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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPackets - Council Packets (1161)I map greens to make golf easier and more fun. Bob Knych Tucson, AZ 85704 USA lei b M•� CD 0 E CD •J 5 ME IT I map greens to make golf easier and more fun. I Bob Knych Tucson, AZ 85704 USA _ nut, now P -M ONE& w 9 Paul Levy, PGA March 28, 2018 President Suzy Whaley, PGA Vice President Mr. Bob Kynch - Jim Richerson, PGA Secretary Derek Sprague, PGA Honorary President Dear Bob: Peter Bevacqua T very :dnuch.thank_ you for reaching out to me and for your letter I received this Chief Executive Officer month regarding The Greensmaster system. I appreciate you taking, the time to Darrell ratan share your ideas for ways to help grow the game of golf, a game we both love. Chief Operating Officer Kerry ampio All the best to you and please know that we will keep these ideas in mind and Chief Championships Officer discuss them internally. Best r s, e er P. B acqua Chief E utive Officer PGA Mission Statement 1.Take care of members. 2. Grow the Game. J: Paul Levy, PGA March 28, 2018 President Suzy Whaley, PGA Vice President Mr. Bob Kynch - Jim Richerson, PGA Secretary Derek Sprague, PGA Honorary President Dear Bob: Peter Bevacqua T very :dnuch.thank_ you for reaching out to me and for your letter I received this Chief Executive Officer month regarding The Greensmaster system. I appreciate you taking, the time to Darrell ratan share your ideas for ways to help grow the game of golf, a game we both love. Chief Operating Officer Kerry ampio All the best to you and please know that we will keep these ideas in mind and Chief Championships Officer discuss them internally. Best r s, e er P. B acqua Chief E utive Officer PGA Mission Statement 1.Take care of members. 2. Grow the Game. -W /5Know your customer; 10 According to the USGA 91 % of g break 100. No data is available scores in the 100's. Golfers averai - or 130 are 4050 or 60 ove Let me help you and your cu 01 41� C Z q;zl Z . A 2. P r I IRV— SPA Ib V GG D'I f D re F SIn Allow me to share my golf plan for inur-r8lasing rounds played. I map greens for golfers to Mar -\e the game easier, more fun, lower scores and improve the pace of play. Why settle for anything else? Tease contact me for more information. )AF IN#*ky K y th , protected by copyright and patents. !M7 ' w J W m Z z O Q w W J m LL Q J 0 O p J Q U zw z w 2 -0 00M Q2 ^ d ad 4-a o � � � � v �" • 1 � i , Q C��' � G 'iii. � A�.r .� �a+ by `� a �;•eEi [°•'4.,,� 940-4.5 0 °wo - 00. OU 0 �., o �. � a� � � � a, o -� c, 3 � � ° c� +•� � 'ai � o � c� � � ° w � „ c� ba ca b ° sic 5�- a� w O O u y�j ar �+� 9p c�r�s V .0y cam. r� o u U epi , �4 - bQ '•d ��, N �. +� V= Qd � >, cu O A Vv 44 CA b A bA bA A bA -' • :� A�+ . 4�,+ as 'c'� . ' ' vs ^� b° w , "o,`°W ca . o! '2 lo, 00 o o 1,33 1.90- buo`^�a cu too 04 m c ro) cna`'° ;G u r y--, "v �. a� c, yrn ff- C>,!� >, >, A .4 , 0 04 �m, Mayor Winfield, Town Council Members, Town Manager and OV Staff: My name is Phil Wheeler and I am a 24 year resident of Oro Valley. I am also a member of the OV municipal golf course. I am here to speak in favor of retaining the 36 hole option for golf due to the following reasons: 1) Home devaluations will happen if the golf course is closed or altered and that will be devastating to ALL Oro Valley residents. The recent appraisal sponsored by the Canada Hills Master Association indicates that home on or close to the courses, would be hit by 4 to 18% loss in value and all homes in Oro Valley would see a drop (2 to 4%). This is millions of dollars lost to OV residents and additional tax revenue lost to the town. 2) Repurposing has been discussed but no specific plan has been brought forward, with actual costs other than guestimates based upon the acreage to be converted. Also there has not been identified to this point anyplace in the southwest where this has already been successfully done. 3) According to national statistics we already have twice the number of trails and hiking paths of any other city our size. Look at the great amount of money we have spent to widen our roads so bikers can use our major roads. Must we destroy beautiful golf courses to create more trails? 