Oro Valley Tennis Gets New Lease On Life

Tennis courts are a "jewel"
In 2015, we asked the question: "Could Tennis Be A Hidden Gem In The El Conquistador Country Club Purchase?"

Our contention then was that the the purchase of the El Conquistador Country Club gave the town the opportunity to become a major player in the Southern Arizona tennis world. The town acquired 31 pristine tennis courts. 15 of these are located  at the Pusch Ridge facility (near the El Conquistador Hotel). The others abut the Oro Valley Community Center.

Three years later: The pieces are in place for Oro Valley tennis to shine.

A bigger jewel is Oro Valley's top-notch tennis professionals
Tennis Center Director Jennifer Fuchs has been leading Oro Valley tennis for 20 years. First, she was the Director of Tennis for the El Conquistador Resort for 16 plus years. Subsequently, she served as the Director of Oro Valley Tennis.  Jennifer is a tennis professional. "As a junior, she became the number one ranked player in the nation." She has with her a team of three other professionals.

A new lease on life
Since the town's purchase of the El Conquistador Country Club, Tennis was being managed by Troon, the company that manages the town's golf facilities. Frankly, we think it was relegated to the background. That will be no more. Tennis is now "front and center" in Oro Valley and that is a good thing.

Here's why.

Jennifer Fuchs has taken a bold step.

In August, Fuchs created a company, El Conquistador Tennis, LLC. Her company signed a lease with the Town Of Oro Valley. The lease gives El Conquistador Tennis a 3-year window to provide tennis related services such as: Tennis lessons, clinics, youth programs, tennis leagues, and racquet services. They also sell tennis related items like some apparel, shoes, grips, bags, dampeners, towels, balls, and  they take special orders.

El Conquistador Tennis will host events and tournaments. Fuchs and her team host about one event per month. These events bring dollars to Oro Valley. According to Fuchs, one recent event had a positive $300,000 economic impact on our town.

We should expect to see more events. Jennifer is considering adding an event to attract a younger crowd. "We will also be adding Junior league play and member events."

Want to learn more? 
You can get involved in Oro Valley tennis in several ways. You can choose among two membership levels to the Oro Valley Community Center tennis program. Memberships enable you to use the courts and some related facilities. You can also use the facilities on a daily fee basis. Membership and daily use fees go directly to the town.

You can avail your family of tennis instructional programs. These are provided by Jennifer and her team. These include adult tennis clinics, leagues, semi-private and private instruction. Visit this link to learn more. You can also follow El Conquistador Tennis on facebook. Or, you can get involved by simply calling them at 520-544-1780. They can answer your questions and get you started!

Let's go, Oro Valley. Get in the game! Its time to make this jewel shine.
---
Note: The town continues to be responsible for pickleball and golf.

Oro Valley El Conquistador Country Club Purchase: A Great Deal For HSL Properties

A lifetime use of golf course and tennis facilities at under market rates are just two of the benefits for HSL Properties in its sale of the El Conquistador Country Club to the Town Of Oro Valley.

HSL's Benefits Are Many
These and other benefits to HSL are detailed in agreements that the town signed when it purchased the El Conquistador Country Club earlier this month. The agreement includes priority bookings for tee times and the full use the golf courses and tennis facilities.

The Hilton El Conquistador Resort looks like a four star Hilton resort but does not have the huge and money losing proposition of operating golf and tennis facilities.

The agreement is a "no recourse" agreement.  Oro Valley will bear the full cost of remediation for any reason.

The agreement stipulates that the sale is at a bargain price. That purchase price is $1million. Thus, HSL may be entitled to a large donation deduction on their tax return. Who knows how much of a tax deductible loss they will claim, a loss that returns 30 cents on the dollar. Remember too that HSL purchased the resort and property out of bankruptcy for an estimated $15million.

Oro Valley's Benefits Are Few
Mayor Hiremath, the rest of the Majority-4, and Town Manager Caton tout this purchase as great deal for Oro Valley.  They claim that the town gets a community center. They claim that they are protecting land from possible future development. Many question these assertions.

Instead of a first class community center, Oro Valley gets to rehabilitate 2 plus golf courses, refurbish an old building, and operate at least some of these facilities for 2 generations. Oro Valley will spend an added $8+mil plus to fund this endeavor in 2015-16 alone, with millions to follow for at least the next 4 years.

Oro Valley has assumed a contract with Troon Golf. It is a contract that, given the timing and circumstances, HSL negotiated on behalf of the town. The town avoided competitive bidding requirements even though it has been party to the Troon discussions for some time. Troon, for example, attended and spoke at the Oro Valley council meetings in December. 

What options does Oro Valley have if things don't work out?

It looks as if those who live along or use the El Conquistador Course will be the first to know. The town has the option of closing this course. The town could let this course return to desert. Or, perhaps, the town could sell it for whatever purpose it wishes. It seems that not all of the property owners were protected in the purchase of the El Conquistador Country Club, as alleged by Mayor Hiremath.

What else can the town do?  By agreement, the town must keep at least one course operating, the La Canada course. If it abandons that course, HSL has the right to lease it from the Town Of Oro Valley for $10,000 per year, plus a stipend that repays Oro Valley over 50 years, interest free, for any improvements the town makes to that course. If Oro Valley closes the 9 hole resort course, the agreement requires the town to maintain it as a park. What a great benefit for the El Conquistador Resort.

Benefits To Oro Valley's 41,000 residents are few
Residents get to pay a half cent sales tax increase. They get to drive to a golf club to visit their community center, a building that has no physical closeness to any park or recreation center. Indeed the community center will be a "an island unto itself."

Those who are members of any of Oro Valley's private golf courses will see the Town competing for golf memberships and player rounds. Pricing will become even more competitive because. unlike a private club, the town seems to think that it has an infinite well of revenue to support what could turn out to be a huge long term financial and operating headache.

Could Tennis Be A Hidden Gem In The El Conquistador Country Club Purchase

Oro Valley's purchase of the El Conquistador Country Club gives the town an opportunity to make Oro Valley a tennis destination in Southern Arizona.

Unlike the sport of golf, the sport of tennis offers a quick way to get intensive exercise. Is is played by all ages. It doesn't cost much. And it can be fun for the whole family.  It is a sport that is more 4 times more popular than golf. The US is ranked 8th among nations in terms of tennis popularity.

Could tennis be the hidden gem in the El Conquistador Country Club purchase?

Is there an opportunity for Oro Valley to build on a sport where where there has been no previous  resident interest. If so, then...

How will Oro Valley build this opportunity?

According to Oro Valley Parks and Recreation Director Kristy Diaz-Trahan:

How many courts did Oro Valley acquire?
31 lighted courts (15 at La Cañada and 16 at Oracle)

Our understanding is that these courts for recently refurbished. Are we correct?
The 16 courts at the Oracle location were refurbished with post-tension slab concrete and voted best courts in 2012 by USTA.

Does the town plan to use these courts as a vehicle for bringing tourism town? If so, how?
Yes—through tournament play, USTA promotions, and working closely with Visit Tucson. 

