Welcome to issue #43 of Trail Mix, a weekly newsletter that’s about the people, places, history, and happenings in Southeastern Arizona.

There is an invisible boundary line in Pima County, and if you live in Vail, you know exactly where it is. It’s the point on I-10 where a quick errand turns into a full-day commitment.

For years, wanting to adopt a pet meant crossing that line and driving 45 to 60 minutes one way to the main Pima Animal Care Center on Silverbell Road. It’s a beautiful facility, but for those of us on the East Side, the sheer geography of it required a level of tactical planning that often put a pause on good intentions.

The data backs this up. Roughly 60 percent of PACC’s adoptions go to residents living in midtown and west-side neighborhoods. It’s a simple case of proximity. When a shelter is in your backyard, stopping in to "just look" is easy.

But starting Monday, June 1st, that geographic gap is officially closing. PACC is coming to us.

The brand-new Eastside PACC Adoptions Center (EPAC) opens its doors at noon on June 1st.

The name itself tells you exactly how the county is rethinking its footprint. It isn’t called "PACC East" because it isn't a downsized replica of the Silverbell facility. There is no intake desk here, no medical triage clinic, and no code enforcement units.

Instead, EPAC is a highly intentional space dedicated entirely to matchmaking.

By removing the high-stress variables inherent to a full-service shelter, including the noise of intake, the frantic energy of surrenders, EPAC offers a much calmer environment. It allows potential adopters to interact with animals in a space where the dogs and cats can actually decompress and show their true personalities.

The facility will house a rotating group of 35 to 50 dogs and about 10 cats at any given time. Because the main shelter faces chronic, systemic overcrowding, the logistics here are beautiful: every single animal transferred to the East Side creates an immediate, life-saving opening for another animal at the main branch. It’s a direct, one-for-one relief valve.

To make the transition into a new home as seamless as possible, every animal leaving the East Side center will be spayed or neutered and fully vaccinated. If you fall in love with a puppy too young to complete their full series of shots, PACC will cover the remaining vaccinations once they reach the right age.

They’ve also structured the fee schedule to heavily incentivize adopting the animals that usually wait the longest:

EPAC will be open 7 days a week, matching the core hours of the main facility:

What makes this opening particularly notable is how it’s being funded. This expansion isn't costing taxpayers a dime. The entire project is backed by Friends of PACC, the shelter's philanthropic partner, which has committed $1.3 million over the next two years to cover the lease, tenant improvements, staffing, and daily operations.

Consider the next two years a vital pilot program. PACC and Friends of PACC will be closely tracking data, studying real-world operating costs, regional adoption volume, and the overall relief it provides to the central facility. The results will form the blueprint for how the county handles animal welfare as our population grows.

The new EPAC staff has spent months training on Silverbell Road and is genuinely invested in making this expansion a success.

If you’ve been thinking about adding a new member to your family, you no longer need to plan a trip across town. Stop by next week, welcome the team to the neighborhood, and go see who is waiting for you.

Consider the Vail Community Calendar your digital town square, entirely curated by the people who live here. It’s our favorite go-to hub for mapping out your week—whether you're looking for roadside tamale stands, weekend yard sales, or local business pop-ups. It’s completely free to use, so if you’re hosting something, take a quick minute to drop your event onto the grid and connect with the neighbors right down the street.

Check out what’s happening in our area this week and start planning your summer!

(And keep your eyes peeled... I’m quietly cooking up a local Dinner Club idea to help us all meet some new neighborhood faces soon! Sound enticing to meet locals with shared interests? Hit reply and let me know if you’d be interested!)