The Oro Valley town council voted late Wednesday to commit to a 36-hole option for two of its town-owned golf courses, ending months of divisive debate, and easing fears for some who felt removing the courses would have a negative impact on the town.
The overflow crowd at the Oro Valley Council Chambers erupted into a standing applause just before 10 p.m. after the council voted 6-1 to keep open the Cañada and Conquistador courses. A decision has not yet been announced regarding the third course, nine-hole Pusch Ridge.
The council, which had been split over whether to keep one or both of the 18-hole courses open, made its decision after agreeing to a number of compromises, including operating them as municipal public courses and negotiating to accept $125,000 annually from adjacent homeowners associations to offset a tax subsidy for the courses.
“I’m in shock, honestly. I’ve been shaking so much,” said Jennifer LeFevre, director of Oro Valley Thrives, a nonprofit group that was founded in support of the 36-hole option. “I’ll have clear thoughts after I sleep through the night for the first time in months.”
The town council spent the better part of this year debating the future of its three golf courses and analyzing whether a half-cent sales tax that supported golf and other recreational facilities was a worthy town investment.
The golf courses have experienced stagnant revenues in recent years. A recent analysis found the Community Center Fund, which includes golf revenues and the half-cent sales tax subsidy, exceeded staff budget by about $90,000 last fiscal year, while expenses were under by about $325,000.
The debate oftentimes turned divisive and prompted threats from some community members of a recall election as council members pondered turning one or both of the 18-hole courses into parks or open space.
Several hundred residents flooded the bi-monthly council meetings, a large portion wearing green Oro Valley Thrives T-shirts in recent meetings, to express concerns that closing the courses would plummet housing prices and remove an integral piece of Oro Valley appeal.
Residents watch intently as numbers are shown. The overflow crowd erupted into applause after the council voted 6-1 to keep open the Cañada and Conquistador courses.
“It’s part of who we are. ... Assets require investments,” said Dave Perry, director of the Oro Valley Chamber of Commerce, who was one of the dozen public speakers Wednesday, almost all of whom expressed support for the 36-hole option.
After acknowledging the debate has been a “difficult process,” Mayor Joseph Winfield made an unexpected motion for the 36-hole option, which included the stipulations to commit to the future of the courses. The council agreed to amend certain pieces of the motion, which included:
- Growing membership from 240 to 275, and the number of rounds of outside play from 33,000 to 40,000, by fiscal year 2022;
- Increasing membership revenue 10% by Jan. 1, 2021;
- Soliciting bids for a new operating contract when the current contract with Troon ends in June 2020; and
- Directing staff to evaluate options to complete capital improvements on the golf courses and community center, estimated to be $3.8 million.
The agreement also committed to certain financial targets, which were set in a pro-forma analysis done by town manager Mary Jacobs and interim finance director Kevin Kurtz. Golf would hit a projected amount of sales tax support of $750,000 by Fiscal Year 2022, with the $125,000 annual subsidy from the homeowners associations, according to the analysis.
Representatives from the Cañada Hills and Villages of La Cañada homeowners associations expressed confidence they would be able to contribute to that subsidy for up to 10 years, although they acknowledged it’s not a done deal. The motion stipulates that the agreement can be renewed or ended by both the associations and the council.
After the meeting, Winfield told the Star he’s “hopeful” with the agreement, adding that he understands that while the council meetings were overrun with people in support of the 36-hole option, it doesn’t represent every town members’ feelings.
The Santa Catalina Mountains rise in the background as a golfer putts on the practice area at El Conquistador Golf Course, one of the courses that will remain open along with Cañada.
“I hope that we can work together and make the golf courses successful,” said Winfield, who also pledged to buy a golf membership. “That’s what we’re all interested in — making the golf courses a success. We’re going to work hard to make that happen.”
The lone dissenting voter, Vice Mayor Melanie Barrett, said she voted against the proposal after the council amended a portion of the motion that would have supported a pay-as-you-go option for construction costs on the capital improvements.
“To me, that was important to move forward with the 36 holes. But I still felt like the 36 holes was the direction we should go,” Barrett said. “When that portion got taken out, that was an important component of the compromise to me.”
The future of Pusch Ridge remains undetermined, at least publicly. The town has engaged in discussions with HSL, which sold the courses to Oro Valley for $1 million to 2015, to lease back Pusch Ridge to use for golf, recreation or open space. Omar Mireles, president of HSL, described those talks as “early” to the Star last week.
Wednesday’s council meeting began with an hourlong executive session with the council, Jacobs and town attorney Gary Cohen for legal advice and possible instruction about “the documents, recorded filings, and/or agreements related to the town golf, tennis and recreational operations.”
Despite the lingering resolve of Pusch Ridge, town residents and council expressed resolve now that the fate of the 18-hole courses has been decided.
For LeFevre, the director of the nonprofit, she said her group is now going to work to highlight the positives in Oro Valley.
“I feel so good that all these people who were afraid and alone and didn’t feel like their voice mattered were able to come together,” she said. ... “It’s just unbelievable.”
