Weekly Update for August 13, 2021

Weekly Update

August 13, 2021

Town of Paradise Valley Returns to Phase 2 of Its Reopening Plan

Because of the increase in COVID-19 cases in Arizona and in Maricopa County, the Town of Paradise Valley municipal buildings--including the Post Office--will remain open, but return to Phase 2 protocols.

Phase 2 protocols include:

Employees must wear masks unless seated at their desks
The public is encouraged to wear masks while in any of the municipal buildings
Public counters to remain open with social distancing in place
Continued online business practices
Employees who are not public facing will increase remote work at their discretion and with their supervisor's approval
The Community Room and Police Auditorium will remain open, but users must practice social distancing and are encouraged to wear masks

This decision was made not only to keep our employees safe, but to provide a safer environment for our residents and other patrons. You can read the entire Reopening Action Plan here.

Scottsdale Unified School District (SUSD) - Kiva School Redevelopment

The Scottsdale Unified School District (SUSD) is redeveloping the Kiva Elementary School. Because schools are not regulated by cities or towns, the school district is working directly with the neighbors during the construction to ensure that all temporary traffic patterns during construction are managed and that neighbors are kept informed each step of the way.

To find out about upcoming informational meetings contact:

Dennis J. Roehler

Director of Facilities Scottsdale Unified School District Building Services Department

480-484-8503

roehler@susd.org

Mountain Shadows New Landscaping Underway

New landscaping for Mountain Shadows started this week. The dying Oleanders are being replaced with lush hedges and accent plants.

Starting on the McDonald Drive Frontage and then moving to the 56th Street frontages, the project will be complete for the upcoming golf season.

Save the Date!

The Town of Paradise Valley is 60 and we are inviting you to celebrate with us!

#PVis60 #PVRocks!

Save Sunday, October 17th from 2:00 to 4:00 pm to join us at the Camelback Inn's Western Village to mingle with your neighbors, enjoy food and entertainment, and to tell the Town of PV that it doesn't look a day over 50!

Watch this newsletter in the coming weeks to learn more about this free event including how to register! You won't want to miss it!

PV Resorts are Hiring

As we all know, Paradise Valley is a premier travel destination in the late fall, winter and spring. While the rest of the country suffers from the polar vortex, we've entered into sunny days and beautiful sunsets!

You can help our resorts prepare for their busy season by sharing the following job information with anyone you know who is looking for a new career opportunity! Just click on the images to connect directly to the resort job opportunties.

Job Fair at Camelback Inn

Jobs at El Chorro: Click below

Jobs at Mountain Shadows: https://jobs.mountainshadows.com

Employees Going Above and Beyond

The Town of Paradise Valley prides itself on providing concierge service to its residents and visitors so when we celebrate employees going above and beyond, we are talking about truly exemplary performance.

Peggy Ferrin - "The Gold Standard" and a "Bar Raiser"

When we hired Peggy Ferrin about two years ago as the Town's first Procurement Coordinator, we asked her to make sure all Town purchases were the most cost effective. She has, and then some. Peggy not only assists every department in their "requests for proposals" or bids, but she is working hard to decrease costs by minimizing credit card charges and working to get departments to purchase more wisely through a variety of ways. One way is to purchase items through a new Town Amazon Business Account. Sounds easy, but it entailed a request for proposal to ensure this would be the most cost effective, working with department representatives to meet their needs and change old processes and then to train the staff in each department that makes necessary and approved purchases.

According to Amazon's Business Account Manager, Peggy's work "by all accounts, was a resounding success. Almost 100 percent of everyone who was invited to your Amazon Business account accepted the invitation to join and attended the trainings. Many similar launches have an acceptance rate that hovers around 65 percent. During the Amazon trainings employees were engaged and asked excellent questions.

This success is due to the admirable efforts of Peggy Ferrin. Peggy set the gold standard when it comes to forward thinking and creating efficiencies. Her organization and communication strategy were the best we have seen. At Amazon, we call people like Peggy Bar Raisers."

We concur! Thank you Peggy for keeping the entire organization cost efficient and effective! We couldn't do it without you! (By the way, Peggy does this and so much more working part-time. She is also personally efficient and effective.)

PVPD Compassionate Care - Seeing the Job Through

Ofc. Amy McGhee was dispatched when a citizen called concerned about an overheated male in the area of 56th & Mountainview. When Ofc. McGhee arrived, the individual was lying in the shade and obviously in distress due to the heat. He was conscious and alert but stated that he could not move to due to cramping. Medical was requested and Phoenix Fire showed up. After a very quick assessment, Phoenix Fire departed after the patient declined service.

