The Fountain Hills Sanitary District is working on a plan to update its recharge wells in Fountain Park that will provide additional restrooms in the park.

Sanitary District Manager Dana Trompke outlined the plan for members of the town council in a joint meeting with the Sanitary District board of directors on Feb. 27.

The district has three storage and recovery wells in the park and Trompke said there is a need to replace the equipment currently held within underground vaults. She said for a number of reasons including soil conditions and safety concerns related to working on the equipment within the vaults, the district has decided to build above-grade control buildings for operating the wells. In conjunction with those buildings, restrooms will be added for park visitors.

“The district board has voted to move forward with the improvements related to wells two and four,” Trompke said. “Those are locations amenable for restrooms.”

Those locations are near Panorama Drive behind the amphitheater, and north of the parking lot at the far east side of the park.

“Well number one is more of a challenge,” Trompke said. “It is located in the middle of the ‘Great Lawn’ area of the park, central to many activities.

“It will require more planning to determine the best use in this area.”

She also noted that there is currently a re-evaluation of the flood channel that crosses the park in that area.

Trompke said the district has advertised a “request for qualifications” (RFQ) for an architect to work on the planning and design for the project.

“We have determined that summer would be the best time for construction but, allowing time for design and bidding, we will be unable to start by this May,” Trompke said. “Construction would be projected to begin May 2019.”

There is currently one restroom in Fountain Park, next to the parking lot on the south side off El Lago Boulevard. That is near the playground, Rotary Splash Pad and Kiwanis ramada.

Work together

As separate political entities the district and the town are independent of one another with regard to funding and operations. However, communication between the two agencies is important, particularly when it comes to major development projects.

“We have had a few snafus in the past and [the district] didn’t see things they needed to see,” Town Manager Grady Miller said.

It is routine that anyone bringing in a development project, of any size, will be directed to the Sanitary District, according to Development Services Director Bob Rogers.

Trompke said the treatment facilities have adequate capacity for the way the district is currently master planned. There was a need to take a close look at a project the size of Park Place to assure plant capacity is adequate.

Trompke said she is not familiar with the second and third phases planned for Park Place but believes plant capacity is probably acceptable.

The State Trust Land is an issue that will require close scrutiny. Currently that area is not part of the Sanitary District and therefore not part of the master plan.

The original development proposal for the land had about 1,350 dwelling units and, while discussions were held between the district and Ellman Companies, there was never a clear determination on how sanitary service would be addressed. The Ellman deal for the land eventually fell through and the land went back to the state, which is considering new planning and development options.

Sanitary District Chairman Tom Reski noted that the district is landlocked with regard to property and has no real room to expand its capacity.

“We would need to evaluate any plan to determine what our needs would be to accommodate development,” Trompke said.

The council and the board will have staff look at a plan to restart discussions related to water quality for irrigation, which may include general lake and fountain operations.