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Chandler looks west

By P.J. Standlee

The city of Chandler hopes that two new capital outlay projects will improve the level of services to its community members on the west side of the Price Freeway.

First of the two is a $3 million softball and baseball facility adjacent to the city’s aquatic facility, located just south of Chandler Boulevard on Kyrene Road. The facility, which will include an adult-sized softball field and two Little League diamonds, is slated to be officially completed sometime this month.

Michael Ohland, Chandler’s parks superintendent, said the ballparks will include 14 new acres with armadas, restrooms and new parking lots.

“There has been an increasing need for softball and baseball fields,” Ohland said. With the city’s growth, the city’s parks and recreation sports have also been growing. Ohland added that the additional fields will help serve those needs for the west Chandler area.

The city also has plans to install a combined $6 million fire and police substation, along with an additional park area, at the northeast corner of Desert Breeze Boulevard and Chandler Boulevard.

According to Project Manager Mark Balcius, Fire Station No. 9 will be a 10,000-square-foot building with three fire engine bay areas. The adjoining Community Facilities Complex and police station will be a 20,000-square-foot facility with a community meeting room and office space for city of Chandler building inspectors.

Balcius said the new fire and police stations were chosen because “…it was beneficial for the police to serve west Chandler; the fire department to serve as an in-fill station between existing stations…”

The new location is also beneficial to the surrounding neighborhoods because of its proximity to Aprende Middle School and Brisas Elementary.

Balcius said that presently the Desert Breeze station is the only fire and police station planned to be built in west Chandler and will help improve response times. The stations are scheduled to be completed around the same time of year in 2005.

City of Chandler Public Information Officer Jim Phipps said both projects stem from the city’s desire to enhance services to the residents of west Chandler.

“We are growing pretty fast, so we try to distribute resources geographically to provide good civic services,” Phipps said.

Kevin Stumpff, who lives in the Desert Breeze neighborhood, said the city does good job of keeping up with parks and services on the west side of Chandler, but the new substations will be a great addition for homeowners.

“Any time you put in a new police or fire station, it’s a good idea,” Stumpff said, adding that besides the added safety, insurance rates are likely to fall with a nearby fire station.

John Busanni, the building manager for Brisas Elementary, said the local school would be one of the biggest beneficiaries of the new police and fire substation.

“We have at least four to five medical emergencies per year,” Busanni said. “This is the best area because of the park and the number of houses.”

Phipps said these projects are all part of the city’s plans for improvement, which also included the widening of Chandler Boulevard and Kyrene Road and the new bridge spanning I-10 at Chandler Boulevard.

Phipps said an upcoming bond election will also give voters the chance to further improve the park facilities.

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