4) The Access Issue: Many of the communities surrounding the golf courses, especially those of 11 thru 18 on Conquistador, are gated. They own and care for their own streets which are private property. How will the land that is currently a golf course be accessed? Where will people park. If access and parking are issues, why consider convert it? 5) The most reasonable financial option (per Mary Jacobs background information memo) next to keeping the 36 holes is to convert it to Natural Vegetation. This is mostly dry grasses; look at what happened to Vistoso in just a matter of a few short months. As a result, the Fire Marshall forced the owner to mow it to lessen the fire risk. One lightning strike or dropped cigarette or match and we could have a California wild fire like that turn the ironically name, Paradise Valley (CA), into an inferno. Therefore, we have property value loss, guestimates on repurposing to create more trails we do not need. The issue of access has not been addressed and finally when examining the financials provided by the town the difference are only 100K+/year between keeping the 36 holes and letting the courses go to natural dessert. This is before considering some proposals offered in good faith by those trying to improve the financials which unfortunately continue to be ignored even thought local media has highlighted them. Thanks you for your time an attention. I'm Carol Dart, a homeowner/full time resident at Carmel Pointe, next door to the community center/golf course. I have an AZ real estate license since 2003, so I fully support Carmel Pointe efforts to keep the golf course that significantly contributes to our property values. But my reason for speaking now is to remind everybody that over time Oro Valley built a credible "welcome mat" for investors, developers and businesses as well as the public at large who wanted to add value to our community— why many of us moved here from points east and west of AZ, including Illinois, where I'm from & I moved to AZ in 1997. My fear is that damage to our reputation has already been done. Rumor has it that Oro Valley is no longer business friendly. We aren't the only place to build golf courses, create a safe, sophisticated life style, a family -friendly atmosphere, or to vacation in winter. We compete for that designation. It takes years for developers to decide where to go next and they only go where they feel welcome. Marana is watching us carefully as we stumble. You can destroy a golf course and increase open natural vegetation, but it still needs to be taken care of to prevent critter overrun or stray matches and cigarettes from striking fires that spread to properties and cause erosion during monsoon. instead of accepting the perception of closing the southwest to golf, we should be encouraging it to keep people coming to Oro Valley to spend more money, buy more property, open new businesses, dine out and shop. Face it — most golfers have money to spend and most make good neighbors. We're a resort destination and we should try to keep it that way or we won't be able to afford it either, whether we play golf or not. Stats prove Oro Valley already has enough parks, biking trails and walking paths (HOA's often provide their own in gated communities throughout OV). That doesn't mean we can't have more if taxpayers want them! There could be room for all of it here, including golf, if we want to maintain our status that helps pay for it. In conclusion: Closing golf courses shoots all of us in the foot! Carol Dar ' Thank you Honorable Mayor and Council Members for the opportunity to speak. Once my husband and I determined we wanted to live in Oro Valley, we began looking for our new home. We had the same basic requirements of bedrooms, bathrooms, square footage, adequate garage etc. as most people. But first on our list was Location. We wanted to live on an affordable golf course with mountain views. The reason for the mountain views is obvious, but the golf course location requirement involves further explanation. After choosing Oro Valley, we knew it would be critical to our happiness of finding a way to connect with people. For us, that avenue was golf and the Community Center. We even sold a second vehicle and replaced it with a golf cart for easier access to El Conquistador. Now our days are mostly filled with activities that are offered at El Conquistador Golf and Tennis. We were aware when we purchased our home that we would not always be golfers. But we did believe we would always be able to enjoy