Bits and Pieces

Council approves plan to recruit new Town Attorney

Wednesday night's meeting, the Oro Valley Town Council approved the process for recruiting a new in-house Town Attorney. Human Resources Director Andy Votava outlined a plan modeled after the one used earlier this year to hire the Town Magistrate — posting the position quickly, advertising statewide, and having Council make the final hiring decision. Council members agreed the process should move forward without delay, citing the recent retirements of Legal Services Director Tobin Sidles and Chief Civil Deputy Joe Andrews. Staff was instructed to post the position immediately and return to Council with progress updates as the search advances. (See our previous report on this form more information)

Council approves Parks and Recreation fee increases; begins process to increase stormwater rate 

At Wednesday night’s meeting, the Oro Valley Town Council approved an update to the Parks and Recreation fee schedule and authorized a Notice of Intent to consider future changes to the stormwater utility base rate. The Parks and Recreation action updates fees for facility rentals, programs, and memberships beginning in January 2026. The stormwater item does not raise rates now but begins the required public process to review a possible increase from the current $4.50 monthly fee per household. The Council will hold a public hearing on January 14, 2026, before deciding whether to adopt the proposed stormwater rate changes.

Northbound lane closures on Oracle Road begin Monday 

The Town of Oro Valley’s Street Operations team will close portions of the northbound inside lane on Oracle Road from just south of Suffolk Drive to north of Big Wash Overlook Place between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. daily, Oct. 20–24, with possible extension through Oct. 29. Crews will perform biannual median maintenance, including tree trimming, weed control, and trash removal. Traffic control and signage will guide motorists, and all lanes will reopen outside work hours. The Town maintains the medians under a longstanding agreement with the Arizona Department of Transportation. (Source: Town of Oro Valley Media Release)

Oro Valley's “mystery water line” project on State Lands

At Wednesday's Oro Valley Town Council meeting, Dan Scott, who lives in the Tortolita neighborhood just outside town limits near Tangerine and Thornydale, told the Council that heavy construction equipment had damaged his property from workers claimed to be installing a water line for Oro Valley. The water line is going into the state lands that were later discussed in the meeting. Scott said crews from contractor K.E.&G. entered the area about two weeks earlier, blading a wide path across State Trust land between Thornydale and Shannon Road and removing vegetation without any prior notice to nearby residents. He said neither he nor his neighbors had been informed of the project and asked the Town to explain what was happening. After his comments, no clarification was provided about the purpose or authorization of the work. However, we did see town Water Director Peter Abraham quickly moving to talk to Scott. Wonder what he said? We suspect that the water line is part of the NWRRDS project.  More to follow....

The no parking signs are mostly up

In early September we reported that the Town Council established no-street-parking zones on two major streets where the Oro Valley Church of the Nazarene is located. This week, we noticed that “No Parking” signs have been installed along Concordia and the southern portion of Buena Vista. Signs have not yet been placed on Buena Vista north of Concordia. The signs are small—but there are many of them [see panel right]. If you are a member of OVCN, please park in the church parking lot. We’ve been told there is sufficient parking for all parishioners, with overflow parking available at CDO. Street parking during church hours has been a long-standing concern for nearby residents. We don’t yet know when the remaining signs will be installed.

Chamber uses Gen-Zers to push for more apartments in Oro Valley

The push for higher-density housing seems to have become a mission for the Oro Valley Chamber of Commerce. Earlier this year, the Chamber’s Gen Z Committee met with young professionals who concluded that the Town’s housing policies make it difficult for them to live where they work. The group sent letters to Town officials urging more apartments, townhomes, and mixed-use developments, and their views were featured in an article titled “Gen Z Seeks Housing Focus.”  Wednesday night, several supporters, one who works for the Chamber and leader of the Gen Z group, appeared before the Town Council again, repeating those same arguments and asking that Oro Valley’s draft general plan be changed to remove what they called “bias” against apartments and high-density housing. 

