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Results of Tempe Resident Survey

We live in Tempe and so do many of our friends. We though the results of this Tempe Resident Survey would be interesting. We found it in the Tempe News Room.

"City of Tempe residents have voiced positive feelings and offered constructive feedback about the services, programs and facilities provided in their community.

In October 2009, more than 800 residents weighed in on questions focusing on water service, parks, trash collection, public safety and more. Their ratings give the City of Tempe important information about how well it is providing services. For the third year in a row, the City of Tempe rated above average in almost every area that was assessed in the survey. Complete 2009 survey results are available at www.tempe.gov/government.aspx - click on the link under the “Statistics” heading.

Kansas-based ETC Institute conducted the survey and compared Tempe to its database of cities across the country. Survey respondents expressed overall satisfaction levels of 90 percent – that’s 34 percent above the national average. The Tempe City Council will discuss the survey results at their 6 p.m. Issue Review Session this Thursday, March 25. The meeting is in Council Chambers, 31 E. Fifth St. Highlights of the 2009 survey include:

• Satisfaction with the condition of sidewalks rated 33 percent above the national average (78 percent in Tempe vs. 56 percent in U.S.)
• Satisfaction with the quality of recreation centers rated 30 percent above the national average (83 percent in Tempe vs. 53 percent in U.S.)
• Satisfaction with condition of streets rated 26 percent above the national average (80 percent in Tempe vs. 54 percent in U.S.)
• Satisfaction with the overall appearance of the city rated 20 percent above average (85 percent in Tempe vs. 65 percent in U.S.)"

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Tempe Housing Improvement Program

Tempe Housing Improvement Program accepting pre-applications from residents

Pre-applications are being accepted for the Tempe’s Housing Improvement Program. This program provides deferred or low-interest amortized loans to income-qualified homeowners to correct code violations, existing deficiencies or other hazardous conditions in their home.

To be eligible, the applicant must be a Tempe resident, the owner-occupant of the home to be rehabilitated and meet program income limit guidelines. Grants are also available for home modifications for persons with disabilities and/or emergency repairs that affect the health, life or safety of the occupants.

To request a pre-application, or for more information, contact the Tempe Housing Improvement Services Division at 480-858-2154 (TDD: 480-350-8913) or visit the office at 21 E. Sixth Street, Suite 214, Tempe, AZ 85281 (Tempe News room)

Tempe Honors Young People

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Tempe honors extraordinary young people

For the 13th year, Tempe will honor its best and brightest young people at the YouthFest 2010 Courage Awards and Tempe Top Teens Recognition Dinner from 6-9 p.m. on April 5 at the Tempe Mission Palms Hotel, 60 E. Fifth St.

The awards acknowledge the courage it can take for a young person to grow up in a challenging world. The Tempe City Council and the Tempe Diablos will recognize 11 young people for displaying the courage to overcome physical limitations, health conditions or family situations (Tempe Newsroom).

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Tempe Budget 2010-2011

Tempe City Council determines 2010-2011 budget priorities

Tempe City Council determines 2010-2011 budget priorities

From the Tempe Newsroom:  Tempe will retain 67 Police, Fire and Court positions under a plan the City Council tentatively consented to today at a special workshop to determine how to cover a $33.7 million deficit in the 2010-11 budget. An additional 38 sworn public safety positions, and many other jobs in various city departments, would not be eliminated if voters pass a two-tenths of a percent sales tax increase during the May 18 General Election.

Community members can see the full list of City Council priorities starting Friday morning, when a color-coded grid will be posted to www.tempe.gov/budgetplan. The grid details the following budget balancing measures:

• Services, programs and 113 full-time positions that would be eliminated to cover the deficit. (Highlighted in red on the grid.) Among these changes are reducing hours of operation at the Tempe Public Library, increasing the weekly fee for Kid Zone by $2 a child, increasing driving school fees, closing the McClintock High School pool to public swimming and reducing the Police mounted unit. Of the 113 full-time positions, 18 are sworn officers in the Police Department.
• Services, programs and 71 full-time positions that have been identified for elimination but would be restored if the sales tax passes. (Highlighted in yellow on the grid.) They include eliminating the Police gang squad, eliminating several positions at community centers and in Parks and Recreation, eliminating the Fire dive team function and closing the Cahill Senior Center, among others. The City Council had previously agreed to move forward with a May 18 General Election ballot measure asking residents if they want to approve a two-tenths of a cent sales tax increase beginning July 1. The Council directed that the ballot measure will have language stipulating that the tax would go away after four years. An estimated $8 million a year could be generated by the tax.
• Services, programs and 67 full-time positions that Council has consented to restore. (Highlighted in green on the grid.)

