Around Chandler

Episode 14 of the Around Chandler Podcast where we welcome new Vice-Mayor Terry Roe. Terry has been in the valley since he was a kid growing up in Gilbert, serving on the police force in Mesa and when it came time to pick a city to live in and raise his kids, he and his wife chose Chandler. We talk about why he made that decision, some of the biggest challenges facing the City going forward and how you can get involved and give back. I want to welcome :42 What was your childhood like and how have things changed Moved from Michigan Lived in Mesa and then Gilbert Gilbert High School class of 1977 Lindsey and Elliot owned acreage 2:19 What did you do after high school MCC Worked at photography services for Williams Air Force Base Ran a photo lab - 1-hour photo place No career in photofinishing Tested for Public Safety hired by Tempe Police but never took job Ended up going through the process with Mesa and went to work for them 4:33 What was the process like then to become a police officer? Written Exam Psych Exam Physical Exam Background checks 6:05 How long were you a police officer in Mesa There until 2007 Did a lot with family victims towards the end 7:06 When did you move to Chandler 30 years ago Chandler Ranch Kids went to Chandler Schools Son was in first year of Hamilton High 7:33 You grew up in Gilbert, Served in Mesa, why settle in Chandler Downturns in economies over years Chandler Schools were great Good value in Chandler 8:08 When was your first attempt at public office? 2010 Retired and decided wanted to get involved Fiscal hawk my whole life and concerned with government finance $75million on City Hall when the economy was bad was not the best use of cash reserves in a bad time. 9:32 What are your thoughts now on that City Hall Believe I was right at the time, but grand facility now Shouldn't be taking chances with finances 10:47 When you first ran a decade ago until now, what has been the biggest change in the City? Fortunately economy came roaring back Good news all the time Price Corridor is exploding Downtown growing 12:23 There is a lot of news about pension problems in Phoenix and other states. What is the current status of the Chandler pension system? We have a plan for our pensions Return on investments was not realistic for a long time Each city has its own plan and is involved with a Mesa and Chandler, and Chandler has a great plan for the changes going forward 14:28 What is the biggest issue Chandler is facing that needs to be addressed in the next few years? Build-out redevelopment Traffic becoming the biggest concern with all these new buildings 15:42 Are there solutions for the increased traffic that may be coming? We have planning boards working on the roads Roads have been being widened over the last couple of years Gilbert Rd/AZ Ave/ SE Chandler many road programs 17:17 We see a lot of driverless cars/Waymo. Will Chandler keep pushing this? Waymo is opening another facility in Mesa Will have driverless vehicles coming soon 18:42 Downtown Ocotillo, Downtown Chandler, Price Corridor, do you see any more hubs coming? Used to be a goal of every 4-corner being a hub Would like to see something in North or Uptown Chandler 20:12 What are plans for Uptown Chandler Turbo is a big new plant there Opportunities have empty lots Exciting opportunities Spike Lawrence helped develop Ocotillo, doing Site-6 west of city hall 21:48 Other Downtown activities Around Jack 'N Box City owns some land and another company owns a piece too Need someone to come up with a plan there Company that built Flix owns the other piece of land there 23:09 What is one thing that someone in Chandler should know about their City Council Mayor and Council made up of 7 people don't make all decisions Hire City Manager and others to help run city Hire good people with experience who help the city be run well Council is much like a board of directors 24:52 There are several boards that are run by citizens that advise the Mayor and Council on different topics Many areas people can be heard and serve They advise on their priorities and what they should be If you had a friend of relative coming to visit, what should they do? Chandler Museum by mall Basha Museum And after the museum what one place would you recommend going to for dinner? Contacts Roe for Chandler on Facebook Roe for Chandler on Twitter    

