PHX Reporter

Led by Vice Chairman Thomas Galvin, the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors has approved an investment of $108,000 from Community Solutions Funding to enhance splash pad facilities at A New Leaf's La Mesita Apartments. The apartments serve around 500 individuals annually, many of whom face housing insecurity, with nearly half being children and youth.

"A New Leaf is a fantastic nonprofit that connects families with services that aim to help them overcome challenging crisis situations and give them a new lease on life," stated Vice Chairman Thomas Galvin, District 2. "I am proud to support this improvement project at La Mesita Apartments that renovates their existing splash pad and ensures that the young children who live there have a safe place to play and explore."

The allocated funds will be used for refurbishing the current splash pad by replacing the concrete surface with Tuff Coat Safety Surfacing, fixing broken equipment, and installing larger underground water storage tanks. These upgrades aim to keep the water cool in hot weather. The existing tanks are insufficiently insulated, leading to safety concerns due to hot water distribution.

Michael Hughes, Chief Executive Officer of A New Leaf, expressed gratitude for the funding: "A New Leaf is proud to serve Maricopa County families by giving them access to community resources like educational classes on financial wellness and parenting, workforce services that assist residents in finding meaningful careers, and Early Head Start and Head Start programs that help children grow. We are tremendously grateful for Supervisor Galvin's help in renovating the splash pad at La Mesita and know it will bring a lot of joy to the families who live there and may be experiencing big life transitions."

The county budget allocates each supervisor a specific amount of Community Solutions Funding annually. This funding aims to advance strategic goals within Maricopa County while providing clear public benefits for its residents. Further information on recent projects can be found on the Maricopa County News page.