By Shelley Ridenour | Casa Grande Dispatch
Although prior to the start of his annual state of the city address Thursday, Casa Grande Mayor Bob Jackson said there wasn’t as much to talk about this year compared to a year ago, his speech disproved that.
Jackson reminded a couple hundred people gathered at The Property Conference Center of the city’s accomplishments, disappointments and its future plans during the lunch meeting.
More than once, Jackson told people he’d “lived in a lot of places” in his lifetime, but Casa Grande tops his list of cities.
“I’ve lived in a lot of places and I really like living in Casa Grande. It’s the best place I’ve ever lived. I’m proud to be a citizen of Casa Grande,” the mayor said.
Jackson, known for his interest and focus on economic development, spent a fair amount of time discussing recent economic development successes in the city and pending projects. The city council shares that interest, he said.
Those pending ones are the topics that people ask him about more than anything else, Jackson said.
Topping the list, no surprise, he said, are questions about PhoenixMart.
Getting PhoenixMart is a feather in Casa Grande’s cap, he said.
“It’s a huge project.” With a 1.5-million-square-foot building and the potential creation of 8,000 jobs, it’s a big deal.
Admittedly, he said, an array of infrastructure issues need to be resolved before work will begin. But, he assured the crowd, PhoenixMart “is moving forward. They are coming. They are going to get here. Just don’t expect them to be here overnight.”
And, second on the list of popular questions for the mayor is: “When will Sam’s Club open?”
Soon is the answer, the mayor said. “If you drive by there, it looks finished.” He’s been told it will open in mid-April.
Jackson is optimistic that Sam’s Club will keep more shopping dollars — and therefore sales taxes — in Casa Grande instead of being lost to the Valley.
Economic development “is very competitive,” Jackson said. The key to getting a company to open its doors in Casa Grande, he said, is getting the players at the table with Casa Grande leaders. If those face-to-face meetings can occur, “we can convince them to come,” he said.
