Tag Archives: Phoenix

Adopt a Highway volunteers create a more attractive Arizona for all

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Adopt-Highway-16-03-28PHOENIX — With National Volunteer Week underway, how about helping save Arizona taxpayers millions of dollars a year and keeping our highways free of litter?

The 11,000 volunteers with the Arizona Department of Transportation’s Adopt a Highway program removed 67 tons of roadside litter last year. And there’s always room for more to join in.

“Thanks to all of the dedicated individuals who participate in Adopt a Highway volunteer programs throughout Arizona and perform such a valuable service for everyone in this state,” ADOT Director John Halikowski said. “Beyond the obvious benefits, keeping roadsides attractive creates a positive impression when visitors travel our highways.”

Becoming an ADOT Adopt a Highway volunteer starts with visiting azdot.gov/adoptahighway and completing an application.
Requirements include:

• Adopting a minimum of two miles of highway.
• Cleaning that segment of highway no less than twice a year for two years.
• Watching ADOT’s safety video before the first cleanup.
• Always wearing safety vests required by the Federal Highway Administration.
• Contacting ADOT before conducting cleanups.

ADOT recommends developing and maintaining a group of six to 10 people per two-mile highway segment. Once a group is approved, the permit holder schedules the date and time of each cleanup with an ADOT contact who will provide trash bags.

To honor her mother, Cecilia Cornejo and members of her family have tended to a stretch of State Route 80 in southern Arizona for the past 10 years. She calls Adopt a Highway a way to make a difference.

“This is an opportunity to keep an area close to where we grew up beautiful,” Cornejo said.

There’s also an Adopt a Highway sponsor program through which businesses may contract with maintenance providers to clean up roadside litter. Information is available at azdot.gov/adoptahighway.

Keep safety in mind with wind and possible snow in forecast

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Snow20160415_174946PHOENIX — With the weekend forecast calling for gusty winds along with the possibility of snow in higher elevations, motorists should be on alert for adverse weather including blowing dust and limited visibility, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

Even though monsoon season hasn’t started, blowing dust is possible throughout the year. ADOT’s safety tips for blowing dust, available at PullAsideStayAlive.org, include:

• Avoid driving into or through a dust storm.
• If you encounter a dust storm, check traffic immediately around your vehicle and begin slowing down.
• Pull off the roadway as soon as possible; don’t wait until poor visibility makes it difficult to do so safely.
• Completely exit the highway if possible, away from where other vehicles may travel; don’t stop in a travel lane or in the emergency lane.
• Turn off all vehicle lights, including emergency flashers.
• Set the emergency brake and take your foot off the brake.
• Stay in the vehicle with seat belts buckled and wait for the storm to pass.

Along with wind gusts and dust, drivers may encounter snow and icy roads in the high country, especially above 6,500 feet from Flagstaff through the Mogollon Rim. Motorists in these areas should leave prepared for winter conditions and pack an emergency road kit, including essential items such as a fully charged cellphone, food and water, and warmer clothes. For more winter driving tips, visitazdot.gov/KnowSnow.

For the most current information about highway conditions, closures and restrictions statewide, visit ADOT’s Travel Information Site at az511.gov or call 511. ADOT’s Twitter account (@ArizonaDOT) is another excellent resource.

Boaters, watercraft users urged to ‘Spring Aboard’ with boating safety course

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PHOENIX — The Arizona Game and Fish Department, in partnership with the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA), is encouraging the state’s boating and watercraft users to Spring Aboard and prepare for the boating season by enrolling in a safety education course.

Spring Aboard is a national campaign from April 17 to 23 that encourages boaters to protect themselves and their passengers by taking a safety course before stepping onto a boat or other watercraft.

“Boating is a great family friendly activity, but only if it’s done safely and responsibly,” said Josh Hoffman, AZGFD Boating Safety Education coordinator. “In 2014, 77 percent of boating deaths occurred on boats where the operator had never taken a safety course. That statistic from the U.S. Coast Guard is telling and illustrates the need for every boat or watercraft operator to successfully complete a safety course.”

