City declares “Stage 1” of its Drought Management Plan; activates Drought Management Team. The United States Bureau of Reclamation declared a Colorado River “Tier 1 shortage.” In response, Scottsdale City Manager Jim Thompson is implementing “Stage 1” of Scottsdale’s Drought Management Plan. This activates a team of city leaders to initiate increased water education, conservation and outreach efforts.
This first-ever declaration means a water supply shortage for most of Arizona in 2022. But not in Scottsdale. Thanks to our advanced planning and infrastructure investments, Scottsdale residents and businesses will not see a change. Scottsdale Water will continue to deliver water without interruptions because of our diverse water resources portfolio including: Salt and Verde rivers, groundwater and reclaimed water. Scottsdale’s rights to the Colorado River also will be largely untouched by the Tier 1 shortage declaration with only an estimated 3 percent reduction.
Residents and businesses will not be mandated to reduce water use in Tier 1. However, we are asking everyone to voluntarily increase water conservation efforts, which will help to secure the city’s future water supply.
Get city water conservation tips and take advantage of Scottsdale’s latest technology, WaterSmart, which allows customers to monitor and assess their water usage. Learn more.
ADOT warns of weekend freeway closures that affect drivers in Scottsdale. Westbound Loop 101 will be closed from Pima to Scottsdale roads from 10 p.m. Friday, Aug. 20, to 5 a.m. Monday, Aug. 23. The closure includes all westbound ramps. Detour on Pinnacle Peak Road or Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard. Traffic can re-enter eastbound Loop 101 at Scottsdale Road. This closure is rescheduled from last week.
The Arizona Department of Transportation is widening and improving Loop 101 from Interstate 17 in Phoenix to Pima Road in Scottsdale. To learn more about the project and upcoming traffic restrictions, visit ADOT’s project webpage, where you can also subscribe to project alerts. Real-time highway conditions are available on ADOT’s Arizona Traveler Information site at az511.gov, by calling 511 and through ADOT’s Twitter feed @ArizonaDOT.
Lois Roma-Deeley is Scottsdale’s new poet laureate. Poet, editor and educator Lois Roma-Deeley has been selected as the city’s next poet laureate. She is the founding director of the Women Writers Workshop at Arizona State University, serves as associate editor of Presence, an international poetry journal, and is an emeritus professor at Paradise Valley Community College.
As Scottsdale’s poet laureate, she will serve as an ambassador of Scottsdale’s vibrant literary culture and will enhance the profile of poetry, poets and literary arts to the entire community through workshops, performances and advocacy. Roma-Deeley began her appointment on Aug. 6, taking over from Scottsdale’s first poet laureate, Bob Frost (2010-2021). She will serve her term until Dec. 24, 2024. Her selection comes with a $1,500 annual honorarium. Read more.
Podsdale’s latest episode lets you recharge with Rocket. Host Holly Walter took a trip to Chaparral High School to visit Scottsdale Police School Resource Officer Devon Lines and his K9 partner, Rocket. The 2-year-old Golden Retriever is the first police K9 assigned to a school resource officer in Maricopa County. Learn how this dynamic duo works to calm high stress situations, provide comfort on campus and bridge communication gaps with students. Listen now.
Watch Scottsdale’s Fast Five video. Scottsdale 360, the city's virtual learning series, wrapped up Aug. 19 with an overview of Community Services; job seekers were invited to come dressed to impress to Marriot Hotels' hiring event at Vista del Camino; and Scottsdale said farewell to Captain Ken Farrell, a 40-year fire veteran. Watch Fast Five.
City improvements temporarily affect residents:
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Horizon Park pickleball courts will be resurfaced to prevent future cracking. Additionally, the park is getting two extra pickleball courts, bringing the total to 10. Pickleball play is available at Cholla and Thompson Peak parks. Learn more.
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McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park’s Scottsdale Charros Carousel will be closed for maintenance Tuesday, Aug. 24, and Wednesday, Aug. 25. Guests can still enjoy train rides, sweet treats in Hartley’s General Store and a stroll through the model railroad building. Learn more.
Scottsdale Public Library sees increase in electronic circulation. Many patrons this past year turned to online library services due to the impact of COVID-19. The library saw a 10 percent increase in electronic circulation compared to the previous fiscal year with nearly 900,000 checkouts. Digital checkouts accounted for 46 percent of library checkouts and remote usage overall, which includes online and telephone reference and digital circulation. Database use increased by 12 percent over the previous year. Learn more about the Scottsdale Library.
Attend these new exhibitions at Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA).
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Mimi O Chun - It’s All Cake, Sept. 4-Jan. 23, 2022: New York-based artist and designer Mimi O Chun’s presents new works made during the COVID-19 pandemic, adding yet another layer to her practice of social and political commentary in the form of sculpture.
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Forever Becoming - Sept. 11-Jan. 23, 2022: Young Phoenix Artists presents new work by artists younger than or near the age of 30. This exhibition presents various artforms that address topics including marginalized communities, social justice and environmental degradation.
Learn more about SMoCA.
City Council and other meetings are open to the public at reduced capacity. To provide physical distance between meeting participants, audience size for meetings in the City Hall Kiva is limited; seats will be available on a first come, first served basis. City Council will meet twice next week: Tuesday, Aug. 24, and Thursday, Aug. 26. View agendas.
Learn about traffic restrictions in and around Scottsdale. Get the list.
