East Valley’s ghostbusters / P.10
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NEWS ........................ 7 CUSD students’ score results near pre-pandemic levels.
BUSINESS ..............17 QC couple owns dual mobile pet businesses
FREE | QueenCreekTribune.com
Sunday, October 30, 2022
Town Manager John Kross stepping down BY MARK MORAN Tribune Staff Writer
T
he leader at the helm of Arizona’s fastest growing municipality is stepping down after nearly 27 years in Queen Creek government. Town Manager John Kross’s last day on the job will be Jan. 20 after deciding “this was probably the time.” “When you’re in one place for that long,” Kross said, “you have the opportunity to work on a lot of very interesting projects
and assignments with a lot of wonderful, wonderful people and it just felt like a lot of the goals that I had established and certainly the mayor and council had established for me, have really been accomplished. “The town is in its best financial condition that it’s ever been in the history of the town and
see KROSS page 6
Town Manager John Kross has been part of Queen Creek’s government for 27 years. (Tribune file photo)
No tricks, just treats coming on Meridian Road SPORTS ................... 21 Casteel QB powering team to new heights.
COMMUNITY.........................15 BUSINESS...............................17 OPINION..................................19 SPORTS....................................21 GET OUT..................................23 CLASSIFIEDS.........................25
BY MARK MORAN Tribune Staff Writer
B
eginning this week, Queen Creek drivers can look forward to less traffic and quicker commute times thanks to the completion of a mile-long section of Meridian Road connecting town center with State Route 24. Completion of the $16-million project, set to open to motorists, means “a continuous northsouth connection from Combs Road to SR 24, providing the driving public a secondary ac-
cess to the 24,” said Dave Lipinski, director for the Queen capital improvement projects. It’s considered secondary because the first north-south corridor was a similar project connecting SR 24 and Combs Road via Ironwood Road, just to the east of Meridian. As double-digit population growth continues and creates traffic snarls, Queen Creek is racing to keep pace with roads and other infrastructure needs for residents. Lipinski said Mesa is moving forward at Signal Butte and that by spring should have that road open, “will even provide a third con-
nection to the 24 which really disperses the North-South traffic through town.” The Meridian Road project is part of a broad initiative to connect major arterial roads and side streets and complete supporting infrastructure such as street lights, traffic signals and drainage elements. As an example of how much time, money and foresight goes into a single mile of roadway, Queen Creek started planning the Meridian project in early 2000.
see ROAD page 3