New Mesa Mayor and Councilmember to speak at Building Strong Neighborhoods kickoff meeting

Mesa Mayor Scott Smith and District 2 Councilmember Alex Finter will be among the speakers at the orientation or “kickoff” meeting for the City of Mesa’s first Building Strong Neighborhoods Initiative of the 08/09 fiscal year.  The meeting will be held Tuesday, September 16 at Longfellow Elementary School, 345 S. Hall at 6:30 p.m. in the cafeteria.

Mayor Smith will use the occasion to promote the importance of the Building Strong Neighborhoods Initiative as part of his theme of “Building a Better Mesa.”  The main purpose of the initiative is to preserve and strengthen neighborhoods by providing residents and businesses with education and access to existing resources to address neighborhood issues.  The first initiative of the fiscal year, in Mesa Council District 2, is in the Casa de Sol Neighborhood and lies within the boundaries of Main Street to Broadway Road, Gilbert Road to the canal.

“Casa de Sol is an established neighborhood with a mix of long-time residents and young families,” Mesa Neighborhood Outreach Coordinator Susan Frabotta said.  ”It is a registered neighborhood with a lot of active neighbors who meet monthly.  This gives us a starting base to energize more residents in the neighborhood.”

During the orientation meeting, residents will hear results of a door-to-door survey Neighborhood Outreach staff and volunteers have conducted.  Residents will use the survey results to prioritize issues that will begin to be addressed by a variety of City services over a four-week period.  The meeting will also include an open house for citizens to learn more about existing City services and programs, including Code Compliance, Solid Waste, Housing Services and Transportation.  There will also be several non-profit agencies represented, including Mesa United Way, Health Care Connect, Arizona Physicians IPA and A New Leaf.

The four-week initiative will include team meetings involving residents looking to improve their neighborhood as well as Clean Sweep dumpsters.  There is a special project planned for Saturday, October 18. In partnership with HandsOn Greater Phoenix and Washington Mutual (WAMU), volunteers will participate in painting and yard cleanup projects.

The City will conduct one Building Strong Neighborhoods Initiative in each City Council District between now and June.  For more information, contact Mesa Neighborhood Outreach Coordinator Susan Frabotta at 480-644-5432.