Jack Hastings: District 5 Newsletter — August 2023
Posted
Jack Hastings
By Jack Hastings
On Friday, July 14, Mayor Skip Hall, Vice Mayor Chris Judd and I joined Vincent Barbato, Owner & Developer and Kenya Stamps, Community Manager, to celebrate the grand opening and ribbon cutting of Town Surprise! The latest in modern, urban living in the heart of Surprise City Center, these townhomes for lease offer elegant interiors with modern conveniences, brimming with amenities all situated next to 'restaurant-row.' Welcome home, Town Surprise!
Spring Training & Fall League Schedules Announced
Major League Baseball has announced the 2024 Spring Training schedule and the Arizona Fall League 2023 schedule!
Spring Training
Opening Day in Surprise is set for Friday, February 23 with the Texas Rangers taking on the Kansas City Royals. The Rangers and Royals will each play 15 home games at Surprise Stadium over the 30-day span. Group tickets, season tickets and mini plan packages will go on sale starting Tuesday, October 24 at 10 a.m. Additional information regarding the upcoming season, including single game tickets, game times and promotional offers will be announced at a later date.
Arizona Fall League
The Surprise Saguaros will begin their season October 2 at Surprise Stadium and compete through November 9. The team’s roster will include the top prospects from the Kansas City Royals, Texas Rangers, Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies and Pittsburgh Pirates. Individual game tickets will be available for purchase on game day, one hour prior to game time, at the stadium box office. During the 2023 season, box office transactions will be cashless. Fans interested in a season pass must purchase online at AZ Fall League.
For more information on both Spring Training and Fall League, including the full schedules and ticket information, visit SurpriseStadium.com or call the Box Office at 623.222.2222.
Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant Ribbon Cutting
On Saturday, July 1, Mayor and Council joined Jeremy Woodruff, GM; Tim McEnery, Founder & CEO; and Jeff Fearing, Executive Kitchen Manager, to celebrate the grand opening and ribbon cutting of Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurant in Surprise! We are thrilled to welcome this modern, upscale dining experience to our community!
Neighborhood Grant Program
Surprise City Council approved funding to support the Neighborhood Grant Program that provides eligible neighborhoods with small grants to fund neighborhood events, functions or community improvements. Recognizing an opportunity to encourage community engagement and further build strong relationships with communities in Surprise, the City designated $10,000 to support the grant program for FY24.
To be considered, projects must meet the following program criteria:
Provide a public benefit
Result in a product, which benefits a neighborhood or the larger Surprise community
Be feasible for completion by June 2024
Involve the benefiting neighborhood in project identification, planning and execution
Emphasize neighborhood self-help; or be educational, community-building or a public physical improvement
Nonprofit 501(c)3 organizations are ineligible
Additionally, a minimum of five neighbors within the residential area must sign the application and support the idea; neighborhoods governed by a homeowner association (HOA) must have HOA approval, if required.
Surprise residential and business water customers can take advantage of several rebate programs offered through May 2024. Learn more about incentives to become more water-conscious and apply today!
General Plan 2040 Public Review and Comment
The City of Surprise has completed a draft of Surprise General Plan 2040, a guiding document for the City’s future, and is looking for community feedback now through August 30. The new draft plan captures a strong community desire toward building upon the City’s livability, ensuring Surprise reflects the vision of being inclusive to residents of all ages through balanced housing and economic opportunity while also addressing water resource needs, transportation planning opportunities and establishment of a Desert Rural Residential overlay. View the draft and submit your comments at the project website SurpriseGPupdate.comor by calling the Surprise Planning & Zoning Department at 623.222.3011.
There will also be a community workshop designed for discussion and input:
General Plan Draft Review Community Meeting
August 10, 6-8 p.m.
Surprise City Hall – Community Room, 16000 N. Civic Center Plz.
Following the draft review period, the City will enter the final phase of the General Plan update. This phase includes creating a final plan and providing it to City Council to consider for adoption. Following Council adoption, the General Plan will go to Surprise voters to ratify in the August 2024 election.
Are you ready to discover arts and culture events in Surprise? From theater performances, gallery tours, poetry readings and more, the City offers a number of events throughout the year. Here’s what’s coming up the next couple months:
Poetry Slam at WHAM August 18 • 6 - 8 p.m.
WHAM Community Art Center, 16560 N. Dysart Rd.
To learn more, contact 623.584.8311 or visit wham-art.org/poetry
‘Art in Nature’ Exhibition at Surprise City Hall Now - August 18 • 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday - Friday
16000 N. Civic Center Plz.
Featuring four local female artists who use different styles and media to present nature, including 3D sculptures. Mimi Damraurer (mixed media/paper), Becky MacIntyre (oil), Esther Min (acrylic) and Nancy Ruby (pottery).
‘Arizona Plein Air Painters’ Exhibition at Surprise City Hall August 25 - October 27 • 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday - Friday
16000 N. Civic Center Plz.
A statewide fellowship of artists who paint outdoors. The APAP Members Show features paintings that document and celebrate the beauty and diversity of the Arizona landscape, including human made cityscapes that dot our state. This is a group exhibit from 30+ artists.
AZ Speaks - “Flying through Arizona: The Story of the First National Women’s Air Race” by Natalie J. Stewart-Smith September 11 • 11 a.m. - 12 p.m.
16000 N. Civic Center Plz.
Register for AZ Speaks presented by Arizona Humanities: surpriseaz.gov/artssignup
See upcoming events online at surpriseaz.gov/arts. For text or email alerts regarding City of Surprise Arts & Culture events, please visit surpriseaz.gov/subscribe, create an account and select Surprise Arts & Culture notifications.
Surprise Day of Service
Volunteer at St. Mary’s Food Bank to help provide food for families in need on Wednesday, August 16.
The City of Surprise and non-profit organization A New Leaf announced the opening of the West Valley Housing Assistance Center Friday, July 21, which will provide short-term shelter to families facing homelessness and housing insecurity. This new facility offers seven apartment-style units. Families can stay up to four months, giving them a chance to get off the street, find secure work and ultimately save for a long-term home or apartment. A New Leaf operates a resource center on the same site offering support services for families experiencing homelessness, including employment and transportation assistance, and connections to additional community resources. Learn more: https://bit.ly/3KczdNR
Surprise Restaurant List
Are you looking to discover new places to dine in Surprise? In a community growing as quickly as ours, there are frequent updates to the ever-expanding list of restaurants in the community, so we’ve compiled a list to help you spot your new favorite joint! Check out the latest list here.
Community Meeting
Join me for my next D5 Community Meeting on August 8 at 6 p.m. at Surprise Regional Library, located at 16089 N. Bullard Ave. I look forward to discussing the latest City issues and answering any questions you might have.
City Council Meetings
The next regularly scheduled City Council Meeting will take place on August 15 at 6 p.m. City Council meetings are open to in-person attendance, or you may tune in on surpriseaz.gov/surprisetv, the Surprise City Gov Facebook page at facebook.com/cityofsurprise or on Cox channel 11 to watch the meetings live.