Episode 13: For Our City Chandler. Chandler if full of many great people trying to help those in need. For Our City Chandler is one of the organizations who is trying to pull organizations together to help those in needs like the elderly the poor and the homeless. Niki Tapia is one of the driving forces. Niki is the Community Resources & Diversity Supervisor and one of her jobs is to work with For Our City. In this episode we talk about some of the resources available and how you can help.  1:00 What do you do for the City of Chandler Works with neighborhood resources Out in community a lot Cultural diversity and faith groups For Our City Chandler helps those in needs 1:46 What is For Our City Opportunity for those who want to help others Groups working together to help those in need 2:55 How did you get started with it There are For Our City's in other cities but Chandler is the benchmark 3:33 How long you been in Chandler 1983 Like the community feel Know neighbors 4:15 You work with homeless a lot, can you talk about the homeless in Chandler Nationally increasing Homeless shelters are in Tempe and Mesa we work with Churches that take turns hosting 25 people a night i-help refers the homeless to the locations Given out over 10,000 fliers and police and others have them There is a bus that buses to the church each night Case management to help those with adictions or to get jobs 7:43 Do you think most of the homeless know about i-help? Think so At capacity almost every day 8:10 What is the Changeup Campaign? Pan-handle are they legit or just scamming? Does the money help or keep people on streets longer? This goes directly to homeless services People are generous, this ensures 100% of your donation is helping homeless 10:12 What is the process like to get people off the streets? Counselors help getting people off i-help Social service groups help bring food every night Place to sleep and bag lunch in the morning If work with case management you are secured a spot 12:40 Operation back to school A member said we need a one-stop-shop for kids Backpack drive to ensure not duplicating efforts Uniforms, shoes, socks and underwear along with backpacks Student gets about $90 of value Last year gave out about 2200 backpacks, 9k shoes socks and uniforms 15:22 On your website there are over 30 groups listed All those are different organizations who help with these programs City organizes, but groups come together For Our City Day is in October and do house renovations Over 700 volunteers 18:30 How can people get involved ForOurCityChandler on Instagram ForOurCityChandler on Facebook Work with code enforcement to help seniors 20:25 What to do in Chandler? - Ostrich Festival in March and anywhere Downtown Chandler 21:25 Favorite downtown restaurants - Downtown Chandler Cafe    

Chandler Fire Chief Dwiggins had done things to greatly improve the department since he took over, which has lead to lower home insurance costs for you. We talk to the Chief about this and what it is like day-t-day to be a firefighter.  1:00 Introducing Chandler Fire Chief Tom Dwiggins Always wanted to be a fireman Did ride-a-long when in high school Joined military out of high school to serve the country In Air Force went in the firefighter department 3:15 What did you do when you got out of Air Force? A month after discharge Tolleson hired him as a volunteer firefighter 4:52 How has training for firefighter changed? More EMS coverage New techniques for fighting fires More with hazardous materials Wider range of emergencies 6:03 How often does the Chandler fire department respond to an actual fire? 26,500 incidents total 10% fire related Not as many fires as 30 years ago because of fire prevention Fire code improvements help cut down and make safer 7:58 Fire Station in Chandler 11 fire stations in City of Chandler Believe we are built out as fire department 4 firefighters on every truck 9:32 What is the daily life of a fireman like? Every shift change inventory and test all equipment at 8am Develop a plan of the day 1 hour of physical fitness a day Community events 13:06 What is the process from 911 call to on scene An alarm goes off in station notifying you of a call Immediately head to the truck A computer screen in the truck will have real-time from dispatch Assignments will be given out on the truck When an alarm goes off they are told what type of emergency, but are ready for any different scenarios 16:10 What different threats do you run into on scene? Respond to shootings and assaults Often will see a fire truck parked with us inside, staging for a dangerous situation Sometimes an incident that could turn violent Trained to identify situations   18:02 What is the relationship with neighboring Cities We share resources, no borders We respond into neighboring cities, they respond into ours 911 sends a signal to closest truck no matter City If Chandler truck is closest to a Gilbert situation, they will be dispatched We received automatic aide about 3,000 times a year and sent out aide over 2,000 times When we send a bunch of trucks to help in Gilbert, Phoenix will send trucks to sit in our stations to help cover anything that may go on Phoenix has most resources outside of NYFD 23:12 What does a 5-alarm fire mean? Amount of resources 1st alarm is 1-6 engine companies so 5-alarm would mean 30 engine companies and 12 ladders responding 24:26 What type of events are hazmat teams called out to? Hazmat team goes through 5-week academy Any environment with chemicals Car fires Businesses or cars with chemicals on scene 25:55 What are some of the preventive measures that are working? Youth training We go into Chandler Unified and talk to them about fire safety 1st and 2nd grade classrooms, when we get to them young it has a lasting impact Christmas tree watering is a big message Deep fryers at Thanksgiving Social Media helps Youth face-to-face adults social media No texting and driving and leaving kids in cars 30:35 I recently read your ISO rating is 1, can you explain what that means Insurance rating Water systems 1-10, 1 is elite, 10 is bad We have been a 3 for a long time Impacts insurance rates, lower rating, better the premium We made an effort to lower it to get to a 1 Less than 1% are ISO 1's Our City has helped us do what we needed to achieve this 34:13 If you had a friend from out of state thinking of moving here, what would be your sales pitch why Chandler is so great? Parks Schools Well run Neighborhoods Community support Safe Great jobs What is going on downtown 36:30 What are the charities your crew is involved in? Involved in community Coaching Chandler Firefighters Charity Used to help victims of fire 97% contribute from paycheck Golf tournament helps raise money Help homeless with hotels and clothes 41:25 Buddy coming in, what should they do and where to eat? Downtown Chandler events Veterans Oasis Park Serrano's Resources Chandler Fire Department Website Chandler Firefighters Charity Chandler Fire on Instagram Around Chandler on Instagram

