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Connecting with Tempe...with Pam Goronkin
Town Lake: ‘Whole lotta shakin’ goin’ on’

A few weeks ago, I enjoyed myself at a “send-off” at Town Lake for our City of Tempe women’s rowing team.

That’s right…Tempe’s ROWING team. Only the finest rowing athletes in the world are invited to compete in the prestigious Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston. In a field of more than 50 world-class teams, our women finished 21^st.  Who woulda thunk it?! 

This team, just three years old, appeared mirage-like in the desert, not unlike Town Lake itself, which celebrated its fourth birthday Nov. 9.

And there’s a whole lotta shakin ‘goin on at Town Lake with many projects soon to break ground or in the planning phase. Like putting together a world-class rowing team, success at Town Lake has meant determination, hard work and the courage to dream big.  Let’s take a tour.

Tempe Beach Park, Splash Playground: I used to bicycle over to swim at Tempe Beach when I was a kid. That pool, famous in its day, is long gone. But Splash Playground has become a newly famous little oasis of enjoyment for the current generation of youngsters in the redesigned Tempe Beach Park.

Linear parks:  Speaking of bicycling, the paths along the lakeside will be about 75 percent complete within the year. Financed via a combination of public funds and federal grants, bicycle/pedestrian paths will eventually circumnavigate the lake. Cyclists, runners, skaters and folks out strolling the baby or walking the dog will increase as more residences are added nearby. 

Regatta Pointe Condominiums: The final phase of this residential project just west of Ash Avenue on Rio Salado Parkway is just about  complete…and just about sold out!  Folks certainly seem interested in living near the lake and downtown.

Tempe Center for the Arts and Arts Park:  Last spring marked the “ground opening” as site preparation for this former landfill began for the Center for the Arts.  Groundbreaking for the actual facility--and what a beauty it will be--will take place Jan. 27, with projected completion in early 2006. 

The adjoining Arts Park will connect this site with Tempe Beach Park and will be finished during the same time frame. When funded, a proposed pedestrian bridge atop the west dam at the Arts Center will complete the trail system around the lake.   

Town Lake Marina and Dry Dock:  The marina, on the north side of Town Lake, was designed as a “safe harbor” for city security and maintenance vessels during flood conditions in the river. But it will have a great deal of flexibility. Its inaugural event takes place Jan. 30, when the opening ceremony will also launch the SRP solar boat races.  Other amenities: 114 public parking spaces, 72 daily-use spaces and 52 secure long-term dry dock spaces. When funded, a planned boat house will enable us to expand our recreational programs and meet new needs for sailing and rowing.   

Playa del Norte: This project will begin to come out of the ground early in 2004.  Located on the northeast side of Town Lake at Rural Road, you’ll see some favorite eateries, retail, office space and both for-sale and rental residences right on Town Lake. 

Habitat restorations:  The Army Corps of Engineers has selected Tempe Town Lake for investment in three bosque and wildlife restoration projects to beautify scarred stretches of the riverbed. The first of these, connecting Town Lake with El Dorado Park in Scottsdale, was begun last spring and will be complete within a year. Construction on a second project on the west end of Town Lake commences next June. On the opposite end of Town Lake, another habitat will extend east towards Mesa’s city limits, with a 2006 completion forecast.        

Hayden Ferry Lakeside:  This award-winning high-rise office building sits at the water’s edge just east of the Mill Avenue bridges…no doubt you’ve noticed it. My opinion?  These are the best views in Maricopa County! Approved development agreements are also inked for an additional office tower and a hi-rise residential project on this site. Anticipate a Fall 2004 start on either or both of these buildings.

The largest landowner in the Town Lake District is Arizona State University. President Michael Crow has called for an overhaul of ASU’s Master Plan that creatively addresses its Town Lake properties. 

There are numerous proposed projects still looking to close funding gaps. Besides the previously mentioned boat house and pedestrian bridge, these include restoration of the Ash Avenue Abutment, restoration and/or rebuilding of the river rock walls and viewing stands at Beach Park, and a pedestrian “steps” concept between the bridges descending into a lakeside plaza area commemorating Tempe’s Sister Cities relationships. 

And I haven’t even mentioned the already-funded light rail bridge. Designed to complement and run alongside the Union Pacific bridge, this bridge across Town Lake will bring the first segment of light rail into Tempe in 2006.

Just as our Women’s Rowing Team is developing into a world-class competitor, so is Tempe Town Lake evolving.

Four years ago we saw Town Lake filled and its lakeshore barren. Today, with much already done, there is still more in process or in the early approval stages.

More than 2 million people use the lake each year for community celebrations, special events and recreation. Over the next four years the transformation will become more obvious. And for years to come, Town Lake will express itself in fulfillment of its flood control, recreational and economic development mission. Boston, take notice. 

Pam Goronkin, a resident of south Tempe, is a member of the Tempe City Council.

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