Vail Voice 04-2018 32 Page.Indd
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ECRWSS Postal Customer PRESORT STANDARD April 2018 US POSTAGE PAID Tucson, AZ THE PERMIT No. 1710 TM VailThe community newspaper serving Vail, Rita Ranch, Corona De Tucson,Voice Civano, Sierra Morado, Mesquite Ranch, Academy Village and other Southeast Communities [email protected] • (520) 490-0654 • An Epiphany Communications, Inc. Publication Vail Faces High School Capacity by Anne Gibson Julia Kaiser; Digital Learning as an and the arts as the most popular. but would have to add athletic Interim Option by 200 seats led by Phase one would be built for 1,000 facilities, enlarge the cafeteria, add The Vail School District (VSD) takes Ethan Hurley, and Available Sites students at an estimated cost $50 more classrooms, and enlarge the its tag line “Where Education is a led by Associate Superintendent million. The State School Facilities treatment plant. The school operates Community Effort” very seriously. on its own treatment plant since There is no better example than when there is no sewer service in the area. over 100 volunteers from the district Due to concerns about putting an gathered in the Dining Auditorium/ additional 800 students on Houghton Student Union at Cienega High Road, bringing a new road to the School to make a recommendation back of the property was discussed. on the issue of what to do when Vail The cost estimates made it more reaches its capacity to serve high expensive to add on to Andrada than school students in the near future. to build a new school. VSD Superintendent Calvin Baker VSD Director of College and Career began the January 16th meeting by Ethan Hurley spoke to an Interim explaining the current enrollment of Option to add 200 slots into the high school students is 4,015 with a Digital Learning currently conducted rate of 150 new high school students by the district. a year enrolling in Vail. Currently, there are only 255 slots available. A Local realtor and sub-committee severe overcapacity issue will result member Tim Looney reported for John Carruth. After a series of in five years with the increase of 770 Board has awarded Vail $22 million the Site Subcommittee stating they subcommittee meetings, the group students to a total of 4,785. for the school. had looked at the plans for the came together as a whole on January potential development of planned 31st and February 28th. The construction process from Participants registered to serve on communities in the district and the four subcommittees to study four beginning to end would take three Committee members, Catherine statistics of current eighth graders areas. The four subcommittees years. Mayo Byars and Britany Matsushino, who might possibly attend the new consisted of a New Comprehensive reported if the recommendation is Principal Kaiser reported for the school. Three possible sites, all High School, led by Deputy to build a new high school, it must subcommittee studying Additions to in the northwest quadrant of the Superintendent Debby Penn and be a school students would want to Existing Facilities. She stated there Cienega High School Principal attend. The examination of current was not sufficient room for expansion Nemer Hassey; Additions to Existing Vail Faces High School Capacity student enrollment showed sports at Empire High School. Andrada Facilities led by Andrada Principal High School could add 800 students, continued on page 5 y y Your Ad Could Be Here! Advertise with The Vail Voice Call (520) 490-0962 [email protected] y y simple majority vote would forward that same RTA Tax Road Repair Plan to Pima County voters for their final Construction approval. by Lucretia Zone Free, Owner Approved by the Senate, SB 1147 and Publisher The latest from Pima County District 4 was sent to the house, where it Building a Better Supervisor Steve Christy was heard recently by the Ways Community and Means Committee. Several amendments were made to the In all my travels through District 4, bill, one that gravely damages the Here's the status of new and ongoing construction projects in our area. and throughout all of Pima County legislation. as well, I’ve found strong evidence Arby's - Las Plazas gathering that residents of Pima Unfortunately, certain interests County would be willing to pay more successfully lobbied committee Old Vail members to require a unanimous, 5-0 in taxes if they were assured that Frame up! Arby's is scheduled vote of the board in order to refer the the revenue generated would be to open by 3rd quarter of this RTA Tax Road Repair Plan to you, the guaranteed year. to be going voters, for approval. singularly, What could be more open, honest, solely, and and transparent than