Pools are a must for many who live in the Valley of the sun. This week we talk to Cassie Selle who is one of those rare Chandler natives. Cassie has become a very successful salesperson with CDC pools. We talk about how the area has changed since she was a kid growing here, discuss what it is like to be a woman in a male-dominated industry and we talk about remodeling pools. Stay tuned after the interview to hear how you can win an unlimited two weeks with Flo Yoga and cycle.  1:10 Not many natives, what was it like growing up in East Valley 1:38 How has Downtown Chandler changed since you were a kid 2:07 What was the best part of growing up in Chandler 2:50 After high school did you go straight into the pool industry? 3:55 Why did you decide to settle in Chandler? 4:35 Did you always want to be in sales? 5:34 Is pool industry as male-dominated as it seems? 6:15 What has been your biggest challenge getting into sales? 6:53 Have you found social media helps you? 8:09 What type of remodeling do you do? 8:45 Life expectancy plaster vs pebble pools? 9:10 Remodeling Plaster pools with asbestos 9:42 Are many people going plaster to pebble? 10:06 Warranty differences plaster vs pebble? 10:17 Often plaster pools have rust and cracks, are those signs of pools needing to be resurfaced? 11:10 What are interesting pools you have worked on? 12:00 Do pools in Arizona have a lower life expectancy because of heat? 12:43 Is winter the busiest time of year for remodeling? 13:00 Do you do cool decking? 13:45 Showroom information 14:25 If you had someone coming in Chandler what would you do? - Improv Mania then San Tan Brewery or Eastwind Sushi Contact @CassieatCDC on Instagram Cassie@CDCPools.com 602-980-5209

Did you know that Chandler has one of the largest YoYo manufacturers right here? We catch up with Hans, the owner of the YoYo Factory. We have an interesting conversation about the history of the YoYo, his 3 World Records and a very interesting story on how he got involved with first selling YoYos. If you or one of your kids has any interest at all in YoYo's I highly suggest you stop into their shop and get a free lesson from them. Do you own an Amazon Echo? If so make sure you check out our new flash briefing, just say "Alexa enable Around Chandler" and you will receive our new briefings. At the end of this podcast stick around to hear about an offer from Flo Yoga and Cycle. Discussions from this conversation: 1:06 YoYo's are still a thing? 1:38 How did your passion for YoYo's start? - How he got started playing as a teen. Stated selling YoYo's in high school and got in trouble with Vice-Principle which lead to his first interaction with a professional. 5:55 What got you into Guinness Book of World Records? - 3 Records and just missed on a 4th because of a broken string 7:16 - History of a YoYo? Been around 2,500 years A Philippines immigrant brought it to America 1926-32 was big 1962 Became big again when it hit TV 1996 Became an Internet hit 30-year cycles of popularity 9:46 Interesting story about how the YoYo became a big thing in Russia with the help of Coke 12:16 Do you produce them here in Chandler? 12:58 What retail stores can we buy your product at? Hobby Lobby, Costco and more 13:11 What is the reaction you see when people get their first YoYo? Was a quality issue we made a better YoYo We made setup with string easy 14:41 What is the difference between a $5 and a $150 YoYo? 15:04 What YoYo's do people in competitions use? 15:36 If I was to get a first YoYo for my 6-year old daughter, what is the difference between a $1 store YoYo and your $5 YoYo? 16:46 What is the YoYo contest scene like? - 5 Categories 18:14 What contests are there in Arizona   Links YoYo Factory Site YoYo Factory on InstagramYoYo Factory on Twitter YoYo Factory on Youtube Arizona State YoYo Contest Chandler YoYo Club Around Chandler on Instagram Around Chandler on Facebook Around Chandler Website Around Chandler on Twitter

