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Those in attendance

Andrew (Board member at large), Matt (Treasurer), Jonathan (Secretary), Tim Reese (TPD – The District), Lt. Belinda Morales (TPD- Sector 8), Dereka (Board member at large), Kelly (Co-Chair), Elvira (Pima County – District 5), Al (Board member at large), Andy, Jan, Diana (Ward 6), Lee, Erika, Jennie

Police Report 

Lt. Morales reported that Sector 8, which includes Iron Horse Neighborhood, saw 20 incidents last month, which is down about 20% from February of last year.  These incidences ranged from disorderly conduct to stolen vehicles and did not include anything unusual.  

Lt. Morales and Lt. Reese also described the current staffing shortage that TPD is facing.  Due to staffing shortages, the chief of Tucson Police is considering limiting the calls that TPD responds to (as of right now, they said they are still responding to all calls).  

The calls that TPD will likely not respond to in the near future include:

*contraband at schools and hospitals [but will respond to reports of firearms]

*deaths at medical facilities

*non-criminal homeless calls on public property [they are trying to arrange to send mental health officers instead]

*loud noise, music complaints 

*medical check welfares [these calls would be dealt with by firemen and emts without police first]

*uncooperative hospital patients

*noncriminal transport

In the longer term, TPD is considering stopping to respond to the following calls: 

*code enforcement (trespassers in private property)

*civil matters (landlord vs. tenant disputes)

*suicide calls [hopefully mental health experts would respond to these]

*abandoned lines

Andy asked about situations in which a lower level complaint (e.g., noise complaints) is tied in with concerns that are more dangerous.  Lt. Morales responded that you can always reach out to her if you have any safety or significant concerns.  

Lee asked who would respond to noise complaints.  The police reported that they will still have a red tag unit that would be able to respond to big parties.  Further, if the red tag unit is busy, they advised that neighbors could take a picture or a video as evidence, in case the red tag unit follows up on the complaint when they have time.  If there are big gatherings of UofA students, you can contact UofA and they can reprimand those students.  The police advised that students sometimes respond more strongly to repercussions from UofA than police.  The UofA Neighborhood Response team can be reached at  520-282-3649.  The police also reported that noise restrictions are in place all hours of the day (they are not just after 10 PM).

Andrew asked whether the police have any plans of dealing with growing permanent encampments of homeless people along Aviation Parkway.  The police responded that they have a Homeless Outreach Team that offers resources to homeless people, but homeless populations are not required to accept those resources.  Additional neighbors expressed concerns about several instances of gun shots which likely originated south of the snake bridge.  The police requested consistent and clear communication about ongoing issues in the neighborhood.  Lt. Reese stated that homeless populations are one of the toughest situations that the city is facing.  

To reach the police, you can email them at:

[email protected] [big parties]

[email protected] [Sector 8, Iron Horse Neighborhood]

[email protected] [entertainment district, 4th Avenue]

Minutes from February

Erika requested that the minutes mention how the bylaws require a yearly audit of finances from 2 neighbors who are not on the board.  Erika and Jan volunteered to help with the audit.  The mention was added to the minutes.

Dereka moved to approve the minutes from February.  Andrew seconded the motion and the neighbors approved the minutes unanimously.

Dog Poop Stations

Diana reported that there is no official process to get approvals to put up dog stations, as long as they do not obstruct vehicular visibility.  Al suggested that 3 dog bag stations exist along 10th street and they can be stuffed with used grocery bags.  Neighbors expressed interest in increased signage along 10th and throughout the neighborhood.  Andy reported that the PVC versions of the dog poop stations are used at Miles Elementary on Broadway.   

Annual Liability Insurance

Matt reported that our annual liability insurance payment is due next week.  He stated that it covers the street fair and anything that may happen at Todd’s.  It costs $730 for annual coverage.  Matt made a motion to renew the liability insurance for one more year.  Lee seconded the motion.  Neighbors approved the motion unanimously.  

Chicanes Updates (planting and maintenance)

Andrew reported that neighbors and Tucson Clean and Beautiful planted 85 plants in the chicanes along 9th Street in less than 2 hours on Sunday morning.  In addition to the rain over the weekend, the chicanes have already been watered once.  Andrew reported that watering will cost $75 per instance.  The neighborhood already allocated $800 over the next four months for watering.  Andrew suggested increasing watering more frequently during the summer months.  Neighbors agreed with watering more heavily during the hotter months.  

Andrew also indicated that the city may have additional grants for the chicanes as the city works out more details for rainwater harvesting programs.  

