre-foreclosure percentages remain extremely low and are having no impact whatsoever on market pricing.” “We remain convinced that prices will rise again over the next month and unless the situation changes significantly the same can probably be said for at least the next six months,” it added. Meanwhile, a growing trend in the housing scene is build-to-rent homes, not just apartments. Institutional and other big investors are spending millions on new construction in this area, convinced that frustrated millennials priced out of the homebuying market will head for rental homes so they can get the backyard and other amenities they can’t find at an apartment complex.

Ahwatukee golf courses After eight years as a barren wasteland, Ahwatukee Lakes Golf Course is coming back to life. Owner Wilson Gee said he is only waiting for a state and city permit to open half the course for play. Those permits are for the bathroom in the clubhouse, which will be similar to a construction site field office and won’t be a place for golfers to sip a brew. Gee said, though, he may have food trucks on the premises at certain times. The other nine holes must be open by September under a judge’s November 2020 ruling. The big question for Gee and Lakes

see PREVIEW page 20

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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | JANUARY 5, 2022

COVID-19 becoming leading cause of Arizona deaths BY DIANNIE CHAVEZ Cronkite News

OVID-19 claimed almost 15,800 lives in Arizona this year, putting it on track to be the leading cause of death in the state in 2021. Official mortality numbers will not be available for months, but the other top causes of death in the state, cancers and heart disease, have each killed around 12,000 people in recent years. The exception was 2020, when heart disease claimed 14,185 lives in the state. The Arizona Department of Health Services reported an unofficial total of 24,229 COVID-19 deaths in the state as of Dec. 31. With 8,430 of those deaths coming in 2020, according to a preliminary state report on vital statistics for that year, that would leave 15,799 deaths from COVID-19 in 2021. “That’s a lot of deaths and deaths are hard to be mistaken about,” said Dr. Joshua LaBaer, executive director of Arizona State University’s Biodesign Institute. “A death

is a death, there’s no misdiagnosis there.” The surging COVID-19 numbers are a change from 2020, when the virus was the third-leading cause of death behind heart disease and cancer. LaBaer said that while it does not surprise him that COVID-19 could be the leading cause of death in the state, he is surprised by the number of deaths that occurred after the roll-out of vaccines early this year. COVID-19 killed more than 42 people a day on average in 2021, up from a daily average of just under 26 a day in 2020. “It’s always difficult to predict,” LaBaer said. “I thought that with all the people vaccinated and people taking boosters that we wouldn’t be seeing a wave like we are.” But with continued vaccine hesitancy and the emergence of new variants, other health experts predict the virus will be around for at least a third calendar year and will continue to take the lives of many. “Until we get enough people in our country vaccinated so that we break the cycle of circulation and infection, we’re going to

continue to have it,” said Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association. In Arizona, 69.6% of eligible people had received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine as of Dec. 31, according to the AZDHS, compared to 78% of people nationwide who had received at least one dose, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The state does not provide data on the number of people who have received vaccine boosters, but the CDC said that nationwide 36.3% of those 18 and older had gotten boosters. Benjamin said it is important for those who are not vaccinated, and are eligible to receive the vaccine, to get vaccinated as soon as possible in order to help prevent more deaths. “It is really clear that if you are fully vaccinated, and even better if you are boosted, your risk of getting really sick and dying, even if you get infected from COVID, is extraordinarily low,” Benjamin said. Benjamin criticized those elected offi-

cials who he said “have not supported getting vaccinated. And we have other people who have actually put functional political barriers in the way.” Will Humble, the executive director of the Arizona Public Health Association, agreed that there will likely continue to be thousands of new cases a day in the coming year, but he thinks the mortality rate will eventually decline. “Over time, the general trend will be towards this becoming a less lethal disease but it’s not something that will probably ever go away,” Humble said. “But COVID-19 will eventually no longer be a public health emergency when enough people have been vaccinated.” Benjamin said that while he does not know what the death toll will look like in the upcoming new year, he does not expect the virus to go away anytime soon. “Only time will tell, but in those communities that remain unvaccinated, we are going to see continued significant disease spread,” Benjamin said. “Mask wearing is still going to be with us for a while. Sorry.” ■

Contenders so far for Sal DiCiccio’s seat on Phoenix City Council are, from left, Moses Sanchez, Kevin Robinson, Joan Greene snd Sam Stone. (Special to AFN)

PREVIEW from page 18

homeowners suing him is how Superior Court Judge Sarah Agne will rule on the latter’s contention that Gee violated the first of three deadlines for reviving the course. Homeowners attorney Tim Barnes said Gee never had a real plan for reviving the course – Gee said he didn’t need one – and that he never cleared his work ahead of time with homeowners.

Barnes wants Agne to appoint a golf course construction expert – and Gee to pay for it – so that the Lakes will be restored to his clients’ satisfaction. Meanwhile, the Club West Golf Course fight could last well beyond this year. The Club West Conservancy last month sued both Shea Homes and course owner The Edge to stop once and for all any effort once and for all to sell part of the 164-acre site for houses.

The Edge and Shea Homes have until Jan. 20 to respond to the suit, and then hearings will be necessary on the Conservancy’s contention that Shea doesn’t even have the declarant rights to the site and, if it does, is bound by its sales contracts to homeowners to keep the site a golf course. No matter who wins this case, expect the losing party to appeal – setting up the prospect of several years of litigation.The Edge says it has a plan for the course and wants

the community to hear it. So far, however, the Foothills Club West HOA board has not shown any interest in that dialogue as long as things are being fought out in the courts. The Edge presumably would like to turn the site into a park since it already has ruled out restoring the golf course. But The Edge has not indicated how converting the site and then maintaining a park would be paid for. ■

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | JANUARY 5, 2022

Annual Foothills Holiday Lights 20212021 Annual Foothills Holiday Lights

DECEMBER UPDATE DECEMBER UPDATE

THANK YOUcommunity to the community supporters and and toto our amazing BUSINESS sponsors!sponsors! THANK YOU to the supporters our amazing BUSINESS

We $ raised $ 56,721 in donations to goal of $ of 50,000. We We raised 56,721 in donations toour our goal $ 50,000. We are so grateful to the sponsors below andand the community are so grateful to the sponsors below the community members that made this year’s lights especially amazing and members that made this year’s lights especially amazing and for two months of for two fullfull months ofenjoyment! enjoyment! All donations have been depositedininaa bank to beto used for only the for the All donations have been deposited bankaccount account beonly used annual light display. All excess donations will saved for next annual light display. All excess donations willbebe saved foryear’s nextlights! year’s lights!

NEWS

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | JANUARY 5, 2022

Low vaccine rates keep COVID levels high here BY ULYSSE BEX Cronkite News

lmost two years after the first case of COVID-19 was discovered in Arizona, new infections in the state have reached a “bizarre plateau,” rising from summertime lows in the hundreds to more than 3,100 new cases a day through the fall. And experts said they don’t expect that to change anytime soon, as long as vaccine hesitancy continues and new variants keep cropping up. “It’s here, it’s not going away,” said Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association. After peaking at close to 7,700 cases a day in January 2021 – with several days that month topping more than 10,000 new cases – the number of infections plummeted in Arizona, as vaccines became widely available, to just less than 500 a day in June. But they started climbing in July and have been rising since, averaging more than 3,400 cases a day through November and December, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services, with 7,720 reported on Friday alone. The White House said Wednesday that Arizona is one of the states that will be getting help from Federal Emergency Management Agency paramedics – 20 on Christmas Eve and another 40 next week – to help handle the growing caseload. “It’s pretty clear, at least for the time being that Arizona is, it’s not a surge, it’s certainly sort of a bizarre plateau,” said

HOMELESS from page 15

Each 30-minute workout session includes two or three circuits of full-body exercises and a cooldown. Afterward, Hopkins and participants divide up the donated items – usually water, food and toiletries – place them in bags and walk around the park, handing them out. Her efforts began in summer 2020, as advocates for those experiencing homelessness worried that the economic repercussions of COVID-19 were driving more people onto the streets. The number of people experiencing homelessness in the United States has increased over the past four years.

Dr. Joshua LaBaer, executive director of Arizona State University’s Biodesign Institute. “And looking at other places like the U.K. and parts of Europe, a lot of them are experiencing what we are experiencing, which is that they came down from this really high peak, but they haven’t really come down all the way and they’re not staying down,” he said. One reason that COVID-19 numbers do not go all the way down is the arrival of “very aggressive variants,” first the delta variant in spring and more recently the omicron variant. The second reason, he said, are the relatively large number of unvaccinated people in Arizona, who provide a pathway for those variants to spread. As of Friday, 69.6% of eligible Arizonans had received at least one dose of vaccine, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Nationally, 78% of eligible Americans – those age 5 and older – had been vaccinated as of this week, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In Ahwatukee’s three ZIP codes, vaccine levels vary, according to county health data, although in all three, at least 6270% of all people over age 15 have had at least one dose. Also surprising is the percentage of people 15 to 24 years old have had at least one shot in 85044 and 85045, with 58.6% and 92.3%, respectively. In 85048, 15% of those15 to 24 have received at least one dose. In 85044, 62.8 percent of all people

Arizona’s homeless population increased about 23% from 2017 to 2020, and from 2019 through 2020, the state had the nation’s fourth-largest increase in the number of people experiencing homelessness, according to federal statistics. On any given night across the state last year, about 11,000 people experienced homelessness. Nationally from 2017 to 2020, the homeless population increased about 5%, and an estimated 580,000 people experienced homelessness in 2020. Because of the pandemic, annual homeless counts were canceled in 2021, but experts predict that job losses related to the pandemic and the end of the federal

over 15 have had at least one dose of the vaccine, with older age groups showing a progressively higher percentage. The highest level of vaccination was in the 75-and-over category, with 93.6% In 85045, 70 percent of all people 15 and over have had at least one shot while 65.2 of all people over 15 have had the shot in 85048, data show. “Arizona in particular has a large fraction of people who, for whatever reasons, are not yet vaccinated, and represent an opportunity for the virus to transmit,” LaBaer said. The fight against the disease is complicated by new variants of the coronavirus that are “highly transmissible. “It grows to very high viral numbers in the person that it infects, so the person is producing a lot of virus,” he said, “so much virus, in fact, that even somebody who has been vaccinated can get infected by this virus.” Benjamin said the U.S. will “continue to have cases if people don’t get vaccinated.” “This is a vaccine-preventable disease,” he said. “The one protection that we know works substantially – nothing is a 100% – is getting vaccinated.” Benjamin blames “some elected officials who have not been doing, what I think, the best public policy, who have not supported getting vaccinated.” While the disease “will be with us forever,” Will Humble, the executive director of the Arizona Public Health Association, said he does not think it’s “going to be an emergency forever.” “There will be less and less of an impact in terms of death and hospitalization,”

eviction moratorium likely will push those numbers up. Last December, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey allocated $40 million in federal funds to help those experiencing homelessness and to “provide critical services to struggling families … and support emergency shelters.” The help comes at a time of soaring housing costs. In Phoenix, the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment is about $1,397, a 6.6% increase from October 2020 to October 2021, according to the latest report from Apartment Guide. And home prices were up 24.4%, selling for a median price of $404,000, the real estate company Redfin reports. According to the latest statistics from

Humble said. The only reason it is still an emergency, Humble said, is the presence of the highly transmissible delta variant last spring and “just grossly inadequate vaccination rates.” He said it is still too early to determine what changes might come with the discovery in late November of the new omicron variant. “There are three key questions that we need to answer in the next two to three weeks,” Humble said earlier this month. “Does it affect the vaccine effectiveness, and the immunity that comes with that? Is it more transmissible than delta and is it more or less lethal than delta? We don’t know the answers to those yet, but we will, and it won’t be long.” Depending on the answers to those questions, he said, the emergence of the omicron variant could have some positives for public health. “Imagine for a moment that omicron is more transmissible than delta, but far less lethal, but the vaccine still protects you from infection, and you still build an immune response that protects you from other variants,” Humble said. “In that scenario omicron would actually be a good thing. “You could build immunity more quickly with a less dangerous virus,” he added. Whatever happens with omicron, or subsequent variants, all three officials agree that the coronavirus is likely here to stay. Until “people either have all been infected or all been vaccinated, we’re always going to see sort of this background level,” LaBaer said. ■

the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, states in the West had the highest rates of people experiencing homelessness in unsheltered areas in 2020. That means living on the streets, in abandoned buildings or in other places not suitable for habitation, as opposed to being housed in emergency shelters or other safe havens. In Arizona, over half of those experiencing homelessness in 2020 were unsheltered – and that’s led to some questionable interactions between authorities and those on the streets. In August, the U.S. Department of Jus-

see HOMELESS page 23

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | JANUARY 5, 2022

HOMELESS from page 22

tice began investigating whether Phoenix police have been unlawfully seizing and/or disposing of the belongings of unhoused people. Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams said the department is cooperating in the probe. Hopkins has held her Saturday morning workouts at various parks, including Margaret T. Hance Park in Phoenix and Daley Park in Tempe, which has experienced a 96% increase in unsheltered people from 2017 to 2020, according to the city’s website. In September, Tempe purchased a 40bed motel to house people experiencing homelessness. Mayor Corey Woods told Cronkite News he is working with other mayors to see how they can tackle this issue together. “It’s not a situation where I think Tempe can solve the problem all on our own. As we know, homelessness knows no borders or boundaries,” Woods said. “The same people could be in Tempe one day or … in Phoenix or Chandler or Scottsdale the next day. So we have to work together and work collaboratively.” The city also partners with such organizations as the Tempe Community Action Agency, which in 2020-21 helped over 38,000 people with rent and utility assistance, hunger relief, overnight shelter and meals. A drop-in center provides computers, water and heat relief, and other assistance to people in need, while mobile trailers offer hot showers and laundry services. Through the I-HELP program, churches and businesses provide overnight lodging. “The I-HELP program is offered every night of the year,” said Juliet Armstrong Starkey, senior director of operations for the agency. “We’ll provide a dinner every single night to our population. They stay the night, and then they leave the next morning. And we try to leave the locations better than we find them.” Moving forward, the agency is working

GOT NEWS? Contact Paul Maryniak at 480-898-5647 or pmaryniak@ timespublications.com

to expand its shelter capacity. It houses on average 40 people a night and would like to get that number close to 70, Starkey said, but it also wants to raise money for a building in Tempe to use as an emergency shelter. “Our mission is to serve folks and alleviate some of the tough things people are going through,” she said. As for Hopkins, she hopes to continue offering her workout sessions and wants to collaborate with other shelters and organizations to help more people. “The first couple ones that I was doing, I kept seeing the same people. That just broke my heart,” she said. “All I’m giving is food or a T-shirt or something. I wish I had more to give so they have somewhere to sleep that’s not outside.” “It’s a little heartbreaking to know that there are people that have nothing but will give everything just for an animal,” she said. “So why are we not giving everything we can for human beings?” This story is made possible through a partnership between ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and The Difference Engine, a universitywide center focused on combating inequality. ■

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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | JANUARY 5, 2022

Attend Kyrene Showcase Nights in January and February Explore What it Means to Become a Kyrene Kid Kyrene kids are at the top of the class, consistently outperforming students in peer districts and charter schools. Kyrene kids aspire to become leaders, performers, scientists and more, through a variety of programs across 26 campuses. Kyrene kids get a global education with International Baccalaureate and world languages.

Learn more about our excelling schools Kyrene School District invites families to learn more about our excelling schools at a series of Showcase Nights, beginning in January. Kindergarten and preschool families are encouraged to attend Showcase Nights at our elementary and K-8 schools, and incoming 6th grade families are encouraged to join us for middle school and K-8 Showcase Nights.

