TEMPE NEWS BRIEFS
What’s up in Tempe? Museums, galleries and libraries reopening; drive-up help filling out a FAFSA; Bashas’ and Pedal Haus hiring; Historic Preservation Commission may get Native American representation; inaugural Dolores Huerta scholarship winner announced; Diablos’ Ignite the Night Night fundraiser coming; Girl Scouts team with city for patch design competition; military scholarship in honor of Council member Arredondo-Savage; Tempe Playlist deadline coming and city looking for boards and commissions volunteers — whew! It’s all right here in this installment of Tempe News Briefs!
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After a significant decrease in COVID-19 cases over the past several weeks, Tempe has reopened its History Museum and Gallery at Tempe Center for the Arts with limited services. Additionally, Tempe Public Library has expand its in-person services.
Face coverings still are required.
The History Museum is reopen for passive visitation of indoor exhibits. Museum hours are Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Gallery at TCA indoor exhibitions are open, however other areas within the TCA, including its three performing arts venues, remain closed. Gallery hours are Tuesday-Friday, noon-5 p.m.
Tempe Public Library has expanded lobby-service hours to Monday and Tuesday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Wednesday-Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is closed Sundays.
Temporary library-runner service allows access to all available materials.
Safety protocols remain in place at all Tempe facilities and properties. Face coverings are required at all times, physical distancing must be in place and capacity will be limited. Anyone who feels sick should stay home.
Still closed until further notice are Westside Multi-Generational Center, Tempe City Hall, Edna Vihel Arts Center, Tempe Center for the Arts (except the gallery), Pyle Adult Recreation Center and all city senior centers.
More information: tempe.gov/coronavirus.
College Connect hosting drive-up FAFSA assistance
College Connect is hosting a drive-up FAFSA help session 4-7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 14, in the north parking lot at Tempe Public Library, 3500 S. Rural Road. Students must have Social Security and/or Alien Registration numbers and 2019 tax returns and W2s for parents and students. Also helpful are a charged laptop or tablet. Laptops will be available to check out on a first come, first-served basis.
Studies show that 90 percent of high school seniors who complete a FAFSA application are more likely to attend college right after high school.
Families will remain in their vehicles masked while gloved volunteers provide one-on-one help at the vehicle.
The event is free but registration is encouraged. Bilingual representatives will be available to assist Spanish-speakers with the application process.
More information: CollegeConnectTempe.org or 480-858-7890.
Chandler-based Bashas’ hiring 700
Bashas’ stores, which operates Food City, AJ’s Fine Foods and Bashas’ supermarkets in Tempe and other Arizona locations, is hiring 700 people to fill a variety of full-time and part-time positions at its more than 100 grocery stores.
Open positions range from hourly clerks to store managers, including skilled bakers and meat cutters who can immediately join the team.
The South Tempe store plans to fill 19 openings.
Applications can be completed online at bashas.com, using the grocer’s newest mobile-friendly hiring platform.
Bashas’ offers employees competitive pay, benefits, flexible hours, a grocery discount, professional development and advancement opportunities.
Pedal Haus in Tempe and Chandler hiring, offering sign-on bonus
Restaurants nationwide are experiencing staffing shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic, causing them to struggle to keep up with the increasing pace of business.
Area brewery Pedal Haus is working to combat this with new-employee incentive programs including a $250 sign-on bonus after 30 days, as well as a six-month bonus and a one-year bonus. The brewery is aggressively hiring for its Tempe and Chandler locations and will be hiring more than 100 employees for its Phoenix and downtown Mesa locations, which are opening this year.
More information: Pedal Haus.
Native American representation considered on Historic Preservation Commission
Tempe may be the first city in Arizona, or perhaps the country, to add a permanent seat on its Historic Preservation Commission for Native American representation.
The second and final public hearing to add the seat will be during the April 15 City Council meeting.
The representative would be nominated by the Four Southern Tribes Cultural Resource Working group and appointed by the mayor. The nine-member commission would include three city residents with a demonstrated interest in or knowledge of historic preservation, five professionals who work or have experience in architecture, architectural history, archaeology, historic preservation law, history, landscape architecture or other related field and one from the Four Southern Tribes Cultural Resource Working Group.
“Native American representation on our commission is so important to make sure that local heritage and culture are considered when discussing history, places, buildings and land within Tempe,” said Doreen Garlid, Tempe’s first Native American City Council member. “This is another way that we are keeping our Land Acknowledgement Resolution a living document by our actions.”
Garlid explored an archaeological remediation site along Eighth Street in Tempe last year. The city has a substantial Native American history that is being protected and honored through the Land Acknowledgement Statement and other city actions.
Inaugural Dolores Huerta social-justice award honors teen advocate
Dolores Huerta Day was April 10 in Tempe, and the city is honoring the civil-rights leader and community activist with a advocacy scholarship and youth climate-activism training.
