NEWS Partnerships to Receive Regional Honors PHOENIX (June 1, 2004) – The Maricopa Association of Governments today released the seven partnerships and individuals who have been named to receive its prestigious Desert Peaks Awards. The awards are presented to those agencies and individuals who have demonstrated a commitment to promoting, recognizing, and attaining the ideals of regionalism. This year's awards include a special "Summit Award" to honor those involved in the development of a new Regional Transportation Plan, the most significant transportation planning effort the region has undergone in 40 years. Recipients will be honored during the Sixth Maricopa Association of Governments Desert Peaks Awards during a reception June 23, 2004. The event will be held at the Arizona Club, which is located in the Bank One Building, 201 N. Central, Suite 3700. A reception begins at 5:30 p.m. with the awards program at 6:15 p.m. Among the efforts to be honored include the largest preparedness drill ever conducted in Arizona; a 223-acre development near the Glendale arena; a coalition of employers against domestic violence; and a regional park master plan. In addition, two individuals were recognized for their singular efforts in advancing the principles of regionalism. Awards will be distributed in six categories: Summit Award, Public Partnership, Public-Private Partnership, Professional Service, Regional Partnership and Regional Excellence. Recipients include: Summit Award: Regional Transportation Plan Public Partnership: City of Glendale Chemical Weapon Full-Scale Exercise Public- Public-Private Partnership: (Two recipients were selected in this category): City of Glendale/Phoenix Coyotes/The Ellman Companies Development Project and Employers Against Domestic Violence (EADV) Professional Service: Jeff Martin, Assistant Development Services Manager, City of Mesa Regional Partnership: San Tan Mountains Regional Park Master Plan Regional Excellence: The Honorable Gary Pierce (R-Mesa)  Additional information on each of the recipients is provided below. Costs of the event are being offset through sponsorships. Sponsors include The Arizona Republic; Associated General Contractors; Audio Visual Resources; Bank of America; Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Arizona; Cox Communications; e group; Kimley-Horn & Associates; Mariscal, Weeks, McIntyre & Friedlander, P.A.; Pinnacle West Capital Corporation; and Salt River Project. Recipients are selected by an elite panel of judges who represent diverse interests from throughout the Valley. The judging panel for the 2004 Desert Peaks Awards included Tom Ambrose, Senior Vice President Public Affairs, Phoenix Suns; Anna Maria Chavez, Director of Intergovernmental Affairs, Governor's Office; Dr. Larry Christiansen, President, Mesa Community College; Dr. Lattie Coor, Chairman and CEO, Center for the Future of Arizona; James Creedon, Retired Brigadier General, Landry, Creedon & Associates; Sandra Hicks, Executive Director, Challenger Space Center; and Joel Nilsson, Editorial Board Member, The Arizona Republic. For media coverage or inquiries, please contact Kelly Taft, 602-452-5020. For Desert Peaks Reservations, please contact (602) 254-6300.   Desert Peaks Awards Project Descriptions SUMMIT AWARD Recipient Regional Transportation Plan In November 2004, Maricopa County voters will determine whether to continue the half-cent sales tax for transportation for another 20 years. This sales tax continuation would be used to help fund a Regional Transportation Plan that provides for the construction of new freeway corridors, widening of existing freeways and highways, improvements to the arterial street system, the addition of regional bus services and other special transportation services, and high capacity transit facilities such as light rail, bus rapid transit and express buses. The Plan was developed by the Transportation Policy Committee, a 22-member committee that included representatives from cities and towns across the region, the business community, the Arizona Department of Transportation, Maricopa County, the freight industry, transit, and the Citizens Transportation Oversight Committee. The Regional Transportation Plan includes $15.8 billion in projects, taking into account all regional funding sources. About half of the funding, $9 billion (including $500 million set aside for interest expense and based on 2002 dollars) would come from the passage of Proposition 400. Partnering agencies: Maricopa Association of Governments Transportation Policy Committee, Valley business community. PUBLIC PARTNERSHIP Recipient City of Glendale Chemical Weapon Full-Scale Exercise In February 2003, the city of Glendale hosted the largest multi-agency/multi-disciplinary emergency preparedness drill in Arizona history. As a leader in emergency preparedness pertaining to Weapons of Mass Destruction, Glendale was selected by the Department of Justice to participate in a comprehensive program that provided training, equipment and exercises to all stakeholder agencies. The exercise involved a scenario in which a chemical nerve agent was released on the campus of a