The restorations would be made using $9.8 million in savings the Council determined during their previous budget workshops. The savings are made up of: $5 million in employee furloughs; $3 million in renegotiated healthcare costs; and $1.8 million in assorted other cuts and revenue-generating ideas, such as eliminating car allowances. Items they have decided to retain using these savings are the Police DUI squad, 15 firefighters, Police patrol squads and other Police functions. City staff members will use the Council’s priorities to develop the formal 2010-11 city budget. Final Council adoption of the budget will be June 10, with several public hearing dates before then. In February, Tempe held four community forums and four employee forums in order to provide information and get feedback about the budget balancing plan. Hundreds of comments have been received via e-mail and an online comment form. The 2010-11 fiscal year begins July 1, 2010, and ends June 30, 2011.

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Tempe March Election

Unofficial primary election results for Tempe, March 2010

Unofficial primary election results for Tempe, March 2010

Courtesy of  the Tempe Newsroom: Tempe City Clerk Jan Hort has released unofficial results for the city’s March 9 Primary Election. Incumbents Shana Ellis and Onnie Shekerjian appear to have been re-elected to four-year City Council terms. Candidate Robin Arredondo-Savage also appears to have been elected to the Council and voters passed a bed tax increase.

To be elected in the primary, a candidate must get 50 percent plus 1 of all ballots cast. With an estimated 13,350 ballots currently counted in the primary (through early voting and on Election Day), each candidate had to get 6,676 votes to be elected in the primary. Tempe has 83,778 registered voters. A complete count of votes, including provisional and early ballots not yet counted, will be released Friday evening. A final canvass of the votes is scheduled for March 25.

Voters appear to have passed the 2 percent increase to the city’s hotel bed tax. Unofficial results indicate there were 9,215 votes for the measure (69 percent) and 3,782 votes against (28 percent).

Unofficial tallies for City Council:

Shana Ellis – 8,667 votes (65 percent)
Onnie Shekerjian – 8,284 votes (62 percent)
Robin Arredondo-Savage – 8,199 votes (61 percent)
Mark Ortiz – 5,882 votes (44 percent)

Voter turnout was for the Tempe Primary election was 16 percent, with the majority casting early ballots.

The city’s May 18 General Election will include a question about whether voters want to increase the city’s sales tax from 1.8 percent to 2 percent for four years.

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Kids Fishing Festival in Tempe

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Free fishing festival for kids in Tempe March 27

Free fishing festival for kids in Tempe March 27

Children in kindergarten through eighth grade are invited to fall hook, line and sinker for the sport of fishing at the 17th Annual Anglers United “Just for Kids” Fishing Festival on Saturday, March 27. This free event is sponsored by Anglers United, the city of Tempe and Arizona Game and Fish.

From 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Kiwanis Park, Mill Avenue and All-America Way in Tempe, fishing pros will demonstrate and teach children basic fishing techniques. Participants will then have the opportunity to test their fishing skills in special tanks and in Kiwanis Lake. The event will also feature a free lunch, a silent auction for fishing-related gear, a free raffle and educational booths.

Anglers United, a non-profit organization focused on promoting the development of fishing habitats in Arizona, hosts the annual festival to draw children to the outdoors, just as much as to fishing.

“We want to provide children with the opportunity to learn how to fish – something they may not have done or wouldn’t get to do otherwise,” says Gary Smith, Anglers United chairman. “Even if fishing doesn’t interest them, we want our kids to experience the outdoors and learn to appreciate Arizona’s natural beauty.”

Fishing licenses are not required during the festival. Participants are encouraged to bring their own fishing equipment since loaned equipment will be limited, and parents are strongly encouraged to assist their children while fishing. Children can take home their catches but must provide a cooler for transport.

Registration is required and will be taken on-site before the event. Registration forms can be found ahead of time at www.anglersunited.org.

Contact Anglers United for more details at www.anglersunited.org or 480-350-5650.

Provided courtesy of Tempe Newsroom

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Tempe seeks high speed fiber network

Tempe seeks help to get free high speed fiber network

Help Tempe get free high speed network fiber for our community 

What could you do with networking speeds 100 times faster than they currently are? 

Google is taking applications from communities that want to find out. They’re offering to install free high speed fiber in at least one community in America. Cities have to compete with each other to get it. The deadline to enter is March 26. (Details on this: http://www.google.com/appserve/fiberrfi/ ) 

Tempe wants that fiber. We want it for our 175,000 residents, for our 175,000 workers, for our 4 million visitors who travel here annually for fun and business and for our 200,000 college students. Why do we want it? Tempe, Arizona is known for innovation. We think that the combined brain power of all these people, with this fiber, can change the world. We’ve already done so much. 

You can help convince Google that Tempe is the best place to showcase their fiber. Tell us how you can change the world, or at least your corner of it, if you had access to the kind of speed that Google fiber promises. 

