How could it be so hard?

This is a power pole. It is in a rather inconvenient location at the moment. (Along Elliot Rd where the road is being widened.) Let's just pull it out, you say. Well, it belongs to SRP. SRP is not sure it is quite ready to come out. Mind you, the house it served is in a landfill somewhere. Gone. No more. Could you please remove the pole, SRP? Thank you.

Yes Indeed, Trees are Good

I've been thinking about our Morrison Ranch celebration of Arbor Day - coming up this Saturday from 9 to 11 am south of the south lake at Highland Groves - and as I was reminding myself of the benefits of trees, I found a website called "Trees Are Good." It's done by the International Society of Arboriculture, and it has a plethora of topics about trees. Here are some pertinent quotes:

We like trees around us because they make life more pleasant. Most of us respond to the presence of trees beyond simply observing their beauty. We feel serene, peaceful, restful, and tranquil in a grove of trees. We are “at home” there. Hospital patients have been shown to recover from surgery more quickly when their hospital room offered a view of trees. The strong ties between people and trees are most evident in the resistance of community residents to removing trees to widen streets. Or we note the heroic efforts of individuals and organizations to save particularly large or historic trees in a community.

The stature, strength, and endurance of trees give them a cathedral-like quality. Because of their potential for long life, trees frequently are planted as living memorials. We often become personally attached to trees that we or those we love have planted.

I can attest to that personal attachment; sometimes The Mister even gets attached to trees that haven't yet been planted. You should see him in a meeting with engineers and planners who want to delete trees from a plan to make way for light poles or something.

The environmental benefits of trees are well-documented, yet not proclaimed quite as publicly as light bulbs or hybrid cars:

Air quality can be improved through the use of trees, shrubs, and turf. Leaves filter the air we breathe by removing dust and other particulates. Rain then washes the pollutants to the ground. Leaves absorb carbon dioxide from the air to form carbohydrates that are used in the plant’s structure and function. In this process, leaves also absorb other air pollutants—such as ozone, carbon monoxide, and sulfur dioxide—and give off oxygen.

By planting trees and shrubs, we return to a more natural, less artificial environment. Birds and other wildlife are attracted to the area. The natural cycles of plant growth, reproduction, and decomposition are again present, both above and below ground. Natural harmony is restored to the urban environment.

I have three words: shade, shade, and shade.

There are economic benefits as well, such as lower air conditioning bills for Arizona residents.

If you want to come and help us laud the benefits of trees, please join us Saturday morning. If you want some extra help with understanding your watering system controllers, show up at 8 am for a free lesson from Rainbird on residential watering. Your spouse can bring the kids along at 9 to enjoy the bouncy toy, clowns, petting zoo and pony rides, and watch a tree seedling get transplanted.

The newspaper is forecasting 97 degrees for later in the day on Saturday; that's about the time that we can say together, "trees are good."

Monster? Really?

Did you see the article in the East Valley Tribune over the weekend entitled "Growth Monster Keeps on Moving in Gilbert"? Front page, and everything. The editors took the title from a quote by Town Manager George Pettit, who said, “from some people’s perspective, this is their property and they lived there 20 years. They thought they were running ahead of the growth monster, and it wouldn’t catch them.” I'm pretty sure that George was speaking tongue-in-cheek, but the line was too good for a copy editor to pass up.

The gist of the article has to do with some folks who live at Higley Ranches, and their displeasure at losing their rural lifestyle. It's too long to copy the whole thing, but here is a sample:

The Higley Ranches area is just one of the rural neighborhoods along Gilbert’s leg of the Santan Freeway that is seeing life change as commercial development arrives and begins to transition what was once a highly rural region into what is anticipated to become the economic core of Gilbert. And that has created a divide between rural and urban life.

“I fully believe (Gilbert officials) would prefer that everybody move, and it turn into another quarter- or fifth-acre lots for suburbanites,” Higley Ranches resident Jim Torgeson said. “The whole plan, they counted on victimizing the county islands, and they did.”

Gilbert Mayor Steve Berman said that while some homeowners along the freeway have sold their homes to developers eager to bring offices and retail to prime real estate, the town itself can’t take the homes and replace them with businesses or smaller home lots.

