Pioneer Park > Major Make-Over

AZ Senator Jeff Flake Joins 17 Other Senators: Fresh Look @ NAFTA

PRESS RELEASE from Media Office, Senator Jeff Flake

Senators Stress Economic Benefits of NAFTA

Posted on May 15 2017

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Sens. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) and Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) today led a letter from 18 senators to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer stressing the positive economic impact of NAFTA as the administration considers taking a fresh look at the agreement.
U.S. Sens. John Cornyn (R-Tex.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), John Thune (R-S.D.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Ted Cruz (R-Tex.),  Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), and Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) also signed the letter

Dear Ambassador Lighthizer,
We write to congratulate you on your confirmation as United States Trade Representative.  
With your rich experience in international trade issues and negotiating trade agreements, we are pleased you are at the helm of the office that facilitates U.S. trade.  U.S. trade policy has remained a prominent issue in recent months and it appears that taking a fresh look at the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) will be an immediate priority. 
Among other benefits, NAFTA has led to tremendous growth in U.S. trade with Mexico and Canada, integrated cross-border supply chains that benefit U.S. employers, and more than tripled U.S. exports of goods (including agricultural and manufactured goods) and services.  Given that the agreement is more than two decades old, there are areas in which NAFTA will benefit from strengthening and modernization.  On the other hand, efforts to abandon the agreement or impose unnecessary restrictions on trade with our North American partners will have devastating economic consequences. 
As senators who represent states that see a significant economic impact from trade, we will maintain a keen interest in the on-going process surrounding NAFTA and look forward to working with your office.
Sincerely,

____________________________________________________________________________

Jeffry Lane "Jeff" Flake is an American politician and member of the Republican Party who has served as the Junior United States Senator from Arizona since 2013. Wikipedia

Born: December 31, 1962 (age 54), Snowflake, AZ

Office: Senator (R-AZ) since 2013

 

Education: Brigham Young University 

 

Previous offices:

Representative, AZ 6th District (2003–2013),

Representative, AZ 1st District (2001–2003)

 

AGENDA > Mesa City Council Study Session Thu 18 May 2017

Any citizen wishing to speak on an agenda item should complete and turn in a blue card to the City Clerk before that item is presented.
Source: Council, Committe and Board Research Center

> City Council to review Core Civic plan for private prison here in Mesa
> D3 Councilmember Winkle's request for a voluntary suspension

> Executive Session [closed to public]
1. Simpson v. City of Mesa, et al., CV-13-01354-PHX-DLR

Roll Call 
Members of the Mesa City Council will attend either in person or by telephone conference call

1 Overview of the disciplinary process for a Councilmember, including Sections 206 and 207 of the City Charter, and consideration of Councilmember Winkle's request for a voluntary suspension.

2 Review items on the agenda for the May 22, 2017 regular Council meeting.
PRIVATE PRISON gets a lot of deserved attention

3 Presentations:

3a 17-0558
Hear a presentation and discuss an update of the Downtown Mesa Association

3b 17-0605
Hear a presentation, discuss and provide direction on the City's Sign Code project

4 17-0613 Information pertaining to the current Job Order Contracting projects

1 Gas Service for Jack In The Box
37723 N. Gantzel Rd., San Tan Valley
This project will install approximately 118 linear feet of new 4-inch polyethylene (P.E.) gas pipe and associated appurtenances across North Gantzel Road to the new Jack In The Box restaurant being constructed at 37723 North Gantzel Road in San Tan Valley. All 118 linear feet of the gas pipe installation will be directionally bored.   
$35,000.00 2014 Gas Bonds Jun-17 B&F
N/A - Pinal County
2 Streetlight Pole Replacements / Citywide
This project will replace damaged street light poles caused by vehicular accidents at five (5) arterial street locations. 
Each location will be accounted for separately to facilitate the City's Asset Management and insurance claims submittal requirements process. 
$120,000.00 Local Street Sales Tax Jun-17 Banicki 2-5
3 Replace MAG Meters at Remote Water Facilities    Citywide
Lifecycle replacement of 27 magnetic flow meters at remote water facilities.
Theses meter are required fro billing from Val Vista Plant, reporting to SRP, and use of ground water to ADWR. This is a 2nd Council notification for the project.  It was discovered during construction that the condition of the existing discharge pipe at PS 3 required replacement. 
This notification will increase the project budget by $30,000. 
Original Cost Estimate $510,000 Revised Cost Estimate $540,000
2014 Water Bonds Sep-16 Felix 1, 3-

5 Hear reports on meetings and/or conferences attended

6 Scheduling of meetings and general information

7 Convene an Executive Session
Re: Contracts that are the subject of negotiations, in pending or contemplated litigation or in settlement discussions conducted in order to avoid or resolve litigation. 
ES-011-17
Discussion or consultation for legal advice with the City Attorney.  (A.R.S. §38-431.03A (3))  Discussion or consultation with the City Attorney in order to consider the City’s position and instruct the City Attorney regarding the City’s position regarding contracts that are the subject of negotiations, in pending or contemplated litigation or in settlement discussions conducted in order to avoid or resolve litigation.  (A.R.S. §38-431.03A(4)) 1. Simpson v. City of Mesa, et al., CV-13-01354-PHX-DLR
Link >> http://mesa.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?m=l&id=/matter.aspx?key=10647 

_______________________________________________

Update of the Downtown Mesa Association [20-page PP].
Operating budget, marketing and promotion analytics [181,179 website views]
DMA Partner Events 2016 Event Season DMA sponsored 8+events attracting over 200,000+attendees.
2017 Operating Budget = $820,208

