HEADLINE NEWS
Investing in Our Scottsdale: Turf conversion project is underway at Horizon Park. In support of the city’s water conservation efforts, the Parks and Recreation Department has begun work on three retention areas (27,000 square feet) near the park’s ball fields. Existing sod will be removed and replaced with xeriscape, a combination of granite and drought-tolerant desert plants and trees. Water savings is estimated to be 695,000 gallons annually. Irrigation technology improvements, recent rain events and Horizon’s turf conversion project have helped push the department near an overall water reduction of 25% below Arizona Department of Water Resources guidelines.
Learn about the 2022 Scottsdale Employee Awards winners. Creating a program for local high school students to learn about court interpreting. Improving safety for our Solid Waste Department workers. Tackling lifeguard recruitment challenges with innovative incentives. These are just some of the ways employees made Scottsdale even better this year. The winners were among 185 nominated in several categories. Read more about the winners.
The Maricopa County COVID-19 Community Level is high. The dashboard shows levels for the county, as well as those within the county by ZIP code, city and school district. Use the community level for all of Maricopa County when making decisions about what steps to take to protect yourself against COVID-19. The three metrics that determine the COVID-19 community levels (low, medium or high) are:
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Seven-day COVID-19 case rate: total new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 persons in the past seven days
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New COVID-19 hospital admissions per 100,000 persons in the past seven days
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Percent of staffed inpatient hospital beds occupied by people with COVID-19
The Centers for Disease Control and Preventions suggest these tips when community level is high:
The triple threat of COVID-19, the flu and RSV is keeping medical professionals busy. Protect yourself and your loved ones from getting seriously ill by:
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Getting vaccinated. Safely get the COVID-19 booster and flu shot together.
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Practicing good hygiene. Wash your hands and cover your mouth when you cough.
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Staying home when you are sick. Spread cheer not sickness!
Get a head start learning about city issues, projects and activities by attending or listening in on the many public meetings we host. Here’s what’s coming up:
Monthlong holiday celebration Scottsdazzle continues through December in Old Town Scottsdale. Attend new events and old favorites! Get all the dazzling details.
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Holiday Hooves & Howls: Reserve a spot to meet the four-legged friends that help our Scottsdale police officers. Say “hay!” to our mounted unit horses. Shake paws with the crisis response canines and learn how these furry heroes assist victims of a traumatic event. 3-4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 17; and 1-2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 18; Noriega Livery Stable, 3806 N. Brown Ave. Free.
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The Dazzle of Historic Old Town: Guests are invited to go back in time to discover the dazzling history of Old Town Scottsdale. Following the presentation, attendees will take a short walking tour to explore historic locations including the Noriega Livery Stable, Scottsdale Rodeo Museum, Cavalliere’s Blacksmith Shop, the Old Adobe Mission and Los Olivos. 9-10:15 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 17; and 9:30-10:45 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 18; Noriega Livery Stable, 3806 N. Brown Ave. $5 per person.
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Live Nativity at the Old Adobe Mission: The Old Adobe Mission pays homage to the birth of Christ with a live nativity scene featuring real performers and animals reenacting the holy manger scene. 4-8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 17, 3817 N. Brown Ave. Free.
Attend the Scottsdale Concert Band’s annual Holiday Pops program. The free concert starts at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 16, in the Scottsdale Community College Performing Arts Center, 9000 E. Chaparral Road. Instead of its usual formal wear, band members will be wearing their “ugly Christmas sweaters.” The Scottsdale Concert Band is an award-winning community band established in 1977, and it is the SCC’s longest standing ensemble. It performs a diverse repertoire ranging from timeless Big Band favorites, contemporary wind music and rousing patriotic tunes.
Help us serve up some holiday cheer at the Ugly Sweater Tennis Social. Scottsdale Ranch Park and Tennis Center hosts this “love”ly event noon-3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 17. Don your ugliest holiday sweater and join staff for mixed doubles tennis play. Register as a team or by yourself. Cost is $10 per player.
