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Like some of my climate activist friends who have contacted me recently, I was a little taken aback by news that Tucson will receive $21.5 million from the feds to buy 39 compressed natural gas-fueled (CNG) buses. Why not get electric ones, as promised in our Climate Action Plan?
The answer, as explained below by Deputy City Manager Tim Thomure, is simple: we just don’t have the ability at this time to take on that many new electric buses. Bringing on CNG buses does get the more-polluting diesel-fueled buses off the road and gives us time to get the infrastructure in place to use more electric buses. Here’s the details from Tim:
“Going with CNG gets the diesel usage stopped faster, and also positions the city to make productive use of methane gas emitted from Los Reales for the mid-term. Concurrently, the city will continue its long-term strategy of shifting toward electric buses at an aggressive pace, that is also commensurate with electric bus technology and our ability to obtain those vehicles.”
Deputy City Manager Tim Thomure.
Here are some facts about our SunTran bus fleet.
We currently have 185 buses: 106 are CNG, 10 are electric, and 69 are diesel. The 69 diesel buses are in the process of being replaced with buses that will arrive or be ordered soon, including 10 more electric buses and 59 CNG buses (including the 39 from the latest grant).
Some additional points from Deputy City Manager Thomure:
"1. Eliminating the remaining diesel buses as soon as practical to reduce GHG emissions from the bus fleet was the priority. The grant program provided sufficient funding capacity to eliminate diesel by CNG faster than electric, since the purchase cost of new CNG buses is much less than new electric buses and CNG buses can be delivered to Tucson faster, and in larger quantities, than electric at this time. Staying “all electric” with new buses would have left many diesel buses in operation for several additional years. This grant, and using CNG buses in the near-term, gets the diesel buses off of Tucson’s roads much faster.
2. Tucson is still pursuing electric buses as the long-term solution. Tucson’s electric bus fleet is still growing, with 10 new buses pending delivery from last year’s Low-No Grant. Sun Tran is still refining how these buses operate in Tucson’s climate, and the technology of electric buses is evolving and improving rapidly. Future bus purchases will continue the transition to electrification.
3. Having a large number of CNG buses for the next couple of decades positions Tucson to make use of the current fugitive methane emissions from the Los Reales Sustainability Campus. This CHG-rich methane gas will continue to be released from the landfill for decades. By turning that gas into CNG – the city will be able to make productive use of that gas, rather than simply letting it be emitted to the atmosphere.”
-Kevin
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Aquarist Society meeting at the Ward 3 Community Room.
The Desert Aquarist Society meets on the second Sunday of the month in our Ward 3 Community Room. Aquarists are people who keep aquariums and this local club has extended the title to everyone “with interests ranging from freshwater and saltwater aquariums, vivariums, paludariums, terrariums, and everything related to this beautiful hobby,” from their website.
I spoke to Dave Padgett, board member for the club and previous president, “You can make it as simple as you’d like, simple enough for a kid to upkeep, or you can make it incredibly challenging. This hobby has room for everyone.” Dave has been a member of the Desert Aquarist Society since 1976, just two years after its inception, and has kept an aquarium since he was 9 years old.
David Padget in front of his 70 gallon, freshwater aquarium with a family of fish called Barbs
The monthly meetings usually average about 50 people and they often bring in guest speakers. Last month’s guest speaker traveled from Sun City, Az to share their vast knowledge on all things shrimp.
Some members enjoy the technicality of the hobby, water PH and temperature, lighting- including moon phases and lightning, and other gadgets. Others like to focus on the flora, growing rare plants from under water regions all over the world. Dave enjoys creating closed loop habitats, fish and plants from the same region that mutually benefit each other.
The Desert Aquarists meetings include an auction at the end of the meeting where members that have an abundance of a fish they bred or plants they’ve raised and propagated are offered up to the group. Funds raised go towards guest speakers, the yearly holiday party, and gift certificates raffled at every meeting for local pet stores.
