For the Week Ending

July 1, 2022

Paradise Valley Resident Hikes Peru - at 92!

We have amazing individuals who live in Paradise Valley, many who have reached great heights and success, but one in particular has reached incredible heights, literally. This woman holds the Guinness World Record for being the oldest person to summit Kilimanjaro in Africa. She first summited it when she was 85 but an 88-year-old man reached the summit making her the oldest woman to hike it…so she returned in 2019, at 89 and with several broken ribs, to earn the title of oldest person to summit its 19,341’ elevation. Being the oldest woman was not enough for long-time PV resident Anne Lorimor, she earned, twice, the Guinness World Record title of oldest person to hike Kilimanjaro.

And, now at 92, Anne has just returned from yet another incredible record-breaking feat. She hiked the Inca Trail in Peru, celebrating her birthday right before hiking in Machu Picchu. Anne was honored by the Mayor of Ollantaytambo as she started her pilgrimage to Machu Picchu. The Mayor of Ollantaytambo presented Anne an official proclamation and told the assembled group that in their ancient native language they don’t have the word for ‘friend’, only ‘family’ and ‘stranger’. "Anne", he proclaimed, "was his family".

You may wonder how and why someone would choose to make such a difficult hike. First of all, Anne is tough; secondly, determined. She doesn’t take altitude pills, she carries her own water, sleeps on the ground in a tent, and doesn't let people help her. She also doesn’t like short-cuts. So when her guides, who were worried about her, asked her to take the shorter but steeper, less traveled route with high weeds and stones rolling toward and around her feet, she did it ... but doing so wasn’t what Anne envisioned in hiking the longer route. Although she accomplished her goal, she now wants to go back in a year or so and do it again and take the more traditional route to Macchu Picchu.

Anne's mission, and the reason she hikes incredible heights, is to show underprivileged children what can be possible if you try your hardest and keep on trying. For decades, Anne Lorimor has made it her life’s mission to make a difference in the lives of others by Creating Exciting Futures. She now hopes to offer scholarships to underprivileged youth among her new Ollantaytambo family. Click here to learn more about Anne and Exciting Futures.

Walton Global Purchases Smoke Tree Resort

After the Mayor, Vice Mayor and Council voted against the resort plans for Smoke Tree last year primarily because it was too dense, the property fell into bankruptcy. As part of that process, Walton Global purchased the 5-acre property on Lincoln Drive and Quail Run for $14 million with plans to build a new boutique hotel that will serve locals and visitors.

According to Walton Group, they intend to incorporate an elegance in the new design that Paradise Valley is known for and avoid controversial elements that have challenged Smoke Tree and other hotel redevelopments in the past such as roof top bars, condominiums, for-sale units, height, density and other concerns that have hampered revitalization efforts in the past.

“As a Paradise Valley resident for 15 years, I have driven past the Smoke Tree Resort often wondering why it sat dormant for so many years. When Walton was introduced to the opportunity to acquire the resort and learned about its financial challenges, we acted quickly, conducted our diligence and secured the property. I’m excited about our goal to revive this historic landmark into a place that Paradise Valley residents and Phoenix as a whole can point to again as a prime destination to experience that also meets the high standards of the community’s ethic,” said Walton Global executive vice president of Business Development, Matt Keister.

The Smoke Tree Resort was originally built in 1954. The resort’s Lincoln Drive facing restaurant – The Other Place – was also a Paradise Valley landmark but attempts to reopen under new management ultimately failed and the restaurant has been shuttered for over a decade.

Walton's team includes Allen & Philp, an architectural firm based in Scottsdale with a hotel portfolio that includes The Sanctuary, The Boulders, Fairmont Princess, and several other hotel properties.

“I believe Walton’s vision will be consistent with Paradise Valley’s wishes and sensitivities and our capital is patient. It is extremely important to us to listen to the Town of Paradise Valley Council and the community before we finalize our designs. We are looking forward to achieving a consensus that will result in an extraordinary gathering place for the residents of Paradise Valley that will also produce economic benefits for the Town and Arizona,” said Walton Global CEO Bill Doherty.