Does the town plan to run tennis clinics?
Tennis clinics, classes, coaching, club team plan, tournaments will be managed by the Troon staff (who are the current tennis instructors). 

Does the town plan to run tennis tournaments?
There will be tennis tournaments; however, those events will be managed by either a tournament director (USTA for example), or by Troon tennis staff.

Is a town plan to work with outside agencies such as the Tucson Racquet Club or the University of Arizona to promote tennis?
Yes, we will work with regional partners (as well as USTA) to develop more tennis players and to encourage those who already play to play more often. 

Does the town have plans to work with local or national tennis associations to bring national tournaments here?
Yes, we plan to build on the success of the current tennis programming by working closely with Visit Tucson to secure economically-beneficial tournaments to Oro Valley.

Guest View: Mike Zinkin ~ The impact of the HSL Contract

Town Council never reviewed the Community Center/Golf Courses Purchase Agreement
In December 2014, the negotiated purchase agreement between HSL (Humberto Lopez) and the Town was delegated to former Town Manager, Greg Caton. Former Town Attorney, Tobin Sidles, was also on the team. During the process, three council members (Bill Garner, Brendan Burns, and myself) requested that the Council have a chance to review the agreement prior to the closing of escrow.

The Council majority (Hiremath-Hornat-Snider-Waters) did not think this was necessary because [paraphrasing], "We pay these people (Caton and Sidles) because of their expertise and who are we to interfere?" The agreement is a 585 page PDF file that appears to have been written entirely by the HSL team as it is heavily slanted in favor of the seller.

Below are excerpts from the self-serving contract:

Agreement: The Town can never manage golf because the agreement states that, "the Purchaser (Oro Valley) shall not terminate the Management Agreement unless…Troon is replaced with a professional national or regional golf management company with prior experience managing both municipal and resort courses."

Impact: The Town cannot reduce expenses by managing the golf courses themselves.

Agreement: The El Conquistador resort gets priority golf and tennis reservations.  "Resort owner and its hotel management agent shall be permitted to book reservations for the La Canada Course and at all tennis facilities for its hotel guests ....which allows the Resort owner to reserve golf and tennis for Resort guests on a priority basis (provided the booking is made at least two weeks in advance)."

Impact: The El Conquistador Resort gets priority tee times over golf members and outside players, even when resort guest rounds are comped. Golf Members are paying for resort guests to get priority tee times.  Taxpayers (you) are paying for other people to enjoy free golf!

Agreement: Remember when the Mayor (and others) used scare tactics to convince citizens that if the Town did not purchase this property, there was the potential for other development on the golf courses?  This is not true.  The agreement states: "The Resort Course and the La Canada Course shall be deed-restricted so that such courses are used as golf courses, open space, or recreational amenities, the Tennis Facilities for at least 28 courts shall be deed-restricted and may only be used and operated as tennis courses and related uses, if the Town ceases to operate the Canada Course or Tennis Facilities, then the Resort Owner shall have the right to lease such facilities from the Town for a 50-year term.” [$10,000 per year for 50 years.]

Impact: Residential and/or commercial development is not permitted on the Resort (Pusch Ridge) and La Canada course. A minimum of 28 tennis courts must remain in operation even if the Town is losing money on them.

Agreement: The agreement states that "as long as the Resort Property is used as a resort or hotel, at the election of the resort owner, the name of one or both of the two 18-hole Golf Courses SHALL contain the words "El Conquistador."

Impact: The Town must provide free advertising for the El Conquistador Resort.

Agreement: The agreement states that "if, at any time the Resort Course and or/La Canada Course become a discontinued Facility, and is utilized as open space or a recreational amenity instead of a Golf Course Facility, then, provided the Resort owner does not elect to enter into a Discontinued Facility Lease for all or any portion of such Discontinued Facility, the Town SHALL maintain, repair, and landscape such open space and/or recreational amenity, in a manner that controls dust, removes litter and debris, and landscapes and maintains the open space in a manner compatible with the operation of the Resort as a first class resort property."

Impact: If the Town discontinues the golf facilities, the Town is still obligated to pay for maintenance, repair, and landscaping of those grounds if the Resort does not exercise its option to lease the courses. The Town must continue to maintain the property for the holes south of Lambert even though it is not Town property and is owned by The Village of La Canada HOA.

A contract by HSL for HSL
It’s clear that this contract was written “by HSL for HSL” as everything in the contract is written to protect HSL. This is a legal document, signed by the former town manager. Hence, we are stuck with it.

Nice job, Mr. Caton, Mr. Sidles, and those four members of the Council who did not desire to review the Agreement prior to the close of escrow. Too bad the mayor and his cohorts did not desire to "get into the weeds.” During the last Council meeting that Mr. Caton attended as our Town Manager, the mayor stated that Mr. Caton "always hit it out of the park.” After reading this agreement, one might wonder -- for whose team was Mr. Caton playing? What happened to Oro Valley Residents being at the top of the Town of Oro Valley Organizational Chart?

The REVISED Town of Oro Valley Organizational Chart

Bits and Pieces

Council appoints 5 member Finance Commission. 
Last week the town Council appointed a five-member budget committee. The members are:

Cathy Solverson for a term expiring December 31, 2020
John Latchford for a term expiring December 31, 2020
James Beasley for a term expiring December 31, 2020
David Newell for a term expiring December 31, 2021
Susan Rosenberg for a term expiring December 31, 2021

All have at least some background in accounting or finance. Four have lived in Oro Valley for five years or less. One has been a resident of the town for 20 years. None have attended the town's Citizens Academy. Their job will be to take a look at the 2019-20 budget that Town Manager Jacobs will submit later this spring. They will provide their input directly to council.

Is Amphi clamping down on outside facility use?
One of our readers wrote about two schools not allowing use of the outdoor track facilities. "CDO is no longer allowing people who aren't attending school there to use the running track. Cross Middle School is also limiting non students from using their running track."  We wonder if it is the same a Ironwood Ridge?  The town does not have a running track and we have seen none in any of the future plans we have reviewed.

Tennis events on the horizon
The town's El Conquistador Tennis Club, run by longtime tennis pro, Jennifer Fuchs, is hosting two USTA events this month. One is the "USTA Spring Team Championships L 1 BG12". The other is the USTA Level 3 "Go for the Gold."  These events will bring tourism to our community.

Fuchs' company, El Conquistador Tennis LLC, leases the tennis courts from the town. The town maintains the facilities and receives funds from tennis memberships.  You can read more about that arrangement here.

In her recent email to tennis members, Fuchs noted that "The Town of Oro Valley did approve our request and patched the courts this month. They have also budgeted funds to do a complete resurface this spring or early summer. The concept of rebuilding a few courts at a time is always being considered." (Source: Fuchs email of 2-22-19)

Beware: Crime is all around us
The recent suspicious death of a Laurie Draegth on Brearly Drive, the attempted armed robbery by a purse snatcher at Fry's on Oracle and and a recent theft of a credit card from an apartment in Oro Valley, tells us that we need to be very careful both in our homes and when we are "out and about." It is indeed a dangerous world, even in peaceful Oro Valley. One suggestion: Leave the purse and wallet at home. Bring only what you need for the trip you are making. Write us with other ideas.

