Tempe Town Lake

Source

Appeal of Tempe Town Lake spans Valley

by Dianna M. Náñez - Aug. 22, 2010 12:00 AM

The Arizona Republic

Louise Lampkin of Scottsdale learned how to be a dragon-boat trainer on Tempe Town Lake.

It was as much the draw to the lake as the exercise that turned her into an avid rower, competing in wooden boats adorned with carved dragon heads and tails. Before the dam burst last month, participation in the annual Arizona Dragon Boat Festival on Town Lake had grown to more than 60 teams, with more than 150 rowers practicing on the lake.

Lampkin is among thousands of Valley residents who have a tie to Town Lake and consider the dam failure, which drained the lake, a loss for the community. Others have relished the view at sunset from the Tempe Center for the Arts, the lights of the Mill Avenue Bridge reflected on the lake on a winter night, the spectacle of fireworks over the water on the Fourth of July.

The lake, built nearly 11 years ago, is second only to the Grand Canyon as Arizona's most-visited attraction. Millions of dollars in private development have sprouted along its shores, creating jobs and living space. People drive from across the Valley to enjoy water sports in a central location or to gaze at birds nesting or feeding on the oasis. And internationally known sporting events have shined a spotlight on the Valley's tourism industry.

Town Lake's popularity does not mean that the 2 1/2-mile-long lake in the desert is supported by all Valley residents.

Critics argue that it's fiscally irresponsible to pay nearly $3 million annually to maintain a manmade lake. Others are outraged that a state amid a record drought would consider pouring nearly 1 billion gallons of water into a lake that in dry years loses about half its water to evaporation.

But for those who see Town Lake as a priceless thread in the community's fabric, the investment is worthwhile, and the temporary loss of the lake is regrettable.

Without Town Lake, Lampkin said, metro Phoenix would not have become a hotbed for rowing sports. And since the dam burst, Valley rowers have struggled to find places to practice.

"It's a jewel at the corner of four different cities that allows us to come together and to really relish what we have here in Arizona - the sunsets are amazing, the desert wildlife is amazing and it's right there right off the freeway," she said.

Boaters, rowers, kayakers

Lampkin first rowed on Town Lake in 2002. She was on a mission to get in shape and decided to try rowing on a whim.

"I was scared to death," she recalled. "I'd never done sports. I thought, 'What have I got myself into?' "

The water's effect on the urban setting and the view from the lake was captivating, she said.

"At night, there's such a feeling of relaxation, you watch the lights come over from Mill Avenue Bridge and reflect on the water," Lampkin said. "Or certain times of the year when the swallows house under the bridge it's amazing. One year after a big storm, we had three pelicans. This year, we saw our first eagle at the lake - that was the coolest thing."

She was on the lake as a volunteer coach with the ASU dragon-boat team 45 minutes before the dam burst. She returned days later with a friend to survey the damage.

"Everybody just stared. It was all brown with just a few puddles. Everyone was very, very quiet, very, very sad," she said.

"I miss the lake. We want it back."

Although Town Lake attracts thousands of boaters, rowers, kayakers, fishermen and joggers, some people, including retired Tempe resident Bill Curry, aren't physically able to join the lake's fitness enthusiasts. Health problems limit Curry's nearly daily walks alongside Town Lake to a gentle pace. He rests on the path that follows the lake to watch birds, fish and others enjoying the lake.

Curry has lived in the Valley since 1967. The Salt River's transformation over that time has awed him.

"It was just so much different than just the pile of rocks running down the middle of Tempe. It was basically worthless land," he said.

Over the past month, Curry has taken his binoculars with him to survey repairs on the dam, which sits at the lake's western end. Abandoning plans to rebuild the lake is not an option he wants Tempe to consider.

"I don't even want to think like that. I can't imagine how I'd feel," he said. "When it gets finished, I just want them to make sure that they keep it up and running, clean and available to everybody."

High-profile events

Last year, city reports based on tourism data estimated that visitors to the lake have spent $118.2 million in the state on hotels, food, entertainment and other expenses.

"Tempe Town Lake is a great destination . . . connected to marathons, triathlons. With these types of events come out-of-state visitors . . . (who) help develop the local, state and federal tax revenue in the area," said Kiva Couchon, an Arizona Office of Tourism spokeswoman.

