Naranja Park $17MM Bond And Property Tax?

Of the $28 million, with interest, over the 20 year life of the bond, only $5.6 million will be allocated toward seven sports fields. [Photo from Town of Oro Valley]

I was in the audience during last Wednesdays Town Council meeting when numerous coaches, soccer moms, Little League officials and players eloquently spoke of the need for more youth playing fields. I agree, after living in 15 communities during my military service and corporate assignments, I can attest that Oro Valley has shamefully ignored the need for youth athletic fields.

For the first two years of the current administration the Mayor and councilmembers Waters, Hornat and Snider failed to bring the subject up. Then once a Parks Board and Town Staff led plan started building fields in Naranja Park they diverted Town resources to other more “critical needs.”

$2.1 MM to bury power lines along Oracle Rd = 7 lost soccer fields

$1 MM to buy the El Conquistador golf properties and assume in excess of $2 per year in losses plus millions in future capital investments to repair the 1980s racket ball facility.

Funds lost to date would have built 9 soccer fields + 7 baseball fields

Total fields NOT built to date = 23 fields

Note — Sports fields with lights typically cost ~ $250,000. However, I am using $300,00 per field for this comparison.

But now Mayor Hiremath and team are leveraging their inaction to highlight the Town’s need for fields to float a $17 MM Bond & property tax to pay for the fields we do need plus other items we don’t need and don’t want.

Looking carefully at the presented plan we would get 3 new soccer fields beyond the two existing fields and two additional fields in this year’s FY 17/18 budget.

That’s five multi-purpose fields by year’s end without the $17 MM Bond and 8 fields by 2018 with the $17 MM Bond. The Bond will also provide the 4 baseball fields planned for the park.

Do we have any options? None were presented, but looking no further than the Town Managers FY 17/18 budget I feel that we are spending funds that could be better used to support safe youth sport fields.

$2.6 MM for a Police evidence facility = 8 fields

$2.1 MM planned golf losses in FY 2017/18 = 7 fields

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Total = 15 fields

Yet the $17 MM bond will deliver only 7 additional fields!

Every year we continue to subsidize over $2 MM in golf losses we say no to 7 needed youth fields. Building the next 7 fields in Naranja Park is not about the lack of resources, rather the issue is the Mayor and Council’s priorities.

Jack Stinnett
Oro Valley resident
Chairman Parks & Recreation Board
2013 and 2014

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Under the leadership of Editor in Chief Huey Freeman, the Editorial Board of the Arizona Daily Independent offers readers an opportunity to comment on current events and the pressing issues of the day. Occasionally, the Board weighs-in on issues of concern for the residents of Arizona and the US.