Staff Reports | Community Updates
The Mesa Leadership Class of 2026 has completed its community service project: the revitalization of a courtyard adjacent to the Mesa Historical Museum and the Arizona Baseball Museum.
The courtyard project was selected as the class’s signature service initiative to support the Mesa Historical Museum’s expansion and the opening of the Arizona Baseball Museum, the state’s first museum dedicated solely to preserving Arizona baseball history, according to a press release.
The upgraded courtyard is designed to serve as an outdoor gathering space for museum visitors, community events, educational programming and events connected to Arizona’s baseball heritage.
Ryze Outdoor Creations, a local landscaping and design company, provided an in-kind donation of design services, labor and materials for the project. The company managed the full courtyard transformation.
“We are incredibly grateful to Mesa Leadership for choosing our museum as their 2026 community project,” Susan Ricci, executive director of the Mesa Historical Museum, said. “After years of fundraising and unexpected renovation expenses, we truly didn’t know how we would complete the courtyard. Seeing it finished fills us with pride, and we’re excited to share this beautiful space with the community thanks to the Mesa Leadership Class of 2026 and the generosity of Ryze Outdoor Creations.”
The courtyard complements the Arizona Baseball Museum, which opened to the public on Feb. 21, 2026, inside the historic Lehi Auditorium.
Together, the museum and courtyard improvements reflect an effort to preserve Mesa’s history while expanding public-facing spaces for community use.