The Ford Ironman Arizona triathlon is one of the lake's highest-profile events. It was first held at the lake in 2005 and has grown from an estimated 1,600 athletes who crossed the finish line to about 2,400 last year.

Paul Huddle, Ford Ironman Arizona race director, said athletes were skeptical when a race was first announced in the desert. But the Arizona Ironman has become one of the most popular of Ironman triathlons in the nation.

"All of these (Ironman races) offer their own unique flavor," he said. "In the case of Arizona, I do think it's a great spectator venue. It doesn't feel like downtown Phoenix like you're in the middle of a city."

Marathons, concerts, fireworks displays and festivals are among the more than 100 activities at Town Lake each year. Lake events spur business for area merchants.

Lakefront property

Aloft Hotel was built on the lake's north shore. Jamie Metzger, Aloft's hotel manager, has seen countless families and crowds flock to the lake for festivals and sporting events.

"For the community and everybody . . . all the functions that are all over the park are intertwined with the lake," he said.

Sunbelt Holdings Inc., a Scottsdale-based real-estate management and development company, recently purchased about 46 acres of lakefront property stretching across the southern side of the lake between Mill Avenue and Rural Road. Although opportunities to develop the land with retail and residential are on hold until the economy improves, John Graham, Sunbelt's president, said he is focused on the long-term value of the lakefront property.

"We think it's a phenomenal location," he said. "It's centrally located to the whole city. There's tremendous transportation available with the freeways and light rail, and I'm a huge believer in ASU and being near the university." Memories of the lake

Community transformed

Many of Michael Monti's childhood memories are tied to the Salt River. "I remember as a kid, playing down by the edge of the riverbed, going down to Tempe Beach Park, and in high school for parties in the riverbed . . . digging my friend's '68 Olds- mobile out of the sand."

As an adult, Monti's livelihood is tied to Tempe Town Lake. His family has owned Monti's La Casa Vieja steakhouse, at the southern gateway of Beach Park, since 1954. The Mill Avenue landmark has struggled to compete with newer restaurants. But lake events, such as the Ironman triathlon, which Monti's caters, help keep his doors open.

"The lake represented to me a great vision and desire to really transform the community," Monti said. "I'm a conservative, and a lot of my brethren saw it as a tax waste. But look at that development there now. Nobody was going to build all that to overlook sand and rocks in an empty riverbed."

The lake is too much a part of the community to turn back now, he said.

"To me, that lake was a critical centerpiece to making contemporary downtown Tempe what it is, and it's going to be absolutely essential to the future, too."

Inspiring zest for life

For Bill Curry, a retiree who lives about a mile from Town Lake, walks along the shore are a longtime tradition. Over the years, the lake has been the setting for portraits of Curry's granddaughters and the backdrop for his business cards, which show a caricature of him fishing at Town Lake. All his out-of-town visitors are directed to his house by way of Rural Road so they can get the best view of the lake.

"How do I put it into words what it (the lake) means to me? It makes me feel alive. It perks me up in the mornings. I enjoy watching the scull boats, the kayaking, the sailboats. I'd love to learn how to sail one of these days."

Project a labor of love

Steve Nielsen had an intimate relationship with Town Lake from the beginning, and he has an emotional tie as well.

He worked for Tempe from 1989 to 2001 as the city's Rio Salado Project manager. He now works for Arizona State University as an assistant vice president of university real estate. His office is in the Hayden Ferry Lakeside building that towers over the south shore of Town Lake.

Making Town Lake a reality was an enormous task, said Nielsen, who calls the dam bursting a challenge, but one the city can meet.

Decades of Nielsen's work are connected to the lake, but it also served as a place for making memories.

"When my wife and I were first dating," Nielsen recalled, "I didn't really tell her about my role or relationship with Tempe Town Lake. We were driving on the Red Mountain Freeway one day and she looked over at the (Mill Avenue) bridge with its lights and said, 'That's one of the most romantic things I've ever seen. Someday I'd like to go for walk over that bridge.'

"About a year later, I took her for a walk there and asked her to marry me."