SUPPORT COMMUNITY SPORTS FOR ALL!!! BE HEARD!!!
Tim Vetscher of ABC 15 NEWS
Supporters watch children play a sand lot game in the distance. The program that these children participated in was terminated at the end of their most recent season.
Telemundo news video can be viewed here:
NEWS UPDATE! By Tracy Werth Concerned Arcadia resident Will Bullock needs your help in convincing Phoenix officials to obtain a state owned vacant lot on the southwest corner of 40th Street and McDowell Road before the land is sold at auction this summer. He would like to see the city utilize the corner for a much needed sports field complex. Bullock has even drawn up a sample plan for how the land can possibly be laid out to include soccer, lacrosse, rugby fields, basketball and volleyball courts, a running track, a children’s play area and even a community center or offices for a park, fire or police satellite office. “I have discussed this plan at length with Councilman Stanton, Councilman Johnson, Chad Campbell in the Arizona House and the State Trust Land Manager, Max Masel. I also presented the information to the Phoenix Parks and Recreation Board and the Parks and Recreation staff,” says Bullock, who spends his free time both coaching and playing on adult soccer teams. “Without exception, every one of them agrees that it is a fantastic plan, but that it would have to really be supported by residents to get any real attention by the city.” Currently there is a vital deficiency in recreation facilities in our area. There is just one overused soccer field shared between Districts 6 and 8 and it is frequently closed for repair. Many other kinds of children’s sports teams find parents having to drive their kids to Scottsdale or Tempe to get time for team play, but as those city’s programs become more crowded, there is the strong possibility that fields could soon be limited to their residents only. The price of the vacant corner at 40th Street and McDowell has been estimated to be between $12 to $20 million dollars, with only a small percentage of the money due up front. This would leave time for future funding to pay the balance, perhaps from the renewed Phoenix Parks and Preserve Initiative (PPPI) that Phoenix voters approved with Proposition 101 to provide funding to preserve acres of state trust land, improve neighborhood parks and build regional parks. “The primary barrier to this project is the cost of the land in a budget cut year,” says Bullock. “I believe if the city considers the need, the funding can be allocated.” Bullock believes the cost of construction can be partially funded by PPPI monies, and the rest from donations and sponsorships. He is currently putting together plans to form a non-profit organization to makesure this land will be preserved for community use rather than turned into another strip mall or apartment complex. Bullock further envisions that some of the costs involved could be offset by taking a small portion of the land that has frontage on 40th Street and McDowell Road and either reserving it for sale or long term lease to private companies and individuals to provide related services to the facility, such as a sports medicine clinic or sporting apparel store.
Petition for city recreation
development on 40th Street
All area residents are urged to sign the on-line petition at www.phoenixsportscomplex.org where a mock-up plan is also posted along with further details of Bullock’s proposal. Concerned citizens can also contact Bullock directly through e-mail at phoenixsportscomplex@gmail.com with any questions or suggestions to keep the plot of land to benefit area residents. This article appears in the April 2008 edition of Arcadia News and is re-printed with permission. Copyright 2008.
Arcadia News
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"I became the instant squeaky wheel." -- Will Bullock, on his plans to get a soccer field built. "Now our kids and grandkids will be able to visit the Sonoran Desert area," Stanton said. Ben Sandoval is interning this summer at the AFN. He is a junior at Arizona State University.
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Small turnout for park planning
By Ben Sandoval | Special to the AFN
June 30, 2008 - 4:08PM
Community members and Phoenix officials met last week at the Pecos Park Community Center to get input on how to best use money that will be collected by the recently approved Phoenix Parks and Preserve Initiative.
Nearly 20 of the 50 or so attendees were Phoenix officials, including Councilman Greg Stanton and Parks and Preserve administrator Cynthia Peters, who both spoke to the assembly.
"I think it was a great vote of confidence," Stanton said, pointing to the 83 percent of voters who voted to renew the initiative.
The initiative, which levies a one-cent sales tax on every $10 purchased, will, over the next 30 years, give the city funds to improve existing parks, and protect and expand preserve land.
The initiative has generated nearly $200 million since 1999, part of which paid for Pecos Park, and is expected bring in a great deal more over the next 30 years.
"It's your money," Stanton said. "It's the public's money."
"Today you have the opportunity to let us know what your desires are," Peters told the audience.
Members of the community voted for their favorite projects using red dots they received at the door and placing them next to programs or projects they believed should receive priority.
Sean and Patricia Prior, retired Tempe residents who volunteer at Phoenix's Irish Cultural Center, came into to Ahwatukee Foothills to cast their vote for additional park rangers and security lighting to keep the parks safe.
"People won't use these parks if they feel concerned for their safety," Sean Prior said, adding that a recent rash of petty crimes influenced his vote.
"We just can't tolerate that," Prior said of the crime.
Other high priority programs for local residents included adding shade, increasing youth activities and acquiring and developing preserve lands received the most dots.
People who wanted something other than what was on the list wrote their pet projects down on a sheet of paper.
Some of those suggestions included adding more trees and seating at the off-leash dog area at Pecos Park, increasing parking at all parks and recreation centers, and expanding Margaret T. Hance Park.
Will Bullock, 48, came out to spearhead an effort to garner a sports complex near 40th Street and McDowell Road.
Bullock said he became involved when he tried to reserve a field for his soccer team last year, only to find that he would have to drive over half-an-hour to use facilities in Tempe or Scottsdale.
"I became the instant squeaky wheel," Bullock said.
According to him, the plot of land is the only one left in the area large enough to house an adequate sports complex.
Bullock says that while the group already has around 1,500 signatures in support of building the sports complex, there is no magic number to force the city to do anything.
The city had a chance to purchase the land earlier this month, but passed because they thought the price was too high, Bullock said.
He hopes the city won't pass again in the next auction July 31.
"We have another chance," Bullock said. "Once it's gone, it's gone."
Last week's June 26 meeting was the first in a series city-wide to gather input before the Parks and Recreation Department creates a plan for park improvements that will then go to the City Council for approval.
To vote online or for more information, go to www.phoenix.gov/PARKS.