A focus for the group is education, sharing tips and tricks to avoid loss of life is important to the members. “Together we can share our collective knowledge and experience for improved care and propagation of aquatic and terrarium life in a safe, responsible and environmentally friendly manner,” from their website.
Their next meeting is August 13th and you do not need to be a member to attend. You can learn more about the Desert Aquarist Society on their website: https://www.desertaquaristsociety.org/
Two young people admiring an Aquarist Society demonstration.
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Gabriela and her dog Frida
Gabriela Barillas-Longoria is the Livability Project Manager for the Department of Transportation and Mobility. She’s been in that position for four years, as part of the Planning team. She manages projects with emphasis on bikes, pedestrians, and more multimodal options for people of all ages and abilities to safely get around the city. For instance, I first crossed paths with her as the project manager of the Slow Streets program, which helped neighborhoods temporarily close certain residential streets to cars during the early part of the pandemic, promoting more walkability and being able to socialize at a distance.
She also manages street painting projects, like the one on South 6th Ave between Armory Park and the Children’s Museum. And with the recent funds coming in from prop 411, 80% are being spent on repaving residential streets, and the other 20% are being spent on safety features. The safety features are overseen by the Complete Streets Coordinating Council, and will include some projects that Gabriela will manage, such as neighborhood grants for traffic calming. She is tasked with developing and managing the new mini-grant program to allocate the funds using a community-driven model to planning.
Gabriela is a U of A alum where she received two master's degrees—in public health and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Before working for the city, she worked at the U of A under the SNAP-Ed program for the county in active living policy and how the built environment, systems, and policies dictate our health outcomes. Although she still loves that discipline, working in transportation has been a wonderful shift for her because of the impact she is able to have on a large scale. She loves having the opportunity to work closely with the community, and loves the people she works with. And she loves being able to make a difference in people’s lives, how they get around, and increase their access to opportunities.
She has found in her work that the right of way can be a very contentious thing indeed. The most challenging part of her job, she says, is navigating individual preferences while looking out for what benefits multiple uses of the street, beyond just driving. She is very passionate about equity and designing for the most vulnerable road users, because we all benefit from streets and a transportation system that is safe and accessible for everyone regardless of your age, race, or ability. Because of this, she believes a community-led approach is the best way forward whenever possible. This means a participatory approach to planning. In many cases, the way to move something forward is to make a change that is temporary first, allow for more data collection and feedback, and that can lead to more permanent changes. This approach is less threatening, more democratic, and helps people accept change. “We are visual learners,” she says, “so seeing the change in a temporary way (such as paint in the median), can help people see the benefit.”
Gabriela Barillas-Longoria enjoying a bike ride
Gabriela was born and raised here in Tucson. Her parents still live here, and she has a younger brother in California. Like many Tucsonans, she moved away for a while, only to come back. But the time she spent in other cities—Flagstaff, Madrid, and Mendoza (Argentina), was a great way for her to see how different places approach transportation and mobility in different ways. She took great inspiration from ways in which people get around in Spain, hoping to bring some of those ways to Tucson. She fell in love with the train while teaching English in Spain, and dreams of a time when the US catches up to the rest of the world when it comes to high-speed trains. She’d love to be able to go to Northern Arizona on such a train, in half the time it takes to drive.
While traveling in Mexico City, which she found exemplary for all the green, public spaces they incorporate into urban life and how they have been able to achieve significant mode shift from single occupancy vehicles to active transportation- walking, biking, and transit. She’d love to see more art and nature in Southwest US cities, which could both help mitigate the climate crisis, and also improve peoples’ mental health.
Left to right: Artist Yuyu Shiratori, Gabriella Barillas-Longoria, and Living Streets Alliance Executive Director Emily Yetman at the street painting on 6th Ave South along Armory Park.
