Papago Park - Is it our Central Park or an ugly stepchild? (Phoenix: home, utilities)

[joninaz]

New York has Central Park.
Chicago has Lincoln Park
Los Angeles has Griffith
San Diego has Balboa
London has Hyde and many others

Phoenix has Papago Park. It's one of the largest municipal parks in the country, home to the Phoenix Zoo, Desert Botanical Gardens and adjacent to the firefighting museum, arizona historical museum, and other attractions. From various vatage points, it's absolutely beautiful. The buttes can be stunning, especially now they are surrounded by endless development But it kind of has this beauty/beast aspect.

President Woodrow Wilson declared it a national monument. That's very rare and only one step from being a national park. But due to neglect, it never got better and was in fact stripped of monument status by the US Congress in the 1930s.

These days it's doing OK, but is still not as appreciated and enjoyed by locals as much as it could be. Likewise, the'res a bunch of politico types trying to decide if its worth of any future investment. The city of Phoenix owns it. Scottsdale and Tempe have a share due to proximity. And everyone else has a bit of investment as it's representative of the region.

What keeps it from being a world class park, in my opinion, is the set of
120-ft tall powerlines running right down the red rock spine of the park. Have you seen these? I'm guessing these 11 story steel towers are not something they'd accept in Central Park, nor would Congress (or any Prez) consider the area worthy of reconsideration.

We need to get SRP to move or bury the massve power towers. They put them up when people didn't have the means to complain. Now we can.

We also need to let politicians know our call. Any thoughts on this?

- Jon

[GT350]

The last time I was in Papago park, I thought I was in another country. Loud mexican music all over where the ramadas are. Most others areas are nice for hiking and biking, just I wouldn't go at night.

[vegaspilgrim]

I like Papago Park and bicycle through there a lot, I've taken some great pictures there, but IMO the place is already FUBARed, and has been ever since the 1950s. It's overdeveloped with too many roads, too many fences (including fences going right over the buttes), too many utilities in the area, too many airplanes flying over, too many competing uses. Not to mention that a huge section of the park is off limits to the pubic-- the national guard/US army base.

[Greatday]

Originally Posted by joninaz

We need to get SRP to move or bury the massve power towers.

Those lines cannot be buried, nor moved

They cannot be buried for two reasons: Soil conditions won't allow it and several burial sites

They cannot be moved because right of way issues prohibit it.

While I agree with you that it would look better without those lines, they are what they are

[exit2lef]

Originally Posted by GT350

The last time I was in Papago park, I thought I was in another country. Loud mexican music all over where the ramadas are. Most others areas are nice for hiking and biking, just I wouldn't go at night.

Would you have felt the same way about loud country music, loud classic rock, etc. ? Whenever I hear this complaint, I always wonder why the ethnicity of the music is important enough to mention.

[MaxPower123]

Originally Posted by silverbear

Would you have felt the same way about loud country music, loud classic rock, etc. ? Whenever I hear this complaint, I always wonder why the ethnicity of the music is important enough to mention.

Its not important to mention, its actually irrelevant.

[joninaz]

Originally Posted by Greatday

Those lines cannot be buried, nor moved

They cannot be buried for two reasons: Soil conditions won't allow it and several burial sites

They cannot be moved because right of way issues prohibit it.

While I agree with you that it would look better without those lines, they are what they are

How are you so certain? They buried similar sized lines in developing the town lake project in Tempe and the canal areas in Old Town Scottsdale.

[Greatday]

Originally Posted by joninaz

How are you so certain? They buried similar sized lines in developing the town lake project in Tempe and the canal areas in Old Town Scottsdale.

They also had reserved right of ways

AND, they did not have Indian Burial Sites to contend with either

[AzDreamer]

Why do people move to AZ and then try to change it to be like where they came from?

We go to Papago all the time and like it the way it is. If it's got too much civilization for your tastes then head another direction.

[Greatday]

Originally Posted by AzDreamer

Why do people move to AZ and then try to change it to be like where they came from?

We go to Papago all the time and like it the way it is. If it's got too much civilization for your tastes then head another direction.

Very nice post - and oh so true

Papago is wonderful to hike. To go to the Zoo. To picnic. To sit and be by yourself. To go to the Botanical Gardens.

Have a Greatday