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 Community Newsletter
January 2024
Happy New Year Neighbors!
I hope you all enjoyed your holidays and are looking forward to the new year! This months newsletter includes several Downtown Mesa updates, details for upcoming events, and workshop opportunities, as well as important information regarding the 2050 General Plan and the Mesa Marathon.
The 2050 General Plan is Mesa’s long-range visioning document and will help shape the future of our community. Mesa’s General Plan is a living document that combines community feedback and best practices to create a visionary framework for the future growth of the City.
You can review the draft plan and provide input from January 4, 2024, to March 4, 2024. If approved by the Mesa City Council, Mesa residents will vote on the plan at the November 2024 election. Please take some time to review the plan, provide input, and attend a public meeting.
The Mesa Marathon will return on Saturday, February 10. For details about the course and traffic, visit https://gis.mesaaz.gov/mesamarathon/. Our Transportation Department will offer one-on-one route planning assistance again for Mesa residents and visitors. For help with getting around Mesa on race day, call 480-644-4882 (7:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday - Thursday and on race day, February 10), or email barricade@mesaaz.gov.
If you ever have any questions, want to share about issues that are important to you, or if I can be of assistance, please reach out to me at district4@mesaaz.gov or 480-644-3004. My door is always open.
-Councilmember Jenn Duff
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Join us in honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by attending the Mesa-East Valley Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Parade and Festival, presented by Amazon. This is the only MLK Day parade in Arizona and will take place on Monday, January 15, in Downtown Mesa. The parade will start at 11:00 a.m. on MLK Way and Center St, turn left on 1st St, and end on Hibbert.
After the parade, you can enjoy the community festival at The Plaza @ Mesa City Center until 4:00 p.m. Additionally, you can take advantage of half-price admission for only that day at Arizona Museum of Natural History and IDEA Museum.
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 Join us on Saturday, January 27 from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. for All-America City Day! This FREE event is designed to honor Mesa's prestigious national title and the extraordinary qualities that define our city's greatness. Our event theme will transport you back in time, radiating a nostalgic hometown celebration vibe. This vibrant celebration will showcase the kaleidoscope of diversity within our community through youth performances, electrifying local entertainment, an abundance of free-spirited fun and games, and a whole lot more! Don't miss this opportunity to revel in the magic that is Mesa!
- Three stages featuring 20+ community performances
- Interactive games and activities
- Petting zoo, ax throwing, tricycle racing
- Artist displays and food vendors
Special Exhibits through January 27! Visit these special exhibits at each of our three library locations to find the secret word and then complete the special phrase to be entered in a drawing for a commemorative Mesa All-America City/State Forty-Eight shirt! Take a selfie and use the hashtag “Together Mesa”!
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Mesa’s state-of-the-art all-electric fire truck is officially in service. The pumper truck, stationed at Fire Station 221 in southeast Mesa, will reduce toxin exposure for firefighters as part of the Mesa Fire and Medical Department’s commitment to implementing cutting-edge health and safety practices. The truck, manufactured by E-ONE, is the first fully electric North American-style fire engine in Arizona and will support the City of Mesa’s Climate Action Plan and goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 by helping to reduce the department’s carbon footprint.
The new fire truck excels at sustainability and performance with low to no carbon emissions, less noise pollution, range extension for prolonged power needs and life-long batteries. It can pump four hose lines at 750 gallons per minute for four hours on a single charge – allowing for continuous emergency response when needed.
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Be part of a unique community experience and join me for Art in the Park at Reed Park on February 15 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. This event brings arts, crafts, live music and fun to a park near you in a free, family-friendly event.
You will collaborate with an artist to create a piece for the new City Hall, leaving your mark on Mesa’s history. Celebrate the strength, passion and diversity of our communities! Register for this FREE event to get reminders and updates.
