PreserveVistoso.org has worked tirelessly to ensure that the defunct golf course in Rancho Vistoso will soon be a wonderful nature preserve, saving the lives of countless animals, native plants and cacti, and allowing the preservation of Native American petroglyphs. Visitors will be able to walk along the six mile concrete path and enjoy stunning mountain views and bird watch for over two dozen different varieties of feathered creatures. Deer, bobcats, coyote and more will keep their home here. Hat’s off to the entire Board of Directors and all of the local residents who contributed their time and money to make this happen. You can see the most recent updates on their website here.
Here is the latest update from their email—
Due to the great response from all of you the Town Council voted last night to approve a motion to go forward with the 2.5-acre pond. The vote was 4-2 in favor of the motion, with Vice Mayor Barrett, Councilman Nicolson, and Councilwomen Jones-Ivey and Robb voting in favor, and Mayor Winfield and Councilman Greene voting against the motion. Councilwoman Murphy was not present.
We had a good turnout at the meeting, despite a last-minute agenda addition that brought out an enormous number of people causing the council chambers to be completely filled, along with an overflow room and an area set up outside. Parking became a problem as well and we heard from a number of you who tried to attend but couldn’t find a place to park. It was an unforeseen situation, but despite all of that lots of you stuck around for several hours until our agenda item was discussed, which made a good impression on the council.
We had 14 people pull blue cards to speak, and their remarks were on point and impactful. In the end there was only one person who spoke against the pond (a consultant who works with the Town). We’ve also heard from several council members that they received many letters in the past week in support of the pond as well.
What Happens Next?
Kimley-Horn (the consultants who created the pond design) were committed to return in August with the next iteration of the design, incorporating the changes that were requested last night. We’ll keep you updated on that when it gets closer.
While we had a significant win last night we’re not out of the woods quite yet. This plan will go through several iterations and cost estimates will get refined so we’ll want to keep a close eye on the progress and continue to voice our support and concerns.
Thank you!
Once again, you’ve proven that when the people speak up the council listens. Thank you all!
If you were unable to attend the meeting you can view the video here. Our agenda item begins just past the 2:20 mark.
You may want to take a moment to email the council members to thank them. You can email them at [email protected].
You may also email the mayor, vice-mayor, and council members individually by using their email addresses that can be found at Elected Officials – Oro Valley | it’s in our nature (orovalleyaz.gov)