Good morning, East Mesa. Storm chances hang around through this afternoon, with a high near 99 and rain odds up to 67%, so run outdoor errands early.
- 📚 Gateway Library won the world's top new-library award. The 2026 international prize went to Mesa's newest branch.
- 🌽 Eastmark Farmers Market is back Friday evening at the Great Park, with live music Saturday at Augusta Ranch.
- 🏊 Two new city pools move forward. Eastmark and Red Mountain aquatic complexes both get pre-construction contracts.
- 🚗 Ellsworth Road could drop to 45 mph end to end. Council votes Monday, along with a 196-acre annexation.
- 🛒 Sprouts at EastMarket applies for a beer and wine license. It goes to council August 31.
- 🎸 Around the Valley: George Thorogood in Chandler, Steel Pulse and Meghan Trainor in Phoenix.
A Mesa branch just won the world's best new library
Mesa's Gateway Library has been named the best new public library in the world.
Key facts:
- The award is the 2026 IFLA/James Bennett Public Library of the Year Award, given by the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions.
- Gateway is the newest branch in the Mesa Public Library system, serving the southeast corner of the city.
- The city announced the win on August 11.
The same system runs the east side's other branch, Red Mountain Library, and its THINKspot makerspace: a Glowforge laser cutter, 3D printers, an embroidery machine, all free to teens and adults who sign up. Three of those classes run in the next 10 days. Fall program calendars for both branches post later this month, and THINKspot classes are free with a library card.
What to watch: fall program calendars at both branches, which are already filling in through late August. Details.
The weekend
Friday, August 14
Saturday, August 15
- 🎺 Remnants of Soul plays Augusta Ranch Golf Club, 2401 S. Lansing. Details.
- ⚾ AZ Baseball Showcase August Classic. AZ Grounds Diamonds at Arizona Athletic Grounds, tickets through Tixr. Details.
- 🏐 Rush volleyball tryouts and Carz & Kickz also run at Arizona Athletic Grounds, the latter in Fieldhouse C. Details.
Next week
Around East Mesa
- 🏘️ Hawes Crossing wants 73 more acres for homes. Blandford Homes is pushing the Village 7 request, near Hawes and Elliot, toward the city's planning and zoning board. Details.
- 🔧 Three THINKspot classes at Red Mountain Library. Laser engraved keychains Monday at 10 AM, the rescheduled embroidery machine demo Tuesday at 10 AM, and intro to 3D printing on August 24. All free, all teen and adult. Details.
- 🏊 Mesa Parks and Recreation posted its late-summer and fall slate, from lap swim schedules to Celebrate Mesa. Details.
- 📸 Skyline High School runs underclassmen photo day Tuesday. Photos happen during English classes, and students need their school IDs. Details.
- 🏠 Typical rent in Mesa is about $1,548 a month, roughly flat over the past year. Details.
🏗️ Eastmark Corridor & Dev Watch
What's getting built along Ellsworth, Signal Butte, and the East Mesa industrial corridor.
- 🚗 Ellsworth Road goes to a flat 45 mph. Council votes Monday on dropping the stretch between Elliot Road and the south city limits from 50 to 45, which makes the whole road one speed from the north city line to the south. The Transportation Advisory Board recommended it. Details.
- 📐 196.3 acres at Ellsworth and Williams Field could join the city. A public hearing Monday comes before Mesa releases the annexation petition for owner signatures, which is the step that moves the land from county jurisdiction into city limits. Owners are Pacific Proving LLC and Mesa BA Land LLC. District 6. Details.
- 🏊 Eastmark Aquatic Complex hits its pre-construction phase. Staff recommends Sun Eagle Corporation as construction manager on a $136,295 contract to price the project, sequence the build, and set a guaranteed maximum price. Council votes August 31. Details.
- 🏊 Red Mountain Aquatic Complex is on the same track. Same contractor, same $136,295 pre-construction scope, District 5, same August 31 vote. Two new city pools, one on each end of East Mesa. Details.
- 🛒 Sprouts applies for beer and wine at 5131 S. Ellsworth. That's the store anchoring EastMarket at Ellsworth and Ray. The application asks for a store license with in-store sampling, and there's no existing license at the address. August 31 on the council agenda. Details.
Around the Valley
A few picks worth leaving East Mesa for.
- 🎸 George Thorogood and The Destroyers, Friday. Gila River Hotels & Casinos at Wild Horse Pass in Chandler, about 25 minutes down the 202. Still the loudest three-chord show in the Valley. Tickets.
- 🇯🇲 Steel Pulse, Thursday night. The Van Buren in downtown Phoenix, on the Reggae Against Racism tour. A 50-year-old band in a room that holds under 2,000. Tickets.
- 🎤 Meghan Trainor, Thursday night. Mortgage Matchup Center in downtown Phoenix, on the Get In Girl tour. The arena-pop option if the teenagers get a vote. Tickets.