local university. More than 250 participants from dozens of agencies responded to 400 "victims." The exercise was one of the largest of its kind in Arizona history. Partnering agencies: Luke Air Force Base and the cities of Avondale, Chandler, Glendale, Goodyear, Peoria, Phoenix. PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP Recipients (Two recipients were selected in this category) City of Glendale/Phoenix Coyotes/The Ellman Companies Development Project This partnership paves the way for a 223-acre development, dubbed the Westgate City Center, that will feature up to six million square feet of development. The mixed-use project will include a 17,799 seat arena, 1.6 million square feet of retail, two million square feet of class-A office space, 600,000 square feet of entertainment and dining, major resort hotels and a unique mix of residential options. The public-private partnership will provide a sports and entertainment destination option for the entire region, and serve as a job-creating economic engine for western Maricopa County. Partnering agencies: The Ellman Companies, City of Glendale, Phoenix Coyotes. Employers Against Domestic Violence (EADV) EADV was established in October 2000 as a way to collaborate with other employers/businesses to address the growing problem of domestic violence and its detrimental impact on the workplace and communities. Its 100+ members include municipalities, businesses, insurance companies, health care providers, nonprofit organizations, shelters, financial institutions, and advocacy groups. Domestic violence costs American businesses up to $5 billion each year in absenteeism, lower productivity, higher turnover, and health care and safety costs. EADV's mission is to create more productive workplaces that are intolerant of violence; to develop policies and practices that are safe and supportive of victims and families; and to engender safer, more responsive communities. Partnering agencies: Employers Against Domestic Violence has more than 100 member agencies. Members include Maricopa County and the cities of Glendale, Goodyear, Mesa, Phoenix. EADV is a subcommittee of the Maricopa Association of Governments Regional Domestic Violence Council. PROFESSIONAL SERVICE Recipient Jeff Martin, Assistant Development Services Manager, City of Mesa Jeff Martin has been a driving force in the planning and financing of regional transportation. Mr. Martin was hired by the City of Mesa in 1990 as Assistant to the City Manager for intergovernmental relations. One of his responsibilities was to work with the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) and other cities on regional transportation issues. Mr. Martin has served on MAG's Transportation Review Committee since its inception. He played a pivotal role in moving the legislature toward adopting a series of laws to accelerate highway construction, working cooperatively with lawmakers and the governor's office, business community and Arizona Department of Transportation on innovative financing efforts that will help complete the freeway program earlier than planned. Mr. Martin has been a strong proponent of a number of regional transportation studies, such as the Bottleneck Study and High Capacity Transit Study. Mr. Martin has been a dedicated advocate for a regional approach to transit funding, including bus and dial-a-ride services. REGIONAL PARTNERSHIP Recipient San Tan Mountains Regional Park Master Plan Requests from citizens in the Southeast Valley for a useable regional park and natural preserve prompted this cooperative venture. Queen Creek sought cooperation from Chandler, Gilbert, Maricopa County, and Mesa to move forward with planning and development of this 11,000 acre master-planned regional park. The plan seeks to provide recreational and educational opportunities appropriate for a Sonoran Desert mountain park setting while rehabilitating, protecting and responding to the unique natural and cultural resources of the park. The project's success is credited to a diverse group of governments and citizens dedicated to furthering and preserving the quality of the region. Participating agencies: City of Chandler, Town of Gilbert, Town of Queen Creek, City of Mesa, Maricopa County, Pinal County. REGIONAL EXCELLENCE Recipient The Honorable Gary Pierce (R-Mesa) Representative Gary Pierce was instrumental in guiding the $15.8 billion Regional Transportation Plan through the legislative process. He sponsored House Bill 2292, which laid the framework for the planning process and formalized the Transportation Policy Committee in state law. To help legislators keep abreast of developments, Representative Pierce created the Joint Ad Hoc Committee on the Maricopa County Regional Transportation Plan, a bicameral, bipartisan committee made up of lawmakers interested in transportation issues. His leadership helped advance House Bill 2456, calling for a continuation of the half-cent sales tax for transportation, after it stalled in a Senate subcommittee. His efforts are credited with the ultimate approval by the legislature of an election that will allow voters to decide their transportation future.