Glendale’s Community Newspaper
www.glendalestar.com
Vol. 78 No. 1
Inside This Week THE VOICE OF BUSINESS
NEWS................... 4 Dognapped pets returned, suspects arrested
BUSINESS ......... 12 Glendale chef leaves Microsoft to sell pastries
Council seeks $50M for Downtown revamp BY SCOTT SHUMAKER Glendale Star Staff Writer
How Glendale will pay for a $70 million plan to revamp the city’s Downtown campus by 2024 will be a topic of discussion at the city council’s Jan. 11 workshop. Last month, city staff presented the council with an outline of a plan to modernize and reconfigure the campus, which includes Murphy Park, city hall, council chambers, a parking garage, amphitheater and the Velma Teague Library. The city’s vision is to make the public amenities in the Downtown campus more integrated with each other. Along with the architectural refresh, the city also wants to streamline the delivery of services to residents and businesses inside city hall. Director of Operations Michelle
Woytenko told council that among the goals of the revamp, the city wanted to create a “one-stop shop” for people accessing city services, rather than having to send customers to multiple floors. Glendale City Manager Kevin Phelps said the city also aims to create an attractive Downtown campus that makes “a signature statement that the city of Glendale is not only the leader in the West Valley, and really the center point of West Valley, but the city of Glendale is a major player, a major force within the entire Maricopa region.” The project would significantly alter the appearance of the city hall tower and other Downtown city buildings. City services would also need to be relocated to other city buildings for an estimated 16 months
Salad and Go opens first Glendale restaurant
OPINION............................8 BUSINESS.......................12 SPORTS ...........................18 FEATURES.......................22 RELIGION ........................24 YOUTH.............................26 CLASSIFIEDS ..................28
while workers renovated the campus. Council members focused much of their discussion during the December workshop on details of the proposed amphitheater renovations. The plan calls for $10.5 million in upgrades to the amphitheater between city hall and Murphy Park, including new bathrooms, enhanced lighting and sound, and a backstage “back of house” area. Some council members favored a more ambitious entertainment venue, with features aimed at facilitating ticketed events, while others were skeptical of the need for major modifications and the city’s ability to deliver a performance destination. Those in support of developing the amphitheater more fully as an entertainment
Abbas hired as Glendale transportation director BY MADISON PERALES
FEATURES ......... 22
January 6, 2022
Glendale Star Contributing Writer
The city of Glendale named Shahid Abbas the new transportation director beginning Feb. 14. “I’m looking forward to joining such a wonderful team, especially transportation in the city of Glendale,” Abbas said. Most recently, Abbas served as the public works director for South Pasadena, California, where he provided leadership and overall management for a variety of city’s strategic priorities and programs, including transportation,
traffic and streets’ programs. Prior to that, he was the manager of transportation and capital improvement programs for the city of Sunnyvale, California, where he collaborated with the Google and Apple corporations on the review and approval of construction plans for their main campuses. Before that, he was the transportation and environmental services manager for Arlington County, Virginia. There he worked closely with multiple federal agencies on traffic and transportation-related projects. Abbas began his SEE DIRECTOR PAGE 3
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SEE COUNCIL PAGE 6
Shahid Abbas will begin his role as Glendale’s transportation director on Feb. 14. He is serving as public works director for South Pasadena, California. (Photo courtesy of the city of Glendale)
