TOWN OF PARADISE VALLEY HISTORY May 25, 2001 During the late 1800’s, cattle grazed in the area surrounded by the McDowell Mountains to the east and Camelback Mountain to the south. In the 1880’s, the Rio Verde Canal Company turned this open grazing area into irrigated farmland. In 1889, the Rio Verde Canal Company sent three surveyors to this area who were so taken by the beauty and tranquility of the desert landscape that they named this area Paradise Valley. Settlement in Paradise Valley did not begin in earnest until post World War II. Paradise Valley, which is in Maricopa County, was a rural residential area with few commercial entities. Though the homes were modest in size and style, they were on large parcels of land, usually one to five acres. In the late 1950’s, Phoenix and Scottsdale were looking to expand their respective boundaries. Residents who lived in Paradise Valley area feared that they would lose the rural lifestyle they had become accustomed to and would soon be swallowed up by Phoenix or Scottsdale, and eventually subdivisions, shopping centers, new zoning laws and property taxes would be a commonly. These concerned residents formed a “Citizens Committee for the Incorporation of The Town of Paradise Valley, Arizona,” who set out with petitions urging residents to join them in their attempt to incorporate Paradise Valley. The residents' main goals were to keep zoning to a one house per acre minimum; to keep the area entirely residential; and to keep government regulation to a minimum. In April 1961, the Citizens Committee for Incorporation presented their petition to the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors. On May 24, 1961, incorporation was granted and the Town of Paradise Valley was established. With a population of approximately 2,000, the first Town Council was formed. During the early years of the Town’s history, the Council spent most of its time establishing the Planning and Zoning Commission, the Board of Adjustment, redefining zoning ordinances, and annexing property. By 1968, the boundaries of the Town of Paradise Valley were pretty well set, with only a few scattered county islands and a handful of neighborhoods adjacent to the Town boundaries that would eventually be annexed. In 2000, with a population over 13,000, only two county islands remain – the community of Clearwater Hills west of Tatum Boulevard and the Franciscan Renewal Center on Lincoln Drive. Throughout the Town’s 40-year history, the residents have strived to preserve the Town’s original mission – to maintain a residential community in a quiet and country- like setting with little government intervention. Join us as we highlight the Town of Paradise Valley’s 40 years of history. 1 MUNICIPAL BUILDINGS The first Town Council met in a guesthouse on Quail Run Road. Three years later the Town rented a building on Malcomb Drive, just south of the present Town Hall. By 1974, the Council decided it was time to build a Town Hall using funds accumulated over the years to pay for construction, furnishings and landscaping, and thus Town government moved into a new building designed by architect William Bruder. An addition was built in 1980 to accommodate the growing police force. In 1993, the Council voted to sell bonds in order to build a new public works building, a new public safety building and refurbish the old Town Hall to accommodate the Municipal Court, postal substation and other departments. By 1996, construction of the new Town Hall Complex was complete. MUNICIPAL SERVICES MUNICIPAL COURT In 1964, the Town of Paradise Valley established a Municipal Court with one volunteer magistrate, Carl Peachy. Throughout the years, the Court grew to include many magistrates serving on a volunteer basis. In 1976, the Municipal Court became a Court of Record, greatly enhancing the Town’s position in the event of an appeal. With construction completed on the Town Hall Complex, the first trial in the new courtroom was held on October 19, 1996. FIRE PROTECTION In June 1972, the Town Council approved funding the installation of thirteen fire hydrants in the central part of town. With these new fire hydrants plus the fire hydrants installed by the developers, the Town of Paradise Valley would now receive a more favorable fire insurance rating. In October 1974, the Council approved a Special Use Permit for construction of a Rural/Metro Fire Station on Tatum Blvd at Mockingbird Lane. In 1995, the Town Council approved a contract with Rural/Metro Fire Department, requiring all Town residents to subscribe for fire protection and rescue services. POLICE SERVICES When the Town incorporated, state statutes required a Town Marshal be named. For organizational purposes, Ned Curtis was chosen as the first Town Marshal. Lester Naumann, who succeeded Ned Curtis, became the