“We haven’t zoned anybody’s house and turned it into a Wal-Mart,” he said.

But the growth is bringing so much new business and traffic to a once quiet region that it has caused some newly annexed residents so much angst that they’ve created a political action committee called Manage Commercial Density.

The group is collecting signatures to get a referendum on a ballot that would ask voters to overturn the zoning of a shopping center and commercial lot on land adjacent to their homes, at Germann and Greenfield roads.

“We moved here after the freeway was coming in, but we had no idea it would be every corner in Gilbert that was going to be turned into commercial,” said Mike Webb, a group member. “It just seems the city won’t stop.”

It is impossible for me to read statements like these without shaking my head a little bit; the irony is so obvious. After the folks from Higley Ranches moved in (after the freeway was coming in), was the Welcome Mat supposed to be removed? I rather suspect that The Mister's forebears also had no idea that there would be commercial uses on every corner, nor houses on every cotton field, nor traffic on every road... It is the age-old dilemma: the allure of living in a great place invites growth, and when the newcomers show up, the firstcomers feel violated. I posted and posted on this nearly 2 years ago, and actually could keep posting on this every year until Gilbert is completely built out.

Here is the view from the east side of Higley Groves at Kenneth Lane looking out at the San Tans; you can see the grain tanks to the right:


When this field was green with alfalfa, this was a beautiful view; soon there will be houses sprouting up like corn (which actually blocks the view of the mountains). It might be tempting to resent the loss of the view. Of course, Higley Groves residents have only been here about 10 years, and the ground on which they reside was in cotton before that.

Here's another view from the same spot, only looking at the back of the shopping center and the Farm Bureau building:


Residents need groceries and gas and mail services and other things like that. And it helps if they can conveniently get in and out, say, if the facilities are on a corner. This is why corners become so valuable as commercial properties.

Our entire family has had to grapple with growth for several years. If you want to read some of the stories of our angst, I posted about it when beginning this blog, here and here. An outgrowth of that struggle is Morrison Ranch. Seriously. Growth is inevitable; our desire is to make it as pleasant as possible.

So for the folks who live at Cotton Lane and Kenneth, we plan to provide a pleasant view, even though it will no longer be an unobscured view of the San Tans. View Corridors are very important to us, as I wrote in another prior post:

A buzzword in our office is view corridors; that is, what do you see when you look from this or that direction? A view of the grain silos or the lake is a premier view, but that's not possible from every spot. What is possible is to keep the views open, or at least ending in green rather than walls. When you look down a street, usually the ending view will be a park of some sort, or at least a line of trees. The goal is to promote the open space that we have, and to soften the ends of streets with lush foliage instead of hammering the eyes with concrete walls, or even houses. When you take your next walk through Morrison Ranch, check out the view corridors, and you'll see what I mean.

We're doing our best to tame the "monster."

Some Creatures Great and Small

The Mister and I were out bike-riding yesterday and ended up circling the Town Center Lake. We stopped for a moment and tried out the new benches - very comfortable! - and he snapped a couple of pictures. I think this is a white heron, though I am open to correction; they sit staring at the water for a while looking for fish to munch on:



On the other side of the lake, we saw these 3 ducklings swimming. You might have to click on the picture to get the full size just to see the tiny critters:



There had been some reports about them and the apparent lack of a maternal unit, and that they were unable to exit the lake. Someone had put a board along the edge to encourage them out, but by the time we were there, the board was floating around the lake along with the ducklings.

There was a question about the lakes at Highland Groves, whether they are stocked with fish yet. The answer is, well, yes and no: there are fish in the lake, but mostly tilapia and other fairly small fish so far. There are no bass yet; it will take a little longer before the fishing experience at the Highland Groves lakes is very satisfying.

And as long as we are talking about creatures, listen to this email from the Higley Groves West HOA president from about a week ago:

I've lived here five years and have not really had a wildlife sighting in the neighborhood, with the exception of birds, scorpions and spiders. This morning, at 6:30 am, I passed a large adult coyote in the west retention basin. He or she was headed south in the grass, while I was headed north on the gravel path. Neither of us stopped, but we certainly watched each other pass. That was a first!

