SURPRISEAZ.GOV/PROGRESSMAG • FALL 2021 It’s event season! Business Openings in Surprise New & Notable: Details on Fiesta Grande, Surprise Party & more p. 122 surpriseaz.gov | Fall 2021 CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS Held at: Surprise City Council Chambers, Surprise City Hall, 16000 N. Civic Center Plaza When: First and third Tuesday of the month•6 p.m. Work Sessions•4 p.m. Call: 623.222.1200•surpriseaz.gov/citycalendar PLANNING & ZONING COMMISSION Held at: Surprise City Council Chambers When: First and third Thursday of the month•6 p.m. Call: 623.222.3154•surpriseaz.gov/pz-commission P&Z COMMISSION MEMBERS VETERANS, DISABILITY AND HUMAN SERVICES COMMISSION Held at: Surprise City Council Chambers When: Second Wednesday of the month•6 p.m. Meeting playbacks are available with Closed Captioning surpriseaz.gov/surprisetv Call: 623.222.3243 •TTY: 623.222.1002 PARKS & RECREATION ADVISORY COMMISSION 623.222.2240 ARTS & CULTURAL ADVISORY COMMISSION 623.222.3243 Surprise Progress is published by the City of Surprise Marketing & Communications Department. Read it online at surpriseaz.gov/progressmag. Comments? Call 623.222.1422 or email us at communications@surpriseaz.gov. DEPUTY CITY MANAGER | MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR Diane Arthur diane.arthur@surpriseaz.gov Virginia Mungovan Aisha Alexander Nichole Wiley Lorena Cano Muriel M. Sawicki PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICERS GRAPHIC DESIGNERS | PHOTOGRAPHERS MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER FALL 2021 | Volume 21 | No. 4 DISTRICT 1 Roland F. Winters Jr. DISTRICT 2 Aly Cline VICE MAYOR, DISTRICT 3 Patrick Duffy DISTRICT 4 Ken Remley DISTRICT 5 Jack Hastings DISTRICT 6 Chris Judd MAYOR Skip Hall CITY MANAGER Michael Frazier - 623.222.1100 Matthew Keating Ken Chapman Mitchell Rosenbaum Dennis Bash CITY COUNCIL - 623.222.1300 Dennis W. Smith Jared Holland Kevin Sartor By simply locking the doors of your vehicle and by taking valuable items with you or hiding them in a locked trunk, you can dramatically reduce the risk of being a crime victim. Approximately 60 percent of all thefts from vehicles are the result of people leaving car doors unlocked or leaving items of value in the car. surpriseaz.gov/LockIt LIVE TELEVISED MEETINGS YOU CAN WATCH ON surpriseaz.gov/surprisetv/cityofsurprise Fall 2021 | surpriseaz.gov 3 HIT THE ROAD An Update on Surprise Road Improvements This 3-mile stretch along Happy Valley Rd. from 163rd Ave. to east of 147th Ave. now has one lane in each direction, providing a contiguous east-west connection to Loop 303. The project included pavement, drainage improvements and a crossing at Central Arizona Project (CAP) canal. This provides a much-needed secondary access route and is expected to increase emergency vehicle response times to the northeast region of Surprise. Work to install traffic signals at the intersection of Waddell Rd. and 145th Ave. finished in July. This is great news for residents and school traffic, as this new signal provides additional safety and efficiency of the intersection. Happy Valley Rd. (163rd Ave. to Eastern City limit) Waddell Rd. and 145th Ave. traffic signal SURPRISE COMMUNITY PARK Paradise Ln. and Bullard Ave. Updates are coming to Surprise Community Park! You can expect to see additions and improvements on the following, starting in early 2022: paved parking lot on the north side of the park, restrooms, lighting, etc. COUNTRYSIDE PARK Greenway Rd. and Parkview Pl. The city is looking to add a new outdoor recreation complex at Countryside Park with construction starting in early 2022! Expect a multipurpose field and several recreation size soccer/ football fields with lighting. The project will also include restrooms, drinking fountains, parking and more! More Play to Come There’s more! For information on General Obligation Bond road projects, head to page 16. +4 surpriseaz.gov | Fall 2021 D D D 1 Fry’s Asante has its building permit under review with the city as our northern area is eagerly awaiting this new grocery store. The Fry’s will feature a drive-thru pharmacy and fueling station and will anchor a 19-acre retail development on the northwest corner of Pat Tillman Blvd. and 163rd Ave. The development will also include suites for additional shops and separate building lots. This will be a wonderful amenity for this growing area of our city! Interested in what else is coming to Surprise? You can sign up to receive monthly email notifications