OVCN Shenanigans Go On and On and On...

The OVCN saga takes on a new twist

Wednesday, we discussed the long history of the OVCN sports expansion zoning change request extravaganza. The request exemplifies how a zoning change request can take on a life of its own. Essentially, the church has been “threatening” to uproot the lives of their neighbors by bringing more traffic, more noise, and more disruption to Oro Valley’s original neighborhood.

Seek a 40' high sanctuary and more

The saga of OVCN’s ongoing impact on the neighborhood continues with a new plan. This plan includes a student center, a sanctuary, a maintenance building, and more than 800 paved parking spaces. Town staff believes these are all permitted uses. The only request is for a height variance for a 40’ building, which can be approved, according to town staff, solely by the Planning and Zoning Commission.  We suspect that decision would be subject to council appeal.  You can watch a video of the latest plan here and read the full two-year history of the OVCN situation here.

Original zoning change request is still "in the works"... so is there more than "meets the eye"?

Notably, the latest plan does not replace the existing zoning change request. That request is currently on hold at OVCN’s request. We wonder: Is this latest plan for a sanctuary with a 40 foot high roof line really just a "stepping stone" for later conversion to an indoor sports facility? Or will it be used as such immediately? 

Residents in the area are not happy with this proposal

Residents will get a chance to learn more and opine at a town led neighborhood meeting on September 26. We suspect they will be against the project. Resident Trish Tozier went to a briefing held by OVCN on the latest proposal. It was brief. She reported on this and voiced her opposition in an August council meeting. Here is what she said.

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25-Year Resident Shares Concerns Over OVCN Expansion

"Mayor Winfield, Vice Mayor Barrett, Council, and Staff, my name is Tricia Tozier. I am a 25-year resident of Oro Valley.

Initial Neighborhood Opposition Since 2022
Let me give you a couple of bullet points about why this OVCN building issue is problematic.  On March 1st, 2022, 14 neighbors presented a letter, as required by the town, outlining our concerns about the proposed rezone. Now, in July 2024, OVCN finally decided it was time to send a letter to these same people, which they did.

Recent Meeting Lacked Substance and Specific Plans
On August 1st, five neighbors, including myself, representing the Concordia Buena Vista group, attended a meeting. The presentation was given by Craig Coulter. Drawings and full-color pictures of their new proposal were shown. However, there were no specifics or definitive plans presented, except that they mentioned a height variance would be needed, and they would ask for the neighbors’ input on landscaping. Woo-hoo. He then asked for input.

Meeting Offered No Real Progress; Concerns Remain Unaddressed
Well, Ed Clary, who was also there, said, "Our concerns remain the same as they have for the last four and a half years. There's nothing to talk about." I must say, it was an uncomfortable meeting, and it adjourned.  There appeared to be no real purpose for the meeting other than perhaps to make OVCN look good. As a result, there was no way to assess the new proposal, aside from the pretty pictures. A few weeks later, OVCN sent a second letter to these same neighbors. It was the same form letter, except this time it included the phrase, “Since you did not respond.”

Lack of Genuine Community Engagement
Really? I was there. Is this what OVCN considers engagement with the community? Even the names were misspelled. Besides Craig Coulter, Gene Hayward, an administrator, and another person named David Williamson were present.

Builder’s Comments Highlight OVCN’s Approach
Williamson described himself as a builder and said he was only there to answer any questions about construction. Since there were no plans, there were no questions for him. But he did add at the end of the meeting that "something will be built there." We said, "Thank you." I’m not sure if it was a threat or a promise.

As an aside, Mr. Williamson owns Fairfield Homes and is the builder of both Mr. Coulter's and Mr. Collins' homes. OVCN describes this as "reaching out." After the meeting and the second letter, the Concordia Buena Vista group can only interpret this whole charade as OVCN saying they will do what they propose when they want."
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LPO Nate Vera... "2021 Officer of the Year"

Oro Valley Lead Police Officer (LPO) Nate Vera has been selected as at the town's "2021 Officer of the Year."

