Yes, A Charming Town > What's Missing? Clue = PEOPLE

Mostly MainStreet Images: People Seen: Mimes@MAC, teens on the sidewalk, lunch@ Margarita's

PICTURES ARE WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS
 Upper Left-hand Corner: Mesa Tribune Headline: TRUTH

An Important Part of A Downtown Vision = People

re·vi·tal·ize

verb: A verb is used to signify the performance of an action. 
Every verb needs a noun to perform its action.

One noun and one verb are the minimum needed to make a complete sentence—for example:

• People left.
• Committees plan.
• Sidewalks wait.

verb: revitalize; 3rd person present: revitalizes; past tense: revitalized; past participle: revitalized; gerund or present participle: revitalizing; verb: revitalise; 3rd person present: revitalises; past tense: revitalised; past participle: revitalised; gerund or present participle: revitalising

imbue (something) with new life and vitality

"a package of investments to revitalize the economy"

synonyms

:

reinvigorate, re-energize, boost, regenerate, revive, revivify, rejuvenate, reanimate, resuscitate, refresh, stimulate,   breathe new life into: LIKE THIS WITH PEOPLE  . . . Light Rail, no cars, green zone, people on the streets, activities, mid-rise buildings with vertical gardens, water-harvesting, urban gardens, solar roof panels: THAT'S A VISION for The New Downtown Mesa

Must Be Done Online by Monday, June 15th: Nominations in Maricopa County

Image Mosaic On The Streets in The New Urban Downtown Mesa

A sampling of some of the small and big and wonderful and surprising expressions of people that don't come from a Chain of Command - people are spontaneously Creating their own Place-Making - no committees to get permission from, no bureaucracy, no politicos who take six months to come up with a vision - these are the visions created by everyday people using their own resources and talents.

Starting from Upper Left and going Clock-wise by rows

• Portion of a huge mural seen on the back of a building on Hibbert Street just above Broadway - close by Mesa Grain & Feed.
• Artist signature from 2006 - anybody know who the artist is?
• A detail from the same mural - what's with those cows parachuting?
• Panoramic view of entire mural with Grain Elevator way in the left background
• Mural on the East side of Department of Economic Security building that faces McDonald
• Rear of building next to VFW Post on McDonald & First Avenue, in back of the newly-opened Prime Cut Barber Shop & Boutique
• On the Blackboard @ LoFi Coffee - who's the Fun Guy [artist?] doing that stuff?
• Sidewalk Sculpture for Welding Shop
• Larry in front of LoFi - streetlife is getting colorful, The Mad Hatter with the WOW
• Back of what-used-to-be O.S. Stapley Store - big graphic on the alley
• First vertical gardens in Downtown Mesa: happy to see these [first in bloom and second with new plantings]

UPDATE on Rancho del Arte: Stunning Artwork Changes Streetscape of New Urban Downtown Mesa

Mandalas by Mesa Artist Zarco Guerrero

Your MesaZona blog first did an online report of this construction project way back in March - you can scroll down in Flipcard view to read those details.
In fact it was the second posting that started me off highlighting new infill development that is regenerating the original downtown as transit-oriented affordable living attracting new residents along the path of the Valley Metro Central Mesa Lightrail Extension.

The image to the left was snapped on Monday, June 8th after many times this huge installation caught my eye going out of town or returning watching as construction by Icon Builders was progressing in the last couple of months.  
It is eye-catching on a macro-scale with its monumental size announcing the name of the building as well as the composition incorporating the universal mandalas designed by long-time resident and local artist Zarco Guerrero who spoke highly of the investor/developer Community Development Partners CEO Eric Paine for his initiative to involve the work of a Mesa artist in the ironwork design with a series of meetings to talk about the project that's part of the regeneration of the New Urban Downtown Mesa.
 

Mesa Artist Zarco Guerrero in his studio

Your blogger took the time yesterday, Friday 19 June, to get together with the local artist inside his design studio.
The image to the right shows Zarco with some designs of what he calls "mandalas" - only one of which was used in the monumental ironwork. Universal symbols from other cultures and indigenous peoples inspire his work. His family has been in The SouthWest for centuries and he lived in Japan for a number of years.
This artist has a fertile imagination and artistic drive not usually expressed in iron on such a big scale, but obviously a successful crossover to other media.  He works in different media: in paper clay making fantastic masks, huge "calaveras" of Frieda Kahlo and Katrina, creates works for theater performances, and collaborates with one of the owners of Main Street gallery "Two Hawks" making drums.
There are plans in the works to have more of Zarco's designs installed in both some of the interior public areas and the exterior garden.
The project was originally just called the kinda bland "El Rancho Apartments" that replaced an urban eyesore blighted motel to create an arts-inspired building.  The name change to El Rancho del Arte came from Eric Paine that gives this project a certain Zing.
The construction super Tom took time to take me around for a quick tour on the ground floor.