Developed by NASBLA, and produced under a grant administered by the U.S. Coast Guard, the annual Spring Aboard campaign is open to participation by all states, territories, boating education organizations, instructors and course providers.

“We know from many years of experience that an educated boater is safer and boating is a lot more fun if you aren’t confused or worried the whole trip,” said NASBLA President Col. Darren Rider. “Boating isn’t like driving a car and many boaters – both new and experienced – are uncertain about how to boat safely. The Spring Aboard campaign is our big, unified effort to get all boaters educated now, prior to or during spring break.”

Most states require proof of completion of a boating education course for operators of some powered vessels. During the Spring Aboard campaign, many course providers will offer incentives or course discounts for students who enroll in or complete a course.

“With today’s wide variety of courses available, there’s a course for everyone’s schedule,” Col. Rider said. “Boaters have many ways to get educated, from classroom courses offered by the Coast Guard Auxiliary and United States Power Squadrons to online offerings available anytime day or night. There’s no reason to head out on the water without knowing what you’re doing.”

AZGFD offers free courses in Phoenix, Lake Havasu City and Tucson every month to provide water users the information and tips needed to stay safe while on the water. Each year many deaths and injuries on Arizona’s waterways are the result of people who don’t know how to operate a watercraft properly or how to act to avoid placing themselves in danger.

For more information on boating safety or to register for a hands-on or online safety course, visit www.azgfd.gov/boating and click “Boating Safety Education.” Below is a list of hands-on boating safety courses scheduled for April:

Arizona Boater Education Course

  • 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. April 16, Apex Arms Facility, Green Building in Lake Havasu City
  • 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. April 16, Arizona Game and Fish Headquarters in Phoenix

Arizona Paddlesports Education Course

  • 8:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. April 23 and May 21, AZGFD Region 5 offices in Tucson
  • 8 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. May 14, Biscuit Tank at Ben Avery Shooting Facility in Phoenix

U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary

  • 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. April 16, Bass Pro Shop in Mesa. Course costs $30.

Department’s courses include instruction on the basic skills needed to safely operate a boat or personal watercraft, trailering your vessel, navigational rules, buoys, anchoring, legal requirements, boating emergencies, watersports and paddling. In addition, most insurance companies offer a discount on boat or watercraft insurance rates for completing a course.

The department also reminds watercraft users that all boats, including paddleboards, must have a wearable life jacket for every passenger onboard and those 12 years old and younger must wear a life jacket at all times, under state law. Users should also check to make sure a life jacket fits properly by ensuring there is no excess room above the openings of the jacket and that it does not ride up over the chin or face.

For more information on boating in Arizona or to sign up for a safety course, visit www.azgfd.gov/boating. To learn more about Spring Aboard, visit www.nasbla.org/spring.

Arizona Game and Fish seeks public comment on rules governing Heritage Fund grants

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The Arizona Game and Fish Department is currently reviewing its Article 7, Heritage Fund grants, rules as part of a scheduled periodic review process.

The department is seeking public comment on the proposed changes to Article 7. The summary of the proposed rule changes can be accessed online at www.azsos.gov/rules/arizona-administrative-register.

If you wish to submit written comments on the proposed rule revisions, please send comments to rulemaking@azgfd.gov by May 15, 2016. When submitting comments on a particular rule, please include a reference to the rule to which you are referring.

Written comments can also be sent via U.S. mail to:
Arizona Game and Fish Department
Rules and Risk Branch
Attn: Celeste Cook
5000 W. Carefree Highway
Phoenix, AZ 85086

ADOT reopens routes to lakes in the White Mountains

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PHOENIX — Three routes to lakes in the White Mountains have reopened after winter closures, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

They are: State Route 261 between Eagar and Big Lake; State Route 273 between Sunrise Park and Big Lake; and State Route 473 between State Route 260 and Hawley Lake.

