Bell Road/Grand Avenue Update
The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) continues to issue weekly project updates for the Bell Road/Grand Avenue bridge project. Bell Road will remain closed between 134th Avenue and West Point Parkway until November 22, pending weather conditions and other unforeseen factors that may affect the target date.
Please note that the project will be entering the third and final stage beginning November 22 through late February 2017. Phase 3C includes the following:
Grand Avenue:
- No direct access to Bell Road until late February 2017. The Bell-Grand interchange ramps are inaccessible until the end of construction. Motorists needing to access Grand Avenue from Bell Road will need to use the revised designated detour route (see attached).
- Grand Avenue will continue to be reduced to 2 lanes in each direction from Litchfield to Dysart roads until Late February 2017.
- Business access along Grand Avenue to/from Surprise Towne Center and Surprise Marketplace maintained at the signalized intersections at Towne Center and Bell Grande drives.
Bell Road:
- Open to traffic starting November 22, 2016
- Access from US 60 (Grand Avenue) between Litchfield Road and Dysart Road available via detour route at:
134th Avenue:

Additionally, the pick-up and drop-off locations for Route 571 – Surprise Express will relocate back to the Surprise Park-and-Ride at 13327 W Bell Road, effective December 5.
**City, County, and State law enforcement will be patrolling the area. Please obey all traffic signage and posted speed limits.**
As always, please allow plenty of time and observe all traffic control signs and barricades. Thank you again for your patience during this project. For more information, please visit the project website at www.azdot.gov/bellandgrand or you can contact ADOT’s project hotline at 855.712.8530, press option #1.
City Council Meeting
Magnolia Annexation Public Hearing
Mark Reddie of LVA Urban Design Studio, on behalf of AZ Community Development LLC, seeks annexation of several parcels generally located between Cotton Lane and 175th Avenue, Waddell Road and Cactus Road in anticipation of a new residential development. The annexation proposal includes all unincorporated lands located within the aforementioned boundaries except for two (2) properties owned by Paragon Management, LLC, the latter being associated with Paradise Honors High School.

The properties all zoned Maricopa County Rural-43 zoning and commercial zoning. If annexed, the properties will assume similar R1-43 zoning and commercial zoning; however, most of the properties involved are part of a proposed rezone and preliminary plat referred to as Magnolia, which are being processed under two cases to be heard by the Planning and Zoning Commission and the City Council on later dates.
The blank petition was recorded with the Maricopa County Recorder’s Office on October 25, 2016. Per the Arizona Revised Statutes (ARS), signatures of property owners may not be collected until 30 days after the recording of the blank petition and a public hearing must be held within the last ten days of the 30 day waiting period. Once the public hearing is held, and the 30 day waiting period has expired, state statute requires that an excess of 50% of the land owners and assessed valuation for all real and personal property sign the petition in order to validate it. The statute allows up to one year to obtain the signatures; staff anticipates obtaining all of the necessary signatures with the final signed petition being heard by the City Council in December of 2016. In accordance with statute, this request is for Council to hold the public hearing.
Associate Judge Appointment
City Council unanimously appointed Catherine Ann Gaudreau to serve as the new Associate Judge for the Surprise City Court. Gaudreau has served as an Assistant Prosecutor II with the City of Scottsdale since 2006 and was an Assistant District Attorney with the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office from 1991 to 2002. She also has past experience as an Associate in California and Florida. She holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Miami School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts, Political Science from Florida International University.
The Associate Judge position was approved by City Council in the FY2017 Budget, as part of one of 21 new public safety positions to be funded. Following an open-recruitment process the city’s Judicial Selection Advisory Commission conducted public interviews with five candidates in October. They then referred three of the candidates to Presiding Judge Dominguez for final interviews, of which he selected Gaudreau as his recommendation for Council consideration. Gaudreau’s first day with the city will be December 19. Her annual salary will be $152,000.
Surprise Municipal Court adjudicates criminal and civil violations occurring in the city, and provides orders of protection and other legal services to Surprise residents as part of the statewide court system.
