Jack Hastings: District 5 Newsletter — September 2021
Posted
By Jack Hastings
On August 25, Mayor Hall joined Crumbl Cookies for a ribbon cutting.
Located at 13983 W. Waddell Rd., Suite 100, Crumbl Cookies hosted the ceremony in honor of the opening of their Surprise location, with a drive-thru! Thank you for choosing Surprise; it’s such a treat to have you!
2022 Spring Training Schedule
Major League Baseball has released the 2022 Cactus League Spring Training schedule in conjunction with the Kansas City Royals and Texas Rangers. Opening Day is set for Saturday, February 26, with the Texas Rangers taking on the Kansas City Royals at Surprise Stadium.
Additional information regarding the upcoming season, including game times, ticket details, specialty packages, and fan health & safety guidelines, will be announced at a later date. If you are interested in ticket information, please visit SurpriseStadium.com and sign up for our email alerts.
9/11 Ceremony
Surprise will hold a ceremony to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, honoring the victims, survivors and heroes of that day. The event is at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, September 11. Mayor Skip Hall, Fire-Medical Chief Tom Abbott and Police Chief Benny Piña will speak as part of the ceremony.
Surprise Water Supply is Secure
The US Bureau of Reclamation has announced a Tier 1 shortage for Colorado River operations for 2022. This shortage declaration does not mean a shortage at your tap. But, it's still very important to be wise consumers of this precious resource. Learn more about how Surprise is prepared and how you can help conserve: https://bit.ly/3k1DBBy
Sunday in the Park
Sunday in the Park returns to Mark Coronado Park this fall! Join us on September 19 from 3-7 p.m. for live music, various food trucks, an assortment of beer and wine, and family-friendly entertainment such as bounce houses, face painting, a trackless train and more! View event details: https://bit.ly/3sw1lBr. Future dates for this event are October 17 and November 7 from 3-7 p.m.
Oath of Office
The Official Oath of Office was issued to the City's new police chief, Benny Piña, by Judge Dominguez at the City Council Meeting on August 17. Chief Piña began serving as Surprise Police Department Police Chief on July 6. He previously served as the deputy police chief in Peoria since 2014. Before that, he served 25 years with the Phoenix Police Department.
Economic Development FY21 Year in Review!
The Surprise Economic Development Department created and debuted the FY 2021 year in review snapshot for Mayor, Council and Surprise stakeholders. The snapshot shared highlights from business successes, partnerships and community initiatives. In FY21, Economic Development had 25 small business successes and 8 large business successes. Our partnerships with Ottawa University, KC Royals, West-MEC and WESTMARC continued to flourish. Our team held 27 socially distant ribbon cuttings, facilitated nearly $350k in City Council-approved small business grant funding and had our largest annual retail survey with over 5,100 participants! For a snapshot of our 2021 Year in Review, go here: surpriseaz.gov/DocumentCenter/View/45196
Fiesta Grande
Our Annual Street Festival is back! Join us for the 8th Annual Surprise Fiesta Grande to celebrate our city's cultural heritage on Saturday, October 9, from 5-10 p.m. Admission and parking are free! Plus, we'll have free shuttle drop-off to the area. Authentic Mexican food, classic car show, arts and crafts, music & live entertainment, and more! Please visit surpriseaz.gov/fiestagrande for more details.
Baby on the Way?
Certified car seat technicians are ready to help!
Car seat installations and clinics are available through the Surprise Fire-Medical Department at Firehouse 303. Check the schedule or make an appointment by heading to surpriseaz.gov/CarSeat.
Motorcycle Safety Class
Join the Surprise Police Department for a Motorcycle Safety Class on Sunday, September 19, from 8 a.m.-12:30 p.m. in the Surprise Stadium parking lot, 15850 N. Bullard Ave. There will be time for participants to apply their learned skills on an interactive course, promoting optimal response to dangerous riding situations. This course is for current motorcycle riders. A valid driver's license and motorcycle endorsement, motorcycle, and helmet are required to attend this class. This class is not for new riders to obtain an endorsement. Registration is required. For more information, please email DriveWise@surpriseaz.gov or call 623.222.4500.
Meet and Greet
Please join me for my Monthly Meet and Greet on Saturday, September 11, at 10 a.m. at Chef Peter's Bistro, 17300 N. Sun Village Pkwy. I look forward to discussing the latest City issues and answering any questions you might have. You can also subscribe to my Notify Me mailing list on my city webpage at d5.surpriseaz.gov so you never miss any important District 5 news.
City Council Meetings
The next regularly scheduled Council meetings are September 7 & 21 at 6 p.m. in the City of Surprise Council Chambers, located at 16000 N. Civic Center Dr. City Council meetings are open to in-person attendance, or you may tune in on surpriseaz.gov/surprisetv, the Surprise City Gov Facebook page at facebook.com/cityofsurprise, or on Cox channel 11 to watch the meetings live. Instructions for virtual public comment will be available on the meeting agendas at surpriseaz.gov/agendas.
