Stuff to do in Yuma

NEIGHBORHOOD CLEANUP CONTINUES
AREA 7 THIS WEEK, AREA 8 NEXT
 
Yuma, Arizona -  The City of Yuma’s Neighborhood Cleanup continues this week. City of Yuma residents living in the area from 16th Street to 24th Street, from the East Main Canal to Pacific Avenue (Area 7) should start setting their unwanted items at the curb to have them removed by the City’s Public Works Department, for no additional charge, during the annual City of Yuma Neighborhood Cleanup.
 
Cleanup in Area 8, the area of the City bordered by 24th Street on the north, the City limits on the south, the East Main Canal on the east and the City’s western boundaries on the west, will take place from Monday, March 15th through Thursday, March 18th.
 
This is the popular annual program where City of Yuma Public Works employees make weekly rounds through Yuma neighborhoods and pick up bulky items that are no longer wanted, such as broken furniture, appliances, tree trimmings, and lawn clippings. 
 
For residents’ convenience, listings and maps of the areas are available on the City’s web site. Residents lacking Internet access may call (928) 373-4500; please keep in mind this program is for residents inside the Yuma city limits only.
 
Examples of items that will be accepted:
• Old furniture, mattresses, carpets, and appliances;
• Lawn clippings that are bagged;
• Tree limbs that are no longer than 4 feet in length, tied and bundled and weigh no more than 50 pounds;
• Five (5) tires without rims per residential location (please, no commercial or farm tires).
Examples of items that will NOT be accepted:
• Roofing and construction material;
• Tree stumps;
• Concrete or dirt;
• Household hazardous waste such as motor oil, pesticides, and other chemicals;
• Tires with rims;
• Abandoned or commercial vehicles or farm equipment;
• Materials from commercial enterprises.
Please follow these rules:
• Place all items at the curb for collection at the beginning of your neighborhood’s designated week.
• Please do not block, or place items near, trash containers and water meters.
• Loose items must be bagged, boxed, or tied, and must be easily handled by two people (not to exceed 50 lbs).
• Place appliances, tires, bound limbs, and miscellaneous items into separate piles for easier handling.
• Please do not place items in alley ways; the only exception is for homes facing Avenue A.
• Be sure to keep any items that you don’t want picked up well away from the rights of way surrounding your home.
REMAINING PICKUP SCHEDULE FOR 2010
March 8 to March 11 – AREA 7
16th Street to 24th Street and
East Main Canal to Pacific Avenue
 
March 15 to March 18 – AREA 8
East Main Canal to west city limits and
24th Street to south city limits
 
March 22 to March 25 – AREA 9
East Main Canal to Pacific Avenue and
24th Street to south city limits
 
March 29 to April 1 – AREA 10
Pacific Avenue to east city limits and
16th Street /Highway 95 to south city limits
 
For questions about Neighborhood Cleanup, please call  (928) 373-4500.

YUMA PARKS & RECREATION UPDATE, MARCH 4
FAMILY HANG TIME; ‘MARCH ON’ CITY FINALS; THE DUTTONS;  DISC GOLF; ST. PATRICK’S THEME ACTIVITIES
 
TAKE PRIDE IN YUMA
There were 103 cases of graffiti abated the week of Feb. 24 to March 2, compared to 101 the previous week.
 
However, significant vandalism occurred at the West Wetlands Park. Vandals sprayed painted on the entrance sign by spraying over the word “West” and writing “East” on the sign and wall.  The cost for removal was $78.89.
 
Unknown person/persons broke a big branch off the Honey Mesquite tree at the entrance to the Stewart Wolfe Vincent Playground. This was a major break and this tree will probably need to be replaced. The cost of this vandalism was $308.86.    

The next Take Pride in Yuma paint-out will take place March 27.  Recruit a few friends for a few fast hours of fun beautifying a former problem area for graffiti; reserve your spot by calling (928) 373-5228.

