Bits and Pieces

Pusch Ridge Course lives on!

The Oro Valley Town Council approved the continued operation of the nine-hole Pusch Ridge golf course last night. The course had been on a three-year probationary period after reopening. The purpose of the probationary period was to determine if the course could be a financially viable entity. The three neighborhood associations that live around the course, the group Friends of Pusch Ridge Golf, town staff and Indigo Golf worked tirelessly together to build course use. They were successful in their efforts.

Centennial Mission to be restarted in about three weeks

The around the world Centennial Mission has been delayed. Oro Valley resident Tim Tarris returned home yesterday. He and co pilot Buchanan Bleeker made it to Lima Peru in their single engine Cesna. Then, after a four day delay, and with the inability to get overflight clearances from some South American countries, they elected to return. They plan to restart their trip in about three weeks.

Town seeks your input on planned Naranja Drive Multi-Use Path

"The Town of Oro Valley and Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) will hold an in-person open house Tuesday, Feb. 13, to share information and seek public input on design concepts for a new multi-use path to be constructed along the north side of Naranja Drive between La Cañada Drive and First Avenue. Your public comments will help develop and evaluate design concepts and identify the preferred path alignment as part of the project assessment process." (Source: Town of Oro Valley Media Release)

Oro Valley launches "50 Businesses For 50 Years" Campaign

"To help celebrate the Town of Oro Valley’s 50th Anniversary this year, the Oro Valley Chamber of Commerce has partnered with 50 local businesses for a special shop local campaign, which officially [launched] on Monday, Feb. 5, 2024. Throughout the year, fifty Oro Valley businesses will be highlighted for a period of two weeks. During that time, shoppers are encouraged to visit and support the highlighted business and enter the raffle. At the end of the two weeks, a winner will be announced from each business’s raffle box. To view the “50 Businesses for 50 Years” calendar and program details, visit orovalleychamber.com." (Source: Town of Oro Valley Media Release)

Oro Valley seeks participants for 50th anniversary celebration

"In April 2024, the Town of Oro Valley proudly marks its golden milestone, celebrating 50 years of history, growth and community — and you’re invited to be a part of it. Oro Valley's 50th Anniversary is a momentous occasion, and your participation and support will make it truly unforgettable." Opportunities to participate include:

• Participating in the April 6 parade (Entry Form)
• Showcasing your talents at the community celebration at Kreigh Park on April 13...Fireworks at 9:30pm (Entry Form)
• Sponsoring events
• Sharing your memories

(Source: Town of Oro Valley Media Release)

Bits and Pieces

Build-To-Rent Units are included in the determination of Oro Valley's 100 year assured water supply

This is a correction to the post that was here originally which stated that apartments are not included in Oro Valley's determination of assured water supply. That was incorrect. That "loophole" to which we refer only applies to developments in communities that do not have a state approved "Designation of Assured Water Supply." (DAWS) 

According to Oro Valley's Water Utility Director: "The Town of Oro Valley has a DAWS and therefore any developments that fall within the Water Utility’s service area fall under the requirements of the assured water supply rules. This is a good thing. It ensures that all water production and use is accounted for. No loopholes. Every year the Water Utility submits an Annual Report to the ADWR. This report documents all of the water received or produced by the Utility as well as all of the water delivered by the Utility. All water movement is accounted for and all committed demands from all user classifications counts towards our DAWS. No loopholes." (Source: email from Director Abraham.)

This is a list Arizona jurisdictions that have a DAWS. Oro Valley is listed on it.

Naranja Park entrance pedestrian safety improvements on hold

The Town has put on hold the interim pedestrian safety improvements at the Naranja Drive entrance to Naranja Park. According to Town Public Works Director Paul Keesler, this delay is a result of three lawsuits that have been filed against the town, collectively seeking damages of $89.5 million. The improvements are on hold until the attorney's "finish their work".  

It's understandable that the town is proceeding cautiously in this matter. The plaintiffs are using the recently installed north-side entrance safety path, implemented by the town earlier this summer, as evidence to support their claim that the town acknowledges some responsibility for the accident in that area.  The plaintiff may use further improvements as yet more evidence of such.