Lead Police Officer Nate Vera joined the Oro Valley Police Department in 2017. He previously worked as a police officer with the Tucson Police Department. Additionally, he worked as a Crime Scene Technician for a year before becoming a sworn officer. 

The extent of knowledge and experience he has gained during his career is impressive

LPO Vera has routinely demonstrated this by example. OVPD is a grateful recipient of his contributions. Such contributions i  include growth and development, commitment to service, and enhanced leadership.

From a development and growth perspective, LPO Vera is actively involved and committed to the department’s field training program. His ability to effectively develop less tenured officers is excellent and enhances the likelihood of achieving the desired level of success and maintaining quality police officers as they continue their careers. LPO Vera’s contribution to development does not end at the field

training level. He contributes to the success of the entire organization at so many levels and in many different categories. His contributions in the year of 2021 alone include his routine volunteering for programs throughout the agency, community, and other law enforcement partners. Additionally, LPO Vera received a Life Saving Award in early 2021, wherein he was directly involved in saving the life of a juvenile community member who made a full recovery because of LPO Vera’s actions. These are only some examples of LPO Vera’s proven commitment to service and passion to facilitate growth and development.

LPO Vera has a keen ability to retain information and impart the knowledge and training he received. His knowledge and experience are sought after on a regular basis and his sound decision making and problem-solving capabilities are supportive of this. LPO Vera is a complete employee and a model police officer.

LPO Vera serves in a unique role within the organization. In the absence of the sergeant, he is the formal leader of the squad. During 2021, he was in this position for four months. During this time, he demonstrated leadership that is generally seen from those with much more experience and exposure in a position of leadership. He was tasked with several duties that are not typically a part of his job description. His work product exceeds expectations. Additionally, LPO Vera attended and completed the Basic Leadership Academy that was hosted by Arizona POST. This will only serve to sharpen his already present and effective leadership skills. LPO Vera aspires to be a leader within our organization and has proven to be one in a short time.

It is for these reasons that LPO Vera is set apart from others. He is a clear positive outlier at OVPD. He should be recognized for the asset to the organization that he is. LPO Vera's 2021 performance evaluation supports this documentation with a rating of Outstanding. For these reasons, LPO Vera was selected for the 2021 Officer of the Year Award.

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Above and Beyond: “Hanging With Officer Greg”

SRO’s three-pronged job

The job of Oro Valley’s “School Resource Officers (SRO)” is indeed challenging. Police officers are there to protect the children. They guide and counsel students as needed. They also teach in the classroom. 

What happens when there are few students in the classroom because of the pandemic? 

Most Oro Valley SRO’s returned to patrol duty, bolstering street presence during the early days of the pandemic. SRO Greg Chmara stayed on duty for the students in our community. Chmara is the SRO at Painted Sky Elementary School. He also serves at three other schools. He became an SRO after the pandemic started, after completing three years as an Oro Valley patrol officer. 

Chmara faced the challenge of engaging kids virtually over the past year.

He developed a video concept on that has become wildly successful.

The concept: “Hanging with Officer Greg”

Chmara created a video channel exclusively for the school’s students. On it, he broadcasts a video series called: “Hanging with Officer Greg”.  We’ve included the “trailer” for that series in the panel below.

A tip from a colleague started it all

“As the newest SRO, I was tasked to cover all of the schools in the area. I was going to all the schools trying to figure out what the students needed. I was having a hard time trying to figure out how to do this. SRO Vivian Lopez mentioned that, at one time, she had read a book to her students and then put it on youtube so her students could access it. A light bulb went off in my head. What a great way. I know how youth today really connect online. A lot of them will sit there watching youtube and TikTok videos for hours and hours. What better way to reach out to those youths than through a media they love to use to get across positive messages.”

So, he created what is now a 21-episode (and growing) series.
 

Creator…Writer..Producer…Director…Webmaster

Greg does every phase of production, from conceiving the topic to posting the videos such that student privacy is maintained.  He usually has one or two ready to go a week before publishing date. The videos are from 3-12 minutes. 

“Some of the longest are the most favorite videos.”

