City of Phoenix officials expressed interest in an idea for establishing $4,500 water fountains at each bus stop and public park. There are 4,038 bus stops within city boundaries according to city data, meaning the low estimated cost for such a project would amount to nearly $18.2 million.
The water fountains would be made with a polycarbonate shell, the same material used for bulletproof glass, and thermoelectric plates to serve as a water coolant system.
Each fountain would come with a motion sensor-activated dispenser sanitized by UV light; a ring of misters around the canopy, with a filter and pump; sprinklers activated by a security camera to reduce vandalism; motion-activated light for nighttime; solar panels; run-off water drains; a concrete bench; an inverter with a battery and condenser; a cold water tank; and a local artist mosaic installation.
The idea was accepted by the Phoenix Office of Innovation during a public challenge hosted earlier this month. 27 participants were divided into five teams to come up with a plan for providing chilled drinking water in public places.
As thanks for the idea, the city awarded the winning group $700 each — $3,500 total. The city also gave the second-place team a total of $1,500.
The first public challenge from @PHXInnovate brought in bright new ideas to deliver free, cool water to residents. Thank you to everyone who participated! https://t.co/esbhQCNJ1f
Chief Innovation Officer Michael Hammett said that the contest outcomes didn’t mean the city would definitely employ the winning idea, but didn’t dismiss the possibility outright.
One aspect that appeared to be missing from the city’s conversation on establishing more public water fountains was the water usage and potential waste. Arizona is experiencing a water crisis currently. One of the state’s primary water supplies, the Colorado River, sits in a Tier One drought status. The Department of the Interior cut back Arizona’s water usage further for this year.
As part of conservation efforts, the city of Phoenix is considering cuts to residents’ water allowance.
As one of only two mayors in the U.S. delegation at the @UN Water Conference this week, I've been proud to share the innovative work we’ve been doing in Phoenix to conserve and secure our water supply. pic.twitter.com/EHiyZ3ZHXo
The city has also looked to alternative water resources to combat water usage limitations; the city finished installation of the Drought Pipeline Project in December.
Today we celebrated the final pipe installation in the Drought Pipeline Project! This project bolsters water security for our North Phoenix residents by reducing dependence on Colorado River supplies. Read more about the project here: https://t.co/NmS1LfuInlpic.twitter.com/Vh9YjjJie1
Gallego and the city council are also planning the development of a water purification plant to recycle around 60 billion gallons of water a day. Arizona residents use an average of 146 gallons of water per day, per the Arizona Department of Water Resources.
Securing our water supply is going to take a team effort. That’s why I’m grateful to have local and federal partners including those I joined today to announce how resources are being put to use to improve infrastructure and conserve water. pic.twitter.com/sHDsyQW9JQ
At the state level, Arizona’s legislative leadership formed the Joint Legislative Study Committee on Water Security last week. The goal of the committee is to come up with more solutions on improving the state’s water security.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego is urging the Biden administration to declare Arizona’s heat a federal emergency in an effort to unlock more federal funding and resources.
Gallego disclosed this effort during her city of the state address on Wednesday, “The Future of Phoenix.” Gallego called on the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to include “extreme heat” into its national emergency declarations categorization, which would qualify Arizona summers as a disaster.
“We need to meet the moment to support our most vulnerable. We need national action,” said Gallego. “I’m calling on FEMA to revise their declared disasters list to include extreme heat. Resources from pop-up shelters, to additional outreach to our vulnerable residents could help us successfully navigate unforgiving summers.”
If Phoenix is successful in its petition, federal assistance would likely come through something like a funding pathway established by the Disaster Recovery Reform Act of 2018. That measure allowed six percent of federal disaster grants’ annual aggregate amount to go to pre-disaster hazard mitigation.
Phoenix has already rolled out projects designed to mitigate heat-related illnesses and deaths, such as “cool corridors,” areas with manufactured shade and drinking water access,” and “cool pavement,” which reflects rather than absorbs sunlight to keep the ground and air cool.
Gallego also urged state lawmakers to support Proposition 400, a county regional transportation tax to expand infrastructure. Gallego also urged voter approval of a general obligation bond: $500 million for public developments like parks and fire stations. Gallego said that the bond funding would allow the establishment of semiconductor and medical device development centers.
Gallego explained that the city’s main focuses included water conservation and restoration; federal funding to support infrastructure development, specifically public transit expansion; and investment into semiconductor facilities.
Gallego insisted that the city was handling the homeless crisis well, despite what the Maricopa County Superior Court said in a preliminary injunction handed down last month.
The mayor insisted that homelessness isn’t unique to Phoenix, but that Phoenix is unique in that it has a better approach for managing its homeless. Gallego talked at length about the city’s affordable housing initiatives, a focal point of their “housing first” approach that, in part, earned them the unfavorable court ruling last month.
“Homelessness is not unique to Phoenix,” said Gallego. “What is unique to Phoenix is that our city is putting every solution on the table to lift people out of homelessness.”
Gallego said it was her desire to create a city where her son would choose to live as an adult.
