PHOENIX — Governor Doug Ducey has appointed Michael S. Hammond to the State Transportation Board, representing the Pima County region in the planning and development of Arizona’s transportation network.
The seven members of the State Transportation Board serve six-year terms while representing local communities throughout Arizona to prioritize transportation needs, projects and funding.
“As someone who has lived in Southern Arizona for 39 years and traveled extensively throughout our state and the state of Sonora, Mexico, both for pleasure and business, I have a keen appreciation of our transportation infrastructure and its importance in adding to our quality of life, not to mention driving economic development and job growth,” Hammond said. “It is a privilege and an honor to have a voice in the future infrastructure investments made by the state of Arizona.”
His appointment requires confirmation by the Arizona State Senate. Hammond is expected to attend his first board meeting April 17 in Phoenix.
Hammond has been in commercial real estate since 1978 and is president, founder and managing shareholder of Cushman & Wakefield|PICOR, an independent commercial real estate brokerage and management firm based in Southern Arizona. In 2002, with his background in industrial real estate and interest in regional economic development, he began focusing on the border region and, more specifically, the state of Sonora, Mexico.
Hammond received “Tucson Man of the Year” honors from Greater Tucson Leadership in 2013. He is a member of various local, regional and national organizations, including the Arizona District Export Council, the Business Development Finance Corporation, Southern Arizona Leadership Council and Tucson Regional Economic Opportunities. He is a full member of the Urban Land Institute, and serves on the Urban Land Institute State of Arizona Steering Committee.
Hammond is a graduate of the University of Washington in Seattle. Continue reading →
FLAGSTAFF — A one-day ramp closure and a detour to JW Powell Boulevard will be in place to prepare for and accommodate construction of a roundabout on the east end of the project area.
Access to the I-17 southbound off-ramp at Exit 337 (JW Powell Boulevard) will be closed on Wednesday, April 15, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., to install a temporary concrete barrier in preparation for the next phase of roundabout construction. This work is part of the intersection improvement project currently underway which includes new roundabouts and realignment of SR 89A/Beulah Boulevard.
The recommended detour for southbound I-17 connections to the Flagstaff Airport and to SR 89A is to continue southbound on I-17 past Exit 337, then exit at Kachina Trail/Mountainaire Road (Exit 333). Detour signage will be in place to assist travel in the area.
Travel through to JW Powell Boulevard via the existing roundabout will be closed to accommodate the new roundabout construction. Access to JW Powell will be maintained for both north- and southbound traffic along SR 89A via a cross-over just south of the construction zone and directed by area signage. This detour is expected to be in place until the end of June and will allow crews to build the new roundabout at the east end of JW Powell Boulevard.
ADOT advises drivers to proceed through the work zone with caution, slow down, and be alert for construction equipment and personnel.
Love your country, but never trust its government.—Robert A. Heinlein; Author, WWII US Navy Veteran
Metro Phoenix? No. This is an operation in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Sierra Vista, AZ — Though you may be tired of the NSA snooping through your emails and checking out your nude photos on the cloud, you now have the opportunity to get paid for surveillance.
EKS Group, LLC out of Brandon, Florida—with an office in Sierra Vista, Airzona—is looking for part-time Surveillance Role Players for some operation in Phoenix?
EKS Group is owned by a disabled American veteran that was established in Sierra Vista in December 2006 and is a member in the Chamber of Commerce. They provide both counter intelligence and human intelligence services to the DoD.
The applicant must be 21-years of age, a U.S. Citizen and be able to maintain a secret DoD clearance. The applicant must complete a 40-hour Surveillance Operations Course.
The job is physically demanding and applicants must have the ability to walk up to 18-miles per day up to twelve consecutive days. The applicant must be able to drive or ride in a vehicle for up to twelve hours per day.
The work environment includes exposure to temperatures over 100-degrees to cold conditions below 32-degrees. The applicants are required to perform in both rural and urban environments. There are no rural or urban environments in Phoenix that reaches a low of 32-degrees in the summer.
