Volume • Number February ,
The Voice of Marana, Oro Valley and Northwest Tucson
www.explorernews.com
Flowing Wells equipped with panic buttons
INSIDE
This Week
BY KAREN SCHAFFNER Tucson Local Media Staff
NEW ............................ 7
F
Now dogs can enjoy a day at the salon at new OV business
LIVEN UP ................... 12 Broadway in Tucson's "Dear Evan Hansen" spotlights mental health issues
A drive-thru coffeeshop is slated for the northwest corner of La Canada and Naranja drives in Oro Valley. (Dave Perry/Contributor)
Council OKs coffee shop BY DAVE PERRY
Tucson Local Media contributor
HEALTH ..................... 16
Make the most of your time with your doctor LIVEN UP ..................................... 12 SPORTS ........................................ 14 HEALTH ....................................... 16 YOUTH ......................................... 18 PUZZLE/HOROSCOPES ............. 19 WORSHIP/CLASSIFIEDS ........... 20 MLS #22301470
P
ermission has been granted to build a drive-thru coffee shop on the northwest corner of La Canada and Naranja drives in Oro Valley. On Feb. 15, the Oro Valley Town Council voted 6-1 to approve a conditional use permit for the drive-thru business, which would anchor the commercial complex along with three one-story medical office buildings on a total of 2.8 acres. With a 5-2 vote, council defeated a motion
to reject the request. Its later OK overrides a recommendation from the town’s planning and zoning commission to deny it. The decision came after protracted conversation, a primer from Town Engineer Paul Keesler on traffic volume prediction and movement patterns, visual analysis of ingress and egress, and viewing of drone footage from above the Naranja/La Canada intersection. The parcel, owned by Bob Schwartz, is im-
see COFFEE page 10
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lowing Wells Unified School District schools are being equipped with panic buttons so staff can quickly and directly connect with security. The buttons, installed by 911Cellular, can trigger a lockdown from staff computers or smartphones. Also being installed are duress buttons that sit either on or underneath a staffer’s desk. Flowing Wells Unified School District serves approximately 6,000 students across 10 schools. Safety software and apps will be made available to all staff and utilized in every classroom. The buttons allow staffers to notify co-workers that they need assistance. "Our goal in using the 911Cellular alert system is to empower employees to be able to initiate a lockdown at their site,” said Kimberley Parkinson, associate superintendent, in a statement. “Using 911Cellular also helps us ensure that all employees on site receive a notification instantly so they may follow emergency procedures as quickly as possible."
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