Happy New Year all. In Episode 9 we welcome Marcus Moreno who is a business manager for professional sports athletes. We talk about how he got started in the business and how are professional athletes when the camera is not on them. Stay tuned after the podcast to hear the latest offer we are doing with our January Sponsor Flo Yoga & Cycling. Discussion: 1:02 Exactly what do you do? 1:25 Where do you represent athletes from? 1:48 Do you have a favorite baseball team? 2:09 CPA 30 years, how did you transition into sports? 3:27 What are the differences in working with professional athletes? 3:57 Was this always a goal of yours? 4:34 Is it mostly Spanish speaking players you are working with? 5:09 Do you do just taxes or do you do more? 6:02 What are athletes like to work with? 6:40 Does the money change them much? 7:56 How does money change them? 8:56 When we hear money changes people we think negative, you are talking positively 9:32 Are the Latin players really exaggerating on their age? 10:10 Who are some of the player's listeners may recognize? 11:22 Do you find the players go back a lot to help out their communities? 12:25 The Latin influences in baseball are huge, why do they have such success? 13:22 Is it just baseball athletes? 13:56 What is the most interesting part of your job? 15:31 Is the trade deadline hectic for you? 16:01 Is there a big difference among teams how they treat their athletes? 16:48 Will players in the off season look at just money or do they take into account the team? 18:00 Do high tax states have a more difficult time attracting talent? 19:00 Do you develop relationships with agents or go to players directly? 19:48 What stories do you have with players being active in helping their community? 21:07 Seems baseball players are more involved in the community? 23:15 Where are you taking someone to dinner in Chandler? Chops   Resources Marcus on LinkedIn Around Chandler on Instagram Around Chandler on Facebook Around Chandler Website Around Chandler on Twitter

In Episode 8 we welcome Dakota Kildoo Operations Manager of The Bridge in Chandler. There are people all over this city making impacts on lives. Dakota and his workmates and volunteers at The Bridge are one of those. The Bridge is a non-profit organization in Chandler for 7th-12th graders with a game room, cafe, block wall, gym and more. Background Grew up in Utah Went to school to be youth pastor Friend told him about the opening of The Bridge Was involved in his church as a teenager Went to College in Missouri Close friend lived in Arizona and invited him to come out and live and apply at The Bridge The Bridge Was hired to help open it Worked with the community so they know what is going on First opened with 80 kids so knew they were onto something Still work to make it better with new ideas Open M/T/W 2-8, F2-9, Sat 9-5 Thursday have basketball games/practices in the gym with a 6/7th grade club teams and men's league Wednesday have Life Groups - Separated by Age and Gender Biblically based life groups Friday is fun day, usually 120-150 teens Saturday is Family Day so anyone of any age can come with their family Funds come from Compass Christian Church Game night has all types of video games, pool tables Some kids come and hang out and play basketball, some come hang out and do their homework with help from volunteer mentors The Landing - Tuesday nights, biblically based program to deal with the hurts habits and hang-ups. Kind of like a 12-step program to help teens with things they are dealing with in their life.    Resources The Bridge Website The Bridge Twitter The Bridge Instagram The Bridge Facebook Around Chandler on Instagram Around Chandler on Facebook Around Chandler Website Around Chandler on Twitter  

