Week 68 - Rescued Critters Food Drive

Hi Folks,

Holiday Happenings

Ward Five Council Member Richard Fimbres is a teamwork maven who honors the people who have helped him “get the job done” throughout the year. As you can see, there are lots of folks including police, firefighters, teachers, city staff and some ordinary citizens, too.

To my surprise, Pat Tapia from Environmental Services, was one of the honorees. He’s the gentleman who helps us quickly clean up our neighborhood when there is dumping.

Three more folks followed Pat and then I was called up. Richard talked about One Can A Week, Rescued Critters and cleaning up the Miles Neighborhood. “He does all that all by himself.”

No one said anything after they received their medallion but I had to explain the situation.  

“I have to tell you something about cleaning up the neighborhood. Environmental Services and Pat Tapia make it happen. Without Pat’s help, I’m just chopped liver.”  

Big laugh but everyone now knows that Pat is key to keeping our Miles Neighborhood free of dumping or any neighborhood in Tucson for that matter.

We are all scient beings ...

humans, other mammals, honey bees, trees ...

Of all the art forms, photography moves me the most. Humans make up so many things that are nowhere near the truth I am often confounded. Then I discover a profound photograph of poor folks, abandoned veterans, kids in cages and even a ground squirrel snuggling with a flower.

We have to all appreciate this planet and everything on it. I know, that has been said since we came out of the caves 12,000 years ago. However, if we don’t do something about it now, we’re all going to be back in the caves soon no matter how much money we have.

Photo of ground squirrel in Vienna, Austria nuzzling sunflower by Dick van Duijn. CNN photo of the year. https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2019/12/specials/year-in-pictures/news.html

This week we donated 259.1 lbs. of pet food, 10 pill bottles, a dog collar, 3 dog toys, 20 cleanup bags and $28.48 in cash and two check.

To clarify, $24.98 of the total donations ($53.46) was used to purchase 50 lbs. of pet food at 55 cents per pound.

See you Sunday,

Peter

Week 67 - Rescued Critters Food Drive

  Hi Folks,

PACC Outreach Folks Grateful for “So Much Food”

On Saturday I got an email from Bennett Simonsen, PACC’s Community Programs Manager and our contact. He was attending the vaccine clinic and Rescued Critters came up in a conversation. Here, I’ll let Bennett tell it.

“We have a giant vaccine clinic today and one of our staff who does outreach and a volunteer who does outreach both mentioned you and how grateful they are for you bringing in so much food. I thought I’d pass it along. :)”

Outreach connects with people in Tucson who love dogs and cats but may not have the wherewithal to afford food and veterinarian help. That’s why PACC offers free clinics and free food when available. And our donations are an important part of that mission, it turns out.

So any time you feel like adding more to your Sunday donation, know that more is always good … and appreciated. 

Get Ready for Brush and Bulky the week of January 6th

Click on map to view Brush and Bulky 2020 Schedule Online

For two months now I have been looking for the 2020 schedule for Brush and Bulky. Then last Tuesday, I heard from a neighbor who was motivated to contact me after reading the post on dumping. He was putting trash in the alley a week before the Brush and Bulky pickup and thought I should know because he didn’t want to be “put up on your wall of shame.”

That made me laugh and a number of folks I told. The photos were not meant to shame anyone. They are simply to show we do have a dumping problem here in Miles, but we also have a quick solution.

The idea I would like to get across is that we have free and posted bulky trash pickups every 90 days in Miles. If there were more conscientious neighbors like the gentleman who gave me a heads up on Brush and Bulky, there will be no need for photos of trash on the sidewalks and easements.

By the way, just hold down the control key and click on the map at the same time to link to the 2020 Brush and Bulky schedule. 

This week we donated 132 lbs. of pet food, 2 pill bottles,  one chicken stick and one $10.00 check. The $63.59 cash donations purchased 116 lbs. of pet food at 55 cents per pound.

See you Sunday,

Peter

Week 66 - Rescued Critters Food Drive

Hi Folks,

A short list of dumping you

probably never noticed ... 

because they were gone within 48 hours.

Steve, my friend and neighbor asked me today if I saw the dumped mattress over on 12^th and Warren. I said yes I did and it was picked up before noon along with a couch and lots of branches. See second photo on the left.

The backstory is I picked up the mattress on Sunday after my rounds along with a number of other items I had spotted. Everything was piled in a wide alley and a photo taken. Sunday evening I sent an email requesting a work order to my friend Pat Tapia at Environmental Services. While walking my pups around the neighborhood about noon today I saw the pile was gone. I was actually startled by the empty alley.

Pat tells me that I can expect a pickup within 24 – 48 hours after I notify him. This latest pickup only took 4 hours. This got me thinking about how much Pat has helped me clean up our Miles Neighborhood and, too, realizing he’s not getting enough appreciation from us.

Those photos only tell eight stories of dumping on our streets and in our alleys. Actually there were at least a score in the last year. Of course, I thank Pat in each work-order request email and lately, I have moved all of the dumping into one pile for his crew instead of having them make stops at individual addresses.  

I know we can do even more to show our gratitude for a clean and safe neighborhood so I would like all of us to send Pat a Christmas Card telling him how much his efforts mean to us. All you have to say is “Thank you, Pat, for making my neighborhood clean and safe.”

Send the holiday greeting card to:

Mr. Pat L. Tapia

Environmental & General Services Department

4004 S. Park Avenue

Building 1

Tucson, AZ 85726-7210

I already have a new pile accumulating in an alley that includes a very large and heavy TV so, I would like you to move with a slight sense of urgency.

And thank you.

This week we donated 208.4 lbs. of pet food, 1 pill bottle, and $47.55 in cash and one check.

See you Sunday,

Peter

Week 65 - Rescued Critters Food Drive

Hi Folks,

Another Update: Scooter Creep

As promised, Erica from the Tucson Department of Transportation called me back the day before Thanksgiving and said she had spoken to a lawyer about scooters indiscriminately parked on a homeowner’s sidewalk. Definitely, the homeowner is not responsible, however, the party who left the obstruction is.

My suggestion is to put the scooter in the street near the curb but away from parked cars. You don’t want to fix your problem but cause a problem for your neighbor after he or she runs the darn thing over.

If you would like to learn all about your sidewalk responsibility, just click on the link: https://www.tucsonaz.gov/files/transportation/files/Chapter_25.pdf

and read Section 25 – 12 and 13. Or you can just keep your sidewalk clean and when there is upheaval or damage call a sidewalk repair person. Simple, right?

The sign is working!

The reaction to the Poop Deserter sign is positive, with a smile. Oh, there was one negative comment about the strong language but one should really hate—not just dislike—things in life like Hitler, bullies, animal, kids and people abusers, arsonists and so on.

To date the signs have been ripped down in front of the Miles School and the above trashed sign found in the barrel in the park. It was replace post haste.

The point is folks are now paying attention to the problem and there appears to be less of a mess. 

This week we donated 206.6 lbs. of pet food, 6 pill bottles, and $93.26 in cash and one check. Our cash donation was more than twice the amount for last week. Very nice.

See you Sunday,

Peter