Green Valley will soon have a new park.
On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors accepted the donation of 130 acres of what used to be the Canoa Hills Golf Course, which has been closed for several years. The donation was made by its owner, Morgan North.
It is expected that around $90,000 will be needed to repair and replace crumbling pathways, demolish several restrooms and carry out other work to get it in good shape.
Annual maintenance costs are expected to be less than $100,000, according to a March memo by assistant county administrator Nanette Slusser. A recent study found no sign of asbestos in the restrooms, substantially reducing the costs of the proposal.
Supervisor Ally Miller voted against accepting the donation, citing concerns about ongoing costs to the county.
“It’s just another expense,” she said, adding that the park and other “shiny objects” could undermine the county’s ability to repair its roads.
Chris Cawein, the county’s director of Natural Resources, Parks and Recreation, rejected the donation last summer when it was brought to his department, citing “extremely high” maintenance costs and “extreme” levels of complaints from users about upkeep, according to an August memo.
Supervisor Steve Christy, whose district includes Green Valley, pushed back, saying the plan has widespread support in the community. He also noted parks are a scarce resource in the area, and that a more affordable option to provide one isn’t coming anytime soon.
“A donation like this one does not come around very often,” he said.
A number of Green Valley residents spoke in favor of the donation. Pointing to the many challenges of aging, Thao Tiedt said quality open space can go a long way toward improving quality of life for the community’s many elderly residents.
“Having a park with open space where we can walk, commune with nature, hear the birds — which in the morning sound like they’ve had one too many cups of coffee — and in the afternoon see the sun slowly lose its strength and the air become soft, that’s important to us,” Tiedt said. “It soothes our souls.”
A survey conducted by the Green Valley Council found all but unanimous local support for the park.
Don Weaver, president of the council, told the supervisors that enough private funds have been raised to build a single bathroom, and paying for another could be possible. In an April 17 memo, County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry said each bathroom would likely cost $150,000.
In 2003 — the most recent year for which sales information is available on the county assessor’s website — the four parcels that make up the donated land sold for $3.3 million. Their full cash values are now significantly less than that, according to assessor records. Only a portion of the most valuable parcel was included in the donation, according to a memo from Huckelberry.
OTHER BUSINESS
The supervisors also passed a resolution opposing the recent deployment of National Guard forces to the U.S.-Mexico border, something Supervisor Richard Elías called an “attack on our way of life.”
Both Miller and Christy opposed the resolution.
“I believe we need more border security, now more than ever,” Miller said.
