Carefree Truth

Issue #424, September 11, 2015

 

 

 

Gary Neiss cited the Baker Study support for gateways to counteract the interior facing design of the downtown business district and to direct outside consumers into the commercial core.  The Baker Group repeatedly heard that people coming to the Christmas Festival were unaware of the shops and restaurants in downtown Carefree previous to attending the Festival. 

 

 

 

Carefree hired Parsons Brinckerhoff, the engineering firm involved with the bike lane project.  They generated a matrix to assist the Council in the gateway decision-making process which considered the interface between the bike lanes and future gateways, safety/visibility triangles, and the location of overhead and underground utilities.   At the previous Special Council meeting, Mayor Les Peterson proposed the "Core Option" with 2 primary gateways, and Councilwoman Melissa Price proposed the "Framing Option", consisting of 4 primary gateways.  See Carefree Truth Issue #420 for details and graphics from this meeting at www.carefreetruth.com.

 

 

 

Mr. Neiss thanked Jim Manship of Manship Builders for his generous offer to donate the masonry work on the columns and to act as project manager, as a way of giving back to the community.  He then directed the meeting back to the Council for discussion.

 

 

 

Councilwoman Price expressed her support for her Framing Option proposal by stating that most Carefree residents don't shop in Carefree, so she wants to make Carefree town center a "destination" to attract those outside of the immediate area. She felt 4 primary gateways would capture those coming from all directions.  If drivers missed the first one, "they will hopefully see the second gateway before they get to the 4 way stop."  They also would see gateways from the 4 way stop signs.  Ms. Price added that there is no wrong answer; both Options would work.  She said what won't work is doing nothing, and that a decision must be made now so the preliminary work can be completed and the project can be started at the end of this Season.  Councilman Bob Gearhart agreed that the Framing Option would catch drivers who would see gateways no matter which way they turned at the 4 way stop signs.

 

 

 

Vice Mayor John Crane said the Core Option was much more reasonable from a financial standpoint.  Very generous donations have been offered by Manship Builders, Let There Be Light, and Bertram Signs, but there is more to this project than just the gateways.  Primary gateways require roundabouts, moving utilities on Cave Creek Road, and the addition of infrastructure from the gateways to Easy Street. The total package must be considered when making this decision. 

 

 

 

Gateways "communicate who we are".  Carefree is a fairly affluent, upscale community that is focused on the arts.  But Carefree has always "minded our financials", which is why there is a lot of money in the bank.  Projects have always been carefully studied with "a good eye" towards determining those projects which are most worthwhile, and then financing them efficiently.

 

 

 

The 2 locations proposed in the Core Option have existing roundabouts.  The distance from the intersections to Easy Street is relatively short, requiring less infrastructure.  Both provide direct access to the Sanderson Lincoln Pavilion, the Gardens, and the interior retail shops and restaurants. Easy Street and the Gardens are visible from Wampum Way and Tom Darlington Drive, and from Carefree Drive and Cave Creek Road.  According to prices quoted by APS, moving the utility lines at Cave Creek Road and Carefree Drive would cost $110,000.  At Cave Creek Road and Hum Road, it would cost $200,000.  At Cave Creek Road and Sunshine Way, it would cost $208,000.  The cost of moving utilities would be $110,000 for the Core Option, as opposed to $408,000 for the Framing Option.

 

 

 

The Vice Mayor reminded everyone that at the last meeting, Lyn Hitchon made the point that less is more.  Wearing 1 fancy ring per hand makes much more of a statement than wearing fancy rings on each finger.  Cave Creek Road and Tom Darlington Drive are each a hand.  One ring on each hand is a much better solution. 

 

 

 

Ms. Price noted that there are a lot of businesses on Ho and Hum Roads.  She said it is also a restaurant core.

 

 

 

Mayor Peterson presented a comparison of the potential costs of both Options to demonstrate the order of magnitude.  While there are no firm prices yet for the gateways, the estimate is $100,000 each.  The generous donations offered by 3 local businesses reduce that cost, but there is more to the project than the gateways.  Moving utilities for the Core Option (2) would cost $110,000 vs. the Framing Option (4) $408,000, a difference of $298,000.  There are existing roundabouts at the Core Option intersections and none at the Framing Option intersections, $0 vs. $800,000.  Due to the longer distances, additional sidewalks would cost $50,000 vs. $100,000, bringing the estimated cost difference to $1,248,000, excluding landscaping and lighting.  

Proposed 2 Gateways vs. 4 Gateways Approaches

Element          2 Gateways      4 Gateways    Difference

Gateways:         $100,000       $200,000      +$100,000

Underground Utilities (per APS Quotes): 

                             $110,000       $408,000       +$298,000

Traffic Circles:        $0         Est. $800,000       +$800,000

Landscaping/

Sidewalks:  Est. $50,000   Est. $100,000         +$50,000

                    Est. $260,000       $1,508,000    +$1,248,000

(See the attachment if the columns are skewed in the email.)

 

People don't come to drive through gateways.  They come for the events and businesses.  The Town needs to have money left in the budget to bring in meaningful attractions.  The 4 gateway option is very expensive.  2 gateways establish a sense of entry.  There is $1,500,000 in the budget for economic development.  Not all of it needs to be spent.  Last year, over $800,000 was returned to the reserve account.  "The prudent, or 'Carefree' approach is, 'let's build on what has been done in the past'; let's go with the 2 gateway option."  The Mayor was 100% behind doing something besides gateways to make the downtown more active and enjoyable for both residents and visitors.

 

 

 

Councilman Glenn Miller asked, "Why are roundabouts continuously brought up?  They never were part of the gateways.  Yet you keep bringing it up, and put the cost at $800,000.  I don't understand why we keep throwing in these roundabouts in relation to the gateways.  It was never part of the budget.  Never.  Yet everybody keeps throwing it in there." He also pointed out that there are some existing sidewalks on all the proposed gateway streets.  Mr. Miller also challenged the estimated prices of roundabouts as being too high.

(Lyn's note: Mayor Peterson did further research on the price of roundabouts, and has since reduced the estimates to $100,000 each.

 

 

 

Mayor Peterson replied that the experts specified roundabouts at the primary gateways to direct attention to them, as well as the addition of landscaping and other infrastructure support.  All these elements are part of entryways.  

 

 

 

Councilman Mike Farrar agreed, saying he favors the Core Option.  It is an oxymoron to have more than one "primary" gateway on the same street.  "The purse is only so big."  People with wealth don't spend all they have.  As a town, Carefree doesn't do that either.  It is the Council's responsibility to make sound, prudent decisions, and to take the advice of expert consultants hired by the Town.  The Urban Land Institute Panel, consisting of Planners and retailers, people in the business, named the Core Option streets as primary gateways.  They were also recommended on page 26 of the Baker Master Plan.  Baker said more is not better.  Steven Betts agrees.  These are trained and experienced people.  "Up to 4 gateways" in the budget is not a blank check.  Thanks to the donations, there would be money to do some smaller secondary gateways if needed, as well as landscaping and other enhancements to reinforce the primary gateways.  Don't pin all your hopes on an arched structure.

 

https://vimeo.com/user18676056/review/138571686/d11d9654f0

 

Part 2 coming soon.

 

 

Lyn Hitchon

 

 

 

Prepared by Carefree Truth

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