DSNA Meeting Minutes: October 2026

Minutes Date

Call to order: 7:05pm

Attendance: Andy, Tim, Aliyah Cardenas (Ward 1 rep), Arianna Martinez (District 5 Rep), Karen, Natasha, Eneida, Jim DeGrood (COT Deputy Director of Transportation and Mobility), David Marhefka (COT Landscape Architect Project Manager), Dominic, Brendan, Noémie, Laiken, Thomas, Elizabeth, Glenn, Lee Simpson (Friendship Missionary Baptist Church), Todd, Mary, Bea, Mark, Susanna, Susan, Ken, Steve, Brenda, Sky.

Treasurer's report: About $350 in account. Paid for Google Meet since last meeting.

Announcements: Library announcements, Tunes and Doodles - Wed noon-1, local music from the Arizona Collection and Desert Streams recruiting musicians through Oct 31 to be on the site - more info at http://www.pimadesertstreams.org; Dunbar/Spring dog/pet calendar, fundraiser for the neighborhood, submit your photos to Noeme soon (desplandlichtert@gmail.com); Neighborhood potluck on Saturday: http://dunbarspring.org/events/neighborhood-potluck

Discussion:

Milling and paving, etc: The City won't be putting additional handicap ramps on dirt paths in north two blocks of the neighborhood due to complications and cost from cemetery. Preliminary work in December, including tree pruning and working on manholes. Milling and paving will be done in early January, weather permitting. Notice will be given at least 48 hours in advance of any specific street being milled (2" of asphalt removed) and paved. Both milling and paving processes requiring moving of cars. The amount of time between milling and paving is not set and may vary. Driving on milled streets will be allowed. Barricades with the dates cars will need to be moved will be placed. They will look into trying to have barricades earlier for more notice, but no guarantees. Cars not moved will be towed, but only to a nearby street without a fee. Basically all streets in Dunbar/Spring will be milled and paved. Info, maps, and updates will be posted on the official website here: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/20cd95c37b7943d78bc46abcfc3745c6. Contact Jim DeGrood if needed: james.degrood@tucsonaz.gov, 520-403-5074. Lots of random questions, suggestions, and answers about the project. Request to have speed bumps with gaps for bikes to go through, esp. on bike boulevards. Speed bumps to be milled and replaced. Granite is the contractor.

Tree pruning: Pruning to happen in early December (first week), unless the schedule changes. Below will be details important to know for doing your own pruning, etc. Santa Rita and/or Yellowstone/Northwest will probably be the pruning contractors. David Marhefka is the lead on this project, contact him for further info or issues: David.Marhefka@tucsonaz.gov. He has already gone around the neighborhood and marked a few removals of mostly dead trees and "go-arounds", trees that cannot easily be pruned without severely damaging the tree. We requested that the City dump chipped pruning remnants in Dunbar for neighbors to use. The City will look into several issue and questions brought up by neighbors and get back to us.

More pruning details: When possible, we can tie up branches that are in that zone away from the street until pruning is over. Prune your own trees prior to December if you would like. There's no guarantee, but they are also supposed to consider leaving very small branches that can be pushed aside easily.

Regarding the distance from the curb, that is slightly more nuanced. The curb can be the edge everything is based on, but often it is not if there is a "gutter". This is where the concrete from the curb extends out into the street, but this concrete may not be visibly because it will often be covered by asphalt. The gutter can be any size or non-existent, but the standard is 2 feet. Workers are supposed to uncover parts of the gutter along streets so we and the pruning contractor can see how far out it extends.

All that to say that "gutter" is where they measure from for pruning AND the part of the machine that needs the 12' clearance stays 2 additional feet distant from the gutter edge. So, for example, if the curb has a 2' gutter, then according to the City, trees would need to be pruned 12' up, but only to 4' from the curb. David Marhefka is willing to work with unique situations individually, contact him at email above if needed.

Reports from the field:

  • Downtown Links: Ward 1 to look into Whistle Free Zone application
  • 1st St and 11th Ave Housing development: No update
  • Speedway/Stone housing development: Fence went up around site
  • For the good of the cause - future topics: None

Next meeting: November 16, 2026

Adjourn: ~8:40 pm