That's by far the most exciting creature-sighting of all...

See? I told you!

It is fun to see the signs. Basha's coming has been a certainty since they bought the ground lease and building, but this makes it obvious to all passing by, and better yet, when the store opens. My understanding is that there is certain kitchen equipment which is being changed or added, and it must be manufactured and delivered. Then, a lot should happen in a short time. I'm sure we all can't wait.

Does it Get Any Better?

Not only are they re-opening one store, but it's the store closest to us... According to this AZ Republic article this morning, those hot glazed morsels of heaven will be available once again at our own Krispy Kreme store at Superstition:

Push your scales aside. It looks like Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Inc. is coming back, but Tempe residents might have to drive a little farther this time.

The company reportedly is opening a store May 6 at 6626 E. Superstition Springs Blvd. in Mesa, according to Heather Gray, a Mesa spokesperson.

Officials with Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Inc. in Winston-Salem, N.C. could not be reached for comment late Wednesday. It is not known if more stores will open.

But Gray said the city's Revenue Collections Operations License Office was told that at least the one store in east Mesa will open May 6.

Doughnut lovers were stunned last August 11 when all the eight Krispy Kreme stores in the state, including a popular shop at Arizona Mills Mall in Tempe, abruptly closed.

Some other time I'll give you my take (opinionated but not necessarily based in fact nor experience) on why they suffered their financial doldrums; but for now, I'm looking forward to the re-opening. I'll be watching for the light that goes on to signal the availability of hot glazed doughnuts.

Tax Day 2007

This might be how some of my accounting friends are feeling as this year's tax season comes to a close...

With apologies to Jeff Foxworthy, you might be a CPA if your kids think there are 5 seasons in the year (spring, summer, fall, winter and tax). And you might be a CPA if you like holidays because the traffic will be light as you go to the office. (Hat tip to my buddy Don Farmer in North Carolina, the only lecturer I've ever found that exposes tax law for the hilarious subject that it is.)

I have had the usual experience of last minute scrambling for forms and information, even though I am no longer in public accounting. One of my CPA friends says he has filed more extensions this year than in any year past, due to the trend of Congress to pass tax legislation so late in the calendar year, as well as the increased reporting requirements for businesses, making it difficult to get their K-1s to the investors in a timely fashion. I was responding to an email request for information from another poor soul at the office at about 7 pm last night; I'm sure she had just finished her pizza and was digging in for the night. Such is the life in this profession.

Now it's time to get the things mailed, if you haven't already filed. I'm a big fan of electronic filing, but if you use the paper method, note that after 6 pm tonight your options are limited, according to the AZ Republic:

If you are rushing to get your taxes filed after 6 p.m. today, take note: Only three U.S. Postal Service offices in the Valley will remain open, compared with the seven on last year's tax deadline.

The following will stay open until midnight:


• 4949 E. Van Buren St., Phoenix.

• 4568 E. Cactus Road, Phoenix.

• 10161 N. 83rd Ave., Peoria.

The Van Buren office will offer full services, including mail certification and weighing. The other two will only allow for mail drop-off and stamp purchases.

Want some advice from an old hand at dealing with governmental offices? Send your returns certified, return receipt requested, especially if you owe; the IRS has a bad habit of sending out notices that you owe penalties and interest for late filing even if you get things done on time. Not to mention the post office's occasional propensity for storing items for a time.

The guys at the UPS store over at Lakeview Village are expecting me; I'll be right on time.

Office Roses

This is what our office has looked like for the last week or so. Just incredible! I am a nerd, but these roses bring out the old softy in me. Grandma had roses here, and she would love this. I am sure the wind and rain of last night beat them up a bit. I am grateful for the chance to enjoy them at their best. Have a great weekend.

Rain in the Ranch

Just .11 inches last night. Your sprinklers can be off for a day or two. I don't know about you, but I did not see it coming. Wind, yes, but not the rain. It was a nice, gentle Spring rain, after the wind, and I enjoyed it. Hope you did, too.

