Office of the City Manager

TO: Mayor and Council

FROM: Chris Hillman, City Manager

DATE: October 7, 2011

SUBJECT: Issues Update

4TH ANNUAL CTCA CHAMPIONSHIPS. The 4th Annual Cancer Treatment Centers of America Tennis Championships, presented by Sanderson Volvo is returning to Surprise this weekend, October 8-9, and will feature tennis greats , , , Michael , and . Surprise is the sixth stop on the newly expanded and reformatted Champions Series circuit, which will hit 12 U.S. cities over a five week season this fall. All 12 stops will include a one- night tournament featuring four men’s champions paired off in one-set semi-finals competing for ranking points, culminating with the winners contending for the title in an eight-game pro-set championship match. The athletes will compete for a prize pool totaling $1 million to be shared by the top three finishers at the conclusion of the season.

Surprise has exclusively added another element to their tournament by including a second session which will feature a mixed doubles match between Chang, Courier, Evert and Austin. There are also VIP clinics, meet & greets and hospitality events where guests can get up close and personal with the players.

Match Schedule:

Session 1 Saturday, October 8 @ 6pm Semi-Final #1: Jim Courier vs. Mats Wilander Semi-Final #2: Pete Sampras vs. Michael Chang Championship Match

Session 2 Sunday, October 9 @ Noon Match 1: Jim Courier vs. Michael Chang Match 2: Chris Evert & Jim Courier vs. Tracy Austin & Michael Chang

SOUTHWEST GAS 16" HIGH PRESSURE GAS LINE. Southwest Gas has been working on Grand Avenue installing a 16” high pressure gas line from Loop 303 to Litchfield Road. They will now begin the first stage of a 16" high pressure gas line at Litchfield Road and Bell Road on Monday morning October 10, 2011. In an effort to minimize any cutting of the rubberized asphalt on Bell Rd, the contractor will

Mayor & Council -2- October 7, 2011 utilize underground boring to place the section of pipeline that crosses Bell Rd. This operation will require a 24 hour closure of the left turn and a through lane for both the north and south bound traffic on Litchfield Road for five days. This method will also dramatically minimize any lane closures on Bell Rd that would be typical of an open trench excavation installation. Once this section of pipeline is in place, the contractor will continue the installation via open trench, headed north to Grand Ave, where it will be connected to a newly placed line along Grand Ave. This project will ultimately connect the new pipeline to an existing 16” valve at the southeast corner of Litchfield and Bell. The contractor will be working 6-7 days a week in an effort to complete the project before the Thanksgiving Holiday. Please contact Southwest Gas at 602-484-5478 with any questions or concerns regarding the installation or Tracy Eberlein, Traffic Engineering Supervisor at 623-222-1732 regarding questions on traffic barricades.

FALL LEAGUE. This week marks the start of another Arizona Fall League season at Surprise Stadium. Nineteen regular season home games are scheduled to be played in Surprise Stadium, as well as, the league’s annual Rising Stars Game. Tickets to games are $7 for adults and $6 for seniors and youth. The Arizona Fall League teams are comprised of the top prospects in minor league baseball. Each Major League team sends their top 6 prospects to participate. The Surprise Saguaros are made up of prospects from the Braves, Marlins, Royals, Rays, and Rangers. For the 2011 MLB Season, 55% of the players on opening day rosters came through the Arizona Fall League.

SURPRISE RING OF FIRE CRAFT BEER AND LOCAL FOOD FESTIVAL. The Surprise Ring of Fire Craft Beer and Local Food Festival which is co-sponsored by Golden Eagle and Sierra Nevada will be held Saturday, October 8 from Noon – 6pm at the Surprise Recreation Campus - Tennis and Racquet Complex. Patrons can enjoy samplings from unique specialty Craft beers brewed along the Pacific Ocean’s “Ring of Fire”. Local cuisine from Surprise restaurants including Macayo’s, Las Fuentes and TGI Fridays will also be available for purchase. The festival will include live entertainment, featuring Ron’s Garage Band and The Chadwicks along with special guest appearances by Beth McDonald of 99.9 KEZ and the Morning Mayor Dave Pratt from 103.9 The Edge. Customers can also enjoy the WHAM Art Exhibit and Demonstration or browse through the Vendor Village.

CITY OF SURPRISE DOG PARK CLOSED OCTOBER 12 – 26. The Small and Large Dog Park located at the Surprise Recreation Campus – Community Park, 15953 N. Bullard Avenue, will be closed October 12 – 26 for yearly maintenance and over-seeding purposes. The Dog Parks will reopen on Thursday, October 27. Signage has been posted on site for the last 3 weeks to remind residents of the closure.

SURPRISE “SECOND SUNDAYS IN THE PARK” TO BEGIN NEW SERIES OCT 9TH. The City of Surprise is kicking off the new series of “Second Sundays in the Park” on Sunday October 9th from 2-5 pm. This first event will feature German Music, German Dancing, and roaming entertainment. Families are encouraged to bring a picnic or purchase food from the onsite vendors and enjoy the free entertainment.

“Second Sundays in the Park” will take place the second Sunday of each month through the spring. Entertainment at future events is as follows:

 November 13th 2 pm – 5 pm - Live jazz music from “Steppin into Tomorrow” and roaming entertainment

Mayor & Council -3- October 7, 2011  December 11th 2 pm-5pm – Live rock and roll from “Chuck E. Baby and the Allstars” along with roaming entertainment All events will take place at Surprise Community Park, 15953 N. Bullard Avenue.