of Upcoming Commercial Projects at surpriseaz.gov/NotifyMe. WINTERS JR.Cline ROLAND F.Aly http://d1.surpriseaz.gov D 4 REMLEYHASTINGS KENJACK Coming next year to Dis- trict 4 off U.S. 60 and Gre- enway Rd., a 56,000 sq. ft. campus to combat housing insecurity and homelessness. The seven- unit apartment building and Surprise Housing Support Center, managed by nonprofit A New Leaf, will provide temporary housing to women and children, and a coordinated entry program for other housing solutions and social services. The goal is to as- sist with permanent housing and career solutions. An interesting his- torical fact - this location was once Surprise’s first homeless shelter in the 1990s. It was run by the Terrones family, who also run the Red Eagle Brand Tortilla Factory. Surprise is full of spirit in the fall! The former Stein Mart at Bell Rd. and Grand Ave. opened as a Spirit Halloween store for the holiday sea- son, and the Ottawa University Spirit football team kicked off their 2021 campaign. At City Center, Surprise recently welcomed SK Lounge, with a new breakfast spot, Over Easy, coming soon. At Litchfield and Bell roads, there are plans for a Polish Market. I’m excited to see the variety of European foods that will be available! All of the seasonal ac- tivity and new business openings bring enrichment to our com- munity. It’s certainly a wonderful time of the year! D 2 D 5 the council district update SCAN ME SCAN ME SCAN ME SCAN ME http://d5.surpriseaz.gov http://d2.surpriseaz.gov http://d4.surpriseaz.gov As we enter the holiday season, many people go on vacation. Did you know the city has a Vacation Watch program that’s designed to provide you with the peace of mind that your house will be looked after while you are away? The program is offered by the Surprise Police Department to Surprise residents who will be away for a minimum of two weeks. Apply for the program at surpriseaz.gov/vacationwatch. Once approved, Police Department Citi- zens Patrol volunteers will check your home on a recurring basis to ensure that it’s secure. Wishing you all a safe and happy holiday season! Fall 2021 | surpriseaz.gov 5 D 3 DUFFY judd PATRICK chris District 3’s Prasada area is getting a lot of attention from developers. HonorHealth has broken ground on a location at Loop 303 and Waddell Rd. that will be a new hybrid emer- gency room and urgent care model that’s expected to open in April 2022. At Cactus Rd. and Loop 303, a new industrial park will bring 1 million square feet of class A industrial buildings with a retail compo- nent fronting Cactus. Phase one is expected to be com- plete by the end of 2022. The Prasada master-planned de- velopment has dedicated 700 acres for commercial uses, so you can expect to see more announcements! Summer 2021 was capped off with a sweet ribbon cutting. The city wel- comed Crumbl Cookies (Waddell Rd. & Litchfield Rd.) in August. This was just one of many businesses that opened in Surprise over the last year (get more details on page 12&13). The next 12 months will bring even more business openings with the Surprise Railplex industrial dis- trict attracting new employers and commercial development in the area along Litchfield Rd. from Waddell Rd. to Peoria Ave. Bringing in new businesses pro- vides investment, jobs and retail/ restaurant/service options for our growing community. t update vice mayor SCAN ME SCAN ME http://d6.surpriseaz.gov http://d3.surpriseaz.gov S urprise has been in a growth spurt for decades, and we show no signs of slowing down! The 2020 Census lists our population at 143,148. This is an increase from 117,517 in 2010 and 30,848 in 2000. I want to sin- cerely thank YOU for participating in the process to help us meet the needs of our growing city. The housing market remains very strong! The city issued 2,856 single-family home permits last fiscal year, marking a 38% increase from the year before and a 10- year high for single-family home permits issued! In the first two months of this fis- cal year, 442 single-family home permits have been issued. We are also seeing new multi-family units under construc- tion to expand our housing options, with permits pulled for three new complexes, totaling 361 units. This type of growth presents both chal- lenges and opportunities. More people equates to business growth. Since July 2020, we’ve added nearly one million square feet of new business development, representing $165 million in new capital investment. That means more local jobs. We’ve