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Catalina Community Meeting
These informal grassroots gatherings were/are facilitated
by private residents in order to share community news when the need arises, and are not associated with any particular organization.
They serve as an archive of community concerns over time. Notes from the meetings are posted with the latest at the
top.
September
9, 2009 Meeting
I wasn't
there, but heard from Wes that 30 people attended the meeting at which the concensus was reached to oppose the Arber
Ridge rezoning. The developers have postponed their September Design Review hearing , therefore the Catalina
group will meet again in a month for more discussion. Check regularly at www.savecatalina.com where Barry Richards writes in great detail about the community
concerns with this potential rezoning.
The notes posted below are from last year's meeting with the Arber
Ridge developers, and provide additional background information.
June
18, 2008 Meeting
This
meeting was organized specifically to insure that residents were aware of the upcoming rezoning hearing regarding the Arber
Ridge development that was first presented to the community back in April 2007. (For notes on that initial meeting,
go to the News page of this site and scroll down to that date.)
A few of us who had worked together
with the Save Catalina group had heard that the developer was going to do their second required presentation at the Village
Council meeting on June 24....the night before the Planning and Zoning hearing down at the County. We quickly
booked the meeting space, assembled a mailing list from the area map on the Pima County website, and then sent out information
to about 40 abutters of the property to be rezoned.
The initial purpose of our Community Meeting was
to gather the residents to pass along what many of us had learned during the 2003-4 High Mesa rezoning "debacle".
We once again had the very UN-communicative Village Council being used as an "official" community forum, and we
wanted to make sure that the residents understood the rezoning process and had all the information necessary to make an informed
decision.
A few phone calls to Supervisor Day's office by residents concerned that the timing of the already
scheduled Village Council presentation was unfair and inappropriate resulted in her office requesting that the developer
present his plan at our meeting. The owner/developer, Gani Berisha, contacted Wes Stolsek and agreed to meet with us.
Supervisor Day also attended the meeting. From what I understand, the developer had not yet presented
his plan at her office, so it was her first opportunity to see the plan and hear what the developer had to say.
It was also the perfect opportunity for her to hear the comments and concerns of those who will be most affected by the
development.
Arber Ridge looks like an attractive townhome community with some nice ammenties and about 30%
open space. It also appears to be a good transition from the commercial area along Oracle Road to the acre-plus parcels
to the East. The plan shows two-story townhomes on the ridge above Basha's, but single-family homes flanking the
entrance at the private road off Twin Lakes. Few in the audience could fault the design, yet many were truly concerned
about the density (142 residences on 20.5 acres) and the effect it would have on our roads (Golder Ranch/Oracle intersection
and Twin Lakes Drive), schools, and the acquifer.
Berisha's engineers responded to the traffic issue at
the Oracle/Golder intersection by calling it simply "bad designing" over which the developers had no control.
They do foresee making some changes to Twin Lakes Drive to straighten it and add a turn-lane, stating clearly that any changes
to that road would be made within the existing right-of-way and that no land would need to be taken from residents
along that road.
When asked whether he would be making a contribution to the Amphi District, Mr Berisha answered
that he will be giving $1,500 for each closing to the District, but would NOT enter into an agreement that children in his
development would get first rights to available seats in local schools because of that contribution. This is significant and
it's my hope that this would be made part of any rezoning he might obtain for that property. For a number of
years, the Amphi District has been entering into donation "agreements" with developers which "exempt"
the children in those subdivisons from being bused to less crowded schools .... even as children immediately outside
that subdivision might need to attend school in the southern portion of the district ... due to overcrowding brought
on by newly rezoned subdivisions. This policy is currently in effect at Black Horse Ranch (although when I
last checked with Amphi, busing had not become an issue for Catalina children...yet), and I think Mr. Berisha should be commended
for seeing thru the inequity of this Amphi policy.
The issue of water is the one topic that will always, and
justifiably, come up regarding a rezoning. Yet it is the one issue to which a deaf ear is always turned.
My hope is that, if this project becomes a reality, Mr. Berisha will employ rainwater harvesting for irrigation, and
offer grey-water plumbing and hot water recirculating pumps in all his units. Such forward-thinking additions would
add little to the cost of each unit, but present this project as one which is "conscious" of our desert environment.
At the end of the developer's presentation, Supervisor Day told the gathering that the Planning and Zoning hearing
had been postponed from the original June 25 date until the end of July (sorry, I didn't hear the exact day, but watch
for it on this sites Home page). That was the right thing to do and to whomever faciltated that change in
date....thank-you!
