Gilbert Sun News - 3.13.2022

Page 1

Utility fee hikes eyed

Ambulance cost rising

PAGE 4

PAGE 3

An edition of the East Valley Tribune

INSIDE

This Week

COMMUNITY.......... 17 Gilbert resident Ari Levin making a new arts center

BUSINESS................20 Have a beer, toss an axe in Gilbert bar.

SPORTS...................... 28 Campo Verde baseball looking strong.

COMMUNITY........................................17 BUSINESS.............................................20 OPINION................................................26 SPORTS..................................................28 PUZZLE...................................................31 CLASSIFIEDS.......................................33

FREE ($1 OUTSIDE OF GILBERT) | GilbertSunNews.com

Sunday, March 13, 2022

$237M in upgrades proposed for 2 town parks BY CECILIA CHAN GSN Managing Editor

G

ilbert is looking at an estimated $237 million price tag to finish building Desert Sky and Gilbert Regional parks with all the amenities being proposed. The 115-acre Desert Sky near Power and Pecos roads and the 272-acre regional park near Queen Creek and Higley roads both debuted their first phases in 2019. “Our best estimates that we have right now would be that Desert Sky would be about $73 million to build it out,” Budget Director Kelly Pfost told Council at its March 3 retreat. “And then Gilbert Regional Park would be about $164 million.”

But Pfost said $10 million is available in park development system fees, which are paid by developers, that could go toward Desert Sky’s cost, dropping it down to $63 million. For the regional park, there is $9 million in land-sale money not yet spent that could drop its cost to about $155 million, Pfost said. “So, all together just over $200 million that we would need for both these parks,” she said, adding that the Town could go out for a park bond in the November 2024 election. Once funding is secured, the timeline for design and construction of Desert Sky Park would be the 2025-26 fiscal year and for the

Higley to again ask for bond approval BY CECILIA CHAN GSN Managing Editor

V

oters in Higley Unified School District will decide on Nov. 8 whether to approve a $77.2-million bond for improvements that include a new elementary campus, laptops and security cameras. It’s the second consecutive year that the Governing Board has called for a bond election after voters last November rejected a $95-million measure. Governing board member Kristina Reese was absent from the 4-0 vote last Wednesday. “I personally will always support, wherever I live, wherever I go, every bond and every override for every public education,” President Amy Kaylor said. “And until our state starts to see the value that sits in this room with me today

see BOND page 12

regional park 2026-27. Parks and Recreation Director Robert Carmona updated the Council on the two parks’ performance and the conceptual master plans – a culmination of feedback from the parks board, Council and the community. Desert Sky, which currently includes four multi-use fields, a plaza, lake and playground, is planned to have 12 more playing fields, a Championship Field, a sensory playground and trailhead. Carmona said the Championship Field was added as a request from the community and because staff felt there were private-public partnership opportunities to be had from it.

see PARKS page 8

Heave Ho!

Craig Carle throws a pole during the Caber Toss competition at the Phoenix Scottish Games held last weekend at the Gilbert Regional Park. Thousands of Scots and curious people swarmed the park to see competitions, listen to Scottish music and enjoy other activities. (David Minton/GSN

Staff Photographer)


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.