April 2016
Relentlessly local coverage of Gilbert and our neighboring communities
Family and friends make a fun day of it
Members of the Bishop and LeRoy families and Mike O’Neil at the KA-POW! Superhero Run. See page 18.
Emotions high at hearing on repurposing two junior highs
Community embraces task of designing South Gilbert park
BY SRIANTHI PERERA
BY SRIANTHI PERERA
Parents, teachers and students packed into the auditorium of Mesquite High School on March 22 to share their views—some emotional, some stoic—with the Gilbert Public Schools’ Governing Board on the possible closure and boundary changes of Mesquite and Gilbert junior highs to accommodate Gilbert Classical Academy. Fifty-three people signed up to speak, and GPS Superintendent Dr. Christina M. Kishimoto extended the two-hour meeting by another hour to accommodate the voices from the stakeholders of all three schools. The board plans to make a decision at its regular meeting on April 26. see JUNIOR HIGHS page 10
GPS Superintendent Dr. Christina M. Kishimoto. Submitted photo
Multiuse trails and sports fields are the two features residents say they would prefer most for Gilbert’s new 272-acre park on Chandler Heights Basin. Residents have also indicated strong support for a recreation center, picnic ramadas and a fishing lake, and support for an amphitheater, aquatics, playgrounds, nature area and a splash pad. These preferences were gathered from three design workshops— entitled “Creating the Vision,” “Refining the Vision” and “Presenting the Vision”—that were held several times by the Town’s Parks and see PARK page 4
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Gilbert staffers report that residents are enthusiastic about helping design the 272-acre park on Chandler Heights Basin. Submitted photo.
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