The Virginia G Piper Charitable Trust Announces Encore Prizes

 For Individuals

Recognizes individuals in Maricopa County for meeting important social needs, solving problems, and improving well-being for people and communities through the encore movement.

According to a press release dated May 5, 2015 nominations can be submitted now on only an online portal through June 15, 2015. 
For more information,  please go to whole press release with important details here : http://pipertrust.org/my-news/virginia-g-piper-charitable-trust-accepting-nominations-for-2015-piper-trust-encore-career-prize/

What you might ask is The Encore Movement?  

To nominate someone for the Piper Trust Encore Career Prize, visit www.pipertrust.org/encore for more information, including an extensive Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section. Nominations are due June 15, 2015 through the online portal. The Piper Trust Encore Career Prize awardee will be selected by mid-September 2015 and celebrated at a special public event in November 2015. - See more at: http://pipertrust.org/my-news/virginia-g-piper-charitable-trust-accepting-nominations-for-2015-piper-trust-encore-career-prize/#sthash.i4rpc33W.dpuf

The encore concept—engaging people age 50+ in roles that combine personal meaning with social impact—is growing across the country, and particularly in Phoenix with its 1.1 million baby boomers. As such, it’s critical to understand this population’s great potential for positive impact on the region’s communities. . . They want to contribute to their community, act on their values and convictions, and apply their years of experience and skill to something different. . . they look for a whole new kind of work—a career at least as fulfilling and engrossing as their previous one, and maybe more so.
For them, the next step is their encore career – and many organizations are finding among these encore adults a rich source of professional and technical expertise, maturity, and vision.
In the best cases, innovative organizations and skilled encore workers create remarkable things together—new forms of human and community service, new avenues of leadership, new solutions to common problems. When that happens, all of us benefit.

Encore on First @ 25 W First Avenue

Here in the New Urban Downtown Mesa we, of course, know the award-winning 81-unit affordable housing that opened in November of last year  for "encore adults"  62 years and older - the first privately funded residential building in over 30 years.
 It was one of the first form-based zoning projects with support from LISC, City of Mesa HOME grants and funds from Arizona Department of Housing LIHTC. It was developed by Mesa Housing Associates LLC

Encore of First West

  In the image to the right, you can view the new Encore on First West Final Rendering Alt 2  a plan from Shopworks Architects of Denver of the new 44-unit, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments, oriented on the building site near the southeast corner of First Avenue and Macdonald, one block from Main Street and two blocks away from the new Light Rail station on Center & Main Street. In the Eastmark master-planned community, farther out in the urban fringe, there is also a community of homes called Encore.

 In addition to the Piper Charitable Trust information about the encore concept, you can look into more details at this organization.

Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust Accepting Nominations for 2015 Piper Trust Encore Career Prize

VIRGINIA G. PIPER CHARITABLE TRUST Press Release
May 5, 2015
Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust Accepting Nominations for 2015 Piper Trust Encore Career Prize
$50,000 Award for an Exceptional, Inspiring Leader Applying Experience to Improve Social Good
PHOENIX, Ariz.—Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust is now accepting nominations for the 2015 Piper Trust Encore Career Prize for an Exceptional Individual. The Trust will award one individual, who is age 50 or older and considered an encore role model, a $50,000 Prize in recognition of significant, innovative work that combines personal meaning with social impact.
- See more at: http://pipertrust.org/my-news/virginia-g-piper-charitable-trust-accepting-nominations-for-2015-piper-trust-encore-career-prize/#sthash.i4rpc33W.dpuf

 

To nominate someone for the Piper Trust Encore Career Prize, visit www.pipertrust.org/encore for more information, including an extensive Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section. Nominations are due June 15, 2015 through the online portal. The Piper Trust Encore Career Prize awardee will be selected by mid-September 2015 and celebrated at a special public event in November 2015. - See more at: http://pipertrust.org/my-news/virginia-g-piper-charitable-trust-accepting-nominations-for-2015-piper-trust-encore-career-prize/#sthash.i4rpc33W.dpuf

Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust Accepting Nominations for 2015 Piper Trust Encore Career Prize