the beautiful course, and we were willing to pay more for our home because of its unique location. All of our friends are golfers. Not because we only like golfers, but because golf provided the vehicle to meet people. We now have fabulous doctors, dentists, hair dressers and more due to recommendations from those same friends. We asked for recommendations in finding contractors to renovate our home, physical therapists to get us back on our feet., attorneys to write our wills and help identifying favorite restaurants and stores. The Community Center and golf courses have created an entire life style with genuine friends that we now consider family. Not only does El Conquistador offer locals golf, but many people from the surrounding area and out of state specifically come to Oro Valley to take advantage of these superb golf courses and recreation facilities. The golf courses alone accommodate over 20,000 rounds per year of non-member play which means there are thousands of people from outside the community who come to enjoy this tremendous amenity. They rent housing, eat meals and shop in the area which provides additional revenue to the local economy. As a result of their visits, many people even decide to move here BECAUSE of this extraordinary facility, just as we did. El Conquistador and La Canada golf courses were designed to have homes surrounding them. They were and continue to be marketed to potential buyers on that basis. We find it impossible to understand how any person or board who has only been elected for a brief tenure, relative to a 35 year history of El Conquistador would feel they have the right to destroy this amenity, reducing property values which would negatively reduce tax revenue and accordingly, impact all tax payers. A study was commissioned by the previous council to analyze the golf courses. As golfers, we found it to be highly flawed, but the very least the current council can do before taking the radical action of closing the golf courses is to conduct a study to determine the demand for replacing the golf course with faux desert trails. My husband and I did not move to Oro Valley to walk in the desert and we wonder how many others did. We love our home and location as it is. We are asking the Commission to restudy the financials which favor retaining 36 holes of golf, the trends which suggest even better financial times are coming and begin to fully embrace and market "Golf in Oro Valley." Thank you again for your time. Good Evening Mr. Mayor and Council members. My name is Bradley Curtis. My wife and I moved to Sun City Oro Valley in 2012 and we believe this is the perfect place for our final move. Compared to our last five moves with IBM, this has to be the best by far. Incidentally, we moved from Sun City Roseville, just outside of Sacramento Cali- fornia so we have 25 years of adult community Living. I am not here to join in the debate over `the choices. However, I am in favor of `;the "no golf course option" No, I am here to suggest that we be very; careful to do it right. Let's not jump to conclusions Here are questions for the staff who drew up the cost estimates on your chart. Has anyone looked at the actual costs for each fiscal year since 2014-15?. Does anyone on staff know the true costs for Troon over the past 5 Years? Have you looked at the actual golf course maintenance costs. Finally, data for recent years looks suspiciously like the data that was developed by the past; administration. Is there any way you can validate this information? My point is that if you make long term' plans based on assumptions you haven't validated then you are destined to fail. We can do better for our Oro valley residents. Thank You. Good evening Mayor, Vice Mayor and Council Members We moved to Tucson in 1983 and our four children graduated from CDO. We bought a house in Canada Hills in 2001 because of Oro Valley's vibrant community and the attractiveness of the golf course. My comments address the repurposing of all or some of the two 18 hole courses. First, as outlined in the report given to the Budget and Finance Commission on Financial Projections for the Town Golf Course Options, there are significant costs associated with both repurposing and on-going maintenance. Estimates were either based on costs for the Big Wash Restoration � rough cost estimates from another landscape architect. A full