Little did your blogger know that the next day there would be an organized Pre-Opening Tour for neighbors and local businesses and maybe they didn't find in time too.

Readers can go back to the previous post from March 02 for details about the amenities programmed into this building: I was particularly impressed by the indoor parking under the building and the street level community and activities room for residents of the 2 & 3-bedroom apartments.
Information from March about applications for renting were posted there. As the opening date approaches, one source tells me that only  25% of the units have been leased; usually almost all applications for leasing apartments like these @ Rancho del Arte are processed closer to full 100% occupancy
719 East Main Street has a small neighborhood market right next door, a Walgreen's Drugstore next door to that, , the El Rancho Super Market a few steps away across Horne Street and other shops/services right across Main Street. Convenient, affordable, and arts-inspired - with a swimming pool.

Sesame Street Live Arrives Downtown + Salsa in Mesa Urban Garden on Friday night

Hello Downtown Mesa! Let's Dance!

There's a lot of advanced planning and logistics that goes into putting on shows for public performances. Last night an equipment truck arrived brilliantly and boldly illustrated, as you can see in the images to the left and right.A staff/talent bus this morning.

Sesame Street Live goes on-stage in The Ikeda Theater @ Mesa Arts Center with performances on Saturday and Sunday.

According to a MAC online posting https://www.mesaartscenter.com/index.php/shows/performing-live/sesamestreetlive Sesame Street Live “Let’s Dance!” has revised the show schedule at the Mesa Arts Center due to routing issues.

 

Happy to see you ... We arrived!

. . whatever those issues might be, as of today it looks like the show has arrived in town, two days ahead of the scheduled performances.

It’s Sesame Street Live 

like you’ve never experienced it before!

On Friday night who knows what you might experience in the rhythms of salsa inside the Mesa Urban Garden @ 212 E First Avenue.
[thanks to Ryan Winkle for the heads-up]

Report Card on Arizona Infrastructure: Every Day Every Citizen Uses Infrastructure

from Arizona Builders Exchange

Looks like it's "that time of year" to produce rankings and report cards . . .
this blog has posted two recent articles about Mesa: one on its management of fleet operations and another on ratings for those looking at retirement in the financial services market. Take good look at this one
 http://azbex.com/arizona-gets-a-c-on-its-infrastructure/

Image from Arizona Builders Exchange

Arizona Gets a ‘C’ on Its Infrastructure

Beating the National Score of D+ Doesn’t Allow for Complacency

Posted on May 26, 2015 by Matthew Roy in Economic Development // 0 Comments

By Rebekah Morris for Arizona Builder’s Exchange

How are retirement and infrastructure inter-related?

Recently, the Arizona section of the American Society of Civil Engineers released the statewide report card for infrastructure. Arizona landed a C grade overall, but the D+ on Roads highlights the need for continued investment. Less than half can be maintained with current levels of funding.
Not only are we as a state not funding what we currently have built, but Arizona is not planning for growth and improvement in service levels
The ASCE presentation likened planning for infrastructure costs to planning for retirement: The longer you wait, the more expensive things become. 
Every penny we spend in infrastructure now saves costs in the future.

WHAT CAN YOU DO CITIZENS OF MESA? Get on-board to sign a petition.

Action on this was delayed for a month, with the new deadline now June 30, 2015.

Take action today: #SU4T

Sign petition online >
http://www.standup4transportation.org/contentform.aspx?page=Media 

Mesa Gets Ranked Again: One Of The Best Vehicle Fleets In The Country

$37,000 to wash the fleet?

That's the headline . . . here's the first line in this posting yesterday from KJZZ
Managing vehicle fleets for local governments can be costly.
Here's the context: On June 15, 2015 The Mesa City Council will vote to approve spending $37,000 on contracts for washing vehicles. This is money to be spent with taxpayer dollars while the Director of Fleet Operations says there's plenty of "downtime" in round-the-clock shifts.

It would be nice to see plenty of innovation that is sustainable - like maybe using re-claimed water
Fleet departments manage fire, police, sanitation and waste vehicles and maintain hundreds of pieces of other equipment. The trade publication "100 Best Fleets" ranks local governments on several criteria, including innovation, technology and sustainability. Last year Mesa ranked 51st, this year it’s 7th.

Mesa Ranked As Having One Of The Best Vehicle Fleets In The Country

By  Nadine Arroyo Rodriguez
Click-on or Screen-touch to read the whole article here