DONATION OF SALVAGED, NATIVE TREES FROM APS POWER LINE PROJECTS TO THE CITY OF PHOENIX
POLICY AGENDA
TO:	Rick Naimark Deputy City Manager	AGENDA DATE:		November 17, 2009
FROM:	Dale Larsen Director, Parks And Recreation Department	ITEM:	3
SUBJECT:	DONATION OF SALVAGED, NATIVE TREES FROM APS POWER LINE PROJECTS TO THE CITY OF PHOENIX

This report is to inform the Phoenix City Council of a new partnership between Arizona Public Service (APS) and the Parks and Recreation Department.

THE ISSUE

APS is installing a new 69 kilovolt (kV) power line underground along the Paloma Parkway alignment adjacent to the Sonoran Preserve Priority 2B, just south of Carefree Highway. A part of the project involves the inventory and salvage of protected native plant species such as desert trees, saguaros, ocotillos, and small cacti.

The Parks and Recreation Department, in conjunction with the Street Transportation Department, developed a plan to save an ocotillo in the project area that is larger than normal and estimated to be over 200 years old. Discussions between APS and the City of Phoenix resulted in an effort to salvage the plants within the 69kV corridor and transplant them to Papago Park. In September and October, the native trees were transplanted to the Papago Golf Course, the large ocotillo was transplanted as the focal point of the new roundabout along Galvin Parkway at the entrance to the Desert Botanical Garden, and the remaining cacti and ocotillo were used for revegetation efforts within Papago Park.

OTHER INFORMATION

Based on the success of this collaboration, APS is donating an additional 405 trees currently located beneath high voltage power lines extending from Lake Pleasant to Pinnacle Peak Road located in north Phoenix. APS is donating the trees to the Parks and Recreation Department, and the boxed trees will be planted at various parks and golf courses located citywide. (See the drawing below.)

The City is responsible for the cost to relocate and start planting the trees by November 2009. On October 21, 2009, City Council authorized staff to spend up to $150,000 of Phoenix Parks and Preserve Initiative funds to transport and plant the trees in time to meet APS timelines.

The Parks and Recreation Department properties that will benefit from this project are listed below.

Project Location

Tree Quantity

Unnamed Park at 31^st Ave and Roeser	50
Paradise Valley Park	39
Audubon Center/Rio Salado	75
Telegraph Pass Trailhead	15
Papago Park Revegetation	91
Circle K Park	9
Papago Golf Course	88
Cholla Cove Park	12
Christy Cove Park	9
Desert Willow Park	5
Moon Valley Park	5
Buffalo Ridge Park	1
Desert Horizon Park	6
TOTAL	405

RECOMMENDATION

This report is for information only. No Council action is required.

CITY COUNCIL REPORT
POLICY AGENDA
TO:	David Krietor Deputy City Manager	AGENDA DATE:		November 17, 2000
FROM:	Philip McNeely Environmental Programs Manager	ITEM:	4
SUBJECT:	MARICOPA COUNTY CLEAN AIR CAMPAIGN

This report provides information on the Maricopa County Air Quality Department’s (MCAQD) clean air outreach campaign and the Blue Sky Award recently presented to the City of Phoenix.

THE ISSUE

On December 31, 2006, the Maricopa County region failed to reach attainment of the federal health standard for particulate matter. As a result, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency placed Maricopa County under a federal mandate to clean the air. In an effort to help mitigate the problem, MCAQD launched “Clean Air Make More,” an air quality campaign designed to reduce particulate matter emissions in the Valley.

OTHER INFORMATION

The MCAQD is a regulatory agency whose goal is to ensure federal clean air standards are achieved and maintained for the residents and visitors of Maricopa County. In order to work collectively to improve the region’s air quality, the MCAQD has invited all municipal governments in the Valley to join the “Clean Air Make More” campaign. Specifically, the MCAQD solicited the City’s participation in the campaign through the following actions:

Become a Clean Air Champion;
Be the local expert;
Provide leadership in developing local outreach efforts;
Carry out local efforts on behalf of the program;
Conduct community presentations; and
Create awareness for air quality issues/permits.

In response to this request, the Office of Environmental Programs (OEP) met with MCAQD staff to discuss the City’s current outreach program, which for 2008 included air quality, energy and climate change information distributed as follows:

· Over 16 articles and tips to improve the air were provided to nearly 800 employees through EnviroNotes, the OEP newsletter;

· Three articles were published in NOTES, a monthly publication sent to 400,000 City residents with their water bills;

· Seventeen articles and air quality tips were featured in City Connection Online, a weekly publication for City of Phoenix employees;

· Staff manned three outreach booths at public events; and

· Staff made 13 presentations and TV/radio interviews.

