By Cecilia Chan
Independent  Newsmedia

Glendale looks to spend $89 million in the coming fiscal year for a western area branch library, a new scoreboard for Camelback Ranch and replacement air packs for firefighters.

City Council last week reviewed a draft 10-year, $940 million capital improvement plan, which covers projects costing more than $50,000 and have a lifespan of at least five years, such as buildings, parks and roads. Funding for the plan comes from various pots, including general obligation bonds, development impact fees and enterprise user fees.

Council members took issue with the plan.

Councilwoman Lauren Tolmachoff asked if the city was contractually obligated to replace the scoreboard at the stadium, the spring training home of the Chicago White Sox and Kansas City Royals.

Budget and Finance Director Vicki Rios said under a 2007 facility use agreement the city is on the hook annually to invest $830,000 for capital-type projects at the stadium. She noted, however, the scoreboard priced at $1 million is a bit higher.

Assistant City Manager Tom Duensing added the scoreboard is at the end of its life. He said it was unsure how the scoreboard will fare during the current spring training season.

"Was it keeping up with the Joneses-type of contract," Ms. Tolmachoff said. "If someone gets something we are obligated to give it to them as well?"

Mr. Duensing said the agreement specifies that

when spring training facilities in the Valley make upgrades to certain things like a scoreboard, the city also has to provide similar upgrades.

"Whether they are needed or not?" Ms. Tolmachoff said. "I call it keeping up with the Joneses."

Mr. Duensing said she was correct in that assessment, however, there is doubt whether the scoreboard can be kept running and as such the city would be faced with dealing with it regardless of the noted provision in the agreement.

Councilwoman Joyce Clark was especially critical of the proposed spending, questioning the equity between the north and south parts of the city.

She asked why there was no commitment in the fiscal year 2017-18 plan or over the next fives years of the plan to improve and maintain existing amenities.

"I’ve noticed that every proposed project served the request of various departments," she said. "I appreciate these projects may allow departments to operate more efficiently but they do nothing to serve the pent-up demand of citizens and residents. Citizen amenities are equally valid and deserve some attention from resources that are available."

She singled out O’Neil Pool at O’Neil Park at 64th and Missouri avenues in the southern Ocotillo District, which shut down more than five years ago when the city determined it was too costly to repair.

"Here is one of the lowest socio-economic areas of our city," Ms. Clark said, adding the city had allowed a pool that served over 1,300 homes in one of the densest square miles in the city to close without repairing or replacing it.

"Where is the commitment that there are certain areas in the city that deserves equity," she said. "This is one of them."

She held up a 1998-99 Glendale budget book that she says first mentioned a western branch library, pool, dog park and recreation center for Heroes Regional Park at 83rd Avenue and Bethany Home Road. The park was originally scheduled for completion in 2004 but was continually put on the back burner, she said.

She said next year will mark 20 years since these amenities were promised for the park and were never fulfilled.

"I’m grateful the council is committed to phase one of the western branch library," she said. "I’m grateful for that but I’m holding everyone’s feet to the fire. You can’t ignore O’Neil Park for five years and Heroes Park for 20 years. You made promises to the citizens and to this community that deserve to be fulfilled."

The city is currently exploring other uses for the O’Neil Pool.

Ms. Clark noted Foothills Branch Library opened in north Glendale in 1999 and shortly after, it got a multi-generation center and aquatics center, totaling $13 million, which opened in 2005.

She said there was no problem finding the funds within a period of six years for the new projects in north Glendale.

She said the argument at the time was north Glendale had more people but she reminded her peers that each council district through redistricting is divided into equal population.

"it was not a good argument then, it’s not a good argument now," she said. "I’m begging the Council, let us reinstate our commitment to O’Neil Pool, to finish Heroes Park. I would like to see a commitment by this city, by leaders of this city and senior management of this city, recognition these are important projects."

Councilwoman Lauren Tolmachoff, whose Cholla District takes in Foothills, shot back.

She said there is no argument that some projects were taken out of line but the city has invested a significant amount of money in Ms. Clark’s Yucca District, namely with Camelback Ranch, Westgate Entertainment District and the Gila River Arena.

"They are all south of Glendale Avenue," she said. "Whether those decisions were the right ones for the city I would probably argue were not.

"Hundreds of millions of dollars were invested into those areas, not to benefit our citizens. It paints a pretty picture of why we are where we are."

Ms. Clark said residents in her district also did not benefit from those projects.

"You can’t point at those major projects as the reason why Yucca citizens don’t deserve anything more," Ms. Clark said.

She added during her previous 16-year stint on the Council she did not support most of those projects.

"At some point you mentally throw up your hands and stop fighting with the rest of the Council that wants the project," she said. "Folks we can always find ways to spend money, that is not a problem. It’s a matter of establishing priorities."

Councilman Bart Turner said the funding for the urban lake, the baseball fields, all the unmet amenities at Heroes Park was spent over at Camelback Ranch.

"Those decisions were made by a previous Council and we are trying to recover from that," he said.

He said O’Neil Pool was closed partly because of the extremely high cost of needed maintenance but the primary reason was plummeting attendance, which Ms. Clark disagreed with.

He added he appreciated the Council’s philosophical shift to better serve the public by building large aquatic centers like Foothills in the north and Rose Lane in the south and the one planned for Heroes Park.

Councilman Jamie Aldama said he wanted to be clear that he supports continued funding for the integrity of buildings such as at Foothills.

"Parents and kids use those places," he said. "I don’t advocate stopping funding. My concern are new projects in other districts."

He pointed to a proposal to spend $226,536 to mitigate dust at Orangewood Vista Park in Ms. Clark’s district.

"Most of it is completed," he said of the park. "There are other ways to mitigate dust there. That money can go somewhere else. Glendale Community Center is deteriorating and we’ve had to use grant funds to repair that building. O’Neil Park is deteriorating. I am concerned with my district. I have deteriorating amenities. There’s nothing programmed in this budget for deteriorating facilities in my district."

Ms. Clark agreed the project for Orangewood did not need to be done at this time and asked if the money can be freed up for use at another park.

She also said if staff could not budget the proposed reuse of O’Neil Pool in a timely manner, she wanted to see something new for Heroes Park.

Erik Strunk, Public Facilities, Recreation and Special Events director, said the city has an intergovernmental agreement on the park with Glendale Elementary School District, where the city was given use of the park in exchange for putting in amenities and both entities share maintenance.

He agreed with Councilman Turner’s suggestion the city should first talk to the district before shifting money around.

Mr. Aldama noted there was no money for his Ocotillo District last year and said Camelback Ranch was the greatest mistake the city ever made.

"Ms. Clark you mentioned you voted against Camelback Ranch and ultimately it passed," he said. "We gave millions of dollars and you threw your hands up and gave up. I will never throw my hand ups for this southern district that has needs. We have to keep the conversation going about a district that is declining every day, every year.

"I’m on board on board to continue funding to keep integrity of facilities but if I just throw my hands up and walk way, things stay the same. This budget process is not over yet."

Mr. Strunk responded there was no financial capacity to earmark for older parks. Councilman Ray Malnar wanted to know what can be done in the future so that Council concerns come into the budget process.

"It sounds like a lot of things were missing in the conversation today," he said. "How do we improve that process."

City Manager Kevin Phelps said the Council can add or remove projects from the proposed plan.

‘It’s our proposals based on what identify as their needs and we get concession and feedback from council," he said. "The purpose of the workshop is to take what staff’s recommendations are and line it up with your priorities for your district. This is your capital improvement plan. We can meet with each individual council member but as a rule you act as a body."