In closing, I would ask that Pima County Development Services would recognize and honor this
fact about Catalina: Although the Catalina Village Council calls itself a "homeowners association", it is
not recognized as such by the residents of Catalina. There is little to no communication by that group to the community
at large, so to offer it to developers as the sole venue by which to fulfill their "community meeting" requirement
is just plain bad policy. Bad for the developer when it appears that a project is trying to be "slipped thru"
the cracks of community awareness, and bad for the community when already over-scheduled private citizens are forced into
action and an almost defensive posture.
November 6, 2007 Meeting
This Community Meeting was held in one of the classrooms at the new Golder Ranch Fire Training Facility.
It's a comfortable venue and available free to community groups by scheduling a date through the GRFD business office. Patrick Cavanaugh, of Supervisor Day's office was on hand to answer questions and listen to concerns.
He's becoming such an integral part of these meetings that I feel the need to remind even myself how important it is to
have someone from that office taking the time to stay connected with the residents. I, and others, had emailed Ms. Day
a few months ago with our concern that the Village Council had become the only "accepted" venue for public input.
She responded the next day by phone, with a very adamant "I don't play favorites". She's been true
to that statement, and her office seems to have set the tone for the entire County "machine" to treat Catalina with
a little more respect. I won't go so far as to say it's all wine and roses, mind you. But it's a whole
lot better than it's been for a very long time.
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Now to the night's invited guest.....many, many thanks
to Don Carter for spending an hour of his time to fill us in on the plans and progress of the Catalina Regional Park and answering
questions from those in attendance. An overview of the most significant points of the night's discussion is contained
within his latest park update which can be read at: Catalina Regional Park News and Info . We all came
away with the sense that Pima County had chosen the right man for the job. Many of us had been concerned that this park,
within Catalina, would become so "regional" as to not reflect the character of the community that surrounded it,
and that it's environmental significance would be ignored in favor of team-sports and development interests. But
it is clear that Don feels he is a steward for this land, and much of his efforts are toward bringing it back to its natural
state. He spoke often of his desire to be responsive to the wishes of the community,
and expressed a sincere invitation for groups and individuals to call him with their ideas. He made it clear that he
isn't in a position to "promise" anything, yet he is in the perfect position to advocate residents' ideas
to his superiors. Along those lines, Don said he had been approached by various groups and individuals about forming
a Friends of the Catalina Regional Park volunteer organization, and that he would keep us informed of any progress in that
direction. Don can be reached on his cellphone at 240-9493, or at his Catalina headquarters on Trotter Lane at
818-3807. We had some new folks this time....glad to see ya....with
some input about the Lago del Oro Parkway area. Traffic, and the speed of that traffic, seemed to be a great concern
for those residents. One resident had gone so far as to ask Pima County to do a traffic study and the results of that study
were somewhat of a surprise, but perhaps not; ten-thousand trips a day on Lago del Oro Parkway with the vast majority ending
in Pinal County and Saddlebrooke. The County stated that the 45 mph speed limit was dictated by the designation of the
road, which is in the same category as Oracle Road as it passes thru Catalina. Both Patrick and Don felt that once the
Regional Park is opened to the public, the presence of the park itself might become a "mitigating" factor in lowering
the speed along Lago. This led to a discussion of the routing of Saddlebrooke/Pinal
County traffic down Columbus Blvd and Hawser St once the improvements along Edwin Rd are completed. And this led to
speculation of traffic snarls at the Golder/Oracle intersection becoming even worse than they are now. As many were
interjecting their personal stories of Pinal's impact on Catalina and the potentional transportation nightmare that will
come with the enormous number of homes planned for construction just north of us, Wes brought up the issue of the Oro Valley
annexation of the State Land just to the west of Catalina. This State Land annexation
is still in the planning stages, but Wes and others were invited to meet with Oro Valley planning officials as a courtesy,
as a kind of "heads-up" for what's coming down the pike. The maps will be ready later this month, and
public meetings concerning this will be taking place over the next couple of months. (Have you ever noticed that public
input stages for ALL the unpopular development projects happen over the holidays when folks are too involved to "get
involved"!!) Patrick spoke at length about Pima County's involvement in this proposal,
about the County's desire to maintain open-space and the wildlife corridor between the mountains. There were many
specifics to this discussion that I honestly don't remember, but I'll see what I can find out and put together as
this all progresses. I brought up the fact that a few members of the Catalina
Village Council, (a private non-profit organization that has at times been either a charity or an HOA, a legal corporation
or sometimes not!), had recently gone before the Northern Pima County Chamber of Commerce with the intention, it seems, of
claiming and exerting some kind of representational role for this community. I stated "clearly" that no private
citizen has the right to usurp my right to represent myself to my officially elected government. To lend credence to
"government by non-profit" is a dangerous practice and an insult to the citizens whose voices will never be heard
because someone else claims to have spoken for them. The meeting broke up
at close to around 8:45 with Wes committing to schedule another for January sometime when we'll have more decisive information
about the State Land issue. Patrick offered that he would help facilitate getting Arlan Colton of the State Trust Land
Department to come to that meeting. As usual, I didn't take notes because it's almost
impossible for me to do that and stay involved in the discussion at the same time. If anyone has corrections or additions.....send
them on.
