I recently visited Denver and explored some of that city’s unique architecture. While only there for a few days, I explored a re-imaged Union Station; Denver’s Grand Dame hotel, the Brown Palace; the “unsinkable” Molly Brown’s house and the Paramount Theatre, an art deco gem from 1930.

Architecture reflects a style and elegance that elevates us above our daily drudgery. How we design and build things is important because the beauty of a place is reflected in its architecture. This is especially so in Fountain Hills with our custom homes and our beautiful Fountain Park.

When the sanitary district chose to add restrooms to the two above-ground well vaults being built, the directors realized the need to respect the style of our town. We live here too and value the beauty of Fountain Park. Ugly, utilitarian buildings would not have been accepted by our residents, even if they offered basic functionality by including restrooms. Respecting our community, we hired a well-known local architect, Stan Connick, thus selecting someone with a stake in our town. His mission was to reflect the style of the existing park structures but to design something that our residents would truly appreciate. He succeeded in that.

Fountain Park is our shared treasure. Every decision made by the Sanitary District Board in designing and constructing these dual-use structures shows respect for the values of our community. We think this is the right approach to take, beginning with a devotion to our town. If you agree, you need to choose people who share in our love of Fountain Hills.

In the upcoming election for three seats on the Sanitary District’s Board of Directors, I strongly recommend the three very qualified incumbents running for re-election: Butler, Maroon and Thomson. Vote B-M-T. Do not vote for the “disruptor,” Bob Shelstrom.