Grant request opens a much broader discussionThe September 16 Council meeting included a discussion of a possible grant for recreational improvements at the Vistoso Trails Nature Preserve, including the grass area around the pond. What started as a staff consent-agenda request to approve a grant application turned into a much longer discussion. That discussion revealed significant differences in Council’s and staff’s understanding of what is currently being built, what has been authorized but not yet contracted, what has to occur first, and what pursuing the new grant would delay. It also revealed the need for a broader discussion about the status of the Preserve’s overall remediation. That discussion, along with further consideration of the grant, will occur at the Council’s next meeting on October 7.
It has been four years after the Preserve came under Town ownership
It has been about four years since the Preserve came under Town ownership. That ownership followed several years of negotiations with property owner Romspen and the involvement of The Conservation Fund, which ultimately purchased approximately 202 acres of the former golf course for permanent preservation. The acquisition was made possible in part by a $1.8 million community fundraising campaign supported by more than 600 donors, while the Town separately paid $885,000 as part of the broader settlement that cleared the way for the transaction. The Conservation Fund then transferred the protected property to Oro Valley, subject to a conservation easement.
Essentially, the terms of the conservation arrangement require the Town to maintain and restore the Preserve in a manner consistent with its conservation purposes. LOVE later described that obligation as including restoration and maintenance of the property while allowing low-impact recreation and supporting amenities such as trails, benches, ramadas, restrooms and parking. Council subsequently interpreted that responsibility as restoring the former golf-course landscape toward natural Sonoran Desert conditions, including revegetation with native plants and continued control of invasive species such as Bermuda grass.
Then pond feature is in progress
The original restoration plan called for converting the pond area to a desert garden rather than restoring the former water feature. Council changed direction in April 2025, voting 4-2 to restore the full 2.5-acre pond using reclaimed water and to make the pond area a focal point of the Preserve. The broader pond-area concept included the pond itself, nearby parking and access improvements, with additional amenities such as trails, irrigation, turf, ramadas, benches, shade trees and other recreational features to be added as funding became available.
Pond construction is moving faster than the lawn
Staff said the current pond construction contract is now expected to be completed by the end of this year. The surrounding lawn is on a different schedule. Staff explained that its irrigation system cannot be installed until the area has been graded, but the current pond contract does not include that grading work. Completing the grading and irrigation will require additional funding and a change to the construction contract. Public Works Director Paul Keesler said, as a preliminary estimate, that sod could potentially be installed as early as April 2027 if funding and the preceding work fall into place.
Council had already directed money toward irrigation and ADA trails
The update surprised some Council members because, on May 6, Council had directed that approximately $150,000 in unspent Preserve funds from the current fiscal year, plus $50,000 from the following year, be used for plant and turf irrigation in the pond area. Council also directed that a $136,210 Arizona State Parks grant be used for ADA trails, with both projects to be completed in conjunction with the pond restoration.
Council wants the full picture before moving ahead
Confusion over the scope and timing of the pond-area work left Council without a shared understanding of what the current contract covered, what additional work would cost, or when irrigation and turf could be installed. Council continued action on the related grant application until October 7 and requested a full update on all Preserve restoration work, including the pond area and the sequence of the remaining work.
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