By Bob Burns
Mail

The greatly anticipated International Dark Sky Discovery Center in Fountain Hills broke ground in April on a date coinciding with a solar eclipse allowing it to cast some shade on the festivities.

The privately funded project had been collecting donations for a few years, and with a couple of boosts in the way of grants from the State of Arizona there was enough money in the coffers to start construction.

It was a long, hot summer of moving dirt around and installing underground infrastructure, but once concrete started to pour by October, the structure has come out of the ground quickly and is taking shape. Just before Christmas a huge crane was on site to lift the planetarium dome into its place on the building. The new year will begin with the installation of the observatory dome within a few weeks.

The Discovery Center is still taking donations for the roughly $7 million remaining in the budget so the doors can open by the end of 2025.

Paving

For several consecutive years the Town of Fountain Hills has been able to channel several million dollars into street paving improvement projects, and 2024 was included in that progress.

The work began for the fiscal year late in 2023 with the commercial area that includes Colony and Enterprise drives as well as nearby Kiwanis Drive being renewed. Early in 2024 the residential area surrounding Ashbrook Drive and including Ibsen, Sherwood and Sterling drives was updated with new asphalt. Firebrick and Jacklin drives wrapped up the pavement work for 2024.

The work for the 2025 fiscal year began late 2024 with renewed pavement in the residential area off Boulder Drive including Tepee, and side streets of Kim Drive (not including Kim at this time).

Sidewalks

The town received grant funding exceeding $2 million for sidewalk infill construction. That work began during the summer and continues into the new year.

Pedestrians can now walk on sidewalks along Saguaro Boulevard, on both sides, from El Lago Boulevard to Fountain Hills Boulevard. The new portion of the walkways extends from La Montana Drive to Fountain Hills Boulevard.

The infill project continues with work along Palisades Boulevard between Fountain Hills Boulevard and La Montana Drive. It will wrap up in 2025 with a section between El Lago Boulevard and Colony Drive.

Recharge well

The Sanitary District was busy most of the year with a project to upgrade equipment and control access for one of the district recharge and recovery wells in Fountain Park. The district built a small control building along Saguaro Boulevard in the park near Plaza Fountainside. The structure also serves as a shade ramada for those enjoying a walk around the park, and it provides a new, improved display site for the presidential sculptures in the town’s public art collection, known as “Fount Rushmore.” The six presidential statues were removed for construction but were returned to the new site in November.

Other projects

A Town of Fountain Hills capital improvement project provided an 80-foot shade structure along with new benches and improved landscaping for the Centennial Circle area of the Cutillo Civic Plaza.

There was also drainage work done adjacent to the Community Center where it faces the Centennial Circle. The work was done to prevent water from infiltrating the building during significant storm events.

Another project in Fountain Park created a large, shaded picnic area adjacent to the Splash Pad water play area behind Plaza Fountainside. This project makes use of an area where turf will not grow. Also, the town collaborated with the Plaza Fountainside to repair sidewalks and improve landscaping along the plaza/park boundary.

The Times Independent invites readers to submit their civil comments on this issue. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org. Bob Burns can be reached at bburns@iniusa.org.