Expanding the View

Yesterday I posted about some of the things we are looking forward to in Morrison Ranch. Today, I see an article in the AZ Republic that offers a similar overview for Gilbert:

There are two constants in Gilbert - growth and construction.

Look for more of both in 2007, as Arizona's fast-growing community has several major projects in the offing, from those promising to enhance your health and recreation options to those requiring you to maneuver around orange pylons on roads.

Also, there will be new people in key leadership positions.

First item is the new hospital:

Banner Gateway will open with 167 beds, a figure that will top 500 at build-out. Patient rooms will be private and will feature bathrooms, sleeper sofas, Internet connections and an entertainment system with a flat-screen television.

And of course, Big League Dreams gets a mention:

For nearly two years, talk of bringing a Big League Dreams sports complex to Gilbert was heated. Now, it looks like the $33.6 million multi-field project soon will become a reality.

Big League Dreams LLC, of Chino Hills, Calif., entered a private-public partnership with Gilbert in May 2005 to build scaled-down sports fields with facades of major-league stadium backdrops.

Concepts for the park include a Chase Field, Fenway Park, Yankee Stadium, Wrigley Field and the Polo Grounds.

If you've looked at the site lately, next to Highland Groves, you will see they definitely have some stadium walls going up. I am not privy to their timetables nor setbacks, so I have no idea how they think it is going; but in my own experience, it seems to take forever to see anything, then you see something go up all at once, and then it takes forever for the insides to be finished. I expect we are just about to the "going up all at once" phase.

There will be traffic changes as well, thankfully including finishing the widening of the Superstition out to Power:

Major projects include widening Williams Field Road near Higley Road, and installing more than a dozen traffic signals.

Gilbert commuters also will see more freeway options appearing in the Southeast Valley. U.S. 60 will be wider between Gilbert and Power roads, and the new, large U.S. 60-Loop 202 interchange in east Mesa will open completely.

I know we have election fatigue and are wary of the buildup to 2008, but Gilbert has elections for the town council in March; it's a chance to make a real difference on a local level:

The primary isn't until March, but already we know the council will have at least one new member.

That's because longtime councilman Larry Morrison announced he would not seek re-election. Morrison cited the increasing demands of his job as a reason.

So now a field of nine candidates has qualified to run for four council seats that are up for grabs. Incumbents Les Presmyk, Dave Crozier and Steve Urie are running to keep their nonpartisan seats.

Among those challenging them are former councilwoman Linda Abbott and three members of the local Republican precinct.

And last, but not least, some new schools are opening; the closest one to Morrison Ranch residents will be Higley's new High School:

Five schools are scheduled to open in Gilbert for next school year but only one will be in the Gilbert school district.

Gilbert Public Schools plans to open the first phase of a new elementary school, which will house about 450 students and relieve overcrowding at Spectrum Elementary.

Chandler Unified will open Perry High and Riggs Elementary in fast-growing southern Gilbert, which is included in that district.

At Higley Unified, Williams Field High and Chaparral Elementary open in August.

The only thing certain in life is change; looks like we'll certainly have plenty of that in 2007.