We’re already hearing questions from citizens asking about the $8.2 million bond package being offered up by the Town of Fountain Hills to totally replace Saguaro Boulevard.
Why is this needed? Why do they want to pay it off in five years? How much will this cost us? Why don’t they just put more seal coat on Saguaro Blvd. like they did after those big storms?
After citizens previously rejected a $30 million bond package for street maintenance throughout town and taking care of Saguaro Blvd., town officials in essence were forced to devise a “Plan B.”
Plan B consists of dedicating more of the annual General Fund to street maintenance. This involved trimming some town personnel positions and cutting back in a few other areas. That’s part of the work currently being done on Palisades Blvd. and in the northwest part of town. This will be going on in various parts of Fountain Hills for several years to come.
Saguaro Blvd. is being treated separately. The patches of seal coating applied in winter were done for safety reasons and to prevent more giant potholes from opening up. Just putting seal coat on Saguaro Blvd. would be akin to painting your home’s exterior when the stucco and drywall are crumbling away. It might look good for a few months, but if the foundation is no good, the crumbling will resume soon enough.
That’s why Saguaro Blvd. needs to be dug up and replaced with a new solid base underneath. We can debate future “niceties” in town, but there isn’t much debate when it comes to street maintenance. It’s the town’s job, and it needs to be done right. It’s one of those basic duties that belong to the Town of Fountain Hills.
More information will be coming out closer to the November election. But suffice it to say, it takes money to repair and maintain streets. Let’s do it the right way and beautify this town and make it safe all at the same time.
