Hello Tucson,
Thank you for the hundreds of emails received in response to the Help Huts Pilot Program Outline.
Here’s what I’ve heard overall that will steer my work with partners moving forward:
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NOT in city parks
- Find vacant land/buildings (city- or partner-owned) that are buffered from neighborhoods and business areas instead
- Look to successful models providing “Safe Outdoor Space” (Phoenix, etc.)
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DO partner with nonprofit organizations to leverage their experience and resources
The Mayor, through our Department of Housing and Community Development, is now convening the leaders of organizations serving unsheltered residents on a monthly basis. That will help us keep track of the range of services planned, available, and/or slated for cuts. The “Safe Outdoor Space” effort addresses a gap, one that can support TPD and our Outreach Teams. We need to coordinate with partners (including Pima County) and prioritize work as our community navigates an uncertain future.
I met with several nonprofit leaders last week and believe we will find a path to pilot one or two small-scale sites by summer. I’ll reach back out to those folks who emailed W6 offering support and the desire to help (thank you!). We’ll provide updates as the initiative progresses.
Right now, the central focus of Mayor and Council is on the city budget. See below for more information on community meetings, and view our Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for 2024 here:
Welcome to our New Tucson Fire Chief – Sharon McDonough
Congratulations to Sharon McDonough as our new Fire Chief! Tucson City Manager Tim Thomure has appointed Sharon McDonough as the new chief of the Tucson Fire Department (TFD). McDonough, who most recently served as the director of the Public Safety Communications Department (PSCD), has taken on the role of interim chief and will officially assume the permanent position on June 2, pending approval by the Mayor and Council. A 34-year veteran of TFD, McDonough made history as the department’s first female battalion chief. In her absence, PSCD Deputy Director Mike Garcia has stepped in as interim director of the department.
Plan Tucson Second Public Hearing Scheduled
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The Planning Commission rescheduled the March 19, 2025; public hearing due to a lack of quorum. It will now host the second of two required Public Hearings on the Plan Tucson 2025 Revised Draft on Wednesday, April 9, 2025, at City Hall Mayor and Council Chambers. Staff acknowledges the inconvenience caused by the last-minute cancellation of the previous meeting, especially for those who attended to speak. We appreciate the community’s patience.
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Plan Tucson 2025 outlines the city’s strategic vision for growth, sustainability, and community development over the next decade. Plan Tucson 2025 is the City of Tucson’s general plan. Public input is a crucial part of the process as the revised draft plan moves through review and adoption.
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Submit Written Comments: Prior to the public hearing, comments can be sent via email, and they will be shared with the Commissioners.
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Speak at the Hearing: Attend in person or virtually to speak at the public hearing. Requests to speak can be made in advance to PlanningCommission@tucsonaz.gov or during the scheduled agenda item.
Following the Planning Commission’s review, the Mayor and Council will hold a study session in late April, followed by a public hearing in May. If approved, Tucson residents will have the opportunity to vote on Plan Tucson in the November 2025 election.
City of Tucson Budget Engagement Town Halls
The City of Tucson is in the process of developing its Fiscal Year 2026 budget, which will take effect July 1, 2025. Mayor and Council, along with City staff, encourage residents to participate in shaping the budget by attending upcoming town hall meetings and completing a soon-to-be-released budget engagement survey. The town hall meetings will feature a brief presentation by City staff, followed by a live question-and-answer session. The first meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, April 1, from 6-7 p.m., at Randolph Recreation Center, 200 S. Alvernon Way (Building 2). Additional dates below.
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Tuesday, April 1, 6-7 p.m. – Randolph Recreation Center, 200 S. Alvernon Way (Building 2)
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Wednesday, April 2, 6-7 p.m. – El Pueblo Senior Center, 101 W. Irvington Road (Building 13)
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Thursday, April 3, 6-7 p.m. – Morris K. Udall Center, 7200 E. Tanque Verde Road
City Splash Pads Open April 1 & Spring Pool Schedule Begins April 6
The City of Tucson Parks and Recreation department will open eight of the City’s 10 splash pads on Tuesday, April 1. The spring pool hours will go into effect Sunday, April 6, and three extended-season pools will open, in addition to the three year-round pools currently open. There is no entry fee for pools or splash pads.
Year-round and extended season pool locations:
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Archer Pool, 1665 S. La Cholla Blvd.
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Clements Pool, 8155 E. Poinciana Drive
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Edith Ball Adaptive Recreation Center Pool, 3455 E. Zoo Court
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Fort Lowell Pool, 2900 N. Craycroft Road
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Quincie Douglas Pool, 1563 E. 36th St.
