Sunday, June 27, 2010

Will There Be Any Accountability Before Oro Valley Helps Subsidize MTCVB & TREO?

We'll sit back and see what the Oro Valley Council does as it concerns giving tens of thousands of our dollars to the Metropolitan Tucson Convention & Visitors Bureau (MTCVB) & Tucson Regional Economic Opportunities (TREO.)

Vice Mayor Bill Garner & Council Member Barry Gillaspie have stated publicly that there must be an accountability as to what we will be getting for our money.

This is certainly reasonable and a prudent business decision.

Inasmuch as the Hilton Resort will undoubtedly be the main recipient of any tourist dollars coming into the community, one would think they would be spending their money,(not ours) in generating tourism.

Read the Az Star article here.

http://azstarnet.com/business/local/article_d7c74625-4841-5061-a835-81f63cc44b48.html

15 comments:

Nombe Watanabe said...

The WINGATE?
The HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS?

Even the El Conquistador is a pale echo of La Paloma or Ventana.

This is like the AZ Daily Star's recent puff piece claiming that OV is becoming a restaurant "hot spot", yeah the grill at the new In N Out is hot alright.

The money spent on MTCVB or TREO should be spent on attracting something, ANYTHING just a bit more upscale!!

Now excuse me, I have to get over to the Ventana for Sunday brunch. Zev, the lox there is wonderful.

Zev Cywan said...

Thanks for the tip, Nombe, now I MUST go there for brunch! Lox....mmmm!

Richard Furash, MBA said...

I love Lox.

Oro Valley Mom said...

I guess the big question is, HOW do you generate tourism? I think that's why the CVB was resistant to providing measurement data. They have a huge organization, and they spend a lot of money, and they just say, well, here's your share. But if it's not providing results for Oro Valley in the form of more tax dollars generated than spent, then we shouldn't expect the taxpayers to fund it.


The problem is, four of the council members stated during the forums that they were against performance measures, and the fifth was appointed by those four. So my guess is that there will be lots of taxpayer money handed out without any expectation of results.

Zev Cywan said...

Has anybody wondered at the base cause of lack of 'tourism' here in Oro Valley - there is no here, here - no museums, no art galleries, no cultural events, no concerts, no sporting events, etc. Yes, there is Catalina State Park which is beautiful but is limited to those who want a 'walking' or 'hiking experience' and a bit of golf which 'tourists' can experience anywhere throughout the Country - otherwise, there is nada. Recently it has been 'mentioned' that we are experiencing growth in the 'eatery' arena in Oro Valley - big whoop; it's great for us who live here but nothing special for those who don't. Oro VCalley has to get real - we are NOT a tourist attraction; we could have been if we had planned the Community for such but we decided that we
were to be a bio-tech center (hmmm) instead of a 'playground'; soooo - where's the 'beef'?

Oro Valley Mom said...

Zev, you're exactly right. And that's why I think that it is such a mistake to defund Steam Pump Ranch. It is the one of the very few attractions that is unique to Oro Valley. Right now, there is nothing. That's why I think it's very foolish to give money to the CVB rather than put that money into infrastructure that will make people want to visit Oro Valley and spend money here.

Nombe Watanabe said...

Oro Valley Mom makes a good point. However, I think it would cost millions to bring the SP Ranch into any form which would attract dollars.

Suggestions: Concert Venue? Park? Museum site?

All above cost big bucks.

Zev Cywan said...

Nombe, had the Town not screwed around with the Naranja Site for 9 years with studies, consultants, and much ado about local sport facilities, we could have had a fee structured park complex with an amphitheater for concerts, plays, et al, perhaps an I-Max theater, we could have had an indoor museum facility, we could have had a beautiful nature park ala Tohono Chul as well as a desert museum in combination or singularly, and we could have had some ballpark, tennis, playground facilities to boot. So 'they' played around for nine years and came up with nothing 'cause by then everything cost too much and the People didn't want to pay for a sports complex and such designed for a few instead of many, a 'vision' that wouldn't add a dime to OV's coffers. This was a blown opportunity by tunnel visioned bureaucrats who saw (see) Oro Valley as a tech center and thus opine(d) that we need(ed)the ballpark playing fields to enhance our attraction for big business as if that's what newcomers really want.

