Chino Valley staff to return with proposal to buy 23-acre Del Rio Springs parcel containing historic Fred Harvey buildings

Michael Patrick of the Trust for Public Land told the Chino Valley Town Council on Sept. 24 that the organization is offering the town the option to acquire a nearly 23-acre parcel inside the recently expanded Del Rio Springs state park that includes three to four historic Fred Harvey–era buildings.

The parcel was appraised at $570,000; sellers are offering a negotiated bargain sale price of $150,000, and a private donor has pledged $125,000 in matching funds toward the purchase, Patrick said. The town’s option deadline on the property runs through Dec. 31.

The parcel sits inside state park land that Arizona State Parks and Trails acquired earlier this year; the buildings occupy a small blue parcel surrounded by the orange park property shown on the Trust’s plan, Patrick said. He described the site’s historical connections to the Fred Harvey Company’s early 20th-century dairy and to the first territorial government seat and said the Trust and partners see tourism and trail connections as community benefits.

Architect Bill Otwell told the council he could prepare “as-found” documentation and an emergency stabilization scope and cost estimate that would let the town know what rehabilitation would require. Otwell said he could complete a stabilization scope and contractor estimates by November if the town engaged him immediately, which would give council a month before the option deadline to decide whether to buy.

Acting staff and some council members raised questions about ongoing costs and who would manage the buildings if the town acquired them. Town staff said the current town budget did not include money for the acquisition or the follow-up stabilization work, and that staff would return with a proposal showing one-time purchase and stabilization costs, minimal ongoing costs, and options for outside funding and partnerships to avoid burdening the general fund.

Council members and presenters discussed possible interim measures. Supervisor Brown said sellers would remove hazardous drums before closing and that volunteers coordinated through the probation department could help clean out nonhistoric debris. Otwell recommended an inventory of items inside the buildings before any cleanup, and said some contractors would need to price roof and stabilization work rather than relying on rough estimates.

Town staff characterized the current next step as returning to council with a formal action item that lays out purchase costs, stabilization scope and cost, funding sources and options for private partnerships or leases to operate the buildings. No formal motion or vote to purchase was taken at the meeting; council instructed staff to bring an action item back for council consideration.

Clarifying details included in the meeting: the parcel contains three to four historic buildings (including a mule wintering barn and milk barn), was appraised at $570,000, is being offered to the town for $150,000 because of a negotiated bargain sale and a private donor’s $125,000 match, and the town’s option deadline is Dec. 31. The parcel includes an on-site well described as an exempt well; staff said there are no transferable water rights included with the purchase.

The council did not vote on acquisition at the Sept. 24 meeting; staff will present an action item with costs and funding options before the option deadline.