Department of Transportation
Mr. Huckelberry presents Tom with his 30 years of service award,
October 29, 2009
Tom Nunn Receives NAU Alumni Award After 30 Years with Pima County
When walking down any hallway in Pima County with Tom Nunn, it is impossible not to be greeted by a half dozen people. Tom greets each one by name and inquires about specifics to each one’s circumstance. While his ready smile and friendly greeting make him instantly likeable, his experience and unselfish dedication to public service make him respected by all.
Tom’s entire career has been devoted to public service. After beginning his university studies at NAU, Tom Nunn took a two year hiatus to serve in the U.S. Army. Tom returned to NAU to earn a bachelors degree in engineering in 1974, the same year he began working for Pima County Department of Transportation. After working for the Town of Durango, Colorado for 5 years, Tom returned to Pima County in 1982, where he has served in a number of capacities including design engineer, drainage expert, and project manager. In all these roles Tom always puts the public’s health, safety, and welfare at the forefront of decisions. As one colleague noted, “Tom is consistently dedicated toward providing technical accuracy while keeping the public interest in mind.” Tom has been involved in dozens of major transportation infrastructure projects in Pima County during a time when the population of Pima County has skyrocketed to over 1,000,000 people. Over the years, Tom has significantly contributed to the River Road corridor, a 15 mile, 4-lane divided roadway which has become the major east-west corridor through northern Pima County.
Catalina Highway is another public improvement project accomplished by Tom. As Project Manager of this nine million dollar road project, Tom oversaw every aspect of the project, including traffic studies, environmental and cultural studies, geometric design, and drainage design. Tom worked with a Community Advisory Committee to ensure public input was provided to the project and appropriate decisions and mitigations were implemented. Tom recognizes that roadways play an important role in the life of a community to link people to their homes, friends and family, work, shopping, and schools. Many aspects of roadways are highly visible to the public, like landscape and public art. Tom helped guide the public art on Catalina Highway through controversial public meetings which resulted in a series of five sculptures emphasizing the various names for the Catalina Mountains. Tom also took care to make sure the landscape and irrigation were designed in an environmentally and aesthetically pleasing way. Tom also ensured that adequate bicycle lanes and signing were installed to better serve the community. Tom often met directly with nearby property owners to respond to their specific, individual concerns regarding drainage, access, and landscaping. There are other aspects of roadway design that may not be as visible to the public, but critical to public safety. Tom’s drainage expertise is widely recognized and highly sought after. He applied his drainage expertise to Catalina Highway to handle monsoon rains in an area prone to mountain rain runoff.
Tom goes above and beyond the norm in his work. For example, the Department has been working to revise access ramp and median details to better meet ADA guidelines. Tom embraced this challenge and took up the cause whole-heartedly. One colleague observed, “Tom feels it’s not enough to simply comply with ADA, but he is truly concerned with providing products on our roadways that meet the needs of all users.” Tom advanced the idea of meeting with the Arizona School for the Deaf and Blind to see first hand the orientation challenges faced by people with visual impairments. This direct input made a difference in the outcome of the standards adopted by the County. Tom’s desire to serve the public was unwavering even when he faced personal challenges in his own life. Some years ago, Tom was diagnosed with leukemia. During his recovery Tom continued to work on projects from home, providing valuable input to functionality and safety of the County’s roadway projects. As soon as he could, he returned to the work that he loves at Pima County Department of Transportation. His optimism and dedication continually encourage others to give their best as well. Through his life and work Tom has served as a mentor to many people, to those on staff as well as to consultants working for the County. One mentee gratefully reflected, “Tom always has time for questions, and passes on his wisdom with respect and style.”
When driving through the Tucson metropolitan area of Pima County, it is difficult to find a major roadway into which Tom has not had input. While roads build a web that connect people to their community, Tom’s life has become a web that connects him to the colleagues he works with, the public he services, and the community he supports. On October 31, 2009, Tom Nunn retired after serving thirty years with Pima County. As Tom departs Pima County DOT, he leaves a lasting impact on the people he has worked with and the infrastructure he has designed.
Dr. Cliff Harkins Distinguished Citizen
of the Year Award
This award recognizes distinguished service to nonprofit organizations; governmental assignments at the municipal, county, state or federal level; or other outstanding service as a citizen.
Tom at half-time at the NAU Homecoming football game where the NAU Alumni Awards were presented.
GIS
GIS Connections in Pima County
On Friday, October 30, 2009, Pima County GIS hosted the 12th Annual GIS Fair, sponsored by CADSoft Consulting. Over 170 attendees took time out of their day to come and connect with GIS and speak to those who utilize GIS in Pima County. The GIS Fair committee thanks all those who attended and participated in the GIS Fair.