letting the directly to voters of Pima County decide if they fixing our want to increase the current RTA tax roads. Hampton Inn & Suites to repair all the roads in Vail, Corona The two main del Tucson, Tucson, Sahuarita, - Rita Road & I-10 challenges Marana, Oro Valley, and the rest of unincorporated Pima County? Future location of Fairfield I faced with Inn & Suites. Hampton Inn & trying to pass Few are aware of the fact that the Suites has begun clearing land my local “Just Fix the Roads” plan Pima County Board of Supervisors at Rita Road and I-10. They were: does not currently have a legal will feature 104 rooms and One, in order to enact a half-cent authority to refer such a measure to plan to open later in the year. countywide sales tax, a 5-0, 100% the voters, and that’s what SB 1147 unanimous vote of approval by the would allow to happen. entire board of supervisors would be If you share my belief that the RTA required. It is obvious that the board Safeway in Vail Tax Road Repair Plan is the best, will not pass my “Just Fix the Roads” most viable way for us to just fix the local plan unanimously. At press time, Safeway's Open roads, I encourage you to contact House is scheduled for April 4 Two, I never thought that there was your state legislators today and urge at 8 AM. Looking good! a chance that the state legislature them to remove the unanimous board would entertain a request from Pima of supervisors vote amendment, and Photo by Bel. County to increase its current RTA pass Senate Bill 1147: tax and allow the RTA’s original Sen. Gail Griffin 602-926-5895 mission and charter to be expanded [email protected] to include road repair, which the legislature and the governor must Rep. Drew John 602-926-5154 approve first. Further, even if the [email protected] legislature and governor approved Mattamy Homes - our request, it would still be Rep. Becky Nutt 602-926-4852 Saguaro Trails necessary for that approval from [email protected] Phoenix to go before the board of Mattamy Homes has begun supervisors, and then the voters in Beth Borozan 520 724 8094 ∙ d clearing land for buildind their Pima County for their final approval. I 520 724 8418 ∙ m 520 404 9859, housing development on just figured that whole process would Chief of Staff for Pima County District Houghton Road near Bilby. It is take years and way too long. 4 Supervisor Steve Christy 130 W called Saguaro Trails and will Congress St 11th Floor ∙ Tucson, AZ feature master planned single Well, just last month in Phoenix at 85701 family homes. Models are the state capital, Senate Bill 1147 planned to be open beginning was introduced which calls for, in Fall 2018. a nutshell: Allowing the existing Pima County RTA half-cent sales Do you have questions about construction in our area? tax – which has been in existence since 2006 – to be raised to a full Email me at: [email protected] one-cent to accommodate the creation of a countywide road repair Due to email volume, I may not be able to respond to each plan that would be implemented by individual email, but will address questions directly in this column. the RTA. Then, the RTA Tax Road Thank you! Repair Plan would be sent to the board of supervisors, which with a hhhhhhhhhhhhh hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh 2 The Vail Voice To place an ad call: 520-490-0962 Highways and Byways by Tom Howard Building Better Roads for Our Community Houghton Road over Union construction into three projects. Rita, Let Yourself Kolb, and Wilmot will all get signals Pacific Railroad Bridge at the intersections with the I-10 Traffic has been shifted and work freeway. Stay tuned for updates. Bid dates are subject to change. Shine! continues on the demolition of the old structure. Crews have been hauling Weight Loss and Aesthetic Services dirt from Atterbury Wash Road to help Wilmot and I-10 in building up the grade for the new Crews continue their work preparing • 10 Day Detox • Age - Hormone section of bridge that will become the the center of the freeway for the • Medical Grade HCG Management southbound lanes of Houghton when temporary bridge that will be put in completed. place. Concrete is being poured and • Fat Burner Shots • Botox Speed limits are reduced in the I would anticipate traffic switches • Appetite Control • Smooth Away area, and law enforcement has coming up within the next 6 weeks. been issuing citations for those not Slow down and stay alert. Wrinkles complying with the posted speed limits. Slow down and be aware of all Valencia/Wilmot to Kolb Vail • Juvederm Fillers crews working. Their safety depends • Chin Reduction on you paying attention and obeying This project has been advertised for Medical Center all the traffic control signage.