The topic of one of the longest videos is: “Reading Dog Body Language”. It has had more viewers than most. We understand why after watching it. Greg developed it by involving Pima Animal Control. The video is entertaining. The video shows different dog behaviors. The video tells you how to interpret the behavior (Did you know that a wagging tail does not always mean the dog is friendly?) The video provides advice on what to do. We learned a lot!! The video should be posted on the town’s website!

Teachers in control

Greg releases the video links weekly through the teachers. They decide how and when to integrate it with their curriculum. “It allows them to have another tool to teach their students.”

Topics that matter

Some of the topics in the series are equally informative. They include:

•. What happens at a traffic stop

•. When should you call 911 

•. “Tattling v Telling” 

•  Backpack Safety

This week he released one on “self esteem.” “Something I’m really excited for. Its really affected our youth…. a lot of kids a facing difficult times [because of the isolation caused by the pandemic]. My hope is for them to see the good things and to change their thought process to positive.”

Above and beyond

SRO Greg Chmara has gone “above and beyond” in protecting and lovingly guiding the youngest in our community. We are indeed fortunate that he is an integral member of our public safety force.

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Click this link to learn more about Office Greg.

Above and Beyond: Officer Alex Carillo

Oro Valley Patrol Officer Alex Carillo went above and beyond

It’s one thing to save even just one life in your lifetime. It’s amazing to do it twice. Imagine saving two lives in your first year as a patrol officer. That is exactly what happened to Oro Valley Police Officer Alex Carillo last year. 

Saving two lives

Alex was the first officer on site in two instances last fall. He used his well-honed CPR skills to bring a lifeless 1 year old to life.  He did the same a few months later for a 40 year old cardiac arrest victim.

We met Officer Carillo. We found him to be as affable a gentleman as one could ever meet. He is "Dad" to a three year old son. He was born and raised in Douglas. He comes from a corrections family. He was in the Air Force. He was a car salesman. He hated that. But he does love working in public safety in Oro Valley.

An unresponsive child, lifeless, not moving

“The whole family was hysterical. It was mom’s birthday so you can imagine how mom was feeling. Her one year old not breathing. I pick her up. I start rubbing her chest. She’s not giving me any reaction. My partner is trying to calm everything down.” 

Alex thought: “We need to do our job here. We need to be the calm ones and we need to fix the situation. I start doing CPR. It seem like forever. She’s not giving me anything. And then, out of know where, she throws up a huge amount of water. Water gets all over me. I can’t tell you how great that felt. It was an insane amount of water out of this little body. She starts breathing again... labored breathing. It was a great moment. That’s why I signed up to do this.”

A cardiac arrest

Maybe four weeks later “We get a call. A male who is having a heart attack. He just passed out speaking to us.” When he got to the house, Alex found the male. “He’s purple. He’s blue. I thought: ‘This is bad’. I start doing my CPR and ask despatch for medical assistance ASAP. I’m doing this for what seems forever. He starts coughing. I’m seeing signs of life. ‘Ok’ I think, we’re getting somewhere’.”

To Carillo’s relief, a GFRD Chief and crew come to the door. “I’m thinking. This is good. This guy must know what to do.” Finally, Alex can take a moment to reflect: “I look around. I see three little kids’ bicycles....This guy has people who really need him.” 

Alex trailed the ambulance to the hospital. “The whole thing was amazing. We do our job. The fire fighters do their job. The doctors do their job. At the end of the day this guy was safe. It was amazing.”

"I just like helping people"

Carillo has a 'can do' attitude.  “When it’s time for ‘big time plays’ I want to be ready and I want to know that I can take that shot. I do my best to make sure I keep up my CPR. I keep up my physical fitness. I just like helping people. I want to be the guy that helps somebody when they need something." 

Alex looks young as you can see from his picture, but he is really long in years. Oro Valley residents are lucky to have him.

Be sure to give Alex a "thumbs up" when you see him on patrol.

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Listen about the two incidents as told by Alex to Jim Horn in his new series "Unsung Heroes."