Related articles:

GROWTH notes GROWTH notes GROWTH notes Community notes Community notes Community notes Community notes Community notes Community notes Community notes

Administrative & Professional
Tucson Urban League
CEO/President Construction
West-Press
Printing Administrative & Professional
Jorgensen Brooks Group
Counselor Finance and Accounting
Charles E. Gillman Company
Accounting Specialist Mechanical
Komatsu Equipment Co
Resident Field Mechanic Health Care
Dependable Health Services
Physical Therapists Health Care
CENTRAL ARIZONA COLLEGE
DIRECTOR OF HEALTH INFORMATION MANAGEMENT

Sahuarita/Green Valley

Sahuarita finance chief: Budget in decent shape

Sahuarita's budget generally is in good shape, despite the ripple effects of a sluggish housing market that is bedeviling the state and county, the town's finance director said Monday.

In his mid-year budget report, A.C. Marriotti said revenue for the town's General Fund — by far the largest part of the budget — was 22 percent higher, and spending was 9 percent greater than in the last fiscal year at this time.

Revenue was 26 percent lower than the projected level for the Capital Infrastructure Improvement Fund, largely due to a lag in the state's distribution of tax revenues, Marriotti said. Expenditures in the fund, which pays for big projects such as the La Cañada Drive improvement project, were up by 7 percent.

Expansion of the town's wastewater-treatment plant showed up in a 204 percent spending increase in the Wastewater Enterprise Fund. That was offset by a 383 percent increase in revenue, mainly a big increase in money generated by sewer-connection fees, the report said.

Also Monday, the council approved by a 4-3 vote a measure by Councilman John Sullivan to set a uniform date for job-performance reviews of senior town staffers who are directly supervised by the council.

Councilmen Charles Oldham and Scott Downs joined Mayor Lynne Skelton in voting against the measure, which requires reviews for the town manager, town attorney and town clerk to be conducted in May.

Sahuarita to celebrate new municipal complex

Sahuarita will celebrate its recently completed municipal complex Saturday in the plaza in front of the new Town Hall, 375 W. Sahuarita Center Way.

The event will begin at noon with the Community Connections Fair, featuring displays and wares from more than 25 area non-profit and community-service organizations.

The event is intended as a gesture of thanks to the community, town officials said. Everyone is invited.

Flag-raising and ribbon-cutting ceremonies will begin at 12:15 p.m. The Davis-Monthan Air Force Base Honor Guard will post colors, and Fort Huachuca's 36th Army Band will perform.

Activities will include face painting, balloon sculptures, a magician, basketball-shooting contests and rock climbing.

Throughout the day, town officials will conduct tours of the three new buildings — the Town Hall, the Municipal Court and the police station — in the $17.3 million complex, which was completed in early January.

A creative dance performance and music by Mariachi Sol Azteca also are scheduled.

Food and beverages will be sold.

The event will wind up with a battle of the bands from 5 to 7 p.m., hosted by the town of Sahuarita's Teen Advisory Council. The musical fest will emphasize the importance of safe driving and seat-belt use for teenagers, town officials said.

Games, contests and free food and drinks will be offered to all teens in attendance, and a $250 grand prize will be awarded to the winning band.

For more information, call town Communications Manager Barbara Dolan at 822-8814, e-mail her at bdolan@ci.sahuarita.az.us, or go online to www.ci.sahuarita.az.us.

Chamber mixer today

The Green Valley-Sahuarita Chamber of Commerce's mixer will begin at 5 p.m. today at Green Valley Fire Station 151, 555 N. La Cañada Drive.

Parking will be available in the Green Valley Community Church parking lot at 300 W. Esperanza Blvd., just west of the station.

For more information, call the chamber at 625-7575.

Horse-rescue event needs donors, helpers

Equine Voices Rescue and Sanctuary, a non-profit horse-rescue organization, is looking for items to sell and people to help sell them during this year's fundraiser.

Equine Voices' fourth annual fundraiser is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. March 8 at Horse Haven Equestrian Center, 4885 S. Houghton Road.

The Amado-area organization rescues horses from slaughter, especially mares and foals discarded by the industry that supplies pregnant mares' urine for pharmaceutical use.

Anyone who has tack or other items or services to donate for a raffle or auctions can call René Iotti at 975-7007.

East Side

Unsung Heroes honors, safety meeting today

City Councilman Rodney Glassman and the Ward 2 staff will host the Tucson Police Department and Tucson Police Foundation's Unsung Heroes Appreciation Event today at Eastside City Hall, 7575 E. Speedway.

The event will be from 4 to 6 p.m., followed by a Ward 2 town hall meeting on public safety from 7 to 8:30 p.m.

Police Chief Richard Miranda, Tucson Fire Chief Dan Newburn and Pima County Attorney Barbara LaWall will speak during the meeting.

Light snacks and refreshments will be provided.

For more information, call the Ward 2 office at 791-4687.

Vintage, modern aircraft to fly together next week

Fighter aircraft from yesteryear will fly alongside modern jets in the skies over Tucson next week during an annual air show training seminar at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.

The Heritage Flight Conference, to be held March 7-9, provides a chance for civilian pilots to train with Air Force demonstration-team pilots to prepare for air shows, D-M officials said.

D-M's next air show will be held in spring 2009.

Members of the public will not be allowed onto D-M to view the event, base officials said.

But the planes they will see flying around include the World War II-era P-51 Mustang and the Vietnam War-era F-4 Phantom II. Modern aircraft will include the A-10 Thunderbolt II, the F-15 Eagle, the F-16 Fighting Falcon and the Air Force's ultramodern F-22A Raptor.

Vail/Corona de Tucson

Volunteers are needed for Vietnam vets memorial

Volunteers are needed to help set up, operate and dismantle a replica of the Vietnam Memorial Wall that will be featured at the Pima County Fair.

The 370-foot-long, 8-foot-tall replica of the monument in Washington, D.C., will be on display throughout the fair, April 17-27, at the fairgrounds at 11300 S. Houghton Road.

This is the first time that the wall replica and other exhibits, known collectively as the American Veterans Traveling Tribute and Wall Exhibit, will be at the fair, said Launa Rabago, marketing manager for the Southwestern Fair Commission Inc., which runs the annual fair.

It's also the first time that it will be on display in Tucson for longer than a day or two at a time, Rabago said.

Volunteers are needed for several tasks, she said.

Local motorcycle clubs and individual motorcyclists are needed on April 11 to help escort the wall exhibit to the fairgrounds.

At least 14 volunteers are needed for the four-hour job of assembling and dismantling the exhibit after the fair ends. Lunch will be provided.

The exhibit includes other attractions, such as the Cost of Freedom Memorial, an exhibit made of gold dog tags naming military personnel who have given their lives since Vietnam; a 9/11 Memorial exhibit; a Vietnam War art display; and a Tribute Pane, where fair visitors can pay personal tribute, fair organizers said.

Volunteers also are needed to operate the computerized system that helps people find a name on the wall, Rabago said.

"We need computer locaters for two shifts a day for 11 days," she said. Those shifts are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and 4 to 9 p.m.

For more information, call Rabago at 762-9100, Ext. 14; e-mail her at launa@pimacountyfair. com; or go online to www. pimacountyfair.com.

To find out more about Minnesota-based American Veterans Traveling Tribute, call Don Allen, the organization's chief executive officer, at 1-507-380-2465, or go online to www.avtt.org.