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Sunday, February 20, 2022
FREE ($1 OUTSIDE THE EAST VALLEY) | TheMesaTribune.com
An edition of the East Valley Tribune
VOTE NOW Feds boosting Mesa’s desire for a streetcar BY GARY NELSON Tribune Contributor
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ncle Sam is shelling out nearly a million dollars to help Mesa lay the foundation for a west-side streetcar line. Years will pass before Mesa residents hear the clang-clang-clang of a transportation system the city first considered more than a century ago. But planning has to start somewhere, and a $920,000 grant from the Federal
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Sorrell told the Tribune. The general idea is to extend Tempe’s downtown streetcar system – which is to begin operating this spring – eastward along Rio Salado Parkway to the Riverview shopping area at Dobson Road. From there the line would run south through Mesa’s Asian District to Banner Desert Medical Center and Mesa Community Col-
see STREETCAR page 6
Mayor Giles gives upbeat look at state of Mesa
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Mesa lawmaker votes against public schools
BY JOSH ORTEGA Tribune Staff Writer
COMMUNITY ......... 19 At 88, Mesa nurse still going strong.
COMMUNITY ................................ 19 BUSINESS ...................................... 23 OPINION ....................................... 25 SPORTS........................................... 28 GET OUT ....................................... 30 CLASSIFIED .................................. 34 Zone
Transit Administration will fuel the next stage of the process. Jodi Sorrell, Mesa’s transit services director, said the grant is designed to help the city develop “transit-supportive policies” that will help it compete when the time comes to go fishing for the truly big bucks – the millions in federal money likely to be needed to actually build the streetcar line. “This just puts us all in a better place to be competitive. I think that’s the key message,”
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t’s been more than two years since he could appear in person before an audience, but Mayor John Giles returned to address a packed house for his eighth annual State of the City address. Building his theme around the title of his podcast – “It’s Always Cool in Mesa” – the mayor celebrated some of the city’s strengths during the pandemic and looked ahead to the coming year in a speech full of creative foodie videos, lighthearted antics that included City Council members channeling its inner jazz band and lots of neon light displays. Some of the plans highlighted include purchasing the city’s first electric fire truck and hiring 200 new public safety employees. “It’s really been a combination of our best times and some of our worst times,” he said. Last year, the event went virtual but re-
see STATE OF CITY page 8
Mesa Mayor John Giles energized an audience of about 800 people with an optimistic State of the City address sponsored by the Mesa Chamber of Commerce. (Josh Ortega/Tribune Staff)
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