seen fantastic restaurants and retailors open- ing which gives us more reasons to spend our money in our hometown! As we grow, we must also be mindful to keep Surprise one of the safest cities in the country. We accomplish this priority by investing in police, fire-medical and safe roads; while also maintaining a safe and adequate water supply. Our residents also love to come togeth- er in our parks, libraries and at commu- nity events which is how we build com- munity and connect us all. With limited funds, the challenge is striking the perfect balance of maintaining a safe community, while still providing the many experiences that make our city special. Your City Coun- cil looks for- ward to finding the solutions together with YOU to keep Surprise a vi- brant city for generations to come. surpriseaz.gov/ Mayor Contact your City Council: 623.222.1300 skip HALL mayor SCAN ME Scan the code with your smart phone and type your address. surpriseaz.gov/mysurpriseaddress not sure what district you live in? find out. D2 D5 D4 D6 D 1 D 3 NEW TO SURPRISE?T he city of Surprise sees value in the arts. From performances to classes, sculptures to galleries, you will find a little bit of everything throughout our community. Our City Council has directed that one and one-third percent of the budget for eligible capital projects be set aside for art, and our Arts and Cultural Ad- visory Commission has been hard at work to bring more art and culture to Surprise. AQUATIC CENTER EXTENSION MURAL You may have already seen the mural, “Swimming with Porpoise,” at Sur- prise Aquatic Center. We’re excited to announce an expansion has been ap- proved and work is underway! Street artist, BacPac, will again be painting a fun, colorful mural, this time showing children enjoying life under water. DOWNTOWN ART PIECE A new, original signature art piece is being commissioned for the down- town Surprise area on Bullard Ave. The art will be sited within a ¼ mile of existing develop- ment and is zoned to allow for up to 15 stories in height! The selected artist will be asked to design a piece that creates a sense of place, con- sidering light, color, vertical elements, interaction, mainte- nance, durability and safety. The finalist should be selected and approved by the end of the year. Target completion for this project is December 2022. COURAGE WALK 308 The art piece at the new Fire Station 308 is nearing completion and should be ready this fall. The public will be able to walk through the artwork at the southeast corner of Litchfield and Cactus roads. It will also be visible from the road. Metal panels with the word “courage” cutout, pay tribute to the critical operations that occur within this 14,000 sq. ft. multi-bay facility and the men and women who provide these services. *Both images shown are renderings. Final artwork may vary slightly. ART IS ALL AROUND Fall 2021 | surpriseaz.gov 7 EVENTSBACK! ARE Art tours, exhibits, poetry and live cultural performances are slated for the fall season! NOW – NOVEMBER 11 “A Tribute to our Heroes” Mayor’s Exhibit at the Vista Center for the Arts - Hosted by West Valley Arts Council in partnership with Ground Floor Artists. Details at westvalleyarts. org OCTOBER 4 – JANUARY 7 City Hall Art Exhibition - “Out of the West” Featured Artist: Sun Bauer OCTOBER 15•6 - 8 p.m. Poetry Slam at WHAM NOVEMBER 3•9 a.m. - Noon Public Art Bus Tour - Departs from City Hall. NEW NOVEMBER 18•10 a.m. - Noon Gallery Tour - Guided tour of three local art studios. Call for itinerary and directions. NEW NOVEMBER 18 •1 p.m. “What a Wonderful World” - The West Valley Singers at Rio Salado Community College. RSVP at 602.456.7598 NEW DECEMBER 2•10 - 11 a.m. Public Art Tour of City Hall - Call for itinerary and directions. DECEMBER 9 • Noon Lunchtime Theater - West Valley Chorale at Arts HQ - Cost $15 DECEMBER 17• 6 - 8 p.m. Poetry Slam at WHAM To learn more about Poetry Slam, contact WHAM at 623.584.8311 or visit wham-art.org/poetry To learn more about Lunchtime Theater, contact Arts HQ at 623.584.2626 or visit westvalleyarts.org/theater For information on all other events, contact the Human Service & Community Vitality Department at 623.222.3243 or visit surpriseaz.gov/arts All dates and times are subject to change. All events are free unless otherwise stated. Reservations are required for all tours.8 surpriseaz.gov | Fall 2021 3 2 1 On August 16, 2021, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation elevated the Colorado River System to