Editorial ~ Fields of Dreams are already here

LOVE has compiled a list of 14 nearby ball fields to counter Yes on 454’s claim that more ball fields are “desperately needed” because “there simply aren’t enough fields to go around.” The following parks are located close to Oro Valley. Hours vary between 6 AM and 10 PM and all include restroom facilities.

Many of these parks also include basketball courts, tennis courts, ramadas, etc., but for the purpose of this article, we are providing information only on the availability of Little League, soccer, and multi-use fields.

Ann Day Community Park
7601 N Mona Lisa Road
baseball/softball fields
soccer field

Arthur Pack Regional Park
9101 N Thornydale
7 baseball fields
2 softball fields
1 soccer field

Continental Ranch Community Park
8900 N Coachline
4 Little League
2 soccer/multi-use fields

Continental Reserve Community Park
8568 N Continental Reserve Loop
2 Little League fields
2 soccer/multi-use fields

Crossroads at Silverbell District Park
7548 N Silverbell Road
3 lighted ball fields
2 lighted soccer/multi-use fields

Curtis Park
2110 W Curtis Road (off LaCholla)
1 lighted baseball field
2 lighted Little League fields

Dan Felix Park
5790 N Camino de la Tierra
4 lighted soccer fields

Denny Dunn Park
4400 W Massingale Road (near Old Father and Magee)
2 baseball fields
soccer field/football field

Flowing Wells Park
5510 N Shannon Road
2 lighted baseball/softball fields

George Mehl Park
4000 E River Road
4 lighted baseball fields
1 lighted soccer field

Gladden Farms Community Park
12205 N Tangerine Farms Road
2 Little League fields
1 soccer/multi-use field

Ora Mae Harn District Park
13250 N Lon Adams Road
5 lighted ball fields
1 lighted soccer/multi-use field

Wade McLean Neighborhood Park
8000 N Silverbell
1 Little League field
1 soccer/multi-use field

Wildwood Park
6201 N Parsley Road (near Orange Grove and Shannon)
1 softball field
soccer/multi-use field

But wait, there’s more!

Below are excerpts from Jack Stinnett’s two LOVE Guest Views, “Solving Oro Valley’s Little League Field Crisis” published on September 25th and “Solving Oro Valley’s Sports Field Crisis” published on August 30th.

A quick count shows that there are over 30 baseball fields within 8 miles of Naranja Park, many lightly used. The two parks located in Oro Valley are described below.

J.D. Kriegh Park is the home of the Canyon del Oro Little League. It has two excellent lighted competition fields and three practice fields used for baseball and softball. The park has restrooms, a snack bar and is well-maintained by Oro Valley Parks and Recreation.

Riverfront Park is the center for youth softball and has two lighted and well-maintained fields. Riverfront Park also has two lighted soccer/multi-purpose fields. This park has playgrounds, picnic areas for families, a nice walking path, and draws softball players from NW Pima County.

Listed below is a summary of Amphi baseball fields in and around Oro Valley:

Canyon del Oro High School……….…2 competition fields -- 3 practice fields
Ironwood Ridge High School……….…2 competition fields -- 2 practice fields
Wilson Middle School……………….…2 competition fields -- 2 practice fields
Coronado Middle School………………2 competition fields -- 3 practice fields
………………………

Editor’s Note: The FY 2017/18 budget already includes $1.046 MM for two new ball fields at Naranja Park…and more fields could be built with the $2 million dollar FY 2016/17 budget surplus. Rather than saddle homeowners with a $28 million dollar, 20-year long secondary property tax, Oro Valley sports youth could utilize the above-mentioned existing fields as we continue with the pay-as-you-go plan.

Guest View: Mike Zinkin ~ Why you should vote NO on Prop 454/Naranja Park Bond

It goes against the Town’s founding principle
Oro Valley was founded in 1974 on the concept that residents would not have property taxes. One of the tenets of Oro Valley has always been that the Town works on a “pay as you go” model. This is how Naranja Park was started and it’s also how the Aquatic Center was built. Since 2010, due to extravagant spending by our Town Council, that concept is now being cast aside.

Proposition 454 is not a decision of being for or against children. Proposition 454 is a question of fiscal responsibility.

Your taxes have already paid for multiple ball fields
Multiple ball fields are already available to provide services to our Citizens. The Amphitheater Public Schools have ball fields that Citizens could use if the Town entered into an Intergovernmental Agreement. Pima County has multiple ball fields for use, all within a reasonable commute. Additionally, funds have been allocated in the FY 17/18 budget to build two lit multi-use fields. With a fiscally responsible government, more funds could be made available.