Town accepts Sierra Wash easement but avoids responsibility for broader maintenance

The Town Council approved an easement from the Canada Ridge Homeowners Association allowing the Town to access and maintain recently constructed drainage improvements at the Sierra Wash crossing under Naranja Drive. Staff said the action was necessary to protect the public roadway and underground utilities from erosion caused by storm runoff. Town officials made clear that the Town’s maintenance obligations apply only to the newly installed protective armoring around the culvert—not to the natural wash itself. Several council members noted that other HOAs must continue maintaining their own washes and that the Town would not assume those responsibilities unless a wash directly affects public infrastructure. (Source: The Oro Valley Town Council Meeting, October 15, 2025)

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Guest View: Diane Peters – Risking Our Lives on Oro Valley’s Roads (Part 1)

Anyone who reads the OVPD Facebook page has probably noticed that there have been numerous traffic accidents in Oro Valley lately. Many of them have been major accidents, many have had serious injuries, and two of these accidents resulted in fatalities (one being a pedestrian). As a result, I have become fearful of driving in Oro Valley – fearful of being in an auto accident and fearful of witnessing one.

An epidemic of serious traffic accidents in just the past four months
August 2

A 2-vehicle collision at Oracle and Hardy. One person died and two were seriously injured. (The driver of the second car that caused the accident fled the scene but was later arrested. A person who witnessed the accident and tried to help the victims said, “It was horrifying.”)

August 7

A 2-vehicle collision at Oracle and La Reserve which included a rollover.
August 15

A 3-vehicle collision at Tangerine and La Canada that involved a rolled over semi-truck.
September 24

A serious crash at Oracle and Suffolk. Three people were taken to the hospital.
September 25

A 4-vehicle collision at Oracle and Magee.

October 7

Collision rollover at Oracle and La Reserve (Right Photo)
November 21

A 2-vehicle rollover collision on Oracle, south of Steam Pump Ranch.
December 4

Multiple vehicle collision at Tangerine and La Cholla.

December 6

Multiple vehicle collision at Lambert and La Canada with one vehicle rollover.

And these are just the accidents of which I’m aware. These accidents all occurred at intersections with traffic lights. 

I’ve lived here for 20 years, and I don’t remember this many serious crashes when our population was around 30,000 in 2003 and our roads were all just one or two lanes in each direction, many with 4-way stop signs rather than traffic lights. 

More than one crash per day
There was a total of 414 auto accidents from January through September of 2023. That’s 414 accidents in 273 days! January was the worst month with 63 crashes. According to Town documents, the majority of accidents have been caused by speeding, failure to yield right of way, and running red lights.

The most dangerous intersections
According to 2022 statistics, the worst intersections for crashes in Oro Valley were:
• Oracle and Magee
• Tangerine and First
• Oracle and Pusch View
• Oracle and Hardy
• Oracle and Ina
• Lambert and La Canada
• Tangerine and La Cholla
• Tangerine and La Canada
• Oracle and El Conquistador Way

Fatal Accidents in 2022
There were five fatal accidents in 2022 occurring at the following intersections:
• Tangerine and Innovation Park Drive
• Oracle Road and Pusch View Lane
• Oracle Road and El Conquistador Way
• Oracle Road and Hardy
• Oracle Road and Magee

What is the Town doing about this problem?
I contacted the Town to inquire if anything was being done to improve safety at these intersections because, for example, despite numerous OVPD HiVE deployments (High Visibility Enforcement) at Oracle and Suffolk, serious accidents continue to occur at that location. I was informed that the Town has an internal Traffic Safety Committee whose purpose is to discuss traffic safety concerns, and that “Engineering and Enforcement are working with ADOT to look into intersection improvements for Oracle Road.”

