I’m a full-on gardening nerd-ball. Who else does a video just about composting, not more than once, but three times? See that here and here.

And, as the summer begins to leach the life out of most plants, this article made me reflect on how much I will miss my garden over the summer.

Oliver Sacks was a brilliant neurologist, whom I learned to appreciate on the RadioLab podcast. He said this of gardens:

“As a writer, I find gardens essential to the creative process; as a physician, I take my patients to gardens whenever possible. All of us have had the experience of wandering through a lush garden or a timeless desert, walking by a river or an ocean, or climbing a mountain and finding ourselves simultaneously calmed and reinvigorated, engaged in mind, refreshed in body and spirit. The importance of these physiological states on individual and community health is fundamental and wide-ranging. In forty years of medical practice, I have found only two types of non-pharmaceutical “therapy” to be vitally important for patients with chronic neurological diseases: music and gardens.”

I’m not a writer of any note. But I completely understand the need for a refuge. My garden is just that.

I pulled more kale, spinach and various other edible items out of my garden this year than ever before. I’m learning a little bit every year. Plus, the better I get at gardening, the more the garden is a truly relaxing place.

You may have had to suffer through my many Instagram posts about the height of my sunflowers. Those are about the only flowers that I intentionally grow. They are easy and dramatically large –my most recent pride reached over 9ft tall.

So, why is this worth a blog post? Well, because if you like to garden, especially in Arizona, you need two specialized things.

First, specialized knowledge about how to pick a house with a yard that will support three seasons worth of growth without succumbing to the brutal heat.

I can help you with that. I’ve failed a lot –meaning I’ve learned a lot. Most importantly, I have learned that the orientation of the house you choose will decide for you what you can plant.

You will also need to subscribe to Urban Farming U, a Phoenix-based website with an incredible amount of information, ranging from basic planting plans to fostering desert bees.

If you are in to gardening, or just want to create a desert oasis at your new home, then plan ahead and choose a home that works best for gardening.

Call us at 602-456-9388 for more.

The State Historic Preservation office has just released the results of a “charrette”, which took place last year at this time in an effort to begin to plan the future of the State Fairgrounds.

You can get a copy of that report here.

There is a lot of history and background to cover if you want to understand what’s going on here and why it is important.

But, before we do that and for those of you who don’t know what a charrette is, here is a definition from the report:

“A charrette is an intensive planning session comprised of formal and informal meetings, held over a short period of time for the primary purpose of collaborating on a vision for the future. Public agencies, private citizens, design professionals and stakeholders are encouraged to collectively formulate a plan for development and/or revitalization of a facility, urban area or neighborhood.”

To put this in to context, it’s important to know that our State Fairgrounds is owned by the State of Arizona, even though it is in the city of Phoenix. So, the Arizona legislature and the governor have the power to decide what to do with it.

Unfortunately, for decades the legislature and governor have failed to fully fund historic the preservation of the fairgrounds.

This has been true of both Republican and Democratic governors, although we have not had a Democratic Legislature since the 1960s.

Still, this has had a huge impact over the years. Neighborhoods that surround the fair are greatly affected by the condition of the property, and that has an impact on people’s property values.

So, it has been frustrating over the years to see that the legislature has even periodically swept funds from the State Fairgrounds, which could have otherwise gone to historic preservation.

In 2014, after decades of neglect, this came to a head when the fairground board made the choice to knock down the historic WPA Building on McDowell. This structure has important ties to the reforms of the 1930s that were meant to bring the US out of the great depression through the Work Projects Administration.

Many of us rallied and were able to stop the bulldozers. Since then, it’s been a long road on which we are continuing to try to find funding to begin renovations on the building, from city, state and private sources. We still have some way to go on that.

And, that is only one of many historic buildings on the property.

However, that event sparked a renewed interest in the fairgrounds. As the city has become more dense, people are starting to look at ways that the historic buildings and the entire fairgrounds could be put to use more often throughout the year.

