Recreation Centers of Sun City West officials were awarded a sizable water conservation projects grant in 2022, and association officials recently authorized spending the remaining amount this spring.
The Arizona Office of Tourism introduced a program in 2021 that provided funding through a grant for golf course water conservation projects. The Recreation Centers of Sun City West was awarded $420,000 for the four golf courses that exceed 90 acre-feet of irrigated turf.
That grant funding must be spent by March 2024.
Golf courses targeted are Pebble Brook, Echo Mesa, Stardust and Grandview, according to RCSCW Environmental Services Manager Todd Patty.
The grant can be used for shoreline repair, hardscape, turf removal, desert landscape or irrigation improvement.
“We have submitted turf removal at street fronts and road-crossings at three courses,” Patty said.
These projects will be outsourced and go through the bidding process, Patty said. All areas planned for turf removal are out of play and will not require any closures or disruption of play to the members, Patty said.
“We identified about 6 acres to be removed, which is a water savings of 20 acre-feet annually,” Patty said.
The board authorized the remaining grant money of $262,000 to fund turf removal projects at Stardust, Echo Mesa and Pebblebrook Golf Courses. The other portion of the money was spent on the same type of projects at Grandview Golf Course.
“You use it or lose it, and if we don’t then we have to give it back and that is the last thing we want to go do, due to the effort that went into it,” Patty explained.
Thirty-four courses in Arizona were awarded money and four of RCSCW golf courses were chosen.
RCSCW Governing Board Director Tim Hurley said association officials already have this money and only needed approval for the general manager to spend the remainder.
RCSCW Governing Board Director Christine Novello, who is also on the Budget & Finance Committee said this money must be spent on the four golf courses and noted the general manager has not discretion to spend it on other things.
“When we applied, we had to have details as to where it was going to be spent,” Patty added.
We’d like to invite our readers to submit their civil comments, pro or con, on this issue. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org.
Jennifer Jimenez can be reached at jjimenez@iniusa.org, or on Twitter @scw_independent.
In 2020, Jennifer Jimenez began working for Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA. She began her career as a sports reporter in Peoria and Glendale, covering the very same schools she used to compete at. During this time, she also worked for television news, magazines and sports radio stations.
Community: Jennifer is a member of the Hall of Fame at Peoria High School where she graduated in 2001, alongside her father Joe Hernandez. She serves youth soccer players as a pro-trainer and coach.
Education: Grand Canyon University 2005 B.A. Liberal Arts
Ranom Fact: She has a street named after her in south Peoria “Jennifer Rose Court.”
Hobbies: Country dancing, coaching soccer, teaching private swim lessons and running are things she does for fun.
By 
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here