feasibility stfuc \f has not been done to corroborate these estimates. My experience from being involved with construction projects at the University of Arizona is that initial project costs estimates are often exceeded. It seems to me that a feasibility study should be done before proceeding any further unless repurposing is not an option. Second, I checked with the American Hiking Association and the recommendation is 25 miles of hiking trails for a community of 50,000. Oro valley has 54.5 miles of hiking trails for a community of 44,000. Twice the recommendation. Why do we need more trails? Third: Any bulldozing and blading done to repurpose the land will create a lot of soil/dirt disturbance. The golf course has had chemicals soaking into the ground for over 30 years. What happens to the air during repurposing? Could cause health hazards such as Valley Fever. Has this been considered? Fourth: Returning to natural vegetation will likely increase potential for brush, buffalo grassfires especially in high density areas. Has this been considered? The Canada Hills Master Homeowners Association and the Men's Golf Association have made several proposals for the financial feasibility of the two courses and I hope you will consider these financial proposals in your decision-making process. I am sure, in your own experiences, that as we learn more about a project, we learn things we did not know which change/alter our initial views. Thank you. 7/24/19 1 • J' JA)0 UV �7 The Bottom Line: "Summary of Town Manager's Analysis of Golf Course Options". I agree with the mayor that drinking water to grow grass in the desert may not be the best use of drinking water. However, we are using RECLAIMED WATER. The effluent from sewage treatment. We don't pay to reclaimed water. We pay to treat sewage. Oro Valley, Tucson, Pima County, Metro and the Secretary of the Interior each receive a FREE ENTITLEMENT of the areas' sewage treatment reclaimed water. If this water is not used it is dumped. Oro Valley's reclaimed water pipeline Operating and Maintenance costs must be paid by water consumers whether or not Oro Valley sells ANY reclaimed water. Extensive research and studies by Tucson, PIMA County, Arizona and others have all concluded that using reclaimed water on golf courses is the preferred use. PIMA County charges Crooked Tree GC a reasonable $64,000 for reclaimed water. OV charges EI Con 2 x $450,000. Grass is extremely environmentally advantageous. Grass removes pollutants, including dust, dirt and CO2, and returns Oxygen. We all want a cleaner environment. Grass also lowers the air temperature. Grass looks good and feels good. According to Federal, Arizona and PIMA County fire regulations, Wildland Urban Interfaces represent a fire risk to neighboring homes and businesses. Oro Valley complies with these regulations. Earlier this month, Golder Fire Department and Oro Valley had to abate the serious fire risk at the recently closed Vistoso Golf. Future abatements will be necessary. The fertile PROPOSED desert at EI Conquistador would quickly be invaded by very flammable buffel grass and brome. Our mayor can confirm this as he worked for the Forest Service and has a degree in Architectural Landscape. Look at Photo Figure #1 in the city's "Analysis" showing an example of what the PROPOSED new desert might look like. This probably represents a moderate, transitioning to high fire risk. Non -golfers use the golf courses after school, after work, when it's not too hot or not too cold. The entire golf courses' grass areas are used by hundreds of non -golfers for walking, playing, sports, bikes and dogs when golfers are not playing. Any reduction in grass area will reduce non -golf utilization. No one will play in the desert. The city knows this. The BIG LIE: The golf course loses as much as $2M/year. These losses have always also included all the large NON -GOLF losses and expenses. Please read the FACTS in the city's "Analysis". Average Projected Annual Sales Tax Support of EACH OPTION after renovation or conversion completed 36 Holes Golf $ 999,356 includes maintenance of ALL landscaped acres 27 Holes Golf $1,323,870 overlooks NEW water fees pay by consumers 18 Holes Golf $1,061,419 overlooks NEW water fees pay by consumers NO GOLF $ 697,894 includes maintenance of ONLY 138 acres and overlooks NEW water fees to be paid by consumers A couple of known future expenses/losses continue to be over looked in the city's latest financial comparisons. 