Community Center - www.fh.az.gov

The Fountain Hills Community Center provides space not only for area residents to use but has become a favorite venue for out-of-town users.

The 31,000-square-foot facility features space with rooms designed to accommodate a variety of meeting needs. The 5,000-square-foot lobby can be used for receptions or displays and flows well into the 8,200-square-foot Grand Ballroom. The ballroom can be divided into a number of configurations, and small breakout rooms also are available for rent. The center also includes a fully-equipped prep kitchen, which allows organizations and businesses to bring in their own catering.

Throughout the center, a revolving art display provides an added dimension to the already beautiful facility. In addition to serving as meeting headquarters for many local organizations, the Community Center has become popular for wedding receptions.

Within the town’s cultural plaza and adjacent to the center is the public library, the River of Time Museum and Town Hall. The library and museum opened in the spring of 2003, while Town Hall was dedicated in November 2005.

Fountain Hills Community Center is located at 13001 N. La Montana Drive. For information about booking space at the center, call the Community Center, 816-5117, or visit www.fh.az.gov.

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Medical Services
For business listings, visit the Fountain Hills Yellow Pages online

Medical care continues to evolve to satisfy the requirements of the current and future community.

Heading developing changes is Fountain Hills Medical Campus, which is in full swing. Primary tenants and owners, Spooner & Shaft Physical Therapy, Southwest Medical Imaging Ltd. and Fountain Hills Medical Practice (Dr. Matthew Hummel) are putting the finishing touches on their plans in the former town complex on Palisades Blvd.

The anchor tenants anticipate settling in the new medical campus in early 2008. An urgent care provider also is sought. A search is on for dental specialists to round out the services provided on the six-acre campus.

Until Dr. Matthew Hummel moves into his new complex, he is caring for patients at Fountain Hills Family Practice, 13620 N. Saguaro Blvd., suite 100. Dr. Janis Saunders joined Dr. Hummel in April 2007 and specializes in women’s health care and osteopathy. Physician assistants are Sal Zummo and Haylen Trotta.

The Fountain Hills Medical Plaza at 13620 N. Saguaro Blvd. has new owners. A Peoria-based medical office real estate firm, The Plaza Companies, acquired the single-story building currently occupied by Cardiovascular Consultants, Scottsdale Healthcare and several physicians, for $3.1 million. At the time the building changed hands, the new owner said the property is “uniquely positioned to be the center of regional medical services supporting local community needs.”

Dr. Jyoti Patel started her own medical practice and opened a separate aesthetics and skin care business, Esthetique MediSpa. The two share the same location, 13620 N. Saguaro Blvd., suite 50. (480) 837-6800. The internist is the only pediatrician in town.

The Fountain Hills Medical Clinic, 13620 N. Saguaro Blvd., is staffed by Dr. David S. Gottfried and Nurse Practitioner Eleanor Fenton. It offers walk-in health care and is located in the Bashas' center at 16605 E. Palisades Blvd., suite 150. Office hours are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 to 5 p.m. The clinic is also open from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturdays. No appointments are necessary for urgent care. Dr. Gottfried offers a variety of family and general practice services. For more information, call (480) 837-4300.

Four family physicians, Drs. John Whiteside, Cathleen Jo Smith, Margaret Behrens and Jesse Bracamonte, currently staff Mayo Fountain Hills Primary Care Center. It is located at 16848 E. Palisades Blvd. The telephone number is (480) 837-1600.

Desert Community Medical Associates, 13620 Saguaro Blvd., suite 100, expects to soon fill the vacancy created by the death of Dr. Thomas Moss. In the meantime, Dr. Vineet Singla, is assisted by Ginger Reeves, PA-C and Christine Sikorski, PA-C.

Major Medical Facilities

As for nearby major medical facilities, the two closest to Fountain Hills offering health care and services are Mayo Clinic Scottsdale and Scottsdale Healthcare Shea hospital.

Mayo Clinic Scottsdale, 13400 E. Shea Blvd., has more than 250 physicians and surgeons on staff and 1,900 support personnel who offer internationally known diagnostic, research and outpatient care. The Mayo clinic is located within a few minutes from Fountain Hills' western border. For appointments, call (480) 301-1735; for general information, (480) 301-8000.

Scottsdale Healthcare Shea hospital, located at 92nd Street and Shea Boulevard, opened in 1984 and today serves the northeast Valley with 343 beds. Scottsdale Healthcare Shea is consistently ranked among the best in the nation for patient satisfaction. Ranked as the top hospital in the Valley in 2000, Scottsdale Healthcare Shea is known for its cardiology, oncology, orth-neuro and women's and children's services. For general information, call (480) 323-3000.

Scottsdale Healthcare’s third hospital, Scottsdale Healthcare Thompson Peak, is scheduled to open in late 2007. Located just north of Loop 101 at Scottsdale Road and Thompson Peak Parkway, the hospital will add 60 beds to the total number of beds within the system, as well as some 500 jobs in Northeast Valley.

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Assisted Living facilities
For business listings, visit the Fountain Hills Yellow Pages online

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Senior services

When the realization hits someone that he or she is now “one of those” people and has been diagnosed with a certain disease or affliction, the person will sometimes withdraw and go into denial.

The best solution can be a support group. Support groups sponsored through the Fountain Hills Senior Activity Center give people the opportunity to share their experiences and to give and get help from each other.

The Senior Activity Center continually adds support groups. With the generosity of the medical community, the groups educate people and their families about the specific disease or affliction and provide them with valuable information and strategies for coping with each disease and problem.

