Landfills and transfer stations operated by the Pima County Department of Environmental Quality Solid Waste Division will be closed Monday, May 27, for the Memorial Day holiday.

The closure includes landfills in Sahuarita and Ajo, the Tangerine Landfill and the Catalina and Ryan Field Transfer Stations.

The Solid Waste Administrative Office, 5301 W. Ina Road, also will be closed on Monday.

For more information on the closures, please call the 24-hour Landfill Information Line at (520) 724-7400 or visit www.pima.gov/deq.

The Pima County Health Department will again offer routine tuberculosis (TB) skin tests as of May 20 at the Tuberculosis Clinic, 2980 E. Ajo Way. The Health Department had temporarily suspended routine skin testing for TB as a result of a national shortage of the Tubersol solution.

The Tuberculosis Clinic is open 7:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday, from 12:00-4:00 p.m. Tuesday, and is closed on Thursdays. TB skin tests are $15 and available on a walk-in basis during clinic hours.

For more information, call the Health Department’s Tuberculosis Clinic at (520) 243-8450.

If she were alive, Mary Ewing Henderson would undoubtedly be pleased that her home in the Tucson Mountains, the surrounding 22.5 acres and its network of trails will be preserved by Pima County for the community’s benefit.

The Pima County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, May 14, approved a master plan for the property, including naming it the Mary Henderson Desert Center.

According to an obituary in the Decatur, Ill., Herald & Review, Mary Ewing Henderson died April 19, 2002, in Tucson after a long illness. She was 88. She married Arthur Henderson in 1948 and they made their home in the Tucson Mountains. Her husband died in 1952, but “her love of the desert and mountains led to her strong advocacy of maintaining open space and her longtime support of the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum,” the obituary said.

The title to the property on West Anklam Road (see attached maps) passed to the museum when Mary Henderson died. In 2012, the museum donated the property to Pima County.

The master plan, already approved by the Pima County Parks and Recreation Commission, calls for the County to conserve the Henderson residence “and, possibly, adaptively repurpose the residential structure as an environmental education center … or park-related operations center.”

The County will “preserve the biotic communities and geological and hydrological features found at this site, restore natural habitat that has previously been disturbed, pursue the establishment of a wildlife corridor that connects the Mary Henderson Property to adjacent native habitat including Tucson Mountain Park, … construct a mixed-use pedestrian, equestrian and mountain bike trails system and trailheads, … (and) develop and install interpretive displays that detail the site’s history….

“Pima County shall continue to work with adjacent landowners to secure access and connectivity necessary to adjoin this site to Tucson Mountain Park.”

“I know this is something she wanted to happen,” Supervisor Sharon Bronson, District 3, said of Mary Henderson before the Board took action.

The first of four sessions of swim lessons at Pima County pools begins Monday, June 3.

Thanks to a generous donation from the Knights of Pythias Tucson Lodge #9, in partnership with the Picture Rocks Fire District, the first 50 area residents to register will get FREE swim lessons at the Picture Rocks pool, 5615 N. Sanders Road (see attached flyer).

Session I: June 3-June 13
Session II: June 17-June 27

Registration for Sessions I and II begins at 7:30 a.m. Friday, May 31 (Ajo pool swim lesson registration begins at 7:30 a.m. Saturday, June 1) and continues during open hours.

Lessons cost $20 for a two-week session (8 classes). Register at your local pool. Classes are available for children as young as 6 months. For specific class offerings and times, please call your local pool.

You may register for both Session I and II at this time. If your child progresses in one session to the next skill level, every effort will be made to accommodate him/her in the next level class in the next session.

Session III: July 8-July 18
Session IV: July 22-August 1 (Manzanita Pool Session IV will be M-F week 1 and M-W week 2 – ending on July 31 since TUSD goes back to school on August 1.)

Registration for Sessions III and IV begins at 7:30 a.m. Friday, June 28, and continues during open hours. You may register for both Session III and IV at that time.

If three or more lessons are cancelled in any given session due to lightning or mechanical malfunction, lessons will continue past August 1.

Swim lessons at Mulcahy YMCA at Kino Community Center and Northwest YMCA-Thad Terry pools are taught through the YMCA. Please call 838-0938 at (Mulcahy) or 229-9006 at Thad Terry for information on swim lessons and fees.

For other information about Pima County pools, including addresses, phone numbers and swim team opportunities, please visit http://www.pima.gov/nrpr/pools/index.htm.

With a $268 million price tag to bring roads throughout Pima County up to standard, Pima County Supervisors gave the nod Tuesday to pursue a host of solutions that could help secure additional resources.