Free concert tonight at Steam Pump Ranch
Come join SAACA and the Town for the FREE Steam Pump Ranch Concert Series! A concerts will take place tonite. There is an "Family event with fun music Blue Grass music beginning at 5 p.m. and lots of family fun activities for little ones and adults alike. Then from 6:30 – 9 p.m., a second band featuring fun 50s – 90s music for all ages will take the stage. The full event will also include food trucks and Sonoita Vineyards winery. Come for dinner and stay all night!" (Source: Town of Oro Valley)

Bits and Pieces

Lopez Sets Record Straight: HSL Would Not Have Waited If Oro Valley Had Not Voted To Buy El Conquistador Country Club

"I want to make it clear that if the decision to buy the El Conquistador Golf Club had not been made [by the Oro Valley Town Council] on December 17th, we would have pursued our other sale opportunities and would be unwilling to wait until May or even March to complete this transaction."

This is a direct quote from a letter that Lopez of HSL properties, the company that is going to sell the El Conquistador Country Club To Oro Valley, sent a letter to the Greater Oro Valley Chamber of Commerce.

In this letter Lopez said that HSL is now willing to wait for the town to purchase the property because the town had agreed to do so.

Superior Court Judge Aragon To Hear TOOTHINOV.ORG Appeal Tuesday

We have received information from TOOTHINOV.ORG that their appeal appeal of the rejection of the referendum will be heard next Tuesday.  The the judge assigned to the case, the Honorable Gus Aragon, will hear pleadings at 10 am in Superior Court. (Related News Story)

HSL Hopes To Close Deal on El Conquistador Country Club Sale To Oro Valley By March 1

"Hospitality specialists from CBRE offices around the country negotiated the recent $15 million sale of Oro Valley’s Hilton El Conquistador Golf & Tennis Resort and the El Conquistador Country Club to Tucson-based developer HSL Properties.

HSL plans about $16 million in rehabilitation and capital improvements on the hotel portion of the property, with work to take place over the next 12 to 18 months. HSL has also started the process to split off the resort’s country club and 45 holes of golf to the Town of Oro Valley. HSL hopes to finalize that sale by March 1, although local residents have initiated a referendum petition drive that could potentially halt the sale." (Source)(Alternative Source)
---
Oro Valley Cops Stolen Wallet Found In Stafford

Stafford Police arrested a man in possession of an Oro Valley Police Officers stolen possession.

"Alejandro Andres Martinez, 31, of Safford, was arrested and booked into the Graham County Jail early Saturday morning on charges of taking the identity of another person, theft and failure to comply with a police officer after numerous identification, debit and credit cards belonging to an Oro Valley Police officer were found in his possession.

After placing Martinez in their patrol car for failing to comply with the officer’s command, the police performed an inventory check of the car and located a driver’s license, Oro Valley Police Department identification card, Pima regional SWAT callout card, town of Oro Valley insurance card, two credit cards, three debit cards and a Sam’s Club card all belonging to an Oro Valley Police officer. The cards were previously reported stolen by the victim, who said his wallet was taken when he was at a gym." (Source)

None of us are immune from car theft "smash and grab" crime. So, keep you valuables out of sight an locked away.
---
Oro Valley Launches "5 Questions In 5 Minutes" To Solicity Your Input On 2015-16 Budget

It’s budget time in Oro Valley, and in lieu of a public forum which has traditionally garnered low attendance, the Town has launched an online opportunity for residents to give direct input on what they feel are priorities for the Town. The online questionnaire, 5 Questions in 5 Minutes, opens today, January 26, and will run through February 8. In this questionnaire, participants will have an opportunity to rank potential capital improvement project categories and indicate priority levels on Town programs and services.

This is the link to access the survey.
(Source)
---
Councilmember Zinkin Appointed To Two National League of Cities Committees

Oro Valley, Arizona (January 27, 2015) - Town of Oro Valley Councilmember Mike Zinkin has been appointed to the National League of Cities (NLC) 2015 Community and Economic Development Steering Committee and the Small Cities Council.

Community and Economic Development Steering Committee has the lead responsibility for developing NLC federal policy positions on issues involving housing, community and economic development, land use, recreation and parks, historic preservation and international competitiveness. The appointment was announced by NLC President Ralph E. Becker, mayor, Salt Lake City, Utah.
(Source: Town Of Oro Valley Press Release)
---

Recall Petitions Filed Today as Town Of Oro Valley Announces Purchase of El Conquistador Country Club

Oro Valley Citizens For Open Government ("OVCOG") announced Friday "...that it has amassed sufficient petition signatures for (a recall election of) Council members Hornat, Waters, and Snider." OVCOG will submit the petitions to town clerk Bower today.

Also Friday, the Town Of Oro Valley announced that it has entered into an agreement to purchase the El Conquistador Country Club. "On April 23, 2015, [Town Of Oro Valley and HSL Properties] signed the tentative contract for the purchase, which is currently at the title company for finalization. The Town anticipates a transfer of ownership to take place by May 1, 2015." (Town Of Oro Valley Press Release)

A recall election is far from a sure thing
In order for the recall election to occur, Oro Valley Town Clerk Bower must review the submitted petitions. She will determine if they are in substantial compliance with legal requirements. Any error of any magnitude will result in the rejection of the petitions. If the petitions past her inspection, the petitions will go to the county. They will seek out invalid signatures. These processes will take at least 5 weeks.

The right of recall is in the Arizona state constitution. The legislature has written requirements for petitions that are so stringent as to prevent the right of recall. Even the most insignificant mistake will result in rejecting the petitions. For example, in January Oro Valley Town Clerk Bower rejected the petitions that would have allowed a vote on the town's purchase of El Conquistador Country Club. She rejected the petitions because the petitions did not include the correct filing number on each page of each petition. The rejection was upheld in both the lower court and the appellate court. The Supreme Court has been asked to hear the case on constitutional grounds. The court will not decide until late May if it will consider the case. 

If, after the scrutinization of both the town and county clerk, the petitions are approved and if there are sufficient valid Oro Valley registered voter signatures, then a recall election will occur. This would be on November 3. This is at the same day voters will be asked to approve property taxes to pay for a massive $800million Pima County Bond Issue.

OVCOG contines to seek signatures for Hiremath recall
"Signature gathering continues for Mayor Hiremath - accounting for the required higher threshold [in the number of Oro Valley registered voter signatures] for the mayor's position and the desire for a sufficient cushion to ensure a successful recall process." The group did not release a date on which they plan to turn in these signatures.

Oro Valley purchases El Conquistador Country Club
While all this has taken place, the Town Of Oro Valley has moved forward with its purchase of the El Conquistador Country Club from HSL properties. HSL is known in Pima County for is unusual dealings with the City of Tucson regarding its "begging" for help with a downtown hotel. They are know in Oro Valley because they built the large apartment complex, La Encantada at Steam Pump on Oracle Road. This required rezoning that was approved by the council majority.  HSL was a significant contributors to the 2014 election campaigns of Mayor Hiremath and council members Hornat, Snider and Waters.

The transfer of ownership of the El Conquistador Country Club will occur on May 1.