Before heading off to enjoy the mountains, motorists should do the following:

• Make sure all occupants in a vehicle are buckled in.
• Check tire pressure, fluids and more to make sure a vehicle is in proper running condition.
• Be patient, including not following other vehicles too closely and building in extra travel time.
• Get enough sleep before the trip.
• Bring extra water and food.
• Never drink and drive.
• Check for information about highway restrictions and more by visiting az511.gov, calling 511 or following ADOT on Twitter (@ArizonaDOT).

Phoenix to host second public hearing for ADOT’s Tentative Five-Year Program

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PHOENIX — The Arizona Department of Transportation continues to gather comments for its proposed five-year construction program by reaching out to the public and communities statewide for their input on which projects should move forward over the next few years.

The second public hearing for the 2017-2021 Tentative Five-Year Transportation Facilities Construction Program is scheduled for 9 a.m. Friday, April 15, at the ADOT Administration Building Auditorium, 206 S. 17th Ave. in Phoenix. The monthly State Transportation Board meeting will follow the public hearing.

For this Tentative Five-Year Program, ADOT was able to recommend a few more expansion projects for Greater Arizona because of additional funding through the federal Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act, as well as a Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant. These projects, aimed at enhancing key freight corridors in Arizona, otherwise would have remained in ADOT’s Development Program as projects not starting until six to 10 years out.

Among ADOT’s suggestions to move forward on a quicker timeline are two Interstate 10 widening projects in Pinal County (segments at State Route 87 to Picacho Peak and Earley Road to Interstate 8), two widening projects along US 93 and the State Route 347 railroad overpass project in the city of Maricopa. The SR 347 project received a $15 million TIGER grant and a $15 million local contribution to add to ADOT’s $19 million commitment.

Facing growing statewide needs and limited transportation funding from traditional sources, ADOT remains committed to preserving the existing state highway system, which is valued at more than $20 billion. ADOT’s proposal meets its goal of $260 million per year dedicated to preservation work, such as bridges in need of upgrades and pavement in need of repair.

The 2017-2021 Tentative Program is available for public review and comment at azdot.gov/fiveyearplan, where a “how to read it” guide is available. ADOT welcomes feedback through Survey Monkey at surveymonkey.com/r/CJY36HY, email at fiveyearconstructionprogram@azdot.gov and by calling 1-855-712-8530. The comment period ends at 5 p.m. on May 30.

The public comment period includes three public hearings around the state. The State Transportation Board will then make its decision in June about what will be in the final 2017-2021 Five-Year Program.

Here are details for the two remaining public hearings and the State Transportation Board’s June meeting. The first public hearing was held in Oro Valley last month.

  • April 15 at 9 a.m.: Public hearing and board meeting in the ADOT Administration Building Auditorium, 206 S. 17th Ave., Phoenix.
  • May 20 at 9 a.m.: Public hearing and board meeting in the City of Flagstaff Council Chambers, 211 W. Aspen Ave., Flagstaff.
  • June 17 at 9 a.m.: Board meeting in the City of Holbrook Council Chambers, 465 First Ave., Holbrook

AZGFD to display world-record desert bighorn sheep

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PHOENIX — The most magnificent desert bighorn sheep in the world now stands regal among the wildlife mounts on display at Arizona Game and Fish Department headquarters in Phoenix.

On loan from the Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Society, the massive ram joins the bull elk, pronghorn, black bear, mountain lion and more, including small game and several sportfish, in the customer service area for all to see.

Scrivens_Ram“This is the ideal place for this ram,” said Pete Cimellaro, whose organization delivered and assembled the mount in advance of this weekend’s meeting of the Arizona Game and Fish Commission. “It’s home. It’s just the epitome of what a desert bighorn sheep looks like – and a really, really big one.”

The backstory behind the “Scrivens” ram is almost as extraordinary as his immense horns that scored at 205-1/8 points when they were first measured unofficially in 1946 by the Boone and Crockett Club – a world record that hasn’t been challenged for 70 years.