Events & Meetings
Arizona Charter Academy Veterans Day Concert
Arizona Charter Academy hosted a Veterans Day concert on Thursday, November 10. Councilman Jim Hayden and I were both honored to participate as speakers for this incredible tribute to our veterans. Several local veterans were also present for the concert which was performed by the 6th grade students.
WESTMARC Best of the West Awards
It was an award-winning night for the City of Surprise at Westmarc’s Annual Best of the West Awards banquet at the University of Phoenix Stadium on Thursday, November 10. The Surprise Resource Center, a center focused on social services, took first place in the West Valley Quality of Life Award category and the AZ TechCelerator, the city’s business incubator, was runner-up in the West Valley Economic Engine Award category.

The Surprise Resource Center opened in December 2015 as a means to strengthen the community by supporting and serving its people. The center began with one program- the Community Action Program (CAP). Through a partnership with Maricopa County and El Mirage, CAP assists with utility and mortgage/rent payments. To date, CAP has served more than 600 families, totaling $370,455 in assistance. Today, the center houses 13 partnerships that offer a range of services from employment assistance to food resources. The center also offers veteran services. About 12% of the city’s population is comprised of veterans; now, employment assistance from Veterans Affairs, Department of Economic Security and the city’s new Veteran Job Club can be accessed from one location.
The AZ TechCelerator continues to offer affordable rent and a collaborative environment that helps young companies build up their business plans, creating new products, services and jobs in Surprise. The TechCelerator has 16 client start-ups, two onsite service providers, a track record of over 200 jobs graduated, and the only Google corporate office presence in the State of Arizona, following Google’s purchase of AZ TechCelerator-grown Athena Wireless. The program has also been able to offer temporary corporate office space for new international company locations to Surprise, such as IRIS USA, Cobalt Medical, RioGlass Solar and Gestamp Solar Steel, which combined have generated more than 300 additional community jobs.
Congratulations to all of our staff involved with both outlets. The recognitions could not have happened without your hard work and dedication to the programs. This was a team effort led by the continued leadership of City Manager Bob Wingenroth. Thank you!
City of Surprise 2nd Annual Veterans Day Parade
The City hosted the 2nd Annual Veterans Day Parade on Friday, November 11. This year, there were 110 entries and hundreds of residents participating in the parade or as spectators. Thank you to Community & Recreation Services Director Mark Coronado and his team for making this annual event possible that honors the veterans of this community and builds community spirit and pride!
Kids Count Career & Education Fair
Kids Count, a local non-profit, in partnership with the City of Surprise hosted a career and education fair at the Communiversity on Saturday, November 12. The fair focused on skill building. I was honored to provide a welcome on behalf of the city. More than 30 youth were present. Attendees received free clothing and shoes at the event as well.
Mark Your Calendar
Pre-Bell Road Reopening Event
The City of Surprise invites residents and local businesses to attend a 2016 Holiday Season kickoff and “thank you” event to show our appreciation for your patience and continued patronage of businesses during the Bell Road closure between West Point Parkway and 134th Avenue.
The event will take place in the Surprise Marketplace Target parking lot (just west of BBVA Compass Bank), 13731 W. Bell Road, on Monday, November 21 with the brief ceremony beginning at 4 p.m.
As a “thank you” for supporting the businesses around the Bell and Grand intersection, the first 300 residents will receive a city of Surprise shopping bag! The money you spend here stays here, so continue to ShopSurprise this holiday season.
KC Royals and Texas Rangers Announce Spring Training Schedule
The 15th Annual Surprise Spring Training Season will kick off on Saturday, February 25 at the Surprise Recreation Campus. The Surprise Stadium will host 33 games this season, including two World of Baseball preparatory games against Team Venezuela on Wednesday, March 8 (1:05 p.m.) and Thursday, March 9 (1:05 p.m.).