Oro Valley Traffic Safety Committee Members
The membership includes senior staff members from Town Engineering, Town Management, Planning and Zoning, OVPD, and Golder Ranch Fire Department. Their job titles are listed below:

Public Works Director/Town Engineer, Engineering Senior Traffic Technician, Senior Civil Engineer, Public Works Engineering Manager, Engineering Traffic Technician, Town Manager, Assistant Town Manager, Management Analyst, Planning and Zoning Administrator, Principal Planner, OVPD Police Sergeant, OVPD Police Lieutenant, Regional Emergency Response Planner, Golder Ranch Deputy Fire Marshal, Constituent Services Coordinator, Chief Civil Deputy Attorney, Information and Technology Director.

Part 2 will be published tomorrow and includes safety tips from the Town Engineer.
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Diane Peters has lived in Oro Valley since 2003, moving here to escape the humidity of the East Coast. She’s been involved in OV politics and development issues since 2006, including organizing a citizens group that negotiated a controversial 200-acre development project. In her past life, she worked in various medical specialties at three university hospitals in New England. Her interests include reading, writing, nature photography, travel, art galleries, museums, and politics.

Bits and Pieces

Kreigh Park Easter "Eggstravaganza" tomorrow
Tomorrow, the town is hosting an Easter event. It is called the "Oro Valley Easter Eggstravaganza". It is an annual egg hunt that includes crafts, games, jumping castles, food trucks and other fun activities! Easter egg hunt divided by age groups: 9:30 a.m.: Ages 9-10 | 9:50 a.m.: Ages 6-8 | 10:10 a.m. : Ages 3-5 | 10:30 a.m. : Ages 0-2"

It is at Kreigh Park from 9am to Noon.

Town of Oro Valley is "flush with cash"
"With the Town now two-thirds of the way through the fiscal year, revenues continue to significantly outperform budget expectations. In addition, expenditure savings are anticipated in the Town’s major funds. The General Fund and Community Center Fund in particular, should end the fiscal year with substantially higher fund balances than projected." (Town Finance Director February 2022 Financial Update To Council)

Multi-Use Path heads toward Rancho Vistoso Blvd
The CDO multi use path runs from along the CDO, terminating at the Oro Valley Marketplace. There is a turnoff at the end that connects it to a  paved path that Pima County created along Big Wash. That paved path runs under Tangerine and heads north along the east side of Big Wash. At present, that paved path ends at a bit north or the Oro Valley Hospital. The Pima County Regional Flood Control District built that path. It is extending it this month with an added 3,100 linear feet. Next fiscal year it will complete the extension to Rancho Vistoso Blvd. (Source: Town Manager Executive Report, April 2022).  

Town of Oro Valley signs interim agreement to takeover Vistoso Nature Preserve
Town Manager Mary Jacobs "signed a Cooperative Interim Land Management Agreement with The Conservation Fund this week, paving the way for the future acceptance of the property. This agreement describes our respective responsibilities during TCF’s interim holding period of the property and the donation terms. We are making final reviews of the Conservation Easement, which will be recorded prior to the transfer to the Town. TCF is keeping residents and stakeholders apprised of the progress they are making on the initial clean-up of the property, which will be completed later this month.' (Source: Town Manager Executive Report, April 2022)

Remediation of Vistoso Nature Preserve continues
Work continues on the Vistoso property.  According to The Conservation Fund: Work in the northern area of the property is underway and Brightview is on schedule to complete efforts to improve access along the cart path, trim vegetation, prune trees, and remove debris from the underpasses by April 22nd. To date, they have cleared over 1 1⁄2 miles of the cart path. The remainder of the path in its entirety along the upper portion will mowed by the end of next week." (Source" The Conservation Fund Press Release, 4-7-22)

Reduce your speed on Oracle, from Concordia to Tangerine Road
The state has reduced the speed on Oracle from Calle Concordia to Tangerine Road from 50 to 45 mph. This is because it is repaving that section of the road. The first step is remediation of curb and sidewalk ramps. The turn lanes and side streets will be milled and paved during the months of April and May, and the main lanes will be milled and paved during the months of June and July.  Please slow down.