1) If ANY of the golf course is closed, up to $850,000 of lost revenue from sales of reclaimed water will still be paid by other Oro Valley water consumers. The city reported this but didn't include this cost to other consumers in the city's "Analysis". 2) If ANY of the golf course is closed, sales tax from golf revenue will be lost. The city knows this but over looked this loss. 3) Over half of the golf course is already desert but the expenses to maintain these desert areas was over looked. The city knows this. 4) Non -golf utilities are still charged to golf. Average Projected Annual Sales Tax and Oro Valley Resident's (NEW water fees) Support 36 Holes Golf $ 999,356 27 Holes Golf $1,536,370* 18 Holes Golf $1,486,420* NO GOLF $1,547,894* $1,323,870 + / of $850,000 to be paid by other water users $1,061,419 + % of $850,000 to be paid by other water users $ 697,894 + 100% of $850,000 to be paid by other water users *Does not include the other costs: over ^'$500,000 for over looked current desert maintenance, lost golf revenue sales tax and non -golf utilities EI Conquistador is the only public golf course left in Oro Valley. Vistoso is closed. I checked GolfNow, and found ZERO tee times shown available at The Views during the next 7 days! The Views told me they didn't have enough tee times to provide any tee times on GolfNow. And this is the summer slow season! This is expected due to the closing of Vistoso and the significant UPTURN in nationwide golfing. The city knows that any reduction in golf holes below the primary 36 holes will cost OV an additional $500,000 or more per year. Thank you, John Isenbarger SUPPORTERS OF THE ORO VALLEY COMMUNITY CENTER ANIS TROON MANAGED GOLF COURSES I 2. 4 � { 5. 6. ol { 7. 8. 9. I C 10.60, 12. J 13. 14. 15. 16. .�.�-yt S �--► Ie.%j I 17. i 18, � 19. ` 20. Fy 21. 22. { { 23. . 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. SUPPORTERS OF THE ORO VALLEY COMMUNITY CENTER AND TROON MANAGED GOLF COURSES 1'IVN clr 2 J 4. j 5. �, I 6. 7. , 8. 9. 10. 11. t 12. 13. 14. 15. �. 16. 17. ` 19. 20. 21. 22. _ 23. 24. —; j 25. P'le 26. � 27. 28. SUPPORTERS OF TIIE ORO VALLEY COMMUNITY CENTER AND TROON MANAGED GOLF COURSES L Susan Sleasman 2. Sara and Bill Dyer Mick and June Betsch 4. Judy and Kerry Mulvihill 5. Linda and Dennis Truhn 6. Judy and Gordon Barnett 7. Colleen and Larry Farnam 8. Marilyn and Red Klaren 9. Rosi Bucciarelli and Tim Mayo 10. Juli and Tom McDonald 11. Pam and Lee Holmes 12. Terri Boswell 13. Jeannee Yermakoff and Dan Talsma 14. Lois Arosteguy 15. Diane and Ron Babes 16. Marla and Myron Sherrard 17. Susan Lea and Charles Skuhr 18. Mina and Stan Sady 19. Jan Matic -Smith 20. Dianna and Alan Otto 21. Ronda Ammon and Gerald Travers 22. Becky and Richard March 23. Joleyn and Don Stacy 24. Barbara Tujo 25. Beverly and Ed Korte 26. Denise and David Dame 27. Betty and Ron Bolin 28. Cindy NXFatson 29. Yvonne and Don Schmidt 30. Heather and Bill Jarsky 31. Jeanne Gallagher 32. Carol and Chuck Lawrence 33. Connie and Lou Straight 34. Aimee and Mike Groshans 35. Connie and Gary Kuhn 36. Dauw-n and Fred Warshav 37. Patricia Tujo 38. Pat and Steve Benz 39. Barbara Ericks 40. Monica Cook 41. Karen and Jim Jordan 7/17/2019 mail Quails Supporting Golf 1 message Patty Evan - To: Karen Stings Gmail - Quails Supporting Golf Karen Stin, Wed, Jul 17, 2619 at 1:46 PM The following is a list of the Quails women's golf group that plays at both Pusch Ridge and the EI Conquistador courses: Rose Marie Abbey Trudy Jaskela Carole Arena Yvonne Jennings Donna Bennett Jamie King Ann Bleakly Sandy King Toni Chardukian Karen Knotek Mary Lou Clarke Pat Larson Cyndi Cook DeeAnn Leuzinger Susan Cox Nancy Lewis Payton Davies Hedy Lindemuth Robin Decker Jean Larch Nikki Dilbeck Joanne McElheny Helen Dowling Dorothy New Kathy Dunn Laura Osborne Barbara Earling Bea Parker Patty Evans Gigi Rizio Kathleen Gardner Edith Ross Judy Gorham Beth Smith Erica Granchalek Carol Surowiec Donna Gustafson Margaret Tyrrell Lynn Hall Ine Van Kersen Kay Helm Yvonne VanWey Chgrito Hughes Sandie Walhof Diana Huntley Peggye Wall Arlene James Carolyn Weinig Marsha Williams https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0?ik=88396a1 dcf&view=pt&search=all&permthid=thread-f%3Al639339932723720922&simpl=msg-f%3A163933993272... 1/1