Environmental opportunities / p. 9
An edition of the East Valley Tribune
Inside
This Week
COMMUNITY .......... 13
East Valley man with cerebral palsy to run Boston Marathon.
BUSINESS .............. 15
Couple launching in-home senior care in Queen Creek.
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More turbulence for giant EV sports park BY SCOTT SHUMAKER Tribune Staff Writer
T
he sprawling Mesa sports facility formerly known as Bell Bank Park ran into turbulence last week that will force the removal of a lot of signs after both Bell Bank and Legacy Sports USA exited the facility. All the changes are leaving workers on the ground in suspense, and likely kill for now any Queen Creek plan to include the troubled facility in its tourism marketing. The week started off with a bang with park
sponsor Bell Bank announcing it was terminating a 10-year naming rights deal with the 320-acre park, which opened in January 2022, citing “various defaults” on the agreement and “public reports of financial concern at the facility.” After Bell Bank’s announcement, park owner Legacy Cares said the park will be known as “Legacy Park: Arizona’s Premiere Sports & Entertainment Complex” until a new sponsor is found. Bell Bank’s release suggested the bank was concerned about reputational damage from
being associated with a money-losing facility that has missed scheduled loan payments since August and is in foreclosure litigation with contractors who allege that Legacy Cares owes them $30 million in unpaid bills. Bell Bank stated in the release it had “no control or influence over the operations, budget or management of the facility, nor did it make any debt or equity investment in the facility.” Uncoupling the bank’s name from the facil-
see PARK page 5
QC robotics team prepared for nationals
Rose parade
BY MARK MORAN Tribune Staff Writer
F
SPORTS ................. 21
Roy Lopez’s camp provides opportunities for youth.
COMMUNITY ............ 13 BUSINESS .................. 15 OPINION .................. 18 SPORTS .................... 21 CLASSIFIEDS .............23
LeRoy Brady is celebrating a big anniversary this year. He is the architect of Mesa Community College’s award-winning rose garden, which over years and with the help of volunteers from groups such as the Mesa-East Valley Rose Society has gained national recognition for its beauty and variety. For the story, see page 8. (David Minton/Tribune Staff Photographer)
or Sawyer Ganes, it all started under the Christmas tree one year when he was a kid. “I was like 10 and I got this big Lego technic truck,” Ganes said of his still cherished present. “I’m looking at it right now. It has this switch on the side and on the top and you can change the crane and how it moves. “It rotates and goes up and down. You can
see ROBOTICS page 3
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