Big League Dreams Taking Shape

I am not baseball fan enough to recognize the stadiums, but the wall treatments are beginning to show. There are big walls, to be sure, but great facilities for the community as well.

Hey, I've got a Big One

We have the youth of the community fishing in the lake. Perfect. Just everyone remember that it is Catch and Release. That is reclaimed water in there. They looked like they were having a great time.

Goodbye US Home

Hello, Lennar!

US Home has been owned by Lennar for years. Now they are changing the signs and making it clear that this is Lennar Homes. Lennar is one of the largest builders in the country. Greystone is also owned by Lennar and making the same change. So you will see Lennar rather than US Home or Greystone at Lakeview Trails North.

Spring Fixup Time

Higley Groves had some damage to the right side of their main monument a while back. I never heard how it happened. But it has recently been repaired, and with the spring flowers, the monument looks better than ever.

Higley Groves West has been sprucing up, too. All the monuments, like the one above, have received a fresh coat of paint. Everything is coming up roses. And speaking of roses:

This one is at the office. Just beautiful.

Happy Easter

Christ is risen!

He is risen indeed!

Have a great holiday.

We have Benches!

At both Town Center, next to Farm Bureau, and Highland Groves, at the park on the east, we have benches and trash cans where once there were none. It is too long a story to tell how it happens that benches (or whatever) are in everyone's mind at the beginning, but don't happen with the original construction. I suppose the short version is that several of us, collectively, make our contribution to the oversight. But we have the benches now, by golly! Please use the benches often, and, if appropriate, the trash cans too. The spring is such a delightful time to be outdoors here.

Thievery

This is a picture of a theft; the two pipes in the forefront were connected by brass caps that someone thought would yield a tidy profit as scrap metal. Unfortunately, the thief was probably correct. It may not look like a lot of damage, but the merchants in Lakeview Village would vociferously disagree - this theft caused them to be without water in their shops. Definitely not a victimless crime.

A Little Light Reading

Today's AZ Republic has a brief article about a coffee-table book that is a pictorial account of Gilbert's history:

Dale Hallock, a former mayor of Gilbert, has written a pictorial book on the town.

A Pictorial History of Gilbert, Arizona, sponsored by Mercy Gilbert Medical Center, is Hallock's first book and is believed to be the first pictorial history book for the town.

The 144-page coffee table book will be published by The Donning Company Publishers of Virginia Beach, Va., and will contain 200 black-and-white photographs of old Gilbert. Orders begin this month for the $39.95 book that be available in the fall through the Gilbert Historical Museum, the hospital and other locations.

Hallock, a retired escrow officer who was mayor from 1971-76, has several boxes of archived material on the town after researching for nearly 20 years when the opportunity arose. He said he plans to write a comprehensive history of the town as well.

"When this opportunity came, he was the natural because he has done all the research," said Kayla Kolar, executive director of Gilbert Historical Museum.

Mercy Gilbert will donate a portion of the sales to the museum.

"It was absolutely wonderful. I learned many things about pioneers to Gilbert," said Hallock, whose wife hails from the John Anderson family, cattle farmers who homesteaded here in 1886.

The chapters are arranged chronologically by subject and begin with cowboys and homesteading families such as the Gilberts, Coopers and Barkleys.

It's has chapters on the railroad, farming, schools, development of downtown, the Great Depression and World War II, infrastructure, growth from 1970-90 and growth since the 1990s. The last chapter is about the Mercy Gilbert Medical Center.

Hallock was 16 months old when his family came to Gilbert from the Dust Bowl of Oklahoma in 1936. He lives in Mesa now, but plans to move back to his hometown soon.

"I go back to my school every Tuesday and Thursday," said Hallock, 72, who volunteers as board secretary of the Gilbert Historical Society, which he helped create in 1973. The society is in what was once Gilbert High School.

After digging through the thousands of pages of tiny print in our current Internal Revenue Code over the last couple of weeks, a picture book sounds downright refreshing.

Progress

We are grateful for every little bit. Of progress, that is. This is new curbing on the south side of Elliot Road. We were delayed a bit due to the rain last week, but the curb machine ran on Friday, and should again tomorrow. There are many steps before Elliot is in its new configuration, but this is the next one.