Graffiti cleanup and vandalism currently costs the Yuma taxpayers over $200,000 per year.  Please help us reduce vandalism by reporting incidences of crime to 78-Crime (782-7463) and graffiti to the Graffiti Busters hot line, 329-2828.  If you witness a crime in progress, call 911.
 
MARCH ON CITY FINALS
The Calling all runners and walkers!  The March-On City Finals will take place at the West Wetlands Park on March 13.  The cost is $8 for pre-registration and $10 on site.  This is your last chance to participate in a City race until October, so don’t hesitate!  Sign up by calling 373-5243.

LUCK OF THE IRISH
Green treats and fun surprises are on the menu at this St. Patrick’s themed workshop.  Bring your tot to the Clymer Recreation Center at 1:00 pm on March 13th.  The cost is $11 per child and advance registration is a must.  Call 373-5243 to register.

ST. PATTY’S DAY CANOE TRIP
Enjoy a relaxing evening with family and friends as we cruise down the Colorado River in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day.  Meet at Gateway Park at 5:30 pm on March 17 for this canoe trip.  It is open to those 11 and up, or children 6 to 10 with an accompanying adult.  The fee is $16 per person and there are still a few openings.  Register today to guarantee your spot on this festive ride.

‘FAMILY HANG TIME’ MARCH 19
At the Yuma Readiness and Community Center on March 19, Family Hang Time features games like washoes, dodge ball, and even a climbing wall.  Each family will receive a large one topping pizza too.  The cost is just $11 per family.  The fun starts at 6 p.m. and all ages are welcome.  Please register in advance; call 373-5243.
 
PLAY DISC GOLF
Have some fun with Frisbee-like discs by playing a round of disc golf on our new 9-hole course at the West Wetlands Park.  This game, great for all ages, can be played at almost no cost to you.  Call the Parks & Recreation Office at 373-5243 to rent the discs for only $5 and a $20 refundable deposit when the discs are returned. 

SENIOR BILLIARDS
Don’t forget that senior pool shooting is going down at the North End Community Center, 160 E. 1st St.  Come on down and show off your skills Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.  The drop-in fee is $1.50 ($1.00 for City residents).  Monthly passes are still available.  Call 373-5245 for more information.
 
SILVERSMITHING AT NORTH END COMMUNITY CENTER
The fifth session of Silversmithing – for seniors interested in jewelry design and construction – starts March 19 at the North End Community Center, across from Main Street Cinemas.  Classes are held on Fridays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.  The drop in fee is $11.  Any questions can be answered by calling 373-5245.

ALL THE LADIES – D.I.Y.
Ladies:  We want you to get down and dirty with your car!  Learn how to change a tire, check the fluids, and what you need in your essential emergency safety kit.  Also learn about basic traffic laws from DPS Detective Ed Aulds.  Register today for this March 20th event that is being held at the Clymer Recreation Center.  The fee is just $6 and this class is open to ages 16 and up.
 
GIL RIVERA MEMORIAL SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT
Registration is now open for this 5th annual tournament scheduled for April 17tand 18.  The price is $230 per team with awards provided by Burgers & Beer and Coors Light.  Games will begin each day at 8 a.m. and will be governed by ASA rules with local modifications.  The deadline to enter is April 9or sooner if all spots fill up.  Don’t wait to register.  Call 373-5243 for more information.
 
WINTER PERFORMANCE SEASON AT HISTORIC YUMA THEATRE
The shows listed below start at 7 p.m. with doors opening at 6:15 p.m.  Tickets are $19.50 per show.  All seats are reserved.  Tickets may be purchased at the Yuma Art Center, 254 S. Main St.; Yuma Civic Center, 1440 W. Desert Hills Drive; the Parks & Recreation office at City Hall, One City Plaza; and online at www.yumaaz.gov/events.  For more information, call 373-5202.
 