E-Scooters

Al provided information about the E-Scooters from Steve K.  Steve added 3 pieces to the motion to continue the E-scooter program.  The first requires that the E-scooter providers place 250 in each of the Opportunity Zones.  Second, Steve K advocated for citing the E-scooter companies for violations.  Finally, in the Request for Proposals for continued E-scooters, companies will need to include technology that detects when they are being ridden on cement, so that riders are not allowed to ride on the sidewalks.  The E-scooter program will continue for 6 months as the new proposals for E-scooters are submitted.

Andy suggested that these changes are a small step in the right direction. 

Traffic Circle Updates

Al reported that the installation of the traffic circle at 9th St and 3rd Ave is currently at a standstill.  The city is waiting on the county to approve the traffic circle installation because there is a manhole in the center of the intersection.  Once the traffic circle is approved, Al will work with Kelly, Lee, and Todd to put together more specific plans.  

City Climate Change Survey

Dereka reported that the city is doing a climate change survey.  She advocated that neighbors report their climate change priorities at: opentownhall.com/portals/310/Issue_10299 {English version} or opentownhall.com/portals/310/Issue_10300 {Spanish version}.

The city is also doing a series of town halls, which Dereka reported are worth attending.  You can find out more by subscribing to the mayor’s newsletter at:  tucsonaz.gov/mayor

Upcoming workshops include:

Community Safety Town Hall, Saturday, March 27 @ 10:30 AM

Resilient Recovery Town Hall, Thursday, April 8th @ 5:30 PM

5G Cell Phone Towers

Dereka suggested that you can get an 5G protest yard sign by contacting [email protected].  They are requesting a $3 donation per sign.  

Garden

Erika reported that the garden seminar was well attended and attracted a couple of new faces.  There are currently 2 plots available and Erika recommended that this is a good time to start gardening.  Al will post a sign in the bulletin board advertising the garden.  A link with the full seminar is available until the end of the month; contact Erika if interested in viewing it.

Trash Pick-ups

Matt advocated for organizing a monthly trash pick-up in the neighborhood.  If we focused trash pick-ups on the park for 6 months, we would be able to officially adopt the park.  Erika suggested that we designate block captains to keep their own blocks clean.  Kelly advocated for cleaning up 3rd Avenue by Tucson High because it always has a trash problem and said that one big neighborhood cleanup would not be consistent enough to keep that area clean.  Al suggested that Tucson High has worked with us during previous clean-ups and that they could maybe take some responsibility for the trash problems.  Others suggested that FAMA could take some responsibility because the trash comes from patrons of 4th Avenue.  

Diana suggested that the city can get us a dumpster if we organize a big neighborhood clean-up.

Ward 6 

Diana reported that there have been increased reports of drag racing downtown, so TPD has been on the lookout for that. 

Diana also reported that Park Tucson is planning to start to charge for parking along 3rd Avenue.  She invited neighborhood representatives to take part in parking meetings for that area. 

Pima County

Elvira provided COVID Updates for the county.  Arizona’s DHS is opening up new covid vaccination appointments on Fridays at 11 AM.  District 5 of the county can help figure out registrations.  You can contact them through email at [email protected] or by phone at 520-221-0119.  Elvira reported that 72% of people over 70 years old in the county have been vaccinated.  Jennie said that she would be happy to provide vaccination updates

Committee Updates

Downtown Links:  Erika reported that there was meeting about Downtown Links that HFAC attended.  She expressed concerns that WUNA and IHNA were not notified.  Diana reported that HFAC specifically requested the meeting, which is why neighborhoods were not invited.  Diana reported that she would invite us to future links meetings.  Lee said he would try to attend. 

DNARC:  Andy reported that the Downtown Neighbors and Residents Council Meeting included nothing of significance.   

HFAC:  Erika reported that the only major news from the Historic Fourth Avenue Coalition was that businesses have concerns about Downtown Links.

Iron Horse Neighborhood Association Monthly meeting

3/18/2021

Those in attendance

Andrew (Board member at large), Matt (Treasurer), Jonathan (Secretary), Tim Reese (TPD – The District), Lt. Belinda Morales (TPD- Sector 8), Dereka (Board member at large), Kelly (Co-Chair), Elvira (Pima County – District 5), Al (Board member at large), Andy, Jan, Diana (Ward 6), Lee, Erika, Jennie

Police Report 

Lt. Morales reported that Sector 8, which includes Iron Horse Neighborhood, saw 20 incidents last month, which is down about 20% from February of last year.  These incidences ranged from disorderly conduct to stolen vehicles and did not include anything unusual.  