Those changes get us to the Charrette. After some initial calls to the public for ideas, and fears that the governor’s office was thinking of selling the fairground land, the governor’s office began working primarily with the State Historic Preservation Office to generate ideas of what could come.

It is worth a few minutes to skim the report, as some of the ideas that came out of that weekend a year ago are very inventive. There is very little money to work with, and these creative community leaders came up with some great concepts.

In the end, we are left with two major directions we could take: move the fair or keep the fair.

If we move the fair, which people have spoken about for years, then it is in the best interest of neighborhoods in Central Phoenix to have some voice about what will happen to the space. Right up front, we need to protect the historic buildings.

After that, we will want to make certain that the space is complementary to the neighborhoods. For instance, I have been told by developers that the only way they could make the space work would be to build large apartment complexes there.

This would be a non-starter for many people, especially those in the homes right next to the fair. Many apartments are over three stories and would look down on the neighbors’ back yards, which carries many privacy concerns. Furthermore, many apartment buildings tend to lose their luster in only a decade or so. This could cause problems for the neighbors.

While we need more owner-occupied and affordable housing downtown, we would not be likely to get both, were this land to go to developers of condos.

They would likely be higher priced condos, packed on to the acreage of the old fairground, which would exclude many people who need affordable housing the most.

And, none of that addresses what would happen to the colosseum.

The best approach would be to prepare for the exit of the fair with an empowered working group of thinkers from the city, the state, the county, ASU, the historic coalition, developers, historic preservation experts and housing experts.

This is a decision that deserves visionary thinking.

Were the fair to stay in place, then many of these same interests should still convene to consider what that looks like, while improving and re-purposing some of the buildings.

Under this scenario –and perhaps even the first one– the many historic buildings could be re-purposed in a way that re-invigorates the state fairgrounds as a point of community pride.

One developer made a suggestion that I thought was powerful: turn the fairgrounds in to a Phoenix version of Millennial Park. This would require taking over the west 9 holes of the Encanto Golf course.

Regardless, the charrette report will give you a great insight in to the various challenges and opportunities of the fairgrounds.

It’s worth a read while you are waiting for the next episode of Game of Thrones to come on.

The Phoenix Center for the Arts is looking for volunteers for the V-Week events, from Feb 4th – 10th, as well as help with their front desk.

40 hours of volunteer work will earn you one free class of your choice.

For the V-Week events, the Center is looking for help for various shifts and tasks. V-Week events will lead up to presentations of the Vagina Monologues in both English and Spanish.

The events will be held at the Center’s downtown Phoenix campus at 1202 N Third Street, Phoenix, AZ 85004.

This second annual event seeks to delve deeper into conversations and movements that society has largely avoided or suppressed in the past.

For the front desk volunteer, the Center asks for:
– Minimum 2 month commitment
– Completion of front desk volunteer form
– Age 18+

Front desk volunteers are the primary support system for our Patron Services department and, therefore, are required to posses a certain basic skill set which includes computer proficiency, telephone/communications skills, and customer service procedures. 

If you are interested in volunteering for this position, please contact Kelly Fitzharris with any questions: 
k.fitzharris@phoenixcenterforthearts.org
or 602-254-3100 x309

Because we are active in the community, we get a lot of questions from people who want to know how they can volunteer, how they can plug in.

For most people, it is hard to know where to start. Folks feel easily over-whelmed by the number of organizations out there. We completely understand that. We’ve all been there.

I recommend a simple, three-step process:

1. Sit down and write a list of the top five issues that inspire you, that get your heart pumping. That could be homelessness (which is on our minds a lot recently), sustainability, childhood obesity, the list goes on.
2. Do a quick Google search on those terms in Phoenix and see who is out there. Simply attend a meeting or volunteer in the office. One phone call and almost any group would love to have your help.
3. If you are not inspired by how the group operates, just move on to the next.

Give yourself three to six months to settle down on a group that you really like. It is more like dating that you might thing –but without the terrible dating apps and websites.

To that end, here is a really handy list of organizations that are in need of volunteers. Thanks to Local First Arizona for putting this together. I’m kinda bummed we didn’t think of this.