All age groups are invited. Spouses, families and friends are encouraged to join loved ones for the meetings. Neither membership to the Fountain Hills Senior Center, nor residency, is required to attend. There are no fees or costs.

The list of support groups is growing regularly. If others are needed, contact the Senior Center to see when they may be available.

Scheduled support groups include

• Alzheimer’s Support Group
• Bereavement Support Group
• Cancer Support Group
• Caregivers Support Group
• Diabetes Support Group
• Digestive System Disorders Support Group
• Low Hearing Support Group
• Low Vision Support Group
• Parkinson’s Disease Support Group
• Renal and Kidney Support Group

For group meeting days and times, or for more information, call the Fountain Hills Senior Activity Center at (480) 816-5888 or visit www.fhseniorservices.org.

The support groups meet at the Fountain Hills Senior Activity Center, located in the Fountain Hills Community Center, 13001 N. La Montana Drive.

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Transportation

Fountain Hills residents and visitors have several options for getting around the Valley for work and recreation.

Although most people rely on their own vehicles for transportation, there are a few alternatives when it comes to public transit here and into the Valley. Rush-hour commu­ters, for example, are served by two express bus lines that originate in Fountain Hills, and a few private shuttle services are available for transportation to Sky Harbor Airport and other portions of the greater Phoenix area.

The following is a brief synopsis of transportation alterna­tives available to residents:

Express Bus

Express Route No. 512 has local weekday service into the Valley, with the buses departing at 5:57 and 6:19 a.m. at La Montana Drive and Palisades Blvd.

The buses travel south on Palisades Boulevard and west on Shea Boulevard into Scottsdale and the metro Phoenix area. Several boarding places are possible along Palisades, where Valley bus stops are located.

The buses arrive at 17th Avenue and Jefferson at 7:30 and 7:53 a.m., respec­tively, after making several stops in downtown Phoenix. The return trips to Fountain Hills arrive at 5:43 and 6:23 p.m. The express route allows for connections to more than 15 Valley Metro bus routes.

The cost is $1.75 cash, $18 for a 10-ride ticket book or $51 for a monthly pass. Patrons also can use their VISA, Master­Card, debit card or a check to pay the fare for Valley buses; for more informa­tion call (602) 253-5000. Discount fares are available for youths 6-18 years old and seniors age 65 and older.

The Fountain Hills Library has copies of "The Bus Book," which includes full details and maps of all bus routes in the greater Phoenix area.

Carpool and Vanpool information is available by calling (602) 262-RIDE; trip reduction program, (602) 262-7433; customer relations, (602) 253-5000. Valley Metro provides vans to qualifying groups of 6 to 15 commuters. Passengers share the cost of operating the van by paying an equitable monthly fare. The fare covers all costs including gas, insurance and van maintenance. Fares are based on round-trip mileage; see www.sharetheride.com.

Special Transportation Services

The Maricopa County Special Transportation Services continues in Fountain Hills, which serves the elderly, handicapped and low income residents. This van service is free.

All shuttle vans are wheelchair accessible.

STS owns and operates a 70-van fleet with a trained and paid driver staff serving Maricopa County. Services are available Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., but reservations are required with a two-day business day advance notice. Call (623) 934-4256 for information and reservations.

Bicycle

While motor vehicles continue to be the dominant form of transportation in Fountain Hills, many residents prefer the healthier and more environmentally friendly method of riding a bike.

Maps of official bike lanes in Fountain Hills and throughout the Phoenix metropolitan area are available by calling the Parks and Recreation Department at 816-5152. Most major boulevards in town have marked edge lanes that are conducive to bicycles.

Other information is available by calling the Maricopa Association of Governments, 602-254-6300, or the Regional Public Transit Authority (Valley Metro) at (602) 262-7242.

Airports

Three general aviation airports serve the needs of Fountain Hills residents, whether just a passenger on a major commercial airline or the pilot of a small aircraft. They are Sky Harbor Interna­tional Airport in Phoenix, Scottsdale Airport and Falcon Field in Mesa.

About a 35-minute drive from Fountain Hills, Sky Harbor is the fifth busiest airport in the country. It has approximately 23 major airlines that fly out of its term­inals and three runways. The airport also accommodates small aircraft and some surrounding air-related industries. Sky Harbor general information can be obtained by calling (602) 273-3300.

Scottsdale Airport is a general aviation satellite airfield that is also used heavily by company representatives who fly in and conduct business at the adjacent Scottsdale Airpark.

Located about 25 minutes from Fountain Hills, the Scottsdale Airport is situated west of Hayden Road and north of Thunderbird Road. General and hangar rental infor­mation is available by calling (480) 312-2321.

Mesa’s Falcon Field has no major commercial carriers, but is dedicated to providing specialized services to smaller, privately owned aircraft.

Falcon Field Airport is owned and operated by the City of Mesa. The airport currently serves as home base for more than 900 aircraft and as an industrial park with more than 30 aviation-related businesses, and more than 50 commercial enterprises. The Falcon Field Airport is the third largest in Arizona and is one of the top 10 general aviation airports in the United States.

It is about a 30-minute drive from Fountain Hills, located at 4800 E. Falcon Drive near Greenfield and McKellips roads. General information and hangar rental information is available by calling (480) 644-2444.

Light Rail

A light rail system is currently under construction in the metro area. The system will be powered by electricity from overhead lines and will generate about as much noise as a new-model passenger truck. METRO light rail vehicles have a capacity of 200 and will operate 18 to 20 hours per day, seven days a week. The METRO light rail system is expected to be operational by the end of 2008 in parts of Phoenix, Tempe and Mesa.

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