MPS changes mask rule / P. 3
Mesa comic's break / P. 22
An edition of the East Valley Tribune
This Week
BY TOM SCANLON Tribune Managing Editor
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Controversial Riverview office plan OK'd.
SPORTS ................... 20 Soccer tryouts slated in Mesa.
GETOUT ................... 21 Arizona Balloon Fest ready to fly. COMMUNITY ............................... 15 BUSINESS ..................................... 17 OPINION .. ..................................... 18 SPORTS ........................................ 20 GET OUT ...................................... 21 PUZZLES ...................................... 23 CLASSIFIED ................................. 24 Zone
Sunday, April 25, 2021
Mesa’s boomtown just keeps booming
INSIDE
NEWS .....................
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W
ith a population of around 16,000, if Eastmark was a city, it would be in Arizona’s top 50, between Payson (population 16,093) and New River (15,910). Eastmark, of course, is part of Mesa – though at times it seems like a separate entity. Indeed, taxes paid by Eastmark homeowners are fueling the explosive growth of the area, funding the building of roads and parks.
Jail 'guests' get ‘high level of care’ by Mesa
Those Eastmark homeowners are footing the bill for more roads and a �inal phase of the multi-million dollar Great Park, one of the gems of southeast Mesa. “We are excited about the expansion of the park,” said Monica Miller, an Eastmark resident. “The Great Park is one of Eastmark’s greatest assets. It truly serves as the hub of the community.” But Miller is a stickler for details and �ine print in contracts. She noted that, in the original Eastmark
Swingtime
plan, “the proposed amenities for the Great Park included a potential aquatic center, recreational �itness facilities, multi-purpose lit �ields and up to �ive school sites. “While the next phase of the park is much anticipated, it does seem to be lacking in some of the bigger proposed amenities that were put forth at the inception of Eastmark. “As residents who pay $3,500 per home in community facilities district dollars that fund
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BY TOM SCANLON Tribune Managing Editor
A
ssistant Manager John Pombier boasted last week at a Mesa City Council study session about the level of care given to one segment of the population. “You will be impressed,” he promised, “with the level of care we give to our inmates.” Pombier was referring to “customers” who stay in the Mesa jail system. He even displayed a comment card from a “guest” of the city, who stated, “I’ve been good, staying out of trouble and liked by most staff and inmates.” Pombier stressed that in working with a private jail provider, “We stress ‘The Three C’s of
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Bo Johnson, 8, and Daphne Carter, 7, tried their batting skills April 17 during Major League Baseball's return of the Pitch, Hit & Run event held at Mesa's Red Mountain Softball Complex. MLB was mum on contract talks. (Pablo Robles/Tribune Staff Photographer)
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