Good morning, Mesa.
- 🏨 The 233 opens at 233 E. Main. Hotel, two restaurants, and a speakeasy in one downtown building.
- 💧 City says it is ready for deep Colorado River cuts. Mayor Mark Freeman on supply, data centers, and federal negotiations.
- 🏛️ Council votes Aug. 17 on who runs the Convention Center. Legends Global would manage the center and the Amphitheater.
- 🎨 First Fridays launches at Cannon Beach. New monthly artist and vendor night in Mesa.
- 📚 Library week runs heavy on crafts and STEAM. Dobson Ranch, Main, and THINKspot all have sessions.
- 🎸 Around the Valley. Three picks worth the drive to Phoenix this week.
The 233 opens on Main Street
Downtown Mesa's newest building went live last week at 233 E. Main St., and it is four businesses stacked into one address.
Key facts:
- Address: 233 E. Main St., in the Main Street core between Country Club Drive and Mesa Drive.
- The hotel: The 233 Suites, an Unscripted by Hyatt boutique property.
- The food: Crust Simply Italian and Bombolino's Café.
- The bar: The Nightingale, a speakeasy.
- Status: Officially open as of Aug. 6.
The 233 Suites is the first hotel in the Main Street core. Mesa Arts Center, the Arizona Museum of Natural History, and the i.d.e.a. Museum all sit within walking distance, and the nearest light rail station is a few blocks west. Crust Simply Italian and Bombolino's Café are open to the street.
Watch for how the ground-floor restaurants do on non-event nights. Details.
Around Mesa
💧 The city says it is prepared for deep Colorado River cuts. Mayor Mark Freeman addressed Mesa's position as the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation works through the next round of river negotiations, including questions about water use at the data centers going up in the city's southeast corridor. Details.
🎨 Cannon Beach First Fridays launches. A new monthly event bringing artists, performers, and small businesses to the Cannon Beach surf park in Mesa. It joins a First Friday tradition that downtown Phoenix has owned for decades, but this one is on the east side of the Valley. Details.
🏛️ Council decides Aug. 17 who manages the Convention Center. A resolution before City Council would authorize the city manager to sign a management and operations agreement with Legends Global Convention Center Management LLC, covering both the Mesa Convention Center and the Mesa Amphitheater. Both venues sit in District 4. Details.
🚒 Two fire department purchases on the same Aug. 17 agenda. One is a replacement E-One Cyclone utility truck for Mesa Fire and Medical, funded by the 2024 public safety bonds, replacing a unit that has outlived its service life. The other continues the city's contract for the G2 fire station alerting system, the equipment that routes dispatch calls into the stations. Details.
⚖️ Council takes up possible litigation against fire truck makers Aug. 13. At a study session, council will consider directing the city attorney to pursue antitrust and anticompetition claims against fire apparatus manufacturers and to hire outside counsel for it. Fire engine prices and delivery times have been a national sore spot for cities. Details.
🏗️ Planning and Zoning meets Aug. 12. The board takes up minutes from its July 29 hearing, the routine first step before the current round of zoning cases moves forward. Details.
🌳 Andrea Alicoate is now the permanent parks director. She had run the Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities Department on an interim basis since December 2025, through the busiest stretch of the year. Details.
🎂 A Mesa man just turned 100. Henry Ashcroft, a World War II veteran, has a century of Mesa stories, and his son Russ helped tell them. Details.
🏠 A 2011-built home in the Trovita Estates area recently sold for $992,500. Figures are approximate, from Maricopa County Assessor public records. Details.
The week
Monday, Aug. 10
- 💻 Computer skills training. 1 PM, THINKspot at Dobson Ranch. Librarians walk teens and adults through online learning platforms. Details.
- 👕 Recycled t-shirt tote bags. 4 PM, Dobson Ranch library. No-sew, ages 12 to 18. Details.
- ✏️ Monday Nights at Main: doodle and draw. 4 PM, Main library. Family drawing challenge. Details.
Tuesday, Aug. 11
Wednesday, Aug. 12
- 📖 Pop-up storytime. 10:30 AM, Mesa Express. Fifteen minutes of stories, songs, and air conditioning. Details.
- 🖊️ 3D printer pen creations. 4 PM, Main library. 3Doodler pens, teens, limited supplies. Details.
- 🖥️ Intro to 3D design and printing. 6 PM, THINKspot at Dobson Ranch. Build a design and prep it for the library printer. Details.
- 🎤 honestav at the Nile Theater. 8 PM, 105 W. Main St. Hip-hop, two dates on the run. Tickets.
- 🧠 Trivia night. 6:30 PM, On The Green Sports Grill. Free to play, prizes. Details.
Thursday, Aug. 13
Saturday, Aug. 15
From the schools
📸 Picture day at Westwood HS is Tuesday. Aug. 11. Details.
🏈 Dobson HS flag football tryouts are Tuesday. 3:30 PM at the JV softball field. Details.
🎪 Skyline HS runs club rush at lunch Tuesday. The annual sign-up scrum for every club on campus. Details.
Around the Valley
A few picks worth driving into Phoenix for this week.
🎸 TOTO, Christopher Cross, and The Romantics. Tuesday at Arizona Financial Theatre. Three acts that each owned a stretch of early-'80s radio, on one bill. Tickets.
🎶 Lionel Richie and Earth, Wind & Fire. Tuesday at Mortgage Matchup Center. The Sing a Song All Night Long tour, an unusual co-bill for a Tuesday. Tickets.
⚾ Diamondbacks vs. Rockies. Monday at Chase Field. A division game with an easy weeknight drive up the 202. Tickets.