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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | JANUARY 5, 2022

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Red Cross service keeps Ahwatukee man busy MELODY BIRKETT AFN Contributor

magine starting a business in two days and changing staff every two to three weeks. That’s the norm at The American Red Cross when responding to disasters. With 90 percent of the organization’s workforce comprising volunteers, the Red Cross not only depends on them to assist with sheltering, feeding and providing other essential services, but it also depends on a leadership team to coordinate them. That’s the job of Doug Patriquin of Ahwatukee, a volunteer member of that leadership team. As assistant director of planning and information, Patriquin recently was assigned to the disaster relief operation in Missouri/Arkansas shortly after the deadly tornadoes hit last month. Patriquin said he frequently gets asked what it’s like being assigned to this role. “It’s as if you’re going to build a new business, a potentially 100–600-person business, and you’ve got a bunch of trained people – a few may have worked together before, a few may not – and you’re going to bring them together to achieve a common mission.” The only difference, Patriquin said, is that it is critical that this “business” be up and

operating presence the Red Cross has in that particular area. It’s very much a team effort to have everyone work together.” In his career, Patriquin started businesses that usually would take three or four months to get up and running. “This is a whole different level of intensity to take some trained people who’ve never worked together before,” he said, adding that employees work side-byside with volunteers. “At the Red Cross, on disaster responses, employees can end up working for volunteers and vice versa. It’s seamless...This is a difference at the Red Cross. It’s a Doug Patriquin of Ahwatukee is a volunteer member of semi-unique characteristic. the Red Cross leadership team. (Special to AFN) “And the other thing is you running at full speed within a day or two. would hope in most businesses that you “And you’re going to run fast, as quickly would not turn your staff over every two as you can, in getting that service delivery to three weeks which is typical on a disasout there,” explained Patriquin. “And then, ter relief operation.” almost as quickly, when the clients’ needs The organization of Red Cross’ disaster have been met, you go through the retro- responses is very similar to the way the grade process where it’s returned to the incident-command structure is set up by

public safety organizations, such as fire departments and emergency management agencies, according to Patriquin. “You have what we call a job director who’s in charge of the response and their primary staff people are referred to as assistant directors for various functions,” said Patriquin. “Within Planning and Information function, we do several things. We provide the primary, formal communications that operate the disaster relief operation. Within that, we have damage assessment which has people in the field examining damage and making sure we record the types and levels of damage which helps clients qualify for assistance. “We also have a mapping system – what’s called global information systems – which produces required maps and aids to help decision makers and those in the field get their work done and locate information.” There are also functions for finance; operations for client care, casework and recovery; workforce organization and logistics. “When you see the Red Cross handing out material to clients, logistics had to get that material from a big warehouse and get that to the relief operation so it can be

cookies baked by community members and popcorn. “The staff members of the homes were so appreciative,” Pettyjohn said. “Some of us were dead-dog tired by the time the last of the gifts were gone, but seeing tears in the eyes of staff members and hearing their thanks make it all worthwhile.” Major donors included Darin Fisher, Vision Community Management, Western Vistas Prop. Management, Insight, Classic Image Dance, Jessica Yeck at TD Synnex, Old Republic, Western Window Sys-

tems, Volofit Gilbert, Jennifer & Matthew Klandrud of Thrivent Financial, and Mountain View Lutheran Church. Pro Box Portable Storage allowed their premises to be used for storage. She singled out her daughter Stacy Rasmussen “for putting more hours into this project than anyone” and Stephanie Vojtek, her neighbor, “who is in her first year at NAU, came through again with boxes of hygiene items, small toys for stocking stuffers, make up and even some baby stuff.” ■

see RED CROSS page 27

Kiwanis Club thanks supporters of foster drive AFN NEWS STAFF

he Kiwanis Club of Ahwatukee ended the year by giving broad smiles to more than 200 foster teens in 26 group homes across the county. Coordinator Ani Petyjohn said that thanks to the generosity of local businesses and individuals, “all gifts were purchased, wrapped, and either picked up or delivered in time for Christmas” and said the club’s mission was a success “because of all the people who do-

nated money, time and energy to make it all happen.” Each child received clothing essentials such as socks, underwear, at least one shirt and pants. Many also received hoodies, shoes and pajamas as well as blankets – many made and donated by the Charity Sewers in Ahwatukee. The teens also received a duffle bag and either an item from their wish list or a gift card along with fast food gift cards and a bag of hygiene items. Along with the gifts, each home received

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | JANUARY 5, 2022

RED CROSS from page 26

handed out,” Patriquin explained. “There are also external relations which deal with elected officials, government and public information.” Before retiring, Patriquin worked for Goodrich Corporation in various roles including technical engineering, engineering leadership and general management. “When I retired, I looked for something that was going to be an opportunity to contribute to a worthwhile cause,” said Patriquin. “The Red Cross – especially with all of the different opportunities available – need people to work in shelters, people to hand out food, but also people working and running warehouses, people running overall logistics enterprises. “Behind the scenes, we have a workforce component, the people who get the people needed to do the work, which is the most important part, and getting them mobilized from around the country into the work sites.” For anyone nearing retirement and thinking about volunteering with the Red Cross, Patriquin recommends signing up now to start learning about the vision and mission of the Red Cross and get the re-

Thank you for your support! Nicholas Goode Financial Advisor Doug Patriquin examines a map for deploying volunteers during last months’ tornado disaster.(Special to AFN) quired training. “It does take a while to get oriented to the Red Cross,” said Patriquin, who’s been a volunteer eight years. “If I had known this ahead of time, I probably would have joined the Red Cross three to four years earlier to get acclimated and trained.

“There’s probably a role within the Red Cross that would fit most people who want to contribute to the mission of alleviating human suffering in the face of emergencies.” To become a Red Cross volunteer, go to redcross.org/volunteer ■

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REAL ESTATE

Real Estate Guide Coldwell Banker exec sees home sales staying strong BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor

ooking back at 2021, Realtors might be tempted to paraphrase Charles Dickens: It was the best of times and the craziest of times. Just ask Greg Hollman, president of Coldwell Banker Realty Arizona, a position he has held the last seven of his 25 years in home sales for one of the nation’s largest and oldest full-service residential and commercial real estate brokerage services. As he looks back not just at this year but

the Age of COVID, he marvels at how the economic uncertainty of the first couple months gave way to one of the hottest housing markets ever – and one that defies most conventional real estate wisdom by showing no end in sight. “It definitely has been an interesting year,” Hollman said. “When you go back to COVID originally coming on to the news media and not knowing the effects that it would have and how it actually ended up in many ways outliving predictions of doom and gloom

see COLDWELL page RE4

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REAL ESTATE

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | JANUARY 5, 2022

Zoning attorneys regale audience with project tales BY CECILIA CHAN AFN Staff Writer

even years after it was chased out of Gilbert neighborhoods – twice – Springstone finally opened Gilbert’s first mental-health hospital in 2020. Under the guidance of land-use and zoning attorney Adam Baugh, the 72-bed Copper Springs East went from being the brunt of public outcry to becoming a welcomed addition to the community. Baugh formed a coalition, getting police and fire officials lined up behind the project and medical professionals who spoke of the need for such a facility in town, as teenage suicides were ramping up. The Planning Commission in December 2017 unanimously approved the conditional use permit for the facility. “The way my community is formed, the way it grows, is not by accident,” said Baugh, who has lived in Gilbert since 2003. “It’s interesting and it’s deliberate and for the greater good. We as a town benefited with having that hospital here dealing with anxiety and mental-health issues.” For Baugh, every shopping center, master-planned community and mixed-use development has a tale to tell and he and Withey Morris law partner Jason Morris are sharing them on a podcast called “Dirt to Development.” Baugh came up with the concept after years of regaling others with behind-the-scene anecdotes of projects in the state. “I thought to myself, I think people don’t really appreciate what happens and goes into putting it together,” Baugh said. “You see a hospital or a shopping center and don’t realize everything that goes into it.

Adam Baugh and Jason Morris, attorneys and partners in Whithey Morris, have created an engaging series of podcasts on developments they have helped usher in. (Special to AFN) That is the story we tell, not the project at the end of the day but all the ingredients that went into getting it approved.” The duo launched the podcast in October, releasing every two weeks a digital audio file produced in their Phoenix office and featuring a developer or an industry expert. Founding partner Morris said they also will talk about how this industry works and the types of projects they are seeing in the fastest growing county in the country. “We not only have the stories we’ve told but the stories yet to be told,” the Phoenix resident said. Topics covered so far include what it

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took to navigate The Yard to fruition at 7th Street in Phoenix “We did the first in Central Phoenix,” Baugh said. “There were all kinds of issues…but it became a tremendous success with a dozen Yard concepts across Arizona and now nationwide. People don’t know and appreciate all that. We went in to pull the first one off.” There’s a Yard location in Gilbert’s Heritage District as well. Other topics will include how to work with neighbors, how to balance the role of politics in a case, strategies for landuse cases and tips and insights on how to achieve successful entitlements. In one of the podcasts, Baugh and Morris educate the public about the importance of zoning and what could go wrong if there are no no zoning laws – such as in Houston, where Zone d’Erotica, an adult novelty store set up shop next to a Dillard’s for a number of years until it was replaced by an eatery in 2019. The Texas city has no zoning process but relies on private agreements or CC&Rs, according to Jim Stockwell of Clyde Capital, a commercial real estate investment and development company. “If you own property, you can restrict the types of uses,” Stockwell said in the podcast. “But in general, the city coun-

cil isn’t going to have an objection if you want a strip club next to your daycare center.” Listeners will not only get insight on how a particular development came to be but the politics and the players involved and the strategy used. “People only see what’s reported in the paper, they don’t understand the anatomy of how it gets to that point,” Baugh said. “They don’t appreciate the politics of a situation or the cranky neighbor next door or the difficult seller or environmental issues. “We show them what it means to take a cornfield to a master community or infill to adaptive reuse. There’s so much insight and value to help clients, viewers and the community can appreciate what it takes to build a community in Arizona.” Some Gilbert projects that will be featured in upcoming segments include Agritopia/Epicenter, the Heritage District and how Withey Morris landed American Furniture Warehouse in Gilbert, along with other tough entitlement sites. “I did American Furniture Warehouse, which at the time was the biggest deal in town,” said Baugh, who will talk about “how it came to be and how the Town moved heaven and earth to attract a tremendous economic generator.” Baugh also will share some of the craziness that surrounded a project such as with the mixed-used Epicenter. “The neighbors came out and opposed me and a lady mocked me for wearing a suit,” he said. “I was getting design approval and she didn’t like it and got upset that a ‘bunch of suits were in here doing a high-priced project.’” And at one neighborhood meeting, an angry resident wanted to physically fight with Baugh over a proposed project. “Just the politics behind a zoning case is interesting,” Baugh said, “where the votes line up and the intersection of zoning, land use and politics in Arizona are all closely related.” The duo also will share insight of where the Arizona market is going, which Baugh declined to do ahead of that podcast. Baugh, who is an experienced problemsolver with a talent for removing obstacles that impeded development, original-

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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | JANUARY 5, 2022

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H appy New Year i t ’s

“ B E S T O F A H WAT U K E E ” time

and we greatly appreciate being considered the best in Real Estate be sure to cast your vote for us at

ahwatukee.com

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Bonny@LeadingLuxuryExperts.com

2016 & 2017 BREA Award for Most Sales in Ahwatukee!

the COVID-19 pandemic. The digital marketplace, which connects consumers to local home services, surveyed more than 900 people in October about home improvements and how much various projects cost. “While material costs may have exacerbated the discrepancy between estimated and real costs for home improvement projects, it was not the main driver,” says Mischa Fisher, chief economist at Angi. (After a merger, HomeAdvisor is now HomeAdvisor, powered by Angi.) “People typically don’t realize the complexity involved in home improvement projects and consistently underestimate their costs,” says Fisher. “For example, someone putting in new flooring may consider the cost of the new flooring material, but fail to include the additional costs of the demolition

and removal of prior flooring, removal and replacing of appliances and/or cabinets, site preparation and cleanup, and, most importantly, the high-quality labor needed to do each of these steps.” About four in 10 people didn’t realize how much it would cost to have windows installed. Meanwhile, more than a quarter underestimated the price to have the interiors of their home painted, a popular pastime during the pandemic as folks were stuck inside. And almost 1 in 4 lowballed how much landscaping costs – by about 67% on average, according to the survey. For example, professional painters charge anywhere from $200 to $800 to paint a 10-by-12-foot room, according to HomeAdvisor. Those who do it themselves will typically spend between $100 and $300. However, survey respondents estimated it would cost them about half

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of what they would spend if they did the job themselves. Many Americans also underestimated landscaping costs – by about two-thirds of the price of getting the job done. About a quarter of households completed a landscaping project in 2020, when the pandemic hit. A mismatch between what folks think something costs and how much it actually does would help to explain why about two-thirds of Americans say home maintenance projects are stressful. Men were less likely to say fixing up their abodes was stressful, at 58%, compared with 43% of women. HomeAdvisor experts advise folks to tack about 5% to 10% onto their initial project estimates to account for future price fluctuations on materials, appli-

$2,650,000

4068 sqft, 4 (+7) bedrooms, 3.5 baths

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irst-time homebuyers may assume that once they purchase their home—an expensive feat these days – they are done bleeding money. However, they may not be properly budgeting for common home improvement projects, which can be substantial. Many Americans are underestimating the price of many popular home improvement and maintenance projects, such as installing new windows, doing the landscaping, and painting the interiors, according to a recent HomeAdvisor, powered by Angi, survey. And that’s likely becoming a bigger problem as labor shortages, global supply chain snafus, high inflation, and the rising costs of building materials are delaying projects and causing them to cost significantly more than they did before

see COLDWELL page RE7

DIAMOND RIDGE 2

4525 sqft. 5 (+7) bedrooms, 4.5 baths

AFN NEWS SERVICES

SALE PENDING

Leading Luxury Home Experts

This home is on 1/3 acre lot in one of the best and most sought after locations in the Foothills at the base of South Mountain.

SOLD

Many underestimate home improvement costs

safety of those involved in the transaction.” Turning to next year, Hollman said, “They are predicting price increases on a national basis for markets across the country and I believe that we’re going to have a lot of buyers out there.” You still have people who were sitting on the sidelines waiting in their perception for the market to slow little bit because some of them had put in multiple offers multiple times and had not won the property.” In addition, the new-home market can barely keep pace, partly because of demand and a worker shortage and also because supply chain disruptions are “delaying getting homes from breaking ground all the way to the marketplace.” And while he wouldn’t call the state recession-proof, he noted, “Arizona has had a lot of people desiring to move here from other states. And even in relation to many places, while the prices have been increased significantly, when you compare

SALE PENDING

4082 sqft 5 bedrooms, 4 baths

creased the need for agent expertise as an advisor and that’s something that we have worked hard and definitely fulfilled.” He noted that the market has “been particularly more difficult for buyers because of the number of offers that are out there. We’ve made sure that we have the proper …continuing education for agents to make sure that they were able to get the best possible situation for their buyers.” Even so, “it’s been difficult for entry level buyers,” Hollman said. “And of course, you have situations where people need to sell in order to move up and buy a house, which can cause some difficulties. So, you have to navigate around that process and we’ve worked very diligently to make sure that that is the best possible scenario for everybody involved.” He said Coldwell Banker during much of the pandemic “also brought tech to the forefront to help with what was going on during that time period, such as remote closings and things that we had to do in order to help the transaction close and the

SOLD

and has actually excelled ever since, I think that is a very interesting fact.” And surprising, he added. “I think it took most of us by surprise – not knowing how people would react to a situation during a pandemic,” Hollman said. “But if you think about it in hindsight, it makes sense. “I mean, we’ve had an historically low interest rate. And you had a situation where people were seeking homes that worked better in their current situation – homes where they could work from home. And there were those who wanted to make sure that they weren’t waiting longer to achieve their dreams and just decided to pull the trigger and get it done. So, I think it's surprised most everybody.” “I haven’t seen a market like this, certainly, at this kind of sustained clip that we have seen… Just when we think it might be cooling a little bit, the market picks up again.” Fueled by high demand, a historically low

inventory and a huge migration of people to Arizona, “it’s just been a very, very strong market this past year,” Hollman said. “A lot of people are looking to move up, a lot of GREG HOLLMAN people are looking to move into areas that they desired for a long time but couldn’t do so because of their job location and now they’re able to. And certainly, it’s been a more difficult market for first-time buyers and people trying to get into the market because they’ve been worried about the increasing prices.” The market also has put new demands on Realtors, Hollman said. “It’s caused us to concentrate on making sure that we were representing” their clients in “the best possible way,” he said, explaining that “the hot market has in-

REAL ESTATE

JANUARY 5, 2022 | AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS

SOLD

COLDWELL from page RE1

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | JANUARY 5, 2022

COMING SOON

REAL ESTATE

SOLD

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FAMILY RUN TEAM

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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | JANUARY 5, 2022

SPO OTLIGHT home AHWATUKEE | Tapestry Canyon

1827 E Rocky Slope Dr 3 (+5) bedrooms, 3 baths and 6629 sqft

Sale Pending

One-of-a-kind architectural masterpiece built into the side of a mountain facing South Mountain in the Ahwatukee Foothills.

Offered at $2,650,000 Bonny Holland 602.369.1085 www.LeadingLuxuryExperts.com

IMMACULATE SINGLE-LEVEL HOME IN CLUB WEST!

