By Brent Ruffner
Mail | Twitter: @AzNewsmedia

Answers remain unclear on what Sun City’s Mountain View Center will eventually look like.
On Friday, residents packed a room at Grand Center and each seemed to have different ideas about which activities were important and should be priorities of the eventual improvements at Mountain View.

At one time, the project, which could include a performing arts center, an outdoor only spa and fitness center improvements had a projected cost of $41.7 million.

An actual projected cost is not known because specifics on the project have not be decided.
Most meeting participants agreed an outdoor spa, horseshoes and cornhole, pickleball, mini golf and lawn bowling and a performing arts center were all priorities.

But the water is still muddy on what might actually happen.

Recreation Centers of Sun City Strategic Alternatives Committee members have different mindsets on the overall scope.

Numerous times residents got off topic during the two-hour meeting. Often, one person would be talking about a specific priority and immediately after, someone else would start getting into details on why they wanted a different priority.

At one point, Susan Chatterjee said she’d like to see theater-type seating in a new performing arts center.

“We are (talking about) the performing arts center, aren’t we?”

Moments before, a man on Zoom had just got done speaking about pickleball courts.

Architect Marlene Imirzian — who led the meeting — told the group no decisions would be made on Friday and she only wanted to “establish minimum requirements” or priorities of residents for the Mountain View Center at 9749 N. 107th Ave.

For the auditorium, Imirzian suggested turning the existing floor into a wood floor assembly would be easier on the legs of residents. Also, having a flat floor would allow the space to be separated into different sections.

“It can be fantastic and meet your needs,” the architect said.

She said the entry could be modified to look more welcoming — a change from the small, uninviting area at the front of the building.

“It doesn’t look like you are going through the front door of a major facility,” Imirzian said.

Earlier this month, Independent Newsmedia reported committee member Anita Borski said a site survey of the Lakeview site must be done to see if building the performing arts center there is even possible.

In earlier discussions, it was suggested a performing arts center could be built on the extreme southwest corner of the campus, bordered by North Del Webb and West Thunderbird boulevards to the west and south respectively. The area has a flagpole, a monument sign and several large trees.

On Sept. 8, there is a scheduled meeting to “establish the scope of work” at each site, according to a Powerpoint presentation from the architect.
On Sept. 28, a presentation is expected to be given to the Sun City board for both sites, according to the presentation.

Tom Swenson, a member of one of the nine performing arts center clubs, said he “hopes” for a new building. He called the process frustrating and said some use the term “theater,” which means that group doesn’t want a performing arts center — rather a multipurpose room.

“(It wouldn’t be) as nice,” Swenson said.

At 2 p.m., on Sept. 1, the group plans to meet again at the Sonoran Room at Grand Center, 10415 W. Grand Ave., Sun City.

The subject was to talk about priorities for the Lakeview site, a member of the group announced.

Brent Ruffner
Lead News Reporter | Daily Independent
@AzNewsmedia

BRuffner@iniusa.org

Journalism has fascinated Brent Ruffner since junior high school.

Since 2001, his stories have been published in newspapers from the Albuquerque to the Arizona and he has always had a knack for making sure his facts are right and his words are to the point. 

Growing up, Brent watched as sports reporters covered his beloved Phoenix Suns, a team he followed since Charles Barkley first arrived in Phoenix via trade in 1992. Sports reporting was a dream back then.

But after gaining some writing experience, Brent found a love for news instead of covering different types of sports. In 2008, he moved to New Mexico and covered crime, schools and city beats all while holding elected officials accountable. 

He covered stories that ranged from a DEA drug bust gone bad to an award-winning story on school lunches. 

In Arizona, Brent was a freelance writer who covered everything from the importance of citrus in the state to Esteban owning a store in downtown Prescott. 

Brent is a 2007 graduate of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.