Register to participate in the 2026 General Plan Process

You should register at OVPathForward.com to participate in the 2026 General Plan process. This will give you the opportunity to participate in online discussions about important topics in the community. Also, while you are there, view the video about the plan. "The General Plan is our ‘true north’ because it is informed and shaped by the citizens,” Mayor Winfield said. “We will leverage the momentum of our success with the 2016 plan to propel us into our next decade.” (Source: Town of Oro Valley Media Release) 

Pretty rocks at Riverfront Park

An individual is painting river rocks with the names of dogs that walk at Riverfront Park. The stack is growing. You can see the fine work at left. We've been told, but have yet to confirm, that Elizabeth is the first name of the person who has created this lovely artwork.

Visit Tucson has not appeared before the Town Council since 2022

The Town of Oro Valley pays $415,000 to Visit Tucson, the group that promotes regional tourism, since February of 2022. Mayor Winfield tells us that they will appear before council "early next year."

Some key Oro Valley senior staff don't even live in Oro Valley 

We find it curious that the town's Planning Director Bayer Vella, the town's Director of Public Works Paul Keesler, the town's Water Director Peter Abraham, and the town's Director of Economic Development Paul Melcher don't live in Oro Valley. Yet, collectively, they have tremendous power over life in our town. We should think that Oro Valley residency be mandatory for anyone who holds the senior position in our town. That way they'll have some skin in the game.

Town fills three positions

The town has filled three key positions: 

• Scott Zufelt is now the Innovation & Technology (I&T) Director
• Jeffery Hidalgo is the now the Public Information Officer (PIO)
• Rosalyn Epting is the Parks and Recreation Director

(Source: Town of Oro Valley Town Manager Executive Report to Council, November 2023)

Welcome all to Oro Valley!

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Town of Oro Valley Faces Three Lawsuits In St. Patrick's Day Tragedy (Part 2)

An independent engineer's report sees inherent danger to pedestrians and bicyclists in the vicinity of the W Naranja Drive park entrance

There is a report* that was filed with the lawsuits, authored by an independent professional engineer. The report asserts that roadway design of W Naranja Drive is inherently dangerous for pedestrians.  The engineer concluded that, "The road design ignored the needs of pedestrians at the intersection with the park entrance," especially those of children.  The report makes three main assertions

Assertion 1: Pedestrians must wait too long to cross the road safely
“During the noon hour of pedestrian would have to wait slightly longer than two minutes for an 18 second gap in traffic across Naranja Drive, " according to the report.  The report suggests that this timing gap is needed for pedestrians to safely cross a road in which cars are traveling at least 45mph. This waiting time is quite lengthy, especially considering that people, and especially children, are generally not patient enough to wait for two minutes to cross any road."

Assertion 2: The shared turn bicycle lane does not permit safe pedestrian travel

The road design is such that there is a shared turn-bicycle lane on the north side of the street. It is unsafe for pedestrians to use it, even though that would have been the only way to face oncoming traffic, as required by law.

Assertion 3: The Bicycle lane in which girls walked is too narrow to meet County standard

"The bicycle lane [in which the girls were forced to navigate] is only 5 feet wide. The Pima County Roadway Design Manual specifies a bicycle lane width of 6 feet." According to the report, those using this lane face "...a serious risk."

Report conclusion: Pedestrians obeyed the law, but the road design did not meet standards

“In my opinion, the three pedestrians were complying with Arizona law and acting prudently when hit by the vehicle. To walk facing traffic they would have had to cross Naranja Dr at Guava Dr. and walk eastbound in the westbound shared right turn lane and bike lane. This would be feasible in a bike lane but not a shared right turn lane bike lane. The intersection of Guava Dr and Naranja Dr is uncontrolled for Naranja Drive traffic and the vehicles travel at a high speed. It would have been difficult to cross the uncontrolled high speed intersection. They would have to wait more than two minutes for an 18 second gap in traffic. A recent study indicated pedestrians at uncontrolled intersections under estimate the speed of approaching traffic 70% of the time. It was not practicable for the three young women to walk facing traffic.