So, why visit Oro Valley now? Steam Pump Ranch? A big draw? Hmmm! A power center - Oro Valley Market Place with it's unusual restaurants and 'boutique', low scale discount stores like Tillys?
The 'downtown' core of Oro Valley, Lambert Lane and La Canada with it's empty storefronts and blase
appearance.

Oro Valley COULD have been a superb place to develop ourselves as an hospitality center with resorts, plaza style boutique shopping, and myriads of chic restaurants, etc. Our topography is (was) great for that but no, 'we' thought it would be better to have tech centers with little income generating potential for the Town.

We've developed into a Town with NO personality; so what's the 'destination' attraction here?
And to top that off, I'm now told I must go to the Ventana to get some great lox. This just isn't right!

Victorian Cowgirl said...

The town screwing around with the Naranja site for 9 years and still ending up with nothing is simply par for the course for Americans these days. It's now 9 years after September 11th and Americans have also failed to rebuild anything at ground zero.

Look at what the Greatest Generation accomplished in the 1940's during WWII. They turned this country into a superpower practically overnight because they weren't afraid of hard work and sacrifice, and they weren't afraid of being politically incorrect. They did what needed to be done.

Today, we're a nation of "head-scratchers." We can't make a move until we've analyzed, scrutinized, studied, hashed, rehashed, dissected, evaluated, and consulted.

Maybe I should start a pool. What parcel of land will be developed into something worthwhile first? Ground Zero or the Naranja Town Site?

Zev Cywan said...

Ditto, VC, except that I refuse to enter a 'pool' in that I might expire before a conclusion is attained.

Palomino said...

I'm just getting caught up on the postings after being away for a few days.

I see that my Hornat and Waters comments created a bit of a firestorm, but after reading all the subsequent posts on the subject, I have to say it's true what Cowgirl stated in her Good Old Boys "thesis." I am the one who made the comments yet she is the one who was "attacked" for merely referencing them.

As for this thread, Zev is correct that there is no "here" here. I go to Tucson or Scottsdale for museums, art galleries, restaurants, etc. I go to the Desert Diamond Casino for musical shows. As if the Phoenix area doesn't already have enough things to do, they've recently opened an aquarium and a musical instrument museum. I expect I'll be running into Cowgirl at the aquarium and Nombe at the music museum!

Oro Valley leaders have never had any vision. Will the new council "leadership" be any different? Only time will tell but I expect that 4 years from now, everything will be in the same state that it's in today.

With all the natural beauty that is Oro Valley, we "coulda been a contender" in the tourism industry but our leaders thought that strip malls and discount chains were just the ticket.

I think Zev just created the perfect slogan for Oro Valley:

"Oro Valley: A blown opportunity by tunnel-visioned bureaucrats."

More later...

Astute Gal said...

Well, this thread got off track quickly enough--going from TREO/MTCVB to the Naranja Town Site.

The NTS sits there because the Town got a great deal on the land at state auction. However, there has never been enough money to do anything beyond the initial planning. The infrastructure alone to support the park (water, sewer, electric) comes to millions of dollars.

Maybe, some day (probably not in my lifetime), OV voters will pass bonds or a sales tax increase to fund the development of the NTS. There's no way it will ever, ever be funded from the Town's General Fund.

In the mean time, enjoy the hiking trails and pick up after your dogs.

freedom fighters said...

Speaking of dogs, bring your own water for them. I've heard of a few dogs that have come down with fatal illnesses as a result of drinking water at the Naranja site.

Jay D said...

Sadly, it's easy to repeat things we hear out and about, without checking the facts. That's the case with this statement: "...dogs that have come down with fatal illnesses as a result of drinking water at the Naranja site."

A friend's wife told me she read this on the blog, but took it upon herself to call the Town's Parks and Rec office. Did you know that there is NO water at the Naranja Town Site?

Astute Gal said...

Jay D--
Water DOES collect at the site because there used to be a mining operation at its lowest point, and there is some natural pooling. Is it any less safe than any other pool of water on an empty lot? Probably not.

Thank you for knocking down one more urban myth.