Send us a video, a Tweet, a photo, a note. Tell your friends and followers. We're working on our video right now! We’ll bring everything together on our website http://tempe.gov/googlefiber. Let’s make sure Google understands how passionate we are about this! 

Your enthusiasm will be rewarded. The most creative video will win fabulous Tempe prizes, including an overnight stay at the Tempe aloft hotel. You'll get to help us decide which video will win the prize. Downtown Tempe Community is giving away $10 gift certificates to the first 50 people who post a photo to Flickr that shows how they would change the world using the speed of Google fiber. Who said there's no such thing as a free lunch? Other prizes will be announced over the next couple of weeks, too. 

Tweet: @tempegov #gtempe #tempeYoutube.com: Use this in your title: One Community Changing the World, Tempe,AZ , #gtempe
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/groups/gtempe/
Email us: kris_baxter@tempe.gov

Got other ideas on how we can make a statement to Google? Let's hear them!

Call 480 858-2059 or email kris_baxter@tempe.gov 

•        Read about Google’s fiber and nominate Tempe! http://www.google.com/appserve/fiberrfi/

•        Learn about the Grand Prize! (Link to http://www.starwoodhotels.com/alofthotels/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=3102

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Tempe tennis Pro Lancy Carr

Tempe tennis professional Lancy Carr receives regional recognition

Tempe tennis professional receives regional recognition

TEMPE, Ariz. – Not only are Kiwanis Recreation Center’s tennis courts nationally recognized, but so are the tennis professionals who teach classes, lessons and camps at the facility.

In October 2009, at the United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA)’s Southwest Regional Conference, Kiwanis Recreation Center’s Lancy Carr, used her speed and accuracy to lead her to victory in the TIA Shoot-Out Contest. She defeated 14 other tennis professionals and will represent the Southwest Division at the USPTA World Conference in 2010 in La Quinta, Calif.

Lancy regularly shares some of her skills and techniques in the Monday night Cardio Tennis classes she teaches at Kiwanis Recreation Center, 6111 S. All America Way. Cardio Tennis is a fast-paced tennis aerobics class full of tennis drills and games that are all set to music. It’s a great workout for all ability levels. Class fees are based on the number of classes held during the six week sessions.

20015      ages 16+      M      3/29-5/3        8-9 p.m.      $45
20016      ages 16+      T      3/30-5/4        7-8 p.m.      $45
20017      ages 16+     W      4/7-5/5          6-7 p.m.      $38
20018      ages 16+     Sa     4/3-5/8          9-10 a.m.    $45

Advance registration is required, register online at www.tempe.gov/brochure. For more information on Kiwanis Recreation’s tennis programs, visit www.tempe.gov/tennis.

Courtesy Tempe Newsroom

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St. Patrick's Day in Tempe

Free Art Friday in Tempe celebrates St. Patrick’s Day

Free Art Friday in Tempe celebrates St. Patrick’s Day

Create art, learn about the wearin’ of the green and have a great time at Free Art Friday from 9 -11 a.m. on March 12 at the Edna Vihel Activity Center, 3340 S. Rural Road.

This free, family event features art projects and activities centered around St. Patrick’s Day. Learn to Irish Dance, make a shamrock and enjoy a sweet treat.

 Courtesy of the Tempe Newsroom

Information: 480-350-5287; www.tempe.gov/arts

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New pub on Mill Avenue

Mill Avenue's new Irish pub - Robbie Fox's Public House

Raise a glass for Mill Avenue's new Irish pub; get ready for St. Patrick's Day

Robbie Fox's Public House, another new restaurant on Mill Avenue, recently opened. About 10 new businesses have opened on Mill Avenue in the last six months, with more coming soon. T-shirt shops, restaurants, boutiques and the like are popping up like spring flowers.

Guests will be able to see the famous, 130-year-old back bar that sort of saved the live of Irish activist Michael Collins. The bar was originally part of a pub named Phil Shanahan's, located on Foley Street in Dublin in the early 1900s.

Those staying for lunch or dinner will be able to sample some of the delicacies on their menu – cottage pie, a seafood pie with a luscious white sauce, fish and chips and maybe try the Robbie Fox sandwich …

Tempe Mayor Hugh Hallman, members of the Tempe City Council  and the downtown Tempe community will toast Mill Avenue’s latest restaurant on Tuesday, March 9 at 7 a.m.

The restaurant opened just in time for St. Patricks Day on March 17. Those who would like more Irish options for their holiday can visit Rula Bula just down the road or attend the St. Patrick's Day concert at Tempe Beach Park featuring Flogging Molly, the Keltic Cowboys, Metric and the Bollox. (www.luckymanonline.com for ticket prices and details.

Robbie Fox’s Public House is located on Sixth Street just west of Mill Avenue.  www.robbiefoxs.com

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Tempe one of country's best rowing communities