ADOT To Rebuild Oracle Road Starting This Summer

Starts Summer 2020
The Arizona Department of Transportation will start rebuilding Oracle Road this summer. The project will be done in two phases. The first phase is the section of road from River Road to Calle Concordia. Phase 2 will be the section from there to Tangerine.

Sidewalks and more...
According to Town Engineer and Director of Public Works Paul Keesler: "Three will be sidewalks from Magee all the way down to River Road. There will be streetlights from Ina south to River. The pavement will be resurfaced. That's stage one."

"When that is completed, we will have a really great condition on Oracle Road, throughout the entire town."

$27 million cost paid by State
Project Phase 1 is anticipated to cost $15 million. The second phase is around $12 million. All funds for this will be paid by the state.

The implications of this are huge for Oro Valley. When that is done, all major projects will have been completed. Oro Valley will have three major corridors: Oracle Road, La Canada, and La Cholla Blvd.  The average daily traffic counts are significant. There are probably 70,000 trips along Oracle Daily.

Keesler was talking on Jim Horn's Oro Valley Podcast. Listen to the complete interview here.
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REMINDER: Mark Your Calendars ~ Two Important Town Meetings This Week

Once again, we know that this is a busy time of year for many people but we hope that each of our readers will make an effort to attend at least one of these important meetings.

Tuesday, December 12th at 6 PM

Community Meeting – Town Council Chambers

Golf Courses Update

Special meeting with Town Manager, Mary Jacobs.

Ms. Jacobs will review the Golf Consultants’ recommendations (from the $50,000 Golf Consultants’ Report) and also where the Town currently stands in the process of evaluating golf operations. Attendees will have an opportunity to ask questions and offer feedback.

The final recommendation to Council will be presented in January 2018.

Wednesday, December 13th at 6 PM

Public Meeting/Neighborhood Meeting – Hilton El Conquistador

Proposed Development - Commercial/Senior Care/Apartments

25 acres located on the NE and SE corners of Oracle Road and El Conquistador Way
This project is located within the Oracle Road Scenic Corridor.

The applicant is proposing to rezone the property FROM single-family residential R1-144 (144,000 sf lots), Resort District and Technology Park TO Planned Area Development with an underlying zoning designation of Neighborhood Commercial.

NOTE: This property is owned by HSL Properties (Humberto Lopez, who infamously dumped the money losing golf courses on the town and who has donated almost $80,000 to the campaigns of all 7 current sitting council members.)

$15,730 to the 2014 Election campaigns of Hiremath-Hornat-Snider-Waters
$25,750 to the 2015 Recall Election of Hiremath-Hornat-Snider-Waters
$38,000 to the 2015 Election campaigns of Pina-Rodman-Solomon

It's All Politics

LOVE is receiving input regarding Oro Valley recall election politics from many sources. Some are worthy of full postings. Others, like these, are bits and pieces of information. All of these relate to the politics of the election. Enjoy!

Running on anything but the issue
Mayor Hiremath and Council Members Hornat, Snider and Waters are running away from the reason there is a recall election.

As one of our readers wrote us: "It is election about their judgment; judgment not only in purchasing the El Conquistador Country Club and paying for golf losses with a sales tax increase on you and me; judgment in cutting a deal for this from their major campaign contributor; but also the manner in which they have so cavalierly ignored the needs of thousands of Oro Valley residents and marginalized the input of the three council minority members. That is why there is a recall."

Rather than address that, it appears that Mayor Hiremath continue to try to make this election about anything but that. Watch the Mayor's latest video. Tell us what you think.

Politics played at the 9/11 flag raising commemoration
Two weeks ago, the town hosted a flag raising ceremony at the Oro Valley Community Center and Recreation Center. The raising was to commemorate the 9/11 tragedy. Mayor Hiremath and council members Hornat, Snider and Waters used the event to play politics.

