Looking back, 2022 was a year filled with noteworthy local events. These aren’t necessarily the kinds of stories that make national headlines but, for those who live and work in Fountain Hills, there was plenty to keep folks engaged, talking and maybe even arguing from time to time.

Following are The Fountain Hills Times’ biggest stories from the past 12 months, presented in no particular order. Some were big moments for the community, others were evolving stories that required coverage across multiple months, and still others simply created the most buzz around town and in our letters to the editor.

For more details on many of the items that made our year-end list, look for additional reporting in this week and next week’s paper. Further retrospectives can also be found on the Schools, Sports and Verdes pages tackling those specific areas of interest, as well as stories focusing on the past year for local clubs, the business community, etc. Just look for the “Review 2022” tag and get ready to take a trip down memory lane.

Council election

Fountain Hills held an election for Town Council in August, with candidates campaigning through much of the first half of 2022.

A more contentious race than typically seen here in town, the 2022 election consisted of a fair amount of mudslinging. Social media and letters were packed with arguments between supporters of various candidates and ads published in this very paper resulted in an uproar from folks who prefer to see a more peaceful election on the local level. In the end, the uncharacteristic negativity of the local races even managed to draw the attention of statewide press.

Once the dust settled, Mayor Ginny Dicky came out ahead of challenger and former Arizona Sheriff, Joe Arpaio, with council seats going to Brenda Kalivianakis and Hannah Toth. The third and final seat went to Allen Skillicorn when he inched past candidate Cindy Couture by fewer than 50 votes.

Rural/Metro

Following third-party studies and many discussions concerning public safety contracts, the Town Council decided to keep its relationship with Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, but ultimately determined it was time to part ways with long-time fire and rescue provider, Rural/Metro.

The transition to an in-house operation will be eased due to the fact the Town owns all physical assets utilized locally by Rural/Metro, and there is plenty of time to finalize details great and small since the split is not scheduled to take place until 2024.

Sober homes

Of all the items making up this year’s recap, sober homes/detoxification centers likely earned the most ink on these pages over the past 12 months.

The discussion really got rolling in January following a multitude of concerns from residents. Planning and Zoning tackled the matter over the course of many meetings and long discussions, eventually passing on a recommendation concerning detoxification facilities to the Town Council.

After making some adjustments of its own, the Council voted to approve measures and get them on the books. Community members have since voiced additional concerns, with some claiming the Council “watered down” measures suggested by Planning and Zoning.

The discussion continues into 2023 as Planning and Zoning and the Council address measures specifically pertaining to rehabilitation facilities though, so far, this half of the conversation has been less contentious.

Lawsuit

The future development of downtown Fountain Hills hung in limbo this year.

While the first phase of the Park Place development was completed several years ago, the deadline to get the ball fully rolling on the second and third phase arrived in early 2022. When a deadline was not met by developer N-Shea Group and the Town Council elected not to approve an extension, the developer sued the Town.

While early rulings from a Maricopa County Superior Court judge favored the Town by late August, legal representatives from the two parties continued to work on the matter behind the scenes.

In late October, the Council voted unanimously on a settlement with N-Shea Group that provides a 12-month extension to obtain the needed permits to construct the final stages of the development.

Alan’s passing

The Times had the unfortunate duty of informing readers in late October of the passing of Alan Cruikshank.

A foundational member of the community since Fountain Hills first started to grow out of the desert, Cruikshank co-founded the local newspaper and guided its operations in various capacities until his passing, a local career that lasted nearly 50 years.

When he wasn’t bringing the news to Fountain Hills readers, Cruikshank became imbedded in the goings on of the community, having a hand in everything from the Chamber of Commerce to Sister Cities and the local River of Time Museum, which now bears his name.

Cruikshank’s impact on the community is immense, and his legacy will be honored during a Celebration of Life hosted out of the Fountain Hills Community Center from 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 7.

School funding

Fountain Hills residents voted against a district additional assistance (DAA) override in 2021 and that trend continued in 2022.

Part of the General Election in November, local voters were asked to reconsider the DAA override that would have provided $750,000 annually to Fountain Hills Unified School District. Also up for consideration was a bond package worth more than $29 billion.

While the majority of communities passed similar bond packages throughout the state, Fountain Hills was the only town to turn down a school district’s DAA override this election season.

The impact of these failures is already being felt within FHUSD. Individual teams are planning fundraisers for sports, for instance, and the high school field is expected to be condemned at the end of the ongoing soccer season without the funds needed to make repairs.

Superintendent

Dr. Cain Jagodzinski has returned to Fountain Hills Unified School District, this time serving as the new superintendent.

Following a bit of controversy involving the previous superintendent and parents/staff, the FHUSD governing board began 2022 with an investigation meant to get to the bottom of the matter. While the investigation turned up no wrongdoing, it was determined FHUSD and the previous superintendent, Kelly Glass, should part ways.

Former Superintendent Dr. Patrick Sweeney was tapped to guide the ship through the remainder of the 2021-22 academic year, with Jagodzinski hired to take the reigns from there. The School Board recently awarded Jagodzinski a three-year contract extension.

Local parks

It was a big year for local parks and the folks who maintain them.

With a major facelift at Four Peaks Park taking place in recent years, 2022 saw improvements made to the play area at Fountain Park, along with a complete overhaul of the adjoining Splash Pad. Looking ahead, the Town Council recently approved a similar overhaul to the skate park located at Desert Vista Park, including adjustments to the existing facility and many requested additions.

With local parks being polished to a shine, it’s no wonder the Parks and Recreation department was not only named a Gold Medal Finalist for the second year in a row by the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration and the National Recreation and Parks Association, but this year the team went on to claim the ultimate prize.

The Havenly

With housing in short supply in Fountain Hills, Keystone Homes’ The Havenly project is a welcome addition to downtown Fountain Hills.

Featuring 147 single-family detached homes released in waves as construction is completed, the initial batch of homes was made available in late February of this year.

In October, it was announced The Havenly was on target to complete construction and welcome residents into its final batch of homes by the end of the year. At that time, only 10 homes throughout the community remained available for lease, further illustrating the need for more housing options in Fountain Hills.

Pandemic

While COVID-19 is still a presence throughout the world and will likely remain a health risk for some time to come, Fountain Hills exiting the pandemic in 2022.

An ever-present concern for more than two years, Governor Doug Ducey first signed a proclamation naming the COVID-19 outbreak a statewide human health emergency in March of 2020. Similar action was taken locally and in communities around the state the following week.

In that same fashion, Ducey issued a statement calling an end to Arizona’s COVID-19 emergency declaration on March 30 of this year. Here in town, Mayor Ginny Dicky issued her own proclamation on April 5.