The Board agreed on a 4-1 vote to a series of actions outlined by County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry, including continuing to allocate $5 million annually from the general fund, over and above what the Department of Transportation already sets aside for road maintenance.

The board also agreed to ask the Legislature to consider:

• Returning some or all of the $39 million in state-shared revenues swept from Pima County over the past decade to help shore up the state budget;
• Maintaining an existing one-cent-per-gallon gasoline tax currently earmarked for the cleanup of underground storage tanks, but steering it instead to pavement repair and maintenance;
• Raising the state gas tax by 10 cents to come into line with surrounding states. Arizona’s gasoline tax is 19 cents per gallon, which has remained the same since 1991.

The County Administrator commended the Board for its work to improve transportation. The Board last year steered $20 million into road repair, in addition to routine expenditures, by using fund balances and general fund monies. But even that significant investment addressed just 8 percent of the County’s overall road repair price tag, Huckelberry cautioned. Even though the County has spent $289 million on improving road capacity over the past five years, and has “done a good job of scrounging and getting every dollar we can,” he said maintenance issues remain thorny.

“We can work around the edges of this problem, but all we can do is put Band-Aids on things for the next couple years unless we confront our problems in a straightforward manner,” he said.

The Board also agreed to continue exploring any other revenue streams that might make sense. Supervisor Richard Elías noted that the same dollar of revenues in 1991 can now only buy 51 cents of highway improvements, given inflation. “It’s a difficult situation.”

While it’s clear there is no overnight fix, Supervisor Sharon Bronson said the conversation needs to begin. “If we don’t have that courage to start the conversation, we’re never going to solve the problem.”

To read the full report, please visit http://www.pima.gov/Administration/bd-transportation%20funding%20report.pdf.

Tucson, Arizona – In a new partnership designed to help Tucson families, El Rio Community Health Center and the Pima County Health Department are co-sponsoring four back to school immunization events at Boys & Girls Clubs locations throughout Tucson. The events are designed for kids, ages 5-18, to get their required shots for the 2013-2014 school year. Families who have no health insurance are encouraged to attend. Their children will be vaccinated for free. If the family has health insurance coverage they need to bring their insurance cards (AHCCCS-KidsCare or private insurance) for billing.

El Rio’s dental team will offer free screenings and fluoride varnish treatments and the Lions Club will provide free vision screening to all school-age children.  Tucson Medical Center will be offering a limited number of free booster seats to qualified families.  AHCCCS providers and the Pima Community Access Program (PCAP) will be on site providing information about how to apply for services for those families who may qualify and currently have no medical coverage.

The events will be hosted at several Boys & Girls Clubs of Tucson locations. The committee has expanded services this year to include Tucson’s west side. A total of four immunization clinics will be offered.  The legal parent or guardian must be present. Children should bring their shot records and insurance cards if they have insurance. Call 520-243-7736 or visit www.elriofoundation.org or www.pimahealth.org for more information.

SCHEDULE OF TUCSON EVENTS

July 18, 2013 ● 3 to 6 pm ● Steve Daru Clubhouse ● 1375 North El Rio Drive, 85745

July 25, 2013 ● 3 to 6 pm ● Jim & Vicki Click Clubhouse ● 1935 S. Columbus Blvd, 85712

July 27, 2013 ● 10 to 2 pm ● Holmes Tuttle Clubhouse ● 2585 E. 36^th Street, 85713

Aug. 3, 2013 ● 10 to 2 pm ● Roy Drachman Clubhouse ● 5901 S. Santa Clara Road, 85706

El Rio Community Health Center is the largest provider of medical and dental services to uninsured and Medicaid populations in Pima County. With 17 sites in Tucson, El Rio serves the medical and dental needs of more than 79,000 patients annually. El Rio employs over 800 people with an annual budget of over $90 million dollars. A national model of health care excellence, El Rio’s mission is to “improve the health of our community through comprehensive, accessible, affordable, quality and compassionate care.” www.elrio.org

The Pima County Board of Supervisors approved on Tuesday, May 14, allocating federal, state and County funds to employ and educate young people this summer.

The deadline for youth to participate in the Pima County One-Stop Career Center’s Summer Youth Program has passed. No new applicants are being accepted.

Employers who are interested in hiring or placing even just one young person age 14 to 21 in a summer job are encouraged to call (520) 798-0500 or email pledgeajob@pima.gov to choose from the list of qualified applicants. The funds allocated by the Board of Supervisors are used to provide minimum wage to the youth participating. Employer contributions to youth compensation allow more youth to gain summer work experience.