Maya Steinberg, a Tempe High senior, is winner of the first Dolores Huerta Advocacy and Social Justice Award, winning a $1,000 scholarship from Chicanos Por La Causa for her efforts to make Tempe a more equitable place. She participated in policy advocacy through local elections, promoted cultural understanding and awareness, and advocated for accessible health care.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, she recognized that many vulnerable communities would have trouble accessing learning materials so she created an online book club to strengthen literacy while students were out of the classroom. The book club catered to Black, Indigenous, people of color and low-income students during school closures.
She will be honored at the State of the Neighborhoods Awards at 9 a.m. on Saturday, April 17.
Dolores Huerta is a civil-rights activist and community organizer who has fought for labor rights and social justice for more than 50 years. In 1962, she and Cesar Chavez founded the United Farm Workers union.
Tempe Diablos to host Ignite the Night fundraiser
The Tempe Diablos, community leaders who volunteer their time, money and resources to improve city neighborhoods, will host their third-annual Ignite the Night fundraiser at 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 24, with silent and live auctions, a luxury raffle and the chance to learn about programs that help Tempe neighborhoods.
Due to COVID-19, the event will be livestreamed so guests can watch and donate from the comfort and safety of their home. Proceeds raise money for Tempe charities, including Best Buddies, Down Syndrome Network of Arizona, the city, Child Crisis Arizona and Treasures 4 Teachers.
“This event is an excellent opportunity for us to not only thank community members for supporting our work, but also get them involved in giving back to our incredible beneficiaries,” said Arnold Mejia, event chair. “While we still can’t party in person together, we want to offer Valley residents the opportunity to learn about the Diablos in a fun and rewarding way.”
Sponsorship packages are available.
More information, including how to watch the program: TempeDiablos.org.
City, Girl Scouts launch patch-design contests open to all students
The city and Girl Scouts–Arizona Cactus-Pine Council are looking for the perfect Tempe patch design. Any student in Grades K-12 may submit a design idea. Designs should reflect a Tempe place, a city value, or use the Tempe name.
Designs must be submitted by 5 p.m. April 26. A committee will narrow down the entries and the final patch design will be selected via an online survey from May 3-17.
The winning design will become the official icon of the new partnership between Tempe and Girl Scouts. When the patch program launches this year, Girl Scouts may select from an array of activities to learn about and experience city history, operations and famous sites – and earn a Tempe patch to proudly display on their vests or sashes. The program will be the first city-specific patch program in Arizona.
More information: tempe.gov/patch.
Scholarship available in honor of Council member Arredondo-Savage
Students who attend high schools in Tempe may apply by April 30 for a new $1,000 scholarship named in honor of Tempe City Council member Robin Arredondo-Savage, established this year by the Tempe-based Ramsey Social Justice Foundation. The Hon. Robin Arredondo-Savage ROTC/Military Scholarship is open to college-bound sophomores, juniors and seniors in Tempe who have participated in the city’s College Connect program and who intend to participate in ROTC in college or join the military.
It recognizes the service of Arredondo-Savage, a U.S. Army veteran, and her work in the community to advance career opportunities and quality of life for local veterans.
The Ramsey Social Justice Foundation is a longtime supporter of College Connect, founding a number of scholarship opportunities for students. College Connect offers workshops, resources and virtual one-on-one advising for students who are planning for their next steps after high school.
“I am incredibly humbled and honored to have this scholarship named after me,” said Arredondo-Savage. “My family has deep roots in Tempe’s educational system. I am so grateful for everything that the Ramsey Foundation does to ensure a bright future for the children of this community.”
Applications for the scholarship are due online by April 30. More information: collegeconnect@tempe.gov or 480-858-7890.
Deadline April 30 for musicians, singers to submit for Tempe Playlist
Musicians, singers and emcees who live in Tempe may submit their songs for a chance to be in the next edition of Tempe Playlist, a locally-inspired collection of songs that capture the talents and vibe of musicians in the city. Submission deadline is midnight Friday, April 30.
Selected songs will be compiled into a digital playlist that will be available online and marketed throughout the city. Selected artists also receive a small stipend and may be eligible for a free professional recording session.
As many as three original songs may be submitted per person. Bands must have at least one member who resides in the city and bands must own copyrights to all songs submitted.
Tempe Playlist is funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with AZ Beat Lab and TopKat Studios.
More information: Tempe Playlist webpage.
City seeks applicants for boards and commissions
The city has nearly 30 boards and commissions to advise the City Council on a wide range of issues, from arts, parks and development to disability and judicial appointments.
While Tempe accepts applications for them at all times, there are upcoming openings on the Development Review Commission, the Joint Review Committee and the Judicial Advisory Board. The City Council will consider appointments to the Development Review Commission, Joint Review Committee and Judicial Advisory Board, at its regular meeting on June 24.
The Development Review Commission is looking for residents with professional experience in planning, law and real estate. Commission members serve three-year terms.
The Joint Review Committee serve three-year terms, vetted by the president of Arizona State University, the mayor and City Council.
The Judicial Advisory Board members may not have been party to any matters pending before any division of Tempe Municipal Court for five years preceding their appointment. Board members serve three-year terms.
To be considered for appointment to any of these bodies, applications must be received by Friday, May 14.
More information: Tempe boards and commissions website.
