During their annual retreat on Feb. 23, Town Council members received a presentation regarding capital improvement projects in town including recently completed projects and a planning proposal going out six years.

Public Works Director Justin Weldy reported on the completion of six projects for the current fiscal year. Those include the Avenue of the Fountains/La Montana Drive roundabout; improvements at the intersection of Avenue of the Fountains and Verde River Drive; the Fountain Hills Blvd. shoulder paving, Phase II; the design concept report for future widening of Shea Blvd.; the replacement of lighting at the Fountain and an upgrade of HVAC control equipment for the Community Center, Library/Museum and Town Hall.

Another $3.8 million is budgeted for additional projects for the 2020/2021 Fiscal Year. The bulk of that money is in the Panorama Drive drainage replacement project ($2.2 million). That work is nearing completion, according to Weldy, with 80 percent of the pipe installed as of Feb. 22. Restoration work is already ongoing and should be completed within weeks.

Weldy noted that $50,000 that had been in the budget for miscellaneous drainage improvements was reallocated to the Panorama project.

There are a number of ongoing multi-year projects and programs with funding allocated this year. Those include the Golden Eagle (Park) impound area improvements ($500,000); the Pollina/Brantley Drive detention basin ($100,000), which is a flood control project in the hillside area off Grande Blvd. near El Pueblo Blvd.; fire alarm control panel replacement ($80,000); video security cameras for town property ($50,000), a multi-year ongoing program with current work at Four Peaks Park; Fountain Lake liner assessment ($139,648); Four Peaks playground parking ($65,000); alley paving Phase V ($308,000); sidewalk infill along Shea Blvd. from the Crossroads plaza to Saguaro Blvd. ($200,000); Desert Vista Park crosswalk/sidewalk ($100,000); and a warrant study for a traffic signal at Palisades and Palomino boulevards/Eagle Ridge Drive.

Town Manager Grady Miller also talked about working toward new wayfinding signs around the community. He said staff and council members had been hearing complaints from citizens about the poor condition of existing signs. Miller wanted to know from the council whether they simply want the old signs removed or replacement. He did not have a cost estimate.

Miller did note that a proposal for wayfinding signs from a few years back was rejected by the council based on cost. That plan included two new monument signs at the town boundaries, which are not included in the current plan.

The council supports the signs and agrees staff should continue research on replacement.

Next year

Looking ahead to the next fiscal year that begins July 1, 2021, staff has outlined $4.4 million in capital projects. That includes the ongoing work related to drainage improvements, the Golden Eagle impound, and the Brantley detention basin.

Weldy also presented information regarding continuation of the Panorama storm drain project. He said farther south along Panorama Wash there is virtually a swamp that staff believes is fed by a natural spring, creating standing nuisance water with issues that include odor and mosquitoes. This is an ongoing condition even in dry periods. Weldy said there is an existing pump in the wash that pumps about 35,000 gallons of water per day. Panorama Wash continues onto the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, where the water is an occasional issue for the golf course. Weldy is proposing $80,000 next fiscal year for engineering design for a new phase of that improvement project.

The town has also done recent inspections of its stormwater infrastructure in the wake of the Panorama Drive failure. Weldy said he would like to have the engineering done for a multi-year project to repair drainpipes. He said the good news is that the inspections revealed that much of the corrugated steel pipe is in fair condition and can be repaired with slip lines and inserts. The engineering would cost about $100,000.

Additional money is allocated for the Desert Vista Park crosswalk on Saguaro if that work extends into the next fiscal year.

Guardrails along Palisades between Shea and Sunridge Drive need to be upgraded to meet federal highway standards, Weldy said. He is planning on $50,000 in the budget to get that work started.

Staff is also looking at starting a multi-year project for improvements to the Community Center starting with $550,000 (see separate story).

There are also a couple of Civic Center access projects on the list. One relocates the driveway into the Library parking lot off El Lago Blvd. The work would eliminate the 90-degree dogleg in the driveway.

On the Avenue of the Fountains there is a proposal for an access drive into the parking lot adjacent to the Park Place apartment complex. This lot currently is only accessed from Town Hall parking or a driveway south of the apartment complex.

Councilman Mike Scharnow wondered why that driveway was not installed when the lot was built.

Miller said that while the lot is on town property, it was built by the apartment developer as part of the project’s parking requirements. The lot currently receives little use largely due to the difficulty in figuring out how to access it.

Another fairly large project slated for next year’s capital plan is a renovation of the Splash Pad at Fountain Park.

The park has been in use for 13 seasons and receives a lot of traffic, according to Community Services Director Rachael Goodwin. She said it is showing its age and needs repairs and will need to meet new standards that have changed since it was built. She added that this is the only public cooling site in town and staff wants to maintain it for the community.

Miller said in recent years repairs have been made with a band-aid approach.

Miller added staff has met with the Rotary Club, which sponsored the original construction, but by policy they do not engage in repairs or maintenance.

Additional proposals for the capital budget next year include repair or replacement of electrical receptacles along the Avenue of the Fountains Plaza as well as walkway paver rehabilitation where needed.

Also, upgrades are planned at Four Peaks Park and new playground equipment for older kids at Fountain Park.

Going forward, staff is estimating capital improvement budgets of $3.8 million for 22/23, $2.6 million for 23/24, $1 million for 24/25, $350,000 for 25/26 and $200,000 for 26/27.

This is a general planning forecast subject to change based on unanticipated needs and funding availability. Capital improvement budgets are addressed annually with the overall town budget.