“Raising a six-year-old and running a city have more in common than you might expect,” said Gallego.
Welcome to #PHXSOTC23! Today’s theme is the #FutureIsPHX…because it’s true! During my speech, I’ll share updates on climate action, housing, and how we are embracing technology to make progress. Follow along!
Common themes of Gallego’s address were sustainability and equity efforts.
Gallego said that Phoenix surpassed its “zero waste” goal when it hosted the Super Bowl earlier this year. Gallego highlighted technology advancements in travel, such as Apple Watch check-ins at Phoenix Sky Harbor airport and driverless electric cars roaming the downtown.
Gallego highlighted the city’s free tuition program, “Route to Relief,” similar to what later launched last September — both using American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding.
Gallego said that they would develop 50,000 affordable housing units, noting that they’ve already built or preserved 26,000 units. The mayor cited “critical, systemic inequities” as the root of housing issues. The city has also established a community land trust program with NewTown.
The mayor also cited their “eco-friendly” shipping containers turned into affordable housing. The city will also establish a housing complex of shipping container housing units. Gallego said that the city plans to issue 7,000 housing vouchers and managing over 5,000 housing units.
Phoenix also invested $10 million into mental health treatment for the underinsured and uninsured. In the first seven months of a newly launched pilot, behavioral health engagement teams to address the opioid crisis contacted 200 individuals and connected 57 individuals.
Gallego then said that stronger law enforcement and progressive ideals weren’t mutually exclusive.
“To those who say it is not possible: we can and will be both progressive and practical on policing,” said Gallego.
Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego: "It's possible to be both progressive and practical on policing." pic.twitter.com/2wECwoEbdG
A Christian university’s case against a Phoenix school district over alleged religious discrimination got a hearing on Tuesday.
Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), who filed the lawsuit on behalf of Arizona Christian University (ACU) against the Washington Elementary School District (WESD), spoke with AZ Free News after the hearing on a motion for a preliminary injunction in the Arizona District Court.
ADF lawyer Jake Reed said they felt confident in their legal arguments and that the judge that heard the case, Steven Logan, was well-versed on the arguments ahead of Tuesday’s hearings. Reed said they’re hoping for a ruling within the next few weeks, considering ACU needs to place their student teachers for the upcoming year by the end of this semester.
“This is a pretty simple case about religious discrimination,” said Reed. “A public body is telling a university they can’t place their teachers because of their religious faith.”
WESD terminated its contract with ACU in February. Its governing board members cited ACU’s Christianity as a principal factor for their decision. Leading on the effort was board member Tamillia Valenzuela, who said that ACU’s Biblical perspective that traditional sexual morality and the standard of marriage between one man and one woman directly opposed her and other LGBTQ+ community members. Valenzuela received support from fellow board members Kyle Clayton and Nikki Gomez-Whaley.
“[W]hen I went and looked into not only [ACU’s] core values but then the statement of faith that they ask their students to sign and live by, what gave me pause was it’s not just teaching but it’s teaching as they say with a Biblical lens, with a proselytizing is embedded into how they teach, and you know, I just don’t believe that belongs in schools,” said Clayton. “I would never want, you know, my son to talk about his two dads and be shamed by a teacher who believed a certain way and is at a school that demands that they, you know, teach through [a] Biblical lens.”
Gomez-Whaley said she would be open to those who claimed to be Christians who were accepting of LGBTQ+ lifestyles.
“[E]ven though [ACU] may not do anything illegal where they are preaching or using Bible verses, I do believe that we owe it to especially all of our students when we’re working in equity but especially our LGBTQ students and staff who are under fire who are not protected, and who we have already pledged to support,” said Gomez-Whaley. “We cannot continue to align ourselves with organizations that starkly contrast our values and say that we legitimately care about diversity, equity, and inclusion and that we legitimately care about all of our families.”
Reed shared that in the 11 years of WESD and ACU’s relationship, there were well over 100 students placed as either student teachers or in teacher shadowing positions. Of those students, 17 went on to be hired by WESD.
When asked whether WESD could attempt religious discrimination in future contracting decisions under the guise of other reasons, Reed said that those incidents, if they were to occur, would have to be scrutinized.
“The government can’t treat certain people worse than everyone else. Students shouldn’t be denied opportunities because of their religious beliefs,” said Reed. “The government can’t pick and choose what beliefs they allow.”
WESD proposed to settle by extending a separate agreement with ACU for one more year — but not the agreement at issue.
Ahead of the hearing the judge denied an amicus brief filed last week by The Goldwater Institute, a public policy research and litigation organization. Logan stated in his order that the WESD didn’t consent to the brief and that the Goldwater Institute didn’t present relevant matters that hadn’t already or couldn’t be brought to the court by either party.
“The parties’ briefing on Plaintiff’s Motion for Preliminary Injunction is complete, thorough, and more than sufficient for this Court to make a ruling,” wrote Logan.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
The city of Phoenix is looking to expand its public transit system by adopting a new busing route that connects to light rail, a type referred to as “Bus Rapid Transit” (BRT). The city held a public meeting last Tuesday to discuss the proposed expansion. This would be the first BRT in Phoenix.
