Mayor Winfield declared that Oro Valley is a golf community at last week’s council meeting (4h21m 2/17/21 Oro Valley Town Council Meeting) This, he says, is supported by last year’s statistically valid resident survey done as part of the now in-progress Parks and Recreation ten year master plan project.
This survey was one of several reasons he gave for championing the reopening and three year commitment to operating the Pusch Ridge Course. Other reasons he gave are an uptick in golf usage because of the Pandemic; and his assertion that the town owned golf courses are meeting their subsidy metrics. According to Winfield, the only problem with Pusch View nine hole golf course is that it has been under-promoted.
Winfield "Kicks the Can" down the road
When Winfield and fellow council members Steve Solomon and Mo Greene have their way, the course will operate starting November 1. It will close each year in May. Three years will be the horizon for determining what will happen next to the course. By that time, the Mayor will have completed his term. It will be someone else's challenge.
Open space option summarily rejected
The idea of allowing the property to revert to its natural state or turning it into a walking preserve was summarily rejected by Winfield and council at the February 17 council meeting. They decided that that solution was too expensive. They based that on numbers provided by town staff. No council member challenged these numbers or the basis for them. As LOVE has previously noted, the natural space option is least costly over a five year planning horizon.
Council never considered the Pusch View Course's history of failure
The council did not discuss the operating history of this course during the meeting, a history that includes:
- The Town purchased three financially failed golf courses in 2014 from HSL Properties. HSL's purchase of the El Conquistador resort was financially feasible only if the Town took over these courses. That is what the Town did. The Town council raised the sales tax a half cent to subsidize the losses. The subside continues to this day.
- Once it owned the Pusch View Course, the Town observed that the course was underused and worked to market it. There was no success.
- In 2016, the Town then tried to turn the course into a family entertainment center, adding things like larger holes on the green and Frisbee Golf. That didn't work to stimulate use either. You can read about the Town's enthusiasm for that here.
- In 2020, Town Council voted to discontinue the course so that the Town could lease the course back to HSL.
Winfield, Solomon and Greene must believe that the pandemic driven resurgence in course use in Oro Valley is going to continue after the Pandemic passes. They may be right. On the other hand, the fundamental reasons the sport of golf is in decline has not changed. Read about those things here.
Tim Bohen was the only council member to speak against reopening the course
Council Member Tim Bohen stated that the Town has excess golf inventory even in today's hot market. “I just wanted to let the people know at Pusch Ridge Course: I’ve walked their course a couple of times. I’ve talked them. I have sympathy for their plight." He continued: "I really do believe as a responsible entity, we have inventory that we already have that we don’t consume and that is why I can’t support this.”
Winfield did not want a council resolution. Jacobs insisted they that there be one.
Mayor Winfield stated at several different points during the February 17 council discussion that Town Manager Jacobs had enough information from listening to the discussion to formulate what town staff was to do next. He did not want a formal vote (“resolution”). Town Manager Jacobs insisted that there be one: "You tell me what. I will give you the how."
RFP to lease Pusch View Golf included in resolution
Two of the three other council members, Vice Mayor Barrett and Council Member Josh Nicolson, successfully fought to insure that the resolution include directing the Town Manager to formulate a request for proposal ("RFP") for someone to lease the facility. That RFP will be issued and analyzed over the next seven months if approved by council.
The Resolution to reopen Pusch View Golf Course
Council passed the following resolution by a 6-1 vote:
Resolved: “Town council directs staff to return with a plan for operation of the Pusch Ridge Golf course to be evaluated within three years as to its continued feasibility, capital improvement requirements while also looking at alternatives to look at water usage and potential new configurations and a third party lease.”
Town Manager Jacobs will present the plan at the March 17 Town Council Meeting.
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