Town Acts To Improve Safety On Naranja Drive...But Residents Want More Now

Teen's death on Naranja Drive spurs action
On March 17, a teen girl was killed by a motorist on Naranja Drive. Her dog was also killed and another teen was injured in the accident. The location of the incident is where Naranja Drive intersects with Pomegranate Drive. That is at the entrance to Naranja Park. The Police Department is working on their investigation. That report will be available this week. We will publish it for all to read.

The town does not consider that road and that area imminently dangerous to bicyclists and pedestrians
According to town Public Works Director, Paul Keesler, that road does not pose an imminent risk to bicyclists and pedestrians. Note, that Keesler is referring to Naranja Drive in total and not to the entrance to Naranja Park, which is where the accident happened:

“Naranja drive, much like many other two lane arterials and collectors within Oro Valley (Shannon, Moore, west Lambert, Buena Vista, for example) does currently provide safe and separate pedestrian travel corridors via paved and soft shoulders. In fact, Naranja Drive between La Canada to First Avenue offers more paved shoulder than many other similar roads within Oro Valley, as well as providing the maximum soft shoulder the surrounding terrain allows. Combined with State Statute 28-735 Overtaking bicycles; civil penalties where vehicular traffic must exhibit caution and space passing a bicycle, these two-lane collectors and arterials do not exhibit a history of frequent pedestrian versus automobile collisions. Yes, providing separated multi-use paths is even safer and better for the traveling pedestrian community, but to make the claim that Oro Valley streets without adjoining MUP’s [Multi-Use Path] or sidewalks pose an imminent risk to the public is not supported by data." 

Public Works Director Keesler:  Town acted immediately to address situation

"This incident was immediately addressed within the Town’s internal Traffic Safety Committee (TSC). The TSC is a consortium that is composed of members from Engineering, PD, Planning, Legal, GRFD, and Safety Management." 

According to Keesler, the town has initiated the following actions:

• Increased Police patrol 
• Added this section of Naranja to the Police traffic complaint hotline – the traffic unit has added it to their list of complaints that they actively work 
• Speed trailer present next week 
• Increased speed enforcement stops to provide education to motorists 
• Continue to work on the MUP, processing this through the Federal system to get under construction
• Will be conducting a speed study next week to confirm the proper posted speed limit. Posting an artificial speed limit that is too high or too low for the design of the street can actually pose additional hazards/problems. That is why the Town adheres to setting speed limits that correspond to the use and design of a particular street. 

Site of the incident is the entrance to Naranja Park.. inherently dangerous to pedestrian travel

We don't know the details of the accident. We are awaiting the police report to learn that. However, we do know that the accident occurred east of the entrance to Naranja Park. The panel at right is a picture of that area, viewed from Pomegranate. 

As you can see from the panel, there is a narrow paved shoulder between the eastbound travel lane and a guard rail. Any pedestrian walking in that area has no escape route if danger is imminent.

There is no pedestrian walking shoulder on the north side of Naranja Drive [see panel below left]. This is because there is a guard rail that abuts an entrance lane to Naranja Park. There is a travel lane for bicycles and a sign that tells drivers to beware of such.  There is no such warning regarding pedestrians. In addition, it appears that the town paved over a soft shoulder where once pedestrians could walk in order to create this exit lane. A pedestrian walking in that area is has no access option.

Finally, there is no cross walk nor is there a pedestrian controlled traffic light. Nor are there any signs to alert drivers to pedestrians going to and from the park. Add to this a 45mp speed limit, which is far too fast for this section of Naranja Drive.

Our conclusion: A pedestrian walking along the roadway in that area has no option to seek safety from traffic regardless of which side of the road they are on.

In comparison, pedestrian access to Riverfront Park access is far safer

The town knows how to create a safe park entrance.  The pedestrian access Riverfront Park is excellent. There, the town built multi-use paths and added pedestrian-controlled traffic light for crossing the roadway.  This access is first-class.

Pomegranate Drive residents want more action now

We asked the council what had been done to improve pedestrian/bicycle safety on Naranja Drive because we saw no changes on that road since the accident. We also listened to three residents who live on Pomegranate Drive.They spoke in the "call to audience" portion of last weeks Town Council meeting. They addressed their concerns about pedestrian safety on that road and made suggestions as to things that could be done immediately. Resident Dr. Diane Stephenson called for an immediate reduction of the speed limit. Another called for markers to be installed to demarcate the turnoff lane into the park, where the accident occurred. There is no pedestrian safe area there. A third decried a rather dismissive email received from Keesler discussing the long term solution of a planned multi-use path.

There is so much more that the town must do to make this entrance pedestrian safe now.

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Guest View: Jack Stinnett ~ Solving Oro Valley's Little League Field Crisis

The justification for the Town’s proposed $17 million dollar Naranja Park bond is the need to provide more fields for Oro Valley youth sports. (This will be funded with a secondary property tax that, with interest, will cost Oro Valley homeowners $28 million over 20 years).

The issue here is that the Oro Valley Little League (formerly known as Coronado Little League) has played their games and practices since 2003 at the Coronado Middle School fields which they complain are poorly maintained by Amphitheater School District. They want their own fields in Naranja Park to be comparable to the CDO Little League fields in James Kriegh Park.

Let’s look at the sports fields we currently have:
Unlike youth soccer, baseball has long been a part of Tucson and Pima County. 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.

In 1974 upon Oro Valley's founding, Pima County transferred the ownership and cost of operation of J.D. Kreigh and Riverfront Parks to Oro Valley. These parks came with baseball fields which have been used and improved by Oro Valley.

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.

You can view the field layout of J.D. Kreigh Park HERE

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.

