The center was closed last summer because there was nobody there to manage it. While closed, local communities saw fewer tourists and less drive-through traffic in their towns. “When the visitor ...

The U.S. Forest Service is hopeful that it will be able to reopen its Grand Mesa Visitor Center for the coming summer season after not opening it this past summer.

Reporter Maritza Dominguez covers Mesa and Gilbert and can be reached at maritza.dominguez@arizonarepublic.com or 480-271-0646. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @maritzacdom.

During their presentation, planners presented new data about Mesa’s drive thru landscape, reporting that Mesa has 5.07 drive-thrus per 10,000 residents for a total 253.