This year more than 4,000 youth applied for summer positions. About 3,000 applicants were tested for basic education skills. Youth who tested low were recommended for either a basic education program or for a program that combines work experience and basic education. Youth who test higher are placed in work experience or private internship positions. They attend an employability skills workshop, where they learn about good work habits and employer expectations before they go to work.

Approximately 1,250 youth will be in Pima County or agency positions. An additional 64 will work in Pima County Department of Transportation positions and 30 in Regional Wastewater Reclamation Department positions.

The Board of Supervisors approved contracts with Altar Valley School District, Catholic Community Services, Goodwill Industries of Southern Arizona, Portable Practical Education Preparation, SER Jobs for Progress, Tucson Urban League and Tucson Youth Development for academic and workforce services.

The contractors are nonprofit agencies and one school district that provide work experience, intern and basic education programs. The agencies were selected through a Request for Proposal issued in January 2011. Proposals were reviewed and recommendations made by a committee of the Pima County Workforce Investment Board.

Animal save rate up 10 percent over last year; more progress needed

Staff at Pima Animal Care Center would love to never have to euthanize another animal again, except to end severe or terminal suffering.

It’s the hardest part of our job. And while we are making progress, we’re not there yet.

June 11 will mark Just One Day, a national movement promoting a one-day moratorium on euthanasia in order to highlight the need to find homes for homeless animals.

Pima Animal Care Center practices this moratorium on each of the 10 County holidays. With the exception of ending suffering, we will fulfill that goal again on June 11, as well as on the date of our large annual adoption event, Monsoon Muttness, coming up this Saturday, May 18.

To be clear, there is no “clock” ticking on healthy, adoptable animals. We will keep them indefinitely as long as an animal shows no sign of illness or injury or aggression. Last fiscal year, ending June 30, Pima Animal Care Center took in more than 24,000 animals. Think about that for a minute. Imagine taking in 65 pets every day of the year. Or visualize it this way: McKale Center, filled, seats fewer than 15,000.

Although approximately 13,000 animals were euthanized, we’re on pace to make significant improvement this year. We have a strong rescue program, thanks to the work of our energetic and compassionate rescue partners. We routinely run specials to help our animals find homes faster. We are working to organize more events in the community. In all, our save rate to date this year is 63 percent – up 10 percent over this time last year. It needs to be better.

This is a plea for the community’s help. We can certainly put more donations and more volunteers to good use, but what we really need are two main things:

• Please spay and neuter your pets to keep animals out of our shelter in the first place. When a mother with six babies shows up at our door, that means we now need as many as seven homes – not just the one.
• And to help those that are here, please remember us when you’re looking for a pet. Our pets wag, wiggle and purr with the best of them and we have them in all shapes, sizes, colors and ages. In fact, if you’re considering a pet, head over for our Monsoon Muttness event on Saturday. We’ll have family fun, food and great specials from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m.

It will take all of us working together to save more lives. Please join us.

With the dog days of summer on their way, Pima Animal Care Center would like to share some tips on how to make sure your pet stays safe when the mercury soars.

Pets not only have to deal with soaring temperatures wearing their fur coats, but they rely on panting to cool down. That isn’t as effective as sweating, especially when they’re just breathing in hot air, and it can be a particular problem for those dogs with short muzzles, which are more prone to overheat because of compressed nasal passages.

• Car safety. A parked car can rapidly become a furnace. Even at 70 degrees, the temperature inside a car can rapidly approach 118 degrees. On days in the mid-90s, inside temperatures will reach 145 degrees. Never leave your pet in a parked car, even with the windows open. It’s against the law and it can be deadly.

• Walks. Sidewalks and asphalt can be blistering in the summer heat. Heat rising off the pavement can rapidly elevate your dog’s body temperature. If the pavement is too hot for your hand, it’s too hot for your pooch. Although it’s important for dogs to have regular walks, schedule them in cooler times of the day.

• Short cuts. Many dogs see their groomer for summer-friendly clips in the summer time, but make sure not to go too short, particularly if you have a light-colored dog with pink skin. Dogs can get sunburned just like you can. If your dogs are going to be out in the sun, make sure they have access to shade and plenty of water. It’s not a bad idea to use sunscreen on areas without as much hair, but make sure it’s free of zinc oxide.

• If your pet is showing any signs of heat stroke – excessive panting, difficulty breathing, vomiting, impaired movement – take him to the vet right away to avoid complications.

Pima Animal Care Center wishes everyone a safe summer.