Jade Helm, although publicly announced, is unusual in its scope. Recently discharged veterans have said they participated in operations of this sort, but not on this scale and usually on Federal facilities. National Guard units conduct operations off of bases. This raises little concern since they do conduct rescue and humanitarian operations during disasters.
Most main-stream media in Texas are running stories that this is perfectly all right and everyone should remain calm. The operation is centered around a fictional invasion of Texas. The Washington Post agrees.
A Texas sheriff deputy pointed out that the military are, “…going to set up cells of people and test how well they’re able to move around without getting too noticed in the community. They’re testing their abilities to basically blend in with the local environment and not stand out and blow their cover.”
The title of this job sounds like the “cells of people” they are going to move and they may act in that capacity. The text of the job, however, appears as though they are setting up informers and drivers to move the “cells” in the region of the operations.
In February of last year, Justice Antonin Scalia spoke at the University of Hawaii lamenting the decision of the Supreme Court in the 1944 case of Korematsu v. United States (323 U.S. 214). He is quoted as saying:
“Well of course Korematsu was wrong. And I think we have repudiated in a later case. But you are kidding yourself if you think the same thing will not happen again.”
These factors have caused liberty advocates to vocally question the so-called National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA. The NDAA is revised to authorize an Army which must be authorized every two-years. The Navy, and by extension the Marines, are the only authorized military forces in the Constitution unless the Congress declares every two-years that an Army is necessary.
The NDAA of 2012, signed by President Obama on December 31 of 2011, contained so-called “indefinite detention” clauses allowing the military to detain anyone at anytime for any reason without trial according to some claims.
According to Russia Today, the Congress re-affirmed indefinite detention this year. According to reports, Justice Scalia seems to have been correct.
In signing the 2012 NDAA, President Obama wrote:
“I want to clarify that my Administration will not authorize the indefinite military detention without trial of American citizens. Indeed, I believe that doing so would break with our most important traditions and values as a Nation.”
There is no such assurance when he signed the recent NDAA with indefinite detention authority.
Meanwhile, more videos of concern are surfacing on the Internet. A YouTube video from DAHBOO777 showed a marshal-law type exercise in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He apparently received another video, recently, purported to be from Canada showing trains moving military equipment toward the west coast. Canada and the United States signed an agreement to assist one another in times of civil disobedience. According to the video, Facebook has been taking it down from Canadian sites.
So if a clean-shaven soldier in a well-pressed uniform approaches you and politely asks you to step into the back of a van with no threat of force, he is not mental. He’s Canadian.
PHOENIX — In honor of Prisoners of War Remembrance Day – held annually on April 9 – Governor Doug Ducey issued a proclamation today calling upon all Arizonans to pay respect and gratitude to all of the men and women of our nation’s armed forces who have suffered captivity in foreign countries during active service.
“Today, we pause to recognize the brave members of our armed forces who, throughout history, have been taken captive by an enemy nation while fighting to protect us at home.
We are eternally indebted to these men and women. Day after day, American heroes put on the uniform and answer the call to service – selflessly relinquishing their personal freedom to preserve ours. To those who have not returned home, they are in our thoughts, prayers and hearts. We forever honor them, and we continue to pray for their safe return.
I ask that all Arizonans join me in paying respect to our nation’s Prisoners of War, their families and all who serve and sacrifice in the name of our national and personal security. God Bless them all.”
OPINION ARIZONA — In accordance with Arizona Revised Statute 1-307, today is Prisoners of war remembrance day.
Subsection B. of the law requires:
The governor shall make proclamation of prisoners of war remembrance day to commemorate the sacrifices of men and women who suffered captivity in foreign lands while in the service of our country. The governor shall recommend that teachers and students of the schools of this state observe this day with appropriate exercises and shall encourage citizens to contemplate the plight of Americans who have been held captive of an enemy nation.
We searched the official web site of the Governor of the Great State of Arizona and his Facebook page. We found no proclamation nor any information on “…the plight of Americans who have been held captive of an enemy nation.”
Looking over the web site of the Arizona Legislature, we found that Senator Lesko handed out 60 dictionaries, but no word on Prisoners of War.
This is an absolute disgrace. Thus, it falls on us to tell you the plight of POWs.