A visual overview of Riverfront Park can be viewed HERE

Why don't we have ball fields in Naranja Park?
The Town's Naranja Park plan included Little League fields but did not anticipate that the mayor and council would be dumping over $2 million per year in sales tax revenue plus a $350,000 general fund transfer this year into a losing effort to support three golf courses.

The Town could have built all the fields Oro Valley could possibly want with the half-cent "no sunset" sales tax the council approved in 2015 to subsidize the Community Center and Golf Courses. The mayor never proposed a town sales tax for Naranja Park, nor budgeted Little League fields for Naranja Park in 2014, 2015, 2016, or 2017.

Options for supporting Oro Valley youth sports without instituting a property tax

1) Use the ball fields at Arthur Pack Park

Arthur Pack Regional Park (Thornydale at Overton) is a 500+ acre park facility that we already support with our Pima County Property taxes. The Park has a fine, inexpensive 18-hole public golf course, large open natural areas and two baseball areas. The baseball complex has 2 softball fields, 7 baseball fields and a batting cage. The 8th baseball field was converted to a soccer field to meet the growing demand for more soccer fields. The park also has rest rooms, picnic ramadas and is maintained by Pima County. Arthur Pack Park is home to the Thornydale Little League.

2) Make better use of Amphi School District ball fields

Your Pima County property taxes also support the Amphi School District and their facilities. In November of 2016, school district voters approved a $58 million bond which provides increased funds for the maintenance of Amphi school facilities and fields.

Listed below is a summary of Amphi ball 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

Many communities cooperatively share the use and support of school facilities, but not Oro Valley and Amphi. During my three years on the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board (PRAB), I pressed two Parks and Recreation Directors to craft an Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) with Amphi to gain more access to school fields, but with no success.

The Oro Valley Little League currently uses the Coronado Middle School fields off North Oracle Road, but has requested the Town to build Little league fields in Naranja Park. I supported their presentation to PRAB in December 2014 and voted for the inclusion of Little League Baseball fields in the plan for Naranja Park.

This project was deferred in favor of the higher priority golf course purchase. However, while Oro Valley Little League patiently waits for better fields, the Town can insist that Amphi better maintain the Coronado Middle School Little League fields.

3) Continue the "pay as you go" development of Naranja Park

I support the Town building ball fields in Naranja Park, but not through a $17MM bond and $28MM secondary property tax. The ball fields can be funded with the Town's FY 2016/17 surplus of $2MM. Town coffers are overflowing with development fees. The mayor and council just need to support our Little League and give the kids a place to play in Naranja Park.

Recommendation
I am voting NO on the Naranja Park $17MM Bond and $28MM property tax increase. Instead of "crisis" planning by our elected leaders, Oro Valley should fund the youth fields from within it's operating budget. The Town has the resources to build fields in Naranja Park but has chosen to exploit this self-inflicted "field crisis" to put a $28MM property tax on the November ballot.

Jack Stinnett graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and served on Minesweepers and Destroyers. After his military service, he was employed as an engineer and plant manager in the Nuclear Power industry, a factory manager in the automotive industry, Vice-President of a worldwide engine components business, and finished his career as President and CEO of Morris Material Handling in Milwaukee. He and his wife, Connie, moved to Oro Valley in 2011. He was a member of PRAB from 2012-2014, serving as Chairman in 2013-2014. He enjoys woodworking, biking, and visiting his grandchildren.

Near Term Fix For Pedestrian Access At Naranja Park Entrance “In the Works”

What is being considered will make a huge difference in pedestrian safety

Last week, we reported that town staff is considering actions to improve pedestrian safety at the Naranja Drive entrance to Naranja Park. At that time, we stated that we would report what we learned about this as we learned it.  Our latest information is based on a March 5 memo to the Oro Valley Town Council from Public Works Director Paul Keesler. 

Considering a “Gravity block retaining wall system” to separate pedestrians from cars on the south side of Naranja Drive

A gravity wall is a physical hard surface wall. Such would run along those sections on the south side of Naranja Drive where “pedestrians must use the hard shoulder due to the presence of a guardrail or steep adjacent slope.” There are four of these areas on Naranja Drive. Keesler’s memo does not specifically identify the park entrance area as one of these sections. But it is one.  It is where the tragic March 17 accident occurred. Had a gravity wall been in place, the teens would not have been hit by the car because they would have been on the pedestrian side of the wall.

Construct a pedestrian connection for the “pinch point” on the north side of Naranja Drive this summer

There is a section on the north side of the Naranja Drive entrance where the town installed a vehicular right-turn lane. When they did that, the town eliminated the pedestrian walkway since they paved over it. The town did not make any allowance to accommodate the fact that pedestrians could no longer walk there. This summer, staff will construct “…a temporary pedestrian connection … from east of the right-turn lane into the Archery Range parking lot.” Had this been place on March 17, the teenagers could have used it to safely get to the unmarked crosswalk back to their grandparent’s home on Pomegranate Dr. They would never have been on Naranja Drive at all.

Studying adding other safety measures for those crossing Naranja Drive to the park like a HAWK light and crosswalks

There is no pedestrian controlled traffic light or a marked crosswalk at the park entrance. Town staff had decided against this for two reasons. One is that staff decided that it it would not be used very much. Second, and of much more importance, staff recognized that "The crossing would not end on a pedestrian facility on the south side of Naranja Drive, such as on a sidewalk or MUP system".  

Staff is now reconsidering this decision. The gravity wall retaining system, which they will hopefully build, will create the “pedestrian facility” that does not now exist.

Studying a change in speed limit

Keesler’s memo states the staff is studying the speed limit for the park entrance section of the park. The current speed limit is 45 mph. There is a “cautionary” speed limit of 35mph as eastbound drivers approach the park entrance. There is no such sign as for westbound drivers. Keesler memo states “ Speed should be set on a thorough data- based evaluation, that is based on the 85th percentile speed profile.” We are not sure what that means. Frankly, the area needs to be designated similar to a school zone, marked and speed limited as such.