The Town should maintain the fields we already own
One of the arguments for the bond is that the soccer fields at Riverfront Park are in disrepair. Now ask yourself…Who allowed them to go into disrepair? The Town of Oro Valley did. Instead of repairing them, they want to build new ones. The Town seems to be saying: “Let’s not repair the current fields. Let’s build new ones so we can let them go into disrepair as well.”

Examples of their fiscal irresponsibility
Since 2010, Oro Valley’s population has grown by 4.9%, yet Oro Valley Town staff has grown by 12.4% with every employee receiving a 4% raise for the past 8 years.

Not including vehicles utilized for public safety, the Town owns an additional 153 vehicles.

Since the Town purchased the Community Center and Golf Courses, it has lost over $200,000 in the Town-owned restaurant and over $7 million in the Town-owned golf courses despite increasing your sales tax by 25% ($2 million per year). They now want you to approve a property tax to cover for their poor judgment.

If only they’d listened to the people
You told the Oro Valley government in June 2014 what you desired at Naranja Park. They ignored your wishes and bought a golf course instead. (Remember that of the 34 items listed on the Parks and Recreation Survey, golf came in at #33).

This is not a question of supporting our youth. This is an opportunity to say NO to the poor judgment and continued fiscal irresponsibility that has resulted in a proposal for $28 million in additional taxes. They didn’t listen to you. Why should you reward them for their poor judgment?

The Town’s Misinformation Campaign
This is not a $17 million dollar bond. It is a $28 million dollar bond.

The Town is minimizing what your share of the tax bill will be. They are using a figure of $4.50 per month for a home valued at $250,000. According to the Town website, the MEDIAN price of a home in Oro Valley is $276,600. This means that HALF of the homes are valued at MORE than $276,600.

Send them a message by voting NO on Prop 454. Remember, the money is available to fulfill the desires of the Citizens if it is spent wisely.

Guest View: John Spitler ~ Count me against the Naranja Bond

I am not in favor of spending more of my tax money on additional ball fields and other amenities at Naranja Park. What is wrong with using the two lighted ball fields at Riverfront Park? It’s more centrally located and has something for everyone. I have been to those ball fields at different times and I don’t see them being overly used. Am I just going at the wrong times?

Besides, with the boondoggle that has already been forced upon us with the purchase of the golf courses, how can we be certain that a portion of the Naranja Park bond funds won’t be funneled, somehow, to the Community Center and Golf Courses to make up for past dalliances? Count me against.

The Watchdog Report: By Mike Zinkin

Part 1. Beware of the Town Manager's Recommended Budget (TMRB)

The TMRB for Fiscal Year 2017-18 is a 4-inch thick notebook that is very time-consuming and difficult to read. A new Council member can easily be overwhelmed by it. I will illustrate the areas (including page numbers) where one might expect to see some savings, although there are none listed. This is noteworthy because the Town Council is proposing a Secondary Property Tax to build ball fields at Naranja Park, yet this TMRB clearly shows that the money is already available. It just needs to be re-allocated.

Page ii – The budget includes the assumption that 300 Single-Family Residential building permits will be issued. Other projected developments includes 3 senior living facilities, a self storage facility, two schools, and continued restaurant, office, and retail space.

Local sales taxes are expected to climb 10% and Licensing and Permit revenues are expected to climb by 28%.

Page iii - Once again, employee raises are set for up to 4%. In dollar figures, that’s $528,000 set aside for raises. Cut the raises in half and you can build a ball field.

The budget compares the current number of employees needed (383) to the 389 employees they had in 2008, leading one to believe that they’ve shown some efficiencies by cutting six positions. However, if one compares the number of employees to 2010 (when Mayor Hiremath and his Majority-4 came into office) that budget called for 340 employees. (Page 81 of the FY 2010-11 budget.) The FY 2017-18 budget calls for 382.92 employees. That’s an increase of 43 positions! Why can’t our town government be more efficient?

Page vi - $30,000 going to the Greater Oro Valley Chamber of Commerce, $275,000 going to Visit Tucson (this is $25,000 more than the previous year, despite the fact that our Bed Tax revenues are trending lower.) What exactly are we getting for our $275,000 contribution? They have also “planned for the continued annual contribution of $75,000” to the Children’s Museum and $21,400 to the Southern Arizona Arts & Cultural Alliance (SACCA). This totals over $400,000. Why can’t some of this be allocated for another ball field instead?

