By Steve Christy

It’s difficult to fathom that another year has passed, is now behind us, and that we are now welcoming not only a new year, but also a new decade.

Looking back over 2019, we are grateful to be able to note that your District 4 and our Southeast Region community have achieved a number of significant accomplishments. More than 25 miles of our Vail/Corona de Tucson area roadways have been repaired, resurfaced, or in some beneficial way upgraded and improved. As you know, the repair of our roads has been our #1 priority and we have a number of community leaders to acknowledge and thank in this collaborative effort. JJ Lamb, Anne Gibson, Dick Katz, Bill Hart, Bill Sobeck, Glenn Taylor, Jay Janicek, Kreg Lulloff, Ed Buster, Mike Robinette, Al Wiruth and Robert Niemitz have all contributed selfless hours of effort working with our representative, Lucretia Free, studying, prioritizing, and lobbying for road repair and it is paying off. We have much more to do, and your District 4 team continues to be committed to our #1 priority.

The Southeast Regional Council has become stronger and more influential than ever. Under the leadership of Lucretia Free and all of the countless participants and volunteers. SERC through its unified voice, has the collective ear and attention of Pima County Administration and as a result, Pima County has given our area great respect and focus. The working groups within SERC have also provided needed input, research, and effort to improving the quality of our lives in our region.

SERC’s quarterly meetings are very well attended by our residents and by a wide-range of county and city officials who have readily addressed and responded to our concerns and challenges.

Additionally, the SERC quarterly meetings have been live-streamed, reaching some 1200-plus resident households in the Vail/Corona de Tucson community, establishing unprecedented regional communication, outreach, and participation.

Our Greater Vail Area Chamber of Commerce, under MaRico Tippett, continues to grow by leaps and bounds in membership, leadership information, and business advocacy. The Vail chamber’s new office located between the tracks reflects the state-of-the-art, 21st century style, and organizational approach that exemplifies the chamber’s support of area commerce and entrepreneurship, all of which is making our Vail/Corona de Tucson corridor a hotbed for new business inception, incubation, and growth.

We sadly note the retirement of the Vail School District’s iconic leader, Calvin Baker. During the December 3rd Supervisor’s meeting, we were proud to proclaim December 20th, 2019 as “Calvin Baker Appreciation Day.” While such transitions are seldom easy, we rejoice in the return of John Carruth as he takes the Vail School District leadership reins from Cal with capable hands.

And after decades of anticipation, the Rocking K Development has officially declared that it’s open and ready for business, offering new households to enhance the value and reasons for living in the Vail/Corona de Tucson area.

Looking ahead to the coming year is exciting and positive as well. A ground-breaking ceremony for our new library located on Mary Ann Cleveland Way will take place on January 22nd. A new joint Tucson Police/Pima County Sheriff’s Departments sub-station has been fast-tracked for construction right next to the new library. And Valencia Road is being extended all the way to Old Spanish Trail, with a new bridge over the Pantano Wash included in the project.

HSL Properties are starting new hotels and destinations in various Vail/Corona de Tucson locations. At a recent meeting, I asked HSL’s Andrew Titche where the best development opportunities are in Pima County right now and without hesitation, he responded, “in the Vail area.” That says it all.

As a final note, I want you to know that your District 4 office, since we took office in January of 2017, has returned more than 20% of our budget every year, totaling more than $333,000, to the taxpayers of Pima County.

Your District 4 team is proud of our accomplishments, anticipate many more in the future, and appreciate serving our Vail/Corona de Tucson community.

Happy New Year!

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Steve Christy