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Time to Unite.
If you follow me on Facebook, you probably saw my Election Day statement about the importance of our country uniting, healing, and respecting one another, no matter the outcome of the election. We have been divided for too long, and we can all see the damage it's done to our communities and relationships. I stand by what I said last Tuesday: for those whose candidate won, please be kind and try to understand the emotions that others might be experiencing. For those whose candidate did not win, I see you and respect the emotions you are experiencing.
With the results in, there is a congratulations in order: to the record-number of voters who turned out in this election. Thank you for voting, for caring about your country and community. As a veteran, I think about how meaningful it is to see this level of civic engagement - and right before Veterans Day. So many hundreds and thousands of people continue to fight for our freedoms, and I'm beyond grateful for the increasing number of people who are proud to participate in the democracy they work so hard to protect.
It's time to unite and get to work. I'm looking forward to working with you to continue building a brighter, more compassionate, Tucson.
Sincerely,
Nikki
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Important Dates:
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Wednesday, November 11: Veterans Day. Please see below for information about virtual events, local discounts, and more.
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Tuesday, November 17: City Council Meeting. Click here and go to "Mayor & Council Meeting Live" to watch!
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Tuesday, December 8: City Council Meeting. Click here and go to "Mayor & Council Meeting Live" to watch!
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Happy Veterans Day
Tomorrow we celebrate the diverse American heroes who risked their lives to protect our country. This day is extremely important to my family and the fellow veterans in my life. Thank you to everyone I know who put everything on the line to serve our country, and thank you to their families, who themselves made huge sacrifices. You are true patriots. Happy Veterans Day. Please see below for a handful of the many virtual observations happening tomorrow, and scroll down further for a list of local businesses offering discounts & freebies!
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In addition to Veterans Day, we have another reason to celebrate. Yesterday marked the 245th birthday of the U.S. Marine Corps!
This is a very special day for all of the Marines out there, and all of us who honor the men and women who have served in the U.S. Marine Corps since it's formation in 1775.
We thank you for your service and sacrifices.
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Nominate a Military Family in Ward 4
November is National Military Family Month, and we want to honor the amazing military families of Ward 4 by showcasing them on our social media. To nominate a family, please email the name and photo of the family to ward4@tucsonaz.gov, or tag my Councilwoman page on Facebook and we'll share it!
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November 4 Council Meeting Update
Last year when I ran for office, my platform was to help build a Stronger, Smarter, and more Sustainable Tucson. As an IT professional, a Smarter Tucson using Smart Cities principles and innovative approaches is something I committed to lead the City toward as we continually adjust for an expanding population, aging infrastructure, and increased demands on City services. I am pleased with the work we have done in just a few short months to get Tucson moving toward our Smart Cities goal. The City of Tucson IT Director, Collin Boyce, updated the Mayor and Council on the City of Tucson project to ensure underserved students who are impacted by COVID-19 have safe and reliable wireless internet connectivity. This capability is critical because it helps our community keep our students who are attending school online connected so they can achieve their educational milestones during the ongoing pandemic. The network is currently in testing with excellent results and we are on track to deploy the service to the broader community, based on eligibility requirements, in the beginning of new year. I am excited Tucson is leading the way among American cities to leveraging this technology in this way, along with our partners in the private sector.
The Mayor and Council renewed the Residential Speed Hump Program for another year that reduces the cost for speed hump installations in residential areas throughout the city from $5,000 per speed hump, to only $500. Each Ward will receive up to five (5) speed humps at the reduced price, for a total of 30 city-wide for the fiscal year. If you are interested in adding a speed hump to your Ward 4 neighborhood street at the reduced price, please email ward4@tucsonaz.gov.
Council Member Fimbres requested a presentation from the Salvation Army on ways they are helping families in need this holiday season. We know the needs of our community are great this year, but to keep volunteers safe from the pandemic, you won’t see as many bell ringers collecting donations throughout Tucson. If you are able to donate, please click here, or Adopt a Family here. Every little bit helps.
Council Member Kozachik requested a presentation from Tucson Electric Power to discuss the Kino to DeMoss-Petrie Transmission Line Project. We discussed the opportunity to have future power lines underground vs. overhead. This is something Councilmember Cunningham has also expressed interest in over the years. I am eager to learn more about how this could be implemented and how it could benefit the entire City.
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Eagle Scout Library Project
I'd like to highlight a huge accomplishment by a young leader in Ward 4: the completion of Luke Belhumeur's Eagle Scout Project. Luke worked with volunteers from his troop, family, and friends to create a beautiful space around the Freedom Park "Little Free Library". Additions include a community information board, two planters, a walking path from the sidewalk to the library, and a new tree. Senior participants of Freedom Center and members of Luke's family and friends created the mosaic pictures attached to the planter. Luke and his family celebrated the grand "re-opening" on November 7. Stop by Freedom Park to check out this new beautiful space! Congratulations, Luke!
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SHARP Update
The Southeast Houghton Area Recharge Project (SHARP) is a new water recycling site that offers recreation, education, and more. As the newest addition to the reclaimed system, SHARP allows Tucson Water to recharge and store recycled water into our aquifer – a maximum capacity of 1.3 billion gallons of water/year. But SHARP is much more than a working recharge facility! Visitors will enjoy its 40 acres of desert landscape to walk, cycle, take photos, walk a dog, relax under a ramada, enjoy water in basins (seasonally), and more. SHARP is scheduled to open to the public December 1. Learn more here!
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Reid Park Zoo Expansion Update
If you don't already know, Phase 1 expansion under the approved Reid Park Zoo Master Plan has been ongoing for several months at the front entrance and work is now beginning in the Asia Zone. The Zoo expansion of the Asia Zone will give tigers five times the space they had before and will support the introduction of new animals such as red pandas, komodo dragons, sloth bears, and more.
Right now, the Zoo contractor is testing the soil under the water and the pond will be opened back up in the next few days until next February/March when construction begins. Once construction begins, the southern pond area will be absorbed into the Zoo and converted into usable habitat space within the Asia Zone. The northern pond remains as a public amenity within the park.
In addition to City Council meetings where the Zoo Master Plan was discussed, the Tucson Parks and Recreation Department held an open house for public input on November 12th of last year with input cards from attendees and received 92% marking favorable for the Zoo’s expansion. Reid Park Zoo continues to post updates on their website and social media. Click here for more information.
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COVID-19 Child Care Scholarship Fund
Families living in the City of Tucson or the City of South Tucson affected by COVID-19 will be able to apply for short term child care scholarships provided by the We Are One/ Somos Uno Resiliency Fund and administered by Catholic Community Services of Southern Arizona. This program will help working families pay up to $2,275 in child care expenses per qualifying child. Applications are now open at ccs-soaz.org.
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October Town Hall Recording
For our last town hall of 2020, we spoke to the Tucson Police and Fire Departments to discuss public safety updates in Ward 4. Thank you to Captain Colin King from the Tucson Police Department and Chief Chuck Ryan from the Tucson Fire Department for taking the time to share these updates. If you missed the town hall, you can watch the recording here. As a reminder, we won't have any town halls for the rest of the year due to the holidays. We look forward to restarting in 2021!
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How Can I Stay Updated?
There are multiple ways to stay updated with my office and the City's work:
- Looking for city updates? Follow the Ward 4 City of Tucson page to learn about core services, projects, events and helpful information about all things Tucson.
- Looking for me? Follow my Councilwoman Nikki Lee page to see what I'm up to around town, articles I write, official events I'm hosting, and more!
- Follow my new Council Member twitter account, @CouncilwomanLee.
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