What A Party... Maybe Some Security Would Be Good

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Friday night. Town Of Oro Valley celebrated the opening of the Oro Valley Aquatic Center. Saturday and Sunday it hosted its first major event.  We think all went well, with two exceptions: Security and Parking.

Friday night's event had 1,500 attendees.  The gathering was  highlighted by a ribbon cutting by the Mayor, Council Members, and town officials.

Mayor Hiremath opened the festivities by recognizing members of Council, past and present, that decided to build the facility.  That includes current members as well as Barry Gillaspie.  We had the chance to talk with Barry at the opening.  "This is just the kind of thing we should do for our residents," he noted.

 

Oro Valley Town Council Cuts The Ribbon

The facility looked great.  We were corrected by one attended who noted that the facility looked "spectacular."

It is spectacular.

The facility includes an Olympic 25x100 meter pool, a 25 meter lap pool, a splash pad for the kids, a huge water slide, ample rest room areas and a family changing room.

Saturday and Sunday, the Town hosted the 8-U state championships.  This included more than 200 children and their families. There were about 2,000 present.  There were 32 events held over the two days in 2, 4-hour periods.  The timing clock worked fine.  The stands, which are situated on the west side of the facility, were serviceable.  There is a fabulous view Pusch Ridge from the stands.

With two key adjustments, Oro Valley's new aquatic center should be open for major events.


Adjustment 1:  Require substantial security presence at all events

Saturday and Sunday, Oro Valley hosted 200 kids and their families.  All it takes in one wacko to wreak havoc.  There was no security presence at the entrance to the facility either day.  So, anyone could bring anything in anytime.  There is no other way to get into the facility.  So, security presence at the "door", like at other sporting venues, would make a preventive difference.

There were no personnel visibly designated as "security" at the event, as there are at public sporting events.  Visible police presence was almost non-existent.  There was only one female officer visible on Saturday. There was no visible police presence on Sunday.

In addition, there were no police cars on-site.  We know from our interview with Chief Sharp on the Oro Valley SRO program, that visibility is an important component of prevention.

Certainly, Oro Valley will want to require visible security at all sporting events.


Adjustment 2: Parking's a mess

Of course, as one would expect, there were some glitches we observed:  No coffee in the snack bar. An incomplete walkway from the stands to the deck on the south entrance to the stands.

Parking is a "big glitch."

The Park's parking lot holds, maybe, 100 cars.  An ice cream vendor had decided to park in a space directly in front of the facility.  Overflow parking went into the CDO abutting parking lot, which was full; or across Concordia on a neighborhood street.  There were no parking attendants so, really, you were on your own to find a space.  In addition, there were no walkways from the CDO lot if you walked along Calle Concordia; and no sidewalk from Calle Concordia into Kreigh Park.

Security and parking are certainly two areas that Town Council will want to consider as it debriefs on the opening of the center.
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