The Irish Sopranos – Saturday, March 13
3 Redneck Tenors – Tuesday, March 23
The Big Band Broadcast – Sunday, April 11
 
TICKETS AND REGISTRATION
Tickets to Art Center, Historic Theatre or Civic Center events can be purchased by phone, in person or online.  The Art Center and theatre box office is located at 254 S. Main St., or call 373-5202.  The Civic Center is located at 1440 W. Desert Hills Drive just off Avenue A at 36th Street, or call 373-5040.  Tickets to shows at both locations are online at www.yumaaz.gov/events.
 
Register for Parks and Recreation events, activities, classes, etc. online at www.yumaaz.gov/parksandrec.  Call 373-5243, or stop by the Parks and Recreation office on the first floor of City Hall, One City Plaza (between 1st and Madison avenues at Giss Parkway) between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. every other Friday (closed alternating Fridays).
CITY OF YUMA ROAD REPORT, MARCH 4
INTERSECTIONS WITH AVENUE A RESTRICTED; 40th STREET INTERSECTION WITH 5E TO CLOSE; DATE SET FOR 16th STREET LANE REDUCTION
 
The following is a brief list of projects inside the City of Yuma limits that may impact traffic in the following week. Actual dates may vary due to a variety of factors.

Avenue A widening
Starting Monday, work will return to the major intersections of the Avenue A widening project for spot pavement work.  Monday, 16th Street traffic will be reduced to one lane each direction.  Tuesday and Wednesday, lane restrictions will occur at both the 16th Street and 24th Street intersections.
Following utility adjustments Friday and Monday, temporary lane striping will take place beginning Tuesday to assist motorists with the new traffic patterns.
 
40th Street Water Transmission Line, Avenue 3E to 6E
Equipment will be delivered starting Monday to the site of the 40th Street water transmission line project.  Heavy truck traffic and unloading may possibly disrupt traffic, particularly between avenues 4E and 5E.
Following that, the intersection of 40th Street and Avenue 5E will be closed.  Detour using the appropriate combination of Avenue 4E or Avenue 6E for north-south traffic and either 32nd Street or County 13th or 14th streets for east-west traffic.
The overall project will involve installation of approximately 15,760 linear feet of 30-inch water transmission line under 40th Street between Avenue 6E and Avenue 3E, including tie-ins or stub-outs to major water distribution lines every half-mile. This line will complete construction of major facilities needed to provide adequate water supply from the Agua Viva Water Treatment Plant to the City’s service area east of Avenue 3E.
 
16th Street widening
ADOT crews will continue to construct the new bridge support system on the north side of 16th Street. During the week of March 5, crews will install a temporary support structure which will help facilitate the bridge “hammerhead” construction. This work has been completed on the south side of 16th Street.
 
Beginning the week of April 1, the next phase of the project will require 16th Street to be reduced to two lanes, one eastbound and one westbound. By reducing the number of travel lanes, ADOT will be able to quickly and safely work to construct medians, curb and gutter, sidewalks, and business driveways. With the additional room, ADOT crews will be able to work faster to complete the project by September with little impact to the next winter visitor season.
 
In order to safely maintain one lane of traffic in each direction on 16th Street, no left turns will be permitted through the construction zone, including Arizona Avenue. Be sure to plan ahead to make right hand turns into your favorite 16th Street business.
 
For more information, call the project hot line at 1-877-397-5202, click on www.16thstreetwidening.com, or e-mail 16thStreetWidening@azdot.gov.
 
Madison Avenue, Giss to 5th Street – private work
Madison Avenue will be closed south of the downtown Roundabout next week for a private contractor to install a sewer lateral.
 
28th Street between 4th and 1st avenues – private contractor
28th Street between 1st and 4th avenues will have some sewer line and service lateral work going on in the next several weeks.  Best bet is to plan on detouring using either 24th Street or Catalina as a closure of 28th Street is likely during the various phases of this project.
 
Casa Manana improvements
The Casa Manana Neighborhood Reconstruction Project continues in the area north of 24th Street between the East Main Canal and Avenue B. It consists of placing a storm drain system, removing and replacing the street lighting, removing the existing pavement and placing new pavement. Additionally, speed humps will be placed on Camino Alameda to mitigate existing problems with speeders.
 