The road design ignored the needs of pedestrians at the intersection with the park entrance. Children walking to and from the park should be considered in the intersection design. There was no safe way to exit Guava Dr and walk eastbound on Naranja Drive. Additionally, several references indicate it is dangerous for bicyclists and pedestrians to travel in an unbuffered or unseparated bicycle lane on a high speed road."

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The Council met in Executive Session to discuss the lawsuits on October 4.  Executive Sessions are not open to the public. We suspect it will take some time for these suits to be resolved. We will inform you as we learn more. 

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*The information for this article comes from a preliminary report of Louis Rubenstein PE, F.ITE dated September 8, 2023. The plaintiffs in this case submitted this report in support of their assertions of liability. LOVE has not confirmed nor do we intend to confirm any of the representations made in this report.

Town of Oro Valley Faces Three Lawsuits In St. Patrick's Day Tragedy (Part 1)

This is serious business. $89.4 million in damages sought

The Town of Oro Valley has been served with three lawsuits. These relate to the tragic traffic accident that occurred at the intersection of Naranja Park and Naranja Drive on St. Patrick’s Day of this year. It was horrific. 

Olivia Villabos and her sister Avry were struck by a vehicle driven by Sabrina Garcia. The vehicle had exited Naranja Park at about 1pm and was headed eastbound. Olivia and Avry were struck as they walked with their back against traffic trying to get to their street. They were as far over on the road as you could possibly get and well off of the driving area. You can read LOVE’s reports on this.

Though no one in the town was driving the vehicle that struck Olivia and her half sister, the town is being sued on a different basis. It is being sued on the basis that plaintiffs believe that the town should have known that an accident like this was simply “waiting to happen.“

We based this conclusion on our reading on the filings of the three lawsuits and the documents that were submitted with those filings. Documents filed with the suit claim that prior to the accident town staff was aware of the danger to pedestrians in the area of the Naranja Park entrance. The Town did nothing about this. 

Claim: Town negligent in its duty to provide safe passage for pedestrians as required by Arizona Law.
“Olivia, Avry and Emily, and the two dogs and strollers were traveling eastbound on Naranja Drive. Because there was no other available space for these minors to walk, they were on the only side of the road where they could walk. This design by Oro Valley and its agents/engineers is contrary Arizona law. Arizona law requires that pedestrians walk against traffic. It is not possible in the street design. The Town of Oro Valley did not take the proper steps to comply with its duty to keep its roadways reasonably safe for pedestrians. Had the Town of Oro Valley done so, the tragic event of March 17, 2023 would never have happened”. (Source: Adrian Claim Page 3).

The claim references Arizona statute 28-796: That pedestrians must walk lonely facing traffic if no sidewalks are provided.

Claim: Town ignored complaints of the unsafe condition of the roadway for pedestrians prior to the accident
“The lack of a shoulder was an intentional construction mistake at Musette Drive and West Naranja Drive.” the shoulder on the north side of the road disappears as the right turn lane is adjacent to the guard rail. This design defect does not allow for space for a sidewalk or even a shoulder for pedestrian use. This may seem trivial, but the mistake is fatal, because pedestrians are thereby forced to walk in the direction of traffic on the south side of the road. pedestrians can only walk on the south side of the W. Narada Dr. in this highly traffic area of the town.” (Source: Adrian Claim Page 4)

Claim: Many design defects making this a dangerous pedestrian roadway
The suit points to other defects in the design, such as a lack of crosswalks, and the lack of an ability to take safe passage when you’re walking on the south bottom of the road because of the sharp drop off into a wash. It also knows that now the town seems to recognize these defects by planning the multiuse path along Naranja Drive.