VIRGINIA G. PIPER CHARITABLE TRUST Press Release
May 5, 2015
Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust Accepting Nominations for 2015 Piper Trust Encore Career Prize
$50,000 Award for an Exceptional, Inspiring Leader Applying Experience to Improve Social Good
PHOENIX, Ariz.—Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust is now accepting nominations for the 2015 Piper Trust Encore Career Prize for an Exceptional Individual. The Trust will award one individual, who is age 50 or older and considered an encore role model, a $50,000 Prize in recognition of significant, innovative work that combines personal meaning with social impact.
“Piper Trust is eager to launch its second offering of the Encore Career Prize. Mike McQuaid, our inaugural awardee in 2013, set the standard as an exceptional encore role model—Mike’s inspirational service to our community helps further advance the momentum of the Maricopa County’s encore movement,” said Susan M. Pepin, M.D., president and CEO, Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust.
Mike McQuaid, board president of the Human Services Campus in Phoenix, was awarded the first Piper Trust Encore Career Prize in fall of 2013. McQuaid was recognized as an encore career role model for applying decades of his experience as a commercial real estate developer to building the Human Services Campus. The Human Services Campus is the first of its kind in the nation and a national model that works to achieve a sustainable end to homelessness.
Piper Trust is now seeking nominations for its 2015 Encore Career Prize. Candidates are people, age 50+, leading significant social purpose efforts in Maricopa County in their encore careers. One $50,000 Prize will be awarded in recognition of an exceptional encore role model. Nominations are due June 15, 2015.
As it relates to the Piper Trust Encore Career Prize, social purpose work combines the experience of a person, age 50+, with a social cause that he/she is passionate about—a meaningful issue that someone applies years of experience and talent to, and through this work a significant difference in the well-being of people and communities is achieved.
While approximately 10,000 people in the U.S. turn 65 every day, an age often associated with retirement, many are not retiring in traditional ways, or at all. There are more than 1 million people in Maricopa County age 50+. Piper Trust recognizes that this highly talented human resource pool can help solve social problems by applying experience and innovation to meaningful work which strengthens quality of life in our community.
To nominate someone for the Piper Trust Encore Career Prize, visit www.pipertrust.org/encore for more information, including an extensive Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section. Nominations are due June 15, 2015 through the online portal. The Piper Trust Encore Career Prize awardee will be selected by mid-September 2015 and celebrated at a special public event in November 2015.
About Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust:
Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust supports organizations that enrich health, well-being, and opportunity for the people of Maricopa County, Arizona. Since it began awarding grants in 2000, Piper Trust has invested more than $338 million in local nonprofits and programs. Piper Trust grantmaking areas are healthcare and medical research, children, older adults, arts and culture, education, and religious organizations. For more information, visit www.pipertrust.org. View Piper Trust’s FY14 Annual Report at: www.pipertrust.org/annualreport2014
Follow us on Twitter @PiperTrust / visit us on Facebook. #pipertrustencore
###
MEDIA CONTACT:
Karen Leland, 480-556-7125 / kleland@pipertrust.org
Director, Communications and External Relations
Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust
1202 East Missouri Avenue
Phoenix, Arizona 85014

- See more at: http://pipertrust.org/my-news/virginia-g-piper-charitable-trust-accepting-nominations-for-2015-piper-trust-encore-career-prize/#sthash.i4rpc33W.dpuf

Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust Accepting Nominations for 2015 Piper Trust Encore Career Prize

