Inside Mesa

In a few days, Mesa will welcome a new City Manager. This new City Manager will be able to add his leadership skills to a city that has done quit well for itself in the past but now faces challenges. Coming from San Antonio, who has be very forward thinking and growth oriented, he will be able to use that experience to help build Mesa’s bright future. Mesa, also, stands at the edge of opportunity in taking a major step forward in the improvement of its education delivery system with the build out of both ASU Poly Campus (at Williams Gateway) and the Mesa Community College Downtown campus. These two campuses along with the current education complex will help train Mesa’s future work force. The completion of the 202-Red Mountain Freeway in 2008 will create an effect for generating the build out of the north and eastern parts of Mesa with its needed work force areas and economic development. With the development of Riverview, the redevelopment of the Fiesta Mall area, the ultimate build out development of both the Williams Gateway Area and the Falcon Field areas, and the developments of Downtown Mesa, I see a bright future. It will require the strong political will and fortitude of its citizens to plan, create, invent and support the future, but Mesa has done so in the past and I believe there is leadership available in this city to establish a great place to live, work and play, far into the future.

With the opening of the San Tan Freeway (Loop 202) east to Gilbert Road from I-10, congratulations are in order. Congratulations should go to ADOT, MAG, the cities in the East Valley, the contractors doing the building and to the voters and citizens of Maricopa County for having the foresight to vote to pass both Prop 300 in 1985 and its renewal of Prop 400 in 2004. It generally takes 25 years to build a freeway from the original concept, preliminary design to obtaining the financing, to final design and construction. When fully completed in early summer of 2006, I predict that the San Tan Freeway will become one of the major corridors in the Valley in terms of economic impact. With the two hospitals, two airports, two colleges-universities, and several auto mall complexes in the corridor and the industrial, office and retail developments that will join all that is already planned, it is well on its way. We all need to join in the celebration of this important freeway opening.