Mesa Beat

Mesa is encouraging residents to turn off their irrigation systems in light of intense downpours that have saturated the area. To do so, they advise using the “off,” “stop,” or “rain” settings on the controllers to stop the cycle without disturbing neighborhood programs.

Soil probes or even long screw drivers can be used to determine when it’s time to turn irrigation back on. According to Mesa experts, when the probe no longer slides easily into the soil, plants need the watering system again.

This simple effort can help homeowners save up to 50 percent of the costs of outdoor water, according to city water conservation experts. For more information or to register for free classes, visit www.cityofmesa.org.

Several residents spoke out against the go-ahead to allow manufactured homes to house in RV parks in Mesa. On Thursday, Mesa’s Planning and Zoning Board voted to allow special use permits.

A couple of RV communities in Mesa already have zoning that allows for manufactured homes, but the change would make it easier for other parks to also allow manufactured homes.

Two owners of RV and mobile homes communities, one an RV park and the other a subdivision, advocated for the change. They cited a desire to offer more housing options in their communities without having to seek rezoning. The process of obtaining a special permit is quicker and easier to change.

Owners of RV dealerships in Mesa protested the change, saying manufactured homes didn’t fit in RV parks. They said the lifestyle of the two communities is incompatible.

The board voted unanimously in favor of recommending the zoning code amendment, which must receive final approval from the City Council.

Before voting, the board debated whether to limit the size of manufactured homes located in what were RV parks, but decided to forgo limits since lot sizes vary.

City officials say Mesa’s trying to improve its housing stock. The trend has been to not build any new RV park sites in the city. 

Mesa Sister Cities Association has elected its first Hispanic female president. Ana Cadillo, community relations manager for Southwest Ambulance, was named president of the organization, which works to foster relationships and understanding between Mesa and other nations.

Cadillo, a native of Peru and Mesa resident since 1992, has been a member since 2002, serving as association secretary since 2007. Her work at Southwest Ambulance included an effort to send medical supplies to an ambulance provider in Guaymas, Mexico. In October, she leads a medical mission to Peru where Southwest Ambulance will provide supplies for 70 donated surgeries.

Mesa’s sister cities are Caraz, Peru; Upper Hutt, New Zealand; Guaymas, Mexico; Kaiping, China; and Burnaby, Canada. The group meets monthly on the second Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Mesa Chamber of Commerce, 120 North Center, Mesa.  For more information visit www.mesasistercities.com.

Mesa drivers can regularly check the city’s weekly road report for information on construction projects and zones that they can avoid.

This week’s update includes warnings of north and southbound lane restrictions on Power Road from Baseline Road to approximately 500-feet south of Guadalupe Road; east and westbound lane restrictions on Baseline Road between Power Road and Superstition Springs Boulevard; eastbound lane restrictions on Brown Road at Val Vista Drive;  lane restrictions on Recker Road between Brown and McKellips Road; east and westbound lane restrictions on Southern Avenue between Signal Butte Road and Cheshire; and lane restrictions on Val Vista Drive from Main Street to University.

 To see what’s going on along Mesa’s streets and area freeways, visit please visit www.cityofmesa.org/engineering/roads/Lane_Restrictions.aspx.

The Mesa City Plaza opened this morning to the public at 10 a.m. following a temporary closure Thursday due to a power outage and water leak. Mesa electric utility workers repaired damage yesterday during the closure, and have restored power to the building, including elevator service, air conditioning and the fire alarm system. City departments affected by the outage included the city clerk’s office, personnel office, planning and neighborhood services. The police department and other city services including building permitting were not affected.

A $10,000 grant is allowing Gabriel’s Angels to expand its pet therapy program to an additional 7,500 Arizona children. The Allstate Foundation donated the funds in an effort to reach out to more needy children. The foundation is a charitable organization that looks for ways to support strong communities. It provided $147,500 in total grants in 2007, to organizations that focus on safe communities, tolerance, inclusion, diversity and economic empowerment.

 Gabriel’s Angels is a Mesa-based nonprofit that uses volunteers that provides pet therapy throughout the Valley to abused, neglected and at-risk children primarily at crisis nurseries, domestic violence shelters, group homes and homeless shelters. For more information visit www.gabrielsangels.org

Power Paws Assistance Dogs will be at Mesa’s Arizona Museum of Natural History 5:30 p.m. - 8 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 8, demonstrating some of their 90 learned commands that assist physically-challenged people. The highly trained dogs can open and close doors, turn lights on and off, retrieve dropped items and more. Trainers will be on hand to answer questions.

The event is part of the Nights at the Museum held the second Friday of every month. Admission is free with the donation of new and packaged school supplies that will go toward the city’s “Adopt-A-School” program to help needy students. Without the donation, admission is $6 for adults, $4 for children and free for museum members. The event also takes place during Mesa’s “Second Friday” night in which shops, galleries and restaraunts stay open as late as 10 p.m.

The museum is located in downtown Mesa at 53 N. Macdonald. For more information call (480) 644-2230 or visit http://www.arizonamuseumofnaturalhistory.org/Home.aspx

The Loop 101 Price Freeway will experience closures during the next two weekends as the Arizona Department of Transportation sets up construction zones to build HOV lanes. Northbound Loop 101 will be closed 11 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday from Baseline Road to Rio Salady Parkway. That segment of southbound Loop 101 wil be closed during the same timeframe the next weekend, Aug. 8 -11. In addition, the northbound ramps from the U.S. 60 Superstition Freeway will be closed this weekend, and the southbound ramps from the Loop 202 Red Mountain Freeway, will be closed the weekend of Aug. 8 - 11. Crews need to install barricades and restripe the freeway to allow traffic to flow during the construction.

ADOT encourages drivers to avoid the area if possible, but drivers can also choose to exit the freeway at the closures and take a detour to get back on. Construction on the first phase of the project will begin Friday along the median of Loop 101 between the Loop 202 Red Mountain Freeway and Baseline Road. The second phase will begin next year, building HOV lanes from Baseline Road to the Loop 202 Santan Freeway. The HOV lanes will be able to be used for vehicles with two or more occupants, qualified hybrid vehicles and expanded express bus services. The project is funded by a county-wide sales tax program that is funding regional transportation improvements.

For traffic updates across Arizona, call 5-1-1 or visit ADOT’s Travel Information Site at www.az511.gov.  More information on the Regional Transportation Plan is available at www.azdot.gov/ValleyFreeways.