Life Coach in Mesa, AZ

Big names in sports and entertainment have their eyes fixed on an upcoming athletic event in the Valley.

No, we're not talking about the Super Bowl. It's the nation's fastest-growing sport: pickleball.

What's happening: Major League Pickleball (MLP), the buzzy pro circuit, is hosting its first competition of the year at Mesa's Bell Bank Park, which kicked off Thursday and will continue through Sunday.

Why it matters: Professional and recreational pickleball's popularity has exploded, with an 11.5% average annual growth rate among recreational players over the past five years. Celebrities such as Tom Brady, Kevin Durant and Heidi Klum have purchased teams.

State of play: This weekend's tournament has two levels: the Premier Level, made up of the top 48 players drafted, and the Challenger Level, which consists of the next 48.

Zoom in: Arizona's MLP team, AZ Drive, is in the Challenger Level and faced the Atlanta Bouncers, Brooklyn Aces and Dallas Pickleball Club Thursday. The Drive won only one match and did not advance to the quarterfinals.

What they're saying: Fitzgerald isn't just a financier — he also picked up the sport as a hobby during the pandemic. And he takes his performance very seriously.

Be smart: MLP is live-streaming all the games on YouTube.

MESA, AZ, Jan. 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In today’s economy and with things costing what they do, saving money has become an important factor for people, especially in hot climates like Arizona. It’s no wonder saving on energy bills has become a hot topic – no pun intended. Especially considering Mesa, AZ air conditioner installation costs have risen along with many products and services. Inefficient heating & AC units are costing American homeowners over $15 Billion dollars annually. Many Arizonians are concerned about the cost of a new air conditioner in Mesa, AZ, and with good reason.

In some cases, especially in hot climates, air conditioning can be responsible for up to 50% of monthly energy bills. While Mesa, AZ central air installation may be a significant investment, it can help cut down on costs over time. However, there are more efficient ways to save money on AC.

High Energy Bill paragraph

What Is HVAC Monitoring?

Heating, air, and ventilation (HVAC) monitoring Systems are vital to controlling energy consumption. They can provide valuable data about equipment performance, such as temperatures, humidity, as well as cleanliness.

THE BENEFITS OF HVAC CONTROL SYSTEM

HVAC monitoring is a great option to boost productivity and health in a commercial working environment. They can monitor temperatures and motors in addition to various system components. These systems can also provide a warning if there are potential issues. Falcon Air Conditioning, a Mesa, AZ air conditioner contractor, advises that monitoring the condition of an HVAC system allows action to be taken before the need for a brand-new system. Mesa, AZ mini split ac installation as well as central ac installation can be costly. Modern HVAC technology allows the people of Arizona and across the U.S., to cut down on energy usage, eventually allowing for a return on this investment.

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MESA, AZ — The Arizona Department of Transportation moved up its construction timeline for the U.S. 60 freeway by six months, and work will begin on the eastbound lanes, starting at Dobson Road, Friday night.

Drivers, however, still have bad memories from the first phase of the project.

When crews removed the worn, rubberized, asphalt from the U.S. 60 back in November of 2021, and ran out of funds to finish, the mess for drivers began almost immediately.

Dangerous debris caused damage to cars, and thick clouds of dust covered property at nearby homes, leaving residents with health concerns.

More than 140 damage claims were filed with the state, totaling at least $85,000.

"I have contacted ADOT many times," said Mesa resident Virginia Woolf.

The issue got so bad that Woolf went beyond the state, writing a letter to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and the Biden administration to see if they could help.

In part of the letter, Woolf wrote, "I've been part of the expansion of the road when it was first connected and made into a safe clean and beautiful highway... Now it's a death trap, unsafe at any speed."

Woolf never heard back from Buttigieg, and her concerns remained. So when a flyer arrived in the mail from ADOT about a week ago, saying construction would begin again on the U.S. 60, she couldn't help but be skeptical that the ride would be any smoother this time around.

"And now they say it's going to be done at night, and they're going to clean it up, and they're going to have controls and everything, but who really knows," she said.

Woolf was shocked to learn ADOT would again be using McNeil Brothers, the same contractor as before.

"Don't we deserve better?" Woolf said.

ADOT released the following statement addressing the construction and its use of McNeil Brothers:

ADOT and this contractor responded proactively to the situation in 2021 and results were significantly improved when the work near Gilbert Road was completed in early 2022. We will continue to work closely with the contractor in limiting the size of individual work zones to minimize debris and dust that this type of work can create. The project's goal in the coming months is to improve the driving surface of this busy stretch of US 60, making for a smoother ride for drivers.

The current project will cover a 14-mile stretch of the U.S. 60 between Loop 101 and Loop 202.

ADOT will be replacing the existing asphalt with a diamond-grind surface, of which Woolf is no fan.

"It grabs your tires and moves your car," she said.

ADOT anticipates construction on the US 60 should be complete in six months.

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I've lived in Phoenix, Arizona, for over a decade now, and throughout the past years have traveled into and out of town countless times by car, train, and plane.

As it's a sprawling metropolis, visitors and locals alike primarily rely on cars to get around. The city's layout is a grid system, which helps make it relatively easy to navigate, in my opinion.

Here are my local tips for getting to and around Phoenix, from the closest airport to the most convenient ways to explore the town and wider metro area.

Getting into town by plane, train, and car

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) is the primary airport in the city and the most popular way for visitors to get into and out of town when traveling from a distance.