The purchase may have "strings" that benefit HSL and preclude future property sale
We have previously reported that the sale of the property to Oro Valley by HSL may have conditions that guarantee great benefits of golf course and club use to the Hilton El Conquistador, which HSL owns, over many years. At one point, we understand that HSL was requesting the right to approve any Oro Valley sale of the property. This kind of condition would diminish the market value of the property and make it more difficult for a third party to purchase it. As we reported, there is a bone fide offer by Oro Valley resident Rick Chandler to purchase the property.

LOVE will provide a detailed analysis of the purchase agreement once it becomes available.

Mayor Hiremath: "An exciting time for our community"
"This is a very exciting time for our community," said Mayor Satish I. Hiremath. "Since the 1990s, our residents have expressed a desire for a community center-for a central gathering place. We now have the amenities to meet that need as well as provide increased parks and recreation programming for all ages." (Oro Valley press release)

Many do not share the mayor's enthusiasm. 
This is because the purchase is far more than for a community center.  "The purchase includes 324 acres of land, a 31,475 square-foot building, restaurant, 31 tennis courts, 45 holes of golf and two swimming pools." (Oro Valley Press Release)

To many, this is a massive, costly, and risky undertaking for Oro Valley
The purchase is a massive undertaking by Oro Valley. The $1million purchase price is small in comparison to the amount of investment required to rebuild the property. Oro Valley Town Manager Caton has recommended 2015-16 funding for the facility at almost $8.2million. $6.3million of this is to pay for a management contract with Troon Golf. The town's investment, according to information provided to us by the town, is well over $8million over 5 years. There are others, however, who believe that the investment will be more than $13million.

The council majority increased the sales tax one half percent to pay for some of the cost of operating this facility.

The purchase is also significant risk. The sport of golf is in decline. Green fees are dropping as competition for fewer golf rounds heatsup. In addition, the town is using public money to compete with the private enterprise golf clubs in our community. Every one of these courses is struggling to survive.

Incumbents Must Address The Issues Raised By Their Recall Election

Oro Valley voters face a recall election decision on November 3. Do they want to retain Mayor Hiremath and council members Hornat, Snider and Waters? Or do they want to replace them?

Making this decision will be challenging. They will need to choose between two very different views regarding what this election is about.

The incumbents assert that voters should look at this election as if it were a general election. They assert, through their web sites, that the voter should judge them on their 5-year record of service (Source: web sites of the incumbents).

The challengers assert that this is not a general election. It is a recall election. The four incumbents should be replaced because of what the incumbents did during the past year.

There is a recall election because of a rushed purchase of golf courses from a major campaign contributor; and a decision to fund millions in losses through a sales tax increase. The purchase places Oro Valley in competition with private golf courses and restaurants.

Oro Valley's recall election is a reality because a large number of voters were so angst by this transaction that they expended enormous effort (see insert right) to make a recall election happen. They want Mayor Hiremath and Council Members Hornat, Snider and Waters replaced.

Specifically, they assert that these four elected officials acted improperly by:

• Negotiating for and purchasing the El Conquistador Country Club
• Hurrying the transaction
• Basing their decision on last minute, possibly misleading information
• Ignoring significant unfavorable citizen input
• Negotiating for and purchasing the property from one of their major campaign contributors, thus lacking sufficient independence to make a decision on behalf of the people of the community
• Signing an agreement that benefited this contributor by requiring the town to maintain the golf courses for decades
• Purchasing a stream of millions of dollars of losses to fund the golf courses
• Increasing the sales tax to pay for these losses

In response, the four incumbents and Oro Valley Town Administrator Greg Caton have asserted that the Town Of Oro Valley got a "bargain" sales price ($1million paid over three years) for the land and buildings, refurbished tennis courts, two swimming pools, and a clubhouse that the town is converting to a community center. They further assert that this is a better alternative than building a community center in Naranja Park. This is where the center was to be.

Voters must decide: Was getting a community center so important as to overshadow the manner in which it was done, the acquisition of golf courses and an increase in the sales tax?
As one recall supporter wrote us:

"Mayor Hiremath and Council Members Hornat, Snider and Waters have had total disregard for the wishes of the citizens. The fact is: Over 65% of all the citizen input on the El Con deal was 'don't do it'.

Council Member Hornat said; 'They [the people] don't make the decisions'.

My response is: 'Yes. You are correct; but your job is to reflect what the people want'.  The El Con deal brought to a head that the Majority-4 have no concern for anybody except their special interest community and those who agree with them."

Those who support the transaction include members of the El Conquistador Country Club, those who live on property abutting the golf course, and the Greater Oro Valley Chamber of Commerce.

The voters need to hear directly from Mayor Hiremath and Council Members Hornat, Snider and Waters about the key issues:

• Why did they feel that they were "independent" in making this purchase from a major campaign contributor? 
• Why did they not order that detailed feasibility studies be done to compare the option of building a community center at Naranja Park to the purchase of the El Conquistador Country Club?
• Why were they justified in committing future generations to debt by entering the Town Of Oro Valley into a several decade agreement to own and operate golf courses for the benefit of a private enterprise?
• Why did they rush the decision without doing detailed due diligence or holding true public hearings?
• In what way did they consider the obvious anger of at least half the community?
• Whey did they feel justified in raising the sales tax to accomplish this? 
• Why should the town, as a result, be in competition with private golf courses and restaurants in our community?

To date, the incumbents have chosen to not address these key issues. 
In fact, their websites indicate that they do not want to do so. Only one of the sites even mentions the purchase of the El Conquistador Country Club.

The purchase of the El Conquistador Country Club is what they need to talk about.

At some point they will need to answer these questions.

It will be up to the challengers to make them do so.

Bits and Pieces

Please Don't "Rain On Our Parade"

Tomorrow is the Oro Valley Holiday Parade. The forecast is for cooler weather with some showers. The parade starts at 9:30 at La Cholla and Naranja. The parade  proceeds east along Naranja to La Canada.
---
Oro Valley Country Club Sold

The Oro Valley Country Club, Oro Valley's original golf course, was sold to ClubCorp.  The sales was announced last week. ClubCorp is an NYSE traded public company (Ticker: MYCC).  There was no announcement of the details of the sale.  However, we do know that the club was sold by the holder of the notes issued to upgrade the facility.

This club has "extra value" because it has grand fathered water rights. Thus, its water use can not be restricted by the town.
--
Parks and Recreation Commission Recommends Against El Conquistador Golf Course Purchase

As reported by Becky Pallack of the Arizona Daily Star.

"The parks board voted 5-1 to advise the Town Council to go ahead with the purchase — without the golf business. 'We really wish we could get these wonderful facilities at a cheap cost and dump the golf courses,” board member Dana Hallin said.'"

