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Mesquite STEAM Center reports growth; new board member Jeff Fritz introduces himself
Summary
Nikki Meador told the board the Mesquite Works STEAM Center hosted more than 6,000 visitors in 2025 and offers 15,372 educational hours; Jeff Fritz introduced himself as a new board member with a decades-long public-service background.
Nikki Meador of the Mesquite Works STEAM Center reported to the Community Education Advisory Board that the center served more than 6,000 visitors in 2025, has membership above 1,200 and offered 15,372 educational hours last year. Meador said the center is hosting a drone tournament on Feb. 21, will send teams to competitions in Las Vegas and is considering taking over adjacent Juniper Outpost space to help with occasional overcrowding.
"We tallied how many people we had through the STEAM Center last year and we had over 6,000 people visit the STEAM Center in 2025," Meador said, noting membership and volunteer growth.
Separately, Jeff Fritz introduced himself as a new board member and summarized a long career in public safety and municipal government. "My name is Jeff Fritz," he said, adding that he spent 32 years in law enforcement, including two years as a chief of police, and served as mayor and alderperson in Illinois.
Fritz said he plans to reach out to principals individually to discuss concerns and priorities. Meador and Fritz's remarks were part of a broader round of board-member comments and introductions during the meeting.
The STEAM Center's reported growth and upcoming events suggest increasing community engagement in local STEM programming; the center and board did not take binding action during this report.