You need to act

Please contact any of the town council members to voice your support of improving pedestrian safety at the park entrance now. Let them know that waiting for a long term multi-use path solution simply will not do.

Naranja Park... Building Over Time... Meeting Resident Needs

Naranja Park: A long time in coming
The Oro Valley Town Council approved a plan to develop Naranja Park on November 6, 2013.  This happened after eleven years of wrangling on the part of six town councils and hundreds of residents and non residents on what to put there.

The goal was always to build a regional park out of the 213 acre site: A former crushed rock, sand, gravel, hot-mix asphalt, and ready-mixed concrete facility owned by CalMat.  The town acquired the land in purchases in 1996 and 2000. (Source: 11-7-2017 Town of Oro Valley press release)

There had been thirteen years of thoroughly vetted and eventually rejected grandiose master plans. The amounts of $154 million and $48.6 million were bandied about to pay for what was proposed.  The voters rejected a $48.6 million bond in 2008. The idea of what to put there lay in wait. The, in 2012,  the town opened the archery range that is visible from Naranja. 

In 2013, the town council agreed to move forward with a "pay as you go" plan of $2.3 million.  The town was to bring utilities to the site and to construct: A dog park(1.1 acres) with separate areas/entrances for small and large dogs with a grass interior with dirt perimeter and a ramada in each area; two multi-sport (300' x 200' each) with turf borders and lighting; and a chip-sealed, striped and lit parking lot.

Groundbreaking was on November 27, 2014.  It was a start. Finally, an industrial eyesore was going to be something beautiful.

Then, in 2017, the town got off track again... asking residents to approve a property tax to pay for a bond of $17 million ($28 million in total cash flow) to fund ball fields at Naranja Park.  70% of the residents rejected it. Read more on that here.

  Naranja Park: Its come a long way

Today, Naranja Park has four multi-purpose (soccer) lighted fields, two dog parks, the archery range and a newly opened kids play area.  The play are features a climbing tower and rope climb (both pictured at left), zip lines, a ramada, picnic tables and seating areas. 

There is also a grass centerpiece which, unfortunately, looks like it needs some work as it is quite lumpy. The town has added paved roads and pave parking lots.  It's a work in progress.

Naranja Park: Building it the right way

Naranja Park is being created over many years, involving today's generations in what will be their park, rather than being built at one time based on the wants of one specific generation.

There's a difference in results. Look at the plans in the panel that follows (click to enlarge) These are what what has been proposed over the years.

Imagine if the town built the Naranja Park that was dreamed in 2001. There would be no soccer fields. Instead, there would be baseball and softball fields, fields that are now nicely provided at Kreigh Park. There would be no dog park. There would be no archery range.  

Imagine if it had built what was imagined in 2007. There would be a community center and tennis courts, both of which were opportunistically purchased by the town when it bought the El Conquistador golf courses in 2015.  

The 2015 plan is different from what the town proposed in Prop 454.

And , if the town had moved in any of these directions, it would have been saddled residents with significant bond debt that would last yet another twenty years from now.  Instead, the town has taken a steadier approach, incurring no debt.

Let's hope that the town stays the course because things are shaping up nicely.

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Visit the town site to learn more about Naranja Park.

Naranja Park Buildout Presents Huge Challenge

Three major sets of bond projects... Naranja buildout is the most challenging

The buildout of Naranja Park is the most challenging of the three sets of bond projects that the town will undertake, This is because it is the most complicated and the most time consuming.

According to town Public Works Director, Paul Keesler, a three year time horizon for Naranja Park build out is not possible if the town uses the normal “Design-bid-build“ approach to building facilities. The town plans to use the “Design-bid-build“ approach for the Community Center Improvements and Multi-use Path Connection projects.

The "Design-bid-build“ process is time consuming. First, a conceptual design is created; then a project design is prepared; next, a request for quotation to build is solicited. A bidder's conference occurs. Bids are obtained. A contractor is selected for negotiation. Negotiations occur. Finally, after many months of effort, a contract is signed after terms have been agreed upon by the town and the contractor.

Using a "Design-Build-Design" approach for Naranja Park

The town will use a different process for the Naranja Park build out. This is because there are many parts to the Naranja Park build out and only three years to get at least 85% of the work done.  Instead the Town is going to use a “construction management at risk” (CMAR) approach. The town used this approach in building the town’s aquatic center.

Addressing town council at as study session on November 3, Keesler described the CMAR approach: "We hire a designer at the onset of the project; also hire a contractor based on qualifications...They work as a team 'designing, constructing, designing and constructing' so that we get to start a whole lot sooner."

“We’re well on our way, but we have a lot going on in the next three years.”

Keesler presented a three year schedule for these project. Some work has already started.

Naranja Park built out schedule

Regarding Naranja Park, the town has hired an individual to be the construction manager. The individual has experience in CMAR projects. The town has hired McGann and Associates as the designer firm. The town will select the CMAR contractor by the end of this year. The plan for Naranja Park is to start the three plus year project next May and to keep the park open throughout the three year build out.

Golf course irrigation replacement schedule

The timetable for the golf course irrigation project is dictated by the golfing season. Summer is the lowest use period. Next summer the town will complete the irrigation for the El Conquistador Course. It will complete the irrigation for the Canada Course in the summer of 2023. The town has already bid this work and the council approved a contract of $7.8 million at the November 3 council meeting.

Multi-use path connection project schedule

The three multi-use path projects will be one over the three year period. The path connecting the CDO Multi-Use path to Kreigh Park will be the last of the three path projects because the town has no idea, at the moment if what will be the route of the path.