VIRGINIA G. PIPER CHARITABLE TRUST Press Release
May 5, 2015
Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust Accepting Nominations for 2015 Piper Trust Encore Career Prize
$50,000 Award for an Exceptional, Inspiring Leader Applying Experience to Improve Social Good
PHOENIX, Ariz.—Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust is now accepting nominations for the 2015 Piper Trust Encore Career Prize for an Exceptional Individual. The Trust will award one individual, who is age 50 or older and considered an encore role model, a $50,000 Prize in recognition of significant, innovative work that combines personal meaning with social impact.
“Piper Trust is eager to launch its second offering of the Encore Career Prize. Mike McQuaid, our inaugural awardee in 2013, set the standard as an exceptional encore role model—Mike’s inspirational service to our community helps further advance the momentum of the Maricopa County’s encore movement,” said Susan M. Pepin, M.D., president and CEO, Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust.
Mike McQuaid, board president of the Human Services Campus in Phoenix, was awarded the first Piper Trust Encore Career Prize in fall of 2013. McQuaid was recognized as an encore career role model for applying decades of his experience as a commercial real estate developer to building the Human Services Campus. The Human Services Campus is the first of its kind in the nation and a national model that works to achieve a sustainable end to homelessness.
Piper Trust is now seeking nominations for its 2015 Encore Career Prize. Candidates are people, age 50+, leading significant social purpose efforts in Maricopa County in their encore careers. One $50,000 Prize will be awarded in recognition of an exceptional encore role model. Nominations are due June 15, 2015.
As it relates to the Piper Trust Encore Career Prize, social purpose work combines the experience of a person, age 50+, with a social cause that he/she is passionate about—a meaningful issue that someone applies years of experience and talent to, and through this work a significant difference in the well-being of people and communities is achieved.
While approximately 10,000 people in the U.S. turn 65 every day, an age often associated with retirement, many are not retiring in traditional ways, or at all. There are more than 1 million people in Maricopa County age 50+. Piper Trust recognizes that this highly talented human resource pool can help solve social problems by applying experience and innovation to meaningful work which strengthens quality of life in our community.
To nominate someone for the Piper Trust Encore Career Prize, visit www.pipertrust.org/encore for more information, including an extensive Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section. Nominations are due June 15, 2015 through the online portal. The Piper Trust Encore Career Prize awardee will be selected by mid-September 2015 and celebrated at a special public event in November 2015.
About Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust:
Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust supports organizations that enrich health, well-being, and opportunity for the people of Maricopa County, Arizona. Since it began awarding grants in 2000, Piper Trust has invested more than $338 million in local nonprofits and programs. Piper Trust grantmaking areas are healthcare and medical research, children, older adults, arts and culture, education, and religious organizations. For more information, visit www.pipertrust.org. View Piper Trust’s FY14 Annual Report at: www.pipertrust.org/annualreport2014
Follow us on Twitter @PiperTrust / visit us on Facebook. #pipertrustencore
###
MEDIA CONTACT:
Karen Leland, 480-556-7125 / kleland@pipertrust.org
Director, Communications and External Relations
Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust
1202 East Missouri Avenue
Phoenix, Arizona 85014

- See more at: http://pipertrust.org/my-news/virginia-g-piper-charitable-trust-accepting-nominations-for-2015-piper-trust-encore-career-prize/#sthash.i4rpc33W.dpuf

 

VIRGINIA G. PIPER CHARITABLE TRUST Press Release
May 5, 2015
Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust Accepting Nominations for 2015 Piper Trust Encore Career Prize
$50,000 Award for an Exceptional, Inspiring Leader Applying Experience to Improve Social Good
- See more at: http://pipertrust.org/my-news/virginia-g-piper-charitable-trust-accepting-nominations-for-2015-piper-trust-encore-career-prize/#sthash.i4rpc33W.dpuf

VIRGINIA G. PIPER CHARITABLE TRUST Press Release
May 5, 2015
Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust Accepting Nominations for 2015 Piper Trust Encore Career Prize
$50,000 Award for an Exceptional, Inspiring Leader Applying Experience to Improve Social Good
- See more at: http://pipertrust.org/my-news/virginia-g-piper-charitable-trust-accepting-nominations-for-2015-piper-trust-encore-career-prize/#sthash.i4rpc33W.dpuf

Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust Accepting Nominations for 2015 Piper Trust Encore Career Prize