Avenue 4E and 36th Street – APS
APS will be replacing poles and installing cables in the area of Avenue 4E and 36th Street some time between Feb. 15 and March 25. Some lane narrowing is possible on 4E.
 
1st Street – Southwest Gas
A major gas line project has been scheduled in the area of 1st Avenue and the avenues between 14th Avenue and Avenue B. Gas utility crews will be installing some main lines and services through the end of April in that region. Be prepared for some lane narrowing along 1st Street in the upcoming weeks.
 
UPCOMING PROJECT
Avenue 3E widening, 24th Street to 32nd Street
Plans are being reviewed for the widening and resurfacing of Avenue 3E between 24th Street and 32nd Street. No further estimates as to construction timetable are currently available.
 
Traveling? Keep this handy
Road conditions and up-to-date information about highway restrictions across the state can be found by dialing 511 or visiting ADOT’s travel information site at www.az511.com.
 
CITY OF YUMA PARKS & RECREATION, FIRE, POLICE CALLS FOR SERVICE & INCIDENTS
 
Information For This Reporting Period and Year to Date
 (As of March 4, 2010)
Yuma, Arizona – Employees of the City of Yuma Police Department, Fire Department and Parks & Recreation Department responded to the following calls for service and reports of vandalism and graffiti this week.
 
Yuma Fire Department:
For the week of February 21st through February 27th, Yuma Fire Department responded to 251 Emergency Calls for Service, which included:   
 
• 7 Commercial Assignments including an an electrical smell in the boys’ bathroom at a school, smoke showing from a large commercial building that turned out to be the air conditioner, and various alarms
• 2 Hazardous Materials Responses including a suspicious odor, and a gas tank that ruptured on a vehicle – spilling gasoline
• 2 Mutual Aid Responses, assisting with a structure fire in Winterhaven, and a request for the dive team to assist with a patient seen going underwater
• 26 Motor Vehicle Crashes – 1 involving a pedestrian, 1 involving a motorcycle, 1 involving a fence and a tree, 1 involving a building, and 1 involving 3 vehicles
• 192 Other Medical Emergencies (serious to minor)  – 9 for difficulty breathing, 18 for chest pain, 27 fall victims, 7 unconscious people, 4 seizure cases, 5 diabetic emergencies, 7 subjects with mental problems, 2 stroke cases, 1 allergic reaction, and miscellaneous other illnesses and injuries
• 22 Special Duty, Public Assistance, and Residential Assignments that included: a fire in an oven, 4 calls for burning fruit bins/crates that ended up being in the county, an alarm due to food smoking in a kitchen, a natural gas smell in an area, 2 calls for a pull station activated maliciously, an illegal burn in the back yard of a residence, power lines down, a call for a suspicious odor, the smell of natural gas at a business, a call for building stabilization after vehicle crashed into an apartment, and various alarms
 
Three of last week’s emergency medical calls were for people who were in cardiac arrest. According to the University of Arizona’s Sarver Heart Center, every year more than 160,000 people die of sudden cardiac arrest. Cardiac arrest is a condition where the heart suddenly stops pumping blood. In many cases, the heart goes from a regular heartbeat to random twitching (called ventricular fibrillation). When something like this happens blood stops moving through the body. In this condition, quick action must be taken for the person to have a chance of survival. These recommended actions are often referred to as the “Chain of Survival” and are:
• Calling 911 (Getting the Paramedics on the way
• Starting CPR
• Defibrillation (Using an Automated External Defibrillator-AED- if one is available)
• Early Arrival of Advanced Care (Paramedics)
 
During the last year, the Yuma Fire Department has been providing instruction in the new “Continuous Chest Compression” CPR (that does not include mouth to mouth resuscitation), and has trained nearly 2,000 people!  Studies have shown CCC-CPR is not only more likely to be used, but also is more effective than traditional CPR.
.
 
