Last December, the Oro Valley Town Council voted to explore the idea of restoring a water feature at the Vistoso Trails Nature Preserve. Initially, the Council had favored creating a desert garden—no pond—based on an early estimated cost of $321,000. However, the design of that desert garden ballooned to $2.1 million per the 2024 Master Plan presented to council last September. That made the idea of including a pond more realistic. Council asked staff to investigate further, and extended the contract of consultant Rebecca Field of Kimley-Horn to create a concept to include a pone. Field will present her findings to Council tonight.
(Fully loaded) Water feature restoration cost is $1.7 to $1.9 million
Field will present two pond options—one covering the full 2.5-acre footprint of the original pond, and another scaled down to 1 acre [see panel right]. The cost to restore just the pond—liner, pumps, edge treatment, and other equipment—comes to about $1.2 million for the larger pond and $1.1 million for the smaller one. Once project administration and overhead are added (construction management, design documents, permits, profit, and contingency), the pond-related costs rise to about $1.9 million for the larger pond and $1.7 million for the smaller one.
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In both alternatives, the rest of the site adds $1.8 to $2.0 million to the project cost. This includes walking trails, ramadas, benches, landscaping, irrigation, turf, parking, and other amenities throughout the preserve.
Though the size of the desert garden area differs, the features and construction elements included in each design are nearly the same. That’s why the total costs are close, even though one garden covers three times more space than the other.
Total project cost: About $3.7 million
The total cost for either option—large pond or small pond—is approximately $3.7 million. That figure includes both the pond and the full site restoration. Consultant Field has noted that these are early, conceptual cost estimates based on preliminary designs and market assumptions. They are not developed by a professional cost estimator and don’t account for inflation or future price changes.
Possible federal reimbursement lowers cost to $2.9 million
Part of the project may be eligible for federal reimbursement under the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Recreational projects like this one can receive up to 50% in matching funds. If that funding is approved, the Town could recover as much as $800,000, lowering the net cost to around $2.9 million.
This is a very different garden design than was presented last September
The total cost for either option—large pond or small pond—is approximately $3.7 million. That figure includes both the pond and the full site restoration. Consultant Field has noted that these are early, conceptual cost estimates based on preliminary designs and market assumptions. They are not developed by a professional cost estimator and don’t account for inflation or future price changes.
Possible federal reimbursement lowers cost to $2.9 million
Part of the project may be eligible for federal reimbursement under the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Recreational projects like this one can receive up to 50% in matching funds. If that funding is approved, the Town could recover as much as $800,000, lowering the net cost to around $2.9 million.
Estimated annual cost: Smaller pond saves $72,000 a year
The 2.5-acre pond would cost about $135,000 per year to operate, due to higher water and maintenance costs. The 1-acre pond would cost around $63,000 annually. That’s a difference of $72,000 each year, making the smaller pond the more affordable long-term option.
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A 2.2-acre “Desert Garden Area” was included in the September 2024 Vistoso Trails Nature Preserve master plan. The plan was to eliminate the pond entirely and turn a small area into a landscaped garden. That garden [Panel left] looks to be much smaller than the former pond area.
A long wait for a final decision
It has been more than three years since the Town received the Vistoso Trails property. Several plans have come and gone, and the preserve remains largely untouched. Tonight’s meeting is another chance for Council to make a decision. Whether that happens—or whether this leads to another round of studies and delays—remains to be seen.
It has been more than three years since the Town received the Vistoso Trails property. Several plans have come and gone, and the preserve remains largely untouched. Tonight’s meeting is another chance for Council to make a decision. Whether that happens—or whether this leads to another round of studies and delays—remains to be seen.
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