While it came as bit of a surprise, the Town Council’s decision last week to postpone the Avenue of the Fountains improvement project was not a deal breaker.
“Downtown” Fountain Hills will survive as it is for another year.
The money is sitting the bank and has already been budgeted, so when the project is re-bid in early 2014, hopefully the bids come in lower as desired and the contract will have some additional time to complete the work through late spring, through the hot summer and into the early fall.
Of course, delaying a project like this does come with some inherent risk. The Valley economy is picking up (contractors might not be quite as “hungry” next year), and material and labor costs are always subject to increases.
Nonetheless, it is true the project as envisioned this summer was on a rather tight schedule. With an unpredictable monsoon season, one never knows how many rain and other storm delays might ensue over the next few months. While the November Festival of Arts and Crafts is the barometer by which schedules are set, it should be noted that construction work really needs to be done well before Oct. 31, when the annual Halloween in the Hills event is held on the Avenue.
Besides, delaying this project will allow the town and its voters to concentrate a bit more on the November ballot, when the Saguaro Blvd. road bond will be up for examination along with the School District construction bond and budget override questions.
Citizens seem rather used to the crumbling nature of the Avenue median, its quirky and non-impressive water features, the roots sticking up all over and the brick-lined path full of misplaced bricks…..another year won’t make that huge of a difference in the grand scheme of life in the Hills.
