Scottsdale Update - Oct. 10, 2022

Mayor proclaims today Indigenous Peoples Day in Scottsdale. The day celebrates and honors Native Americans and commemorates their histories and cultures. The city recognizes that Indigenous People are the original inhabitants of the Americas, living respectfully on this land and under the sky we now call Scottsdale. On Oct. 8, 2021, U.S. President Joe Biden became the first U.S. President to formally recognize the holiday by signing a presidential proclamation declaring October 11, 2021, to be a national holiday. It is celebrated across the United States on the second Monday in October. The Human Relations Commission members will read the proclamation at its meeting tonight (see details below under Public Meetings).

Apply to serve on the Protect and Preserve Scottsdale Task Force. Scottsdale is looking for nine residents to serve on a new task force designed to develop financial strategy recommendations to protect the city’s open spaces and quality of life. The task force will meet twice monthly beginning in 2023 and develop recommendations to the Scottsdale City Council through identifying and quantifying unfunded needs for the protection, preservation and perpetual maintenance of the city’s open spaces (e.g., Indian Bend Wash Greenbelt and McDowell Sonoran Preserve), public safety and other needs. Applicants must submit an online application by Thursday, Nov. 3. Current Scottsdale board or commission members are eligible for consideration and can serve concurrently. 

Find information about a property. Curious about the construction happening around the corner? Need to know what can or cannot be built on a nearby property? View this instructional video online for a customer service tool that allows you to immediately obtain property information 24/7. Get zoning information, access an interactive map, connect with the County Assessor and search for associated development cases, plan reviews and permits for a property. The app also allows you to request more custom information, such as site-specific setbacks, land uses and information regarding signage.

Investing In Our Scottsdale: Civic Center Library recently opened its newest community space, the SkyRoom. The area provides a large, active open area with state-of-the-art technology, an indoor-outdoor presence and a unique domed ceiling with mirror insert that makes the room feel open to the sky above. The city and a Fiesta Bowl grant provided funding. 

Find more public meetings.

THINGS TO DO

Scottsdale Public Art showcases, “Modern Latina: Cultura, Familia y Arte,” artworks that celebrate the resilience and creativity of Arizona’s Latina artists. The identities of these artists are illuminated through their cultural and familial ties — all embodied in the celebration of traditions and ancestral legacies. The opening reception begins at 10 a.m. Friday, Oct. 14, at the Scottsdale Public Library, 3839 N. Drinkwater Blvd. The exhibit runs through Dec. 31. Learn more.

Celebrate the dedication of the Bell94 Sports Complex operations building and DC Ranch Neighborhood Park from 5-7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 12, on the patio, just west of Field 12 (PDF). Events include music, kids’ activities, food trucks and a ceremonial first kick.

Bell94 Sports Complex features six full-sized multi-use sports fields along the Bell Road Corridor. Built to meet increased demand for lighted sports fields, the complex also increases Scottsdale’s ability to host larger tournaments and increase revenue, and provides temporary parking for major special events.

The complex also includes restrooms, a plaza, covered ramada, a walking path and a maintenance facility. The fields will be watered from an irrigation lake north of the facility at DC Ranch Neighborhood Park. The lake holds reclaimed water from the nearby water treatment plant. You’ll also can view Scottsdale Public Art’s installations: Right Angle Variations and Mesquite Bosque. 

DC Ranch Neighborhood Park features a non-reservable ramada and picnic tables and will soon have a ‘Library to Go’ where visitors can take and leave books to enjoy. It also features a Scottsdale Public Art installation, Mountains and Rainbows.

The projects were funded through the voter approved 2019 bond election.

Senior center celebrates Oktoberfest. Join the fun from 11 a.m-1 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 18, at the Via Linda Senior Center, 10440 E Via Linda. The event includes brats and root beer. Cost is $7 for residents; $10 for others. Space is limited. Registration is required.

October's Civil War Roundtable features Ethan Rafuse, “Little Mac’s Grand Campaign: The Struggle on the Peninsula and Its Enduring Significance.” Rafuse had been a professor of military history for almost two decades at the Army Command and General Staff College in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. This lecture is based on his book McClellan's War: The Failure of Moderation in the Struggle for the Union published in 2005. Rafuse is a highly regarded scholar who has appeared on C-SPAN, led battlefield tour groups and worked as an interpretive ranger for the National Park Service at Manassas National Battlefield and the Harry S. Truman National Historic Site. The Scottsdale Civil War Roundtable meets Tuesday, Oct. 18, at Scottsdale Civic Center Library, 3839 N. Drinkwater Blvd. The lecture starts at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 18; doors open at 4 p.m. for book sales and a speaker meet and greet.  The program is also available via Zoom. Watch older presentations. Learn more. 

“Hold on to Hope,” a new exhibition spotlighting the life of local Holocaust survivor Oskar Knoblauch, opens Oct. 21. You'll go on a visual journey through Knoblauch’s harrowing experiences as he and his family struggled to survive the brutality of the Third Reich in Germany and Nazi-occupied Poland. As you walk through the gallery, photos, Knoblauch’s personal anecdotes and period objects will illustrate key events, people and places. 

The exhibition will remain on display through Jan. 22, 2023, in the Center Space gallery at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, 7380 E. 2nd St. Learn more about the exhibit. 

PROGRAMS AND SERVICES

Neighborhood College registration is open for fall series. We offer three tracks: HOA, Good Neighbor and History. Register for one, some or all! Some presentations are offered in-person and online. Get class descriptions and other details. 

Adopt-a-Road program is back; register your event. Save the date for the next citywide cleanup Saturday, Oct. 22, in conjunction with National Make a Difference Day. If you can't clean Oct. 22, you can clean the week before or after and you'll still receive credit. We will supply registered groups with trash bags, cotton gloves and safety vests between Get more information. 

Kindergartners invited to “Design a Library Card.” One winning design will be chosen as a limited-edition library card design. Entries must be received no later than 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 14, and can be dropped off at any Scottsdale Public Library branch or emailed digitally to [email protected]. 

FYI

Northbound Loop 101 Pima Freeway off-ramp at Frank Lloyd Wright closed daily through Oct. 14. The Arizona Department of Transportation is closing the northbound Loop 101 off-ramp at Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard between 9 a.m.-3 p.m. through Friday, Oct. 14, for concrete barrier work. Expect lane restrictions on the northbound Loop 101 frontage road from Raintree Drive to Pima Road. Drivers can exit ahead of the closure or continue northbound on the Loop 101 to the off-ramp to Pima Road/Princess Drive.  

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 8, but several important voter deadlines – including the last day to register to vote – are right around the corner. Unlike Scottsdale’s November 2021 Special Election, this is not an election by mail only – in-person voting and vote by mail options are available.

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