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DeSimone: Oro Valley Is A Town of "OK"

Not a "Town of Excellence" when it comes to maintaining Naranja Park

The Town of Oro Valley calls itself a "Town Of Excellence." Oro Valley resident Chris DeSimone disagrees. It a "Town of OK".

DeSimone is host of the weekday morning show: Wake Up Tucson. He expressed this view in his remarks to council in March.  He reemphasized it at last night's Oro Valley Town Council meeting.

In March, DeSimone pointed to what he termed “the poor conditions of the fields at Naranja Park” after use on a holiday weekend. At that time, Mayor Winfield directed the town manager to look into it. She responded with a three-page memo that explains this and other matters.

DeSimone read portions of that response at last night's meeting.

Town Manager Jacobs: "The playing fields at Naranja Park are not in the condition we would like them to be"

In the memo, Jacobs identified two reasons why the Naranja Park fields are not in good condition at all times: First, “Naranja [Park] fields are over used... The condition of the turf is largely a function of overuse and lack of down time for remedial work.” The fields were overused because they were fully booked on the holiday weekend to which DeSimone referred. It is the town that does the booking.

Second, the fields are difficult to maintain. They are difficult to maintain because they are built on a sand substrate. When the turf is punched through, the sand comes up. (See panel right)

Jacobs: Problem of overuse will be solved with two new fields

According to Jacobs, the problem will be solved with the addition of the two new fields that are being built at the park.  

We fail to understand the logic of this because these fields will be also be sand substate based. In addition, the added fields will also bring added visitors, which is what the town has stated it wants to do to drive economic activity.  More fields=more use= more visitors.

Two  staff were assigned to maintain all town parks facilities on a "fully booked" weekend

DeSimone also complained about garbage that was left on the field after the holiday weekend. According to Jacobs, that “weekend was a very busy weekend for Naranja Park and Oro Valley as a whole. Every sports field throughout our Parks and Recreation system was booked.” Two staff were on duty to maintain all of the towns facilities over that weekend. Despite that, “we were unable to address all facilities and events to the standards we expect.”

Jacobs offers no solution other than saying that our towns are parks are very popular.

The solution, of course, is to schedule less use of our parks on those very busy weekends or to employ the staff needed to maintain the fields in busy times.

New fields and high standards means more cost

The town of Oro Valley has embarked on a plan to substantially increase its Naranja Park sports facilities. The town is spending millions to build new fields. The Naranja Park fields and the Naranja Park facility will need to be maintained at a very high level to meet Oro Valley's historically high standards. This will come at high cost.

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Guest View: Jack Stinnett ~ Solving Oro Valley’s Sports Field Crisis

In November, Oro Valley residents will be given the opportunity to vote on the Town's proposed $17 million dollar Bond for Naranja Park improvements to be paid for by a $28 million dollar property tax.

The Mayor and Council voted 7-0 to place the Town Staff proposal on the ballot after a long session where coaches, soccer moms and youthful participants eloquently cited the need for more fields.

Let's look at some past history
In 2013, when I was the Chairman of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board [PRAB], Oro Valley had only two soccer fields in Riverfront Park. These fields were worn out from overplay with 2-3 teams sharing a field during a practice.

Then in the fall of 2013, prior Town Manager, Greg Caton, exploited a town budget surplus of $1.9 million, added $400,000 of Bed Tax funds, and directed the Town Staff to develop a plan for additional fields at Naranja Park recommended by PRAB. Led by Paul Keesler, Director of Infrastructure Services and Kristi Diaz-Trahan, Parks and Recreation Director, the Town proposed building two new, irrigated and lighted soccer fields, a large and small dog park, a graded access road and a paved parking lot.

The Plan was presented to PRAB, unanimously approved and then approved by the Town Council. The new facilities were constructed at Naranja Park in 2014 within budget and have seen strong use and support. The Plan for Naranja Park at full build out was to have 8 soccer fields. PRAB members looked forward to the continued development of the Park.

Now let’s look at some recent history
Fate intervened, however, when Mayor Hiremath and his Majority-4 on Council quickly purchased the El Conquistador Golf and Tennis Club with its 3 golf courses, 31 Tennis courts, 8 racquet ball courts and swimming pool.

PRAB did not support this purchase because it was not what residents said they wanted in the Town's 2013 and 2014 surveys. Further, it was felt that this purchase would divert resources from developing Naranja Park.

The Town Council’s Misplaced Priorities
It would appear that resident concerns were well-founded since the Town has now lost $7 million between the golf course purchase and operating losses. At a cost of $350,000 for a lighted sports field, we could have built 20 new fields with the money the town has lost subsidizing golf. Going forward, the Town is budgeting to lose $2 million per year on golf operations (the equivalent cost of 6 more sports fields for every year that this fiasco continues).

Oro Valley doesn't need a $28 million dollar secondary property tax to build an adequate number of youth fields - the Town has the funds- our Mayor and Council just have the wrong priorities.

Some additional Town Council decisions that were deemed a higher priority than youth sports include:

• $2.1MM to bury TEP power lines along the recently widened Oracle Road = 6 fields not built.
• $2.6MM capital expense in this year's budget for a new Police Station Annex and Evidence Facility = 8 more fields not built.

This year’s budget already includes two additional sports fields
In a positive development, this year's FY 17/18 Town Manager's budget included $1.046 million for two additional soccer / multi-purpose fields in Naranja Park with grading already underway. These two additional fields (#3 and #4 plus the two fields at Riverfront Park) will give the Town a total of 6 well maintained, irrigated and lighted fields…three times what we had in 2013, but short of the total of 8 fields planned that I agree are needed.

