PRICE: Big projects ahead in next decade

Let me be the first to welcome you into the New Year and say that 2014 will be another year of monumental things occurring in the city of Maricopa.

As many of you know 2013 was our 10-year anniversary. With numerous recognition events and the opening of a new City Hall and new police and fire stations, indeed there was much to celebrate. To see how very far we have come as a city in 10 short years (many of those years being the worst recession since the Great Depression) is truly remarkable.

But now it’s time to look forward to the next 10 years and see what we can anticipate, start, and lay the ground work for, beginning this year.

Perhaps the biggest event on most people’s minds is the opening of the Copper Sky Recreational Complex with its multigenerational center, pools, parks, ball fields, skate park, basketball and volleyball courts, fishing lake and so much more. With an anticipated opening in spring, hopefully March, this new complex should usher in a new era of community and sports programs, classes, entertainment and recreation for all ages.

Together with our partners and neighbors the Ak-Chin Indian Community, I look forward to many fantastic events and cross promotions that will further enrich the lives of our citizens and the region, as we move towards making Maricopa a destination.

Another large-scale project we are working toward this year is the State Route 347 Grade Separation (RR overpass) and movement of the Amtrak station to the Estrella Gin property (near the new Don Pearce fire station). For someone like me, who has lived south of the tracks for almost a decade, this simply cannot happen fast enough. However, progress toward the commencement of this project is extremely encouraging.

I also expect to see state and federal funding for the project become a planned reality as we come closer than we have ever been to being truly “shovel ready.” But regardless of that help, and with a project this big, the city of Maricopa hopes to start moving dirt and putting our own “money where our mouth is” on at least one phase of what will be a three-phase project, starting this year and continuing into next.

I also want you to know your quality of life and the “economic development” of this city is something your city council takes very seriously. As such, myself and a collaborative city staff expend numerous resources and efforts daily on the courting and attraction of businesses to Maricopa; speaking with everyone from retail establishments such as Lowes and Home Depot, to restaurants such as Applebee’s and other chains.

It doesn’t stop there, we are also thinking bigger. Sure these companies are great, but wouldn’t it be nice to have more high-wage jobs located right here in Maricopa? I sure think so.

We also continue to aggressively pursue high-tech companies to manufacturing, and everything in between while simultaneously growing our own startup potentials of the “next Google or Dell or Microsoft” through Maricopa’s own local business incubator. We will also continue to court and work jointly with various institutions of higher learning to bring skilled workforce development programs, such as engineering schools, to Maricopa that will help further enrich our community and its marketability.

Friends, this is but the tip of the proverbial iceberg.