Register for the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Dinner Celebration. This year’s keynote speaker is Dr. Benjamin Chavis, CEO and president of the National Newspaper Publishers Association and the president of Education Online Services Corporation. The event begins at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 12, at the Scottsdale Stadium’s Fieldhouse, 7408 E. Osborn Road. Get details.
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Holiday Lights through Dec. 30, at McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park: Hop on board the Paradise & Pacific Railroad and experience a winter wonderland of holiday lights and displays.
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Scottsdale ArtWalk: Scottsdale is home to more than 100 galleries, dedicated to exhibiting the finest visual art from around the world and locally. Stroll at your own pace. 7-9 p.m. Thursdays. Specialty-themed Gold Palette ArtWalks are held 6:30-9 p.m. about once a month.
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Old Town Scottsdale Farmers Market: The market features more than 100 local growers and specialty food producers. It runs 8 a.m.-1 p.m. every Saturday through June at 3806 N. Brown Ave.
Maricopa County offers vouchers for “Propane Fire Pit Program.” In Maricopa County, a combination of wood-burning and stagnant weather conditions can create poor air quality during the winter. Using a propane fire pit rather than wood-burning pits and fireplaces can reduce air pollution caused by smoke. The county is offering a $75 voucher toward the purchase of a propane fire pit. Learn more.
December’s Civil War Roundtable features Jeffrey William Hunt discussing “Mead and Lee After Gettysburg; Climax of the Gettysburg Campaign.” Contrary to popular belief, the Gettysburg Campaign did not end at the banks of the Potomac July 14, but deep in central Virginia two weeks later along the line of the Rappahannock.
The Scottsdale Civil War Roundtable meets Tuesday, Dec. 13, at Scottsdale Civic Center Library, 3839 N. Drinkwater Blvd. The lecture starts at 5 p.m.; doors open at 4 p.m. for book sales and speaker meet and greet. You can also join virtually: Meeting ID: 857 7666 6048, Passcode: 374195
Break down shipping boxes before recycling. The surge in online shopping has produced an increase in shipping boxes in our waste stream referred to as the “Amazon Effect,” which is especially prevalent during the holidays. Do your part to properly recycle cardboard boxes. Break down your boxes before throwing them in your recycling bin. Be sure to remove shipping labels and packing tape. Moving, food and shipping boxes, and envelopes and folders can all be recycled if they are clean, dry and free of plastic packaging materials. Greasy pizza boxes are not recyclable and must go in your trash can. Get more recycling information.
Follow these winter holiday safety tips. More than one-third of home decoration fires are started by candles. And more than two of every five decoration fires happen because decorations are placed too close to a heat source. Following a few simple tips (pdf) will help you have a happy and fire-safe holiday season.
Deadline extended to Dec. 30: City seeks one appointee to serve simultaneously on both the Scottsdale Municipal Property Corporation and Scottsdale Preserve Authority Board of Directors. The successful applicant will be a voting member of the Municipal Property Corporation and Scottsdale Preserve Authority boards. He/she will assist the city in evaluating opportunities for bonds to be issued by the corporations. The person selected also will advise on refinancing long-term debt. Bonds fund various city projects. Link to more information and the application (pdf). Scroll to page 3 to fill out the application.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is hosting town halls for veterans and families during “PACT Act Week of Action.” If you were exposed to toxic substances while serving in the military, a new law called the PACT Act may make you eligible for VA benefits and health care. The PACT Act will benefit millions of veterans of the Vietnam War, Gulf War and post-9/11 eras who were exposed to toxic fumes, burn pits, Agent Orange, radiation and other environmental hazards. Survivors of toxic-exposed-veterans—and veterans who served in specific countries in Africa, the Middle East and Southwest Asia—are also potentially eligible.
The Arizona town hall runs 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 17, at the Phoenix 32nd Street VA Clinic, 400 N. 32nd St. Veterans can get help enrolling in VA health care or applying for VA benefits. Bring paperwork such as your DD214 or other military paperwork. If you can’t make it, visit VA.gov/PACT or call 1-800-MYVA411 to learn more about the PACT Act.