Recommendation
My recommendation to residents is to vote NO on the $28 Million Naranja Bond and Property Tax and demand that our Town Council solve the need for fields by budgeting funds in the Town's operating plan. A $1 million dollar investment in FY 18/19 can build fields #5 and #6 in Naranja Park. Along with the two improved fields at Riverfront Park, this will provide the 8 multi-purpose fields we need.

Let's continue the Town's "pay as we go" development of Naranja Park by giving our youth a fair shake at budget time…not by wasting money on the wrong things and then taxing property owners to pay for the fields that our youngsters need.

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Jack Stinnett graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and served on Minesweepers and Destroyers. After his military service, he was employed as an engineer and plant manager in the Nuclear Power industry, a factory manager in the automotive industry, Vice-President of a worldwide engine components business, and finished his career as President and CEO of Morris Material Handling in Milwaukee. He and his wife, Connie, moved to Oro Valley in 2011. He was a member of PRAB from 2012-2014, serving as Chairman in 2013-2014. He enjoys woodworking, biking, and visiting his grandchildren.

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.

Town Must Act Now To Improve Pedestrian Safety at Naranja Park Entrance

Naranja Park Entrance is imminent danger to pedestrians

On April 24, we alerted you to the imminent danger for pedestrians at the entrance to the Naranja Park. There is no safe way to walk into the park. This is the park that Mayor Winfield and his council insisted on making a major regional attraction. 

The Mayor. "doubled down" on that at last Wednesday's Town Council meeting by declaring May 20, 2023 "Kids to Parks day."  Well, we certainly hope that those kids do not walk to Naranja Park because they are facing imminent danger if they do.

No place to go... No way to safely cross

The danger to pedestrians is obvious when you look at an overview of entrance [panel below, right]. The only safe passage for a pedestrian is if they are traveling east and are on the north side of Naranja. They can safely turn left into a protected pathway that parallels the park entry road. If you are a pedestrian who is anywhere else, getting to that entry is a dangerous challenge, requiring you to guess where the walkway is and then dart across Naranja Road to get to it.

The only safe passage for a pedestrian crossing a road is a marked crosswalk. There are none. [See panel right].  There are no signs alerting drivers that there might be passengers in the road. There are no signs alerting drivers that there may be pedestrians in unmarked crosswalks, though such would be virtually useless to a driver since they can't see the crosswalk. And the speed limit is 45 miles an hour, which is certainly too fast for an area where pedestrians might be crossing.

Town has ignored the problem

We wrote the towns public works Director, Paul Keesler about this problem. He wrote us back saying that it was no problem. You can read his response in our April 24 posting. Needless to say, we were appalled. A child had been killed in that area. We had visited the area. We could not figure out how to safely cross the street to the pathway to the park. 

"Solution" too far off and won't solve the problem

Keesler's focus is on building a multi-use path that will run on the north side of Naranja. His focus at the moment is on getting grant money to pay for it. (We guess the town forgot to include paths as a necessary infrastructure project, thus not including it in the $25 million parks bond). The path is not even planned yet. It won't be completed until June of 2025. Besides, a path on the north side of Naranja will not solve the challenge of crossing from the south side of the road.

We urged council to get involved

Recognizing this, we went to the Council meeting last Wednesday. During our "Call to Audience" moment [see panel left], we urged the Council to get involved.

We followed this up with an email to each Council member, urging their involvement. Only one has said they will do so. Mayor Winfield forwarded the email to the Town Manager, the Town Engineer, and Chief Riley "for review and response"  

Keesler responded: "As I stated in my last response, we are continuing to work on options for Naranja Drive. We have a Traffic Safety Committee meeting in a couple of weeks where we will be discussing said options. I will follow up with you after that."

All other council members remain silent.

There are some quick and cheap fixes available 

We don't think it is difficult or costly to substantially improve pedestrian safety in the area. Some marked crosswalks, a reduction in the speed limit, and some warning signs can make a big difference. The cost will be minimal.

We expect the Town Council to be personally involved to see that this problem gets fixed.

Information on Tomorrow's 50th Celebration Parade

Oro Valley's 50th Anniversary Parade is tomorrow

The Town of Oro Valley invites residents and visitors alike to join us for the 50th Anniversary Parade, this Saturday, April 6, 2024, from 9 a.m. to approximately 11:30 a.m. along Naranja Drive. The parade route begins near Ironwood Ridge High School, runs east along Naranja Drive, and ends at the Oro Valley Public Library. Details on parking can be found below.

The precession

The procession includes a variety of entries that showcase the Oro Valley community, such as: the Canyon del Oro High School marching band, CDO pom line, Ironwood Ridge High School spirit line, local dance troops, youth sports teams, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, local churches, Oro Valley Town Councilmembers, and many local businesses.

Traffic delays and road closing

Residents are advised that there will be traffic delays along Naranja Drive from 5 a.m. to approximately 11:30 a.m. on parade day. Access to Naranja Drive will be closed along the parade route, from Shannon Road to La Cañada Drive. Motorists are advised to use caution when approaching Naranja Drive and to use alternative neighborhood exits where possible. The Oro Valley Police Department will be assisting those exiting their neighborhoods. Click here or see below for a parade route and road closure map.

A parade announcer’s stage will be located on the northwest corner of Naranja and La Cañada.

Parking

• Town Hall/Municipal Complex, 11000 N. La Cañada Dr. 
• Community & Recreation Center, 10555 N. La Cañada Dr. 
• Ironwood Ridge High School, 2475 W. Naranja Dr. Public (East Lot Only)
• Parking is Prohibited at the IRHS Theater Building lot and at the Administration Building lot 
• You may park on any public side street off Naranja Drive where parking is not currently prohibited. When parking on a public street, please mind the following: 
• Do not block a residential driveway. Leave no less than 20 feet of available roadway for the free movement of vehicular traffic (TOV Code 11-4-3). Do not park within 30 feet on the approach to any stop sign, yield sign or traffic control signal located at the side of a roadway (A.R.S. 28-873).

