Gilbert has two ways to mark Veterans Day on Wednesday, November 11. A morning breakfast at Gilbert Community Center will honor senior veterans, and Freestone Recreation Center will offer free admission to veterans at its East Guadalupe Road facility. The activities have separate locations and arrangements.

The breakfast runs from 8:30 a.m. to noon at 130 North Oak Street. Coffee and doughnuts open the morning, with a pledge and ceremony honoring senior veterans at 9 a.m. Breakfast and music follow at 9:15 a.m., and bingo is scheduled for 10:45 a.m. The town also lists crafts. Town of Gilbert breakfast listing.

The breakfast was open to all ages with registration, which closed Friday, November 6. If you missed the deadline, ask the community center whether a spot has opened before going. Registered guests who want to attend the ceremony should aim to be there before 9 a.m. Freestone Veterans Day listing.

The free admission offer for veterans is at Freestone Recreation Center, 1141 East Guadalupe Road. The event notice gives the date and address, so call Freestone to confirm hours, what to bring and any admission charges for accompanying guests.

The Senior Center also lists an opportunity for sponsors to help put together gift packages for senior veterans. Check the town’s event listing for the sponsorship contact or the community center’s page for facility information. Gilbert Community Center.

Gilbert is extending Ocotillo Road from Greenfield Road to Higley Road, creating another east–west route in south Gilbert once it opens to regular traffic. The project also includes a pedestrian crossing near Gilbert Regional Park, where construction photos show a shaded lookout deck taking shape.

The work involves three vehicular bridges and a box culvert. The town’s designs show crossings at the Roosevelt Water Conservation District Canal, East Maricopa Floodway, Chandler Heights Regional Basin and Queen Creek Wash. The canal culvert was built in an early phase, and the basin crossing spans land planned for a future phase of the park. Town project update.

Gilbert puts the total investment at $112 million and says more than 6,000 residents weighed in on the bridge design. The contractor describes a 264-foot steel arch bridge as the largest span in the project. The pedestrian features will give people a place to stop and look out near the park. Town crossing designs.

The town’s published construction window runs from summer 2024 through fall 2026. Before counting on the extension for a regular drive, look for an official traffic opening and follow posted directions. The project hotline is 480-898-4090.

The town’s project page includes construction photos, and its crossing designs show why multiple structures are needed along the same stretch of road. Those drawings also show how the new connection relates to the park and the waterways around it. Construction overview.

Gilbert will collect weekly trash and recycling on the usual days during Thanksgiving week, including Thursday, November 26. The holiday exception is bulk trash, which pauses that week. If you’re cleaning up before visitors arrive, check your zone’s next bulk date before taking large items to the curb.

Weekly collection runs Monday for Zone A, Tuesday for Zone B, Wednesday for Zone C, Thursday for Zone D and Friday for Zone E. If you’ve moved or are helping a relative at another address, look up that household on the town’s collection zone map. Gilbert’s pickup schedule and zone map.

Regular carts must be out by 5 a.m. on your pickup day. You can set them out after 6 p.m. the evening before, which may be easier if you’re cooking or traveling in the morning. Gilbert asks residents to put out their recycling cart when it’s full and bring carts back by 6 a.m. the next day. Town trash guidelines.

Bulk collection generally runs every five weeks. When it resumes for your zone, set out eligible items no earlier than the Saturday before your collection week and no later than 5 a.m. Monday. Check the town’s current calendar for the specific week that applies to your address.

For a missed regular pickup, use Gilbert 311 or call 480-503-6400. The town lists a $50 return-trip fee when carts went out too late, so the evening set-out window can save a second call. Town recycling guidelines.