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Public rallies for athletic director


Tolleson Union High School District board votes to boot Mike Warren despite strong show of support


by Emily McCann staff writer


TAYLOR SWIFT?


Goodyear 14-year- old may have what it takes —Page 4.


ANOTHER


Despite pleas from students, parents and teachers at Tuesday night’s Tolleson Union High School District Governing Board meeting, the board decided not to renew Athletic Director Mike Warren’s contract for next year. Warren has worked at the district for 17 years, and spent the last 10 as assistant principal of athletics at Westview High School and district athletic director. Last week, new Superintendent Lexi Cunningham let him know he won’t have a


position for 2012-13. “It definitely came as a big surprise,” Warren said during a phone interview before the meeting Tuesday. “I didn’t see it coming and wasn’t expecting it.” Warren is part of the smartschoolsplus program, which places retired employees back in their same position at comparable salaries while they receive full retirement benefits from the state.


School districts can retain experienced (See Warren on Page 2) Mike Warren Navy drops anchor at Luke AFB


grader headed to Arizona Grammar Bowl —Page 5.


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Volume 27, No. 1 24 Pages 1 Section


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Classifieds .................... 21 Editorials & Letters .......... 6 Obituaries ...................... 19 Sports ........................... 11 9 Days a Week............... 17 Recycle this paper


TO INFINITIVE AND BEYOND Verrado eighth-


CAPT. MIKE DEWITT gives a tour of the new Navy Operational Support Center at Luke Air Force Base Wednesday. The building is LEED- certified platinum,


which means it conserves much more energy than the average building.


50¢ Friday, April 13, 2012


New building to support Valley’s reserve sailors


by Emily McCann staff writer


Docking sailors in the middle of the desert may seem like taking fish out of water, but a new Navy facility at Luke Air Force Base will support hundreds of Navy reservists in the Valley. The Naval Operational Support Center Phoenix building opened March 30 and will provide support for training and administrative services to about 650 reserve sailors in 17 units. “The Navy is in the Valley; people don’t realize that,” said


Capt. Michael DeWitt, NOSC Phoenix commanding officer. “The reason we’re here is so the people who don’t live on the coast who want to be in the Navy and support the Navy have that opportunity.” Their previous facility at 35th


were demolished to make room for the center, and 95 percent of the materials from the old buildings were recycled, DeWitt said. That’s just one factor that helped


facility sits on 1.85 acres at Luke, which has a secured perimeter. Two dilapidated warehouses


Avenue and Interstate 10 in Phoenix was more than 50 years old and no longer met the Department of Defense’s standards for force protection, DeWitt said. The new 32,055-square-foot


make it the first LEED Platinum certified building for the Navy. Platinum is the highest standard in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, established by the U.S. Green Building Council.


It measures sustainability by describing how well the design and construction process reduces life cycle costs, conserves natural


resources and enhances the quality of work life for its occupants. “The more we can try to reduce our energy consumption — No. 1, it’s good for the environment, but more importantly that frees up money so we can buy and maintain equipment to fight in the wars,” DeWitt said.


Some of the sustainability features are solar panels in the parking lot, demand-control ventilation, day lighting, a high- efficiency chiller, a robust thermal


(See Navy on Page 2)


View photo by Michael Clawson


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