While on a hunting trip in 1942 on a remote ranch on Mexico’s Baja Peninsula, Carl Scrivens and his brothers were taking a stroll around the ranch when they spotted the skull and horns in the back of a dilapidated wagon. According to vaqueros at the ranch, the ram had been killed a year or so earlier by a Native American who was hunting for meat and left the head.

Scrivens_Ram_-_1The brothers, knowledgeable about the size of desert bighorn rams, were not about to leave without the head and acquired it for a mere eight pesos — and a wool sweater Scrivens was wearing at the time that caught the eye of a vaquero.

“That goes down with things like the Louisiana Purchase,” Cimellaro said, laughing.

The ram was bequeathed in 1992 to ADBSS, of which Scrivens had been a lifelong member. In fact, he and his wife, Anna, often would come from their home in Afton, Wyo., to help with water catchment projects.

“They loved the desert,” Cimellaro said. “They shared many campfires with members of the sheep society. That affinity is what gave Carl the idea to allow us to be custodians of the ram. He said, ‘This is the perfect place because the sheep society is always going to care about sheep.’ ”

After obtaining a suitable cape for the ram from Game and Fish, the restored mount was put on display in 1992 at the Boone and Crockett Club’s National Collection of Heads and Horns at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, Wyo. In recent years, the mount had found its way to the headquarters of Bass Pro Shops in Springfield, Mo. It was Cimellaro who recently made the trip back to Missouri, crated the world-record ram and brought it back to Arizona.

Cimellaro still marvels at the size of its thick, heavy horns.

“Nothing really has approached it,” Cimellaro said. “That might change someday, who knows? At this time, it’s one of the longest-standing records out there.”

Game and Fish headquarters is located at 5000 W. Carefree Highway, Phoenix, 85086. Hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, except for holidays. For more information, visit www.azgfd.gov, or call (602) 942-3000.

Recycle bins rejoice: Innovation moves ADOT bid process from paper to PDF

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PHOENIX — Who says doing business with a government agency has to involve lots and lots and lots of paper?

Thanks to improvements to how the Arizona Department of Transportation presents project opportunities online, contractors’ recycle bins are getting lighter. Those interested in bidding for projects now can simply determine which projects they want to pursue and download related documents.

It replaces a process that was more than a little heavy on paper, requiring contractors to drive to ADOT and pay for copies of construction plans and specifications. For example, bidders hoping to work on a six-mile section of Loop 303 several years ago hauled away more than 1,700 pages of plans.

“This is another example of our commitment using the latest technology to continuously improve processes and create better experiences for our customers,” ADOT Director John Halikowski said.

The improvement is saving both ADOT and contractors time and money. While contractors had paid a fee to help cover ADOT’s printing costs, the agency often wound up with more stacks of plans than bidders.

For contractors, the innovation also eliminates the need to scan 24-by-36-inch plan sheets. This saves time and effort, making it easier to do business with ADOT ‒ and to do business in general.

“The benefits are numerous, from the simple ability to look at plans quickly and assess whether the job is a fit without having to have plans mailed or have a runner go down to pick them up,” said Carlos Gonzalez, executive vice president of Rummel Construction, a member of the Arizona chapter of the Associated General Contractors of America. “It makes it easier for general contractors to get plans distributed to subcontractors, allowing more time to develop comprehensive bids.”

The new system, available at azdot.gov/business (see Contracts and Specifications > Current Advertisements), went live in February with the help of ADOT Contracts and Specifications and Information Technology Group team members. In addition to including a variety of plan documents and other important information, the site allows contractors to receive automatic notifications of any project changes.

Steve Boschen, director of ADOT’s Infrastructure Delivery and Operations Division, said that while ADOT is still determining exactly how much the improved process will save the state in direct printing and labor costs, it’s already providing better customer service to Arizona contractors and subcontractors.