Read the article here
 ---
Arizona Daily Independent: "Oro Valley Residents Denied Voice In Proposed El Conquistador Purchase"

The Arizona Daily Independent reports that Oro Valley Council Members Zinkin and Garner have series of concerns. The concerns regard the potential purchase by Town Of Oro Valley of the El Conquistador Golf and Tennis Resort.  According to the report, there is great concern as why there is such a rush to purchase this facility, what the facility will really cost Oro Valley, and whether or not the facility will really suit the needs of the community.
---
Naranja Park Planning Continues: An Event Center and More Possible

Consulting firm McGann and Associates presented the latest draft of a Naranja Park plan to the Oro Valley Parks and Recreation Commission this week. The concept is still in the planning phase. Here is some of what is being considered:

• The archery site would remain as located, with an updated rest room facility
• There is an "Event center " that is the hub of the park
• The plan would add 6 multi-purpose fields with lights
• An outdoor performance area is located north of these fields
• There is a family play area, with recreation equipment and ramadas
• 3 little league sized baseball fields of 200 plus fences and a full-size baseball field are on the north of the property
• There is also a group use area. 

This latest plan assumes that the town will purchase the El Conquistador Golf and Tennis Resort and 

use it as the Oro Valley's Community and Recreation Center. Town Council will consider this purchase and an increase of .5% sales tax at next Wednesday's regular counsel meeting.

---

Register Your Players For The "Oro Valley Little League"

The Coronado Little League has changed it's name. It is now called the Oro Valley Little League. There are 300 players in the league, ranging from 4 to 18 years old. 75% of the players are Oro Valley residents.

The league has 25 plus teams. It operates 9 months a year. At present, the league uses 2 fields in Oro Valley. The league pays $10,000 per year for field use.  Future new fields at Naranja Park will substantially improve their operation. 

According to league president, Ray Feltes: "Our next big step is Spring registration. Registration forms available at our web site: www.orovalleyll.com"

You can register players at Dick's Sporting Goods in the Oro Valley Marketplace on the following dates:

• January 11: 1pm-4pm
• January 14: 6pm-8pm
• January 24: 9am-12pm

---
La Cholla Widening To Start In 2015-16

At this week's general plan amendment hearing, Mayor Hiremath confirmed that widening of La Cholla, originally planned to start in 2021, will  start next year (Planning stage) with construction starting in 2016.  This project is funded by the Regional Transit Authority ("RTA").   

The project will widen La Cholla, from a bit north of Naranja, then south, to a 4-lane desert road with walking and bicycle paths.

Mayor Hiremath is Oro Valley's representative to the RTA. The Mayor is confident that the project will be completed in a timely manner. The Town Of Oro Valley will manage this project.
---
Oro Valley Launches Youth Recreation Scholarship Program

"Oro Valley, Arizona (December 8, 2014) – The Town of Oro Valley is pleased to announce a new scholarship fund to make fee-based recreation programs more accessible to Oro Valley youth who may be unable to participate in recreational programs and activities due to financial constraints. The funding is received through the Oro Valley Water Utility’s voluntary “Round-Up” program, which allows customers to round up their water bills to the next dollar. Water bill inserts with complete details are currently being mailed to all Oro Valley Water Utility customers, but any interested citizen may donate to the program. See below for details on how to donate or how to apply for a youth scholarship." (Source: Town Of Oro Valley Press Release)
---
Oro Valley Honors Volunteers Of The Year

Last night, The Town Of Oro Valley honored Lee Craig, Larry Forchione, Ellen Guyer, Warren Lazar,  John Lowe, Carolyn Milkey, and Mary Robare  as "Volunteers Of The Year." The event was hosted at the Hilton El Conquistador Golf Resort Presidio Ballroom. (Source: Town Of Oro Valley Press Release)
---
Spring Oro Valley Parks And Recreation Guide Available

Click here to view a copy of the Springs Oro Valley Parks and Recreation guide.
---

Bits and Pieces

Check out the "Jim Horne" Oro Valley Podcast
Oro Valley resident Jim Horne as produced three podcasts to date. The first is about water. The second two are about Oro Valley history. Each podcast is an interview with a subject matter expert. The podcasts are informative, educational, and fun. You can listed to them on the Apple podcast or Spotify apps. Well worth your time.

El Conquistador Tennis had a great year
Jennifer Fuchs, owner-operator of El Conquistador Tennis, told us that things are going well. She leases the tennis facilities from the town. In a December message to members she wrote: "We thank you for another great year! Without all of your support, in so many areas, we would not be able to work with the greatest Tennis membership, residents and guests in such a beautiful environment." We wish her continued success in 2020.

Plan Your Parks Today
The Town Of Oro Valley is building a master plan for parks and recreation facilities. This as directed by town council.  "The purpose of the Oro Valley Parks and Recreation Needs Assessment and Master Plan is to offer strategies and operational policies that provide guidance in order to meet the needs of current and future Oro Valley residents."

Visit PlanYouParksOV today to learn more about this and to participate.

It's your town.

Get in the game! (get the pun?)

Two Oracle Place (Formerly Platinum Fitness) to get a new look
The building that formerly housed Platinum Fitness is going to get an upgraded, more upscale look. According to the town: "The applicant has purchased the property and intends to redevelop the site as a mix of office, retail and restaurant space" (source). The pictures of the new facility show an astounding change. Here's one "before and after" rendering:

Bits and Pieces

Kreigh Park playground temporarily closing for upgrades
ORO VALLEY, Ariz. (Feb. 3, 2022) –– Oro Valley Parks and Recreation is excited to announce that the playground at James D. Kriegh Park will be replaced with brand-new playground structures, play surface and shade structure.

 
Before the new amenities can be installed, the existing playground and surface need to be removed. Because of that, the playground and ramada will be closed for construction starting Feb. 7. The upgraded playground is expected to reopen in late March.
The existing playground equipment is over 20 years old and was identified as needing to be replaced through the Parks and Recreation Master Plan process that was conducted in 2020/2021.

 

Community input played an important role in the new playground design. Parks and Recreation created a survey for residents to pick different designs and amenities. Over 400 people responded with comments and feedback on the designs. The first option (shown below) received over 65% of the vote, making it the winner.

 
Construction updates along with closure/reopening announcements will be made on the Oro Valley Parks and Recreation Facebook page. During construction, don’t forget that Oro Valley has additional playgrounds at Naranja Park and Riverfront Park.

(Source: Town of Oro Valley Press Release 2-3-22)

- - -

Council approves removing HSL option to lease town courses (if town declares any one of them 
"discontinued")

"On April 23, 2015, the Town Council entered into a Purchase and Sales Agreement for the El Conquistador Country Club and Golf Courses with HSL El Conquistador Golf, LLC (HSL). The agreement contains provisions allowing HSL to lease from the Town the 9-hole Resort (Pusch) Golf Course and/or the La Canada Golf Course in the event the Town decided not to maintain them as golf courses. A similar provision is included for the tennis courts.

In January 2021, HSL opted not to exercise its right to operate/lease the Pusch Golf Course after the Town declared it a discontinued course, effectively extinguishing their option in the Agreement. During the Town Council's discussion regarding the installation of new irrigation for the La Canada and El Conquistador courses, Council expressed interest in inquiring of HSL their willingness to relinquish the same option on the La Canada course.

(source)

 
HSL agreed to do so.  Council approved the measure 6-1 at the meeting this past Wednesday.

