The Pima County Bond issues are not what we need. We should be asking for bonds to retrofit existing buildings with solar power, implement solar-water heating (pays for itself within 4 years), harvest rainwater and build a solar-powered electric streetcar on Broadway and Speedway.
TEP's electricity is generated about 98 percent by burning coal. We must make a change. Also, there are many buildings around Tucson that are not in use. Instead of building new ones, let us save money by remodeling the old ones and replacing coal-generated electricity with solar electricity.
For the park facilities upgrades—implement solar-electricity and rainwater harvesting. Use reflective, environmentally friendly pavement. Twenty-five million to build a soccer field? Wasteful. First, build a streetcar or solar-electric bus to get to the field and thus prevent more fossil-fuel consumption. $112 million for open space and historic preservation is way too much! Construction jobs are ok with me, but let's all learn new sustainable ways to do things!
If we are going to spend $815 million dollars, we should spend it on building for the future, not the same old 20th century buildings and methods that are outdated. Except for the flood control, I urge everyone to reject the Pima County bond issues and hold out for sustainability.
—Barbara Kausen