SONORAN LIVING

KELLER WILLIAMS® REALTY

CIRCLE G AT RIGGS RANCH Estate living with refined tranquility in this exquisite setting. Meticulous stonework adorns entire exterior of this luxury home. Inviting entry opens to diagonally laid tile with granite inlays and dramatic wooden staircase. Formal dining room with stacked stone fireplace. Gourmet kitchen features granite countertops, large island, Subzero refrigerator, and Wolf gas cooktop with double ovens. Fireplace and wet bar in great room. Floor plan boasts seven bedrooms, playroom and large game room. Expansive master suite includes large sitting area with two-way fireplace, crown molding, separate walkin closets and spacious bathroom. Three custom iron doors lead to massive covered patio with pavers, built-in barbeque, heated pool with waterfall and slide, gorgeous landscaping with fruit trees and koi pond.

LOCATED IN CLUB WEST ON A PREMIUM LOT*PARADISE VIEWS OF SOUTH MOUNTAIN*3 BED, 2.5 BATH, PLUS EXECUTIVE OFFICE AND LOADED WITH UPGRADES*FORMAL LIVING ROOM*FORMAL DINING ROOM*FAMILY ROOM W/WETBAR, BUILT-IN MEDIA CENTER, & FIREPLACE*KITCHEN INCLUDES: S/S APPLIANCES,CORIAN COUNTERS, LARGE ISLAND, GAS COOKTOP, 42’ CABINETS, RECESSED & PENDANT LIGHTING*BREAKFAST NOOK*NEUTRAL PAINT & CARPET*STONE LOOK TILE FLOORING*PLANTATION SHUTTERS*LARGE MASTER SUITE WITH VIEWS*MASTER BATH W/DUAL VANITIES, GLASS BLOCK WALK-IN SHOWER W/ TRAVERTINE & MOSAICS*NEW EXTERIOR PAINT*PARADISE OASIS BACKYARD WITH PEBBLETEC POOL, WATERFALL, PALM TREES, COVERED PATIO, EXTENSIVE DECKING, BUILTIN BBQ, GRASSY PLAY AREA, º& ENDLESS VIEWS*PATIO FURNITURE INCLUDED*THIS IS THE HOME YOU HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR!

Geno Ross (602) 751-2121 www.GenoRoss.com

Large secondary bedrooms. Oversized laundry room with sink, granite countertops, cabinetry and room for a refrigerator. Additional upgrades throughout include 8’ solid core doors, speakers, surround sound in numerous locations, designer paint and exterior security cameras. Three masonry fireplaces. Anderson windows installed six years ago on entire first level. Four Trane a/c units with variable speed. Over-sized side entry four car garage. Availability to park an RV in the back as long as a garage is built for it. Over 7,000 square feet of stone on exterior. Almost acre-sized lot affords complete privacy.

Listed for $1,790,000

Mike Mendoza

SONORAN LIVING

KELLER WILLIAMS® REALTY

480.706.7234 • www.MendozaTeam.com

REAL ESTATE

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | JANUARY 5, 2022

COLDWELL from page RE4

them to some other metro areas, we’re still a good value. “I think long term with the companies that are moving here, the jobs that come with that, and the level of livability you have here in Arizona, I think it bodes well, for the future.” “I think it could continue to be a tight market for the foreseeable future here,” he

PODCAST from page RE2

ly planned to practice immigration law. But he realized that wasn’t his career path after a year-long volunteer stint at Eloy Detention Center. He ended up in his current field after stumbling on it. He said what best prepared him for the job was working as a summer salesman years ago knocking on doors, trying to persuade random strangers to buy pestcontrol services. Today, he uses that skill to help landowners and developers succeed by finding ways to say yes when cities say no. Although the subject matter on the surface can appear dry, Baugh and Morris weave humorous banter into their storytelling.

480-706-7234 ! LD O S

added. “You have people moving in from other areas, you have people who want to retire here. And the good news is that more jobs bring increased buying power for consumers. So that’s an absolute positive in this whole scenario.” But one possible not-so-positive scenario confronts first-time buyers, he suggested – at least for those who don’t want a long commute. Given rising prices in the markets close

Baugh said the podcast allows the public to view him and Morris in a different light other than appearing at the podium in front of a city council, stiff and matter of fact. Baugh said he’s had a few learning curves with the new endeavor. “I’m not a professional podcaster, there’s lot of operational things,” he said. “It’s a different format. You can’t show someone something, you got to describe it. I also learned I got to be more thoughtful in what I say,” making it entertaining yet not offensive. Feedback from listeners so far has been positive. “Everybody loves it,” Baugh said. “In Arizona land use impacts us all whether it’s you being a neighbor next to a project or

Estate living with refined tranquility in exquisite setting. Meticulous stonework adorns entire exterior of home.

! LD O S

! W NE

Listen in

To listen to the podcast “Dirt to Development,” go to witheymorris.com/dirttodevelopment. ■

IMPROVEMENTS from page RE5

ances, and other items. To save money, folks can also opt for repairing or refinishing what they already have instead of replacing them. That could mean painting dated kitchen cabinetry or home siding rather than buying new. “For any home improvement, it’s important to get multiple estimates before signing a contract,” says Fisher. “And remember, the cheapest option isn’t always the best. Consider the quality of the work, ask for references, and check ratings and reviews online before deciding who to hire.” Realtor.com provided this report. ■

4 BR / 2.5 BA / 3,008 SQFT

! LD O S

Stunning panoramic views from privately gated luxury retreat with casita on elevated preserve lot.

Listed For $650,000

Sanctuary

Fox Crossing ! LD O S

4BR / 2 BA / 2,036 SQFT Updated single level with pool plus 2020 AC, water heater, dishwasher and flooring.

UDC build on oversized cul-de-sac lot with newer AC units and hardwood flooring.

! LD O S

San Tan Ranch

Listed for $1,950,000

4 BR / 3.5 BA / 3,860 SQFT Superb single level with travertine patio and fenced Pebble Tec pool with water feature.

Listed for $1,250,000

Listed for $563,000

Listed for $675,000

Mike Mendoza MendozaTeam.com 5 BR / 5 BA / 6,455 SQFT

Beautiful remodel with pebble pool and spa in ideal Chandler location.

Listed for $1,790,000

5 BR / 2.5 BA / 3,156 SQFT

Sierra Canyon

a resident in town benefiting from a new shopping center.” Baugh said the plan is to keep on producing the podcast as they have a wealth of material to draw from– their law firm handles cases statewide. “So long as there’s an interest in the community, we will continue to record,” he said. “I think it’s going to help local residents know they have a part in the process, they have a role to play and if anything, they would know they can help influence what is happening in their community.”

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third, but be tenacious about it don’t give up and have faith in the process.” He also expects Realtors will be busy next year. “Our Coldwell Banker stats show us the first time buyers are putting other milestone situations on hold – like weddings and other things – in order to buy a home and homeownership is being prioritized with millennial buyers. So they’re kind of working on what’s important to them.” ■

Ahwatukee’s #1 Team for Over 30 Years 7BR / 4.5 BA / 8,873 SQFT

Circle G at Riggs Ranch

to Phoenix, they might have to look farther for an affordable home. “I tell people within my own family who are first-time buyers: start where you can,” Hollwell explained, calling it a “stepping stone process.” “I think that you need to be prepared as a first-time buyer and working with a very, very strong agent and know that you might not get the first home you want,” he said. “You’ve been on even the second or

Monte Vista

REAL ESTATE

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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | JANUARY 5, 2022

Ahwatukee Custom Estates

$1,375,000

SOLD!

Pristine & classy single-level gated tuscan estate! stunning curb appeal w/amazing south mountain views. Grand foyer, entertainment room w/full wetbar & scotsman icemaker, formal dining, family room w/canterra fireplace, kitchen incs :slab granite,alder cabinets,s/s wolf appliances,gas cooktop,miele dishwasher,copper sinks,island, & subzero, most amazing custom stonework ever seen in ahwatukee consisting of marble,canterra,travertine, & granite, large master ste w/sitting area & 2 separate full baths, his/her alder & cedar lined closets, guest suite-2nd master w/ensuite bath & courtyard, extremely private backyard w/covered patio, pebbletec pool w/waterfalls, firepots, firepit, grassy play area, & fully equipped outdoor kitchen, fruit trees inc: apple, orange, lemon, & lime, this dream estate has it all!

Calabrea

SOLD!

$1,339,000

Ahwatukee Custom Estates $1,750,000

Pristine & Classy Gated Estate On A Premium 2/3 Acre Hillside Lot, Private Cul-De-Sac, 6 Bedrooms, 4.5 Baths, 5200 Sqft Of Pure Luxury Finishes, Stunning Views In Every Direction, Iron Door, Butted Glass Windows In Entry & Kitchen, Custom Window Treatments, Decorator Paint, Dome Ceiling Foyer & Groin Vaulted Ceilings In Living Room, Travertine & Hardwood Floors Throughout, 7-Inch Baseboards, Media Room, Dream Kitchen Includes S/S Appliances, Slab Granite Counters, Alder Cabinets, Huge Island, Walk In Pantry, Large Master Suite W/Stone Fireplace, Master Bath W/Jacuzzi Tub, 3 Vanities & Snail Shower, Paradise Backyard W/Travertine In Versailles Pattern, Turf Grass, Pebbletec Pool/Jacuzzi, 4 Water Features, Large Covered Patio, Stacked Stone Bbq, 4 Car Garage W/Epoxy & Storage! Your Dream Estate Awaits!!

SOLD!

5 bedroom / 3 bath, 3,506 SqFt, Cul-de-sac location with huge backyard, sports court, built-in BBQ, mature shade trees, very private backing to wash. Good size SOLD! bedrooms, master downstai5. Features a large office with balcony, plus office/loft with built-in bookcase and 3 full baths. Th� home is perfect for family gatherings one is a show stopper!!! over 4200sqft of luxury on a preserve hillside lot in a cul-de-sac, 5 bedroom, 3.5 bath with andThis previewed with 24family hourroom notice andkitchen appointment only. aentertaining. bonus room, formalCan living &be dining room w/soaring ceilings, w/ﬁreplace, includes:s/s appliances,

SOLD! The best view lot in all of club west!!! this stunning custom gated estate in canyon verde has the best privacy & views you will find in ahwatukee*grand foyer*formal living & dining room*executive office*kitchen includes: custom cabinets w/ antiquing, s/s appliances, cooktop, island, breakfast bar, pendant lighting, & walk-in pantry*butler’s pantry w/wine fridge*family room w/fireplace*upgraded fixtures throughout*large master suite w/sitting area*master bath w/jetted tub, snail shower, & spacious closet*guest suite w/separate entrance*all secondary bedrooms are large*paradise perfect backyard w/covered patio, pebbletec pool & spa, firepit, built-in bbq, flagstone, and putting green*oversized garage w/epoxy & built-in cabinets*this custom estate is a dream opportunity! welcome to paradise!!

slab granite, island, & recessed led lights, breakfast nook, gigantic master bedroom with the most amazing preserve views, custom master bath w/walk-in shower, freestanding tub, his/her vanities, & large walk-in closet, all bedrooms are extremely large with walk-in closets, views from every room, laundry room w/built-in cabinets & sink, extended length 3 car garage w/ epoxy, guest bedroom downstairs, paradise backyard w/covered patio, grassy play area, ﬁrepit, & custom new pool & jacuzzi 2020, this amazing home is truly stunning and checks all of the boxes!!

www.GenoRoss.com Donna Leeds

�

TOP GRI, ABR REALTOR

949.310.5673

lf"fl!

Immaculate single level home located in Club West on a premium lot, paradise views of south mountain, 3 bed,2.5 Bath, plus executive office and loaded with upgrades, formal living room, formal dining room, family room w/wetbar, built-in media center,& fireplace, kitchen includes: S/S appliances, Corian counters, large island, gas cooktop, 42’ cabinets, recessed & pendant lighting, breakfast nook, neutral paint & carpet, stone look tile flooring, plantation shutters, large master suite with views, master bath w/dual vanities, glass block walk-in shower w/travertine & mosaics, new exterior paint, paradise oasis backyard with pebbletec pool, waterfall, palm trees, covered patio, extensive decking, built-in bbq, grassy play area & endless views, patio furniture included. This is the home you have been waiting for!

Foothills $499,000

Mountain Park Ranch $679,000

Canyon Verde $899,000

Amazing Remodeled Custom Estate with mountain views located at the end of a cul-de-sac.Over 8000sqft of pure luxury ﬁnishes.6 Bedroom,5.5 Baths.Custom Kitchen.Elevator.Executive Ofﬁce.Basement Media Room.Dance Studio.Huge Backyard with Pool, Jacuzzi, Turf, BBQ, Sportcourt.This Spectacular Estate has it all!!!

Ahwatukee Agent 2020

Geno Ross

602.751.2121

wwwBestAgentWUSA.com

Making Ahwatukee

Home Dreams Come True Since 1986

hwatukee s Come True 1986

www.WestUSA.com I 480.893.0600

4505 E. Chandler Boulevard, Suite 170, Phoenix, AZ 85048

Ahwatukee Country Club

Lakewood

SOLD!

$635,000

2,498 Sq Ft. EXCEPTIONAL HOME Which Has One of the LARGEST LOTS in the Premier Lakewood Community! PEBBLETEC POOL and SPA in your own Oasis backyard! 4 bedrooms 3 baths with Lakewood Parks, Greenbelts & 2 Fishing Lakes, Playgrounds and More.

Jenifer Bulfer 480-297-6968 jbulfer@westusa.com

SOLD!

$400,000

$465,000

$580,000

Fantastic 3 bedroom, 2 bath single-level property! Inside you will ﬁnd an inviting Living Room and Dining Room, Wood Floors, New Carpet in all the right places, and Tile Floors. Kitchen is fully equipped w/Granite Counters, SS Appliances, Spacious Pantry & Breakfast Bar. Spacious primary bedroom comes w/large closet, patio access, & private bathroom. Relax under the Huge Covered patio & enjoy the easy-care backyard.

Marty Grifﬁn 602-692-7653 martygrifﬁn@q.com

Custom home on ﬂat 3.3 acres with horse arena and room to roam. City water! Custom Santa Fe style 4 bedroom with tons of upgrades. Travertine tile galore, family room and other bedrooms also have tile. Kitchen has been upgraded with quartz counter tops, white cabinets and all stainless steel appliances convey. Custom doors and woodwork throughout home. Also, lots of tile work in bathrooms and other upgrades. Over $30,000 spent on upgraded doors and windows.

Donna Leeds

GRI, ABR

949.310.5673

$420,000

PENDING!

Welcome to Tempe! 3 bedroom 2 bath, 1,553 square feet. Just steps to Campbell Park and minutes away from Shopping, Restaurants, the 10 and 202 freeways. close to public transportation. Spacious Master bedroom with walk in closet and direct access to the back yard. Vaulted Ceilings. Kitchen breakfast nook opens to a spacious living room. Additional family room. Tile throughout and carpet in all bedrooms. Plenty of room for the children and walking distance to school.

Troy Royston 480-435-3461 troyston61@gmail.com

Thunderbird Farms South

Fantastic 2 bed- 2bath + Bonus Room, Great location near restaurants, shopping spots, & ON Ahwatukee Golf Club. Cozy front porch perfect to enjoy your morning coffee. Inside you will find an inviting living room, wood-look floors, carpet in all the right places, an impressive brick fireplace in family room, & vaulted ceilings. Kitchen fully equipped w/granite counters, pendant lighting, SS appliances, & breakfast bar. Spacious primary bedroom comes w/large closets, patio access, & private bathroom. Amazing Arizona room & screened-in patio are excellent for your gatherings. Relax under the covered patio & enjoy the easy-care backyard w/large shade tree. A deal like this won’t last long. New Roof + 55K in upgra

5 bedroom / 3 bath, 3,506 SqFt, Cul-de-sac location with huge backyard, sports court, built-in BBQ, mature shade trees, very private backing to wash. Good size bedrooms, master downstai5. Features a large office with balcony, plus office/loft with built-in bookcase and 3 full baths. Th� home is perfect for family gatherings and entertaining. Can be previewed with 24 hour notice and appointment only.