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Gizmo /ID# A806280
Age: 3 years
Qualities:
Gizmo is a total sweetheart who has survived more than his fair share of hardships. Despite it all, this young pup is a smart, happy, well-behaved boy who has done very well in his foster home, where he lives with several other dogs. Gizmo survived distemper and was left with a facial tic, but we think it adds to his charm. This is a special boy!
Fee:
Gizmo has a $0 adoption fee. A $20 license fee applies to adult dogs. Adoption includes spay or neuter, age-appropriate vaccinations, microchip, and a free vet visit.
Contact:
Gizmo is currently in foster care. If you're interested in adopting him, please email pacc.adoptafoster@pima.gov
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Keeling Neighborhood Association
Monday 7/24, 7:00 – 8:00 pm
Cornerstone Fellowship Church, 2902 N. Geronimo Ave.
Jefferson Park Neighborhood Association
Wednesday 7/26, 6:00 – 7:00 pm
Ward 3 Community Room, 1510 E. Grant Rd.
Fort Lowell Corridor Crime and Safety Meeting
Tuesday 8/15, 5:30 – 6:30 pm
AGM, 3544 E. Fort Lowell Rd.
Meeting info and North Dodge Website
The Ward 3 office is open open at 1510 E. Grant Rd. from 9 am - 1 pm, Monday through Friday. Staff will answer phone messages, emails and requests for meetings by the next business day. Leave your message at 520-791-4711 or email ward3@tucsonaz.gov.
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Ward 3 Is Accepting Donations for the Iskashitaa Refugee Network!
The Ward 3 office is currently accepting donations of art supplies and canning supplies on behalf of the Iskashitaa Refugee Network. We are ONLY accepting jelly jars, Kerr, Mason, or Ball jars for preserving/ canning, with or without canning rings. Feel free to drop by 1510 E. Grant Rd. during our office hours (9 am to 1 pm Monday through Friday) if you'd like to support the work of this wonderful non-profit with a donation.
Free Back To School Event on July 20th, 2023
Free Back to School Event on July 22th, 2023
Free Back to School Event on August 5th, 2023
Free After School Drop-In Program beginning August 7th
Grocery Sharing at Tucson Food Share - 2500 N. Stone Ave.
Groceries are shared Mondays 4:30- 6:00 pm,
Thursdays 6:00 - 7:30 pm, and Saturdays from 8am-9:30am.
https://tucsonfoodshare.org/ has more information about volunteering, donating, or requesting delivery.
Ready, Set, REC! in June
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Hydrolocal! What's That? Summer Workshop for ages 7-17
What do games, sensors, and plants all have in common? They're all ways we can learn to be hydrolocal! It's a mouthful, but all it means is making the most of the water we have right here in Tucson.
This summer CoderDojo Tucson is partnering with Watershed Management Group for a hybrid (virtual and in-person) workshop series for ages 7-17.
In this FREE seven week series of workshops we will explore what it means to be hydrolocal with a bunch of activities - telling stories, making games, collecting data, and more. The remaining three on-line workshops begin on Monday, June 12th. Starting July 10th we will be meeting in-person for three one-week workshops at Watershed Management Group's amazing Living Lab! All the workshops will be held Monday-Friday from 9am-12pm.
Sign up now for this one-week session:
In-person workshop week of July 24th: Create your own hydrolocal project.
For information on the individual workshops and to register, go to: https://coderdojotucson.github.io/coderdojo-tucson-website/event-pages/summer2023.html
Building a Resilient Neighborhood (BaRN) Zoom Meetings
As temperatures climb each summer, we grow mindful of the effects of extreme heat and the challenges to the community if power were to be lost for a day or longer. Everyone living in Tucson would feel the impact. Building a Resilient Neighborhood (BaRN), a coalition representing seven neighborhoods, invites you to help Tucson increase its preparedness and become more resilient.