JOC Mesa Subcontractor Participation
(Cumulative) as of 05/18/2017
 JOC Contractor
JOC Type
No. of Job Orders Awarded to date
Total Construction Costs to date
Mesa Subcontractor Dollars
Mesa Subcontractor

Caliente General Contractor 27 $5,972,959 $323,339 5%
Core General Contractor 3 $82,951 $348 0%
SDB General Contractor 5 $1,406,711 $36,100 3%
Valley Rain Landscaping 39 $10,404,563 $1,771,704 17%
Earthscapes Landscaping 2 $645,248 $194,294 30%
Talis Utilities & Transportation 112 $31,985,475 $6,250,654 20%
B&F Utilities 71 $15,076,057 $3,950,208 26%
Talis Transportation 102 $30,829,000 $6,250,654 20%
Banicki Transportation 5 $1,072,516 $0 0%
PCL Plant Facilities 7 $1,529,166 $102,112 7%
Felix Plant Facilities 32 $8,414,172 $1,650,495 20%

City of Mesa Looking for Money > Offering Tax Amnesty

Your MesaZona blogger first published a post about this back on March 27, 2017 "Between recent reports and presentations at the open-to-the-public [and rarely seen in attending] Mesa City Council meetings, as well as projected deficits in unfunded public employee liabilities, increases in the city employee healthcare and benefits package, shortfalls in revenues and operating/maintenance costs of city-owned facilities - and who know knows what else? -  City Manager Chris Brady is now having to look for more money somewhere to clean up and scrub the books any way he can to bring in revenue." The Receivables Balance [an accounting term] as of last year July 31, 2016  and not yet collected is a TOTAL = $2,925,558.15.    Read more from that post >> here

Worldwide Avionics Sales Reached $566+M in Q1 2017

Avionics Sales See Slight Uptick in First Quarter

by Matt Thurber May 15, 2017, 6:17 PM

Source: AIN Online

Avionics (from the words aviation and electronics) is the application of electronics to the operation of aircraft, spacecraft, and missiles.
Career Path: a good one!

Worldwide avionics sales for business and general aviation aircraft reached more than $566 million in the first three months, a 0.01 percent increase over the same time period last year, according to the Aircraft Electronics Association (AEA). “Although the sales amount was nearly identical to the first three months of 2016,” AEA noted, “it marked the first time since the fourth quarter of 2015 that sales increased during the same period from the previous year, snapping a string of seven consecutive quarterly reports showing a decrease in sales from the previous year.”

The total includes nearly $323 million for retrofit sales and more than $243 million in forward-fit sales.
Retrofit sales climbed rapidly in the first quarter compared with the year-ago period—up 25.9 %.
Forward-fit sales (avionics for installation in newly built aircraft) dropped 21.4 % in the first quarter versus the same time last year.
Companies that measure their results by region reported that, for the first quarter, 69.3% of sales were in the U.S. and Canada and 30.7% in other international markets.

The amounts reported, from 22 manufacturers, reflect net sales prices for all electronic sales, including components and accessories in cockpit, cabin and software, along with hardware, batteries and chargeable product upgrades.
“This quarter offers mixed reviews, as industry saw a substantial decrease in forward-fit sales offset by a larger increase in retrofit sales,” said AEA president Paula Derks. “We have seen an increase in the percentage of sales coming from the retrofit market for four straight years, but this quarter marks the biggest swing toward that industry segment. Although the final sales amount was nearly identical to the first three months of 2016, it indeed showed a slight increase for the first time in several reporting cycles, which ends a downward trend during the last couple of years.”

 

Blogger Note: Industry-wide, retrofit sales climbed 25.9 percent in the first quarter, according to data from the Aircraft Electronics Association

$500 Million$$$$$$ Contracts for Weaponized Helicopters

Pentagon Reports $500 Million in Possible Helicopter Sales

by Chris Pocock May 16, 2017, 5:01 PM

Possible exports of U.S. helicopters worth nearly $500 million for defense purposes have been revealed in recent weeks.
Source: AIN Online


The Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced that Kenya might buy 12 MD530Fs; Slovakia might buy nine Bell 429s; and Greece five CH-47D Chinooks. These are all Foreign Military Sales (FMS) packages that include weapons and support. 

The MD530F Cayuse Warriors for Kenya would be supplied by MD Helicopters in a package worth $253 million. They would each be equipped with twin M260 rocket launchers made by Arnold Defense, and twin HMP400 heavy machine gun pods made by FN. More than 5,500 rockets would also form part of the sale. The DSCA noted that Kenya is undertaking critical operations against al-Shabaab, a jihadist terrorist group that has in the past controlled much of neighbouring Somalia. The new helicopters would replace Kenya’s aging fleet of MD500, the DSCA said.  

The Bell 429s for Slovakia would include “customer-unique modifications” in a package worth $150 million. They would be equipped with L-3 Wescam MX-10 cameras. Bell Helicopters has achieved steady sales of these light twin helicopters for parapublic duties since the type was certified in 2009.

The CH-47Ds for Greece will be taken from the U.S. Army inventory. The package is worth an estimated $80 million including BAE Systems Common Missile Warning Systems (CMWS). The Hellenic Army already operates Chinooks in two squadrons. 
The FMS to Kenya would be the second this year. In January, the DSCA reported the possible supply of up to 12 weaponized Air Tractor AT-802L light aircraft, plus two AT-504 trainer aircraft, in a sale worth $418 million. L-3 Communications would be the integrator and therefore the prime contractor, unlike previous exports of these large single-turboprop aircraft, which have been supplied by Iomax

 

 

A Story-In-The-Works: Ryan Winkle News Conference

Dear readers, you can take action and tune-in to this live-stream event @ 12:30