VIRGINIA G. PIPER CHARITABLE TRUST Press Release
May 5, 2015
Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust Accepting Nominations for 2015 Piper Trust Encore Career Prize
$50,000 Award for an Exceptional, Inspiring Leader Applying Experience to Improve Social Good
PHOENIX, Ariz.—Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust is now accepting nominations for the 2015 Piper Trust Encore Career Prize for an Exceptional Individual. The Trust will award one individual, who is age 50 or older and considered an encore role model, a $50,000 Prize in recognition of significant, innovative work that combines personal meaning with social impact.
“Piper Trust is eager to launch its second offering of the Encore Career Prize. Mike McQuaid, our inaugural awardee in 2013, set the standard as an exceptional encore role model—Mike’s inspirational service to our community helps further advance the momentum of the Maricopa County’s encore movement,” said Susan M. Pepin, M.D., president and CEO, Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust.
Mike McQuaid, board president of the Human Services Campus in Phoenix, was awarded the first Piper Trust Encore Career Prize in fall of 2013. McQuaid was recognized as an encore career role model for applying decades of his experience as a commercial real estate developer to building the Human Services Campus. The Human Services Campus is the first of its kind in the nation and a national model that works to achieve a sustainable end to homelessness.
Piper Trust is now seeking nominations for its 2015 Encore Career Prize. Candidates are people, age 50+, leading significant social purpose efforts in Maricopa County in their encore careers. One $50,000 Prize will be awarded in recognition of an exceptional encore role model. Nominations are due June 15, 2015.
As it relates to the Piper Trust Encore Career Prize, social purpose work combines the experience of a person, age 50+, with a social cause that he/she is passionate about—a meaningful issue that someone applies years of experience and talent to, and through this work a significant difference in the well-being of people and communities is achieved.
While approximately 10,000 people in the U.S. turn 65 every day, an age often associated with retirement, many are not retiring in traditional ways, or at all. There are more than 1 million people in Maricopa County age 50+. Piper Trust recognizes that this highly talented human resource pool can help solve social problems by applying experience and innovation to meaningful work which strengthens quality of life in our community.
To nominate someone for the Piper Trust Encore Career Prize, visit www.pipertrust.org/encore for more information, including an extensive Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section. Nominations are due June 15, 2015 through the online portal. The Piper Trust Encore Career Prize awardee will be selected by mid-September 2015 and celebrated at a special public event in November 2015.
About Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust:
Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust supports organizations that enrich health, well-being, and opportunity for the people of Maricopa County, Arizona. Since it began awarding grants in 2000, Piper Trust has invested more than $338 million in local nonprofits and programs. Piper Trust grantmaking areas are healthcare and medical research, children, older adults, arts and culture, education, and religious organizations. For more information, visit www.pipertrust.org. View Piper Trust’s FY14 Annual Report at: www.pipertrust.org/annualreport2014
Follow us on Twitter @PiperTrust / visit us on Facebook. #pipertrustencore
###
MEDIA CONTACT:
Karen Leland, 480-556-7125 / kleland@pipertrust.org
Director, Communications and External Relations
Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust
1202 East Missouri Avenue
Phoenix, Arizona 85014

- See more at: http://pipertrust.org/my-news/virginia-g-piper-charitable-trust-accepting-nominations-for-2015-piper-trust-encore-career-prize/#sthash.i4rpc33W.dpuf

Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust Accepting Nominations for 2015 Piper Trust Encore Career Prize

