We’re having a sale this weekend at the River Bank Store at the museum.
From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday, you can save big on merchandise in our first-ever pre-inventory clearance sale.
Choose from the highest quality, hand-made Native American jewelry, crafts, artwork, photos, books and more.
And don’t forget, there’s no sales tax charge, which means you can save even more.
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That 23 degree reading we had on Monday, Jan 14, was not quite the all-time low temperature recorded in Fountain Hills, but we were very close.
The lowest temperature ever recorded here was 21 degrees on Jan. 7.1971, which was actually logged by an engineering crew that was putting in infrastructure for original developer McCulloch Properties.
There were no permanent residents at that time.
I had a 20 degree reading on my thermometer on Sunday, Jan. 13. I was glad I had wrapped any exposed water pipes I have and there are some pretty sad looking plants that will need some attention or replacement later. It was plenty cold enough for me. And then last week we had some record highs before the clouds and rain moved in.
Wasn’t that some soaker of a rain?! Our rain gauge at the office had approximately 2.24 inches in it for the weekend.
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I, too, would like to say I approve of the new design plan for the Avenue of the Fountains.
I’ve always been an advocate for having much more on the Avenue of the “Fountains.”
The first concept plan by original community master developer, McCulloch Properties, for the Avenue was to have replicas of world famous fountains lining the median as another tourist attraction to go along with the world’s tallest fountain.
That concept never got off the ground because of budget reasons. That’s probably a good thing because the maintenance on that plan would have been cost prohibitive for a town our size.
This latest plan includes four new water features including two at the intersection of the Avenue and Verde River Drive. A third will replace water features on the east end between Verde River and Saguaro Boulevard. The fourth will be placed on the west side where there currently are no fountains.
The concept plan also calls for the art sculpture titled “Sip N’ Splash” in the fountain at Verde River Drive to be relocated further east in a new setting to allow the public to get closer to the sculpture and interact with it.
Also, the sculpture with the eagle’s nest entitled “Freedom” would be relocated to the west end of the median at La Montana Drive as part of a new entry.
The plan also includes a 10-foot wide meandering walkway from La Montana to Saguaro. Along the walkway there will be paved “nodes” for new public art displays and plaza areas around the water features with tables and benches.
With the concept plan complete, the project estimates are still within the budget of $1.2 million for construction, with another $500,000 for architectural services, utility company design fees, permits and contingencies. There is a $400,000 alternate bid package for lighting to be considered later.
It may not be quite as impressive as the original McCulloch plan but it is a lot more practical and people friendly design.