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Cays Pavilion

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DESIRABLE 5 BEDROOM 3 BATH HOME IN THE VISTAS IN FOOTHILLS RESERVE. New Front Door. Soaring Ceilings in Entry & Living Areas. Lovely Kitchen W/ Cherry Staggered Cabinets, Beautiful Granite Counter tops & Nice-size Island. Open Kitchen to Family W/ Warm & Inviting Stone Fireplace. 1 Bedroom & 1 Full Bath Downstairs. Travertine Tile, 2’’ Wood Blinds, Bidet in Master Bath, Classy Closets in Master Closet. Balcony Off of Master. Custom Floor to Ceiling Garage Cabinets. Relaxing Backyard W/ Mountain Views, Diving Pool, Large Covered Patio and Cool Deck that was Recently Redone. Community Walking Path & Close to South Mountain Hiking Trails!

Geri Thompson 480-239-7589 thompson_geralyn@yahoo.com

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Mountain Park Ranch

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Come check out this gorgeous remodeled home in Ahwatukee that has it all! Soaring vaulted ceilings greet you as you enter to find the formal living & dining rooms. The porcelain tile floors lead you into a remodeled kitchen featuring white shaker cabinets and granite countertops and stainless steel appliances. The kitchen leads into a large family room overlooking the perfect size play pool with a brand new variable speed pump, artificial turf and pavers. Upstairs you’ll find 3 generous sized bedrooms and a loft perfect for an office or movie room.

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3,250 sq ft. 5 bedroom, 3 baths! 3 car garage, short walk to the huge HOA pool and top-rated Kyrene Monte Vista. Large kitchen with multiple living areas, nice front/ afternoonshaded patio, in a family-friendly cul-de-sac. Plantation shutters, new plumbing, one newer AC on a split-system, newer interior paint and ﬂooring.

Link Paffenbarger 602-989-7221 linkpaff@gmail.com

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He’s The Handy Fireman BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor

hen a guy works 56 nearly sleepless hours in a week and then comes home to a wife and five kids aged 3 months to 12 years, he needs a retreat every now and then. For Joseph Scott Duffy, it’s the garage at his Ahwatukee home, though you won’t find a minivan, pickup or sedan there. What you’ll find is a space brimming with tools, large and small pieces of wood in various stages of finish and original wooden creations ranging from fireplace mantels and doors to tables and whoknows-what-else. This is not just a handyman cave. It’s also action central for Duffy’s emerging business, THF Woodwork LLC. Over the past few years, that garage has evolved into a space for “creating custom wood pieces for clients, teaching the kids

basic tool skills and designing a shop I could be proud of,” he explains on his Facebook page. “The money I’ve made from woodworking has all been put right back into my shop to purchase tools, materials, etc., investing in the shop and my family’s future,” he says. “It’s a pretty amazing space and something I’m happy I’ve gotten to create.” A California native who has lived in Ahwatukee for 13 years, Duffy has been a firefighter for 18 years – the last 11 as an engineer for the Phoenix Fire Department. His father built the home he shares with his wife London and their five children. And his father was the inspiration for the woodworking he has turned into a small business. “He worked for the phone company, so he’s pretty mechanically inclined, but he always liked to build his own stuff,” Duffy explained. “So I always watched him build stuff. … So when you’re 10, you

About the only vehicle you Joe Duffy could park in his garage is a Lego. It brims with wood and tools as the headquarters of his business, THF Woodwork LLC, which stands for The Handy Fireman. (Instagram) know what you want to do everything your dad does and I just started really helping him build. And I just really en-

joyed being able to create things.”

see DUFFY page 30

Ahwatukee complex sells in big 9-figure deal AFN NEWS STAFF

he rush of major investors in gobbling up Valley apartment complexes amid the current and future trends in rent increases came to Ahwatukee with an eyebrow-raising sale. Just days before Christmas, the Arboretum at South Mountain on the northwest corner of Chandler Boulevard and I-10 was sold for more than twice what the previous owner paid five years earlier. Built in 1998 and renovated in 2007, the 312-unit mix of 13 three-story buildings was sold for $118.3 million – far more than the $45.5 million it sold for in May 2016, according to Valley real estate tracker vizzda.com. Sares-Regis Group of Newport Beach, California, bought the property from KB Investment Development at a whopping price of $414 per square foot, or $379,006 for each of the 156 one-bed-

The Arboretum at South Mountain at I-10 and Chandler Bouelvard in Ahwatukee sold last month for $118.3 million – more than twice what the 24-year-old complex sold for four years earlier. (Special to AFN) room, 132 two-bedroom and 24 threebedroom apartments. The gated complex includes a health club, clubhouse,

pool, garages and laundry facility, vizzda data showed. Sares-Regis Group describes itself as

“formed in 1993 with the intent to develop a pre-eminent real estate development and investment firm on the west coast focused on multifamily and industrial properties.” Its website shows a portfolio with five different types of multifamily investment funds ranging from acquisition and construction to property management. “Sares Regis Multifamily transform underperforming multifamily properties into thriving communities and successful real estate investments,” the company says on its website. Numerous California investment groups in the past 12 months have been among the major investors that have been buying apartment complexes throughout the Valley, often for eightand nine-figure prices that are twice to three times what they sold for only five

see APARTMENTS page 31

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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | JANUARY 5, 2022

DUFFY from page 29

When he got out of the military at age 22 and then went to college, Duffy continued “building things and remodeling things for people.” For a while, he stayed in remodeling because firefighting, while encompassing 24-hour shifts, also gave him plenty of offduty days a month. “I did that for a while and then I stopped,” he said, “When you work as a fireman for 24-hour shifts and you’re not sleeping a lot of time and then your next day it’s ‘Aw man, I gotta go remodel this person’s house,’ it’s rough.” But then, he started thinking a few years ago, “My sons are getting older and like, man, I gotta show these boys how to build. So I started building stuff in the garage, doing small projects, teaching my sons how to build.” Sure enough, he found, “if you are good at building things, people want you to build things for them. What started as me just teaching my kids how to build things in the house and stuff turned into a woodworking business. Now, I wasn’t remodeling people’s homes. I was just building things out of wood in my garage.” For the last three or four years, Duffy has been building custom wood pieces for people – “mostly custom pieces that you can’t buy” like Murphy beds, hidden doors and many art pieces. As he puts it, “just cool original stuff that we can’t find a lot of people to do anymore.” He registered his business as THF Woodwork LLC – the initials standing for The Handy Fireman. He’s got so many job requests that “I’m booked into May right now.”

Joe Duffy calls “this mighty tree” the centerpiece of workshop-garage and “the most meaningful carving to date: because a tree is “The giver of life. Provider to all. Foundation of my passion. Not many things you can’t get out of a tree.” It’s actually a pair of doors for his tool cabinet. Made of hard maple and walnut, the doors are 7” deep on the inside, 9” thick, 24” wide and 40” tall. “Still need to detail sand, install interior doors, build and install custom tool holders and apply finish,” he wrote on his Instagram post. (Instagram) He posts pictures of his work on social media and even videos of him and has achieved enough of a reputation that tool companies pay him for demonstrating the use of their tools. “I’m pretty fortunate that my network is so big,” he said. “Everyone in the fire department knows Joe Duffy. That’s 2,000 firemen and their family, friends, their neighbors.” He works with all different kinds of hard wood since “soft woods are so prone to

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warping and bending and twisting.” “I build my stuff out of hard woods – because you’re almost putting the same amount of work into building something with pine as you would with maple and a maple piece is going to last so much longer.” “I love just finishing them with the natural and unnatural oil and sealing them up so you can see the grain,” he added. “But you know, not everyone’s taste is the same. So if a person really wants me to, I’ll

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paint it all pink it for him.” And he’s still learning, stressing that’s how his craft evolved. “With woodwork, everything is precision – like your cuts are now millimeters and inches. When I started doing this, I just became a student of the craft of woodworking. I just started reading about it or watching videos about it, following along guys who are putting out some really amazing pieces and learning different techniques…The woodwork is something I taught myself, but I had a great foundation to be able to do that. “I’m still learning everyday. Every day I sit down and I read something about woodwork or different techniques or how different do things. Even the history is just fascinating. This is old of an art technique, because this is really it’s one of the oldest. And now it seems like it’s kind of dying off, which is unfortunate. ..They’re not really offering like woodshop classes in schools anymore. But I love teaching it and that’s part of the videos too. I put out a lot of knowledge online to try to teach people how to do things and not be scared to try things.” Now, he’d also like to find an apprentice to pick up his trade from him, preferably someone out of high school or “maybe there’s a neighborhood kid who’s got nothing going on right now and his parents want him to learn a skilled trade versus college or something.” “I guess I’ll probably bring people over here and kind of get a sense of their mechanical aptitude and everything because this is dangerous, man,” he added. “I don’t want to be the reason some poor kid cuts his finger off.” People can connect with Joe Duffy on Facebook. ■

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Inflation requires better retirement planning BY HAROLD WONG AFN Guest Writer

nflation is accelerating in America. Recent data shows that the producer price index (a wholesale prices measure) in November 2021 increased by 9.6% over the previous 12 months, the largest gain on record. Case study: Joe and Susan Boomer are 60 and are not sure when they will retire. Many of their retired friends who are 1020 years older than them are now very frightened by the current high inflation. This is forcing Joe and Susan to rethink their retirement plans and investment strategies. Assume that inflation will average 6% over the next 10 years. Facts: Joe and Susan, currently, have total wages of $150,000 and $10,000 of investment income. They pay a total of $11,475 of Social Security and Medicare payroll taxes and $22,000 total income taxes. They save $30,000 per year and invest it.

APARTMENTS from page 29

or six years earlier, an Ahwatukee Foothills News review of data shows. “There’s more money than ever betting that apartment rents are heading to new heights,” Bloomburg.com reported, citing a Real Capital Analytics report that investors spent $53 billion on multifamily real estate nationally in just the second quarter of 2021 alone. Part of the rising interest in apartment complexes, Bloomberg noted, involves a move by real estate investors out of offices, hotels and malls, which it said “fared poorly in the pandemic.” “The influx of money has pushed prices higher and forced private equity firms to

They have saved $1 million of financial assets and have no debts at all. They hope to be able to spend $120,000 per year in retirement and expect to live until 92. They have no pensions and their combined Social Security if taken at age 62 would be $35,000 annually vs. $70,000 if taken at age 70. According to moneychimp.com, the compound annual growth rate in the S&P 500 Index has been 4.57% in the 21year period starting Jan. 1, 2000. When one adds dividends of 2.02% the gross is 6.59%. If one subtracts a future 6% inflation rate, the net return would be 0.59% before annual Wall Street fees. Even if they invest only in super lowfee Vanguard index funds, their projected net return would be zero. Note that if you loan to Uncle Sam by buying a 30-year US Treasury Bond, the current interest yield is 1.91%. Using $35,000 from Social Security taken at age 62 (most take it at 62) plus an assumed average 3% cost-of-living increases for eight years, that equals $44,337 behave like the aggressive homebuyers in the frenzied housing market,” Bloomberg said. “Some investors are frustrated by current prices for apartment buildings. But many are raising their bids, waiving inspections and promising to close fast, with rising rents driving a flurry of deals.” It quoted one investment activist as stating: “That’s what happens in a whitehot market. Some of them will sharpen the pencil on the next one and get a little more aggressive because they need to deploy that capital.” According to a number of analysts, the interest in apartment complexes also is being fueled by soaring home prices that have especially impacted first-time

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annual Social Security income at age 70. One would add their $1 million times 2% return = $20,000 annually. One would add their $30,000 of annual savings for 10 years = $300,000 more saved times 2% return, which gives them an extra $6,000 of income. Now total retirement income is $70,337, which is only 59% of their desired $120,000 retirement income. However, with 6% annual inflation for the next 10 years, they would need $214,902 annual income in 10 years to buy what $120,000 will buy today. Their $70,337 retirement income will be only 33% of what is needed and retirement looks grim. Inflation means they need three times their projected income to retire as planned! Different plan: They take Social Security at age 70 and it’s $80,000 a year, counting cost-of-living increases. They deposit $700,000 in a private pension plan at age 60 and it generates $70,000 a year at age 70. They invest $70,000 annually in solar equipment that saves them $20,000 a year in taxes and has a 10% return. Using homebuyers and aging baby boomers anxious to downsize. Large investors also aren’t just looking at apartment complexes for the longterm benefit of a steady revenue stream that rent delivers. The Cromford Report, which closely watches the Phoenix Metro housing market, noted that large investors also are buying single-family homes in bulk – and not turning them over for resale. Instead, the Cromford Report noted, “investors are extremely interested in purchasing single-family homes in Phoenix. The receipts from rents are rising faster than anywhere else in the country. “Rents are rising because there are more people wanting to rent than there

a financial calculator: PMT = $70,000; I = 10% return; N = 10 years; and FV (Future Value) = $1,227,181. At age 70, 7% ($1,227,181) = $85,903. Now total retirement income is$235,903 and allows them to spend more than what they planned on, even with high inflation for the next 10 years. They will still have some extra financial assets left over for emergencies. Conclusion: Continued high inflation requires innovative retirement planning. Live seminar: For a discussion on “Double Your Retirement Income and Slash Your Taxes! At 10 a.m. Jan. 29 at Hyatt Place, 3535 W. Chandler Blvd. Chandler, and a free lunch at 12:15 p.m. catered by La Madeleine French Café, RSVP or schedule a free consultation by contacting Dr. Harold Wong at 480-706-0177 or harold_ wong@hotmail.com. His website is drharoldwong.com. Dr. Harold Wong earned his Ph.D. in economics at University of California/ Berkeley and has appeared on over 400 TV/radio programs. ■ are rental properties. Many families are starting to see single-family rentals as preferable to apartments or condostyle rentals. This effect is probably supported by living conditions during a pandemic. “While this continues, we can expect investor demand to remain robust, which in turn prevents the market cooling down as it would if ordinary home buyers were the only source of demand.” Manage Case, a company that manages apartment complexes, echoed that lure of rent for investors. “There is little to support any prediction other than rising rent prices,” it said. “Those hoping for a lull in the rising price trend will likely be disappointed.” ■

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Bowie lists priorities for his final year as senator BY SEAN BOWIE AFN Guest Writer

rom my family to yours, I hope you all had a joyous, healthy, and safe holiday season. My best to you and your families as we begin the new year. Our 2022 legislative session starts next week, and it will be my final session as your senator. I am looking forward to getting back to work and continuing to fight for the issues and policies I have advocated for over the last six years. As always, I will continue to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle on legislation that helps move our state forward, and a state budget that invests in our economy and in our future. COVID-19 is still obviously front of mind as we deal with increasing caseloads

throughout Arizona. We will continue to work with the governor to allocate federal aid dollars to our schools, cities, and counties. An urgent priority for us going forward needs to be easier access to testing kits for personal use. On the legislation front, I will continue to advocate for mental health legislation for our children and our schools. I have had five bills signed into law over the last three years that have helped provide more support and training for mental health and suicide prevention awareness. I am working on additional legislation this year and will advocate for additional grant funding in our state budget for more counselors, social workers, and school psychologists in our schools. As it relates to our state budget, I will continue to advocate for more investment in our K-12 schools, universities, and community colleges.

While we have made substantive progress in recent years to restore education funding, we still have quite a way to go to get back to 2008 funding levels, particularly for our state universities. Making targeted investments in areas like workforce development, health care, and STEM fields will not only create jobs in the present but also better prepare our state for the jobs of the future. Water continues to be a high priority issue for us at the legislature. After recent investments to shore up our state’s water infrastructure, more work still needs to be done to improve conservation efforts and make additional investments in long-term water planning. Recent droughts have only added to the urgency for us to act. Finally, I expect voting rights to again be one of the dominant issues we tackle this year. There will no doubt be attempts to eliminate voting by mail (which over

85% of my constituents used in 2020) and making it harder for Arizona residents to vote. Again working with colleagues on both sides of the aisle, I will continue to work to protect our right to vote and oppose legislation that goes after our vote by mail system or further attempts to weaken our early voting list. Arizona has done a good job over the last two decades of making it easy to vote and hard to cheat, and I will work hard to keep it that way. I am excited to get back to work next week. My door is always open if I can be helpful for you at the state capitol. You can contact our Senate office at 602-9263004, or you can email me at sbowie@ azleg.gov. Happy New Year! Sean Bowie is the senator for state Legislative District 18, which includes Ahwatukee. ■

struction activity in this area early in 2022; and, we anticipate the work in this area to be completed two years earlier than much of the I-10 Broadway Curve Improvement Project - in 2022 rather than in 2024. ADOT saw value for our customers in working to complete construction on eastbound I-10 between Baseline Road and Chandler Boulevard early in the project. So, we worked with the developer team that is designing and building the project to make it happen. We recognized the I-10 Broadway Curve Improvement Project will be highly impactful in other areas of I-10, the US 60 (Superstition Freeway) and State Route 143. Completing this stretch two years before the remainder of the project is one

way we’re striving to reduce those impacts for at least some motorists in the 11-mile project area. The primary work along eastbound I-10 between Baseline Road and Chandler Boulevard is widening on the outside to provide another travel lane. Crews will work behind the concrete barrier, limiting the need for restrictions or closures that impact drivers. In terms of highway construction, it is relatively “easy” work; yet the payoff for thousands of motorists is tremendous. Our work south of Baseline Road also includes widening the Guadalupe Road bridge over east and westbound I-10 and improving the Sun Circle Trail crossing for pedestrians, bicyclists and equestrians.