- - -

LaCanada awaits repaving after water break

The town has repaired the water line break that occurred on LaCanada, north of Lambert Lane. Contractors are awaiting warmer day temperatures to repave the road.

- - -

Volunteers needed for senior programming task force

"Oro Valley Parks and Recreation is seeking volunteers for a new taskforce to research and provide suggestions/feedback on senior program ideas. If you are interested, please contact Nancy Ellis at nellis@orovalleyaz.gov to request an application. The deadline to apply is February 28, 2022."

(Source)

- - -

El Conquistador Resort hosts Golf Pro Tour All-Star Event on Pusch Ridge Course this month

The  El Conquistador Resort is hosting the second annual Disc Golf Pro Tour All-Star event. It will be held on the Pusch Ridge Golf course on February 11-13, 2022. The event will showcase some of the top disc golfers in the world as they compete in a unique format event that will kick off the 2022 season. Spectator tickets may be purchased here. Read more about this event here.

(source)

Guest View-Ryan Hartung: Why A Recall Is Necessary

My name is Ryan Hartung and I am leading a group of individuals, Oro Valley Citizens for Open Government - OVCOG, who filed, two weeks ago, to recall the council majority: Mayor Hiremath and Council Members Hornat, Snider, and Waters.

Before I tell you about why we filed, I'd like to tell about who we are. First of all, I myself am 36 years old, hold a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry and am married with two little girls. I am nothing more than a concerned citizen, feeling as though certain members of the Town Council have taken it upon themselves to run the town as they see fit; not according to the will of the people whom they are supposed to represent. Our core team is comprised of people of all age ranges and we are receiving new volunteers daily.

Some people may ask, why should we recall Mayor Satish Hiremath and Council Members Joe Hornat, Lou Waters and Mary Snider? Well, the answer is fairly simple: Many of us feel they are not aligned with Oro Valley citizens' best interests in mind.

If we take a step back to the middle of December, barely a month after the they were installed in office, we see the beginnings of a directional change in Oro Valley leadership. In a contentious 4-3 vote, the Mayor secured a back room deal to acquire the El Conquistador country club building, golf courses, tennis courts and other facilities. This deal is not a great deal for the residents, but is for the hotel’s current owners, HSL, who also donated a total of $14,000 in differing amounts to the four Council Members. HSL gets to shed the losing golf operation, shifting the risk of ownership to Oro Valley.

Furthermore, after injecting millions of taxpayer dollars into aging buildings and golf courses, the Mayor's hope is to reach "profitability" in five years. But here’s what they don’t tell you. Profitability means that golf will supposedly be making money, but this does not mean that the millions of dollars the Town will put into the project will be paid back. That money is considered a needed investment to restore the building and grounds, and is a wash at best. What will be the true return on your "investment" tax dollars? That’s anybody’s guess, and this is assuming their rosy projections become a reality. If they don't, who will be left holding that bag? It's easy - we will.

If the hurried purchase of the El Conquistador, with little time to view the deal’s actual language, while seeking no input from the voters wasn’t bad enough, the Town Council, at the behest of the Mayor, then passed an additional half-cent sales tax to help pay for this albatross. Again, we see a split 4-3 vote. However, what's even worse is this sales tax increase does not expire - once a tax, always a tax. We've seen this playbook before, and now we are seeing it again.

This is where the recent referendum effort comes into play. Two concerned Oro Valley citizens took it upon themselves to form T.O.O.T.H. - Tee’d Off Over Tax Hikes, to get petitions to the public, where if enough signatures were garnered they could force the El Conquistador’s purchase to a Town-wide vote. The results of the petition gathering were simply astonishing. Based on the previous election’s turnout, only 1,148 signatures were needed to force a referendum. More than 3,000 were collected in roughly 3 weeks! As fantastic as this feat was, a technicality rendered every one of the petitions null and void.

So, seeing that a notable number of Town citizens whom the Mayor has labeled “the whiney minority” was so upset about the purchase and the tax hike, one would assume the message had gotten across. It did not. Only a week ago, at the February 18th Council meeting, a resolution was offered to postpone the sales tax increase until the El Conquistador purchase was complete, pending litigation. Makes sense, right? Well, like before, the measure failed by a 4-3 vote. Council member Hornat specifically stated that they should proceed until "told to stop." Is he listening to his constituents? No.

This consistent voting pattern of the Mayor along with Snider, Hornat and Waters is exactly why we advocate a recall. Simply steamrolling the opposition at every turn and not caring about Council consensus is akin to Washington D.C. politics, and should stay back east.

We can do better in Oro Valley. By giving our citizens a chance to vote again on these four individuals in a special November election, only then can we fix our Town Council and allow it to function as it was intended - a group of seven individuals looking out for the best interests of all citizens of the great town of Oro Valley. We need and demand true leadership - leadership this is completely upfront, transparent and accountable to our citizens.

There are many more reasons for this recall effort, but space and time is limited. I challenge both those in favor and against the El Conquistador to sign the Recall petitions. Remember, signing the petitions will not kick anybody out of office, only have a special election to see if the citizens of Oro Valley still want them to represent us. Let’s take it to a vote, that’s all we’re asking.

Please email us at OVCOG2015@gmail.com to volunteer.

Sincerely,

Ryan Hartung
OVCOG

Oro Valley Resident Offers To Purchase El Conquistador Country Club From Town Of Oro Valley

"My group is offering to purchase the El Conquistador Country Club from the city of Oro Valley for the amount of $1 million dollars."

Thus begins a letter dated today from Oro Valley resident Rick Chandler to Oro Valley Mayor Hiremath and council. He sent us the letter also.

You may recall our January posting "Oro Valley Businessman Would Have Loved To Have Leased The ELCon Golf Courses". That posting highlighted a Chandler offer to lease the property from the town. That posting includes a video of his offer. Chandler made that offer at the December 17th council meeting. That was the meeting in which the Majority-4 authorized the formal negotiations to purchase the El Conquistador Country Club from a major contributor to their reelection campaign, HSL Properties.

In the letter, Chandler notes: "In return, our group would lease back to the city, all areas of the property and facilities that would benefit the city and satisfy all the amenities the city was initially looking for. i.e. Rec. Center , Swimming Pools, Camp Space, Tennis & Racquetball Courts."

He also estimates that acceptance of his proposal would save the town $9 million.

We spoke with Chandler. "This is a bone fide offer." He is willing to demonstrate such with earnest money as soon as someone in authority at the Town Of Oro Valley responds.  "My partner and I have ample funds to complete a deal with the town."

Whether the town could move forward on this with Chandler depends on the nature of the agreement to purchase the El Conquistador Country Club. That is under negotiation. We believe that the purchase will come with a "locked in" management contract for Troon Golf; and, perhaps, a right of refusal by HSL Properties on any sale or lease of the property." That purchase contract is still under negotiation.

Guest View-Don Bristow: "Guest View: Is El Con Deal A Good Deal Or Not For Oro Valley?"

On December 17, the Oro Valley Town Council will consider the purchase of the El Conquistador Golf and Tennis Club. The plan is to use it as a Community and Recreation Center and to raise of the Oro Valley sales tax to pay for its operations.  