Lt. Morales and Lt. Reese also described the current staffing shortage that TPD is facing.  Due to staffing shortages, the chief of Tucson Police is considering limiting the calls that TPD responds to (as of right now, they said they are still responding to all calls).  

The calls that TPD will likely not respond to in the near future include:

*contraband at schools and hospitals [but will respond to reports of firearms]

*deaths at medical facilities

*non-criminal homeless calls on public property [they are trying to arrange to send mental health officers instead]

*loud noise, music complaints 

*medical check welfares [these calls would be dealt with by firemen and emts without police first]

*uncooperative hospital patients

*noncriminal transport

In the longer term, TPD is considering stopping to respond to the following calls: 

*code enforcement (trespassers in private property)

*civil matters (landlord vs. tenant disputes)

*suicide calls [hopefully mental health experts would respond to these]

*abandoned lines

Andy asked about situations in which a lower level complaint (e.g., noise complaints) is tied in with concerns that are more dangerous.  Lt. Morales responded that you can always reach out to her if you have any safety or significant concerns.  

Lee asked who would respond to noise complaints.  The police reported that they will still have a red tag unit that would be able to respond to big parties.  Further, if the red tag unit is busy, they advised that neighbors could take a picture or a video as evidence, in case the red tag unit follows up on the complaint when they have time.  If there are big gatherings of UofA students, you can contact UofA and they can reprimand those students.  The police advised that students sometimes respond more strongly to repercussions from UofA than police.  The UofA Neighborhood Response team can be reached at  520-282-3649.  The police also reported that noise restrictions are in place all hours of the day (they are not just after 10 PM).

Andrew asked whether the police have any plans of dealing with growing permanent encampments of homeless people along Aviation Parkway.  The police responded that they have a Homeless Outreach Team that offers resources to homeless people, but homeless populations are not required to accept those resources.  Additional neighbors expressed concerns about several instances of gun shots which likely originated south of the snake bridge.  The police requested consistent and clear communication about ongoing issues in the neighborhood.  Lt. Reese stated that homeless populations are one of the toughest situations that the city is facing.  

To reach the police, you can email them at:

[email protected] [big parties]

[email protected] [Sector 8, Iron Horse Neighborhood]

[email protected] [entertainment district, 4th Avenue]

Minutes from February

Erika requested that the minutes mention how the bylaws require a yearly audit of finances from 2 neighbors who are not on the board.  Erika and Jan volunteered to help with the audit.  The mention was added to the minutes.

Dereka moved to approve the minutes from February.  Andrew seconded the motion and the neighbors approved the minutes unanimously.

Dog Poop Stations

Diana reported that there is no official process to get approvals to put up dog stations, as long as they do not obstruct vehicular visibility.  Al suggested that 3 dog bag stations exist along 10th street and they can be stuffed with used grocery bags.  Neighbors expressed interest in increased signage along 10th and throughout the neighborhood.  Andy reported that the PVC versions of the dog poop stations are used at Miles Elementary on Broadway.   

Annual Liability Insurance

Matt reported that our annual liability insurance payment is due next week.  He stated that it covers the street fair and anything that may happen at Todd’s.  It costs $730 for annual coverage.  Matt made a motion to renew the liability insurance for one more year.  Lee seconded the motion.  Neighbors approved the motion unanimously.  

Chicanes Updates (planting and maintenance)

Andrew reported that neighbors and Tucson Clean and Beautiful planted 85 plants in the chicanes along 9th Street in less than 2 hours on Sunday morning.  In addition to the rain over the weekend, the chicanes have already been watered once.  Andrew reported that watering will cost $75 per instance.  The neighborhood already allocated $800 over the next four months for watering.  Andrew suggested increasing watering more frequently during the summer months.  Neighbors agreed with watering more heavily during the hotter months.  

Andrew also indicated that the city may have additional grants for the chicanes as the city works out more details for rainwater harvesting programs.  

E-Scooters

Al provided information about the E-Scooters from Steve K.  Steve added 3 pieces to the motion to continue the E-scooter program.  The first requires that the E-scooter providers place 250 in each of the Opportunity Zones.  Second, Steve K advocated for citing the E-scooter companies for violations.  Finally, in the Request for Proposals for continued E-scooters, companies will need to include technology that detects when they are being ridden on cement, so that riders are not allowed to ride on the sidewalks.  The E-scooter program will continue for 6 months as the new proposals for E-scooters are submitted.

Andy suggested that these changes are a small step in the right direction. 

Traffic Circle Updates

Al reported that the installation of the traffic circle at 9th St and 3rd Ave is currently at a standstill.  The city is waiting on the county to approve the traffic circle installation because there is a manhole in the center of the intersection.  Once the traffic circle is approved, Al will work with Kelly, Lee, and Todd to put together more specific plans.  