I encourage you to stay up to date on progress of the I-10 Broadway Curve Improvement Project at i10BroadwayCurve. com and #StayAheadOfTheCurve. While you’re there, you can subscribe to receive traffic alerts and project updates by email and learn more about our free project app, The Curve - another valuable resource as construction ramps up. Thank you all for your patience as we continue to deliver on our commitment to maintaining and improving Arizona’s freeways. In the end, our projects aim to ensure that every one of us gets where we need to be through safe, efficient and reliable transportation. Happy New Year! John Halikowski is the drector of the Arizona Department of Transportation. ■

ADOT chief forecasts early end to some I-10 work BY JOHN HALIKOWSKI AFN Guest Writer

he New Year is upon us. It’s a time when many of us set new goals and are optimistic about achieving them. As I look ahead into 2022, I think about all the project goals we at the Arizona Department of Transportation have as we continue to improve our state’s transportation system. It’s always nice to start off a new year with good news, and here’s some for motorists who travel eastbound on Interstate 10, between Baseline Road and Chandler Boulevard. Expect to see a significant uptick in con-

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Players, coaches thankful for return of in-season tournaments BY ZACH ALVIRA AFN Sports Editor

he COVID-19 pandemic robbed high school athletes of “normal” experience in 2020. The entire spring season was canceled. The fall season was at risk of the same fate before it was delayed. Eventually, play resumed but with several cancellations due to outbreaks within programs. That extended to the winter sports season, where indoor sports such as basketball and wrestling were forced to wear masks in an effort to mitigate the spread of COVID. As a result of a delayed fall season, winter sports were forced to compete in less games and matches, which eliminated in-season tournaments that basketball players have come to love around the time schools are on winter break. But 2021 allowed teams to turn the page on condensed seasons. And with that, tournaments returned. “It’s just a great opportunity to play against some out of state competition,”

Desert Vista senior Dayln Martin gets air on a layup against Red Mountain in the Visit Mesa Basketball Challenge tournament, Wednesday, December 22, 2021, at Mountain View High School in Mesa, Arizona. (David Minton/AFN Staff) Desert Vista basketball coach Jordan Ballard said. “The kids love it because it’s like

non-stop basketball for a few days. These were missed last year.”

Desert Vista took part in Section 7 this summer, a massive 64-team tournament that was held at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, the home of the Cardinals. Just last month, the Thunder participated in the Visit Mesa Basketball Challenge, where they faced in-state opponents Red Mountain and Chaparral as well as Broken Arrow from Oklahoma and Smoky Hill from Colorado. Just a week later, Desert Vista competed in the McClintock Holiday Shootout, one of the premier tournaments involving instate teams every season. The Thunder faced Desert Mountain from Scottsdale in the first day of the tournament. Senior guard Daylyn Martin said both tournaments have helped his team prepare for the meat of its schedule in January when they partake in pivotal power point games. “The competition level is definitely different,” Martin said. “We get a lot of team bonding throughout these games, especially when we have a different team than

see TOURNAMENTS page 38

A project with great promise opens in Mesa BY ZACH ALVIRA AFN Sports Editor

ell Bank Park, the massive 320-acre amateur and youth sports complex in East Mesa, opened this week – bringing to the city and region the promise of a new revenue stream and a new national claim to fame. Legacy Sports USA, the founder of the $280-million facility near Ellsworth and Pecos roads, opened its fields and courts for the first time as part of a soft opening for parents and athletes. The $280 million facility near Ellsworth and Pecos roads hosted several high school soccer matches as part of the AZ Soccer Showcase last week on its sprawling set of artificial turf fields and held a friends and family event this weekend.

“It’s so exciting,” said Chad Miller, the CEO of Legacy Sports USA and alumnus of Mesquite High School. “To bring something like this to where we grew up. This is our home and it means so much to us.” For sports enthusiasts, Bell Bank Park means a 3,000-seat outdoor stadium, as eSports arena, an indoor arena, 31 soccer/ lacrosse/football fields, 57 indoor volleyball courts, eight baseball and adult softball fields, 16 fastpitch softball and Little League baseball fields, 20 basketball courts,

see BELL page 38

Legacy Sports USA CEO Chad Miller and President Brett Miller are pumped about opening the massive Bell Bank Park to the public for the first time on tomorrow, Jan. 3. (David Minton/Tribune Staff Photographer)

TOURNAMENTS from page 37

we did last year. It forces all of us to step up. I missed these tournaments a lot.” Much like Desert Vista, Mountain Pointe was also involved in several mid-season tournaments and showcases, including Section 7. The Pride were invited to compete in Hoophall West, a showcase put on by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame that descends upon the Valley every year. The field at Hoophall West included several premier teams from across the country, including Arizona College Prep, Duncanville from Texas and Montverde Academy from Florida. Mountain Pointe’s opponent was from neighboring California, a Harvard-Westlake squad that rosters Christian Horry, the son of NBA legend Robert Horry. It was the first true test for the Pride since competing in Section 7, and they answered the call with a 59-54 win. “You get to play teams you don’t normally see in the regular season,” Mountain Pointe coach Kaimarr Price said. “It’s just fun. You’re playing games every day and the atmosphere is really good because there are fans from multiple schools in the stands. It’s a great thing.” The Pride went on to compete in the McClintock Holiday Shootout alongside the Thunder. But after just one game were forced to withdraw from the tournament and quarantine for 10 days. A Mountain Pointe player began to feel ill following his team’s game against

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | JANUARY 5, 2022

Tempe on the first day of the tournament, Monday, Dec. 27. He received a positive test result for COVID-19 later on that night. Out of precaution, Mountain Pointe shut down its program for 10 days to see if any other players or coaches developed symptoms of the virus. Despite having to withdraw from the tournament, Mountain Pointe junior guard Tru Washington said he missed competing in them last season. Not only do they allow his team to see where they stack up against out-of-state competition, it prepares them for a brutal stretch in January and February leading up to the 6A tournament. “Especially Section 7, it showed us where we were at,” Washington said. “It showed us what we were good at and what we need to work on. These games showed us that we are a tough team and that we can fight.” Along with the boys, the girls basketball teams from both schools also had a chance to compete in tournaments for the first time in two years. The Lady Thunder competed in the Feast Mode Thanksgiving Tournament at Desert Mountain High School in Scottsdale over the Thanksgiving holiday in November. They went 3-2 in five games. In December, while the boys took part in Visit Mesa, the girls were a part of the Nike Tournament of Champions, a large tournament held at Tempe Union High School Distrcit schools with teams from across Arizona and the nation competing.

Bell Bank Park will feature a slew of amenities for athletes and families and bring new revenue and a national cachet to Mesa. (Special to the Tribune)

The Thunder went 3-1 against teams from out of state. Mountain Pointe’s girls competed in the Turkey Shootout at McClintock and finished 2-1 in the tournament. The Pride also went on to compete in the Tournament of Champions. “When region play starts, we will have about two days to prepare for a team,” Price said. “The quick turnaround in tournaments prepares us for that. We got a chance to play better teams to prepare for the ones in our region.” ■ Mountain Pointe junior guard Roosevelt Washington gets air in the lane against Tempe, in the 2021 McClintock Holiday Shootout, Monday, December 27, 2021, at Franklin “Doc” Zinke Gymnasium in Tempe, Arizona. (David Minton/Tribune Staff Photographer)

BELL from page 37

48 pickleball courts, 12 beach volleyball courts, an obstacle course racing park, 23 futsal courts, a gymnastics center, dance studio, cheer center, sports performance center, family fitness center, wellness center, kids play center, 2.7 acre great lawn for concerts and events and a 17,000-squarefoot sports restaurant and bar. The first tournaments for several of the youth sports organizations that partnered with Legacy Sports USA will take place Friday. Chad said that will be the first true test of how the park will fare with upwards of 45,000 people visiting the park that weekend. He and his team estimate 5.5 million people to visit the park per year. Some amenities are still under construction, including the zipline in Miller Way, a walkway that connects two of the main complex’s main building that houses the Esports Arena, basketball courts and gymnastics center. Full completion

is slated for February. “The closest thing we ever had growing up was Disney’s Wide World of Sports on the East Coast,” Chad said. “On the West Coast and particularly here in Arizona, we never had anything available to us. For so long club teams here would have to go out of state to experience these national level tournaments. Now Arizona has Bell Bank Park to call its own.” It’s more than that to Mesa – even if its residents never set foot in the complex, according to Mayor John Giles, who noted this is “the largest youth and amateur sports complex in the United States.” For one thing, it’s a new source of sports tourism revenue for the city, which already reaps millions annually as a host to two spring baseball venues. Adding to the direct tax benefits the city sees is the broad economic impact Bell Bank Park will have for hotels, restaurants and other

see BELL page 39

SPORTS

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | JANUARY 5, 2022

BELL from page 38

businesses in Mesa. Last year, Mesa Economic Development Director Bill Jabjiniak called the complex “a great opportunity for the city.” “This is something people will talk about around the country,’’ Jabjiniak said. Giles told the Tribune: “This is a continuation of something that’s a proven successful part of our economy. Particularly, with regard to youth and amateur sports – which is kind of recession-proof. People are going to take Susie to her soccer tournament, even if they have to put it on the credit card. It’s very exciting from an economic impact perspective.” Beyond money is the cachet Mesa now will have as the host city to the complex, he added. “We’re going to see people regionally, nationally and international traveling to Mesa, Arizona, specifically for this complex,” Giles predicted. Legacy partnered with several youth and adult organizations that will bring a variety of sports to the park. One of those organizations is Arizona Arsenal, one of the state’s largest and most well-known club soccer programs. Arsenal became the flagship club last March and will utilize its turf fields and main stadium that seats just over 5,000 people for its matches. David Belfort, the technical director for Arizona Arsenal and the club soccer director at the park, said it provides youth players a new opportunity to play on a large stage. He expects most of the Arsenal teams to utilize the fields for practices throughout the club season. With 31 fields and a stadium, he believes it creates an opportunity for more clubs and college coaches to flock to the state. “I think this facility can really bring a

different experience that people will be attracted to,” Belfort said. “Just with the AZ Soccer Showcase all the junior colleges in the area and the NAIAs were all present and they’re wide-eyed as they watched games. There’s definitely a buzz around it.” Along with Arsenal, Legacy also partnered with ELITE Youth Football, which will be rebranded as ELITE Football Powered by Legacy Sports USA. Currently, ELITE sponsors 20 youth football teams in the Chandler area. At Legacy, ELITE will expand and offer boys and girls flag football leagues, 7-on7 leagues and adult flag football leagues. There will also be an ELITE Football Academy, ELITE club football teams, the ELITE Bears tackle teams – a local Chandler team that routinely competes for national championships – and kids camps and NFL player camps. The park also plans to host the Association of Pickleball Professionals Tour now through Jan. 9 as part of its season kick off. The Professional Tour of Pickleball, another organization in a booming sport, will also descend upon Bell Bank Park for a stop in February. National Pickleball will also host two amateur events at Bell Bank. All three organizations will utilize the park’s 41 courts. In March, Bell Bank will host Trilogy Lacrosse for its Elite Spring Break Training Camps, where some of the top high school lacrosse players from across the country will train for four weeks. Also, in March, West Coast Premier Baseball plans to its month-long spring training series on the park’s eight baseball and softball fields. Other partnerships include Jam On It AAU Basketball, the Arizona Gym Rats and the 2022 USA Gymnastics Men’s and Women’s Development Program National

Championships. “We are very excited to open it and there’s been an influx of people reaching out to us telling us how excited they are for it to open,” said Brett Miller, president of Legacy Sports USA. “Do I wish I was younger and could play on all of the fields? Absolutely. But we are excited to see some smiles.” One of the park’s most unique partnerships is with the Arizona Cactus Football League, an adult semi-professional league that allows players to continue competing in the sport they love beyond their high school, college or professional careers. The league will feature eight teams, reduced from 16 the year prior. Three games will take place every Saturday beginning in February inside the park’s main stadium. Matt Archer, the owner of the AZCFL, aims to take his league to new heights in the next year or two. He plans to get away from the stigma of being a club league and turn into a developmental association for players looking to go on to the next level. He believes that becomes easier with the exposure his league will receive while playing at Bell Bank Park. “I think it will help us set the standard for what developmental football at this level is,” Archer said. “All of our teams will be prepared, and our teams will be prepared for what it’s like to play in front of organic fans. Preparing our players and showing them what it will be like if they move on to the next level is what I’m really trying to get out of it.” While the park itself was fast-tracked and built in six months, the vision was 30 years in the making. Brett and Chad both collaborated with their father, Randy, who is the founder of Legacy Sports USA, to come up with the idea for the massive sports and entertainment complex.

For more information about Bell Bank Park, visit legacysportsusa.com. ■

Have an interesting sports story? Contact Zach Alvira at zalvira@timespublications.com and follow him on Twitter @ZachAlvira.

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Brett, who graduated from Corona del Sol in Tempe, and Chad never had the opportunity to play in big venues growing up. But they wanted to create a space that would double as sports and entertainment venue for families and athletes to enjoy. They did that. And the fact they were able to do it together as a family makes it even more special. “Whenever we got together for f amily gatherings, this would be the topic of conversation,” Brett said. “You can’t beat family. This is a family entertainment park and it’s an idea that was created by my dad for my brother and me. For us to live and breathe this, there’s not better feeling.”

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Lovin’ Life Expo features The Duttons BY ALLISON BROWN GetOut Staff

nown for their upbeat, familyfriendly shows, The Duttons weren’t always performers. In fact, matriarch Sheila Dutton admits she never really saw the value in performing until she had the chance to do it with her kids. “As a matter of fact, if you were to pick someone, the most unlikely thing that I would be doing would be performing out on a stage with my family, but the kids really wanted to do it together as a family,” she says. “We never made a conscious decision to be performers or entertainers. It was just one thing kind of led to another.” The Duttons will show off their

performance chops as the musical entertainment at the Lovin’ Life Expos on Jan. 24, at the Sundial Recreation Center in Sun City and Jan. 26 at the Mesa Convention Center. The family has been hitting stages full time since 1991 and has since become a force. They landed among the top 10 finalists on “America’s Got Talent,” voted America’s most musical family by Nickelodeon, won several awards for performance and entertained thousands at their theaters, including one in Mesa. The Duttons first brought their show to sunny Arizona in the winter of 2005 and have since made it their winter home. In 2010, the Duttons partnered with East Valley High School in Mesa to renovate and update their audi-

torium. Shows that blend bluegrass and country kick off on Jan. 14, and continue every weekend through March 31. What began as just mom, dad and their four children has grown to include their in-laws and grandchildren. Dutton says the family ties run deep. Everyone is closely involved in all aspects of the business. She says working, performing and touring with family has brought them closer together. “We traveled over a million miles giving all these concerts around the United States,” she says. “So, they grew up together in the bus and I always said that the best way to help families be together is to get in a bus

see DUTTONS page 43

Ben and Sheila Dutton will be bringing their upbeat music to the Lovin’ Life Expos this month in Sun City and Mesa. (Special to GetOut)

Limelight theater bringing ‘Newsies’ to Mesa

GETOUT STAFF

hen Disney’s “Newsies: The Broadway Musical” opens at the Mesa Arts Center on Jan. 6, it will bring many dreams to life – from dream roles and dream choreography to the director’s decades-long dream to produce the show with a youth cast. “I fell in love with ‘Newsies’ when I was kid and saw the movie in the theater,” said Emma England, artistic director of Limelight Performing Arts, the Gilbert-based youth theater company producing the musical. “I have wanted to stage this production for the last 20 years. It’s truly a dream that is finally being fulfilled.” The show features a cast of nearly 50 performers ages 10-22 hailing from across the Valley. Based on the 1992 motion picture and the real-life Newsboy Strike of 1899, the musical tells the story of Jack Kelly, a rebellious newsboy who dreams of a life as an artist away from

expense, Jack rallies a ragtag gang of teenage newsies to strike against the unfair conditions and fight for what’s right. M e sa’s Tre Moore, 17, plays the leading Tre Moore and Kayla King perform a scene during rehearsal as Limelight Per- role. “Jack has been a forming Arts presents “Newsies.” (David Minton/Staff Photographer) dream role of mine since I first listened to the ‘NewsNew York City. When titans of publishing ies’ cast album when I was 11,” he said. raise distribution prices at the newsboys’

