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Have you ever wondered about the quality of the City's water? Well, wonder no more! Tucson Water has now released a water quality dashboard that the public can access online. The site allows users to look at the quality of our tap down to a specific address. It is fairly easy and straightforward to use. The dashboard breaks down the parameters of the contents in the water and what month those results were gathered. Testing is constantly being done by Tucson Water for things like E. Coli, sodium, fluoride, dissolved solids, hardness, and temperature among others. The dashboard also includes a parameter explanation to help the uninitiated understand the terminology. Here at Ward 3 we put in our address and were able to see our water quality numbers which we have shared in a screenshot. If you would like to see what the quality of your water is simply click on the button below.
  Screenshots from the Water Quality Dashboard for the Ward 3 office location.
By Shannon Jenkins
Last Saturday, the Vice Mayor and I attended the 10 year anniversary celebration for the Sun Link streetcar. All sorts of folks assembled in the Sun Link facility off 8th Street for the 8 am press conference, and there were activities, giveaways, and discounts along the 3.9 mile streetcar route for the rest of the day.
 From left to right: Ward 1 Chief of Staff Gabriela Barillas-Longoria, Vice Mayor Kevin Dahl, Rep. Raul Grijalva’s Executive Assistant Cassandra Becerra, Nathalia Untiveros with the office of Governor Katie Hobbs, Tucson Assistant City Manager Liz Morales, Department of Transportation and Mobility Director Sam Credio, Mayor Regina Romero, Pima County District 5 Supervisor Adelita Grijalva, Tucson City Manager Tim Thomure, President / CEO of the Southern Arizona Leadership Council Ted Maxwell, and Visit Tucson CEO Felipe Garcia.
During the press conference, multiple speakers reminded us that it took years of community engagement, collaboration, and perseverance to bring the Sun Link streetcar to Tucson. Gene Caywood, President of the Old Pueblo Trolley Transit Museum was part of the group "Tucsonans for Sensible Transportation," who began the process of lobbying their elected officials for reliable and efficient public transit in the downtown area and beyond. Gene reminded us that projects like the streetcar begin "with the community demanding something different than has previously been done."
Gene Caywood, Robert Cook, Steve Farley, Joy Herr-Cardillo, and Ron Spark put together a local opinion piece that ran last week detailing the early history of the movement to bring the streetcar Tucson. Arizona Daily Star subscribers who'd like to read the article can access it here: https://tinyurl.com/2wa7c4bv
 Vice Mayor Kevin Dahl and Mayor Regina Romero
In short, a group of people championed their vision for a better Tucson and worked with their elected officials to turn that vision into a reality. Elected officials at the City, County, and state levels worked to bring federal funding to Tucson for the project, and those funds leveraged private investment in Tucson's downtown, catalyzing tourism and economic development. The multi-modal Cushing street bridge across the Santa Cruz River was constructed as part of this process, connecting Downtown and the westside for Sun Link riders, cars, cyclists, and pedestrians.
During her speech, Mayor Romero addressed transit advocates in the crowd saying, "Your advocacy and vision changed the trajectory of Tucson... As the City of Tucson continues to look for ways to connect our community, I'm offering a reminder that we can all play a role in the next chapter of Tucson's transit journey."
 Vice Mayor Dahl and members of the Transit for All Coalition, a local group working to create an accessible and quality public transit system in Tucson.
Last week, Parks and Recreation hosted their last community meeting regarding Columbus Park Phase 2 improvements. You can view the recording on the project page here. We had a good turnout with constituents attending both in person and virtual. The Tucson Mountain Neighborhood Association and the Cholla Choppers had strong representation, as well as nature enthusiasts, parents of young families, and long time park users.
 The Columbus Park improvements are part of the 2018 voter-approved Prop 407 bond package. Phase 1 improvements are currently under way and include new LED lighting on two existing Little League fields, a new baseball field with LED lights, two new soccer fields with lighting, new restroom facilities, and expansion of the existing parking lot. Phase 2 improvements as specified in the bond language are a new splash pad, renovate the irrigation system, renovate the parking lots, two new playgrounds with shade, a new ramada and two new restrooms.
 Vice Mayor Kevin Dahl talking to attendees at the Columbus Park Meeting At Ward 3.
A lot has shifted in our communities since the bond package was approved in 2018 and Parks and Recreation put out additional surveys and community engagement events to gauge how current amenities are being used and what additional needs could be identified. A draft proposal including pickleball courts and a new dog park location was presented, and neighbors quickly expressed their displeasure; both have been scrapped. The updated concept plan includes a splash pad, a destination all-ages playground, ramada, and sidewalk/ADA connections. The existing dog park will remain as-is.
The total amount of funds allocated for Phase 2 is about $4.7 million. The renovated irrigation system will focus on the grassy area around the model-airplane fields and along the tree line surrounding the area. The tree-line is currently non-native pines and this irrigation will also support native trees planted to succeed the pines as they age out. The new ramada will be on the little jut-out of land in between the dog park and the parking lot and the restroom at that location will be improved.
 Executive Management Advisor, Greg Jackson talking to a constituent about the new park design.
One item that received high marks both in surveys and in person was a request for a walking path around the lake. Unfortunately, there is not enough funding to install an ADA accessible path completely around the lake. There is a current section that is paved and will be extended and additional paths will be incorporated to access the new amenities.
Thank you so much to everyone that participated and gave feedback and thank you so much to Parks and Recreation for the engagement!
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