The new Chandler Museum opens on Saturday, December 8th, 2018 and we chat with Jody Crago, the Museum Administrator for the City of Chandler. They have a lot of great things planned for the new museum, including a new activity every weekend for the kids. The best part is it is free. Also free is the where is it Wednesday contest we run where you can win a free gift card from B2 Burgers and Brews, listen for details at the end of the podcast. Now Jody Crago. Chandler Museum Opens 9:30am Saturday, December 8th 300 S Chandler Village Drive 2007 Chandler voters authorized bonds to build a new museum Dedication 9:30am on 8th Opens at 10am - 2 special exhibits Family programs in education space Every Sat 11-2 will have family programs 1pm will have Olympian Lyndsey Fry 3pm Katie Hillebrand and the history of the bookmobile Will contain sports hall of fame  Timeline of photos of Chandler Outdoor area unique architecture  Full list of opening day events Chandler Museum on Facebook Around Chandler on Facebook

Did you know Chandler has their own ABA basketball team? Neither did I. Today we have Derrick Graham the coach of an ABA basketball team that plays at Chandler Prep. At the end of the podcast stay tuned you will hear how you can win free stuff, including a gift card to Burgers and Brew on Arizona and Warner.   Background of Graham Born and raised in South Bend Indiana Played high school basketball there Injured senior year ended up playing junior college for two years then a DII college Played football and basketball was better at football but basketball was a passion Played professional overseas then local including Italy  Arizona Beast info Part of ABA - American Basketball Association  2 other teams in Arizona, Las Vegas, California Part of West Division Play 21 games Post Season play other regions Power ranking of 153 teams Opportunity to grow as an athlete and have opportunities at the next level  Starting When Arizona Scorpions folded Graham reached out to ABA Knew many local players so reached out to local leagues to start the team Over 70 total tried out 12 players and 2 reserves on the team Most players 23-24 years old, but a few older players Summer tryouts before the season  Play at Chandler Prep (Warner and Alma School) Marketing Involved in community events/charity events Active in Chamber Schedule at Arizona Beast website Recommend show up 30 minutes before game Food trucks and shirt printing at games PROMOTION: I want to thank Coach Derrick Graham for spending time with us to talk about the Arizona Beast. Now, that free food I mentioned, here is what we are doing. Starting today, November 21st 2018 and running through the end of the year, every Wednesday I am going to post something on Instagram @AroundChandlerAZ called Where is it Wednesday. Be the first person to correctly identify the location of the photo and you will win a free t-shirt and you will be entered into a drawing for a free $25 gift card from B2 Burgers and Brews on Arizona and Warner. All the weekly winners will be entered and one winner will be chosen to receive the gift card. Then in January, a new sponsor will be on for the January winners.  Follow Around Chandler on InstagramAround Chandler on Facebook Around Chandler website with all our shows and subscribe buttons Instagram Arizona Beast Website ArizonaBeast.com Twitter Arizona Beast Facebook Arizona Beast  

Where is it Wednesday or #WiiWChandler will be launching next week. So what is #WiiWChandler? It is being launched as part of the 365 Days Around Chandler on our Instagram Account. We started taking a photograph of a different location for our Instagram account @AroundChandlerAZabout a month ago and we will continue to post a photo on the feed of different locations for a full year. This is a chance for people to get introduced to new things Around Chandler. Starting next week, until further notice, every Wednesday will be an undisclosed location for #WiiWChandler. When the photo with the hashtag #WiiWChandler hits our feed on Wednesday’s, be the first person to identify the location will win a free shirt. We will DM you for your size and the shirt will be sent to you. Every month we will pick one of those winners at random for a free $25 gift card to a local Chandler restaurant.  If you have a fun location that we should consider, some hidden gem of Chandler, DM us and let us know. But you and your family will no be eligible for the win on that day. We have our first two locations already photographed and ready to go! Rules: The first person will be the person whose answer shows up first in the post comments. This is intended for Chandler residents, but anyone is eligible. We will not ship shirts out of state. You can only win one shirt every 90 days.