The top of this page has a request for an additional sergeant to be the OVPD Public Information Officer to serve as the liaison between the Police Department, the media, and the public. We already have a very capable Communications Administrator for the Town. Why do we need an additional Public Information Officer? Isn't one enough? Page vi also shows that the Town is already planning to build two lit multi-use fields at Naranja without a property tax as well as other capital improvements.

Page 3 - The General Fund Revenue projection was off by $1.3 million. They projected $34,468,353 while the actual figure turned out to be $33,141,353. I bring this to your attention as another example of the Town’s recurring inability to properly forecast.

Page 5 – This shows how the Bed Tax fund saw a decrease of $69,211 in its balance. So why are we increasing our contribution to Visit Tucson? They are supposed to be promoting tourism to Oro Valley, yet our Bed Tax fund (hotel rooms) has decreased.

Page 8 – The Community Center Fund which started with $1.2 million when the fund was created in 2014 will end FY 17/18 with just $297.00. I wonder if this was part of their often touted “five-year plan.”

Page 135 – This shows that Troon is estimating $1,822,941 in losses for FY 17/18.

Page 251 - Shows that $75,000 is coming from the Bed Tax Fund for "Community Center Tennis Court Improvements."

Page 252 - $50,000 is set aside from the Community Center Fund for "Cart Path Improvements."

Looking at Pages 251-252 above, there is more funding for Community Center improvements coming from the Bed Tax Fund than coming from the Community Center Fund. This begs the question…What happened to the "special Community Center fund" that was set up to handle ALL the Community Center expenses? No monies were supposed to come from any other funds to support the Community Center.

Page 253 – $500,000 will be spent for a traffic light in front of the Community Center. This is noteworthy because back when the Sheraton (and then the Hilton) owned this building, they had over 400 members and no need for a traffic signal. Yet somehow with less than 250 current members, we suddenly need a traffic signal at this intersection.

CLICK HERE to see the Town Manager's Recommended Budget

Part 2 of this report will be published on Wednesday.

Editorial ~ Wednesday, April 19th Town Council Meeting --The $28 million dollar question

REMINDER: Wednesday, April 19th, 6:00 PM, Town Council Meeting. Item #1: Public Comment and possible action from Town Council regarding the community request for funding and construction of additional sport fields and related improvements for Naranja Park.

The requested funding is for a $17 million General Obligation Bond to be paid back with a secondary property tax (in addition to your Pima County property tax). This tax will last for 20 years for a total repayment of $28 million dollars.

This will be the first opportunity for public input for this item. The second opportunity for public input will be at the May 3, 2017 council meeting. The council will then vote whether to put this item on the November ballot for voter approval/disapproval.

Background Information
At the February 15, 2017 Town Council meeting, the Town received a request by some members of the community (including youth sports parents, athletes, and Oro Valley user groups) to construct additional sports fields at Naranja Park. Council directed staff to return at a future meeting with a proposal and a plan to finance it. This proposal was presented at the April 5th council meeting. Council asked that it be brought back to the April 19th council meeting for public comment.

Included in the Proposal

• 3 lit multi-sport fields (oversized)
• Baseball/softball complex including 4 fields, batting cages, and a concession building with restrooms
• Playground
• Ramada shade structures
• Pedestrian walkways
• Paved parking spaces (300 additional)

Taxpayers shouldn’t be punished for the “Sins of the Council”
The issue isn’t the ball fields, it’s the proposed funding. The Town wouldn’t need to issue a bond and secondary property tax for ball fields if the Town Council hadn’t made the rushed and foolish decision to purchase the El Con Community Center and Golf Courses in 2014. This enterprise has been under-performing for the entire two years that it’s been operating, thus bleeding the town of millions of dollars per year…money that could have been used to fund the Naranja Park ball fields instead without necessitating a secondary property tax.

Speak now or forever pay a property tax
Attend the Council Meeting and submit a Blue Card (available on the back table) to speak about Item #1. You can expect that many supporters will be in attendance and will speak. Those who oppose a secondary property tax to finance these ball fields need to make their voices heard as well.

If you are unable to attend, please e-mail the council members and send a copy of your e-mail to Town Clerk Michael Standish (mstandish@orovalleyaz.gov) and request that your letter be included in the Council Packet for the April 19th or May 3rd council meeting. The mayor and council member e-mails are as follows:

shiremath@orovalleyaz.gov
lwaters@orovalleyaz.gov
msnider@orovalleyaz.gov
jhornat@orovalleyaz.gov
rpina@orovalleyaz.gov
brodman@orovalleyaz.gov
ssolomon@orovalleyaz.gov
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