How many others here in the western Arcadia area were woken up at around 2:00 am this morning by jackhammering? Was it road construction at 44th St & Indian School? I understand that the city needs to work on the roads at night when there is less traffic, but jackhammering? C'mon! There has to be some kind of noise ordinance against this. I know I can't blast the radio at 2:00 am. If it wasn't there, then where was it? We live near 48th and Indian School and it was loud enough to wake us up through our open windows. (By the way, don't you love this time of year with the A/C off and the fresh, cool air blowing through the windows?)
So, here a note to the city or whomever it was: Stop jackhammering in the middle of the night!
Thank you!
Every few weeks I like to Google what's new in Dubai. There is so much energy and creativity in their architecture that it's inspiring to just take it all in. When I first moved to Phoenix in 1994, I felt the same energy here compared to my hometown of Portland, OR. Now, it seems like Phoenix has lost its vision of what it could be when it grows up. Yes, the lightrail, ASU and T-Gen will draw new development downtown, and the new convention center and Sheraton Hotel are nice, but hardly are they international landmarks that leave an imprint on the imagination. We need buildings that will give Phoenix an identity. I found the newest building to be announced in Dubai, the Atrium City Towers, which I posted below. As creative as they are, they will simply blend into the visionary mix in Dubai. However, at over 100 stories, if something like the AC Towers were to be built in architectually bland Phoenix, it would become an instant internationally recognized landmark. It could be the Eiffel Tower or Sydney Opera House of Arizona. Heck, they even look like they could have been inspired by our majestic Saguaro Cactus. Take a look and let me know if you agree...
Atrium City Towers, Dubai
AC is a cluster of three supertowers - rising above 100 floors, to be connected at base with an atrium and with skybridges.
BRIDGE OVER PUDDLED WATERS
The City of Tempe, AZ, and Otak are making it easier for walkers and bicyclists to get across Tempe Town Lake, one of the area's most popular outdoor destinations. Otak's Tempe office, along with T.Y. LIN International, is designing a unique new pedestrian bridge over the Town Lake Downstream Dam. City officials want a bridge that blends art, architecture, and engineering in what it hopes will become a new icon for the city. When complete, the bridge will connect bike and pedestrian paths on the north and south sides of the lake, as well as provide a link both to Scottsdale's Indian Bend Wash path system and to Tempe's downtown Mill Avenue District. Preliminary designs are for four 240-foot spans, constructed on the existing piers of an inflatable rubber dam. The 16-foot wide walking/biking surface will be at least 16 feet across, enabling multiple bikers, runners, walkers or sightseers to pass each other simultaneously. Part of the long-term goal is to create a complete loop around Tempe Town Lake. Otak is providing architectural design, landscape architecture, civil engineering, public outreach and survey services. As with many Otak projects, the overall design will also incorporate public art. This pedestrian bridge is one part of the improvements planned for the area. For information on how Otak can help with your project design email us.
I came across the above article on the Otak website. This is the best idea I've heard in a long time. A few months back I read a story about how the inflatable dams of Tempe Town Lake are deteriorating in our harsh sun faster than expected, to a replacement cost of many millions of tax dollars. My initial thought was why not build a shade structure over the dam(s) to keep the sun off? They could create all kinds of architecturally interesting styles to create the shade, perhaps modeling something along the lines of SkySong in Scottsdale. This, however is PERFECT! I've ridden my bike up and down the north water front many times and I always thought it'd be cool to cut over a bridge to the south side on the west end. This pedestrian and cyclist bridge is the perfect solution. It looks architecturally interesting as well. Kudos to whoever thought this one up. Let's hope that Mayor Hallman and the City Council approves the plan.
For most of you in Arcadia, school has started and it is time to get back in the swing of things. Led by Scoutmasters Win & Francesca Thomas, Arcadia Cub Scouts first Pack meeting for Pack 6 will be next Wednesday August 20th at 7 pm in the Hopi cafeteria. We will be registering new and old Scouts, and talking about Scout-O-Rama and the upcoming Campout. As always, this first meeting is a business meeting but it really helps us when everyone shows up to get the scoop on the upcoming year.
If you have a son in 1st to 5th grades who would like to join Cub Scouts, please stop by and attend this informational meeting. Annual costs for scouting are very minimal, and the values, friendships and fun that the children enjoy are priceless. Adults looking to give back to the community and share in their son's experiences are encouraged to help in any of the many leadership capacities. I've been a Den Leader for 5 years and I wouldn'd trade this time with my son, Brandon, and his friends for anything!
Our first full fledged Pack Meeting will be on Sept. 10th, also at Hopi at 7:00 pm. With the theme of Getting to Know You, there will be several Ice Breaker activities, including a Human Scavenger Hunt, a Snowball Hunt & a Skittles Search. It should be lots of fun!
The following weekend of Sept. 12-14 is out first Campout. We will have all the campout information at the Pack Meetings. For now, I am attaching a link to the campsite website so you can check it out. http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/coconino/recreation/peaks/oleary-group-camp.shtml
We will be visiting the nearby Meteor Crater that Sunday before returning home. It will be great fun!!
We look forward to another great year!
Dennis is a Real Estate Broker serving Arcadia, Scottsdale and the Phoenix Metro Area since 1995. He currently serves as a Director of the Scottsdale Area Assoc. of REALTORS and as a marketing coach.
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