The Living Chandler Facebook Group has exploded onto the scene in the last few years and has grown to about 65,000 members as of the time of this recording. Welcome to episode 5 of the Around Chandler Podcast, today we welcome Matthew and Tia Coates the founders of Living Chandler. We get the backstory on how they ended up in Chandler, the inspiration behind the group and we talk about some of the fun stories like how they chased down a stolen cell phone through the group. You can find the show notes for this episode at AroundChandler.com/5. If you enjoy this content I ask you to forward it to a friend or share it on social media and follow us on Instagram at @aroundchandleraz. And please let us know who you would like to hear from on an upcoming episode, now Matthew and Tia Coates   Follow Around Chandler on InstagramAround Chandler on Facebook http://aroundchandler.com/5

Welcome to episode 4 of the Around Chandler Podcast, today we have a treat for you. You have probably seen Frank Leutz of Desert Car Care all over social media or in the community. Frank is very plugged in and connected to Chandler and several charity events. Today Frank is going to share how he got started owning his own shop after getting fired, it is a great story on coming back after being knocked down. Frank shares with you how to find a good, honest mechanic you can trust and we go over some Arizona specific car service tips. I am not going to ask you to rate and review the podcast but please subscribe and if you enjoy what we are doing please make sure you share it with a friend or on social media. You can find the show notes for this episode at AroundChandler.com/4  and follow us on Instagram at @aroundchandleraz   Talks about oming back aftet getting fired and kicked around how do you overcome Background Grew up in NYC so no interest in cars Was interested in music and performing Took a break from school and music and joined the Navy Got married and wife was transferred to Phoenix Started wrenching with father-in-law in 1989 1995 working at a dealership that got taken over was let go Used it as an opportunity when down to open up and go in another direction How did you end up in Chandler with Desert Car Care? Built first business in Sunnyslope and sold it and came to Chandler in 2004 In 2008 when things started crashing took advantage of the situation and opened two other locations What do you look for in a mechanic you can trust: Interview them before you need them Build that relationship Check online reviews and make sure shop is replying to customers Not looking for someone who is perfect, but someone who will make it right when they make a mistake When you do you get a second opinion? Make sure shop is transparent, they show you what is going on We will do a digital explanation of what is good and bad and things that may come down the road We are now post-monsoon season, what do you recommend for maintenance? Even in a lifted truck never drive through flash floods A lot of dust so check cabin air filter and air filter Check tire pressure Single mom, who may not have time, what advice do you have for maintenance and a schedule? Helping Hands Single Moms they can help with issues Set priorities We are in severe duty climate 5,000 for most oil changes What issues should be addressed for preventing large repair bills? You know your car better than anyone Any smells or noises that are not normal, get it looked at New vehicles have 150 million lines of code, they are computers now How has the mechanic changed in the last decade? Lots of training Ask how much your guys get training per year A mechanic has moved into a technician You can get a code, but the code doesn't tell you everything Cars are rolling smartphones National Average over 60k miles is $1500/yr for repairs How important is it to have a used car looked at before buying? We found a car that had the check engine light pulled out of the dashboard There are reasons cars are for sale You buy a house you get it pre-inspected Here are you taking an out of state friend for dinner? DC Steak House Follow Around Chandler on Instagram Wrench Nation Car Talk EVIT - East Valley Institute of Technology URMechanic on Twitter Frank  Leutz on Instagram Wrench Nation on Twitter    