Attend a 1 hour informational Zoom session about building a more resilient community by making connections between neighbors and being prepared for Man-made and Climate-Related Emergencies.
For more information, write to stuart@sustainabletucson.org
Summer Track And Field / Road Races
Community Forum for Fentanyl Awareness
Free Public Defense Clinic!
Get Paid to Get Lifeguard Certified!
Are you or someone you know looking for a part-time job? Tucson Parks and Recreation is hiring lifeguards to operate and maintain the safety at City pools year-round. The minimum age to be a lifeguard is 15 years old. Pay starts at $16.75/hour.
The City will pay applicants to get their Lifeguard Certification through the City’s certification path. The lifeguard class is an intense, fast-paced course, and strong swim skills are required. All applicants must pass a swim test to qualify. For more information on becoming a lifeguard or to register for the swim test, visit the website.
Sign Up for Tucson's Climate Action Report!
You can use this link to subscribe to the Climate Action Report through the City Manager's Office:https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/AZTUCSON/subscriber/new
Did You Know?
Cooling Centers Are Open Across Tucson!
In an effort to meet the need for respite from the record-high temperatures this summer, Tucson opened cooling centers on June 5, 2023.
The City cooling centers are open seven days a week, from noon-4 p.m. (closed for holidays on June 19 and July 4). The locations are listed below.
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Donna Liggins Center, 2160 N. 6th Ave, Tucson, AZ 85705
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El Pueblo Center, 101 W. Irvington Road, Tucson, AZ 85714
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El Rio Center, 1390 W. Speedway Blvd, Tucson, AZ 85745
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Morris K. Udall Center, 7200 E. Tanque Verde Road, Tucson, AZ 85715
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Randolph Center, 200 S. Alvernon Way, Tucson, AZ 85711
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Clements Center, 8155 E. Poinciana Drive, Tucson, AZ 85730
The cooling centers will be operational and stay accessible based on usage. Resources will be allocated to locations that demonstrate serving the highest level of need.
In addition to these cooling stations, the Tucson Pima Collaboration to End Homelessness has a list of more cooling centers and locations for water and supplies.
These additional locations where people can get out of the heat and sun include:
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Salvation Army Hospitality House, 1002 N Main Ave.
Open seven days a week, noon to 5 p.m.
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Primavera Foundation, 702 S. 6th Ave., Tucson, AZ 85701.
Open Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, from 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
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Sister Jose Women’s Center, 1050 S. Park Ave., Tucson, AZ 85719
Open Monday-Saturday, noon-4 p.m.
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Grace St Paul’s Episcopalian Church, 2331 E. Adams St.
Open Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, from noon-4 p.m.
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La Frontera RAPP, 1082 E. Ajo Way
Open Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
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Kino Service Center, 2797 E. Ajo Way, Tucson, AZ 85713
Open Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., closed holidays
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Rio Nuevo One Stop, 320 N. Commerce Center Loop, Tucson, AZ 85745
Open Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., closed on holidays
 
 
Remove Your Pool!
More than 20% of single-family households in Tucson have a swimming pool. A typical pool uses almost 30,000 gallons of water per year and represents significant costs to operate and maintain. As a pool owner, do you ever wonder about the benefits of not having a pool? If so, Tucson Water, Metro Water, Oro Valley Water, and Marana Water have collaborated to create a new hyper-local website (find it here) to answer common questions, such as how much you can save, who removes pools, the cost benefits, and how getting rid of a pool can conserve water and energy. If you want to keep your pool, the website also offers tips on how to check for leaks, use pool backwash for irrigation, and more.
Connect Arizona Affordable Connectivity Program
 
Tucson Water Discounts
Call 520-791-5443 to make an appointment or visit this site for more information: https://www.tucsonaz.gov/water/low-income-assistance-program
We welcome your feedback !
Please feel free to email us at Ward3@tucsonaz.gov
To subscribe to this newsletter go to https://www.tucsonaz.gov/ward-3
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