September 27, 2007 Meeting
There were fewer participants this time, which allowed more folks to speak directly with Supervisor
Day's aide, Patrick Cavanaugh. The more opportunity individual residents have to be heard, the more personal the
relationship between Catalina and our County government, and a greater probability that County decisions will be based
on a broader cross-section of residents' concerns.
A resident asked for
clarification on a "rumor" that the County was still considering putting buildings down in the Regional Park along
Lago del Oro. Patrick's response was "absolutely not". We learned that some residents had expressed
great concern that barbed wire used to fence off the park to motorized vehicles would be hazardous to the wildlife travelling
the wash. The County has now changed that fencing to one with smooth wire at the top and bottom allowing wildlife to
go over or under safely. Another resident asked what could be done when a private
easement is washed out due to run-off from a neighboring parcel. We were told that matters concerning private property,
require civil (lawsuit) action. Private property is not under the jurisdiction of the County. The question of whether
the channeling of water off of private property would fall under County permitting wasn't clarified. At this point Patrick remarked that the development plans
for High Mesa (now Arcadia) have been returned 3 times for reworking of the run-off issue. Two
residents brought up the issue of increased run-off across Pinto Lane from development in Pinal County. It also
was requested that County transportation trim the vegetation on the shoulder of that road from Columbus to Bowman. The possibility of documenting a complete history of Catalina was raised, and a history done by local
teens in 1994 was shown to participants. That booklet titled, "Nightlights in the Desert", is available at
the Catalina library. I voiced my desire to have a "free movie night"
sometime after the holidays with a showing of the documentary, "Two Square Miles". The producers website is
at: http://www.twosquaremiles.com Wes felt that a presentation by Web Parton concerning the toxic landfill to the north and it's
effect on our drinking water would be a good thing for a future meeting. When I cynically chimed in with "but what
can any of us do about it", Patrick remarked that when researching the landfill documents a few years back in his role
as investigative reporter, documentation showed that all was well. He suggested that it would be prudent for we residents
to stay informed and "stay on top of" the status of that landfill's safety. Another resident suggested
that folks could picket the Saddlebrooke Ranch, or hand each realtor there a copy of the official report thereby legally requiring
that realtor to "disclose" the information to potential buyers. Wes closed
the meeting saying that we probably would wait a while before doing this again, and would schedule the next gathering for
the fire station where meeting rooms are available free to residents.
August 30, 2007
The first
of these grassroots gatherings
First, thanks to all 52 of you for attending. It
was YOU who created such a welcoming and open atmosphere in which everyone felt free to voice their opinions and concerns.
The whole evening affirmed for me that when people are allowed their "voice" in an atmosphere of acceptance, no
one needs to get angry to be heard. It was an informative and enjoyable evening. Wes
Stolsek led the meeting, offering the floor to any member of the audience who wished to speak. One of those in attendance
was, Patrick Cavanaugh, from Supervisor Day's office, who took the floor to respond to concerns or answer questions as
needed. Following are most of the announcements and issues discussed....in no particular
order. If I've missed anything, please let me know and I'll add it! Linda Allyn
and Connie Crosby spoke of the newly incorporated Catalina Community Arts Council and the semi-annual Catalina Artists Studio
Tour held in November and April. We learned that the Arts Council recently donated $2000 in special art supplies to
the Art Department at the Coronado School. Linda and Connie both expressed a desire that the Arts Council be involved
in the planning for the Art Plaza that is to be part of the Regional Park at Lago del Oro. Appreciation for all their
efforts was shown by a warm round of applause from the audience. The upcoming
Potential Bond 2008 meeting to be held on September 17 was announced (see Community News and Information). When asked what those in attendance might want to see funded
by bonds, responses ranged from renovating and expanding the existing Recreation Center, to getting a new full-service library
for Catalina, to preservation of open space. The question of available land on which to place a library was raised.
