A dream that had its beginnings 25 years ago took a big step forward as construction bids for the trailhead at Adero Canyon were opened at Town Hall last week.

The town received bids from three contractors for the project and the base bids all approximate the planned budget for the site.

The bids came from Banicki Construction ($2,535,415); Blucor Contracting ($2,104,310); and SDB, Inc ($2,500,045).

Blucor is the contractor that built the infrastructure for the Adero Canyon subdivision for MCO Properties.

Staff will be reviewing the accounting for the bids as well as other requirements outlined in the invitation for bids.

“We will be reviewing the bids in closer detail [this week], with a recommendation for [Town Council] at the Aug. 15 meeting,” Interim Community Services Director Rachael Goodwin said.

With the council approval the town will finalize a contract and issue a “notice to proceed.” The contractor will have 224 days from the notice until substantial completion of the project, and 254 days for final completion, Goodwin said.

An 11-member task force was formed in 1995 to begin preparing a strategy for the Preserve, which was taking shape through negotiations with MCO Properties and land purchase.

The council formed the McDowell Mountain Preservation Commission in 1996 and, in 1997, voters approved General Purpose bonds for the purchase of land to augment other land acquisition.

Approximately 950 acres was eventually organized in the Fountain Hills Sonoran Preserve. There are 200 acres of that total within the town limits that are owned by the Scottsdale McDowell Sonoran Preserve.

As this land acquisition was taking place the idea for a central trailhead came into focus in the area at the head of the planned Adero Canyon subdivision.

A decision by MCO Properties to prioritize the Eagles Nest subdivision at the north end of town and slumping market conditions delayed development of Adero Canyon and, along with it, access to the proposed trailhead area.

However, the MMPC went ahead with planning for the trailhead and the town began collecting development fees designated for “open space” with an eye toward funding the project.

A few years back the State Legislature changed laws related to development fees and eliminated the “open space” category. However, the town was be able to spend the approximately $1.8 million it had already collected for the trailhead.

That is where the bulk of the funds will come from to meet the bids. Remaining money would come from available capital improvement funds.

Over the years the Sonoran Conservancy of Fountain Hills, a group established through the MMPC, has worked to build hiking trails within the Preserve land. To date there are nearly 10 miles of hand-constructed trails (six different trails) within the Preserve with most converging at the planned trailhead.

These trails provide connectivity and easy access to hundreds of miles of trails for hiking and biking throughout McDowell Mountain Park and the Scottsdale Sonoran Preserve.