Another well-known and trusted resource is Hands On Greater Phoenix. At this site you can find a calendar of events for the entire valley.

The Get Your PHX Team does it’s best to give back to the community through our Charity Referral Network, plus we donate our time to organizations as well.

Through the Charity Referral Network, we will contribute to your favorite charity if you refer a friend to us and once that friend closes on either a sale or a purchase of a home.

To learn more, call us at 602-456-9388.

Donna Reiner, a local historian and a good friend of Get Your PHX, has written many articles over the years for the Arizona Republic and others about what came before us. We use her services when we list properties of historic significance to help us tell the stories behind the homes.

We are happy that Donna is allowing us to re-publish some of her articles on a monthly basis. If you or your business ever needs a historian, let Donna know at laydeescholar@hotmail.com.

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The media and residents are all atwitter as a grocery store is coming to downtown Phoenix. The food desert will be no more. But did you know that there was once a plethora of stores in downtown that were able to supply all the food and other household supplies needed by Phoenicians?

A grocery store was a place to socialize for the community and this was particularly so for the housewife. Thus, it should not be surprising that the number of grocery stores per capita was quite high. Granted, many of these stores specialized in just meats, baked goods, fish and poultry, vegetables or fruit. Buyers walked from shop to shop often along the same street purchasing items they would need for the next few days as electric refrigerators were not a common item in many kitchens.

When the Grand Central Market opened on the Southeast corner of Monroe and 1^st Avenue (now the site of US Bank) in 1921, this became a shopper’s paradise.  Over 25 retailers under one roof! Much like the Phoenix Public Market today, although it’s outdoors, the shopper would browse the wares of different vendors, get to know them, and select items for purchase. This market was heralded as a modern convenience and would also cater to the automobile patrons with easy parking on both Monroe and First Avenue.

The wave of the “futuristic” groceries continued in Phoenix with the opening of the Welnick Arcade Market on the Southeast corner of Van Buren and 4^th Avenue in 1927. Although smaller than the Central Market in square footage, the Welnick Market made up for it in other ways. The headline in the Arizona Republican proclaimed, “Latest System Installed for Busy Shoppers.” For example, Hubbell’s self-service grocery section instituted a new way to find items. His numbering system for items plus signs to direct customers to the right section of his store shortened the time one needed to shop. And other “scientific handling of the merchandise to save time, effort and cost…to the customer” were part of what the shopper noticed.  Nevertheless, these modernizations probably reduced the amount of socializing that once took place while standing in line waiting for your meat or fish order to be cut and wrapped. But less time at the market allowed for more time to do other things.

Considering how chain groceries are designed today, it’s remarkable that not that much has changed from the layouts of these two early one-stop shopping markets in Phoenix.

If you know us, you know that we support Local First Arizona. And, we support Independence Week.

You can save 20% at your favorite local businesses during Independents Week, June 30 – July 8!

Independents Week is Arizona’s only week-long celebration of local businesses that lets you save money while shopping local.

Here’s how it works:

If you read this blog much, you know we are big fans of materials recovery in Phoenix. Remember how the City of Phoenix found a way to divert 36,000 tons of previously-considered useless palm fronds in to animal feed?

So, its nice to see Local First Arizona hosting tours of the Phoenix Materials Recovery program. It is worth a tour.

One plug from us, though. Think of all of the thousands of new gadgets that have batteries in them now, from pens to cars. All of those small batteries have precious metals in them –some worth more than gold. All of which require invasive and polluting mining to develop. What would it look like if we could divert those metals away from our land fills and back in to our circular economy?

That’s a net win for Arizona, as all of those metals originate from outside of Arizona.

It would take an investment from our cities in educating the public and coordination with businesses to help collect those items.

That said, now back to the news about the Local First tour:

At this event, you will meet Local First Arizona’s Green Team at Phoenix’s Material Recovery Facility (aka the MRF) where you will see how recycling is sorted and processed. This eye-opening tour is free and you’ll walk away with a new appreciation for recycling.

