Spring Training Museum left out of $130M Mesa council bond vote
Jul 10, 2013, 8:42 AM | Updated: Aug 23, 2013, 1:58 pm
The Arizona Spring Training Experience, an exhibit operated by the Mesa Historical Museum that is often also known as the Cactus League experience, will remain without a home until at least 2014.
The museum project was yanked from the $130 million bond election, which was recently approved by the Mesa council, as noted in a report by the East Valley Tribune.
Instead, the ballot will include several projects to improve the city’s infrastructure and public safety.
More than $79 million of the funds will be allocated toward street upgrades in downtown Mesa, including the creation of bicycle lanes on Mesa Drive, stretching from Main Street to 8th Avenue. Such lanes are also set to be added near the Fiesta Mall and Gateway airport.
For the public safety portion of the bonds, nearly $52 million was earmarked for the purchase of a helicopter for the Mesa Police Department ($3.1 million) and a new communications center for the city’s fire department, costing an estimated $16 million. Other spending items weren’t listed in the Tribune report.
The choice to put the bond package on Mesa’s November ballot was approved by a 6-0 council vote.