Resident Don Bristow, a former council candidate, agreed to share a message he sent to residents about this transaction.  Based on feedback you have given us, his concerns are shared with many in the community.
---
"In case you haven’t heard about the December 3rd Council meeting, and read that Oro Valley will raise sales taxes (without a sunset) to acquire El Conquistador’s country club, I have attached three items. Two are articles from the Arizona Daily Star, one appeared only online at Tucson.com. The other is an article about the decline of golfers and reasons for not getting into the golf course business. Course constructions, play and number of golfers continued to decline in 2013 as it has for many years, and it seems as though nothing can restart it. Even the proposed management company, Troon, agrees, when its vice president of sales says, “There’s no one thing that’s going to turn the industry or a club around.”

Pay back is hell! This deal is too good to pass up! These axioms are very appropriate for the Town Manger and Mayor Hiremath’s push for the Town to purchase the golf courses, tennis courts, and associated supporting facilities. The Town would purchase these through a collaborative arrangement with HSL Properties. This would allow HSL to buy the financiallydepressed Hilton El Conquistador Hotel which has been for sale for two years with no offers. Could HSL even buy the hotel if the golf courses are not sold?

You may know HSL as the owner of the new Encantada Steampump apartments near the Basis School; Hotel Arizona near the Tucson Convention Center; among other apartment and hotel holdings. You have probably read about Mr. Lopez and the Hotel Arizona which he let fall into shabbiness and disrepair; abandoned; and has refused to do anything to it unless Tucson gives him money.

You may also know HSL was biggest contributor to the reelection campaign of the four incumbents. The incumbents received close to $16,000 from HSL. Right before the election, the four incumbents began talking about the need for a community center. Mayor Hiremath claimed the discussions regarding sales of the Hilton have been going on for several months. Was he part of the discussions before the election? Is this purchase pay back for the money HSL invested in Oro Valley’s reelected officials?

Recently, the Stone Canyon Golf course sold for $20. The Ritz Carlton golf operations were sold for only $1. Is one million dollars a good price for Oro Valley to consider this? The Town’s PowerPoint presentation at the December 3rd meeting (view online) shows the Town will pay a yearly $1.2 to $1.5 million operating subsidy. That plus significant capital improvements of over $5 million, will leave the Town with a multimillion dollar deficit over the next five years.

On top of all this, the Mayor and his cohorts DO NOT WANT ANY PUBLIC INPUT. Is it fair for everyone who lives or shops in Oro Valley to pay increased sales taxes to support this purchase without input? Hopefully this is not a done deal.

Your opinions should be heard, and all your questions should be answered! Contact all of these people before the December 17th meeting when the decision will be finalized. Also, attend the meeting and let your voice be heard!

 gcaton@orovalleyaz.gov (town manager)      shiremath@orovalleyaz.com   (mayor)

  bburns@orovalleyaz.gov                                wgarner@orovalleyaz.gov

 jhornat@orovalleyaz.gov                                msnider@orovalleyaz.gov

 lwaters@orovalleyaz.gov                                mzinkin@orovalleyaz.gov

---

Thursday Mid Day Special: El Con Purchase Referendum Petitioning Underway

There are citizens of Oro Valley who are opposing Wednesday's Oro Valley Town Council's 4-3 approval of the purchase of theThe El Conquistador Golf and Tennis Country Club. They have established a political action committee.

The group filed a statement of organization this morning with the Oro Valley town clerk. The group now has 30 days to secure sufficient Oro Valley registered voter signatures to force a voter referendum on the purchase.

This filing complicates the situation regarding the purchase.

The filing presents a legal challenge to the town. Oro Valley can continue to negotiate with HSL. This is what last night's vote charged town manager Caton to do. However, the town can not consummate an agreement before the 30-day petition filing deadline. If sufficient signatures are obtained, then the town can only move forward with the transaction if it is voter approved.

The filing for a referendum also presents a challenge to HSL Properties. HSL Properties is the purchaser of the El Conquistador Golf and Tennis Country Club. and the El Conquistador Resort.  According the last night's council discussion, HSL was scheduled to buy the property from MetLife today.

HSL's timing regarding the sale to Oro Valley may be such that they can not wait for either the 30 day or vote, if one occurs. Mayor Hiremath stated at last night's meeting that HSL had other buyers that would purchase the property if Oro Valley did not agree to do so.  A delay in timing could trigger such an event.

If voting actually does occur, it is likely that more voters will vote in this referendum than in the August mayoral and council election. This is because all Oro Valley registered voters would receive ballots or be able to vote at the polls as opposed to just those who are registered partisans or who asked for ballots. Also, the issue is a "hot button" for many.
---

Bits and Pieces

Council considers censure

Next Wednesday, the Oro Valley Town Council will discuss censuring Council Member Tim Bohen for a rather innocuous remark. The remark can be heard at the beginning this three minute council discussion from the March 3 town council meeting. Bohen was questioning why town staff can produce a work product in two weeks that they said at a previous meeting could not be produced for a month; while, at the same time, saying that they could not quickly produce a request for proposal because they were too busy. The discussion centers's around the opening of the Pusch Ridge Course. The matter, we believe, is entirely politically motivated. 

Maybe Bohen is on to something...read or next "bits".

Oro Valley Tennis Out For Bids

Speaking of requests for proposal, the town is not too busy to produce a request for proposal for Tennis operations.  El Conquistador Tennis has been ably run by Jennifer Fuchs through her company, El Conquistador LLC, since 2018. That's when she leased the facilities from the town.  The lease includes operating the courts at Pusch Ridge and the ones at the Community Center.  You can read about that auspicious start here.  

The lease expires October 1. Per requirements, the town is going to initiate a request for proposal from interested bidders on March 15.  Fuchs wrote to her members: "we are prepared to submit our proposal. Wish us luck!"

Seems to us that that lease is a model for what should happen with the Pusch Ridge Golf course.

For the record

We're posting The Conservation Fund's statement regarding their not participating in the town's purchase of the former Vistoso Golf course property.  As reported this past Monday, those who have worked tirelessly for the past three years to get this land designated as town owned and run conservation land are "up in arms". 

They identified and worked for a solution that would cost the town nothing more than the annual maintenance of a walking preserve. This is unlike those who live around the the town owned golf courses. Instead, they came to the town, hat in hand, begging for the town to keep their golf courses open.  They won.

HIVE in effect

The town has recently increased its Oracle Road traffic surveillance. The target is between Ina and Magee. The town announces their high intensity vehicle enforcement ("HIVE") activities on their Twitter and Facebook pages. The most recent was from 3pm to 6pm yesterday. The focus was on the Oracle-Magee intersection. This is the town's highest traffic accident area.

Guest View-Tony D'Angelo: What's Next For Community Center Operations

What’s Next for Community Center Operations?
There are two very different aspects of Parks and Recreation in Oro Valley. There are the traditional amenities—playgrounds, ball fields, trails, multi-use paths, and cultural venues like Steam Pump Ranch. Most of these assets are paid for by tax proceeds and grants. Only about 10% of operating costs and capital investments come from user fees.