Patrick responded that sites were being researched. The issue was raised that 28% of the usage at the Catalina branch
is by Pinal County residents who use Pima's library at no cost. Patrick responded that the County and Library administrations
are researching ways to resolve that inequity. Patrick announced that the Board of Supervisors had voted
to reopen the greenwaste collection at the transfer station during peak fire months. I believe those months are February-
July. We were told that the decision to close greenwaste was a budgetary measure, and the decision to reopen during
peak fire months had to do with Catalina's proximity to wildlands. We were also told that the County is considering
charging Pinal County users more for using our transfer station. The checking of drivers' licenses for place of
residence was mentioned. One resident asked about some new fencing along the Wild's
Road crossing at the CDO. Patrick and others believed it had to do with keeping ATV's off the park land. (You
can find the latest "Park Update" on the Community News and Information page of this site. A
resident raised the issue of increased run-off from Edwin Road seeming to be caused by the culvert recently installed across
Edwin during road construction. Many residents in the area were recently stranded as two washes crossing Pinto Lane
between Columbus and Forecastle were blocked off because of swift water. Pavement at the 27 Wash crossing on Pinto was
ripped away during that event. Also discussed was the proposed Catalina low-frequency
radio station, the tower for which will be at Vicki Cox Realty and which is being and planned and staffed by residents of
Saddlebrooke. Audience opinion ranged from "so what" to adamantly opposed. Some people thought
the station would be a pleasant addition to their daily lives. Others felt a deep concern that Saddlebrooke residents
were becoming too involved in our residents' daily lives. There were many comments about the negative visual impact
of a large tower on neighbors, and questions as to the actual ownership of the license and station....CCS or the radio board
of directors. I spoke of my concern for the reliability of information being filtered thru the perception of non-residents
with a very different perspective on "what's good for Catalina". An audience
member brought up the fact that $500,000 of Neighborhood Reinvestment Bond money was just awarded to Catalina Community Services
for a new facility at the old fire station on Hawser. The concern was that 2 members of the Village Council attended
the bond committee meeting at which the funding was decided claiming to represent community-wide support of the funding.
Many in the audience Thursday stated very clearly to Patrick that individuals sitting on the VC were NOT representatives for
Catalina, and should not be perceived as having any implied authority to speak for the residents. Patrick responded
that the bond committee required a "community group" to show support for the entity requesting funding.
Barry Richards, writer and webmaster for http://www.savecatalina.com, took the floor to discuss his concern about our water. He talked
about the Paige-Trowbridge toxic dump site a few miles north of Catalina and his belief that planned development around the
site will seriously affect the quality of our diminishing water supply. He referred us to his website for articles and
outside links concerning this issue. A newer resident to the area expressed a desire for more
playgrounds in the area, citing that the Rec Center was the only place with swings and grass for small children. And while we're on the subject of "neighborhood" park space, I wonder how many of you
know the history of our Rec Center. It was built by the area residents themselves in the mid-seventies on land donated
by E.B. Garner, and was called the Catalina Youth Activies Center. The pool was later donated by Lloyd Golder.
Catalina was just a small area then, populated mostly by miners and their families. The women became concerned that
their children had no place to gather, so they took it upon themselves to have fund-raiser barbecues that drew folks from
many miles around. As they got enough money for materials, the men would work on the weekends often with the help of
others from their workplaces. Until just recently, the photos of their family members who served in U.S. armed forces,
many now deceased, hung on the wall inside the Center as a memorial. The portraits were recently removed, and we've
heard rumors that the County has no desire to invest any money into the center. Yet that building is solid, just as
was the community spirit that raised it and gave it life. Perhaps that is why gatherings held within its walls generate
so much "cooperation". For me, and perhaps for our community, the Rec Center is as much an historic building
as any cathedral or antique home, and deserves our efforts to preserve it, to keep it alive and useful. The folks that
put their love and toil into creating it reflect the same qualities of resourcefulness and independence that permeates Catalina
today. Just before the gathering finally broke up at 8:45, Wes asked if we should
get together again to which the response was a resounding, "yes". And as the residents walked out into the
balmy night gathering in small groups to discuss the evening, one couldn't help but feel the atmosphere charged and transformed
by the collective "good will" of those present. It was a good night!
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