Gilbert residents OK with recycling fee PAGE 20
An edition of the East Valley Tribune
INSIDE
This Week
Badminton titles go to Perry, Mesquite PAGE 26
FREE ($1 OUTSIDE OF GILBERT) | GilbertSunNews.com
Sunday, November 3, 2019
Gilbert seeking Heritage Park art? District grocery store BY CECILIA CHAN GSN Managing Editor
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NEWS...................................
Gilbert man gets big time for fentanyl death
BUSINESS........................
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Dana Park spa owners conquer adversity
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ilbert is looking to bring a grocery store to the Heritage District. Plans are to issue a request for qualifications and a subsequent request for proposal from developers interested in putting the amenity on 2.36 acres at the northwest corner of Gilbert and Elliot roads. Staff is contemplating making the move in the second or third quarter of the fiscal year ending next June 30, according to Kiley Phillips, spokeswoman for the town’s Office of Economic Development. In a continued effort to promote the Heritage District’s uniqueness, an artisan-type market is envisioned rather than a large-chain such as the Fry’s grocery store that
see
(Chris Mortenson/GSN Staff Photographer)
HERITAGE page 4
Gilbert gearing up for critical census BY GARY NELSON GSN Contributor
GETOUT.........................
This piece of artistry isn't a modern scultupture, but actually a piece of playground equipment in the new Desert Sky Park that will make its formal debut on Wednesday. The park is for play as well as fitness and you can read about it on page 3.
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Elegant dinner awaits in East Valley barn.
COMMUNITY...................... 18 BUSINESS.............................23 OPINION...............................25 SPORTS................................ 26 GETOUT............................... 28 CLASSIFIED.........................32
on williams field + lindsay
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t’s going to be easy to overlook a little postcard that will arrive in your mail next March. Between the kids, the rent, the job and the busted washing machine, it won’t seem like a big deal. Plus, it’ll probably be hard to find among all the pizza coupons and dental implant ads. All that notwithstanding, your city – doesn’t matter which city – is hoping you’ll treat that card like a piece of gold. Because in a way, it is. The card is going to come from the U.S. Census Bureau, and it’s going to ask you some
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results driven
questions about how many people live in your home, your ethnicity and similar stuff. Whether you respond could help determine how many federal dollars will be used to improve your hometown, and your answers will have a bearing on who ultimately represents you in Congress, the Legislature or even your City Council. The financial stakes are huge. According to the Maricopa Association of Governments, the federal government distributes $675 billion a year to cities and states, depending on their populations. Arizona gets $13.5 billion of that and the more people a city counts, the more money it gets. Based on where people live in the Valley, Ar-
new gym
izona’s congressional and legislative district maps will be redrawn after census results are in. The count will also affect the boundaries of Mesa’s six City Council districts. The official date for the 2020 census is April 1. That seems like a long way off, but some East Valley cities already have been preparing for months. Gilbert is counting on technology to boost its 2020 census numbers. “We’re excited that the 2020 census will be online for the first time,” said Jennifer Alvarez, who leads Gilbert’s communications department. “Our average age is 33, so we’ve
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