An article in the June 18 Explorer notes that the OV Historical Society will attempt to educate the citizens about the proposed Steam Pump Ranch restoration.
As our readers may recall, we recently did a posting on an extremely well done interview with Henry Zipf, grandson of the founder of the old ranch, George Pusch. A Wonderful History Of Steam Pump Ranch & The Town Of Oro Valley
I would respectfully suggest that one way to generate interest in this restoration would be to make more citizens aware of this historical site by familiarizing them with this video. I found it quite by accident, and other than the many blog readers, we wonder how many other people are aware of the video.
The Explorer article is here.
http://www.explorernews.com/articles/2008/06/18/news/doc48583d5517619574639083.txt
5 comments:
There are two ways to enjoy the video interviews with Hank Zipf and the late Jim Kriegh: You can go to the following website and watch the video on your computer (although it is broken down into segments so that they're easier to load):
http://www.orovalleyaz.gov/TownInfo/History_Video.htm
Or, you could visit the Oro Valley Public Library and check out a copy of the DVD.
In either case, you'll find that it contains a wealth of information, not only about Steam Pump Ranch but about the original vision for the town.
Enjoy!
boobie-baby and others---- Isn't it great that one post can bring civility back to the blog. Perhaps we all can take the high road and this and other postings.
By the way, on the earlier posting on the video, "boobie-baby" made us aware he/she had a large role in producing it. Once again---congrats on a job well done.
I watched the videos and found them to be well done and of great value. There are, most likely, going to be plaudits and howls relative to this project.A well-informed citizenry will be needed in order to move forward.
Public funds should not be used to pay for historical preservation projects. Funds for these efforts should come from foundation grants and public donations.
Forcing the residents of Oro Valley to pay to restore old buildings is ridiculous and a misuse of public funds.
We can’t afford such frivolity, especially in tough economic times and forcing us to do so is a lawsuit waiting to happen.
Please enlighten me if you think I'm nuts!
Zee Man,
I can't speak to whether you're nuts or not, but the acquisition, restoration and maintenance of Steam Pump Ranch has been a long and complicated process. I don't know all of the ins and outs but, briefly, the Town was able to use funds from County bonds that were approved by you (the voters) some years ago combined with some Town funds. The bond funds became available when a plan to purchase the land north of the Naranja Town Site fell through and the owner exercised his right to build homes there (sadly).
Historical preservation takes a combination of public, private and non-profit funding to work. Frequently, grants require matching dollars; non-profits will have a difficult time in the present economy, but things will improve. In any event, the property was in such sad shape that immediate remediation had to be undertaken.
Eventually, private business may be the savior for the property if it is developed as a "welcome center" for the Town with, perhaps, the Chamber of Commerce, Historical Society and other commerical enterprises occupying the site.
I would encourage you to get involved in the planning for Steam Pump. That way, you won't be as "nuts" as you might think you are.
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