Richard Elías, District 5 Supervisor, celebrates Tucson's 234^th birthday at the Presidio San Agustín del Tucson; downtown, August 20. See more images of interesting people on our Tucson birthday photo page.

Rafael Payan,
Director of the Pima County Natural Resources, Parks and Recreation Department

Payan Elected as Fellow to American Academy for Parks and Recreation Administration

Rafael Payan, Director of the Pima County Natural Resources, Parks and Recreation Department (NRPR) was recently elected as a Fellow of the American Academy for Parks and Recreation Administration. This honor recognizes the top parks directors in the United States.

The Academy is an organization of distinguished practitioners and educators committed to the advancement of parks, recreation and conservation. Membership in the Academy is limited and members must have demonstrated leadership in these areas. Rafael Payan’s curriculum vitae includes employment with the National Park Service where he developed exhibits for use by visually and physically challenged individuals, work that was recognized by the Smithsonian Institute. Then, as part of his responsibilities for El Paso County Parks in Colorado Springs, he designed segments of the New Santa Fe Trail that runs from New Mexico to Wyoming along the front range of Colorado.
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Annual ECAP 2009-10 Campaign Kicks Off
by Lorraine Simon

This year’s Pima County Employees Combined Appeal Program (ECAP) Annual Workplace Giving Campaign has begun. The 2009/2010 campaign period runs now through October 30.

The ECAP annual appeal comes at a time when many people within Pima County are struggling to make ends meet. Numerous people have lost their jobs and several families are facing foreclosure on their homes. As a result, our local charities are facing an increased demand for services with a decrease in donations. Economic times are tough, and now more than ever, these organizations need your help to provide services for those in need.
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First Home to Receive Pima County Green Remodel Certification

Troy and Kristi Young have completed the “greenest” remodel in  Tucson. The Youngs wanted to remodel a mid-town home to meet the needs of their growing family.  They believed that the most sustainable home is one that already exists, so they would not contribute to urban sprawl nor deplete as many natural resources as a new home.  After a special request to City of Tucson mayor and council to work with the Pima County Development Services’ Green Remodeling Program was approved, the Youngs included gray water plumbing, low flow plumbing fixtures, energy efficient new windows, energy star appliances and other initiatives during the remodeling. Pima County then inspected these initiatives to verify that the Young’s earned the first ever Silver Certificate from the Regional Residential Green Remodeling Program.
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Crisis Intervention and Victimology Training

Victim Witness will be conducting two Crisis Intervention and Victimology Trainings this fall. The trainings teach basic crisis intervention skills, concepts and techniques. They examine various crime types (e.g., domestic violence, sexual assault, child trauma, death, etc.) and the specific dynamics that victims of these crimes may face, including common trauma reactions.  The trainings (ten sessions, each 3 hours in length)  are a well structured, interactive and hands-on.
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Remembering 9/11

Join the Public Works Administration staff during your lunchtime break on Friday, September, 11, 2009, as we watch the documentary film, "FDNY Dream Bike". This film is a memorial tribute to 35-year old Gerard "Biscuit" Baptiste and to the many folks who helped restore his dream bike. Gerard is one of the firemen who perished in the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the NY World Trade Center. The film was directed, narrated, and produced by Pima County's very own John Allison of IT-Communications.

Show time:
Friday, September 11, 2009 at 11:30 a.m.

Location:
Board of Supervisors Hearing Room
Administration Building
130 W. Congress, 1st Floor

The New York times said of this film that it "suggests that while you may never forget the day's big events, your mind may have let the week's smaller moments of sad communion slip away." - Ned Martel, September 3, 2004

John Allison was also featured last year in an E-Scoop article: "FDNY Dream Bike Symbol of Healing."

PimaCore Software Demonstrated

The last two weeks of August were very exciting and busy for Project PimaCore!  PimaCore project team members, as well as numerous employees representing various departments throughout Pima County, attended software demonstrations during this two week period.  The AMS-Advantage software package was demonstrated by CGI during the first week, and the SAP software package was demonstrated with presentations on implementation services by CIBER and EPI-USE America during the second week.
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ECAP is Going Green
by Lorraine Simon

Beginning this fiscal year, the Pima County Employees Combined Appeal Program (ECAP) is jumping on the environmental bandwagon and going green. By going green, ECAP will cut down on the amount of paper used for the annual campaign and also keep costs lower as the county is tightening up its belt to meet recent budgetary constraints.

This year we will be using more of our online resources to communicate the ECAP campaign to Pima County employees. The ECAP 2009-10 Campaign begins with the kickoff event on September 17 and will run through October 30. October 30 is the date that all ECAP envelopes/materials must be submitted to Shelley Rose, ECAP Chair.
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Pima County Wants Your Input on 2010 Bond Election

Pima County is seeking public input regarding a possible bond election in 2010. The public is encouraged to attend one of several meetings scheduled from September through December 2009, to provide input as to whether a bond election should be held in 2010 and, if so, what types of projects should be included for funding.  The meetings are being held on September 11, October 16, November 13, and December 11, 2009, and will begin at 8:00 a.m. at the Randolph Golf Course Copper Room at 600 South Randolph Way in Tucson.
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International Walk to School Day Attracts Millions Across the Planet

The new school year can mean a break from traditions as millions of school children across the planet celebrate International Walk to School Day on Wednesday, October 7, 2009.  In Pima County, thousands of parents and children will leave their cars at home and walk or bike to school to increase pedestrian and bicycle safety and improve air quality throughout our community. Walking and bicycling also improve health through physical activity, reduce obesity, reduce traffic congestion and provide family members with an opportunity to spend additional time with each other and connect with neighbors. The Pima County Department of Transportation, Safe Kids Tucson, and the Pima County Department of Environmental Quality’s Clean Air Program are working together to encourage children, parents, guardians, and local officials to participate in the “International Walk to School Day.”
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Changing Tucson:
The Santa Rita Hotel Goes Down
August 26-28, 2009

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This section of the E-Scoop will be a regular feature designed to get employees involved with and to communicate important information about Project PimaCore.

Project PimaCore Question of the Month

How many departments are represented by the Steering Committee for Project PimaCore? (Hint)

If you know the answer to this question, e-mail pimacore@pima.gov

The first person to respond will be recognized in next month’s E-Scoop.

CONGRATULATIONS to Brian Williams from the IT Department for being the first person to respond correctly to last month’s question: "Where will the software demonstrations be held and on what date will they begin?" (Answer: August 18 in the Board of Supervisor’s Hearing Room.) 

Brian is the lucky recipient of a PimaCore cap!

Puzzler

Think you know Pima County?

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What is this? (May be deceptive. Hint.)

Answer...