An event such as this is highly solemn in nature. It should never be a venue for politics or campaigning. However, the Majority-4 were there in force that day, and the following was observed and heard by one of our readers:

• Behind the podium, about 40 feet back, was a large campaign sign for the four of them. It was mounted on a parked vehicle.
• The audience was stacked to generate immediate applause once the Mayor approached the podium. They jumped the gun and started clapping before he even spoke and were quite obvious about it.
• The Mayor made sure to introduce attending council members, who also then received rounds of applause. 
• In the Mayor's remarks, he strongly emphasized how wonderful it is to finally have a Community Center as the "gathering place" residents have long wanted. He extolled the virtues of the Community Center both in his opening and closing remarks. The predicted applause ensued both times. 

Was there anything said about the 9/11 tragedy?
 
Phone polling asking loaded, biased questions
According to the PAC "Accountable Government Now" someone or group has retained the telephone survey services of publicpolicypolling.com. Questions being asked include:

• How likely was I to vote in the election? I was given a sliding scale from Definitely to not likely There were questions about the recall 
• Do you think there should have been a recall? Yes or No
• Did you support the recall? Yes or No
• Do you support the purchase of the community center for $1m? Yes or 
• Do you support the temporary ½ cent sales tax increase for the community center

The questions being asked are biased in that they don't tell the full story. For example, the community center also includes a money losing golf courses. The total investment will be well over $12 million.
The sales tax is not temporary. It has no sunset. It was instituted to pay for the losses from the golf courses.

As we said, the questions being asked are biased in that they don't tell the full story. But that's politics.

Say it's so, Joe
Then, we received intel that Council Member Joe Hornat didn't really want to run in this recall election. He is running, we heard, because the four (Hiremath, Hornat, Snider and Waters) had to run as a slate.

Frankly, these four should be embarrassed that they have been "recalled." Besides, why do they need the aggravation and the embarrassment? Why is retaining power to so important to them?

Rather than back down, they cling to keeping their job like its "life or death".

But that's what politicians do.

Oro Valley's competition with private business increases as town "puts lipstick on the pig"
It is business as usual at town hall. The Town Of Oro Valley continues to push to compete with private enterprise.

• The town is pushing head-long into building a first-class restaurant at the community center as we reported last week. The restaurant has added special events and special pricing to entice customers.
• Then the town is launching a golf membership referral program which includes direct marketing.
• The town continues to hold design meetings around changes to the community center.
• The town is creating a new theme for the Pusch Ridge course, as we reported Monday.

As one reader wrote us: "Many of the new members they gain, will be members lost by the Oro Valley Country Club, Vistoso and the Views. Those businesses will in turn lower their rates and offer promotions to be competitive. It is just wrong for the town to be competing with Oro Valley golf courses, restaurants and fitness centers and subsidized by the taxpayers."

Some assert that this push is all politics with the hope of making the Majority-4 decision to purchase the El Conquistador Country Club look good.

Well, you can put "lipstick on the pig' in an attempt to make you think its not a pig, but, in the case of the El Conquistador Country Club Golf, it really is a pig.

It's never good when the public sector competes with the private sector, unless, of course, you are a communist or a socialist.  Learn more here.

Incumbent sign blights Oracle and Lambert Lane
Then, there's the humongous sign the recalled officials posted on the Hiremath Dentistry parcel at Pusch View Lane and Oracle. Its an ugly red and blue sign adding even more blight to what use to be Oro Valley's scenic corridor. Oh yeah. That went away with the Majority-4 approval for rezoning for 800 apartments on Oracle Road.  If they are reelected, they will likely approve 5-story buildings behind home depot. They already did that once; but a design technicality will have them do it a second time.

Oracel Road scenic corridor? Not.

Their Majority-4 sign blight and now they gets even bigger
The Majority-4 signs are about the size of a small billboard! They are 4x8. They blight the beautiful community that they profess to love.

