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.

New inflatable ship at Flowing Wells Pool

Get a head start on swim season at the Grand Reopening of the Flowing Wells Pool, 4545 N. La Cholla Blvd., on Saturday, May 18.

Pima County Supervisor Sharon Bronson, District 3, and Dr. Nicholas Clement, the superintendent of the Flowing Wells Unified School District, will speak at 10 a.m. followed by a free public swim until 1 p.m.

The pool at Flowing Wells Junior High School was upgraded during the off season. Improvements include:

• New filtration system.
• New tile and plaster in the pool.
• New pool deck and perimeter pool fence.
• Two additional permanent shade structures.

You can’t miss the inflatable ship!

Pool Season

Pima County’s seasonal swimming pools will open Memorial Day weekend – Saturday, May 25 – and be open through Labor Day – Monday, Sept. 2. (The Ajo pool will open for Memorial Day weekend, close and then reopen on June 1, 2013, for the remainder of summer.)

For admission fees, pool addresses and phone numbers, and other information, please visit http://www.pima.gov/nrpr/pools/index.htm.

Swimming Classes – Swim Lessons

The first of four sessions of swim lessons begins Monday, June 3. 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.

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.

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 this 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.

Swim Team

The Pima County Natural Resources, Parks and Recreation Department’s Novice Summer Swim Team Program provides a fun, exciting, and rewarding swimming experience for children ages 5 to 18 at all Pima County pools except the Thad Terry and Picture Rocks pools, and at the Marana Pool, 13251 N. Lon Adams Road.

The fee is $20 for the entire summer (includes practices and meets).

Registration begins at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 25, at any pool offering the program and will continue during regular pool hours until June 20 (or until the team at a specific pool reaches capacity).

The first swim practice is May 28. Swim meets are on Saturday mornings or nights during June and July. Swim meets will begin on June 1 and will continue until the Championship swim meet on July 13.

Marana Marlins may have a different fee and registration times. For more information regarding the Marana Marlins, contact Sara Bauer at 520-342-6401or maranamarlins@gmail.com.

For additional swim team information, please call (520) 877-6126 or (520) 877-6109 or visit http://www.pima.gov/nrpr/pools/swimteams.htm.

The Thad Terry swim team is offered through the YMCA. Please contact Thad Terry at 229-9006 for more information.

The Flowing Wells Neighborhood Association and Community Coalition (FWNACC) will celebrate 17 years of remarkable accomplishments on Thursday, October 18, 2012.

The festivities coincide with the FWNACC monthly general meeting at 6 p.m. at the Ellie Towne Flowing Wells Community Center, 1660 W. Ruthrauff Road. Dr. Nic Clement, Superintendent of the Flowing Wells School District, will be the featured speaker.

The community center is just one of the projects that have grown from the efforts of local residents who banded together in 1995 to address common concerns about the safety and quality of life in their neighborhood. The Ellie Towne Flowing Wells Community Center, named for the dynamic leader of the coalition, is also the home of a health center, and the Flowing Wells Branch Library is located across the street from the community center.

Both Flowing Wells District Park and Curtis Park were developed in partnership with Pima County Natural Resources, Parks and Recreation to provide sports opportunities and outdoor enjoyment to local residents.

Sharon Bronson, Pima County Supervisor for District 3, has been a strong ally of FWNACC and has supported their efforts to add valuable amenities to the community. Building close working relationships with other partners, including the Flowing Wells Unified School District, social service agencies, faith-based entities, and the local government, has resulted in over $75 million in goods and services for the people that FWNACC serves.

The FWNACC has worked hard for over 17 years to make a real difference in the quality of life of its residents. You and a neighbor are welcome to join them for complimentary food and beverages as they celebrate the results of their efforts.

For more information about the Ellie Towne Flowing Wells Community Center and other County community centers, please visit http://www.pima.gov/nrpr/centers/index.htm.

Keep up with Pima County on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pimacountyarizona.

Pima County Supervisor Sharon Bronson, District 3, and Pima County Public Library Director Melinda Cervantes will join Amado residents of all ages in celebrating the Grand Opening of the Amado Youth Center, 28802 S. Old Nogales Highway, on Saturday, June 9, at 10 a.m.

Supervisor Bronson persuaded the Board of Supervisors to allocate $10,000 to Compass Behavioral Health Care Inc. in January to work with Amado residents and friends to renovate an empty storefront where it could provide more than 250 Amado-area youth with educational, recreational and leadership services.

“I am extremely happy to assist in bringing this new center and youth services to this important and historic area of Pima County,” Supervisor Bronson said. “It is important that the County provide infrastructure and services in the rural areas as well as in the center. This is a small but important contribution and I wish them great success.”

Compass has been working with the Amado community to form a Community Prevention Coalition to prevent underage drinking and substance abuse and use among youth.  The Coalition has been able to start an Amado Youth Alliance and has obtained the support of the Amado Business Association, two area churches and the Green Valley Chamber of Commerce.

But until the Youth Center was created, young people in Amado lacked a place to go after school to meet, have fun and learn.

As two young volunteers helping with the renovation say in a video about the Youth Center on the Amado Business Association website (http://www.amadoaz.com/news), there’s “nothing to do” in Amado and “it’s really boring.”

Pima County Public Library donated eight previously used computers and a collection of books to the center.  “This teen center is critical to the Amado area as it is an underserved community and can benefit greatly from the opportunity for teens to gain 21^st century learning skills,” said Library Services Manager Amber Mathewson, who will be attending the Grand Opening with Cervantes and Deputy Director Pat Corella.

The Pima County Community Development & Neighborhood Conservation Department is overseeing Compass’ use of Pima County funds.