first working Town Marshal, who relied on the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, the Phoenix Police Department, and the Scottsdale Police Department for response to multiple calls, additional deputies when needed, and report forms. As the Town grew, more deputies were hired and the Town Marshal’s office became more self-sufficient. In July 1981, the 24-hour communication center was started, and in the following year, the Council authorized the purchase of a 2 central alarm system that enabled residents to have a quicker police response to emergencies. In July 1983, the Town Marshal’s Office became the Town of Paradise Valley Police Department. In 1987, the Town Council approved the use of a photo radar traffic monitoring system. Paradise Valley would become the first town in the nation to use such a system. In November 1993, the Town became the testing ground for a new photo radar system called the Auto Patrol. Later on the Town installed a red light camera at the intersection of Tatum Boulevard and Lincoln Drive to discourage drivers from running red lights. Both these devices have proven to be effective in slowing traffic and reducing vehicular accidents by 47% while traffic volume has increased 5-8% per year since 1987. The Town will continue to use state of the art technology for traffic control. WEBSITE In April 1998, the Town of Paradise Valley established a website, www.ci.paradise-valley.az.us, to help answer questions residents may have regarding Town issues. The website has links to the local resorts as well as to the Scottsdale and Phoenix Chambers of Commerce. MUNICIPAL PROJECTS FLOOD CONTROL The Arizona Canal Diversion Channel Project The Arizona Canal Diversion Channel (ACDC) was initiated in 1965 by the Maricopa County Flood Control District and the US Corps of Engineers to alleviate flooding in low-lying areas throughout the Phoenix Area. The Reach IV portion of the ACDC was proposed in the mid-1970's as a response to the damage of homes south of the Arizona Canal, in the Arcadia section of Phoenix, when the Canal’s swollen banks broke and flooded the area. The Reach IV Channel Project would be used to collect floodwater from the Cudia City Wash just east of Phoenix Country Day School. The proposed Channel was to be an uncovered thirty-six foot wide by twenty-five foot deep concrete channel that would run from 34th Street to 40th Street. Homeowners in the Town protested against this project claiming that it would ruin the aesthetics of the area, create a safety hazard and breed mosquitoes. The Town Council agreed to research alternate solutions including covering the channel portion that runs through the Town. In March 1991, the Town Council approved a resolution urging Arizona’s Federal Congressional Delegation to obtain federal funding for 90% of the estimated cost of the $2.5 million Reach IV channel cover, with Paradise Valley contributing the remaining 10%. In August 1991, Congress approved funding for the Reach IV Project. 3 In October 1992, the State of Arizona Heritage Fund granted $42,829 to the Paradise Valley/Phoenix Habitat Restoration project. This money was used to plant natural landscaping over the channel cover in order to restore wildlife habitat. Today, you may walk the path along the canal and enjoy the natural beauty of the area. Signs describe the different plant species. Washes The washes in the Town have always been a significant factor in controlling floodwater in residential neighborhoods. In the mid 1940’s, Marvin Folkman wanted to build homes on his land north of Doubletree Ranch Road and west of Scottsdale Road. In order to do this, Mr. Folkman needed to address the issue of flooding. In 1949, a plan was designed for the construction of the Berneil Ditch and Drainage Channel. This Channel would carry floodwater away from Scottsdale Road to the Indian Bend Wash and protect the residential area from flooding. The Berneil Ditch starts at Scottsdale Road traveling west to 66th Street, then turns south across Doubletree Ranch Road until it meets with the Indian Bend Wash. In 1974, the Ditch was widened and deepened in order to handle larger amounts of floodwater. Because the Indian Bend Wash cuts through Mr. Folkman’s property south of Doubletree Ranch Road, special consideration had to be addressed regarding flood control prior to the development of this land. Mr. Folkman thought that the Indian Bend Wash should be converted into a parkway by planting native vegetation in order to prevent any cutting away of the land by floodwater. He thought that this would provide recreational space for the adjacent residential community. By the summer of 1949, the first greenbelt in the Indian Bend Wash was complete. It functioned efficiently and capably for 20 years until it became part of a golf course in 1969.