Vietnam POWs cheer as their flight takes off from Hanoi.
First we honor those faithfully served our nation during a most difficult time in their lives. We pray for your continued health.
The most disgraceful treatment of returning prisoners of war by the United States government has to be the treatment of those returning from the Vietnam war. Many do not know, nor seem to care, that those veterans are denied access to the records of their own debriefing. They are still held classified after 40-years!
You would think that former POW John McCain would be on the front lines defending the rights of other POWs in this matter. Unfortunately this is not the case. He is one of the loudest voices in keeping these records secret and withheld from the patriots who served their country when future presidents and actors ran to foreign lands.
It is still the wee-hours of the morn. Perhaps statements are forthcoming. If they are, we hope that they will include remonstrances to the national government to allow Vietnam POWs access to their records.
PHOENIX — Drivers traveling between Phoenix and Payson this month on State Route 87 north of Sunflower will be shifted onto the northbound lanes starting Thursday, April 9 between mileposts 223 and 229. Delays of up to 25 minutes are possible.
Traffic in both directions will use the northbound lanes which will become a two-lane roadway through the work zone and a 10-foot width restriction will be in place through April 24.
For the past few weeks, crews have been working 24-hour days, six days a week (Monday through Saturday) to ensure the project will be done before the Memorial Day weekend.
Drivers are encouraged to plan ahead and allow extra time to reach their destinations and proceed through the work zone with caution, comply with the reduced speed limit, and be alert for construction equipment and personnel. The work zone will be clearly marked by temporary barricades and signage.
The $6.2 million safety improvement project, which began in October, approximately seven miles south of the State Route 188 junction, includes the reconstruction of an existing curve at milepost 227, as well as building a new northbound truck escape ramp at milepost 228.
PHOENIX — The Arizona Department of Transportation has been honored for its support and advancement of women in transportation. The department received the Employer of the Year award from the Phoenix Chapter of the Women’s Transportation Seminar at the organization’s annual scholarships and awards ceremony.
In an industry typically dominated by men, ADOT was recognized for its upward movement and promotion of women, along with its workforce development program, which supports, engages and empowers employees, recognizing the fundamental contributions of both women and men, which are necessary to achieve a high-performing organization.
“I am proud to lead an agency that recognizes the talents of so many dedicated and hard-working individuals, both women and men, who make a difference every day as we work together to provide a safe, efficient and reliable transportation system for the people of Arizona,” said ADOT Director John Halikowski, who accepted the award Saturday night with a team of top ADOT managers alongside him.
“There is strength in numbers, and the women of ADOT have done an outstanding job not only in the field of transportation, but in supporting each other through leadership and mentoring. This environment is part of the overall culture at ADOT, one that fosters success as an individual and success as an entire agency.”
One of ADOT’s most successful programs is the Women Information Network, or WIN. This program, which is led by a group of female supervisors and managers, provides opportunities for all female employees at ADOT when it comes to networking, discussion and mentoring, in order to identify and implement advancement and leadership opportunities within the agency. WIN provides a variety of events throughout the year for female employees through brown-bag lunch programs with relevant topics, an ongoing mentoring program, and education encouragement for working women.
“WTS celebrates ADOT’s initiative to provide women with workforce enhancement and management opportunities,” said Susan Tierney, president of the WTS Metropolitan Phoenix Chapter. “ADOT leadership clearly recognizes that providing opportunities for women to learn and thrive in the workplace is a rock-solid strategy.”
PHOENIX — The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality announced today that Veolia ES Technical Solutions, LLC, of Phoenix, will pay $360,000 in civil penalties under a consent judgment for illegally disposing hazardous waste to a sand and gravel pit near the Salt River in 2009.
In response to a complaint in April 2009, ADEQ compliance officers inspected a sand and gravel pit in which they observed crushed lamps, intact fluorescent lamps, intact metal halide lamps, intact compact fluorescent lamps, and other lamp related debris in a portion of the sand and gravel pit that was less than 600 feet from the Salt River. The investigation revealed the lamps and broken glass had been generated by Veolia. Samples of the broken glass taken from the pit were found to be above regulatory thresholds for mercury.
