2024 Newsletters
August
SCVCC Summer Newsletter August 2024
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SCVCC August Newsletter
Dear Members,
We are sharing important dates with you and community news. We hope you can attend these events.
Important Dates:
· SCVCC 1st Fall In Person Membership Meeting – Monday, September 9 at 9:00 a.m. Superintendent Verdugo and his team from the Santa Cruz Valley Unified School District will be at the meeting to provide an update regarding the impact of the financial irregularities and alleged embezzlement in the County Treasurer’s Office, as well as their planned budget override on the ballot in November 2024.
In addition, the Board will provide an update on the planned SCVCC Candidate Forum and Nancy Valentine, SCVCC District 5 Representative, will provide a brief update about the plans to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Tubac Townsite National Historic District and introduce the new staff at the Presidio.
· County Planning and Zoning Meeting - PLEASE NOTE!! the Santa Cruz County Planning and Zoning Commission will consider Amending Article 28, Outdoor Lighting Regulations “to preserve the unique desert environment through protection of access to the dark night sky.” August 22, 2024, 1:00 PM at the Santa Cruz County Complex 2150 N. Congress Drive, Room 120 Nogales, AZ 85621 - Case No. PZ-23-03: Amending Article 28, Outdoor Lighting Regulations, of the Santa Cruz County Zoning and Development Code to preserve the unique desert environment through protection of access to the dark night sky. Click here to read Article 28 Final Amendment for Adoption.
· Tubac Fire District Board Community Meeting - Wednesday, August 28 at 3:00 at the Tubac Community Center. Please note: This meeting is set up specifically for the community to listen to a presentation by the architects on the final drawings for the new fire station. Fortunately, the resources for the construction of the new station were not impacted by the financial situation in the County. Please plan to attend, this is an important step for our community!
· SCVCC Candidate Forum – Wednesday, October 2 from 4:00 – 5:30 p.m. at the Tubac Community Center. Pending their availability, the Board is working to confirm candidates for Dist. 3 Board of Supervisors, County Sheriff, Justice of the Peace, and State Dist. 21 Representatives. This forum is not planned to be a debate, but an opportunity for each candidate to share their position and for the Board to ask questions of each candidate. Following will be an opportunity for community questions. More information will be sent once everything is confirmed.
Community “Feel Good” News:
· Charlotte Nelson was recently recognized by the Tubac Presidio as an “awesome” volunteer! Congratulations for well-deserved recognition. Click here to read more.
Charlotte Nelson at Tubac Presidio State Historic Park and Museum; Photo via Facebook
· "Good Morning Tubac!” Thanks to Gale Thomssen and Nancy Valentine! They put on a very successful event on Sunday, August 18th at the Historic Lowe House and welcomed SCVCC members and new residents of Tubac to our Historic Townsite National Historic District.
County Financial Challenges and some Fallout Impacting Tubac:
· Recompete Grant – As you may recall, members from our Board including Clem Shute, Gale Thomssen, and Nancy Valentine worked to include a Tubac submittal as part of the large County grant application. Our submittal included funds for the Tubac village sewer study and work on a Tubac area plan. Last week the Nogales International article stated “Last week, however, a county consultant announced that the federal funding was not awarded to Santa Cruz County. In the process of evaluating applications, (U.S. Economic Development Administration) learned of recent ongoing headlines relating to a federal investigation of the Santa Cruz County Treasurer's office, consultant Angie Donelson announced in an email.”
While a huge disappointment, I have been told by Frank Dillon, Angie Donalson, and Jesus Valdez that they are looking for alternative funding sources to continue to pursue those projects. I want to recognize the hard work our team invested in this project.We are all hopeful that some other avenue will be identified to continue the projects.
· Tubac Infrastructure Projects – I had the opportunity to talk with Jesus Valdez, our County Manager, this week. I was impressed with his outlook as he pursued the challenges of the financial crisis the County is facing. He shared that throughout his work with the County “that while he has seen the worst in people, he has also seen the best in people as they weather this storm.” He shared that they are moving cautiously on infrastructure projects including the Entrance Park and the Tubac Sewer Study. He was not able to give me any timeline for those projects. As I shared earlier, he said they are pursing other avenues for resources and is confident that the County will be able to recoup their losses.
· Santa Cruz Valley Unified School District #35 – I also had the opportunity this week to talk with Superintendent Verdugo with the Santa Cruz schools about the financial irregularities and alleged embezzlement within the County Treasurer’s Office. At this time there will be no impact on daily school operations, but they are also working with their attorney and the County forensics accountant to clarify what funds, how much and how to retrieve those funds.
Supt. Verdugo also committed that he and his team will be available at our SCVCC Membership Meeting on September 9 to provide any updates regarding their financial situation and to explain their planned budget override on the ballot in November.
· Tubac Fire District Temporary Move – Their new address: 2239 E. Frontage Road, Tubac, AZ 85646. Their previous location at 2227 E. Frontage Road is no longer in use. This relocation is temporary and will be in place until the construction of the new Station #1 is complete. The new location is very close to the old location ensuring that response times will not be impacted, and service to our community will remain the same. In addition, their administrative staff are now located at: 1360 W. Frontage Road, Rio Rico, AZ 85648.
For any non-emergency inquiries, you can reach them at their new location or contact them at 520-398-2255.
o Reminder: The Tubac Fire District Board is holding a community meeting to have the architects review the final plans for the new station. The meeting is scheduled for August 28th at 3:00 p.m. at the Tubac Community Center
We hope you are enjoying your summer, and we look forward to seeing you on Monday, September 9th at our next SCVCC Meeting.
Thank you,
Dr. Mary I. Vanis,
President
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Have a question or want to get in touch? We'd love to hear from you. Contact us today and we'll get back to you as soon as possible.