Phoenix City Living

Phoenix's Points of Pride looks for company

Phoenix seeks nominations for new Points of Pride:

From the Wrigley Mansion to Papago Park's Hole in the Rock, Phoenix is proud of its attractions and is looking for help to expand its Points of Pride list.

Nominations are being accepted through Nov. 9, after which the Phoenix Pride Commission will select 10 locations to be voted on by the public early in 2008. The commission will evaluate the sites receiving the most votes and consider designating one or more as a Phoenix Point of Pride.

... A Point of Pride is a landmark or attraction unique to the city of Phoenix that evokes a sense of pride among area residents. Events and people are not eligible. The first 25 Phoenix Points of Pride were selected by more than 10,000 area residents in 1992. Cricket Wireless Pavilion and the Deer Valley Rock Art Center were added in 1996 and 2000, respectively. In 2004, the Japanese Friendship Garden, Thomas J. Pappas School and the Ben Avery Shooting Facility were added.

What Point of Pride motivates you to take the next step?

Equus pioneers into Phoenix's Opportunity Corridor

Equus to turn old Ramada headquarters into Hilton hotel:

Equus Development was approved by Hilton International as the franchisee for a new Hilton Garden Inn in Phoenix's Opportunity Corridor.

The site, at 3838 E. Van Buren Ave., is adjacent to the upcoming light rail line and Gateway Community College. The Opportunity Corridor along Van Buren east of downtown has been targeted for redevelopment.

The hotel will be located in the former 10-story Ramada World Headquarters building, which was purchased by Windsor Gateway LLC, the development company controlled by Equus Development Corp.

The 191-room hotel is slated to open by December 2008 and will feature a pool, spa, fitness center, restaurant, bar, business center and meeting rooms. Phoenix-based Equus struck an agreement with Gateway Community to provide the rooms for the college's conference center to be built across from the hotel.

Architects for the project are Orcutt Winslow; the builder is Summit Builders.

For all those that feel the rage when a dent appears on your car door

Most of the time we find the "parking lot" dent only when far from the scene and without a hope of finding the perpetrator. But what of those moments, which many of us has had once in a lifetime, when the opportunity exists to immediately right a wrong, to change the course of history, and finally stand up to the evildoers that trash our treasured cars. But is life ever really that simple?

IRS trying to help those in foreclosure trouble

IRS offers tax info for homeowners facing foreclosure:

To help homeowners facing foreclosure, the Internal Revenue Service created a special section recently on IRS.gov.

IRS officials said although mortgage workouts and foreclosures can have tax consequences, special relief provisions often can reduce or eliminate the tax.

The agency's Web site now has information, including a worksheet to help borrowers determine whether any of the foreclosure-related relief provisions apply to them. Those who owe additional tax, will find a form to request a payment agreement with the IRS. In some cases, taxpayers may qualify to settle their tax debt for less than the full amount.

Check out IRS.gov

When it's a good thing to have a "green" pool

Scottsdale pool company's 'green' technology goes prime time:

Scottsdale-based pool cleaning company Calsaway Pool Services Inc. will be featured on NBC Nightly News Sept. 27 for its environmentally friendly technology used to clean swimming pools.

The feature will air during the 5:30 p.m. time slot and will be hosted by NBC anchor and Managing Editor Brian Williams.

Calsaway burst onto the local scene in January, when it began offering its mobile pool cleaning service to the Valley. It uses a custom-engineered filtration process that removes hard minerals and kills bacteria, algae and insect larvae from pools without draining the water.

... The Calsaway process uses chemicals that bond with minerals and biological matter in water. The minerals become heavy and fall to the bottom of the pool. Using Calsaway's truck-mounted filter, the minerals are removed while the water is poured back into the pool.

Most residential pools hold about 15,000 gallons, which takes more than a day to empty and another day to refill. Additionally, typical acid-wash cleaning methods take six hours to complete. Pool builders suggest cleaning pools every two years.

With more than half a million pools in the Phoenix area, Calsaway officials estimate the company could save the region more than 338 million gallons of water over the next three years. The company just invested in its second service truck, opening the doors to twice as many customers as before, Scheer said.

FHA mortgage up for some dramatic changes?

The FHA looks like it is the target of some changes in reaction to the morphing mortgage and housing market. With the creation of many of the exotic mortgage programs in the recent past challenging the FHA for mortgage lending, the FHA market share dwindled to just 3% of purchases nationally. Now this FHA "Modernization" will focus on  certain key elements to boost the FHA's market penetration during this dramatic slide in the availability of subprime and Alt-A loan programs. This includes bumping the lower limit, adjusting the loan "ceiling" to $417,000 and reducing the downpayment from the current 3% to 1.5%. FHA (don't call it a) Comeback: Changes to Limits, Down Payment Forthcoming.

Too much grief causes Sarver to toast W Hotel for downtown Phoenix

Well, it looks like preservation won a rare fight in this one. From AZCentral, Sarver's plans to build a Phoenix W Hotel killed:

A proposed $200 million boutique hotel in downtown Phoenix was on life support, but a judge's Tuesday ruling has effectively killed the existing deal, the developer said.

Phoenix Suns majority owner Robert Sarver was poised to build a 39-story W Hotel near US Airways Center. The development would have included an 11-story office and condo tower built on top of a historic 1920s warehouse.

Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Peter Swann ruled that a jury should decide whether the Phoenix City Council had improper talks with Sarver before it decided the fate of the warehouse on the hotel site.
That litigation could drag on for a year or two years on appeal, said Robert Yen, an attorney who represents several groups that want to protect the Sun Mercantile Building, which is considered by many to be the last vestige of Phoenix's once thriving Chinatown.

Phoenix ranks top in bizjournal's job ranking

Move on folks. Nothing to see here. Just the hottest job market in America. Great weather. Fantastic range of shopping venues. Wide range of recreational pursuits. Affordable urban housing. Rapidly developing urban infrastructure ...blah, blah, blah.....

How the 100 markets in the bizjournal study ranked

So this is what happens when my dogs surf the net!

For the past few weeks I've been having problems sleeping. Always, just when the night seems at its most quiet, I start hearing shuffling, muffled howls, and music coming from the den. When I get up, suddenly the music stops, and all I can ever find are my two black labs nonchalantly gazing up at the ceiling. Strange, very strange indeed! Finally, last night I staked out the room, set up the camera, hid deep in the shadows, and waited, and waited......and waited. First to come out was Cali, searching to the left, then the right, did a double check and then waved out the younger Dillon. What was it with the two of them, quietly posing in the middle of the room, eyes darting side to side, seemingly charting out some strange movements as if planning...? No......it couldn't possibly be. Then slowly, with sly little smiles spreading to the edge of their wet goober mouths, they took out little doggy dancing shoes, cranked up the music from Grease, and let loose on the floor. In my amazement I completely forgot to film the event, but I did check out their little doggy computer and I finally found their inspiration. Enjoy, but keep your dogs far from the screen. The scratch marks now on our floor are impossible to get out!

Moonlight Movie in the Park: Halloween's special treat

If you missed Moonlight Movie in the Park last Saturday keep your calendars open for October 27 when the perennial favorite "It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown" accompanied by "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" brighten up the lakeside space in the park. Starting at sundown, the free event promises urbanites the chance to feel the night breeze in a laid back community environment . The kids will love it ..... and you for taking them.

where: Steele Indian School Park, N/E corner - Central Ave. & Indian School Road  map  when: Saturday, October 27  time: 7pm (sundown - or when the Great Pumpkin comes out to play!)  cost: free

It's official: Keep your thumbs on the wheel!

Pushing through on its recent threats to get tough in the face of increasing accidents and tragedies caused by "thumbing" messaging devices while driving, Phoenix City Council passed an ordinance prohibiting such use. Specifically:

1. The ordinance will prohibit the use of personal digital assistants to send or receive a written message while operating a motor vehicle.
2. Personal digital assistants refer to a wireless electronic communication device that provides for data communication other than by voice.
3. This ordinance does not apply to law enforcement and safety personnel; drivers of authorized emergency vehicles; holders of commercial driver licenses while driving within the scope of their employment; public transit personnel; a person who is reporting reckless or negligent behavior; a person who believes they are in physical danger and is the only adult in the motor vehicle; or those communicating with the following regarding an emergency situation: an emergency response operator; a provider of ambulance services; a provider of firefighter services; a law enforcement agency.
4. Violation of the ordinance is a nonmoving civil traffic violation.
5. If a person found in violation of the ordinance is not involved in a traffic accident, the person is subject to a civil penalty of $100, plus any other penalty assessments authorized by law.
6. If a person found in violation of the ordinance is involved in a traffic accident, the person is subject to a civil penalty of $250, plus any other penalty assessments authorized by law.
7. Peace officers are empowered to enforce the ordinance as a primary offense.
8. A 30-day warning period (Sept. 20 to Oct. 19) will begin once the ordinance is adopted to inform and educate drivers, however due to public safety implications and the risks associated with text messaging while driving, an emergency clause is requested to allow immediate enactment of the ordinance to initiate the warning period and enforcement.

Rainbow Festival at Heritage Square, Oct 6-7

Celebrating the gay and lesbian community, the Rainbow Festival started in 2005 and has now expanded to a 2 day event featuring over 200 exhibitors and numerous entertainment acts in the Festival Garden. This is the largest gay/lesbian event in the state of Arizona. It is an opportunity for the gay/lesbian community and their friends to celebrate the diversity of the Phoenix community.

where: Heritage Park, 7th St. & Monroe  map  when: Saturday & Sunday, October 6 & 7  time: 10am-6pm  cost: free  parking: adjacent (fee) & street (metered)

Also occurring the preceding week is the Phoenix 2007 NAGAAA Softball World Series. Competition begins on October 2 and wraps up October 6th with a closing concert at Celebrity Theater. From the NAGAAA website:

The North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance (NAGAAA) was created in 1977 to be a non-profit, international organization comprised of men and women dedicated to promoting amateur athletics specifically for the gay and lesbian community. NAGAAA was formed to encourage and promote the participation of gay men and women in organized softball competition. Currently, 34 cities make up the membership of NAGAAA in the United States and Canada.

Ballet Under the Stars 2007

Ballet Arizona begins its 9th season of Ballet Under the Stars:

A FREE performance at a park near you! Spend a relaxing evening under the gorgeous Arizona sky as Ballet Arizona continues its annual season opening tradition with "Ballet Under the Stars". Bring the entire family and enjoy a combination of classical and contemporary works in a casual setting for free. "Ballet Under the Stars" performances often feature the debut performance of works created as part of our "Class Act" program.

where: Steele Indian School Park, N/E corner - Central Ave. & Indian School Road  map  when: Saturday, September 29  time: 7pm  cost: free