Walton intends to reach out to Paradise Valley residents to solicit input before hotel design plans are finalized. “Feedback we receive from surrounding residents will be integrated into the future vision of the new hotel. And to ensure that transparency and communication remains open throughout the project’s evolution, we will be creating platforms such as a website and social media sites to post routine updates. We want our Town to embrace the project and to be proud of what we feel is the gateway to Paradise Valley,” Keister said.

Employee Service Award Highlights

Join us in congratulating Paul Mood and Chuck Ransom for reaching their 5-year anniversary with the Town of Paradise Valley. We appreciate your service to our team and to the residents of Paradise Valley.

Paul Mood, Town Engineer, recognized for five years of service.

Chuck Ransom, Building Safety Manager, Fire Marshall, recognized for five years of service.

2022 Legislative Update

Second Regular Session

of the 55th Legislature

The Second Regular Session of the 55th Legislature adjourned June 25th, tying for the fifth lengthiest session in Arizona's history, ended a whirlwind of floor activity and movement on critical legislative items. The passage of the following two bills was directly impacted by supporting efforts of the Town of Paradise Valley Mayor, Council and Town Manager:

Short-Term Rentals

SB 1168 vacation rentals; short-term rentals; enforcement was amended in House Committee of the Whole to include compromise language negotiated between municipalities and the short-term rental (STR) industry. As amended, SB 1168 allows local governments to establish a regulatory license or permit to operate short-term rentals and outlines the application requirements for both an applicant and the municipality. Additionally, the measure allows a city or town to require that STR operators provide adjacent neighbors with their contact information and encourage residents to communicate directly with the operator for non-emergency issues. Though tools to address proliferation are not included in SB 1168, the measure represents the most meaningful progress in peeling back the preemption enacted by SB 1350 (2016). Through carefully negotiated guardrails, SB 1168 affords cities and towns new tools to address STRs that threaten the community's public health and safety, striking the right balance between STR owners' property rights and the rights of residents that live alongside them.

Municipal Residential

Rental Tax

SB 1116, the measure to prohibit municipalities from levying a municipal tax on residential rentals, gained traction in the last days of the session. The measure passed the House 33-25 and quickly moved to the Senate, where it was initially referred to Free Conference Committee where further amendments could

be adopted. SB 1116 was ultimately discharged from a the conference committee and put on a Final Read calendar in the Senate, where it failed to garner sufficient votes to pass (15-11).

The League actively opposed the measure because of the fiscal impact it would pose to cities and towns and because the measure violates the moratorium on statutory changes to the Model City Tax Code agreed to in the 2019 Wayfair legislation. The measure would have impacted local revenues by an estimated $202 million if passed. Although the ability to levy this tax is preserved for now, the conversation around residential tax will likely continue to be a topic of discussion for lawmakers.

The League appreciates the outreach by local leaders advocating against SB 1116. This communication was critical to stopping the bill from reaching the governor's desk. The organization remains committed to finding solutions that meaningfully address Arizona's housing needs.

For more information about other legislative updates on the budget and other bills, click here.

Recycling for Batteries and Mercury

Now Available at Town Hall

Recyle containers for mercury and household batteries are now available at Town Hall. The recycle containers are to your immediate right as you enter Town Hall.

The MercuryTracker® recycling makes it possible to safely recycle electrical and medical devices: Mercury Bucket::

Thermometers
Thermostats
Subzero Refrigerator Filters

The BatteryTracker^® containers are for collecting and recycling used dry-cell batteries:

Alkaline-Nickel bucket:

• Alkaline • Carbon-Zinc • NiCad

• NiMH • Silver Oxide

Town Notifications Get a New Look

We’ve changed the look of the Town’s notifications to help residents identify mail containing offical Town business. If you receive an envelope that looks like the one below, this is official Town business with information that may interest you.