Tucson NewsNet Daily Digest - A Service of the City of Tucson

ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT HOSTS FINAL OPEN HOUSE THIS WEEK - The City of Tucson's Environmental and General Services Department (EGSD) has been holding open houses in each of the City’s six wards to present information about services available to residents and neighborhoods that support a clean community. The meetings are held in partnership with representatives from the Housing and Community Development department, the Tucson Police Department, and the Tucson Fire Department. The final open house will be tomorrow, Feb. 28, at 5:30 p.m., at Eastside City Hall, 7575 E. Speedway Blvd. EGSD will provide updated information about the Brush & Bulky+ program, neighborhood cleanups, and Code Enforcement. There will also be information about the City’s Homeless Protocol, which brings together staff from multiple departments who are working to provide services to the unhoused population, as well as addressing neighborhood concerns about encampments around the community.
Read the news release

BLACK HISTORY MONTH PROFILE: CHUCK FORD - Chuck Ford Lakeside Park is named after the first (and only) Black person to be elected to the Tucson City Council. Ford served eight years on the council, from 1979-1987, representing Ward 4 on the southeast side of Tucson, and he was a longtime educator in the Tucson Unified School District. Ford was integral in developing and finding funding for parks on Tucson’s east side. Lakeside Park, 8300 E. Stella Road, was renamed Chuck Ford Lakeside Park after he retired from the council in 1987, honoring his work to save the park after its main feature, a dam, collapsed. Ford died Nov. 1, 2019, at the age of 83.
Read the Facebook post
Read a story about Ford's legacy in the Arizona Daily Star
Chuck Ford Lakeside Park
Tucson Parks and Recreation

RAINWATER HARVESTING AND GRAY WATER REBATES AVAILABLE - The Tucson Water Conservation Program offers rebates for installing rainwater harvesting (up to $2,000) and permanent gray water irrigation systems (up to $1,000). Taking advantage of these opportunities in your home can help conserve water and save you money. A free, three-hour workshop and submission of a project plan are required to qualify. Follow the links below for upcoming workshop dates and Tucson Water's new video "Rainwater and Gray Water Pressurized System - Backflow Prevention Requirement."
Sonoran Environmental Institute rainwater harvesting workshops (English and Spanish)
Watershed Management Group rainwater harvesting and gray water workshops (English)
Pima Smartscape rainwater harvesting workshops (English)
Other free workshops available (not rebate classes)
"Rainwater and Gray Water Pressurized System - Backflow Prevention Requirement" video

FREE YOGA IN THE PARK AT ARMORY PARK - Join Tucson Parks and Recreation at Armory Park, 222 S. 5th Ave., Tuesdays, from 12:30-1:30 p.m., March 7-April 11. Classes will be free for the first six weeks and are for all ages and skill levels. Bring a yoga mat and water. Register by emailing [email protected] or calling (520) 791-4865. Drop-ins are welcome.
Armory Park
Armory Parks Center

USE MOBILE APP FOR DOWNTOWN GARAGE PARKING PAYMENT - There's a simple way to pay for your visit to any Park Tucson public parking garage. The Entervo Smart Pay app provides the convenience of paying for parking directly from a smartphone and allows visitors to go on their way faster without the need to wait at a kiosk or exit pay machine. After scanning a ticket from a smartphone, the app will calculate the fee based on the garage rates, and then customers can pay with a credit/debit card. The app is free to download on iOS and Android devices.
Entervo Smart Pay mobile app