VIRGINIA G. PIPER CHARITABLE TRUST Press Release
May 5, 2015
Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust Accepting Nominations for 2015 Piper Trust Encore Career Prize
$50,000 Award for an Exceptional, Inspiring Leader Applying Experience to Improve Social Good
PHOENIX, Ariz.—Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust is now accepting nominations for the 2015 Piper Trust Encore Career Prize for an Exceptional Individual. The Trust will award one individual, who is age 50 or older and considered an encore role model, a $50,000 Prize in recognition of significant, innovative work that combines personal meaning with social impact.
“Piper Trust is eager to launch its second offering of the Encore Career Prize. Mike McQuaid, our inaugural awardee in 2013, set the standard as an exceptional encore role model—Mike’s inspirational service to our community helps further advance the momentum of the Maricopa County’s encore movement,” said Susan M. Pepin, M.D., president and CEO, Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust.
Mike McQuaid, board president of the Human Services Campus in Phoenix, was awarded the first Piper Trust Encore Career Prize in fall of 2013. McQuaid was recognized as an encore career role model for applying decades of his experience as a commercial real estate developer to building the Human Services Campus. The Human Services Campus is the first of its kind in the nation and a national model that works to achieve a sustainable end to homelessness.
Piper Trust is now seeking nominations for its 2015 Encore Career Prize. Candidates are people, age 50+, leading significant social purpose efforts in Maricopa County in their encore careers. One $50,000 Prize will be awarded in recognition of an exceptional encore role model. Nominations are due June 15, 2015.
As it relates to the Piper Trust Encore Career Prize, social purpose work combines the experience of a person, age 50+, with a social cause that he/she is passionate about—a meaningful issue that someone applies years of experience and talent to, and through this work a significant difference in the well-being of people and communities is achieved.
While approximately 10,000 people in the U.S. turn 65 every day, an age often associated with retirement, many are not retiring in traditional ways, or at all. There are more than 1 million people in Maricopa County age 50+. Piper Trust recognizes that this highly talented human resource pool can help solve social problems by applying experience and innovation to meaningful work which strengthens quality of life in our community.
To nominate someone for the Piper Trust Encore Career Prize, visit www.pipertrust.org/encore for more information, including an extensive Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section. Nominations are due June 15, 2015 through the online portal. The Piper Trust Encore Career Prize awardee will be selected by mid-September 2015 and celebrated at a special public event in November 2015.
About Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust:
Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust supports organizations that enrich health, well-being, and opportunity for the people of Maricopa County, Arizona. Since it began awarding grants in 2000, Piper Trust has invested more than $338 million in local nonprofits and programs. Piper Trust grantmaking areas are healthcare and medical research, children, older adults, arts and culture, education, and religious organizations. For more information, visit www.pipertrust.org. View Piper Trust’s FY14 Annual Report at: www.pipertrust.org/annualreport2014
Follow us on Twitter @PiperTrust / visit us on Facebook. #pipertrustencore
###
MEDIA CONTACT:
Karen Leland, 480-556-7125 / kleland@pipertrust.org
Director, Communications and External Relations
Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust
1202 East Missouri Avenue
Phoenix, Arizona 85014

- See more at: http://pipertrust.org/my-news/virginia-g-piper-charitable-trust-accepting-nominations-for-2015-piper-trust-encore-career-prize/#sthash.i4rpc33W.dpuf

How's that "Vision Thing" Going?

Back on September 11, 2014 the City of Mesa announced appointments to the Downtown Vision Ad-Hoc Committee. The Vision Committee’s work is to be concluded within approximately six months [end of March 2015]
http://apps.mesaaz.gov/news/ArticleView?id=44001

You can see the appointed members, and their qualifications by going to this link: http://www.mesaaz.gov/city-hall/advisory-boards-committees/downtown-vision-ad-hoc-committee


The Downtown Vision Committee was asked to:

• Recommend a shared vision and broad goals to the Mesa Mayor and City Council that set a clear intention and direction for the long-term evolution of Downtown Mesa.
• Collaborate with key downtown partners and agencies that will contribute to the implementation of the shared downtown vision.
• Consider Downtown Mesa’s future opportunities, untapped urban growth sectors, barriers to success, and its existing and future market potential.
• Review existing plans and strategies and how to build on, reaffirm and prioritize those outcomes.

The first meeting took place on September 30, 2014 @ 4:04 p.m. and was off to a fast start!
You can look at all the committee agendas and minutes by clicking on this link: Downtown Vision Committee Agendas & Minutes

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: Light Rail Train Testing on Main Street

According to information received from Valley Metro, another sign of progress in the Central Mesa Light Rail Extension Project will move forward soon with  train testing taking place beginning in May on Main Street, between Alma School Road and Mesa Drive. . . Watch for trains May 20-22

A section of trackway between Country Club and Mesa Drive has been designed as curbless, with rumble strips, to give an open appearance as drivers and pedestrians view the heart of Mesa’s downtown. At the same time that an "open appearance" might be a good factor in terms of design, some Main Street business owners your blogger has spoken with have concerns that without some kind of barrier vehicle drivers could easily cross over the tracks, attempting to make a U-turn between street intersections and, worst-case scenario with out-of-control drivers - crash over sidewalks and into their storefronts. 