There will be a special online pre-sale at www.surprisespringtraining.com starting Saturday, December 10 at 8 a.m. Tickets can also be purchased over the phone with Tickets.com at 888.755.2583. Service charges may apply to online and phone orders. The Surprise Recreation Campus Box Office will open for ticket sales on Saturday, January 7, 2017 beginning at 7 a.m. The box office is located at 15960 N. Bullard Avenue.
2017 Spring Training Schedule
Schedule and times subject to change | Premium Games (P)
(Dynamic pricing may apply to select premium games)
Feb 25 Kansas City Royals vs.Texas Rangers 1:05 p.m.
Feb 26 Texas Rangers vs. Kansas City Royals 1:05 p.m.
Feb 27 Milwaukee Brewers vs.Texas Rangers 1:05 p.m.
Feb 28 Arizona Diamondbacks vs.Texas Rangers 1:05 p.m.
Mar 1 Chicago Cubs vs. Kansas City Royals 1:05 p.m. (P)
Mar 2 Colorado Rockies vs. Kansas City Royals 1:05 p.m.
Mar 3 Seattle Mariners vs. Texas Rangers 1:05 p.m.
Mar 4 San Francisco Giants vs. Kansas City Royals 1:05 p.m.
Mar 5 Chicago Cubs vs. Texas Rangers 1:05 p.m. (P)
Mar 6 Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Kansas City Royals 1:05 p.m.
Mar 7 Colorado Rockies vs. Texas Rangers 1:05 p.m.
Mar 8 Team Venezuela vs. Kansas City Royals 1:05 p.m.**
Mar 9 Team Venezuela vs. Texas Rangers 1:05 p.m.**
Mar 10 Oakland Athletics vs. Kansas City Royals 6:05 p.m.
Mar 11 Chicago White Sox vs. Texas Rangers 1:05 p.m.
Mar 12 Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Kansas City Royals 1:05 p.m.
Mar 13 San Francisco Giants vs. Texas Rangers 6:05 p.m.
Mar 14 Los Angeles Angels vs. Kansas City Royals 1:05 p.m.
Mar 15 Cleveland Indians vs. Texas Rangers 1:05 p.m.
Mar 16 Seattle Mariners vs. Kansas City Royals 1:05 p.m.
Mar 17 Los Angeles Angels vs. Texas Rangers 1:05 p.m.
Mar 18 Cleveland Indians vs. Kansas City Royals 1:05 p.m.
Mar 19 Seattle Mariners vs. Texas Rangers 1:05 p.m.
Mar 20 Cincinnati Reds vs. Kansas City Royals 1:05 p.m.
Mar 21 Chicago White Sox vs. Texas Rangers 6:05 p.m.
Mar 22 San Diego Padres vs. Kansas City Royals 1:05 p.m.
Mar 23 Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Texas Rangers 1:05 p.m.
Mar 24 San Diego Padres vs. Texas Rangers 1:05 p.m.
Mar 25 Milwaukee Brewers vs. Kansas City Royals 1:05 p.m.
Mar 26 Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Texas Rangers 1:05 p.m.
Mar 27 Colorado Rockies vs. Texas Rangers 1:05 p.m.
Mar 28 Chicago White Sox vs. Kansas City Royals 1:05 p.m.
Mar 29 Texas Rangers vs. Kansas City Royals 12:05 p.m.
** 2017 World Baseball Classic preparatory games – Team Venezuela
For questions or additional information, contact the Surprise Recreation Campus Box Office at 623.222.2222.
Did You Know?
Surprise Launches Virtual Tour of City’s Public Art
The city’s website now offers a virtual tour of our community’s public art. The website provides a new interactive map showing the location of the art displays, along with photos and descriptions.
The map is available at www.surpriseaz.gov/arts, which also offers information about local arts venues and performance companies and includes a calendar of upcoming arts and cultural events.
Happy Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving to you! I am especially thankful for each of you and your continued support.
In light of the holiday, there will not be a newsletter issued on Thursday, November 24. Thank you for your understanding!
Contact Me
Office: 623.222.1325
Mobile: 623.451.3975
Email: skip.hall@surpriseaz.gov
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