The Town of Oro Valley officially marks its 50th Anniversary on April 15, 2024."

(Source: Town of Oro Valley Media Release)

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Behind the Scenes of the Naranja Park Bond

How many times have we heard from the Town Council and the Town Staff that it was the Oro Valley Sports Alliance and the parents of youth athletes who came to them requesting that they find a way to fund new ball fields?

This assertion was made by various council members during multiple Town Council meetings beginning in February 2017. It was stated again during the Town’s slide show presentation at the September 13th Naranja Park Bond Open House. One of the slides shown stated the following:

"When did the community make this request?

At the February 15, 2017 Council Meeting, members of the community – including youth sport parents, athletes, and Oro Valley user groups – asked Council to accelerate the development of additional sport fields to meet user demand.”

Your recent water bill also included a flyer from the Town entitled, “Prop 454/Naranja Park Bond 2017.” That flyer states:

“The community spoke and we listened.”

Rumors began circulating that there was much more to the story
Rumors have been circulating for months that it was actually the mayor who initiated this plan rather than the Oro Valley Sports Alliance and the parents of youth athletes. According to the rumor, the mayor wanted to build a sports complex and event center at Naranja Park but he wanted the initial request to come from the athletic community in the form of a request for ball fields. Once that was on the table, the plan would be altered to include a sports complex and event center.

Residents were told that the request for new ball fields was first brought to the council’s attention in February 2017. However, LOVE was recently presented with some new information that shows, once again, that the town is not telling you the whole truth.

Oro Valley Little League Website reveals the truth
On December 15, 2016, Oro Valley Little League (OVLL) President, Ben Weege, wrote the following on the OVLL website:

There are new developments regarding the possible construction of baseball fields at Naranja Park. The town council recently reached out to our league and community requesting signatures in support of the project. This turn of events is very exciting news, as so many volunteers have worked tirelessly to help make baseball at Naranja a reality.

OVLL now asks for your support. Mayor Hiremath told me personally that the Council is also exploring the addition of soccer fields as well, so let’s get to work! Signatures from residents of Tucson and other surrounding communities are valid and highly encouraged. (A link to a petition site was included.)

On December 28, 2016, Ben Weege wrote the following update on the OVLL website:

Mayor Hiremath has requested Oro Valley Little League’s signed petitions preferably by January 3rd so that they might be available for the town council’s next meeting January 4th.

So according to the Town, it was the youth athletes, coaches, and parents who reached out to the Town Council. According to the president of the Oro Valley Little League, it was actually the Town Council who reached out to the Little League. Additionally, the mayor also chose the deadline for when the petitions should be submitted. (NOTE: Of the approx. 10,000 signatures obtained on the petition, only 168 of them were from residents of Oro Valley!)

Our Gang
An Oro Valley resident recently referred to the Town Council as “The Gang who can’t spend straight.” Apparently they’re also “The Gang who can’t get their stories straight.” It looks like it was the mayor and council, rather than the OVLL, who initiated the action that led to the $17 million dollar Naranja Park Bond and the secondary property tax to fund it.

You can read the above-mentioned postings from Oro Valley Little League website HERE

Guest View-Charlie Hurt: A Disturbing 2023 Budget Picture When It Comes To Spending On Naranja Park

Oro Valley voters will be receiving ballots for the 2022 (primary) election for Mayor and three town council members in early July. It is likely that all council seats will be determined based on this election. LOVE plans to keep you informed regarding each candidate. In this regard, we’ve offered the pages of LOVE to each candidate. 

We’ve asked that they submit guest views. Council candidate Charlie Hurt has provided the following “Guest View”. 

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A disturbing 2023 budget picture

Oro Valley now has a budget for next year. I love budgets and I love to peel back some layers of the onion here to see what we really have. For the most part, this is a simple, straightforward budget. However, if we start looking at some of the items that make up the budget, we see what for me, is a disturbing picture.

As an example, examine the projected expenditure for Naranja Park. Skipping over the fact that until now Parks and Recreation investment has operated with a pay as you go mandate, the costs for the improvements are not known. The bonding, in this case $25 million for Naranja Park, received minimal public scrutiny, emerging as yet another closed door decision. 

 
There is no budget for the Naranja Park refurbishment… costs are really unknown

The Council study session on this issue was illuminating. The Town Engineer, Paul Kessler, noted that he had no way to determine what the costs for the re-imagining of Naranja Park might be (and should not be faulted for his lack of knowledge since he had received no estimates or proposals). The Town Manager weighed in that there could be a $5 million cost overrun. There was no discussion as to why the $5 million cost overrun was determined. Could it be more? Bottom line: how much will a splash pad cost? Unknown. How much will a pump track cost? Unknown. 

This is a recipe for financial disaster along the lines of classic over billing and cost over runs. There are no firm or even soft estimates or projections for the costs. Yes, there is a plan but there are no costs associated with those plans. The public needs to know what the costs are, in detail, for the Naranja Park refurbishment. 

Do we need more amenities in our parks? Yes. But we need to do so with eyes wide open. 

We need to follow the wishes of the residents of Oro Valley who indicated, for instance, that splash pads and pump tracks tracks were rated below 50% in the statistically valid survey. Now they are priories. Why? We need to recognize, as did the respondents to the Town survey, that a higher priority is to maintain and enhance what we already have in our parks.

Going into debit without asking Oro Valley residents was and always will be the wrong thing to do. 