City Climate Change Survey

Dereka reported that the city is doing a climate change survey.  She advocated that neighbors report their climate change priorities at: opentownhall.com/portals/310/Issue_10299 {English version} or opentownhall.com/portals/310/Issue_10300 {Spanish version}.

The city is also doing a series of town halls, which Dereka reported are worth attending.  You can find out more by subscribing to the mayor’s newsletter at:  tucsonaz.gov/mayor

Upcoming workshops include:

Community Safety Town Hall, Saturday, March 27 @ 10:30 AM

Resilient Recovery Town Hall, Thursday, April 8th @ 5:30 PM

5G Cell Phone Towers

Dereka suggested that you can get an 5G protest yard sign by contacting [email protected].  They are requesting a $3 donation per sign.  

Garden

Erika reported that the garden seminar was well attended and attracted a couple of new faces.  There are currently 2 plots available and Erika recommended that this is a good time to start gardening.  Al will post a sign in the bulletin board advertising the garden.  A link with the full seminar is available until the end of the month; contact Erika if interested in viewing it.

Trash Pick-ups

Matt advocated for organizing a monthly trash pick-up in the neighborhood.  If we focused trash pick-ups on the park for 6 months, we would be able to officially adopt the park.  Erika suggested that we designate block captains to keep their own blocks clean.  Kelly advocated for cleaning up 3rd Avenue by Tucson High because it always has a trash problem and said that one big neighborhood cleanup would not be consistent enough to keep that area clean.  Al suggested that Tucson High has worked with us during previous clean-ups and that they could maybe take some responsibility for the trash problems.  Others suggested that FAMA could take some responsibility because the trash comes from patrons of 4th Avenue.  

Diana suggested that the city can get us a dumpster if we organize a big neighborhood clean-up.

Ward 6 

Diana reported that there have been increased reports of drag racing downtown, so TPD has been on the lookout for that. 

Diana also reported that Park Tucson is planning to start to charge for parking along 3rd Avenue.  She invited neighborhood representatives to take part in parking meetings for that area. 

Pima County

Elvira provided COVID Updates for the county.  Arizona’s DHS is opening up new covid vaccination appointments on Fridays at 11 AM.  District 5 of the county can help figure out registrations.  You can contact them through email at [email protected] or by phone at 520-221-0119.  Elvira reported that 72% of people over 70 years old in the county have been vaccinated.  Jennie said that she would be happy to provide vaccination updates

Committee Updates

Downtown Links:  Erika reported that there was meeting about Downtown Links that HFAC attended.  She expressed concerns that WUNA and IHNA were not notified.  Diana reported that HFAC specifically requested the meeting, which is why neighborhoods were not invited.  Diana reported that she would invite us to future links meetings.  Lee said he would try to attend. 

DNARC:  Andy reported that the Downtown Neighbors and Residents Council Meeting included nothing of significance.   

Mindy Blake (RTA), Monique (FAMA), Al (board member at large), Lee, Ruth, Matt (treasurer), Hannah (president), Jonathan (Secretary), Andrew (board member at large), Dereka (board member at large), Kelly (co-president), Hadley

Regional Transportation Authority Mindy Blake, outreach coordinator for the Regional Transportation Authority, presented about a new transportation plan that is being developed for Pima County to start in 2026.  The current plan started in 2006 with the support of a sales tax initiative and has delivered about 870 projects, including bike lanes, sidewalks, roads, and bus pullouts.  The second 20-year plan is in the process of development, after which it will go through public input, plan refinement, plan review, and a call for an election.  You can find her presentation here: https://youtu.be/8WaoafsgX3s

You can find more information, see plans, and comment at: rtanext.com Neighbors asked if RTA is involved with E-Scooter plans, and Mindy responded that they are not.  Hannah asked if there was a plan for the light rail to go to the airport, and Mindy responded that it is one of the possibilities.  Maintenance for existing transportation options is not included in the current RTA.

Traffic Circle Select board members recently met with Jessie Soto from the City of Tucson Transportation Department to understand the procedural details of installing a traffic circle 3rd avenue & 9th street.  The traffic circle would probably cost us between $12,000 and $15,000, with an additional $2000 because the sewer hole at the center must be elevated 6”.  IHNA has $14,000 in funds from negotiations with The Junction and $3,800 in parking fees that could be applied. There are significant limitations to the size of the traffic circle because it must be 20’ from each of the curbs.  Al is working on getting 60% of neighbors in the blocks affected by to sign his petition; there are 25 impacted homeowners, so 15 would need to approve.  Signatures would then need to be certified and the traffic circle plans would be reviewed by city departments (e.g. fire, police, trash).  Al would like the traffic circle to be a welcoming monument to our neighborhood with an art installation.