a “Tier 1” shortage status, which means less water for Arizona beginning in January 2022. However, residents in Surprise will not experience water shortages at the tap due to the declaration. In fact, the Western United States has been experiencing a drought for more than 20 years. Here’s how Surprise has prepared for ongoing drought conditions and water shortages: SECURED OUR WATER SUPPLY. Together with the private water companies that operate in Surprise, the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) and the Central Arizona Project (CAP), the city’s water managers have been preparing for a shortage on the Colorado River System for years. The city has also built a diverse and robust water portfolio for its water utility, including renewable surface water, groundwater and reclaimed water. Created a Drought Management Plan. Surprise has a comprehensive and strategic Drought Preparedness Plan outlining short- and long-term strategies for managing and sustaining our water portfolio. While residents will not see a water shortage with this drought declaration, Surprise will likely enact its Drought Preparedness Plan for 2022, when the shortage status takes effect. Read the Drought Preparedness Plan online at surpriseaz.gov/droughtmgmt. Increased water conservation programs. Conserving water has always been important in our desert community. While the city is prepared for water shortages, our collective commitment to conserving water allows us to sustain this natural resource for future generations. Learn water-wise plant irrigation, turf watering, irrigation system components, and how to program your controller for maximum efficiency. Learn tips on finding and fixing leaks, and overall irrigation system maintenance and troubleshooting. Surprise offers workshops, rebates and resources to help residents and businesses learn how to practice an efficient and low-water-use lifestyle. Workshops will be held in-person at the Water Education Center, 16126 N. Civic Center Plz. To enroll in workshops and learn more ways you can help protect this valuable resource, visit surpriseaz.gov/waterconservation Surprise’s water supply is secure Watering by the Numbers Saturday, October 16 8 - 10 a.m. UPCOMING Irrigation Maintenance & Repair Wednesday, November 3 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. Landscape Workshops Conserving water now will help mitigate water restrictions in the event of a prolonged drought or deeper shortages. Fall 2021 | surpriseaz.gov 9 It’s time to cast your ballot on the EPCOR Water franchise extension. This will be a mail ballot election for all city of Surprise voters, regardless of your water provider. Vote on the EPCOR Water franchise extension Here are some FAQs: Does this change EPCOR’s service area? EPCOR is one of six water providers in the city of Surprise, and this election will not change EPCOR’s service area. What does a “yes” vote mean? Approval would allow EPCOR to construct, maintain and operate a potable water delivery system and a wastewater collection, treatment and disposal system throughout the city public rights-of-way. Voters approved a 25-year agreement with EPCOR Water in 1995, but it must be extended to allow for continued use. Is this election related to utility rates? The franchise does not grant authority to change your utility rate. It’s time to cast your ballot! IMPORTANT DATES October 4 – Voter Registration Deadline October 6 – Ballots Mailed & Drop Boxes Available October 22 – Last Day to Request a Ballot in the Mail October 25 – Replacement Ballot Voting Begins at City Hall October 26 – Last Day to Mail Back Your Ballot November 2 – Election Day! For more information and to view the proposed franchise agreement, visit surpriseaz.gov/ElectionNews Dispose of Grease & Oil A void putting cooking oil, grease, and fat remnants down your drain this holiday season! Clogged pipes can cause raw sewage to back up into homes and onto city streets. Large amounts of grease, such as oil used to fry your turkey, can be disposed at one of the city’s oil disposal locations: ProperlyDispose of Grease & Oil FIRE STATION 305 15517 N. Parkview Pl. FIRE STATION 303 15440 N. Cotton Ln. FIRE STATION 306 16645 W. Clearview Blvd. Year-round OPENLOCATION Nov. 17 – Jan. 12 Nov. 17 – Jan. 12 For smaller amounts of grease, let it solidify in a pan or jar and then throw it in the trash can in a covered container. Get more tips on protecting your pipes from clogs at surpriseaz.gov/BeGross.Next >