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March 15th is the big day! Dutch Bros. is opening a new location in Goodyear. It's located south of I-10 on Estrella Parkway on the west side of the street south of McDonald's.
GALLERY: JUNE 22, 2017 - MARCH 14, 2018  On our walk today around the beautiful South Lake, we noticed a new Little Free Library next to the benches at the park. "A Little Free Library is a “take a book, return a book” free book exchange. They come in many shapes and sizes, but the most common version is a small wooden box of books. Anyone may take a book or bring a book to share," explains the nonprofit organization. Estrella has TWO free libraries it appears. This book box is located at South Lake. Check out this map of Little Free Library locations... although the South Lake location appears to be a little further southeast of its actual spot. We LOVE the Snoopy artwork, too! ABOUTThe Estrella Joint Committee communicates the free library's origin.... Many thanks to residents Judy and Carl Wargula who have volunteered to put Estrella on the Little Free Library (LFL) World Map. They have researched and dedicated their time to make sure residents here have a free library... This program is well known across the world. The South Lake LFL is intended for readers of all ages seeking a beautiful setting to explore the world of books! ~Estrella Joint Committee Celebrate the Little Free Library in Estrella! The Ribbon Cutting is March 19th, 10am, at South Lake.
Goodyear City Council Work Session Recap PICKLEBALL OPPORTUNITIES Goodyear Parks and Rec Director David Seid admitted the department missed the ball and "the original scope and associated budget request were grossly underestimated" regarding pickleball courts. The City Staff Report states, "As a result, staff evaluated and identified the existing sport court area within the park as the ideal location for the pickleball facility. Staff determined that a modification of the existing courts could retain existing amenities as well as accommodate a new pickleball facility." And, "... staff explored an additional option (1) to accommodate adult softball play within Foothills Community Park. Staff determined that an expansion of an existing youth sized baseball field to an adult sized field could continue to accommodate youth baseball, as well as youth and adult softball. Adding additional user groups to the field does not impact current users as the scheduled use times do not conflict. Little League, the primary user of the facility, fully supports this option." Seid provided a couple of options about moving forward with pickleball courts and it appears Council is leaning toward Option 1... a $130,500 additional cost to complete ball field options at a total of $448,500. ESTRELLA FIRE STATION As we blogged last week, Goodyear Fire is looking at building Estrella's 2nd fire station at a previously dedicated site of Rainbow Valley and Willis Roads. As you may recall, a $53,000 fire station conducted by a foreign company identified Estrella Parkway and Willis Road as the most optimal location for a new fire station. During tonight's work session, it appeared Council is in agreement the Willis Road location will be the new home for the new fire station.
In 2016, I asked Council to delay construction of Lucero until additional fire services were in place. Estrella is a linear community and when one part of the community is stretched further... as Lucero will do... it puts additional strain on safety services. Goodyear already has 17+ minute response times to parts of CantaMia per the fire study. Now that construction is well underway at Lucero, I want to know what these two timelines look like today. Will a new fire station be up and running before the first family moves into Lucero? Goodyear's newest city manager, Julie Arendall, said the City would respond to me at a future date. THE NEW RESTAURANT AT THE PRESIDIO Also on the agenda tonight was a Series 12 Liquor License for Beach House Food and Spirit. Amy Jo Schlecht is the applicant for Beach House Food and Spirits which will operate in Estrella's Presidio Residents Club. MY TWO CENTS Tonight's Regular City Council Meeting was mostly attended by City staff.
The meeting ran late due to additional meetings... but residents are always invited to attend and get involved. Council won't know what resident needs are unless you go and speak up.  No doubt pickleball has turned into hot craze in Goodyear. You'll find people on the courts in Estrella night and day. On Monday night, Goodyear staff asks Council for direction on additional funding to finance access to the growing sport. HOW THIS STARTED In the staff report, Goodyear Parks and Rec states... Over the past few years, Parks and Recreation Department staff have received several inquiries from the community regarding pickleball play in Goodyear. Staff responded to these inquiries by exploring both short-term and long-term options to expand pickleball play for the public. Solutions included:
During FY18 budget discussions, council requested a cost estimate to create a dedicated pickleball court facility so that it may be considered in the final FY18 CIP budget. Staff worked with a contracted project manager to develop the cost estimate and project scope. The project was estimated at $168,000 and included the creation of six (6) lit pickleball courts to be installed in the northeast corner of Goodyear Community Park. Council approved the project scope and funding of $168,000 as part of the FY18 CIP Budget. THE ESTRELLA CONNECTION Staff reports an Estrella resident requested Council consider creating an adult softball field in Estrella which is predicted at costing $318,000. Council approved the lit, adult-sized softball field which would be built on the southeast corner of Foothills Community Park near Estrella Foothills High School. In July, "staff realized that the original scope and associated budget request were grossly underestimated. As a result, staff explored an additional option (1) to accommodate adult softball play within Foothills Community Park. Staff determined that an expansion of an existing youth sized baseball field to an adult sized field could continue to accommodate youth baseball, as well as youth and adult softball. Adding additional user groups to the field does not impact current users as the scheduled use times do not conflict. Little League, the primary user of the facility, fully supports this option. In addition, the Estrella resident who brought this request to council is also in support of either option, as both provide an opportunity for adult use.   Monday, Parks and Rec will ask Council its opinion on the Foothills ballfield project. If the existing youth field is expanded, it'd cost an additional $130,500. To install a separate adult-sized softball field as originally scoped, an additional $979,200 is necessary. Goodyear staff states $1,673,000 is left in the Capital Project Reserve which could be used for these projects.
We'll see what happens Monday night. We'd like to know what the point was for tax payers funding a 2016 Fire Station study. Why in the world did we pay a company out of England to tell us where to put fire stations when our local fire department will end up doing what they wanted to do from the very beginning???? ESTRELLA'S FIRE NEEDS
During all of the ongoing talks at the Goodyear level, fire employees told us response times in Estrella can take 17+ minutes in the southern portion of the community to CantaMia. The fire study confirmed that. Newland Communities is constructing Lucero, near Star Tower - a community of 1,250 homes your Goodyear lawmakers approved prior to building an additional fire station as I requested at a City meeting. Fire services are even more necessary than they were when I started voicing concerns in 2014. Estrella is a linear community stretching resources north and south and out to F.I.N.S., a hiking and biking trail near Westar. TRIGGERS AND THRESHOLDS
BACK TO THE ORIGINAL PLAN
In addition to saving half a million dollars, a compelling reason Goodyear Fire wants the station be built on the original site location is due to convenience. "...the team evaluated turning movements to and from the site, access to the frontage and surrounding roadways, new short-term and long-term development of the area and proximity to other city facilities and infrastructure." Goodyear Staff Report MY TWO CENTS
"... and also I want to compliment the citizens. They weighed in on this, made a little noise, told us how important it is, and that helps council make decisions, too. It’s a team effort and thank you very much." ~MAYOR GEORGIA LORD, January 23, 2017 |
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jennifer Barber is a Goodyear resident resident of almost 20 years and a retired broadcast news journalist. Involved in various nonprofit and city organizations since 2008, Barber has a unique view of what's happening in the West Valley of Arizona. 
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