Avondale presents $511M in CIP projects; citizens committee to recommend up to $120M in bonds

City engineering and capital staff gave council an update on the city’s capital improvement program and on the citizen bond committee that will recommend projects for a prospective general obligation bond question this year.

“Projects that we've completed since July 1 include the Mountain View expansion, park expansion, about 1,100,000 dollar project. We completed the detention center and PD substation, 21,300,000 there,” Rick Carr, engineering CIP division manager, told council. Carr said roughly $33,100,000 in projects had been completed since July 1 and about $40,200,000 were under construction.

Under construction and near completion: the Civic Center Park (about $44,100,000) between the library and the new aquatic center; Old Town phases including a $14,000,000 project to finish roads and waterlines; Fire Station 171 replacement (groundwork and foundations underway, an opening expected in November); resurfacing of Avenue Boulevard from I‑10 to Broadway (about $2,000,000); and a wastewater odor control program.

Projects planned to break ground this summer included Western Avenue reconstruction (Central to Fourth, roughly $2,000,000 with some federal funds), a six‑unit bridge housing project adjacent to the resource center (about $2,400,000), Friendship Park dog‑park remodel ($1.3 million) and new pickleball courts ($1.4 million). Carr said the city has a pipeline of about $21,500,000 in projects scheduled to begin this summer.

Citizens bond committee and process: staff described a citizens committee that has met twice and will deliver recommendations to council. Corbin, the city manager, and Rob said the committee has capacity to recommend approximately $120,000,000 in general obligation authority for the ballot but that the city will not seek a property tax rate increase and intends to issue bonds that replace retiring debt to keep the secondary property tax rate flat.

“The committee will come up with a recommendation and forward that to council for council to consider,” staff said. Staff summarized potential parks projects (trail network and a pedestrian bridge at Friendship Park, Civic Center library renovations, shade expansions) and public safety projects (Alamar Public Safety Facility, police training expansion, court improvements). Committee public meetings will include a community survey and a final recommendation to council; council will determine ballot language and which questions go to voters.

Council members asked whether projects listed in the bond question are fixed. Staff answered that the ballot question typically contains a general description (for example, to design and construct public safety facilities) accompanied by a project list and community commitment; specific amounts spent on each project may change depending on cost, grants, and resource availability but projects listed become a documented commitment to the community.

Staff and council also discussed capital program priorities including pavement preservation, trail and sidewalk investment, lighting and traffic signals (including additional HAWK pedestrian signals), and a bridge lighting project on Avondale Boulevard. Mayor and council praised the gateway program that involved Agua Fria High School students in a monument sign project.

Next steps: the citizens bond committee will continue meetings in February and deliver recommendations so council can consider potential ballot questions in May; the statutory election date for such a bond would be in November.