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Udall Pool, 7200 E. Tanque Verde Road
City splash pad locations: Open daily from 8 a.m.-sunset, April 1-Oct. 31. There is no entry fee.
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Catalina Park Splash Pad, 925 N. Fourth Ave. (will remain closed until May 1, due to bathroom construction)
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Clements Splash Pad, 8155 E. Poinciana Drive
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Fort Lowell Splash Pad, 2900 N. Craycroft Road
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Freedom Splash Pad, 5000 E. 29th St.
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Gunny Barreras Splash Pad, 5890 S. Campbell Ave.
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Jesse Owens Splash Pad, 400 S. Sarnoff Drive
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Naida Jane Baker Splash Pad, 2536 N. Castro Ave.
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Palo Verde Park Splash Pad, 355 S. Mann Ave. (will remain closed until a later date due to park construction)
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Purple Heart Splash Pad, 9800 E. Rita Road
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Udall Splash Pad, 7200 E. Tanque Verde Road
Connecting Neighborhoods with Neighborhoods Event
Join us for this networking event for Neighborhood Association leaders to come together to share their insights, strategies, and experiences.
Date: Saturday, April 26, 2025
Time: 8:30 – 9 a.m. Sign-in & Refreshment, 9 – 11 a.m. Program
The program will include a brief overview of Neighborhood Associations today, followed by interactive breakout groups focusing on two key areas:
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Increasing involvement in Neighborhood Associations
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Recognizing successful neighborhood projects.
The latter will feed into an interactive neighborhood projects map, which will be introduced at the event.
So often, the best resource for a Neighborhood Association is another Neighborhood Association. Here’s your opportunity to find out what other neighborhoods are doing and share what your neighborhood has been pursuing, lessons learned, and more. Plus, attendees will be entered into a raffle—just a small thank you for participating.
PLEASE RSVP: To ensure that we have sufficient refreshments and materials, RSVP to Neighborhood@tucsonaz.gov by Friday, April 11, 2025.
Zero Waste Event
Join Us for Tucson’s Biannual Zero Waste Event!
Help keep Tucson sustainable by participating in the Zero Waste Collection Drive on Saturday, April 5th, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 2700 E. Speedway (enter on 1st Street), north of Himmel Park. This free, drive-thru, drop-off, and recycling event allows you to responsibly dispose of items like bikes, books, electronics, clothing, garden tools, and more!
Please note: Only accepted items will be collected—no household hazardous waste allowed. Don’t miss this opportunity to declutter while giving back to the community!
For a full list of accepted items and event details, visit TucsonZeroWaste.com.
Tucson Energy Future Townhalls
Join important discussions on Tucson’s Energy Future. Your collaboration is greatly appreciated in creating pathways to advance climate goals.
Alternatively, attendees can scan the QR code on the attached flyer.
Upcoming Water Events
- The SCWC Spring Field Forum and Drought Planning Workshop will take place on April 2nd from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the stunning riparian bosque and cottonwood gallery along Tanque Verde Creek. Free! Register for The SCWC Spring Field Forum and Drought Planning Workshop
- The Regional Flood Control District’s Low Impact Development (LID) Working Group is hosting a Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) Data Resources Roundtable Thursday April 17th, 1:30 to 3:00 p.m. Join for a collaborative discussion and resource sharing. Register [events.gcc.teams.microsoft.com
Donations
We are happy to announce that we will begin to accept donations again for immigrants and those in needs. Kaleidoscope Humanitarian Aid is the non-profit organization that will manage all the donations we collect. They also support local organizations that serve unhoused people, veterans, immigrants who have settled in Tucson and are going through the asylum process.
To find more information about Kaleidoscope Humanitarian Aid, please visit their website: https://www.khaid.org/
Here are the items that they currently need:
1. Toiletries - feminine hygiene items, shampoo, toilet paper, tissues
2. Gently used kitchen items - cutlery, plates, pots and pans, paper napkins
Donations can be dropped off at the Ward 6 Council Office, located at 3202 E. 1st Street, Monday through Friday, from 9am to 1pm.