Departments & agencies:
Arizona Geological Survey
CADSoft
COT Information Technology
COT Technology Services Maintenance Management Program
Pima Association of Governments
Pima County Development Services Department
Pima County Information Technology Departments:
SAP GIS GAP
SAP GIS GDM
SAP GIS Special Projects
SAP WEB/eDMS
U of A Library
U of A NEMO
Pima County Regional Flood Control District
Pima County Wastewater Management Regional Wastewater Reclamation Department
Stantec
CADSoft provided a delicious lunch and many people participated in games and ate popcorn. Attendees had the opportunity to participate in drawings throughout the day where local businesses and eateries provided great gifts along with the grand prize provided by CADSoft. We would like to congratulate the following prize winners and again thank the prize contributors:
Alejandro’s Café – Veronica Ruiz-Ronquillo
Arizona Bagel & Deli – Jack Lloyd
Brake Masters (Verona Restaurant) Best Booth – PC Development Services Department
CADSoft (Hard drive) Grand Prize – Erica Sanchez
Café Milano – Satish Anend
Chiliverde – Terri Bunting, Eddie Heredia
June’s Corner Store – James Brown
Margarita Lady ~ Donated the Popcorn
Rae’s Downtown Market Place – Jim Rossi, Simon Herbert, Nicole Burdette
Simoniz Car Wash - Jennifer Stephens
Tucson Artistic Gifts – Peter Schmidt
Tucson Celtic Festival Association - Peter, Johnson, Jessica Shelton, Sue Gowin, Viola Bonillas, Paul Rosenboom, Elisabeth Van Der Leeuw, Nanette Reynolds, Chris Koller, Xavi Armendariz, Dave Koss
Stadium District
PCC Aztecs vs MCC Thunderbirds Football Game
Saturday, November 14, 2009 at 7:00 p.m.
A second Pima Community College football game is scheduled at Kino Sports Complex. On Saturday evening, November 14, the Aztecs football team will play the Thunderbirds from Mesa Community College.
It is the last game of the season for the Aztecs, a National Junior College Athletic Association team, who usually host their home games at Tucson High School. This new venue is just one of a number of strategies that PCC Head Coach, Pat Nugent and Edgar Soto the Athletic Director have implemented to build the football program and generate community support. In October, with a crowd of 1,500 supporters, the team played one of its closest games (35 – 32) of the season against Scottsdale. It was special night for the Stadium District, too – a first ever football game! Who knows what the team will accomplish when they play Mesa. Regardless, why not show your community spirit; the team would appreciate the support!
Gates opens at 5:30 p.m. Game time is 7:00 p.m. The parking is free, and admission for adults is $5, students with ID are $3. Admission for children under the age of eight years old is free. Entrance to the stadium is at the gate B.
¡Vamos A Tucson! – Baseball Tournament
November 13, 14, 15
¡Vamos A Tucson! – Arizona AAU Baseball will host an International tournament at Kino Sports Complex. Ten teams from Mexico/Puerto Rico and ten teams from the U.S.A. will compete in the 16/U category with six teams from each country competing in the 12/U category. This is a sanctioned AAU event. Teams will play a four game minimum pool play followed by bracket play. First and second place trophies and medals will be awarded to the top teams. This event is open to the public. Games will be played on the South Quad at Kino Sports Complex. There will be admission at the gate and concessions will be available.
For more information go to: http://www.azaau.com/
Southern Arizona Fall Baseball Classic
November 14, 15, 2009
Salpointe Catholic High School will host the Southern Arizona Fall Baseball Classic tournament at Kino Sports Complex on November 14 and 15. Seventeen teams of area high-school youth from Pima County will come together for a two-day, pool play tournament. Teams will rotate between fields 3, 8, and 9 on the South Complex. The first pitch is at 8:00 a.m. with games scheduled throughout the day. The event is open to the public and there will be admission at the gate.
KOI SHOW
Saturday and Sun, November 14 and 15, 2009
Southern Arizona Koi Association will host its 30th Annual Koi Show at Kino Community Center. This event is open to the general public and admission is free. Show hours are 9:00 – 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, and 9:00 – 3:00 p.m. on Sunday.
The schedule includes Koi judging, plus a Koi auction. Martial Arts demonstrations; Chinese face readings; a Taiko drum show combined with other activities will make a fun family day. To view a complete schedule for this event, go to: http://www.sakoia.org/ .
FEAST OF THANKS
Friday, November 20, 2009, 5:00 p.m.
Each year, the Kino Community Center partners with the Korean War Veterans Association, Rhoads Chapter to sponsor a customer appreciation event called the Feast of Thanks. Everyone who uses the center is invited to attend. This annual gathering is centered on a buffet style Thanksgiving dinner (Feast of Thanks) with entertainment provided by the children (ages 3 to 5 years old) who are enrolled in the TOTS Program at the center. This ten year tradition was initiated by the Rhoads Chapter Veterans who also assisted with the development and construction of the Veteran's Memorial that is located at Ajo Way and Forgeus Street.