Safety is Valley Metro’s top priority. 

Rules to Remember:

Obey all traffic signals

•  Obey all traffic signals
• Never stop or park a vehicle on the tracks
• Never try to beat a train through an intersection
• Be patient and do not accelerate through yellow lights
• Remember, it takes light rail trains longer to stop
• Look for flashing headlights
• Listen for warning bells and horns

Short [and Late] Notice by City of Mesa for Public Input on an Environmental Assessment?

Click on map to see larger view

Press Release from City of Mesa Newsroom
Federal Aviation Administration's MetroPlex Project includes Mesa

Post Date:05/07/2015 3:11 PM

It wasn't until late in the day yesterday - and more than a month after being notified - that the City of Mesa made an announcement about these intended actions by the FAA that were first posted by the Federal Aviation Administration back on March 27, 2015.
The same day this blog post was published television station KTAR ran a report @ 3:40 P.M. in which Mayor John Giles is quoted as saying: " . . . the study is a case of "better late than never . . . it's important that people step up and let us know how they feel so we can communicate that to the FAA," he said.
Advising citizens of Mesa with only a week's deadline ahead of the extended comment period is just bad if the objective is for people to communicate
.  
Sometimes your MesaZona blogger wonders what century the mayor lives in when he terms the preparation of an environmental assessment a figure of speech from a bygone era,  "This is a great example of the government putting the cart in front of the horse I'm afraid . . ."
Pardon me, but It's not about carts and horses, Mr. Mayor - proposed changes for the "optimization of airport routes" that may affect noise levels over impacted areas and residential real estate development with unyielding growth in the urban fringes and building supporting airport management structures.
http://ktar.com/22/1832464/Mesa-to-be-involved-in-FAA-study-of-possible-flight-plan-changes

While Phoenix Mesa Gateway was included in the original notification, Falcon Field was not added to the additional Study Areas until May 01, 2015 . . . this blog provides some context and a timeline for the public notices issued by the FAA for the Phoenix Metroplex to document the potential environmental effects associated with the proposed optimization of aircraft routes and the supporting airspace management structure serving aircraft operating under instrument flight rules (IFR) while departing from or arriving to the Phoenix Metroplex area.

http://www.mesaaz.gov/Home/Components/News/News/215/ 

March 27, 2015 [Early Notification Letter] 30-day notice
Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Phoenix Metroplex Project
http://metroplexenvironmental.com/docs/phx_metroplex/PHX_Metroplex_NOI_150327.pdf

This notification letter is to inform you that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) intends to prepare an Environmental Assessment (EA) to consider the potential environmental impacts of the implementation of the Phoenix Metroplex (PHX Metroplex) Project. Attachment 1 is a copy of the Notice that will be published in major newspapers in the Phoenix and Tucson area that notifies the general public of the FAA’s intent to prepare an EA.

 to evaluate potential impacts of changes in aircraft routing that are proposed to occur below 10,000 feet above ground level (AGL).
If you desire to provide comments and/or have any questions about the information provided, please provide them by letter or email, before Monday, April 27, 2015 . . .

April 30, 2015 Revised NOI: Extension of Comment Period for the NOI above 14-day notice
http://metroplexenvironmental.com/docs/phx_metroplex/PHX_Metroplex_NOI_150501.pdf
This notification letter is to inform you that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has extended the comment period ... to May 15, 2015

May 01, 2015

ANNOUNCEMENTS 14-day notice

05/01/2015 - The Notice of Intent to prepare a Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Phoenix (PHX) Metroplex Project has been published. Since publication of the Notice, additional Study Airports have been added to the scope of the Project. The original and revised Notice of Intent are available here. If you desire to provide comments and/or have any questions about the information provided, please provide them by letter or email, before Friday, May 15, 2015.

http://metroplexenvironmental.com/phx_metroplex/phx_introduction.html

If you desire to provide comments and/or have any questions about the information provided in the Notice of Intent, please provide them by letter or email, before Friday, May 15, 2015, at the following address:

Phoenix Metroplex EA
Marina Landis
Environmental Specialist
Western Service Area - Operations Support Group, AJV-W22
Federal Aviation Administration
1601 Lind Ave., SW, Renton, WA 98057
9-ANM-Phoenix-Metroplex-Project@faa.gov