“He is charismatic and confident, but also sensitive and ambitious with a big heart. What truly makes this show so meaningful for me is that I, an African-American actor, have been given the opportunity to play Jack, a role that is historically played by White or non-Black actors. This is huge! I am honored to join the ranks of Jack Kelly actors and I hope to inspire and open the eyes of audiences in January.” Kayla King, 18, of Chandler, plays the role of witty and bold Katherine Plumber, a newspaper reporter who breaks the story of the strike and helps the ragamuffin newsies become the Kings of New York. The dancing is a highlight of the production. “It is extraordinary when you have incredibly talented teens with such passion for a show combined with the heart-stopping choreography by Emma England,” said Christian Graca, “Newsies”

see LIMELIGHT page 43

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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | JANUARY 5, 2022

DUTTONS from page 42

and then if they have issues, they have to work them out. “They can’t run to their bedrooms or to their friend’s house. They have to sit and talk about it and work it out. So, the kids learned early on to forgive each other really quickly. I think that was an unexpected advantage of touring.” She says there is more to The Duttons

LIMELIGHT from page 42

director. England and her choreography team, Marie South of Chandler and Reayanna Erving of Gilbert, spent many evenings and weekends working together to find the right balance of energy, athleticism and technique that “Newsies” is known for. Indeed, this choreography has been years in the making. “I’m not exaggerating when I say I’ve been thinking about and visualizing and working on this choreography for almost a decade,” said England, who has won dozens of ariZoni and National Youth Arts Awards for directing and choreography. “With the dream team of Reayanna and Marie, this is probably the best choreo we have ever done.” This attention to detail is a signature of Limelight’s – and it’s present in every aspect of “Newsies.” Said England, “There is only one blackout in this entire show, and yet the story is constantly moving from one setting or storyline to the next. We had to be very intentional with every single moment on stage to capture the movement of the story across New York City and create an engaging experience for audiences.” “‘Newsies’ comes after an over two-year break from theater for me,” said Moore. “To be able to come back to performing, and at this caliber, is extremely exhilarating and a little daunting. I have been performing for over 10 years, but Jack Kelly has to be one of the most challenging roles I’ve stepped into.” “The creative energy and support from the production staff and parent volunteers are a magical combination that will breathe life into this huge production and create the ‘do not miss’ musical of the year,” added Graca, who has directed productions across the Valley for the last 10 years. “Limelight Performing Arts is a terrific place for young thespians to learn,

than performances and accolades. The music comes down to the fans. Sheila says she was amazed to learn how their shows could bring joy to audiences. She recalls fans telling her that their performances encouraged them to reunite with their own families or pursue music. Dutton isn’t quite sure what the future holds for the family business. As the children have aged, they’ve pursued different lines of work. However, there is a third

generation of Duttons who may choose to take up the mantle. No matter what lies ahead, Dutton says she feels they are forging the right path. “We just feel so honored and blessed that we’ve been led into something that we didn’t even see the value in the beginning,” she said. “It has enriched our lives, provided us with the best friends in the world that we have met through performing, provided us

Choreographer Emma England is proud of the work that the nearly 50 performers have been putting into “Newsies.” (David Minton/Staff Photographer) pertinent today. “It’s really interesting how ‘Newsies’ seems more relevant now to the U.S. workforce than it has in a long time,” said 14-year-old McKenna Henry of Mesa, who plays Tommy Boy. “This show has taught me that normal people can make a big difference if they stand united, ‘Carrying the Banner’ for the average w o r k e r. Unionization, general strikes and holding people accountable are major themes in this show – and these things are hapRiley Wiggins and Izzy Vazquez leap through the air during rehearsal. (David p e n i n g Minton/Staff Photographer) in this

grow and reach for excellence in youth theater, and I’m so blessed to be so warmly welcomed into their family this past year.” Beyond the ins and outs of putting together a top-rate production, the cast has learned other important lessons throughout the six-week rehearsal process – lessons they believe are especially

with a second family who we had adopted and given us an opportunity to work on something that makes a difference and that is really a positive thing in our lives.” ■

If You Go...

Who: Lovin’ Life Expos lovinlife.com/expos/ The Duttons Info: theduttons.com/arizona country right now.” “‘Newsies’ is an amazing story of kids banding together to stop a big corporation from taking money out of the pockets of people seen as small or unimportant,” agreed Vincent Farley, 16, of Mesa, who plays the role of Finch. “I think this is a story that the world needs to see right now.” Added Taylor, “The whole show in general is just an inspirational story filled with so many emotions.” Of course, rehearsing 50 performers amid a global pandemic is no small undertaking. According to England, the directing team made a plan b, c, d and e in anticipation of COVID-19-related challenges. In addition to protocols like masking, handwashing and regular testing, the directors held many rehearsals outdoors and via Zoom. They also cast and rehearsed a large group of understudies and swings for every role and scene. “Our understudies now have understudies,” said England. “Our performers know their own tracks and several other dances, scenes and roles, as well. We are doing our best to prioritize health and safety while building in contingencies. It’s also an opportunity for kids in those understudy roles to get more advanced training.” Inspired by a true story, “Newsies” features a Tony Award-winning score by Alan Menken and Jack Feldman and a book by Tony Award winner Harvey Fierstein. Featuring the now classic songs “Carrying the Banner,” “Seize the Day,” and “Santa Fe,” “Newsies” is a David and Goliath story packed with high-energy performances and timeless messages of resilience and courage. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the original film and the 10th anniversary of the Broadway production. Limelight’s production of “Newsies” will run from Jan. 6-16 at the Mesa Arts Center. Tickets are $15-$18 and can be purchased at MesaArtsCenter.com, keyword “newsies.” Group discounts are available. ■

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | JANUARY 5, 2022

SPECIAL ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE

AZ residents scramble to get last Walking Liberty Rolls ARIZONA - Once Arizona residents got wind that Arizona State Restricted Bank Rolls filled with Silver Walking Liberties dating back to the early 1900’s were being handed over, there was a mad dash to get them. That’s because some of these U.S. Gov’t issued silver coins are already worth hundreds in collector value. “It’s like a run on the banks. The phones are ringing off the hook. That’s because everyone is trying to get them before they’re all gone,” according to officials at the National Mint and Treasury who say they can barely keep up with all the orders. In fact, they had to impose a strict limit of 4 Arizona State Restricted Bank Rolls. So, if you get the chance to get your hands on these State Restricted Bank Rolls you better hurry because hundreds of Arizona residents already have and you don’t want to miss out. You see, the U.S. Gov’t stopped minting

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■ GOT ‘EM: Residents all across Arizona who get their hands on these State Restricted Silver Walking Liberty Bank Rolls are definitely showing them off. That’s because they are the only ones known to exist. And here’s the best part, these Bank Rolls are loaded with U.S. Gov’t issued Silver Walking Liberty coins some dating back to the early 1900’s and worth up to 100 times their face value so everyone wants them.

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

Arizona residents get first dibs on last remaining Bank Rolls loaded with U.S. Gov’t issued Silver Walking Liberties dating back to the early 1900’s some worth up to 100 times their face value for the next 2 days

STATE DISTRIBUTION: A strict limit of 4 State Restricted Bank Rolls per AZ resident has been imposed

ARIZONA - “It’s a miracle these State Restricted Bank Rolls even exist. That’s why Hotline Operators are bracing for the flood of calls,” said Laura Lynne, U.S. Coin and Currency Director for the National Mint and Treasury. For the next 2 days the last remaining State of Arizona Restricted Bank Rolls loaded with rarely seen U.S. Gov’t issued Silver Walking Liberties are actually being handed over to Arizona residents who call the State Toll-Free Hotlines listed in today’s newspaper publication. “National Mint and Treasury recently spoke with its Chief Professional Numismatist who said ‘Very few people have ever actually seen one of these rarely seen Silver Walking Liberties issued by the U.S. Gov’t back in the early 1900’s. But to actually find them sealed away in State Restricted Bank Rolls is like finding buried treasure. So anyone lucky enough to get their hands on these Bank Rolls had better hold on to them,’” Lynne said. “Now that the State of Arizona Restricted Bank Rolls are being offered up we

(Continued on next page)

SILVER: one of the last silver coins minted for circulation

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RARELY SEEN: minted by the u.s. mint in the early 1900’s R1043R-5

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | JANUARY 5, 2022

45 SPECIAL ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE

(Continued from previous page)

won’t be surprised if thousands of Arizona residents claim the maximum limit allowed of 4 Bank Rolls per resident before they’re all gone,” said Lynne. “That’s because after the Bank Rolls were loaded with 15 rarely seen Silver Walking Liberties, each verified to meet a minimum collector grade of very good or above, the dates and mint marks of the U.S. Gov’t issued Silver Walking Liberty Half Dollars sealed away inside the State of Arizona Restricted Bank Rolls have never been searched. But, we do know that some of these coins date clear back to the early 1900’s and are worth up to 100 times their face value, so there is no telling what Arizona residents will find until they sort through all the coins,” Lynne went on to say. And here’s the best part. If you are a resier Walking wn to exist. dent of the state of Arizona you cover only berty coins ants them. the $39 per coin state minimum set by the National Mint and Treasury, that’s fifteen rarely seen U.S. Gov’t issued Silver Walking Liberties worth up to 100 times their face value for just $585 which is a real steal because non state residents must pay $118 per coin which totals $1,770 if any coins remain after the 2-day deadline. The only thing Arizona residents need to do is call the State Toll-Free Hotlines printed in today’s newspaper publication before the 2-day order deadline ends. “Rarely seen U.S. Gov’t issued silver coins like these are highly sought after, but we’ve never seen anything like this before. According to The Official Red Book, a Guide Book of United States Coins many Silver Walking Liberty Half Dollars are now worth $40 - $825 each in collector value,” Lynne said. “We’re guessing thousands of Arizona residents will be taking the maximum limit of 4 Bank Rolls because they make such amazing gifts for any occasion for children, parents, grandparents, friends and loved ones,” Lynne continued. “We know the phones will be ringing off the hook. That’s why hundreds of Hotline Operators are standing by to answer the phones beginning at 8:30 am this morning. We’re going to do our best, but with just 2 days to answer all the calls it won’t be easy. So make sure to tell everyone to keep calling if all lines are busy. We’ll do our best to answer them all.” Lynne said. The only thing readers of today’s newspaper publication need to do is make sure they are a resident of the state of Arizona and call the National Toll-Free Hotlines before the 2-day deadline ends midnight tomorrow. ■

HOW TO CLAIM THE LAST STATE RESTRICTED BANK ROLLS FACTS:

If you are a Arizona State Resident read the important information below about claiming the State Silver Bank Rolls, then call the State Toll-Free Hotline at 8:30 am: 1-800-979-3771 EXT: RWB3476

Are these Silver Walking Liberties worth more than other half dollars:

Yes. These U.S. Gov’t issued Silver Walking Liberties were minted in the early 1900’s and will never be minted again. That makes them extremely collectible. The vast majority of half dollars minted after 1970 have no silver content at all and these Walking Liberties were one of the last silver coins minted for circulation. That’s why many of them now command hundreds in collector value so there’s no telling how much they could be worth in collector value someday.

How much are State Restricted Walking Liberty Silver Bank Rolls worth:

It’s impossible to say, but some of these U.S Gov’t issued Walking Liberties dating back to the early 1900’s are worth up to 100 times the face value and there are 15 in each Bank Roll so you better hurry if you want to get your hands on them. Collector values always fluctuate and there are never any guarantees. But we do know they are the only Arizona State Silver Bank Rolls known to exist and Walking Liberties are highly collectible so anyone lucky enough to get their hands on these Silver Bank Rolls should hold onto them because there’s no telling how much they could be worth in collector value someday.

Why are so many Arizona residents claiming them:

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How do I get the State Restricted Walking Liberty Silver Bank Rolls:

Arizona residents are authorized to claim up to the limit of 4 State Restricted Walking Liberty Silver Bank Rolls by calling the State Toll Free Hotline at 1-800-979-3771 Ext. RWB3476 starting at precisely 8:30 am this morning. Everyone who does is getting the only State Restricted Walking Liberty Silver Bank Rolls known to exist. That’s a full Bank Roll containing 15 Silver Walking Liberties from the early 1900’s some worth up to 100 times their face value for just the state minimum set by the National Mint and Treasury of just $39 per Silver Walking Liberty, which is just $585 for the full Bank Rolls and that’s a real steal because non state residents are not permitted to call before 5 pm tomorrow and must pay $1,770 for each Arizona State Restricted Walking Liberty Silver Bank Roll if any remain.

R1043R-5

NATIONAL MINT AND TREASURY, LLC IS NOT AFFILIATED WITH THE U.S. MINT, THE U.S. GOVERNMENT, A BANK OR ANY GOVERNMENT AGENCY. IF FOR ANY REASON WITHIN 30 DAYS FROM SHIPMENT YOU ARE DISSATISFIED, RETURN THE PRODUCT FOR A REFUND LESS SHIPPING AND RETURN POSTAGE. THIS SAME OFFER MAY BE MADE AVAILABLE AT A LATER DATE OR IN A DIFFERENT GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION. OH RESIDENTS ADD 6.5% SALES TAX. NATIONAL MINT AND TREASURY, PO BOX 35609, CANTON, OH 44735 ©2021 NATIONAL MINT AND TREASURY.

GET OUT

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | JANUARY 5, 2022

King Crossword ACROSS 1 Biting remark 5 Spheres 9 Victory 12 Skin care brand 13 Joel or Ethan of Hollywood 14 Parisian pal 15 Hourly pay 16 Batman’s hood 17 Beer container 18 Rebuff 19 Acting coach Hagen 20 Crazy 21 Actor Brynner 23 Old Olds 25 Mourn 28 Hit song by the Oak Ridge Boys 32 Grown-up 33 Snake poison 34 Autobiography 36 Herbal tea 37 Geese formation 38 Computer key 39 Lose color 42 TiVo precursor 44 Idle or Clapton 48 Khan title 49 Close 50 Handle 51 Dict. info 52 Adriatic port 53 Author Hunter 54 Bygone jet 55 Staff leader? 56 Faxed

With JAN D’ATRI GetOut Contributor

W 30 31 35 36 39 40

Director Howard Soul, to Sartre Disclose “Fab!” Crazes Mellows

41 43 45 46 47 49

Loony Give a darn Carry on One-named supermodel Penny “The Voice” network

Sudoku

DOWN 1 Fiddle sticks 2 Arkin of “Argo” 3 Prego rival 4 1957 Everly Brothers song 5 Supernatural 6 Cheer (for) 7 Caveat word 8 NBC sketch show 9 Texas city 10 Apple computer 11 Boy, in Barcelona 20 Features of romantic comedies 22 Loosen 24 Graceland idol 25 Felon’s flight 26 Citric beverage 27 Silent 29 Pig-poke link

PUZZLES ANSWERS on page 48

Cakes in a jar make great game day desserts

e’re now in playoff season. Go Cards! We know you can do it! On game day, we love to snack. So let me contribute to the munching mania with a really fun, simple and ultra-transportable treat that you can whip up in no time – cakes in a jar. Yes, that’s right. I said jar. Half-pint, widemouth jars make the perfect, single serving cakes that you can bake up in the oven, cool down, seal and take to the Super Bowl party. I’ll admit I was skeptical about putting Mason jars in the oven until I researched and discovered that the same jars that you use for canning are designed to withstand very high heat and are sturdy enough to bake in. Then I found out that although the Mason jar has been around since 1858, baking cakes in a jar is one of

the newest baking crazes. With cakes in a jar, there’s no need to make up the batter to pour into the jar. Simply spoon the raw ingredients into the jars, add a slice of butter on top and the magic happens while baking. Then serve the tasty treats right from the jar. Here are two variations of my new favorite single-serve sensations. ■

Ingredients: (For 4 half-pint Mason Jars) 3 cups fresh or fresh frozen fruits in season ¾ cup flour ¾ cup sugar

½ teaspoon salt 4 tablespoons butter Whipped Cream for topping 1 package dried beans

Directions: In a bowl, mix together fruits of choice equaling 3 cups. Pour equal amounts of the fruit in each of the four jars. In another bowl, mix together flour, sugar and salt until well combined. Pour equal amounts of dry ingredients on top of the fruit. Add one tablespoon of butter on top of dry ingredients. Place the four jars into a square baking dish, a few inches apart. Spread dried beans around the jars to keep them steady while you’re moving them in and out of the oven. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. Remove from oven and allow cakes to cool down. When cooled, twist on lids and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Top with a dollop of whipped cream. Half-pint one-pan eclair For delicious cakes in a jar that don’t need baking, try the half-pint Éclair! Place a graham cracker on the bottom of each jar. Combine one small box of vanilla pudding and one cup of milk, mixing until thickened. Add ½ small tub of Cool Whip and mix until well blended. Spoon a dollop on graham cracker. Repeat process until layers are just below the neck line. Melt one container of chocolate fudge frosting in microwave for about 45 seconds. Pour several tablespoons of melted frosting over top of each jar of graham cracker layers. Refrigerator for 24 hours to soften Graham Crackers before serving. . ■

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | JANUARY 5, 2022

Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic School

Educating mind, body and soul since 1945 Small Class Sizes Math and Reading Specialists Speech and Lauguage Pathologist Sacrament Preparation Amazing Community Academic Excellence Newly Renovated Facility Modernized Classrooms Interactive Classroom Technology Safe and Secure Campus Playground Financial Assistance and Scholarships Available! olmcschool.info or 480-967-5567

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Seattle • Vancouver • Ketchikan • Juneau • Skagway • Glacier Bay • Anchorage • Denali • and more — Visit Denali National Park and Glacier Bay National Park on the same incredible trip! Cruise through the Gulf of Alaska and the Inside Passage as you discover the best of the Frontier State by land and by sea.

