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Roland Winters: District 1 Newsletter — May 2021

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I want to give a big shoutout to all the great folks here in the city of Surprise.

Let me start with my apologies to all of you who read my newsletter for being a little late this month. We are slowly getting back to normal, and things are getting busier. I hope you are all safe and healthy and, like me, happy to be coming out of this terrible pandemic.

Tuesday, April 6, you would find me in our council meeting, and it was nice seeing an audience instead of empty chairs. On April 13, the City of Surprise debuted the State of the City video. What a great job our staff did on that. The State of the City video will continue to be replayed on Cox Cable Channel 11 and online at surpriseaz.gov/surprisetv for a while.

As of April 19, passport services have returned to Surprise City Hall by appointment only. Regular business hours for passports are Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the City Clerk's Office. City staff can accept applications for first-time passport books and passport cards and review paperwork for renewals. They do not offer passport photos, so be sure to have your photos with you at your appointment. CVS is one location that does offer passport photos should you need to get them before your appointment. To make an appointment or for questions, please visit surpriseaz.gov/passport or call the City Clerk's Office at 623.222.1200.

I attended my Valley Metro meeting on April 22. They are still using Zoom for our meetings, but I guess that's better than going to Phoenix, and Valley Metro still has the mask mandate.

As of April 26, the Maricopa County Library District libraries are open for full browsing. Customers can stop by the library during Pop-In Pick-Up hours to browse every shelf and all selections, rather than a limited collection. Asante Library, located at 16763 W. Vereda Solana Dr., has Pop-In Pick-Up hours Monday - Wednesday, 10 a.m. - 7 p.m., and Thursday - Saturday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. The library is closed on Sunday. For more information, please visit surpriseaz.gov/library.

To my friends at the Dick McComb Dog Park, I called a meeting on April 27 with the appropriate people that take care of that park. We had some residents in attendance at this meeting to discuss the condition of the park, so look to see some improvements to the dog park.

On April 29, I went back to Dick McComb Park near the splash pad. The Surprise Rotary Club donated a tree to the park, which just so happened to be on Arbor Day. Thanks, Rotary Club, for the beautiful tree. It is right next to the splash pad.

Surprise City Council and Rotary Club of Surprise hold a plaque in front of a newly planted tree.

Well, I will close for now, so be good to yourself and be good to each other.