An inspection of Veolia’s facility in May 2009 resulted in ADEQ issuing a Notice of Violation to the company for improper sampling equipment and techniques, inadequate response to high mercury samples, open containers, containers in poor condition, hazardous waste on the ground, and disposal of hazardous waste without a permit. Veolia staff also had failed to examine lab reports to verify if hazardous waste was being sent to the landfill.
Since the activities of 2009, Veolia has improved processes at their facility; and had been in compliance with its hazardous waste storage permit and related hazardous waste generator requirements during recent inspections.
“As a result of our agency’s investigation and holding the company accountable for its violations, Veolia has improved its operations and is now in compliance with all conditions of its permit, thus ensuring public health and the environment are protected,” ADEQ Director Henry Darwin said.
PHOENIX — At approximately 4:15 p.m. on March 27, US 89 south of Page was reopened to traffic for the first time following a Feb. 20, 2013, landslide that caused catastrophic damage to the roadway, requiring a 23-mile closure between the junction of State Route 98 in Page and US 89A near Bitter Springs.
In order to reopen the US 89 roadway today, the Arizona Department of Transportation completed an extensive $25 million repair, which included removing approximately one million cubic yards of rock material to realign a 1,500-foot section of roadway and construct a downslope rock buttress at the base of the Echo Cliffs to stabilize the area.
School buses from the Page Unified School District were the first vehicles to pass through the newly rebuilt roadway.
For more than two years, community members – including school children – of Bitter Springs, Marble Canyon and Cedar Ridge have used alternate routes, including the Temporary US 89 route that was opened in August 2013, to and from the Page and Lake Powell areas following the US 89 landslide.
“This is great news for those living and working in the area,” said city of Page Mayor Bill Diak. “It will shorten the commute of our school children that live below the closure by some 94 miles a day. For many of the river-related businesses, this means that their days just became more profitable. For the city of Page this means we will get our main access back. Life is good in Page and now even easier to get to. Come and enjoy!”
US 89T, which had served as the primary detour route to connect to the Page and Lake Powell areas following a $35 million project to upgrade Navajo Route 20, is expected to be relinquished to the Navajo Nation on April 17 when the State Transportation Board convenes in Phoenix. The 44-mile route was mostly a dirt road before being paved during a three-month-long project in summer 2013.
Prior to starting the US 89 landslide repair in summer 2014, ADOT had to clear several significant hurdles to keep the project moving forward. After an extensive geotechnical assessment identified the necessary repairs in July 2013, ADOT retained an engineering firm through an innovative construction delivery method (Construction Manager at Risk), which allowed the contractor to work directly with the design team and develop plans for the eventual repair. ADOT and the team also finalized all federally required environmental reviews that included cultural, biological and water quality measures, and completed plans for the required right-of-way easements with the Navajo Nation.
“The damage to the roadway looked like a scene out of a Hollywood movie and unfortunately a quick fix was not possible,” said ADOT Intermodal Transportation Division Director Steve Boschen. “From day one, we were committed to restoring mobility to the area as soon as possible with the paving of N20 (US 89T), but the real fix is now here with today’s opening.
“Reopening US 89 was the last step and with the commitment from our valued partners, including the Navajo Nation, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Navajo Division of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, and our contractors FNF Construction and Kleinfelder, we were able to expedite the US 89 repairs and reopen as soon as possible despite many challenges along the way.”
The US 89 landslide repair project is eligible for reimbursement through the Federal Highway Administration’s emergency relief program, which provides funding to state and local agencies for the repair or reconstruction of highways, roads and bridges that are damaged in natural disasters and catastrophic failures.
Motorists traveling on Interstate 17 need to be aware that the northbound McGuireville rest area entrance will be closed on Thursday, April 2 between 5 a.m. and 5 p.m. as crews work on the roadway, forcing the closure of the rest area.
Alternating lane restrictions in both directions are expected between 5:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. between mileposts 294 and 299 starting on Monday, March 30 through Friday, April 3. The rest area will remain open during construction with the exception of Thursday, April 2.