Now that we have this debt, we as residents, need to make our voices heard as to a budget for the Naranja Park expansion. Budgets need priorities—residents need to be willing to come forward and make their priorities known. That is what Oro Valley needs. We do not need a group of officials telling us what we need; we need Oro Valley residents telling Council what we need and what to do.
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Charlie Hurt is a candidate for Oro Valley Town Council in the upcoming primary, August 2. He has lived in Oro Valley for 16 years. He is a former member and chair of the Planning and Zoning Commission and a former member and chair of the Water Utility Commission.

Oro Valley's "Big Spend"

UPDATE: 9pm Tuesday, April 7
Subsequent to posting this article. we received an email from Oro Valley Town Communications Direct Misti Nowak, regarding the accuracy of some portions of this report.

Misti provided the following correction to our numbers in the panel below.

• Naranja Park Plan  $31.0 (you have it correct) 
• Already Invested       2.3 
• OV Aquatic Center    5.0 
• El Con/Comm Ctr     5.5 (for five-year projections) 

The total is $41.3 million which is less than the 2008 plan number.

Also, there was a sub-header stating that the event center was a last-minute addition to the plan. The event center was actually discussed in Fall 2014 and was adopted by the Parks and Recreation Commission as part of the Naranja Park Master Plan in December.
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The Report

The Oro Valley Town Council, last week, approved the Naranja Park Plan on a 5-2 vote. The approval did not include approval of funding for the project, which could be upwards of $31 million.

In February, we reported what is included in the park You can watch our video (below) of the town site's plans through the years to look at the latest and previous layouts.

This is not Oro Valley's first rodeo with Naranja Park Planning

The 2008 Naranja Park plan was the dream of then mayor Paul Loomis. The plan was put to vote of the people because Loomis' plan was to be financed by a secondary property tax. Only the voters can approve a property tax.

Voters rejected the 2008 plan by a 60:40 margin.  Oro Valley residents did not want a secondary property tax to fund a $48.6 million initial phase expenditure. (The total cost of the site was $154 million.)

Two years later, voters reiterated this to Mayor Loomis. Loomis did not survive the primary in 2010, though he had been the incumbent for many years.

Total cost now is $51.5 Million versus $48.6 Million Then

As one of the meeting's attendees was quick to point out: "We're going to spend more than the amount of money the voters refused to spend in 2008."

The 2008 plan, like a plan that was developed in 2001, had everything centered in one park.

Instead of that, Oro Valley will bring together three facilities to accomplish what would have been done had the vote passed in 2008.

The town has "cobbled together" a rebuilt aquatic center located on Concordia; a to-be rebuilt community center/golf course located on La Canada; and the Naranja town consolidated activity site which is now called a park.

The total estimated cost of all of these three facilities is $51.5 million. This is greater than the $48.6 million to finance the 2008 plan.



Four Sources Likely To Fund Facility Acquisition or Construction

The council majority has stayed away from any talk of a property tax to fund the construction or acquisition of these facilities. Instead, they have "cobbled together" several funding sources.

Funding for all the construction of these facilities has or will likely come from bed tax revenues, a sales tax increase, hoped for Pima County bond money and the Oro Valley contingency reserves.

At issue: An event center that was a last-minute addition to the plan

The key issue at the council meetings was an event center which is in the plan. It looks much like a community center.

We discussed the event center with former Parks and Recreation Commission Chairman Jack Stinnett. According to Stinnett, the event center that is now shown in the plan was not included in any plan for the park until just prior to the announcement of the El Conquistador Country Club purchase and the town's planned conversion of the clubhouse to a community center.

Council Member Zinkin voted against the Naranja Park Plan because he felt that the insertion of an event center at the last minute was simply not based on town need. Zinkin feels that the real need is for green fields with lights for athletics.

"Town surveys of our residents have shown that things like a splash pad, a skate board park, an event center, and a performance area are simply not the priorities of our people."

Watch the plan presentation to learn more
Want to lear more about the plan and what is included in the park?  The plan was prepared by McGann and Associates, landscape architects and planers. They are located on Oracle Road.

You can view the presentation that Don McGann, company principal, made to council to get a complete view of the facility and the rationale for why each item is included.



Please let us know what you think of this plan.
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Guest View-Mayor Winfield: Naranja Park Buildout Provides Recreation Opportunity For All

In early July, Oro Valley voters will be receiving ballots for the 2022 election or a Mayor and three town council members. LOVE plans to keep you informed regarding each candidate. In this regard, we’ve offered the pages of LOVE to each candidate. We’ve asked that they submit guest views. Mayor Winfield has provided the following “Guest View”. 

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Naranja Park Buildout Provides Recreation Opportunity For All
Last Tuesday I had the privilege to speak at the groundbreaking for the Naranja Park expansion. It was an exciting day for me personally, and for the many young families in attendance. What started as a vision when the Town acquired the 213 acre site in 1998 is now well underway to becoming the best recreational facility in our region.

Over the past two years, the Town involved the community in developing a Parks and Recreation Master Plan. From this plan came a new design for Naranja Park that works with the topography of the site to reduce grading, and allow the site to be expanded for half the previous plan’s cost.

Improvements and upgrades to Community Center exterior amenities were identified and also determined to be a priority. The improvements at the Community Center tennis courts and golf irrigation replacement are already underway and will be completed sometime in 2024.

To construct these improvements, the Town has obtained a $25 million parks and recreation bond at 2.3% interest, which will be funded by the half-cent sales tax revenues that were previously required to subsidize golf. In 2018, the golf subsidy was $1.75 million; as fiscal year 2021 ends, we now project NO subsidy for golf.

The Town’s successful golf management efforts included changing the golf operator to Indigo Sports, changing the operating model of the courses from a country club model to a municipal model, and opening all course to outside play. We have grown memberships, and benefit from a $125,000 annual contribution from adjacent HOAs.

