The Pinal County Board of Supervisors heard a presentation on possible options for public parks in the unincorporated San Tan Valley area last week and also heard an early-stage potential master plan for a Pinal County Fairgrounds and Event Center.
No actions were taken following the sessions.
Consultant Don McGann of McGann & Associates examined park offerings in Queen Creek, Goodyear, Marana and Oro Valley to get a feel for what could work in San Tan Valley.
He reported that both State Trust Land and school-owned property are two possibilities. With school-owned property, the County and the school district would jointly fund development of facilities – such as a pool. The school would then maintain the facility and allow public access.
Other options included the use of a 56-acre site the County already owns or requiring park lands to be dedicated as part of housing developments.
McGann also examined and reported on the possibility of a hybrid park model, which would feature one main park of roughly 100 acres and two smaller parks of approximately 25 acres each. He estimated it would cost in the neighborhood of $100M to develop the main park and $25M each to develop the smaller ones.
He also said the parks could be developed in stages over time to save money rather than building the whole system all at once, but he said in any event that building a park system from scratch where none currently exists will be an expensive undertaking.
Commissioner Mike Goodman wanted to ensure there would be public participation and buy-in for any park proposal that ultimately advances. He also suggested a joint venture between the County, the community and developers as one option.
Pinal County Fairgrounds
McGann also reported on a preliminary master plan for the Pinal County Fairgrounds, which has been without a master plan since it opened in 1957. He recommended undertaking a long-range plan for improvements, possibly over a 10-year span.
Possibilities for the site include an events building to be built in two phases, an event lawn and a “Main Street” corridor, a new maintenance and operations building with a yard and an RV campground.
McGann estimated that once parking lot expansions and other upgrades are factored in, the total cost could be approximately $13M. (Source)