Claim: Town never acted to improve pedestrian safety as Naranja Park grew
The notice of claim recognizes the significant building that has taken place at Naranja Park. ‘However, as Narada Park grew, simple, safety measures were not put in place for Pedestrians. A traffic control crosswalk was not installed at the entry of the park. The town did not even use marked crosswalk at the entrance of this park. Traffic signals, or even yield signs change the behavior of motorists that travel in and out of the park... a crosswalk would have been a cheap fix to alert drivers that pedestrians travel through this area frequently, and that they should be given the right of way.” (Source: Adrian Claim Page 9)
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Follow for more tomorrow when we report of the inherent danger for pedestrians in the area.

Here’s What Happened While We Were Away

The ATM Explosion

In July, someone used explosives to blow the side off an ATM at Wells Fargo (Tangerine and First Avenue). No money was taken. The matter is still under investigation.

Bookstore Cafe opens.. fifteen businesses under construction

Also in July, Stacks, an independent book store and full-service coffee bar, opened in the Oro Valley Marketplace. Read more about Stacks here. They are planning a ribbon cutting this fall.  At the moment, there are fifteen other businesses “ under construction” according to the town’s August “Commercial Project Status Report.”. No commercial occupancy permits were issued in July. There were fourteen single family residence permits issues. 

Diaz-Trahan leaves 

Kristy Diaz-Trahan, the Director of Parks and Recreation in Oro Valley, resigned her position in July. Diaz-Trahan had reached a significant milestone of 10 years with the town in May and was responsible for overseeing considerable improvements to the town's Parks and Recreation facilities. We extend our best wishes to Diaz-Trahan and express appreciation for her efforts in expanding the town's system. In the interim, Matthew Jankowski has assumed the role of Director.

Town plans pedestrian safety improvements at Naranja Park entrance… final design and funding approval pending

In July, Paul Keesler, the Town’s Engineer, presented recommendations of the town's safety committee to the Council for enhancing pedestrian safety on Naranja Drive at the entrance to the park. The proposed improvements encompass the installation of rapid rectangular flashing beacons, mumble strips designed to alert drivers to the fog lane, vertical flexible devices that sit on the fog line, and a high-visibility crosswalk. The diagram on the right provides a preliminary visual representation of this plan. Keesler is in the process of finalizing the design and intends to present the completed plans to the Council soon for budgetary approval.

The town has completed a paved pathway on the north side of the road. This pathway ensures that individuals can now access the park safely without having to walk within the lane designated for vehicle exits.

Sabrina Garcia case moves slowly

Very little progress occurred in the misdemeanor hearing of Sabrina Garcia. Garcia was the driver of the vehicle that the tragic St. Patrick’s Day death of Olivia Villalobos and injury to her sister Avry.  The court held a pre trial conference in July. The next court date is a trial management conference on October 3 at 4pm. It is this tragic accident that, after our urging, spurred the town to take action to Improve pedestrian safety in the area.

Vandals wreck pagoda at Steam Pump Ranch

In large July, a vehicle drove recklessly around Steam Pump Ranch, damaging a pagoda. The police have yet to apprehend the culprit.

Town issues easy to read budget

“The Town of Oro Valley’s Know Your Town’s Budget [for fiscal 2024] document is now available online for residents to read or download.” (Source: Town of Oro Valley Media Release)

Oro Valley implemented a storm cleanup plan

This summer in Oro Valley, the monsoon season was almost nonexistent. There were sporadic instances of light rain, with just one significant storm on August 16 that brought heavy rain, strong winds, and many fallen trees. Thankfully, Oro Valley didn’t lose power like the 56,000 people in Tucson who endured up to 3 days without electricity during temperatures over 100 degrees. In response, the town announced a storm clean up plan: “Immediately after the storms, the Public Works crews worked in the evenings to clear debris and fallen trees from the roads, guaranteeing a safe commute for drivers.” As of now, the town should have completed its cleanup efforts. (Source: Town of Oro Valley Media Release)

Oro Valley Village Center Economic Development Agreement is still a mystery

At July Town Council Meeting, the Council met in Executive Session to discuss an “Economic Development Agreement” with Town West, the owners of the Oro Marketplace. The “agreement” is a request by Town West for town funding of their planned recreation area. The recreation area is part of their vision for what will be the Oro Valley Village Center. We’ve heard that the cost to the town would be more than $10million.