For more information, contact the Yuma Fire Department Public Information Office at 373-4855.
 
Yuma Police Department:
For the period of January February 15th through February 21st, Yuma Police Department responded to an average of 189 calls per day.  During this period YPD:  
 
• Responded to 1,324 calls for service
• Documented 269 police reports
• Responded to 58 non-injury accidents
• Responded to 18 injury accidents
 
The following major incidents occurred during this time period:
 
• On February 17th, a 64 year old male victim was shot in the arm as two vehicles passed him in the 700 block 4th Avenue. The victim did not appear to be the intended target.
• On February 19th, an adult male victim was assaulted and robbed by an unknown adult male in the 200 block South Main Street.
 
Drive Safe Location was 24th Street and our targeted intersection was 24th Street & 22nd Drive.
 
From January 1st to February 21st, the Yuma Police Department has:

• Responded to 9,710 calls for service
• Documented 1,887 police reports
• Responded to 419 non-injury accidents
• Responded to 148 injury accidents
• Responded to 600 alarm calls resulting in 3 police reports
 
From January 1st through December 31st 2009, the Yuma Police Department:    
• Received 208,555 calls into the Public Safety Communications Center
• Received 52,035 9-1-1 calls
• Issued 8,288 Traffic Citations
• Made 1,317 Juvenile Arrests and 4,164 Adult Arrests
• Responded to 84,332 calls for service
• Documented 13,740 police reports
• Responded to 2,384 non-injury accidents
• Responded to 933 injury accidents
• Responded to 5,085 alarm calls resulting in 25 police reports
 
 
Parks and Recreation Department:
For the week of February 17th through February 23rd in the City of Yuma Parks and Recreation Department: 
 
• The Graffiti Busters Crew responded to and cleaned up 103 incidents of graffiti 
• 1,344 rounds of 9-hole golf were played at Desert Hills and Arroyo Dunes Golf courses 
• 1,549 rounds of 18-hole golf were played at Desert Hills and Arroyo Dunes Golf courses 
• The Putter Inn served 1,796 meals
• 30 events were held at the Yuma Civic Center with 2,887 people attending those events
• 144 organized games were played at City of Yuma athletic facilities
• The Yuma Art Center hosted 2 events with a total attendance of 965
• 237 ramadas, parks and fields were rented for special events
• 38 programs were offered through the City’s recreation program, with 3,574 members of the Yuma community participating in those programs
 
Since July 1, 2009:   
 
• 2,546 incidents of graffiti have been addressed and cleaned up
• 17,099 rounds of 9-hole golf have been played at Desert Hills and Arroyo Dunes Golf courses
• 27,629 rounds of-18 hole golf have been played at Desert Hills and Arroyo Dunes Golf courses
• The Putter Inn has served 29,602 meals
• 831 events have been held at the Yuma Civic Center with an attendance of 92,134
• A total of 3,886 games have been played at City of Yuma athletic facilities
• The Yuma Art Center hosted 104 events with a total attendance of 30,497
• 3,767 ramadas, parks and fields were rented by Yuma area residents
• 1,429 programs have been offered with 138,035 people attending those programs
 
There were 103 cases of graffiti abated during the week of February 10th through February 16th, with a total of 2,546 removed from July 1st to date. 
 
One case of graffiti was at the West Wetlands Park.  Vandals damaged the entrance sign by spraying over the West and wrote East on the sign and wall. 
 
In addition, an unknown person, or persons, broke a large branch off of one of the Honey Mesquite trees at the entrance to the Stewart Vincent Wolfe Creative Playground. 
 
This was a major break and this tree will probably need to be replaced. 
    
Vandalism and graffiti clean-up costs the Yuma taxpayers over $200,000 each year.   Please help us reduce vandalism by reporting incidences of crime to 78-Crime and graffiti to the hot line of 329-2828. 
 
If you witness a crime in progress, call 9-1-1.