Using bond financing for these capital projects at a record low interest rate has allowed the Town to design and build the park as a whole, saving both time and millions of dollars. It will also allow our current and future residents to enjoy these amenities years sooner without any tax increase.

Naranja Park, identified as the highest priority, will be expanded with new amenities: 4 additional multi-use fields, 6 pickleball courts, 3 basketball courts, a bike pump track, a skate park, a splash pad and paved walking trails. At the Community Center residents will enjoy a resurfaced and expanded parking lot, upgraded and improved tennis courts, 4 new pickleball courts for a total of 10. Both the El Conquistador and Canada golf courses will have their 40 year old irrigation systems replaced. Multi-use paths will be added to La Canada Drive and Naranja Drive to provide safe off road access to the Community Center and Naranja Park.

Health and wellness are important to our community. These new and improved amenities will provide expanded outdoor activities for existing and future Oro Valley residents. They will provide opportunities for physical fitness and social interaction for years to come.

Joe Winfield

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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.

Eleven Reasons For The Parks and Recreation Bond Project Spending Disaster

A disaster of their own making

We have identified eleven reasons why the spending for the park bond amenities got so far "out of wack" from reality. Most certainly, planning to spend $53 million when there is only $33 million available to spend is a disaster.

1.  Naranja Park costs a lot more to build than "guestimated"

As we detailed in our article Monday, the key spending problem is the anticipated cost of Naranja Park. That cost has doubled from what was "guestimated" in the Parks and Recreation Master Plan. It was that number, $17million, that the Council relied upon when the bonds were issued a year ago.

2.  No Naranja Park design in place to start

The Oro Valley Town Council agreed to move forward with the Naranja Park extension at a time when  there was no agreed upon design of what it was going to be. As a result, Council had no engineered cost estimate of what it would cost to build "it'. 

3.  Council ignored experienced advice

The Council ignored the advice of the only person on Council who has ever built anything of any significant magnitude. Council Member Solomon told them that they were going about this the wrong way. First, you design. Then you raise the funds. The Council voted to do the process backwards.

4. Cheap borrowing cost came at a price... Pressure to spend and build now!... "Haste Makes Waste"

Council Member Nicolson championed the concept that the town must borrow now because interest rates were cheap. He was right. Rates are higher today than they were in May, 2021. 

The price of borrowing was a commitment that 85% of the funds had to be spent within three years of the bond issuance. That is $21.25 million. That requirement put a "gun to the Council" to spend the money quickly.  It also meant that the town had to adopt a "construction manager is a risk" approach. This is a more costly process than the traditional building process. 

5. Inflation...shortages.. contingencies... design

According to Paul Keesler, Town of Oro Valley Director of Public Works, three items have worked together to increase cost 65%. [See panel right] The biggest culprit is an inflationary 30-40% increase in construction material cost. Timing has also hampered getting materials.

6. Naranja Park amenity scope creep

The scope of what is planned to be built has changed. The pump track is now an "all wheel space". The splash-pad is larger in size and includes shade sails, a ramada, and a bathroom. The cost of grading the land to which the dog park is being relocated is more than $1million.

7. Huge Naranja Park infrastructure cost of $11million

It is going to cost almost $11million to level the land and put in the utilities for the park. Certainly, someone should have known this when the original $17million total cost of the park was included as part of the Parks and Recreation Master Plan. Simply put: The cost of getting the land ready for the amenities was vastly more than guessed by the study's consultant.

8. Council never adopted the Parks and Recreation Master Plan

The Council decided not to approve the Parks and Recreation Master Plan. This is a 10 year plan. The plan was developed by a consulting firm. There was ample resident input. This plan included a statistically valid set of resident wants. Instead of approving the plan, the Council voted unanimously (Solomon absent) to instruct town staff to use it as a guide for future planning.  Thus, there was no plan in place and Council was free to do as it wished. Which it did!

9.  Pet Projects

It is not possible to piece together a coherent, financially sound plan based on the wants of Council members, each of whom have their own pet projects. The splash pad, golf course irrigation replacement, and the "pump track" are examples of special projects that one Council member wanted that really were not the priorities of the community. Trails, on the other hand, are a major stated desire of the residents as shown in the Master Plan Survey. Trail development, however, has taken a "back seat" to all these other projects.

10.  No early warning of outrageous cost

Keesler asserted at the Council meeting that the first time he had a glimpse of what it would cost to "do" Naranja Park was on September 23. That's when all the designs were (sort of) "complete." But, the cost of doing the grading was known some time earlier because it was an ongoing activity for many months and contracts have been in place.  Former Town Manager Jacobs should have reported to Council that site preparation was going to be far more than the consultant "guestimated". 

11.  Locking in the use of the half of the half-percent sales tax for non golf purposes

The Council voted to apply one half of the half-percent community center/golf sales tax to non golf purposes. The noble goal was to let the 99% of the community who never use those facilities get some benefit from the tax. The town pledged this tax to pay back the Park Bonds. That's a 20 year commitment that can not be changed. 

So...what can be done

It is now up to the Council do something.  They only need to build what they are legally required to do in the bond indenture: Spend 85% of the funds in the manner as noted in the bond indenture and continue to pledge the quarter percent sales tax to repay the bonds. Otherwise, they can do as they wish regarding what to build and when to build it.

Some of the amenity building on Naranja Park can be deferred to future years' spending.  As a minimum, the current plan for relocating the dog park... building pristine roads... adding all four new fields can wait.  The Council can defer building the trails but that would  punish residents who actually want to walk or bike to our parks without getting hit by a car on Oracle Road.

Tough Council decisions, decisions of their own making.

They need to fix the problem.

Whatever they decide, the vote needs to be unanimous. No more blaming each other. Partisanship has to go.

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