Community Events and Resources
BBVNA Porch Fest
The Broadmoor Broadway Village neighborhood will host a spring Porch Fest on Sunday, April 13, from 4-7pm. Porch Fest, is a free, family friendly event which brings folks from inside and outside the neighborhood together to stroll and enjoy the various musical performances scattered throughout the neighborhood. Please remember to bring some cash for tips--all of these wonderful musicians are playing for tips only, let’s show them some love! In addition to music, there will be food trucks! We love that Porch Fest is an event that celebrates the music arts and community, and in that spirit, this year we will share ways attendees can donate to organizations that are working to provide support to musicians who've been impacted by the recent fires in Los Angeles--they are MusiCares.org and Altadenamusicians.org. Donations to these great organizations are NOT in lieu of tips for musicians.
McCormick Park Planting Day April 12
The new walking path has been installed at McCormick Park, and irrigation improvements will be completed soon. Volunteers are needed to help plant 44 new trees in the park on Saturday, April 12, starting at 8 a.m. Kid-friendly! Parks & Rec will pre-dig the holds, so all you need to do is put in a tree, mulch it, and water it. Bring your gardening gloves!
More information:
https://tucsoncleanandbeautiful.org/event/mccormick-park-planting-and-volunteer-appreciation-event/
Cyclovia Tucson
Cyclovia is just around the corner! They are actively seeking volunteers and would love as many people as possible to join! Volunteers will play a key role in supporting the event, ensuring everything runs smoothly, and assisting participants throughout the day. Several volunteer opportunities are available such as intersection volunteer with morning or afternoon shift, census volunteer, group captain for car crossing, and many more. For more information and FAQ: https://www.cycloviatucson.org/volunteer
It is Stinknet Season!
Buffelgrass has been our most infamous, ecosystem-threatening invasive plant for many years now. However, it now has some serious competition in the form of a little yellow flower called stinknet. Stinknet typically blooms in March and April and this pungent annual is a triple threat of problems: it's highly flammable, can cause severe allergies, and outcompetes native plants. Last spring, in Casa Grande National Ruins National Monument, 70 miles northwest of Tucson, the stinknet infestation became so severe that the picnic area was closed to visitors due to health and safety concerns. While Maricopa and Pinal Counties have acres upon acres of desert taken over by stinknet, Pima County has been able to stave off such takeovers for now.
One reason is the outreach and mitigation work done by the Sonoran Desert Cooperative Weed Management Area — a group consisting of dozens of local organizations committed to fighting invasive species. The SD-CWMA has reached far into the community to encourage people to report stinknet sightings, and because of this, dozens of stinknet populations have been stopped before they had a chance to spread. Recognizing and reporting stinknet is a huge part of keeping our desert and our neighborhoods safe from this nasty, flammable invader. If you see stinknet, remove it immediately and then report the location on stinknet.org [survey123.arcgis.com]. It takes only a couple minutes and is invaluable for tracking the spread of stinknet in Southern Arizona. You can also check the website's map [stinknet.org] to see if there is an infestation near you.
Rincon Heights Community Garden
Iskashitaa Refugee Network
Pet of the Week
GHOST
ID# A840001
Age: 1 year 10 months
Qualities: Ghost has been at the shelter for more than 300 days, and he’s used that time to win over the hearts of every staff member and volunteer he meets. Ghost can be a little timid when he first meets you, but he’ll never pass up your attention once he gets to know you. He loves being petted by staff and volunteers at PACC, walks well on a leash and takes treats well. In his former home, Ghost was said to be good with small children, crate trained, and playful.
Fee: Ghost is free to adopt. He is neutered, up-to-date on vaccines, and microchipped.
Contact: Pima Animal Care Center, 4000 N. Silverbell Rd., 520-724-5900. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 12pm - 7pm. Wednesday 1:30pm - 7pm. Saturday and Sunday 10am - 5pm.
Ready, Set, Rec Ward 6 Van
Upcoming Meetings
Mayor and Council Meeting
Alvernon Grant Initiative Meeting (AGI)
Tuesday, April 8, 2025, 6-7pm (every 2nd Tuesday of the month)
Emmanuel Church, 1825 N Alvernon Way
5th/Alvernon Crime Coalition
Wednesday, April 26, 2025, 6-7pm (every 4th Wednesday of the month)
Ward 6 Council Office, 3202 E 1st Street
29th Street Coalition Meeting
Thursday, April 23, 6-8pm (every 4th Thursday of the month)
Midtown Police Station Public Meeting Room, 1100 S. Alvernon
Division Advisory Committee (DAC) Meeting
Thursday, June 26, 6-8pm
Erik D. Hite Eastside Substation, 9670 E Golf Links Rd
Palo Verde Neighborhood Meeting
Thursday, April 17, 2025, 6:30-8:00pm (every third Thursday of the month)
Ward 6 Council Office, 3202 E 1st Street
City of Tucson Resources
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