Fee-Based Recreational Facilities
The other part of Parks and Recreation includes amenities for which users pay fees. These include the Community Center health club, the Overlook Restaurant, El Conquistador Golf, El Conquistador Tennis, pickleball courts, and the Aquatic Center. Because these facilities are owned and operated by the town, they are not considered “for profit” but are managed with the goal of offsetting most expenses through user fees. Currently, user fees cover approximately 60% of the costs associated with these assets. Not only do these assets meet the needs of Oro Valley residents, but they also attract and serve visitors. Should both aspects of Parks and Recreation be managed together and in the same way?

A Shift in Oro Valley's Growth
We are at a point in the evolution of Oro Valley where growth through land development is reaching its limit. To meet the future needs of our community, Economic Development is exploring alternative ways to generate revenue. Our fee-based community recreational assets already contribute to a tourism strategy.

Investing in Fee-Based Assets
Leveraging fee-based assets requires investments to maintain the quality needed to attract the desired audience. These facilities must be well-maintained, aggressively marketed, and managed in ways that balance their use to serve both residents and visitors. To achieve this, we should consider creating an enterprise entity for fee-based recreational assets to ensure they are mostly self-funded. This could involve establishing a separate taxing authority. Fees need to remain affordable for residents while being sufficient to cover operating costs and future capital needs to maintain the quality expected to attract and serve visitors and businesses in Oro Valley.

Current Management vs. Revenue Potential
Currently, revenue-generating assets are managed in the same way as non-revenue-generating facilities that are freely accessible to the community. The distinction between these types of assets is clear. For example, Kriegh Park is a general-use facility for baseball and softball, with a playground and walking path—all mostly free. In contrast, the adjacent Aquatic Center is a revenue-generating facility that hosts swim meets and supports the town’s sports tourism strategy.

Enhancing Economic Development
Revenue-generating facilities should be strategically used to support the town’s economic development, specifically through sports and recreational tourism. These facilities need focused attention to ensure they achieve the goal of bringing visitors and their spending to the community.

Proposal: A Commission That Reports to the Council
Assigning an accountable commission that reports to the council to oversee fee-based facilities from a business perspective is more appropriate than using valuable Town Council resources to discuss operational details, such as dust abatement on the El Conquistador Course. Many communities have established enterprise funds or similar oversight organizations to manage user-fee-based recreational operations. This model could be applied in Oro Valley.

The Challenge Ahead
Our Parks and Recreation staff does an excellent job managing a diverse range of assets. The challenge going forward is determining whether it is realistic for them to manage everything in a way that best serves both residents and the town’s economic future.

I believe exploring this alternative is worth debating.

- - -

Tony D'Angelo is a long-time Oro Valley resident and President of the Friends of Pusch Ridge Golf. 

The Watchdog Report: Save the Community Center by Eliminating El Con Golf Operations

I suspect that the town officials who needed to read the contracted report on the golf operations probably put little effort into doing so. The mayor once said, "I don't need to know the Codes, that is why I have staff." Following the same logic, one might assume that, “We don't need to read the report, the contractor will advise us what to do.”

Below are direct quotes from the report:

Pages 1-4 discuss the current financial condition and the necessary upgrades/improvements.
"As a whole, the El Conquistador Golf and Tennis (ECGT) and Pusch Ridge golf facilities combined to produce total top-line revenue of just over $2.9 million in 2016, the vast majority of which comes from golf fees, member dues and Food and Beverage (F&B) sales. The on-site operating expenses at the facility totaled around $5.2 million resulting in a roughly (-$2.3 million) loss on operations (excluding other necessary costs such as capital upgrades and new investment in infrastructure).”

“The current financial condition is worse than most public sector golf operations in the U.S. where 67% of municipal golf course operations are able to cover on-site expenses, but not able to cover both onsite expenses and capital improvement costs (only about 33% can cover both)."

"Factors such as the recent recession, the declining interest in golf, growth in the number of competing golf courses and even ECGT conditions have all contributed to the recent decline."

"The National Golf Foundation (NGF) has estimated a total of $5.1 million in required repairs over the next few years, in addition to the $6.0 million estimated by the Town for clubhouse and community center improvements. This investment also includes upwards of $170,000+/- in annual recurring items."

"While losses on operations are common in municipal golf, the depth of this loss is less common."

"The overall demand/supply balance for golf in the greater Tucson market is very unfavorable to golf courses."

Page 6 summarizes the cost to implement each of the options presented.

Option A - Stay with 36 holes - Total investment = $5,115,775
Option B - Reduce to 27 holes - Total investment = $4,639,115
Option C - Reduce to 18 holes - Total investment = $4,200,795

Additional to all above options is to convert the Pusch Ridge course from a 9-hole course to a 12-hole, Par 3 course called The Dirty Dozen. Total investment = $3,013,120

The consultants recommended Option B. To go with Option B and the Pusch Ridge conversion will take an additional investment of $7,652,235.

Page 7 mentions outright closure of all golf courses.
"Outright closure, although perhaps the most economically beneficial decision, is not necessarily a “cheap” option, as there are costs to prepare the property appropriately and there may be additional contemporaneous impacts that have to be considered (property values, tax base, resort relations, etc.). Further study is recommended."

Pages 67-68 summarize closing all golf operations.
"Full closure of the El Conquistador 36-hole operation would involve significant costs to remove managed turf areas and, at minimum, plant and establish revegetation desert varieties to the areas removed from turf.”

“Based on 146± acres of existing managed turf, we estimate approximately $2.5 million for turf conversion and establishment at El Conquistador using a per-acre cost of $17,000 (slightly less per acre than shown for specific options A, B and C; based on volume). Added to this cost would be approximately 20% for soft costs (design, engineering, etc.) and a reasonable contingency. Our opinion of probable cost is approximately $3 million.”

Page 68 discusses closing the Pusch Ridge course.
"In order to fully close the Pusch Ridge facility, we estimate that an average cost of $20,000 per acre be applied to calculate removal of existing managed turf with re-establishment to native desert vegetation. This slightly higher amount per acre is recommended due to significant slopes involved in the Pusch Ridge terrain combined with more intricate access than at El Conquistador.”

“Based on a total turf footprint of 40± acres, we estimate full conversion of existing turf areas to be approximately $800,000 plus soft costs and contingency of about 20%, rendering an estimated probable cost of near $1.0 million. Additional costs to fully close the Pusch Ridge facility would need to account for razing the existing (old, now abandoned) maintenance facility (estimated at $40,000) and disposition of the existing irrigation storage pond, which has not been estimated."

As I understand it, it would cost $1,040,000 to close Pusch Ridge, and $3 million to close the remaining 36 holes.

Going back to Page 7, the NGF states:
"Continued operation with rounds at or near current levels (under 50,000 total) will not lead to profitability for ECGT, and severe losses will continue, but become more manageable for the Town under any of the renovation options presented."

The most cost-effective option.
The report states that no matter what option the Town Council chooses, golf will continue to lose money. It doesn’t take a CPA to see that investing $4 million to repurpose 45 holes and END GOLF is a more cost-effective option than spending $7.6 million in upgrades to continue golf despite no guarantees of breaking even in another 5 years.