Mesa November Bond Proposal to Fund a Variety of Projects, Including Upgrade to Unique Museum

Planning will begin sometime next year for a project in Mesa, Arizona that will see the building of two aquatic facilities, as well as a new general community recreation center.

Funding for the project will come, if approved in November, from a $260 million bond set to appear on city ballots. The aquatic facilities are slated for $66 million in bond support, while the recreation center, to go up in the central part of Mesa, will comprise an equal $66 million in bond funding.

After an extensive review process that began with a potential $600 million price tag, members of the Mesa City Council earlier this summer voted to approve a list of projects to be funded by the bond that also includes the construction of new pickleball courts at four separate city parks.

One of the most public projects will see the renovation of what is known as the I.D.E.A Museum, located at 150 W. Pepper Place. That facility, formerly known as the Arizona Museum for Youth, is dedicated to exhibiting, teaching, and interacting with the fine arts, with the I.D.E.A initials standing for “imagination, design, experience, art.”

Structural work at the museum will see the renovation of the building’s art gallery, classrooms, and studio.
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According to city documents, the $260 million bond will also see $62 million funding new construction and renovation work at half a dozen parks, along with $12 million for water conservation improvements at those same parks.

​By Garry Boulard

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