January 2016
Artistic craftswoman Carolyn Henderson shows her colorful jewelry at the Mesa Arts Festival. More on page 28.
City considering new sports complex
Community remembers medical flight nurse Chad Frary
By Tim J. Randall The City of Mesa is poised to build on its already strong reputation as a sports destination with a proposed multimillion-dollar athletic complex near Brown Road and the Loop 202, adjacent to the Red Mountain Sports Complex. The amateur sports center could entertain “thousands and, some weeks, tens of thousands of people,” according to Marc Garcia, chief executive officer of Visit Mesa, an organization that looks to drive tourism and event dollars to the city. The park is needed to host soccer tournaments, thanks to the everincreasing popularity of the sport. Arizona Youth Soccer Association
By Srianthi Perera Mesa flight nurse Chad Frary, who died recently in a helicopter crash, is being mourned and remembered by many in the community. “It’s a huge loss to not only his family; he did a lot of good for a lot of people,” said Eleonore Anderson, respiratory therapist at Cobre Valley Regional Medical Center in Globe. She carpooled to work with Frary. “He was a big part of our medical family. You become really close with people you work with for 12 hours.” Frary, 38, was fatally injured when Globe-based Native Air 5, a medical evacuation helicopter, crashed Dec. 15 into the Superstition Mountains
President Mark Thede said his organization’s registrations have increased 51 percent from 28,000 to more than 43,000 since 2009. “The growth in raw numbers has been extraordinary, but the number of fields has remained exactly the same,” he said. The complex would have two stadiums with clubhouses, storage, event space, team/referee locker rooms and seating for 4,000 spectators each, according to the Arizona Youth Soccer Association’s website. One field would be turf and the other artificial turf. These unique stadiums could be used for tournament finals, high school soccer, football and any
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while en route from Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport to Globe. The pilot, David Schneider, was also killed. Flight paramedic Derek Boehm of Gilbert survived with injuries and is on the mend. He broke both his thigh bones and injured his spine, shoulder blade, ribs and ankle, as well as sustained burns from the crash. There were no patients on board. Frary used to work at the Globe medical center prior to joining Native Air, a company that provides air medical services throughout Arizona. “He loved flying. That’s what he loved to do. He was so happy to have got that job,” Anderson said.
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