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* Prices are per person based on double occupancy plus up to $299 in taxes & fees. Single supplement and seasonal surcharges may apply. Add-on airfare available. Free date changes prior to final payment. Deposits and final payments are non-refundable. Onboard Credit requires purchase of Ocean View or Balcony Cabin. Offers apply to new bookings only, made by 3/31/22. Other terms & conditions may apply. Ask your Travel Consultant for details.

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | JANUARY 5, 2022

ANSWERS TO PUZZLES AND SUDOKU from Page 46

SERVING AHWATUKEE, MOUNTAIN PARK RANCH, LAKEWOOD, THE FOOTHILLS AND SURROUNDING AREAS

A welcoming community proclaiming the love of God and fostering a personal relationship with Jesus Christ through Scripture, Sacraments and Service.

Daily Mass | Mon-Sat • 8:15am Tuesday Mass | 6:00pm Saturday Mass | 4:00pm Sunday Mass 7:00, 8:30, 10:30am, 5:00pm

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year! th 5 3 r u o in Now

3550 E. Knox Rd., Phoenix AZ 85044

480.893.8770

www.corpuschristiphx.org * Sunday 8:30am Mass is live-streamed to our website, Facebook, and YouTube pages.

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AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | JANUARY 5, 2022

Classifieds

CLASSIFIEDS

Ahwatukee Foothills News

1620 W. Fountainhead Parkway #219 Tempe, AZ 85282 • 480.898.6465 class@timespublications.com Deadlines

Classifieds: Thursday 5pm for Wednesday The Place “To Find” Everything You Need | Ahwatukee.com Click on Marketplace Life Events: Friday Noon for following Wednesday

Obituaries Michael Pattison Brown

Michael P. (Mike) Brown, aged 56, passed away at his mother`s home in Pacific Grove, California on December 28th after a brief battle with brain cancer. Born in Moscow, Idaho on September 10th, 1965, Mike grew up in Ellensburg, Washington, attending Ellensburg High School where he was active in sports and formed friendships to last a lifetime. After meeting Cheri at CWU, the two married in 1990 and spent the next decades raising their 3 children in Phoenix, Arizona, where Mike worked in the real estate and insurance industries. Mike continued to be involved in sports through coaching his sons´ baseball teams, cheering at his daughter´s volleyball events and getting in the occasional round of golf. Hiking in the hills near his Phoenix home and in the mountains in Washington remained cherished activities. Mike will be remembered and missed as a loyal, loving and dedicated son, brother, husband and proud father. He is survived by his mother Jane Brown, his sons Spencer and Cooper Brown, his daughter Hannah Mason, sonin-law Anthony Mason and grandson Isaiah Mason, wife of many years, Cheri Brown and his sister Peggy Davies-Brown and niece Catie Davies. An oceanside memorial for family and friends is planned for the summer in California. Donations may be made to Hospice of the Central Coast.

Obituaries - Death NOtices iN MeMOriaM We are here to make this difficult time easier for you. Our 24 hour online service is easy to use and will walk you through the steps of placing a paid obituary in the Ahwatukee Foothills News or a free death notice. Visit: obituaries.Ahwatukee.com

Employ ment Employment General Auto Engine Machinist

American Engines Only. Experience Required. References Needed. Full Time or Part Time. Email Resume to:

Employment General Amazon Web Services, Inc. seeks candidates for the following Principal Business Strategist (multiple positions available) in Tempe, AZ: Principal Business Strategist (Job ID: 1860612). Lead digital transformation initiatives and develop strategy for customer engagements across industries and key transformation competencies to help scale business. Enable growth within the West/Mountain States area and influence entire market segments and related ecosystems. 70% domestic travel required. 30% telecommuting benefits available. Apply at https://www.amazon.jobs/en/ and reference Job ID.

Sell Your Stuff!

acct.phxengine @gmail.com

MISSED THE DEADLINE? Place your ad online! Call 480-898-6465

Call Classifieds Today! 480.898.6465

CLASS@TIMESPUBLICATIONS.COM

Employment General Sr. Data Scientist with PetSmart LLC (f/k/a PetSmart, Inc.) (Phoenix, AZ): Analyze bsns & other data procssng prblms to implmnt & imprve comptr systms, levrgng artificial intelligence methdlgies & algorthms. Req’s Master’s + 3 yrs. exp. See full req’s: bit.ly/PTSMsdsDS. Resumes: To apply, send resumes to: Steve Gilbert, 19601 N. 27th Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85027.

OUR JOB BOARD HAS THE TALENT YOU’RE LOOKING FOR. FIND THE BEST TALENT. EASILY POST JOBS. COMPETITIVE PRICING AND EXPOSURE More info: 480-898-6465 or email jobposting@evtrib.com

Most jobs also appear on Indeed.com

J BS.EASTVALLEYTRIBUNE.COM Employment General

Classifieds 480-898-6465

Employment General

Join our experienced inside sales team!

NOW HIRING ALL POSITIONS

Do you have print media/digital advertising selling experience? We may be looking for you! The position is in Tempe (Broadway curve area) includes lots of outbound calls selling advertising all over Phoenix Metro and even Tucson! Our 20 local publications, newspapers, magazines and digital solutions fit pretty much every need!

• Landscape Construction Laborers • Landscape Maintenance Laborers • Irrigation Technicians • Estimators • Spray Technicians • Enhancements Project Engineer/Project Manager

Great team environment *Up to $1,000 Sign-On Bonus** *Start Immediately* *Competitive Pay* *Paid-Time Off (PTO) For All Positions*

*Full Beneﬁts Package Offered* *401K with Company Match* *Full-Time + Year-Round Employment* *Valley-Wide Positions*

Our small team wants to grow with you! Do you get excited when you sell? Do you talk louder when you are selling something you believe in? We get it - it's exciting to sell! Do you learn quickly, like to stay organized, multi-task, are you familiar with Gmail, Google Docs/Sheets/Voice, Word, Excel, internet browsing and other software programs?

We offer competitive pay, beneﬁts, and a casual work environment. Email: careers@caretakerinc.com

This is a full time job with benefits. 8:305pm Mon-Fri. If you think you are the missing puzzle piece, please apply!

Call: 480-292-6777

Wait, did I mention we are a FUN team?

**Terms and Conditions Apply

EOE

Apply Online: www.caretakerlandscape.com Corporate Ofﬁce: 741 N. Monterey St. Gilbert, AZ 85233 EOE/M/G/VET/DISABILITY/DRUG-FREE/E-VERIFY EMPLOYER

Send your resume with cover letter to Elaine ecota@timespublications.com

CLASSIFIEDS

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | JANUARY 5, 2022

Employment General

Earn Extra Income For The Holidays!

Gannett Publishing Services wants to contract you to deliver newspapers and magazine products in the early morning hours in the Phoenix metro area.

Earn up to $400 per week Work just 2-3 hours a day between 12:00AM - 6:00AM All routes are 7 days a week

Routes are available now across metro Phoenix (East Valley, West Valley, North and South Phoenix). Please include home zip code when applying.

How It Works

What You Need

What We Offer

We’ll provide you a daily delivery list

A Reliable Vehicle

Weekly pay can be up to $400 per week depending on the size of your route

Pick up your newspapers from our local distribution center

A Valid Arizona Driver’s License

Direct payment deposit into bank account

Go at your own pace, as long as papers are delivered by our established deadlines

Valid Auto Insurance

Flexibility, as most routes have a wide allotted time frame for delivery

APPLY NOW Scan the QR code with your smartphone Visit htp://deliveryopportunities.gannett.com

or call 602-444-4243

CLASSIFIEDS

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | JANUARY 5, 2022

Merchandise

Air Duct Cleaning

Pets/Services/Livestock

Air Duct Cleaning & Dryer Vents BY JOHN

While Your’ Away Services Pet, Home & Property Checks

Voted one of the “Best of Ahwatukee” 10 Years Running!

Reasonable Rates Special Pricing on Extended Service Licensed/Bonded/Insured Ahwatukee Resident

Call Eleanor Today!

480.287.4897

www.WhileYourAwayService.com

Air Conditioning/Heating

QUALITY, VALUE and a GREAT PRICE!

MORE HOUSES to sell!

I’ve been SELLING AHWATUKEE SINCE 1973!

Carpets, Tile & Grout, Upholstery, Pet Stain/Odor Treatment Residential/Commercial www.extractioncleaning.com 100% Satisfaction Guarantee!

Appliance Repairs

Cleaning Services

Over 1,000 Five-Star Google Reviews ★★★★★

Appliance Repair Now

Not Enough Time in the Day? Call

Bonded/Insured • ROC #289252

480-405-7588

Need More Houses to Sell! Call Pete! Call us for a FREE Consultation

Associate Broker CRS, GRI

I need

★ Disinfected & Sanitized With Every Job

Powerful Truck Mounted Soft Hot Water Extractions.

480.460.5030

2021

FALL TUNE-UP SPECIAL!

• Same Day Service • On-Site Repairs • Servicing All Major Brands • Quality Guaranteed

We Also Buy, Sell & Trade Used Appliances Working or Not

480-659-1400 MORE CLASSIFIED ADS ONLINE! www.Ahwatukee.com

BESTOF

If It’s Broken, We Can Fix It!

Licensed & Insured

Pete Meier

602-690-3361

★ 30+ Years HVAC Experience

(480) 912-0881 – Licensed & Insured

www.Ahwatukee.com

Homes For Sale

Family owned and proudly serving Ahwatukee for over 20 years.

Lifetime Warranty on Workmanship New 3-Ton 14 SEER AC Systems Only $4,995 INSTALLED! New Trane Air Conditioners NO INTEREST FINANCING - 60 MONTHS!

See MORE Ads Online!

Real Estate for Sale

Carpet Cleaning

REG. $99.

Includes a 16-Points Inspection. LIMITED TIME ONLY. RESIDENTIAL ONLY

FREE INDOOR REME HALO® IN-DUCT AIR PURIFIER*

• Reduces common allergens from pollen, mold dander & dust • Eliminates pet, cooking and musty odors • Reduces airborne and surface bacteria & viruses, such as MRSA, e-coli, and Norwalk 99+%,

Carpet Cleaning

Quality Professional Cleaning

Weekly, Bi-Weekly & Monthly

(480) 833-1027 JENNIFER BEEBE References Available 20 Years Experience Bonded & Insured

It’s a Clear Choice!

Concrete & Masonry

Block Fence * Gates

602-789-6929 Roc #057163 Lowest Prices * 30 Yrs Exp Serving Entire Valley

*With a qualified ac system purchase

YOUR HOMETOWN AIR CONDITIONING SPECIALIST FREE Service Call With Repair FREE Second Opinion ★ FREE Estimate

YOU’LL LIKE US - THE BEST!

Call for a

FREE Consultation!

SOLD

$275,000 $325,000 3br/2ba/2gar excellent location Much sought after townhome in Tuscany Courts in backing to lush greenbelt lot, 2,294 sq ft his-and-hers home Ahwatukee. 2br/2.5 baths 2 offices. Western décor. Mature gar. Gently lived in. This is not in the 55+ neighborhood! landscaping. Near shopping Near community pool. and multi-million $ rec center, single level in 55+ community.

petemeier.com

Call for a FREE Home Value Analysis

A + Rating

480-725-7303 www.BrewersAC.com SINCE 1982 ROC #C39-312643

We offer Big Savings and Great Financing!

Some restrictions apply. See website for additional information. Special rebates and financing offers are valid on qualifying equipment and pre-approved credit. Offers expire 12/31/2021.

Contractors

CLASSIFIEDS

Garage/Doors GARAGE DOOR SERVICE East Valley/ Ahwatukee

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | JANUARY 5, 2022

Home Improvement

Handyman

REMODEL CONTRACTOR

MALDONADO

Broken Springs Replaced

Plans / Additions, Patios New Doors, Windows Lowest Price in Town! R. Child Lic#216115, Class BO3 Bonded-Insured-Ref's

Not a licensed contractor

480-215-3373

Nights/Weekends Bonded/Insured 480-251-8610

Electrical Services HONESTY • INTEGRITY • QUALITY

• Serving Arizona Since 2005 •

• Panel Changes and Repairs • Installation of Ceiling Fans • Switches/Outlets • Home Remodel

ALL RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL ELECTRICAL Call Jim Endres 480.282.7932 Over 28 Years Experience • ROC #246019 Bonded/Insured

C. READ & SON ELECTRIC

HOME REPAIR SERVICES

CALL DOUG

Irrigation

Handyman

480.201.5013

THE HANDYMAN THAT HANDLES SMALL JOBS THAT OTHERS DECLINE ✔ Painting ✔ Gate Restoration ✔ Lighting ✔ Plumbing Repairs ✔ Replace Cracked ✔ Sheetrock Roof Tiles Texturing Repairs ✔ & MUCH MORE! Ahwatukee Resident, References Available, Insured

*Not A Licensed Contractor

Jaden Sydney Associates.com Visit our website! Landlord and Homeowner Property Services Repairs • Drywall • Painting • BINSR Items Plumbing • Electrical • HOA Compliance

AND so much more! Ahwatukee Resident

480.335.4180

Cutting Edge LLC • ROC 281671

LLC

• Electrical Repair • Plumbing Repair • Dry rot and termite damage repair

GENERAL CONTRACTOR / HANDYMAN SERVICES SERVING THE ENTIRE VALLEY

520.508.1420

Marks Spot• for ALL Your Handyman Needs! All Estimates arethe Free Call: Painting • Flooring • Electrical www.husbands2go.com Plumbing • Drywall • Carpentry Licensed, Bonded & Insured Decks • Tile••ROC#317949 More!

Marks the Spot for ALL Your Handyman Ask me about FREE Needs! water testing! Ahwatukee Resident Marks the Spot for ALL•Your Handyman Needs! ✔ Painting Painting Flooring • Electrical “No Job Too ✔Small Flooring Painting • Flooring • Electrical Plumbing • Drywall • Carpentry Man!” Plumbing • Drywall • Carpentry ✔ Electrical Decks • Tile • More!  Electric Car Chargers for ALL your Quality Work Since 1999 Tile • More! rdable, ✔ Plumbing  Fans 2010, 2011 electrical needs Decks •Affo 2012, 2013, 2014 Call Bruce at 602.670.7038 ✔ Drywall  Lighting Ahwatukee Resident/ References/ Insured/ Not a Licensed Contractor “No Job 41 years ✔ Carpentry  Troubleshooting Too Small Marks the Spot for“No Job Too ALL Your Handyman Needs! ✔ Decks  And much more experience Painting • Flooring • Electrical Small Man!” “No Job Too Man!” ✔ Tile Plumbing • Drywall • Carpentry Small Man!” Decks • Tile • More! www.readelectricaz.com ✔ Kitchens ROC #158440 Work Since 1999 y alit Qu e, abl ord Aff ✔ Bathrooms Bond/Insured BSMALLMAN@Q.COM 2010, 2011 9 199 ce rk Sin 2012, “No 2013, Job Too Affordable, Quality Wo And More! 2010, 2011 Small Man!” 2014 Call Bruce at 602.670.7038 2008 through 2019

480-940-6400 Call Bruce at 602.670.7038 2012, 2013, 2014 References/ Insured/ NotResident a Licensed Contractor Ahwatukee / References Call Ahwatukee BruceResident/ at 602.670.7038 Since 1999 Affordable, Quality Work

Ahwatukee Resident/ References/ Insured/ Not a Licensed Contractor Insured / Not aCall Licensed Contractor Bruce at 602.670.7038

2010, 2011 2012, 2013, 2014

Ahwatukee Resident/ References/ Insured/ Not a Licensed Contractor

NTY

5-YEAR WARRA

azirrigation.com

ALL YOU NEED IS A PU

• Drywall Repair • Bathroom Remodeling • Home Renovations

• Sprinkler/Drip Repairs • New Installs Poly/PVC • Same Day Service

480.654.5600

Not a licensed contractor.