Meet Mesa Downtown Artist William Barnhart @ Mesa Arts Center

THE SEATTLE SERIES

William Barnhart

Current Exhibition
Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum  
Created in the summer of 2014, Mesa Arizona artist William Barnhart’s Seattle Series is a gorgeous collection of large-scale, high-color, oil-on-canvas paintings. Barnhart honors aquatic and aviary life in his inimitable style: wide strokes, bright vistas, deep movement. Made while the prolific, celebrated artist was sailing on Washington’s Lake Union on his beloved, restored sailboat, “Champion,” this new series interpret the sights, sounds and experiences of being alive.

Curated by Robrt Pela.

Running at the same times as Friday Night Out in Downtown Mesa

OPENING RECEPTION Friday, May 8, 2015 (7-10pm)

FREE and Open to the Public
• Musical Entertainment
• Artists in Attendance
• Light Refreshments and Cash Bar

VIP/MEMBERS PRIVATE RECEPTION: 6-7PM (RSVP Event!)
Wayne and Kathye Brown Sculpture Courtyard
Call 480-644-6615 to RSVP

Walk-Able? Yes ... and the New Urban Downtown Mesa is filled with History - Get to Know It

This building from 1894 seen in the image to the left is gone in the vanished past, destroyed by a fire in 1921, and replaced with the present structure at 43 S Macdonald Street that's listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
What it looks like and how it functions today opens a window to the past and economic conditions today -  the Alhambra Hotel, opened as the Pioneer Hotel in 1894 at 43 S. Macdonald and mirrors downtown Mesa's rise and fall.

Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/community/mesa/articles/2010/07/07/20100707mesa-preserve-commercial-property.html#ixzz3aXLg8jFi

- it  is yours to discover in a self-guided walking tour of Historic Downtown Mesa now available both online and in a printed brochure - thanks to the efforts of The Mesa Preservation Foundation.
Images like these, while not shown in the somewhat-sketchy brochure, will help guide us in the right directions for all the re-envisioning taking place in downtown Mesa
Read More >>>

Republica Empanada: An Extraordinary Property in New Urban Downtown Mesa gets recognized by the City

Press Release from the City of Mesa Newsroom
05/05/2015 8:52 AM
You can read the entire release here: http://www.mesaaz.gov/Home/Components/News/News/199/ 

While The City of Mesa’s Extraordinary Properties Campaign has recognized three commercial property owners who exceed design standards, there is one on the list that brings "simple urban industrial chic" design to downtown that was done by the owner Marco Meraz with friends and family doing much of the work during a two-year renovation.
The mid-century architecture is a unique contrast to the brick and stucco rows showcased along Main Street. Its location at the northeast corner of Hibbbert & First Avenue adjoins a thriving urban community garden providing a hands-on greenspace where residents can plant and grow their own food. Mesa Urban Garden
This Pan-Latin bistro,specializing in Arizona's largest variety of South American style savory empanadas, adds international flavors for both residents and visitors alike The menu offerings represent the different regions and tastes of Latin American comfort food.
Hmmm ... what early-day pioneer back in 1878 could ever have imagined in  their wildest plans that Mesa would be the location in Arizona for the largest variety of South American-style savory empanadas?

The restaurant has seating and service both inside and outside - you can see images taken by the photographer Ivan Martinez by going to RE's website. Local place with international flavors.

In plugging new urban downtown businesses like I do all the time, whether it's retail, services, education, arts-and-entertainment, recreation, or foods & drinks & eats, you gotta taste some of the whopping local, domestic and international 18 beers here from Tempe, Chandler, Phoenix, Maui Hawaii, Cali, Oregon, Colorado, France, Mexico, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Wines are stocked from Argentina, Chile, Spain, Italy and Mexico. 

While the City of Mesa recognizes the architecture of commercial properties, MesaZona blog recognizes the accomplishment of an owner and his friends and family bringing different tastes and flavors to downtown. 
Mesa may be conservative in its politics, but there's no doubt it enjoys diversity in the menus offered on/off Main Street.