Thanks to our friends at Recyclebank for supporting this event! Attendees will receive bonus points from Recyclebank for attending. The North Gateway Transfer Station is located at 30205 N. Black Canyon Hwy, Phoenix and we will meet there. RSVP via email to Carrie@localfirstaz.com.

Donna Reiner, a local historian and a good friend of Get Your PHX, has written many articles over the years for the Arizona Republic and others about what came before us. We use her services when we list properties of historic significance to help us tell the stories behind the homes.

We are happy that Donna is allowing us to re-publish some of her articles on a monthly basis. If you or your business ever needs a historian, let Donna know at laydeescholar@hotmail.com.

One of the basics we learned at an early age is to share. Share our toys and games, share our room/space, and maybe even share our clothes. But….it may not have been easy,.

A delicate balance between the needs and wants of city and county governments seems to exist in many areas. But sharing a building? How much and in what form will or could it take place? At one time, the Arizona territorial government shared the upper floor of the first Phoenix City Hall until the capitol building was completed in 1901 (it was understood that this situation was temporary). But that building is long gone from the memories of most residents. Nevertheless, there is one quite striking example of sharing that still stands out: The County/City Administration Building at 125 West Washington.

The building reflects first upon the growth of this urban area, both city and county, and also the mature local governments of Phoenix and Maricopa County. By 1920, Phoenix had surpassed Tucson in population and the county was more populated than any other Arizona county. Having status as the location of the state government also lent importance to these two governing bodies. Thus when it came time to provide larger quarters for their respective administrations, the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce suggested (perhaps pressured is more appropriate) the city and county to join efforts to build a magnificent structure in the center of downtown.

A design competition narrowed the field to seven architects and the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors selected Edward Neild from Shreveport, Louisiana in September 1927. And here’s where those “sharing” problems began to arise. The City of Phoenix preferred the local firm of Lescher and Mahoney. So, what could be done to solve what might have been a dreadful impasse?

Each governing body decided that “we can do this” using both architects with Neild being the overall supervisor on the project. Neild designed the Maricopa County portion on the east side of that building on West Washington, and Lescher and Mahoney designed the City of Phoenix portion including the interior on the west end. Two separate entrances mark the difference between the two governments.

By the 1950s, both bodies had outgrown their respective sides and made plans to build SEPARATE buildings. Sharing was no longer a viable option.

While most people see a unified building on the exterior, on the interior you encounter the now non-functioning doors between the city and county sides. Who knows if these differences have actually saved this historic building from demolition.

Phoenix gave Landmark status to Historic City Hall in 2004.

Donna Reiner is the co-author of three books on Phoenix history.

We were pretty excited to learn about the new working urban gardens and restaurant concept for Los Olivos Park at 28th and Indian School: The Farm at Los Olivos.

This is a public-private partnership with Greenbelt Hospitality, who’s owners are well known for their work in the community. Matthew Moore’s family has farmed in the valley since the 1920s and he currently lectures on art and agriculture across the country. Aric Mei is most known for The Parlor Pizzeria, proclaimed by The Food Network as the best pizza in Arizona.

Have a listen to this KJZZ news story on the possible development.

The project will take the western 30% of Los Olivos park to create working urban gardens and community space, along with dining. It will consist of beautifully designed organic produce gardens, an art and education center, and healthy concessions that will provide a unique and delicious food and recreation experience for its visitors.

The ultimate goal is to build a stronger and more resilient food culture in our community while providing an educational experience for visitors.

The City of Phoenix issued an Request for Proposal (solicitation) for the creation of a new Park amenity with agriculture, education, and concessions as the core requirements. The Greenbelt team responded along with other proposers.

After a independent review process, Greenbelt was selected as the highest scoring applicant. Through this new public/private partnership, the new amenity will be financed and operated by the Greenbelt team and will require no taxpayer dollars.

Additionally, the land itself will continue to be owned by the City of Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department, and most importantly, no park land will be sold.

Now, here’s the most important thing to know. There will be a city council meeting for final approval on March 22nd. Be sure to attend if this issue is important to you!

Learn more at their Facebook Page.