The Mesa City council discussed and viewed updates on various improvement projects at their July 8 study session.
Many of the projects discussed were funded by 2018, 2020, 2022 and 2024 general obligation bonds. Such projects include the Gateway Library, roadway improvements, new fire stations, park playground renovations and more.
According to a presentation, the 2018 bonds have $85 million for public safety and $111 million for parks, culture and library. A total of 87% of parks and culture projects associated with the 2018 bond, which includes the City Center Plaza, Montery Park Athletic Fields and more, are completed. The 2018 library projects, which include the Dobson Library and Gateway Library, are 9% completed. The 2018 public safety projects are 100% completed, which includes fire station construction among other projects.
“Most of these (park and culture) projects are completed,” city engineer Lance Webb said during the study session. “A few of these have waited for design... The projects for public safety I’ve noted as 100% complete... The 2018 bond also had a couple library projects, such as the Gateway Library currently under construction.”
The 2020 bonds included $100 million for transportation and an additional $62 million of Maricopa Association of Governments reimbursements. The transportation projects associated with the bond, which included various roadway and highway improvements, are 29% completed.
During the study session, Councilmember Rich Adams asked how to make sure the bonds are sufficient to accommodate for the rise in construction costs over the last five years.
“We’ve all seen some steep increases in cost of construction materials and so forth,” Adams said during the study session. “For future planning, should we think about building in a cushion for these increases that we might reasonably expect?”
Webb said that this is something that the city has kept in mind with future bonds, including those in 2022 and 2024.
“That’s actually something we’ve started do with 2022 and 2024 bonds, in part because of what we experienced with the 2020 transportation bonds,” Webb said. “We have historically built in for inflationary costs.”
The 2022 bond had a value of $157 million to be used for public safety projects such as fire station rebuilds, police headquarters renovation, a public safety training facility and more. According to the presentation, public safety projects associated with the 2022 bond are 8% completed.
“Fall and late summer of 2025 is really busy construction for a lot of the work we’re doing,” Webb said.
The public safety training facility will be used by multiple organizations in Mesa, such as police and fire.
Mayor Mark Freeman was excited about the prospect, especially its applicability outside Mesa.
“We know it’s a regional training facility as well,” Freeman said. “We not only train ourselves but multi-agencies all throughout the valley here. And so, we appreciate that.”
The 2024 bond has $90 million for public safety and $170 million for parks and culture. According to the presentation, parks projects associated with the 2024 bond, including city park playground renovations, pickleball courts and more are 0% completed. Public safety projects, including a fiber network expansion, and arts and culture projects such as phase 2 development of the I.D.E.A. Museum, are also 0% completed.
By 
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here