MD’S LANDSCAPING 480.898.6465 CLASS@TIMESPUBLICATIONS.COM

Home Improvement

Home Remodeling • BASE BOARDS • DRYWALL • ELECTRICAL • PAINTING • PLUMBING • BATHROOMS • WOOD FLOORING • FRAMING WALLS • FREE ESTIMATES • GRANITE FABRICATION & INSTALLATION • CARPET INSTALLATION • LANDSCAPING

No Job Too Small! Senior Discounts!

Drip Systems Installed, Valves/Timer Repairs

Let’s get your Watering System working again! System Checks • Drip Checks FREE ESTIMATES! CALL 24 HOURS 25 Yrs Exp. I Do All My Own Work! Call Mark

NOT A LICENSED CONTRACTOR

480.295.2279 Referred out of Ewing Irrigation Not a licensed contractor.

WORKMANSHIP GUARANTEED!

David Hernandez (602) 802 3600

daveshomerepair@yahoo.com • Se Habla Español

Shadetree Dreams Remodeling

Sprinkler & Drip Systems Repairs • Modifications • Installs

Hauling

Residential Electrician

Call Sean Haley 602-574-3354 ROC#277978 • Licensed/Bonded/Insured

Glass/Mirror

• Furniture • Appliances • Mattresses • Televisions • Garage Clean-Out • Construction Debris

• Old Paint & Chems. • Yard Waste • Concrete Slab • Remodeling Debris • Old Tires

GLASS, MIRRORS, SHOWER DOORS

Specializing in: • Drywall/Texturing | Painting • Roof repair and installation

• 20+ Years Experience • 6 Year Warranty

480.345.1800

Family Owned with 50 years' EXPERIENCE. Shower and tub enclosures, Framed, Frameless or Custom Doors, We also install insulated glass, mirrored closet doors, window glass, mirrors, patio doors, glass table protectors. If it’s glass, we can help you. QUALITY SERVICE at Competitive Prices. FREE Estimates

CLASSIFIEDS 480-898-6465

Call for a FREE Consultation and Estimate!

WESLEY'S GLASS & MIRROR Call 480-306-5113 wesleysglass.com SERVICING THE ENTIRE VALLEY

class@times publications.com

ROC# 225923 Licensed, Bonded & Insured

480-730-1074

ROC 304267 • Licensed & Bonded

CLASSIFIEDS

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | JANUARY 5, 2022

Landscape Design/Installation Irrigation Systems & Outdoor Lighting Fountain Repair alls C - Caring Repairs & Instuse. rm te ng D - Dedicated for lo S - Service No Yard .

LANDSCAPING

Maintenance

• 8am - 6pm Monday - Saturday • You Pay Labor & Materials Only • FREE ESTIMATES • ROC#312942 • David R Smith

Landscape/Maintenance

SPRINKLER DOCTOR Repairs - Installs - Modifications Timers/Valves/Sprinklers DRIP-PVC-COPPER Backflows & Regulators

Irrigation Repair Services Inc. Licensed • Bonded • Insured

Specializing in Controllers, Valves, Sprinklers, Landscape Lighting, P.V.C. & Poly Drip Systems

LANDSCAPE LIGHTING

CALL US TODAY!

Phone, Text or Email

480-580-4419

david@swo-of-artworks.com www.swo-of-artworks.com

480.721.4146

25 years Experience & Insured Not a licensed contractor.

www.irsaz.com

ROC# 256752

JOSE’S LANDSCAPING

WANT A GREEN LAWN?

Specializing in Artificial • Front Yards Grass

• Synthetic Turf for your Home

• Back Yards • Golfing Greens

480-940-8196 theplugman.com

FREE FERTILIZER & SOIL AMENDMENT TREATMENT WITH CORE AERATION FERTILIZATION • SOIL AMENDMENTS • SOIL TESTING

Call Today For A Quote

480-690-0081

ROC 282663 * BONDED * INSURED YOUR LAWN EXPERT SINCE 1995

Not a licensed contractor.

Arizona Specialty Landscape

New & Re-Do Design and Installation CLASSIFIEDS 480-898-6465 class@timespublications.com

Affordable | Paver Specialists All phases of landscape installation. Plants, cacti, sod, sprinklers, granite, concrete, brick, Kool-deck, lighting and more!

Free Estimates 7 Days a Week! ROC# 186443 • BONDED

Call/Text 480.695-3639 Serving the Valley for over 28 years

The Possibilities are Endless

Complete Lawn Service & Weed Control

• One Month Free Service

Custom Built-ins, BBQs, Firepits, Fireplaces, Water Features, Re-Designing Pools, Masonry, Lighting, Tile, Flagstone, Pavers, Culture Stone & Travertine, Synthetic Turf, Sprinkler/Drip, Irrigation Systems, Clean ups & Hauling

kjelandscape.com • ROC#281191

To learn more about us, view our photo gallery at: ShadeTreeLandscapes.com

480-730-1074

Bonded/Insured/Licensed • ROC #225923

I could help you have your palm trees and other trees trimmed by giving you a reasonable and better price than the others.

Irrigation Repair & New Installation Yard Clean-ups • Storm Damage • Palm & Tree Trimming Tree Removal • Landscape Lighting Installation & Repair Landscape Design

Painting PROFESSIONAL PAINTING Interior, Exterior House Painting. Stucco Patching. Gate/Front Door Refinishing. Quality work/Materials Free Estimate Ignacio 480-961-5093 / 602-571-9015 ROC #189850 Bond/Ins’d

CONKLIN PAINTING Free Estimate & Color Consultation

Interior Painting ● Pressure Washing Exterior Painting ● Drywall/Stucco Repair Complete Prep Work ● Wallpaper Removal

480-888-5895 ConklinPainting.com Lic/Bond/Ins ROC# 270450 SUN TECH

PAINTING INC.

Serving Ahwatukee Since 1987 Interior / Exterior

• High Quality Materials & Workmanship • Customer Satisfaction Free Est imates • Countless References • Carpentry Services Now Available Visit us at Suntechpaintingaz.com or view our video promo at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GM5pbvpZJlg

602.625.0599 ROC #155380 Family Owned • Free Estimates

Responsible • 100% Guaranteed Ask for Ramon

Not a Licensed Contractor

480-217-0407

High Quality Results

Starting @ $60/Month!

Custom Design and Renovation turning old to new

Call for a FREE consultation and Estimate

RAMON LANDSCAPING SERVICES

• Licensed, Bonded Insured for your protection. • Call or Text for a Free Quote

480-586-8445

Meetings/Events? Get Free notices in the Classifieds! Submit to ecota@timespublications.com

TRIM TREES ALL TYPES GRAVEL - PAVERS SPRINKLER SYSTEMS Complete Clean Ups

Jose Martinez Not a licensed contractor.

Proudly Serving Ahwatukee for 15 Years! Family Owned & Operated Residential & Commercial Painting • Interior & Exterior • Professional Cabinet Reﬁnishing • Epoxy Floors & Concrete Coatings • In-Home Color Consultations “Professional, Punctual & Clean”

Veteran Owned

602.515.2767 www.ACPpaintingllc.com Licensed - Bonded - Insured ROC 290242

FREE ESTIMATES • CALL TODAY!

(480) 785-6323

CLASSIFIEDS

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | JANUARY 5, 2022

Painting

Plumbing

HOME IMPROVEMENT & PAINTING Interior/Exterior Painting 30 YEARS EXPERIENCE Dunn Edwards Quality Paint Small Stucco/Drywall Repairs

We Are State Licensed and Reliable!

Drain Cleaning Experts, water heaters, disposals, water & sewer lines repaired/replaced & remodels. Rapid Response. If water runs through it we do it! 602-663-8432

Pool Service / Repair

HAVE A SERVICE BUSINESS?

Filter Cleaning!

480.898.6465

CLASS@TIMESPUBLICATIONS.COM

Free Estimates • Senior Discounts

480-338-4011

ROC#309706

PAINTING

Off 40work done

MonsoonRooﬁngInc.com Licensed – Bonded – Insured – ROC187561

See our Before’s and After’s on Facebook

CLASS@ TIMESPUBLICATIONS. COM

Licensed, Bonded & Insured ROC# 272001

MARK’S POOL SERVICE

Family Operated by 3 Generations of Roofers! We have a “Spencer” on every job and every step of the way.

Owner Operated - 20 Years

Play Pools start at

Affinity Plumbing LLC 480-487-5541

(602) 502-1655

affinityplumber@gmail.com

www.affinityplumbingaz.com

★ Elastomaric Roof Coating ★ Epoxy Floors ★ Small Job Specialist

Scott Mewborn, Owner 480-818-1789 License #ROC 298736

East Valley PAINTERS Voted #1 Paint Interior & Exterior • Drywall Repair Light Carpentry • Power Washing • Textures Matched Popcorn Removal • Pool Deck Coatings Garage Floor Coatings • Color Consulting

10% OFF

We Beat Competitors Prices & Quality Free Estimates! Home of the 10-Year Warranty!

480-688-4770

www.eastvalleypainters.com Now Accepting all major credit cards

PPebbleOcracking, O L Plaster R Epeeling, P ARebar IR

24/7

Inside & Out Leaks

Bonded

Toilets

Insured

Faucets

Estimates Availabler

Any Service

Ask About Filter Cleaning Specials!

Juan Hernandez Pavers • Concrete • Water Features • Sprinkler Repair

Water Heaters

$35 off

with chemicals

CPO#85-185793

Anything Plumbing Same Day Service

Disposals

$85/month Mark 602-799-0147

Your Ahwatukee Plumber & East Valley Neighbor

480-446-7663 Ahwatukee’s Premier Tile, Shingle & Foam Roofer!

showing, Pool Light out? I CAN HELP!

Not a licensed contractor

“We get your house looking top notch!”

Bonded/Insured • ROC#153131

Monthly Service & Repairs Available 7 6 6 5

*Any

— Call Jason —

Family Owned & Operated

10% Discount for Ahwatukee Residents 100% NO Leak Guarantee Re-Roof & Roofing Repairs Tile, Shingles & Flat Roof

www.barefootpoolman.com

Interior & Exterior Residential/Commercial Free Estimates Drywall Repairs Senior Discounts References Available

★ Interior/Exterior Painting ★ Drywall Repair & Installation ★ Popcorn Ceiling Removal

480-699-2754 • info@monsoonroofinginc.com

602-546-POOL

AHWATUKEE SPECIAL $

BEST PLACE TO MAKE

$25 OFF

We can make your phone ring!

Rooﬁng

FALL SPECIAL! $500 OFF COMPLETE REMODEL! 25 Years Experience • Dependable & Reliable

FREE Estimates • Credit Cards OK www.spencer4hirerooﬁng.com ROC#244850 | Insured | Bonded

Call Juan at

480-720-3840 Not a licensed contractor.

PLUMBERS CHARGE TOO MUCH! FREE Service Calls + FREE Estimates Water Heaters Installed - $999 Unclog Drains - $49

PLUMBING

10% OFF

All Water Purification Systems Voted #1 Plumber 3 Years In A Row OVER 1,000 5-STAR REVIEWS

Bonded/Insured • ROC #223709

480-405-7099

$35.00 Off Any Service Call Today!

A+ RATED

We Repair or Install ROC # 272721

AHWATUKEE’S #1 PLUMBER Licensed • Bonded • Insured

704.5422

(480)

CLASSIFIEDS

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | JANUARY 5, 2022

Rooﬁng

LICENSED | BONDED | INSURED | ROC #269218

COMMERCIAL RESIDENTAL COMMERCIAL && RESIDENTIAL

Tiles, shingles, flat, repairs & new work Free Estimates • Ahwatukee Resident

TILE ROOFING SPECIALISTS

10% OFF COMPLETE UNDERLAYMENT

We Got You Covered!

Commercial & Residential Family Owned & Operated AZROC #283571 | CONTRACTOR LIC. AZROC #312804 CLASS CR4 | FULLY INSURED

FREE ESTIMATES 602-736-3019

Over 30 yrs. Experience

480-706-1453

Specializing in New, Tile and Shingle Roofs • Repairs New Roofs, Repairs, Roof, & Coatings •FlatCoatings, Roof HotFlat Mopping Hot Mopping & Patching Patching •Total Rubber Roof Systems & Total Rubber Roof Systems

$1000 OFF when you show this ad *on qualifying complete roof replacements

Licensed/Bonded/Insured • ROC #236099

Window Cleaning

Same Day Service All Work Guaranteed

FREE Estimates SAME DAY SERVICE

Clean, Prompt, Friendly and Professional Service

602-551-2255 30 Years Experience

FREE ESTIMATES

• Tiles & Shingles sunlandroofingllc@gmail.com • Installation • Repair • Re-Roofing

602-471-2346

Your Ad can go ONLINE ANY Day! Call to place your ad online! Classifieds 480-898-6465

PHILLIPS

ROOFING LLC COMMERCIAL AND RESIDENTIAL

Family Owned and Operated 43 Years Experience in Arizona

ROC#288-123 • Licensed • Bonded • Insured

Let Us Show Yo

We Pay Your Insurance Deductible

u Th

Licensed Bonded Insured ROC 288-123

e IN

Call

-EX D i ﬀe r e n c e

Serving All Types of Roofing:

602-938-7575

for your FREE Roof Evaluation Today! www.InExRo

oﬁn

g.c o m

Senior & Military Discounts

602-551-2255 Add a Background Color to Your Ad! Classifieds 480-898-6465 Family Owned & Operated for over 30 years

ROC #152111

Quality Repairs & Re-Roofs

480-330-2649

Sustainable/Chemical Free Residential/Commercial Paint Removal Screen Cleaning

FREE ESTIMATES

WINDOW MASTER

@windowmasteraz (602) 515-2828

Windowmasteraz.com • Windowmasteraz@gmail.com

Call our office today!

480-460-7602

Free Estimates Monday through Saturday

Ask us about our discount for all Military and First Responders!

PhillipsRoofing.org PhillipsRoofing@cox.net

See our reviews and schedule at:

www.cousinswindowcleaning.com

Complimentary & Honest Estimates

623-873-1626 Licensed 2006 ROC 223367 Bonded Insured

Ahwatukee Based Family Owned and Operated Insured • Free Estimates

See MORE Ads Online!

www.Ahwatukee.com

www.porterroofinginc.com

SHARE WITH THE WORLD! Place a Birth, Anniversary, Wedding Announcement, In Memoriam, Obituary or any life event in this paper today! Call us for details.

Licensed, Bonded, Insured

class@timespublications.com or call 480-898-6465

CLASSIFIEDS

AHWATUKEE FOOTHILLS NEWS | JANUARY 5, 2022

END OFYEAR SELL OFF It’s The End Of The Year... We Need To Blow Merchandise Out The Door! There Has NEVER Been A Better Time To Buy An Appliance, Water System, or TV. Get Here Today. YOU’LL GET A GREAT DEAL! 1.6 CU. FT. OVER-THE-RANGE MICROWAVE • 950 Watts of Power • 10 Levels of Power • Sunken Glass Turntable

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429

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FRONT LOAD WASHER

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DISHWASHER

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WRS325SDHZ

2350

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199

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WMH1162XVQ CLOSEOUT

299 679EACH

HDA2000TWW CLOSEOUT

58”

58” 4K UHD SMART TV

UN58TU7000

BFTF2716SS

STAINLESS STEEL 23 CU. FT. SIDE BY SIDE • Deli Drawer • Crisper Shelves

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IT NO CRED IONS OPT NEEDED, BLE AVAILA Due to current circumstances, some items may be out of stock.