Highland Groves Update

The Water Expert took us on a tour of the Highland Groves parkway and lakes yesterday after lunch. This is the newest Morrison Ranch community on the northeast corner of Elliot and Recker. The view right now, of course, is of dirt, stakes, and huge earth-moving machines that obey no speed limits as they make up for the rain delays. It was the first time I've ever felt small in the Water Expert's F350 pickup. But I digress. This community will have two small lakes, and yes, two more fountains; rather than shoot straight into the air, these fountains will be lower and the spray will resemble a mushroom. The lakes are separated by the parkway, but will actually be connected underground. And of course, the lakes are the reclaimed water that will provide irrigation for the project. The lakes themselves will not necessarily be seen from Elliot Road, but there will be a view corridor so drivers can see the fountains.

We exited our tour past the Superstition Springs Church, a lovely set of buildings that opened recently. The bare earth in the L-shape around the church is the town's park space, and I see by this article in the AZ Republic today that negotiations are ongoing with the Field of Dreams folks:

A handful of residents and Gilbert officials are going on a road trip. Members of the Town Council and Gilbert's Parks and Recreation Advisory Board have been invited to visit two sports complexes in California managed by Big League Dreams LLC. The town wants a private agency to manage Elliot District Park, a 63 acre parcel north of Elliot Road, between Recker and Power roads. Big League Dreams, of Chino Hills, Calif., enters partnerships with communities to build sports complexes that feature small-scale versions of major league ballparks, such as Fenway Park and Wrigley Field. The town would build the eight-field, $22.7 million complex. Early estimates suggest the town would receive $500,000 to $1 million in annual revenues. Gilbert would not have to pay operating or maintenance costs.

Read the rest of the article for some of the negative feelings about the project. We'll see what transpires.

And finishing up our tour, looking beyond the park site is 80 more acres abutting Power Road, which is in alfalfa right now, but is planned to be industial/office sorts of things in Morrison Ranch someday.

It was my kind of tour: enough contours in the dirt to help me see what will be, and the physical drive to get a sense of scale. That's much easier for me to visualize than the paper plans in the office.