Good morning, Queen Creek.
Deep summer now, so the library, the food trucks, and the after-dark events are carrying the calendar this week. The bigger news is on the roads.
- 🛣️ Germann and Sossaman widening inches forward. A long-promised fix for the crossing is moving again, slowly.
- 🌮 A Taco Bell heads to the town council. A drive-through proposed off Ellsworth Road goes to a vote.
- 🏡 Hastings Farms reaches its final homes. Cresleigh Homes posts closeout sales.
- 🌽 Corn Roast at the Olive Mill. Friday night, street corn and music.
- 🏫 QCUSD board meets Tuesday. Study session at 4:30, regular session at 6.
- 🏀 Around the Valley. The Mercury, an indie triple bill, and the D-backs.
Relief for Germann and Sossaman, eventually
The widening of Germann and Sossaman roads is moving again, but a Union Pacific rail crossing and a state approval process mean drivers should not expect a quick fix.
Key facts:
- The project widens Germann Road and Sossaman Road, two of the corridors that back up daily.
- The holdup involves a Union Pacific railroad crossing, which needs sign-off from the Arizona Corporation Commission (the state body that regulates rail crossings).
- The Queen Creek Tribune frames the timeline as "some day," not soon.
Road capacity tends to lag growth in a town adding rooftops as fast as this one, which is why an intersection fix can sit in planning for years before a shovel turns. The Sossaman and Hunt Highway corridors are the ones residents complain about most, and a rail crossing is one of the slowest pieces of right-of-way to untangle.
What to watch: the timeline, and whether the Corporation Commission piece moves this year. Details.
Around the corner
🌮 A Taco Bell could land off Ellsworth Road. The town council is set to vote on a proposed Taco Bell near Ellsworth, one more drive-through in the Ellsworth retail run. Details.
🛣️ Maricopa and Queen Creek sign off on a Hunt Highway connection. The City of Maricopa entered an agreement with the town over a Hunt Highway connection, a corridor plenty of QC drivers use to get south. Details.
🏡 Hastings Farms hits its final homes. Cresleigh Homes is running closeout sales on its last lots at Hastings Farms, one of the master-planned communities that has filled in QC's south end over the past decade. Details.
🌾 A family is working to save the big tin cotton gin. After a Queen Creek property sold for a new gas station, a local family is trying to preserve the old tin cotton gin on the site, a working piece of the town's farming past. The kind of growth-versus-character call this town keeps making. Details.
💆 Modern Grace Laser and Aesthetics opened. The new medical aesthetics practice is in the Artistic Umbrella Studio Suites at 40975 N Ironwood Drive, serving Queen Creek and San Tan Valley. Founded by licensed aesthetician and laser tech Michelle. Details.
🚓 The police chief toured the town's new facility. Queen Creek's police chief gave ABC15 a walk-through of the new building. Details.
🏠 Typical rent in Queen Creek is about $2,237 a month, up 1% over the past year.
⛽ Valley gas prices fell for a third straight week. The roundup maps where to find the cheapest fill-up in town. Details.
The week
Monday
- 🎬 Cinema Club. Adult film discussion at the Queen Creek Library, 6 p.m. tonight. Details.
Tuesday
- 🎨 Library day for all ages. Suminagashi paper marbling for adults at 10 a.m., teen Shakespeare acting at 2 p.m., and a teen social, The Council, at 3:30. All at the Queen Creek Library. Details.
Wednesday
- 🦖 Science Heroes: Digging It. Drop-in science for every age group at the Queen Creek Library, 3 p.m. Details.
Friday
Saturday
- 🥕 Pecan Lake Farmers Market. Local growers and makers at the Queen Creek Botanical Gardens by Pecan Lake, 7 a.m. Details.
Sunday
- 🐎 Beat the Heat riding series. The covered Chapman arena opens to the public for riding, 6 a.m. to noon. Details.
Heads up: Shrek the Musical runs June 26 to 29 at QCPAC, evenings at 7 p.m. with a Saturday matinee. Tickets are $16 for adults, $14 for kids and seniors. Details.
From the schools
🏫 QCUSD governing board meets Tuesday. The Queen Creek Unified board holds a study session at 4:30 p.m. and its regular session at 6 p.m. on June 16. Details.
Around the Valley
A few picks worth leaving town for this week.
🏀 Phoenix Mercury vs. Las Vegas Aces. Wednesday at 7 p.m., Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix. The Aces bring the league's marquee roster to town. Tickets.
🎸 Metric, Broken Social Scene, and Stars. Wednesday at 7 p.m., Arizona Financial Theatre. Three Canadian indie mainstays on one bill, which almost never happens. Tickets.
⚾ Diamondbacks vs. Angels. Monday at 6:40 p.m., Chase Field. An easy weeknight game with the roof closed and the AC on. Tickets.
🎤 Searows. Tuesday at 8 p.m., Crescent Ballroom. Quiet, room-filling songwriting in one of the better small rooms downtown. Tickets.