SE Valley Times

Mesa invites its residents to celebrate the expansion of Monterey Park, 7045 E. Monterey Ave., and the grand opening of a new Mesa Express Library. This one-of-a-kind self-service library is outfitted with Expanded Access technology to enable patrons to access the facility using their library barcode and PIN.

The Monterey Park expansion, which started in June 2022, has nearly doubled the park’s size and includes four youth baseball/softball fields, four pickleball courts, two ramadas, restrooms and two entry and exit points from Power Road.

“The Monterey Park expansion and our new express library will be points of pride in this part of Mesa, adding to our city’s incredible library, parks and recreational facilities,” said Mayor John Giles. “We appreciate the generous donation from the Chicago Cubs Charities and Mesa Hohokams to support the park’s development. I’m excited for more families to enjoy the park’s features and the unique self-service library.”

Mesa Mayor John Giles and Mesa City Council members will attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony on Saturday, October 28, at 11:30 a.m. Following a brief program, the City will host a community celebration with games and activities, face painting, balloon animals, sports-related crafts and giveaways. Attendees will be able to tour the library and sign up for library cards.

“The Monterey Park Expansion and the new Mesa Express Library are a testament to the strong partnership between our City government and the community,” said District 6 Councilmember Scott Somers. “Their input resulted in a 21-acre concept site plan with amenities for people of ages, abilities and interests. I can’t thank our residents enough for their contribution.”

“Monterey Park has a definite wow factor with so many great amenities, including the Mesa Express Library. It took a lot of different groups, plus our residents and City Council, to make this a reality,” said Troy Campbell, Chair of the Mesa Parks and Recreation Advisory Board.

The new Mesa Express Library at Monterey Park was carefully designed with the future in mind. Some of its cutting-edge features include a video kiosk to connect patrons with staff at other libraries if they need assistance, outdoor book lockers and a book drop along with popular books for all ages.

“We are excited about having our high-tech express library at Monterey Park, providing a much-needed service to this part of Mesa,” said Polly Bonnett, Mesa Public Library Director. “We want to give special thanks to our library patrons who have been patiently waiting for the new Mesa Express Library to open.”

The Chicago Cubs Charities and Mesa Hohokams generously donated $200,000 for the park’s development. The quad fields for baseball and softball are named Cubs Fields at Monterey Park, presented by the Mesa Hohokams. The individual fields are named for Cubs legends Ryne Sandberg, Andre Dawson and Lee Smith, plus Buck O’Neil, who became the first African-American major league coach for the Cubs and later helped establish the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City.

Funding for the Monterey Park expansion was from the 2018 Parks Bond approved by voters, and money for the Mesa Express Library was from the City’s General Fund. Mesa acquired the land for the expansion through the 2012 Parks Bond. 

Original source can be found here.