Ofc. McGhee continued to talk with the patient, and he admitted that he refused service because he was feeling pressured and just needed some time to process what was going on. Ofc. McGhee and the citizen were able to convince the patient to allow them to call medical back knowing that the patient wasn’t thinking clearly and recognizing that he was in real need of medical attention. Medics were called back and the patient was transported to the hospital.

Amy's professionalism, patience, compassion, and tenacity likely saved this patient from falling further into distress and possibly causing irreparable damage to the health and wellbeing. We are proud of our officers like McGhee that are both patient and caring in their efforts to provide the care that this man needed and deserved!

PVPD Compassionate Care - Changing Hearts and Minds

Sergeant Mike Horn, Corporal Robby Clement, Officers Jim Gibson and Michael Unger were dispatched to a suicide attempt call. Dispatch indicated that the subject was unresponsive in the front yard and the family was beginning CPR.

Michael and Robby responded quickly and upon arrival learned that the subject regained consciousness and ran off. A search of the house and area determined that the subject was seen jumping a fence and running. Ofc. Unger and Gibson set up a perimeter and search to find him in a neighboring property. Officers spoke to him and was able to get him to the hospital for the help he needed.

Everyone came together quickly to locate the individual. Although the family initially expressed skepticism of the police, they thanked PVPD several times for the quick response, quickly locating the family member and getting him the help he needed. Great teamwork!

Pictured below (l to r): Sgt. Horn, Corp Clement, Ofc. Gibson, Ofc. Unger

PVPD Compassionate Care - Lending a Helping Hand

Chief Wingert recently received an email from a You are Not Alone (YANA) member’s daughter which said, “I wanted to acknowledge Officers Jim Gibson, Jim Bach and Steve Ridgely for their service towards my father, who participates in your YANA program.

"My 85-year-old father lives alone and is in declining health. These Officers have gone above and beyond, particularly in the recent past to ensure my dad is safe and to assist him with tasks that others are able to accomplish themselves.

Today, Office Gibson contacted me and advised my dad’s air conditioning and telephone were not working. Dad was overwhelmed by the situation and I learned that over the past few weeks, these Officers have helped him to get his AC and phones back in working order.

Sadly, my dad doesn’t speak to my sister or me, and we both live distances away. So, knowing he is ok and that your Officers were able to help him gives us peace of mind.

Please recognize these Officers for going well above and beyond, and exemplifying excellence. Having worked as a civilian for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department for most of my career, I understand that officers perform these kinds of services NOT for the recognition, but because it is who they are. And for that, I am forever grateful."

From the same call, Corporal Garrity wrote, “Officer Bach went above-and-beyond in assisting a YANA member today, by contacting Centurylink and assuring they could expedite service to get the subject's land-line restored. The YANA member lost phone service during the recent storm, and does not have a cell phone. Officer Bach explained to Centurylink personnel the necessity of him having a functional home phone. Nice work, Jim!”

Pictured below (l to r): Ofc. Gibson, Ofc. Bach, Ofc. Ridgely

PVPD Compassionate Care - Caring is Contagious

On Wednesday, July 28th, a mother-frantic and crying at times-brought her two young kids and a dog into the PD lobby. Her conversation didn't make any sense, she needed to speak with a private detective about an old incident.

Officers Chavira and Aragon for the next several hours patiently dealt with the mother, kids, and dog. It became apparent that the young lady was suffering from mental illness and was in a full-on panic about an incident that happened to her in Phoenix, where she lived.

Officer Chavira did a great job at trying to calm the female down. Once Officer Chavira ascertained what the female needed, he had a CRISIS team responded to the station to talk with the young lady. Once the CRISIS team arrived, Steve debriefed them, and the CRISIS team then spent an hour speaking with a young lady.

While the CRISIS team worked with the mother, Cpl. Fisk and Det. Toporek assisted with the children. Cpl. Fisk brought the children some of his own food and Det. Toporek spent some time with them after he provided them with plush dolls and coloring books to occupy them. One of the kids needed a diaper changed so Andrea Ford just happened to have some in her vehicle and gave the mother one so she could change her son's diaper. The dog used the lobby floor instead of a diaper and Nicole Barrows was quick to get the bucket and mop to clean the lobby. The dog was also treated with a teddy bear to keep him calmed down.

Once again, the PD team showed a great level of empathy to a family in crisis; your professionalism and caring attitude were on full display. Thanks for all you do, and GREAT JOB!

Pictured below top row (l to r): Ofc. Aragon, Ofc. Chavira, Corp. Fisk

Picture below bottom row (l to r): Ofc. Toporek, Andrea Ford, Nicole Barrows

The Town of Paradise Valley is Hiring

The Town of Paradise Valley has three job openings for a Community Development Administrative Assistant, a Hillside Development Planner, and a Photo Enforcement Technician. If you are interested, check out the job flyers below and apply online.