“We’re excited to have a new process that will make it easier for contractors to do business with ADOT,” he said.

ADOT equipment shops recognized for reducing environmental impact

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PHOENIX — The Tucson facility where the Arizona Department of Transportation repairs and maintains its vehicles has significantly reduced the amount of trash it generates by recycling scrap metal, batteries, automotive fluids, paper and more. Converting to LED lighting has reduced energy use.

Along with ADOT’s repair facility in Springerville, the Tucson operation has been recognized through the agency’s Green Shop program, which seeks to minimize environmental impact, cut waste and increase recycling at 22 ADOT Equipment Services locations.

“We’re reducing the cost to the state because we’re keeping waste down,” said Nathan Carroll, the fuel, scales, environmental and training manager for ADOT Equipment Services. “The end result is increasing productivity. For the taxpayer, that’s a good thing.”

The Green Shop program began in 2006 with a best-practices manual offering guidelines on subjects including keeping shops clean and organized for efficient operations and properly containing spills. It has become an important part of daily operations at all ADOT service shops.

More than 40 government agencies contract with ADOT Equipment Services, including the Arizona Game and Fish Department, Arizona Department of Public Safety, police departments and school districts. The shops perform preventive maintenance and major repairs on light trucks, snowplows, watercraft, snowmobiles, school buses and more.

Every two years, one full-service shop and one satellite location are honored following three inspections, one of which is unannounced, to see how operations are following the Green Shop guidelines.

An event to honor the Tucson operation was held April 8. An April 18 ceremony is scheduled at the Springerville facility.

Arizona Game and Fish Outdoor Expo draws record weekend crowd

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ExpoRecap_2016_bannerPHOENIX — The Arizona Game and Fish Department’s 2016 Outdoor Expo, presented by Shikar-Safari Club International, drew a record crowd of 41,100 people during the April 2-3 weekend at the Ben Avery Shooting Facility in Phoenix.

Combined with 4,500 students, teachers and chaperones who turned out for the Friday, April 1 Youth Day, the 45,600 total was the second-highest three-day turnout in Expo history.

We’re thrilled with the public’s interest in the Expo,” said Game and Fish Recreation Chief Scott Lavin. ”We hold this annual event to introduce or re-engage the public with the many wildlife-related and other outdoor recreation opportunities available in Arizona.”

The Expo showcases activities such as fishing, hunting, shooting sports, archery, camping, off-highway vehicle recreation, boating recreation, and wildlife viewing. In addition to the hands-on activities, more than 150 exhibitors were on site, including sportsmen’s and conservation organizations, government agencies, and commercial vendors of outdoor products and services.

“Despite a number of other high-profile events in the Valley over the weekend, the record Expo turnout shows there is huge interest in learning about the great outdoors,” said Lavin.

For the second straight year, the Presenting Sponsor of this year’s Arizona Game and Fish Department Outdoor Expo was Shikar-Safari Club International.

Gold Sponsors were Cabela’s, Arizona State Credit Union, and the National Shooting Sports Foundation. Silver Sponsors were Bass Pro Shops, Sportsman’s Warehouse, and HPR Ammunition. Bronze Sponsors were the Mule Deer Foundation and Bill Luke Dodge.

“We’re grateful for the support of Shikar-Safari Club International and all of our other sponsors and exhibitors,” said Game and Fish Director Larry Voyles. “Without their participation, we could not conduct an event such as this. They are helping pass along our outdoor heritage to current and future generations.”

The mission of the Arizona Game and Fish Department is to conserve Arizona’s diverse wildlife resources and manage for safe, compatible outdoor recreation opportunities for current and future generations. The department operates without receiving any Arizona general fund tax dollars. Outdoor Expo costs are paid for by sponsor and exhibitor fees.

Next year’s Outdoor Expo will be held March 25-26, 2017, at the Ben Avery Shooting Facility in Phoenix. More information will be posted at www.azgfd.gov/expo as it becomes available.