Erika reported that the neighborhood voted down this traffic circle 7 years ago, with one concern being that there is not enough space for bikes to ride safely through the intersection.

Kelly suggested that it might be a good idea to think about adding a traffic circle at 8th Street and 3rd Avenue.

Al will work on getting signatures and pushing it forward to see the city’s plans before the neighborhood votes on using funds to complete it.

FAMA Monique reported that FAMA has cancelled the Spring Street Fair.  She reported that FAMA only has 2 workers (herself and Terry) and Eddie, who does streetscape on 4th.  She reported that, with the re-introduction of the Bird Scooters, e-scooter use and parking has been out of control along 4th Avenue.  FAMA has repeatedly reported poor parkers and unsafe riding to the City of Tucson.  If you have pictures of badly parked scooters, you can forward them along to Monique at:  [email protected]

Monique reported that construction at 4th and 6th Street has caused significant parking problems (including trash and lack of the use of masks) among workers along 3rd Avenue.  She reported that the District apartments did not open up parking for the construction workers, as they had promised during the CBA process.

FAMA worked with 65 merchants to get CARES funding and provided COVID packages with masks, sanitizer, and thermometers to merchants.  Monique reported that Ermanos put in permanent outdoor seating in the street in front of their restaurant.  

Iron Horse Park Matt reported that the next meeting for the park design will be on February 11th at 5:30 PM with Tucson Parks and Wheat Design.  Wheat Design will present a summary of survey responses and provide a consolidated, refined plan for the park.  The Tucson Skate Park Alliance was invited to this meeting.  

Ward 6 Letter Matt shared a link to a letter that he wrote thanking Steve K, Diana, and Ward 6 staff for advocating for public health and safety.  Al thought it was a nicely written letter and advocated that Matt work in the State Department.  Matt made a motion to send the letter, signed by IHNA, to Mayor & Council and the President of the University of Arizona.  Jan seconded the letter.  Erika requested that the letter be sent to the list-serv for discussion before sending because there was no specific agenda sent out for this meeting.  Neighbors discussed how IHNA decisions must be made at meeting, with voting members present.  The motion to send the letter was approved unanimously with no abstentions.  The board agreed to send out a planned agenda before each monthly meeting.

You can find the letter here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PzmHO_JD4nN-GWL2myNYwOjoc-DvlQjQnuOUaYcgTZo/edit?usp=sharing

Chicanes Hannah spoke to Jon Choi from Tucson Clean and Beautiful.  She will try to schedule the planting on Sunday, March 7th.  She will find a pre-planning day in the middle of February, which she will promote over email.  

Sunshine Mile Overlay / Central Business District Matt reported that the block of Iron Horse that was previously included in the Sunshine Mile Overlay has been pulled out of the new zoning because of the board’s lobbying.  The block is still included in the Infill Incentive Zoning.  Official approvals for the Sunshine Mile Overlay have been delayed until February 4th at the earliest.  

The Central Business District (CBD) is a zoning area that goes through 4th Avenue and downtown.  The city is having a discussion with interested groups about what kinds of incentives to provide to builders to encourage development in these areas.  One of the incentives is the GPLET, which reduces property taxes for builders for 8 years.  You can provide input to the survey here: https://www.opentownhall.com/portals/310/Issue_10153

CCRC Dereka reported that Campus/Community Relations Committee focused their discussion COVID measures at UofA.  Currently there are only about 5,000 students taking in-person classes at UofA.  Spring break has been spread out over the course of the semester, so that there is no full week without classes.  On-campus students are supposed to be tested for COVID twice per week with gargle tests and use an app that can alert them to potential COVID exposures.  You can use this hotline to report students being bad COVID neighbors: 520-282-3649

HFAC Erika reported from the Historic Fourth Avenue Coalition.  The general meeting is Tuesday, January 26th.  HFAC has been helping merchants apply for PPP loans, providing COVID training, and support the gift certificate launch that happened during early COVID.  IHNA is a dues paying member of the organization.  Dues cost $250 per year and are owed this month.  Erika made a motion to spend $250 dues to stay involved with HFAC.  Al seconded the motion.  The motion passed with 0 nos and 2 abstentions.  

Garden Hannah is working on cleaning out the Bermuda grass that is slowly taking over the garden.  The Indian Center recently reached out to talk about creating a composting station in the garden.  

Me: *flips him off*

Him: "did you just flip me off? That's not very nice."