Welcome to episode 3 of the Around Chandler Podcast. Today we have Kim Moyers about her role in making Downtown Chandler a destination. Make sure you subscribe to the podcast in your favorite podcasting app or at AroundChandler.com and follow us on Instagram at @aroundchandleraz Background Born and raised in small-town Indiana Selementarytary school as son and daughters went to Graduating class was only about 130 people Indiana University graduate Moved here 13 years ago Were you working in city government when you moved here? Her first job was at a Chamber of Commerce Took interest in redevelopments in downtown When moved to Arizona, Downtown Chandler felt like and reminded of home Started working in Queen Creek on their downtown Spring 2014 went to work for Chandler Downtown Redevelopment We needed redevelopment like many downtowns across the country Difference was Council was devoted to the downtown and planned this decades ago When you started what was the vision/goals? Upgrade infrastructure to make sure we had enough water and sewer for us to start building verticle Needed density into downtown to attract the restaurants and businesses we wanted Alta Steelyard was first complex with 301 units Were so happy with downtown they also purchased 6.5 acres and built Alta San Marcos along Chandler Blvd and another 273 units DC Heights, another 201 units coming soon This creates the night time and morning traffic downtown we like to see Also helps us attract offices to downtown DC Heights 201 unit behind San Tan Brewery  Part of reason punched through Dakota Street Phase 1 rentals, Phase 2 condos Overstreet SW Corner of Arizona and Chandler First Flix Brewhouse Cinema to Arizona 3-4 restaurants  17,000 sq feet of office All office glass and overlook AJ Chandler Park 350 car public free parking garage This is phase one to be completed by end of 2018 Phase two will be additional offices north of the parking garage Parking and more development Across from City Hall will be developing where the current dirt lot is called New Square There are 3 public parking garages on the east side of Arizona and Overstreet now on the west Phase one will be 47,000 sq foot building, 3 stories of office A second building of 8700 sq feet that will be retail along Arizona Green space Behind will be a 108 bed Hilton hotel Phase two will be another 5-8 story office building 600-800 new jobs in downtown West side of Oregon will be another 930 space parking garage Will there be more restaurants and development More moving down south of the current core Current Arizona Blvd work from Frye to Pecos Sidewalks and lighting you see in downtown will be continued down there SE Corner of Arizona and Chandler North side of Jack 'N Box is developer owned and the south side is city-owned Same developers that did Overstreet will do the city-owned area Downtown events Spooktacular  Christmas tree lighting  Beer BBQ Festival  Oct-April most weekends will be some event there Farmer's Market Now open in November on Saturday Mornings New vendors Christmas baskets join between vendors South side area Perch, Local, Ganglplank, Improvmania all helping towards the south side Along Frye will have Flo Yoga and Cycle Along Frye will have more restaurants  The Wave Thursday, Friday and Saturday they work downtown, free transportation 5-9pm You know them when you see them, holds 5 passengers Can call, numbers on parking garages Follow us on Instagram  

Welcome to episode 2 of the Around Chandler Podcast, my name is Dean Ouellette and we are bringing you the people and places that make Chandler Arizona the best place to live. Today we have Joshua Trask. Joshua has turned his front yard into a 45-foot pirate ship with a haunted house. Halloween is coming. Downtown Chandler will have the Spooktacular on the 26th of October then on the 27th bring the little kids to Joshua's culdesac for family-friendly games and entertainment. Make sure you subscribe to the podcast in your favorite podcasting app or at AroundChandler.com and follow us on Instagram at @aroundchandleraz    Tell us about your childhood Involved in art Many art contests locally and nationally Grew up in Palm Springs California  Moved to Arizona after school and got involved with the local art scene Did live art shows where would spraypaint live Stayed involved with art after kids as something could do together Has it always been spray paint art you have been into? Mostly yes Drawing and architectural early Was art always a hobby or did you study it? Studies art history in college Allowed me to see the steps other artist took and could mimic it Used to go to all the Friday night art shows and sell there How long you been in Chandler and what brought you here About 5 years Previously Fountain Hills for art and training  Came to Chandler for schools for kids You have quite the setup in your front yard for Halloween, can you tell us about it? 45' Pirate Ship Talking pirates and music Carnival on inside 11 room haunted house Is it kid friendly? My kids are in elementary school so made it good for their age Krafts Games More details: Usually weekends dark until 9pm Built out of pallets from reclaimed wood House is connected small rooms Kids came up with idea of having a jail My kids will dress up Will make some noises When is this open? Open now on weekends Donation of $1 or food item for food drive On 27th block party Block off the street  1417 N Manor Circle on the west side of Arizona and North side of Knox Costume awards, party pooper, scariest, best homemade, funniest, best couple, best family Costume categories:  