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The Yard off Main Pilot Program will be launching this month. In partnership with the Downtown Mesa Association, the City will implement an activation pilot program on Macdonald between Main Street and Pepper Place. Passive programming will include patio seating and yard games, such as cornhole. Active programming will include regularly scheduled activities, such as Coffee Tuesdays, Wednesday Lunch, and Live Music Fridays. Additional planned active programming includes opportunities for downtown businesses to conduct pop-up sales, demonstrations, and performances; family-focused activities; spring training focuses activities; March Madness focused activities; and City department activities (MAC, Library, and Parks). Passive programming will begin within the week, and active programming will begin in within the next two weeks.
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AZ Distilling Co. hosted their grand opening event last week and are now open for business. They are located at 155 W. Main St. AZ Distilling Co. locally sourced products and award-winning spirits, including Copper City Bourbon, the first legally produced bourbon in Arizona. This location will have on-site production, a tasting room, and bar area. |
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Taste117 Mesa located at 144 S. Mesa Dr. Ste. A is now open! This is the perfect place to satisfy your sweet tooth with a variety of chocolates or to schedule an afternoon tea! Not only does Taste117 Mesa have delicious chocolate desserts, but they also have some great lunch or dinner options. |
Excited to share that my colleagues and I celebrated the grand opening of ECO Mesa at 127 W. Pepper Pl. in early December. This is the most sustainable apartment community ever built in Mesa and one of the most beautiful living spaces in Downtown!
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Make safety a priority for your loved ones this New Year. Educate them on how to identify and respond to natural gas leaks. If you ever detect a rotten egg odor, see any unusual changes to vegetation, or hear an unusual blowing or hissing sound from a natural gas pipeline, leave immediately and call 911 and our gas emergency hotline at 480-644-4277 to report it. Knowing how to recognize and respond to a gas leak is crucial in keeping everyone safe.
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Early December, I hosted a Neighborhood Job Fair at Eagles Community Center. Many local non-profit organizations attended and provided a variety of family resources. In addition, several local businesses joined in helping job seekers find employment close to home.
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AT&T and Compudopt Mesa distributed 500 laptops to families in our community! Connectivity is a bridge to possibility, improving how we move through our daily lives. Because of partnerships like this one many students and families have access to computers and large screen devices to fully participate in a modern world.
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It was so wonderful to see the big smiles on the faces of this kindergarten class at Mesa Arts Academy. A special visit from Santa with storytelling, singing, and gift-giving brought so much joy! I appreciate Amy Sailors, Mesa Police Department's Crime Prevention Officer for her passion and involvement in our Mesa community.
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Rain or shine, the United Food Bank's Holiday Food Distribution was in full force! We appreciate everyone who volunteered their time ensuring every family has what they need for a holiday meal. And a special thank you to Amazon for their generous donation!
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January 12 & 13 - Asian Festival
Friday, 3:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. & Saturday, 11:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Make plans to attend the Asian Festival at Mesa Community College, 1833 W. Southern Ave. The FREE family-friendly festival features a variety of cultural performances, arts and crafts, food trucks and marketplace booths. |
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January 22 - Food Truck Workshop
2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Learn how to license and operate a food truck in Mesa! Experts will give you tips and tricks to make it easier for you to do business. |
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January 24 - Special Events Workshop
5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Join us for a presentation to learn about theSpecial Event licensing process followed by a question and answer session. |
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January 27 - Supporting Our Heroes
12:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Join Mesa Police and Mesa Fire & Medical for food, entertainment and fun for the kids! |
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January 27 - Regional Unity Walk
4:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
In celebration of cultural diversity and community, Mesa will join Chandler, Gilbert, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Guadalupe, and host city Tempe in the Annual Regional Unity Walk and Festival at Tempe Beach Park. |
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Downtown Mesa Farmers Market @ The Nile Theater
Every Saturday - 8:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Located at The Nile Theater in downtown Mesa, you'll find fresh produce, delicious food and treats, beautiful handcrafted goods, live music and more! Stop by and support local small businesses. |
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Downtown Mesa Sunset Market
Every Third Thursday - 4:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
A variety of 30+ local vendors specializing in fresh grocery products, tasty hot food, artisan goods, and so much more! Including live music and demonstrations every market!
Upcoming Markets:
January 18, 2024
February 15, 2024
March 21, 2024
*Currently accepting vendor applications.
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