Volunteers Sheryl Morgan, left, and Carol Ray work on Lilly during the Arizona Greyhound Rescue's 10th annual fundraising dog wash.

David Sanders / arizona daily star

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The state's budget deficit has put some local school projects in limbo as district and state officials wait for the Legislature's decision on whether it will pay for school construction.

Officials from the Sahuarita Unified and Vail school districts expect to know by July 1 if they will have money for construction projects, including a second high school for Sahuarita and a new middle school for Vail.

The state's deficit, estimated at $2 billion, has caused some legislators to consider suspending school-construction spending for the upcoming fiscal year.

If the state does not provide money, Vail's and Sahuarita's construction projects would be delayed and the districts would face overcrowding in some schools.

Sahuarita High School is already overcrowded. District officials expect to have about 1,500 students when the school year begins in August, said Superintendent Jay St. John.

The high school's capacity is 1,250, St. John said.

Vail would face overcrowding in its middle schools, said Assistant Superintendent John Carruth.

"We would need to squeeze students into our existing facilities," he said.

Options would include using modular buildings or taking classroom space from art, music and other electives teachers, he said.

It was a car wash without the cars and suds without the duds as dogs of all shapes and sizes waited in line to have their nails clipped and a shampoo.

The 10th annual Arizona Greyhound Rescue fundraising dog wash took place Sunday at the Pantano Animal Clinic, 8333 E. 22nd St., to help raise money for the care of former race dogs.

"It costs about $1,200 a month to house and care for these dogs, so this is a big event for us," said Mary Freeman, president of Arizona Greyhound Rescue. It is one of the rescue organization's major events of the year, she said.

For $10, dog owners could have their pets' nails trimmed.

An additional $5 would buy a shampoo and crème rinse, as well as a towel dry.

"Money raised by the event will help offset the monthly costs of housing and caring for rescued greyhounds, according to Freeman.

The next dog wash will be Aug. 9 at the Veterinary Specialty Center, 4909 N. La Cañada Drive, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

For more information, go to www.azgreyhoundrescue.org.

Two new members and one re-elected member of Oro Valley's Town Council were sworn in last week and got a taste of land-use issues sure to be a hot topic during their tenure.

Salette Latas and Bill Garner took their seats on the council for the first time on June 4, embarking on four-year terms with re-elected incumbent Barry Gillaspie.

The night marked defeated incumbents Terry Parish and Helen Dankwerth's official departures from the council. Dank-werth, who lost during the primary, was absent from the meeting.

Parish, who lost to Gillaspie in the May election, left the position he had held since 2004 with some parting words on public safety and the council's accomplishments. He also said Oro Valley had become "factionalized."

"Our community right now . . . is really torn between what we're going to do in the future and who we are right now," he said.

The newly altered Town Council had a few decisions on the table.

The council voted 5-2 to extend Doug McKee's term on the Planning and Zoning Commission to Jan. 1.

His term was due to expire June 30.

Mayor Paul Loomis and Vice Mayor Al Kunisch dissented. Kunisch said during the meeting that he questioned the fairness of a special extension.

Marana officials are in talks to build the town's first cemetery, giving residents a much closer place to bury and visit their loved ones.

"There is not another cemetery within 17 miles" of downtown Marana, said Jon Aries of Swan Management LLC, a partner in the development of the proposed Marana Mortuary and Cemetery.

"The town had been wanting this as part of their community resources for some time. We're part of a solution."

Slated for a 23-acre parcel about a mile west of the Marana Municipal Complex along the north side of West Barnett Road, the complex would include a full-service mortuary, a crematorium and possibly a mausoleum.

Plans call for the cemetery to be up and running as soon as mid-2009.

"It's an amenity for families in our community," said Marana Mayor Ed Honea. "We have families, like mine, that have been here for five generations."

The sound of construction equipment in Sabino Canyon soon will be replaced by that of flowing water and birds.

In July 2006, flooding and rock slides damaged the road leading up the canyon and to facilities there.

But work crews from NAE Construction have lucked out so far in repairing the damage.

"The good weather has helped keep us ahead of schedule," said Susie Montgomery, NAE Construction president and owner.

"Our goal is to have the shuttle running all the way to stop No. 9," said Heidi Schewel of Coronado National Forest. "And it looks like that will be fully realized by the end of July."

The road will be open for pedestrians and cyclists, and the shuttle will go nearly four miles up the canyon into Upper Sabino Canyon.