It's a hub for American Airlines and a base for Southwest Airlines, and many other major airlines fly in and out of the airport, including regional airlines like United, Alaska, and Frontier, as well as international airlines like British, Condor, and Volaris.

PHX has two operating terminals with shopping, convenience stores, and several outposts of local restaurants including SanTan Brewing, Chelsea's Kitchen, and Matt's Big Breakfast. And although it's ranked the 11th busiest airport in the world and the 9th busiest for US traffic, PHX in my experience is easy to navigate because the terminals are compact and walkable.

Driving

Phoenix is well-connected to the rest of the country via highways, and driving into town can be convenient for visitors from neighboring states.

For example, Los Angeles is typically six hours away by car, Las Vegas is around five hours away, and Albuquerque is about six and a half hours away. I've made the drive to and from each of these cities several times and it's very straightforward.

Train

There are three Amtrak connecting stations within the city, including one at the airport, another at the Greyhound Station also near the airport, and the third located downtown. Visitors traveling on Amtrak will switch to a connecting bus at the Amtrak station in Maricopa, about 50 miles south of Phoenix.

I've done the trek from Phoenix to the Midwest several times in the past, and in my experience it's a fun, nostalgic Americana way to make the trip.

Getting around town

Car rental

If you want to do and see a lot around the valley, I highly recommend renting a car. The city is an urban sprawl, encompassing 500 square miles, and many landmarks and notable destinations are an easy 20 minute-drive from one another.

So, you'll save time and money and gain loads of freedom with a car, in my opinion. Rentals are available from major companies like Hertz, National, Thrifty, and Enterprise at the airport.

Parking is also very easy to come by throughout the city because everything is spread out, and in many places it's free or inexpensive.

Rideshare

That said, you can technically get around the Phoenix metro without a car rental by relying on rideshare and the public transit system. Uber, Lyft, and Waymo are plentiful, which, in my experience, makes calling rideshare a cinch.

This can obviously add up, though, if you're relying on it consistently to get from one part of town to another. For example, a trip from Tempe to North Scottsdale can cost between $40 and $50 on Lyft, as of publishing.

Public transit

Another option for getting around town is our public transit, which includes a network of bus stops and the Valley Metro Rail, a limited light rail that runs from West Mesa to North Phoenix along a single line.

I personally rely on my car to get around almost everywhere, but for some locals the Rail is convenient for getting around short distances in a single direction.

You can also avoid a car rental if you plan to skip nature excursions outside of Phoenix, and stay in an area that's fairly concentrated, like downtown Phoenix or Old Town Scottsdale. Both neighborhoods are pedestrian-friendly with plentiful restaurants and shopping for a leisurely trip.

View Insider's comprehensive guide to visiting Phoenix, Arizona.

Over the holidays, AT&T announced it had formed a joint venture with the private equity company BlackRock Alternatives to provide a wholesale fiber network across the U.S.

Now that everyone’s back to work, Fierce was able to get a few more details about this JV, which is named Gigapower.

AT&T said it wasn’t prepared yet to talk about locations and build plans for the new wholesale fiber network. However, a spokesperson said, “Gigapower is expected to help AT&T bring fiber service to the Mesa, Arizona area, with commercialization expected to begin in 2023.”

AT&T was active in the Mesa market in the second half of 2022. In August, Corning said it would build a new factory in Gilbert, Arizona, to manufacture optical cable. And it was doing this to support demand for cable from AT&T and others.

Concurrent with Corning’s announcement, AT&T announced plans to deploy fiber service in Mesa, making it the sixth operator to target the Phoenix suburb.

A few of the operators targeting the Mesa market are planning to build open-access fiber networks, which they can lease to other providers. AT&T’s work in Mesa will fall into the open-access category.

Recently, AT&T COO Jeff McElfresh indicated the operator is experimenting in markets like Mesa to see what happens when it deploys fiber outside of its traditional ILEC footprint.

Fierce asked if Gigapower already has an experienced management team in place or if the team is all brand new and recently hired.

AT&T said Gigapower “has a management team that represents decades of experience in telecommunications.” The team will develop and operate the Gigapower network separate from AT&T. Bill Hogg, CEO of Gigapower, spent about 20 years at AT&T before retiring as President of Technology Operations in 2018.

Why does AT&T want to build out of footprint while it’s still aiming toward 30 million locations in footprint?

AT&T said there is high customer demand for fiber, and it wants to satisfy the demand both in and out of its footprint “provided we can earn an appropriate return on our investment.”

“When expanding outside our existing wireline service area, it’s likely to be in both rural and metropolitan communities – but the commonality will be that these areas are not places currently widely served with fiber,” said AT&T. “Such fiber deployments will also support our wireless business.”

There’s a lot of money about to be distributed to states via the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program to deploy fiber broadband. AT&T acknowledged that Gigapower is working with state and local governments to create public-private partnerships to build broadband networks, using federal money allocated for that purpose.

The elephant in the room is: virtually every industry in America is experiencing worker shortages right now. Typically, when incumbent service providers are asked if they have enough workers to deploy all this new fiber infrastructure, their answer is that they have long planning horizons and have lined up the necessary workers far in advance.

But Gigapower is a new entity.

When asked about the worker pipeline, AT&T said, “We are confident in the ability of the Gigapower team to meet the build goals that they have set, deploying a reliable, multi-gig fiber network to an initial 1.5 million customer locations across the nation using a commercial open access platform.”