scottsdale voters to decide on big recreation projects bond

Even in the 1960s when its population stood at just over 10,000 people, the city of Scottsdale in southern Arizona prided itself on offering a variety of recreational amenities carved out of the middle of the desert that included tennis courts, swimming pools, and golf courses.
Now, with more than 250,000 people and growing, the city is looking at not just maintaining its recreational offerings, but adding onto existing outlets, as well as building entirely new facilities.
To that end, Scottsdale voters in November will decide on whether or not to approve a $112 million bond designed to fund half a dozen long-anticipated recreational projects.
The biggest portion of the bond, at $40 million, is slated for the construction of several multi-use sports fields in the area of Bell Road on the north side of the city.
Some $31 million will fund construction of new pools and a replacement building at the Cactus Aquatic & Fitness Center at 7202 E. Cactus Road.
Another $4.6 million is slated to build a new dog park at the 29-acre Thompson Peak Park at 20199 N. 78th Place, also in northern Scottsdale.
The Indian School Park, on the east side of the city, and the Scottsdale Ranch Park and Tennis Center, in northeast Scottsdale, will receive a combined $3.4 million for the tennis court surface replacement work; while the McCormick-Stillman Road Park in northwest Scottsdale will get $917,000 in funding for improved walkways and the building of a new splash pad.
Another pool project will see the $560,000 installation of a solar heating system at the Eldorado Aquatic and Fitness Center at 2301 N. Miller Road.
And, finally, the popular 150-acre Pinnacle Peak Park at 26802 N. 102nd Way, well known for its hiking trails and rock climbing routes, will get $5 million in funding for additional land expansion, new offices and restrooms, and the building of an interpretive trail.
Although the Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce has endorsed the bond proposal, previous ballot bonds in the city have met an uneven reception, with voters rejecting a similar bond in 2013, but approving two of six bond proposals in 2015.

By Garry Boulard

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