BRT is a busing system that incorporates the speed and capacity of light rail systems. The approved BRT system will span along 35th Avenue from Trail Inn Lodge/W. Van Buren Street, where it stems from Central Station and intersects the light rail system, to Cheryl Drive, where it runs up to Black Canyon Highway and intersects the light rail. There are 16 proposed BRT stations.
Your voice matters, and we want to hear from you! 🚌
Meet with the #PHX Bus Rapid Transit team to learn more about the future of #BRT: 📅March 28 🕔5:30 – 7:00 PM 📍Trinity United Methodist Church
Where regular busing systems carry about 60-80 passengers on freeways and use High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes during the morning and evening, mainly for commuters, with limited stops near the beginning and end of their route, BRT carries 100-150 passengers throughout the day on major roads with prioritized right-of-ways like bus lanes.
BRT is part of the city’s 2050 plan, approved in 2015. The city notes that exact costs for the BRT haven’t been determined yet.
The city will go forward with its plan to expand public transit options as ridership has faced an overall decline over the past five years. Ridership dropped from 2018 to 2021 before increasing slightly in 2022. According to available Valley Metro data, ridership for February 2022 was the exact same as ridership for January 2023 — indicating that ridership may not increase from last year’s totals.
From 2018 to 2019, ridership dropped by 2.4 million; from 2019 to 2020, ridership dropped by 11.85 million; from 2020 to 2021, ridership dropped by 25.19 million; and from 2021 to 2022, ridership recovered by 4.5 million.
BRT is generally customizable to the needs of each city, generally including these key elements: advanced fare collection through methods like mobile apps, smart cards, or ticket kiosks; road modifications to prioritize busing like queue jump lanes, bus-only lanes and corridors, turn restrictions, or extended green lights and shortened red lights; expansive bus stations with canopies, seating, travel information screens, and ticket vending machines; and customized buses with amenities like USB charging ports and space for bikes.
Over 160 cities globally have BRT systems. Major cities in the U.S. with BRT systems include Las Vegas, Nevada; Los Angeles, California; Cleveland, Ohio; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Kansas City, Missouri; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Seattle, Washington; Omaha, Nebraska; Provo-Orem, Utah; and Houston, Texas.
According to the Institute for Transportation & Development Policy (ITDP), none of those cities’ BRT systems ranked high for meeting the BRT Standard. The standard rates are based on best practices: safety, operations, design, right-of-way dedication, busway alignments, and onboard fare validation.
The Phoenix City Council first approved the BRT system in October 2021.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
On Thursday, Phoenix had the grand opening of a $12 million community center, days after a court ruled that it had refused to clean up the massive homeless encampment downtown.
Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego announced the 34,000-square-foot community center, noting that she’d been working on the project since her election in 2019. That was the same year that the homeless crisis began.
Funding for the community center came from the Parks and Preserve Initiative, which sets aside one cent of sales tax for every $10 spent to improve and renovate parks, as well as to expand and improve the city’s desert preserve system.
As AZ Free News reported in its investigative series on The Zone, the homeless crisis has a devastating impact on Phoenix’s ground and waterways.
The community center is located about eight miles south of the homeless encampment (The Zone). It has an elevated track, basketball court, kitchen, fitness center, gaming room, outdoor movie theater, art installation, and a sensory room.
I’ve been working to get the Cesar Chavez Community Center built since I was elected, and tomorrow is the grand opening! With a basketball court, outdoor theater and more, it’s guaranteed fun for the whole family.⁰⁰Come to the open house from 4 to 8 p.m. to see it for yourself! pic.twitter.com/dcQw2QayBZ
The city opened the community center a day before the holiday celebrating its namesake: the civil rights and union activist Cesar Chavez.
During the grand opening ceremony, Gallego called the community center a “showpiece” that represents city values. Gallego disclosed that the city had to jump through a lot of hoops to find the funding to finish the project.
“We put inclusivity at the forefront. This building really shows our values,” said Gallego. “[W]e really had to work as a team to find out how to fund this project. Most city projects have fairly simple funding resources, but this one was quite complex with bond funding, impact fees, [and] a little bit of federal funding.”
Funding this project wasn’t easy, but we never gave up — and now the Cesar Chavez Community Center in Laveen is finally open! Thank you to everyone who helped make it happen. pic.twitter.com/eI0RHHmE9H
The city held its groundbreaking for the community center in September 2020. That was eight months after the residents and business owners within The Zone, the massive homeless encampment downtown, presented a plan to mitigate the burgeoning homeless with outdoor shelter or camping spaces on city land. According to the Maricopa County Superior Court ruling, the city generally ignored their pleas and their plans.
The Maricopa County Superior Court ruled on Monday that the city of Phoenix was at fault for the homeless crisis, which began around 2019 after the city essentially stopped enforcing laws on the homeless.
The city initially projected the community center to be completed last spring or early summer. It’s the city’s first community center established since 2007.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