If you are a frequent user at the Community Center and would like to participate in this celebration, please call 740-4655 by Monday, November 16. Guests are requested to bring a side dish. Turkey, ham and all the trimmings will be furnished by the KWVA.
CLAY CLASSES
November - December Schedule
Just in time for the holidays! Starting in November, a number of clay classes will be available at Kino Community Center including a three-week Holiday Workshop course that is focused on holiday gifting and ideas to decorate your home with a touch of holiday cheer.
Classes are open to all levels of experience, even beginners are welcome. Instructors, Lil Kinslow and Gerrie Young will demonstrate techniques and offer individual assistance. Students may also arrange independent projects with either instructor. For more information and to register online go to: http://www.kinosportscomplex.com/clay_registration.html
Project PimaCore
Project PimaCore Update
November 2009
The month of November brings cooler weather as well as a spirit of “thanksgiving!” The teams of Project PimaCore would like to thank all of you who have provided suggestions for the scope of this project, participated in the online surveys related to the software demonstrations, and served as “ad hoc” members to teams to relay important subject matter expertise about business processes in their work area.
During the past month of October, the evaluation team clarified issues with the top two proposers: CGI (implementer for the AMS Advantage software) and CIBER (implementer for the SAP software). Both CGI and CIBER discussed issues with the evaluation team at Pima County the week of October 19th. The request for a BAFO (best and final offer) from each implementer will go out the end of November, and a contract should be awarded as scheduled in January 2010.
The project and sub-project teams have been busy reviewing data for conversion into the new ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system or the data warehouse (a place to store information that will not be converted to the ERP system but that will need to be accessed from time to time). The next step in the data conversion process is to submit a detailed spreadsheet to the Steering Committee for review and approval of what data will be converted and what data will be stored in the data warehouse.
A big thank you to the Finance Department and the IT Department for placing a link to the PimaCore Intranet site on their Intranet sites so that the employees of these departments have easy access to PimaCore information. You may also add the following PimaCore intranet site intranet.pima.gov/ProjectPimaCore/Index.html to your “favorites” so that you are always up-to-date with PimaCore. If you have suggestions and/or questions concerning PimaCore, please contact Brenda Wilson at 740-8059 (site code 10) or e-mail pimacore@pima.gov.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
Vital Records Office
Audrey Rogers, Chief Deputy Registrar
of the Pima County Vital Records Office.
Photo by Chris Campbell.
Wearing Many Hats, No Strangers in Sight: Audrey Rogers Celebrates Her 25th Anniversary with County
by Debra Urken
Who can “glow with the glee of a two-year old,” “never loose her cool with customers,” “always have a smile on her face,” approach her employees “sweetly when she wants something done,” become a part of her employees’ families, model how to interact with others and inspire her staff to continue working in the office for years and years? Audrey Rogers, Chief Deputy Registrar of the Pima County Vital Records Office, can according to current Pima County Vital Records staff.
Audrey, who celebrated her 25th anniversary on July 30th with the County, says she always liked working with people and helping others, a trait she attributes to growing up around her parents who instilled important values in her and to being around kids a lot. However, Audrey says she used to be quite shy until she met her husband whose outgoing nature “rubbed off” on her. Now, she says, she never meets strangers anymore.
Audrey started working at the Pima County Health Department, her first County job, in February 1984 as a temporary employee (previously called a “SPOT”) in the Administration office to fill in for someone who got hurt. She worked right next to the Vital Records office and before her eight weeks expired in Administration, the Vital Records manager offered her a temporary position. Though she didn’t know anything about birth and death certificates, Audrey said she would give it a try. In July that year, when a permanent position opened up, Audrey filled it and stayed.
Audrey loves the “everyday challenges” she meets and her staff who “work so well together”. “We work on such a vast spectrum… [issuing both birth and death certificates, which] keeps you alert and sensitive to people’s needs,” Audrey says. The variety of different things people work on within the Health Department also enriches her work life. She’s had a lot of good managers over the years and her husband, who she calls her “hero,” inspires her by the way he thinks the best of everyone and holds no grudges. Audrey says integrity is very important to her and that she likes to see and help people reach the potential they hold within.
Now Audrey wears many hats everyday. Five years after her husband became a pastor, Audrey followed suit. She says being a pastor helps her with her County job and her County job helps her “with everything else.” Audrey also shares her boundless energy and enthusiasm to help non-profit organizations as a member of Pima County’s Employees Combined Appeal Program (ECAP).
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