Now, we understand that some of their signs have an added  sign on top! The law requires that a sign may not be greater than 32 square feel so that needs to be removed if, of course, the town chooses to enforce code.

Bits and Pieces

Did You Get Your LOVE Email?

We sent an email yesterday to our mailing list.  It has a summary of some of what we have reported and some information on 2 newcomer candidates for the town's elected positions.  If you didn't get your copy and you have signed up for our mail in list, please let us know. If, on the other hand, you have not signed up for our mail in list, what are you waiting for?  We promise you: No Spam and informative content. Also, we always keep our mailing list confidential. Please sign-up at the top of the panel to the right.

Oro Valley Celebrates 40 Tomorrow

"Join the Town of Oro Valley this Saturday, April 26, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. for the 40th Anniversary Celebration at Steam Pump Ranch, 10901 N. Oracle Road. This free event for the whole family includes live entertainment, arts and crafts for children, cultural and historical tours, demonstrations and a fun zone for kids. Be sure to stop by the Town's Parks Recreation table to pick up your FREE FAMILY PASS for Sunday's Family Day at Catalina State Park. Passes can only be obtained at this event, and are only redeemable on April 27.

Entertainment Schedule

9:30 - 11 a.m. Live music: The Clam Tostada
11 - 11:30 a.m. Melodrama presentation: Great American Playhouse
11:30 a.m. - 12 p.m. Mayor Hiremath speaks Winners of the Life in OV student art contest are announced OV Artist Neil Meyers unveils his painting, a gift to the Town
12 - 12:30 p.m. Cake is served (near main stage)
12:30 - 2 p.m. Live music: Little House of Funk
2:30 - 3 p.m. Performance: Team Dance"

All day activities too! (Source: Oro Valley Press Release)
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"OVPD To Present Teen Safety Driving Program To CDO, IRHS Parents

Oro Valley, Ariz. (April 18, 2014) – On April 21, 2014 at 6 p.m., the Oro Valley Police Department (OVPD) School Resource Officers Unit will present the Impact Teen Drivers Program at Parent’s Night for Canyon del Oro and Ironwood Ridge high schools. The event will be held at CDO High School in the Cyber Café, 25 W. Calle Concordia." (Source: The Oro Valley Police Department press release)
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Oro Valley Water Consumer Confidence Report: "All Good"

The Oro Valley Water Department reports "Exellent Results" on its water quality tests.  There have been no Colifiorm violations in the 5,460 samples taken during the past 10 years.  "The Utility disinfects its water sources by adding Sodium Hypochlorite as a precaution against bacterial growth in the water system." (Source: Consumer Confidence Report , April 2014).
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Dispose-A-Med Tomorrow

"The Oro Valley Police Department (OVPD), in conjunction with National Dispose-A-Med Day, will hold a Dispose-A-Med event this Saturday, April 26, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the Oro Valley Target Store, 10555 N. Oracle Road." (Source: The Oro Valley Police Department press release)
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Oracle Road Can Be Dangerous To Your Health

10 Oro Valley intersections had 68 traffic accidents in the first quarter of this year. That's 42% of the 149 accidents reported.  49 of the accidents involve intersections with Oracle Road.   We hypothesize that a bunch of these accidents are caused because the yellow light cycle on the Oracle lights are about 3 seconds, which is not a sufficient time to safely slow down when traveling at or her the 50 mph speed limit.   Traveling through some of these intersections on a yellow light is particularly dangerous because there are cars eager to take a a left before they get the green arrow.  They start moving as soon as they see the yellow light.

Our advice: Slow down when entering every traffic light intersection.  Expect that yellow.  Stop.  (Source)
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TREO To Present Revised Plan

TREO will present a revised economic blueprint at a paid-for function on April 30 at Loews Ventana.   The deadline to register of the event is today. (Source)
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