GVR starts construction of Canoa Ranch center

On a sun-splashed, windy hillside, Green Valley Recreation officials broke ground Tuesday for probably the last recreation center it will ever build, Canoa Ranch recreational facility.

The oft-delayed center may be ready for use in about a year, GVR President Lou Lovat told about 200 spectators, well-wishers and shovel-wielding officials.

Hopefully any acrimony generated by the delays will evaporate as construction starts.

Construction was originally scheduled to start in 2002.

Spectators, standing where the pool deck will be, looked east across the Santa Cruz Valley toward Elephant Head, Mount Hopkins, Mount Wrightson and Josephine Peak in the Santa Rita Mountains.

Canoa Ranch will be GVR’s eighth major center. GVR also has six smaller satellite centers.

During the ceremonies, three men were singled out for special mention in getting the process on track to start construction—Jeff Ziegler, former GVR executive director now managing a Tucson retirement community; Stan Riddle, former GVR board member and negotiator who helped overcome some of the delays; and Jerry Reis, GVR project manager.

In an earlier statement, Reis said, “All the efforts of the past 5 years have finally come to fruition with the signing in June of the Site Settlement Agreement,”

All the speakers praised the plans for the center.

It will have an Olympic size swimming pool, roll-up doors in the wall east of the indoor pool, a spa, fitness room, outdoor patio area, lobby, restrooms, showers and changing rooms.

Partly in jest, President Lovat said the groundbreaking was “an historic and amazing event.”

He said it ws historic because the center will be GVR’s last facility to be built and “Amazing because of how the negotiations between GVR and Meritage were concluded.”

Meritage’s Regional President Jeff Grobstein agreed to advance $2.8 million and release $1.3 million “of escrowed initial fees toward the construction of the facility.” He spoke briefly and was one of Tuesday’s white-helmeted shovel wielders.

Lovat also pointed out that GVR had planned to spend $130,000 to purchase furniture, fixtures and equipment, and Grobstein “did the right thing and agreed that Meritage would fund the furniture, fixtures and equipment.”

Lovat also acknowledged the effort of David Williamson, head of Fairfield Construction, which donated the site and paid for site preparation costs.

The GVR board was facing a deadline. It’s deadline to sign a contract with builder T.L. Roof expired last May 31, but the construction company extended it until June 15.

By then, all the wrinkles had been ironed out.

Tuesday’s groundbreaking and ribbon-cutting was a jovial event.

As 12 dignitaries, all wearing white construction worker helmets, turned ground with gold-painted shovels, GVR’s Executive Director Anndrea Blackshear joked, “We actually are not going to dig the swimming pool.”

jlamb@gvnews.com | 547-9749