Welcome to episode 1 of the Around Chandler podcast where we introduce you to the people that make Chandler Arizona so great. Chandler will have a new Mayor in January for he first time in eight years. We welcome Mayor-Elect Kevin Hartke to the podcast to talk about his plans to keep Chandler a great place to live. Please remember to subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss future guests and let us know who you would like to hear from. You can message us on Instagram @aroundchandleraz or email me Dean at Around Chandler dot com.  Paint us a picture of your childhood Grew up in St Louis Dad was a WW2 Vet Master degree from University of Missouri When did you end up in Chandler 1985, was working in Canada with church What was it like? 60,000 people, but was growing quickly Downtown was dusty  Where did the houses end at that time? Cotton and Corn surrounded the city Recently elected Mayor, why did you originally decide to run for City Council? Wasn't planning on it Was active in the community 2006 had an opening on Council I was encouraged to apply and was selected then ran and elected for the seat in 2010 and 2014 Are you still a pastor? Lead pastor at Trinity Christian Fellowship Turned in resignation so can serve as Mayor full-time When you ran for Council it was a crowded race, but when you ran for Mayor you were uncontested, was that a surprise to you? Was a surprise Was talk of others running, but they descided against it Chandler has become known as hub of technology in the southwest, how do you see that playing out? Continuing Intel developing new plant More development on Price Corridor WAYMO and self-driving cars  Can you talk about Price Corridor more In the 80's talked to Intel about what they could to expand Intel has grown, the largest employer in Chandler Several large employers growing there What is Waymo doing now? Using Chandler as ground zero mapping Seeing who they can partner with, light rail Providing first and last miles for public transportation  Great cities seem to have neighborhood identities. Here we have Downtown, Price Corridor, West Chandler we now see signs for Uptown and we have the Airpark area. Do you think having neighborhood identities is important for building community? Price Corridor West Chandler Uptown Chandler Downtown Chandler Airport Where do you see Chandler going in housing Only 12% of Chandler not developed or planned We are at 259k population now and plan is for about 285k Many developments being built were zoned in 2006 When you were running for your you stressed three things. Great jobs, great schools, safe neighborhoods. Let’s start with great jobs. What can Chandler do for more great jobs? Business retention and expansion We ask those who are already here what we can do to help Looking at attracting new business where there is land available like we are doing on Price Corridor Are you acively looking outside of City and State to recruit business? We hire great people to set vision on the economic development committee We do want high tech business We already have some of the best public schools in the state, but we also have great charter schools that score at the top of the state testing like Chandler Prep and Basis. What can we do to continue the trend with great schools? Basis Chandler #2 high school in it the US Chandler Prep is Arizona's #1 high school Chandler Unified School district is #1 public district in Arizona Goal is to have more going on to get post high school education Promoting STEM We look at ways to co-share facilities with things like pools and libraries Where can we improve with safe neighborhoods? Continually monitoring what we need with policing Lowering emergency response time Nextdoor technology to spread information that is going on What do you see as the biggest challenge Chandler faces? Buildout, would love to offer more recreation facilities Can we work with Gila to the south? Cost of housing Chandler has the lowest cost of living of any City in Valley You talked about buildout and the availability of land. What about downtown? Will that build up? Downtown Chandler will spread east and west a little more  By rail road tracks have more land More area to the south to develop that will extend to Pecos What does a week look like for you as you take on this new role? 30-35 hours a week meeting and responding to people Still 40 hours a week at church What will your first 100 days look like? The city has great vision and well run Taking care of unfunded liabilities for police and fire We will do council retreat with new council members to talk goals and vision Continue to attract high tech and great jobs Will do State of City February 21 at Center of the Arts Staff will take our visions and help us come up with plans What about the base? We jsut lowered taxes and do no see a reason we will need to raise them Helps the community You have a friend coming to visit you, what would you tell them to do? Come out in November-March People from all over nation are coming here to restart their business Where would you take them to dinner? Bourbon Jacks for a burger DC Steakhouse for a steak Many great downtown restaurants  Kevin on Twitter  Kevin on Facebook Kevin's Website      

Welcome to the Around Chandler Podcast where we will bring you all things Chandler Arizona related. This episode is a short introduction to get the feed working and to introduce the show concept. Follow us at https://www.instagram.com/aroundchandleraz/ https://facebook.com/aroundchandler Or just message us directly at http://m.me/aroundchandler