In response to the County’s request for additional participation in the campaign‘s outreach efforts, OEP has agreed to implement the following enhancements to the City’s program:

· Designate OEP staff to serve as the local Ambassador for the campaign;

· Include air quality topics to the City’s speaker’s bureau list;

· Update the City’s air quality site on Phoenix.gov;

· Add a link to CleanAirMakeMore.com to City Web sites;

· Continue to develop and distribute campaign outreach materials;

· Add clean air tips to “on-hold” phone messaging;

· Distribute MCAQD brochures in libraries and community centers; and

· Seek opportunities to address air quality issues on PHX 11.

These measures are only the most recent example of the long-standing partnership between the City of Phoenix and MCAQD to improve air quality and protect public health. The City has an aggressive air quality program, investing more than $20M in dust control programs over the past several years. Examples include paving and stabilizing more than 70 miles of unpaved city-owned streets, and applying asphalt treatment to 300 miles of alleys and 58 miles of shoulders. The City also doubled the street sweeping frequency in the Salt River area where the highest particulate pollution levels have been traditionally recorded. The Neighborhood Services Department also enforces City Code for dust-proof parking and issued 7,500 dust-related notices in 2008. Finally, in the past three years, the OEP has provided dust control training to more than 2,200 City staff, and its dust control program for city-owned vacant property has resulted in a compliance rate well above 99 percent.

Blue Sky Award

On October 20, the MCAQD presented the City of Phoenix with a Blue Sky Award during the 2009 Annual Air Quality Conference. Awards were given to organizations that demonstrated exceptional leadership and made notable contributions in protecting and enhancing air quality in Maricopa County. The City was the recipient of the "Government Agency Excellence in Air Pollution Reduction Efforts Award,” presented for innovative contributions in effective partnerships to address air quality issues.

The City of Phoenix is a strong partner in the MCAQD’s regional effort to improve air quality in the Valley. Staff looks forward to continued coordination of enforcement and compliance efforts and community outreach.

RECOMMENDATION

This report is for information only. No Council action is required.

CITY COUNCIL REPORT
POLICY AGENDA
TO:	David Cavazos City Manager	AGENDA DATE:		November 17, 2009
FROM:	Debra Wilkins Stark AICP Planning Director	ITEM:	5
SUBJECT:	PHOENIX 2010 GENERAL PLAN UPDATE

This report provides information to the City Council regarding the first phase of the Phoenix General Plan Update project. This item was presented to the City Council Transportation, Infrastructure and Sustainability Subcommittee on October 8, 2009, for information only.

THE ISSUE

The current Phoenix General Plan was adopted by City Council on December 5, 2001, and ratified by voters at a special election held on March 12, 2002. General plans are effective for up to ten years from the date of ratification, and a new plan must be adopted or the existing plan readopted on or before the tenth anniversary of the ratification. The tenth anniversary of the Phoenix General Plan is March 12, 2012.

OTHER INFORMATION

The Process

The first phase of planPHX, the Phoenix General Plan Update, consists of a series of visioning workshops with the community. The visioning phase is critical to establishing desires and priorities and also for defining community values. The workshops will be held in conjunction with Village Planning Committee meetings in order to best use existing resources. Village Planning Committees provide more certainty in terms of attendance, and they have been asked to invite friends, colleagues, and neighbors to participate in this process.

The first workshop will ask attendees what they value about Phoenix, and the second will ask people to imagine Phoenix in 2050 as the best it can be and describe what we have achieved. The first two workshops will be held in October and November. In December and January, staff will evaluate the input received and prepare a range of future scenarios reflecting the values and dreams of the community. Another series of workshops will be held to obtain input on the scenarios in early 2010. Staff will guide the community to identify actions necessary to achieve the preferred scenario.

Upon completion of the visioning phase, staff will draft a vision report and scope of work for the General Plan document. These will be presented to the Planning Commission and City Council for approval prior to beginning the second phase of the project which includes drafting the General Plan goals, policies, performance measures and implementation actions.

RECOMMENDATION

This is for information only. No council action is required.

Official Web Site of the City of Phoenix

Phoenix - All America City - 2009