Former Scottsdale Councilman Bill Walton, the visionary behind the Indian Bend Green Belt Wash who also helped develop the TPC and bring the Phoenix Open to it, passed away Nov. 3. He was 95.<\/p>\n
Mr. Walton\u2019s influence and community involvement was so significant across nearly three decades that the late Mayor Herb Drinkwater called him \u201can institution\u201d at a 1992 party celebrating his retirement after two terms on Scottsdale City Council.<\/p>\n
Mr. Walton moved to Scottsdale in 1963 “fresh out of Iowa State University and working as a landscape architect,\u201d former city communications director Mike Phillips once recalled.<\/p>\n
And it was at that time Mr. Walton\u00a0 launched the seed of a campaign that catapulted him into years of community service and gave Scottsdale a globally recognized landmark \u2013 the Indian Bend Green Belt Wash.<\/p>\n
It started with a letter to the editor of the Progress in 1963 about solving frequent flooding around the Indian Ben area.<\/p>\n
At the time, Scottsdale historian Leonard Marcisz once recalled, the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers wanted to address the flooding by building \u201ca 170-foot wide, 23-foot deep, concrete channel \u2013 in effect, an ugly urban Frankenstein\u201d not unlike a similar monstrosity Los Angeles is stuck with.<\/p>\n
But, as Marcisz relates in a video, \u201cRiding his bike to work, (Mr. Walton) noticed how floodwaters moved dirt and gravel but left the grass on nearby Villa Monterrey Golf Course untouched,\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr. Walton once explained that he \u201cstarted looking into the soil and grass\u201d and \u201cthought we could put grass throughout the area and make it work.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cScottsdale had one swimming pool and that was their park,\u201d he continued. \u201cI saw the open space in the Slough and thought it could be like Central Park\u2014a 7 \u00bd-half-mile park through the city.\u201d<\/p>\n
Phillips said two City Council members made a nighttime visit to Mr. Walton they read his letter and asked him to chair a new committee to explore his idea.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 That cold call launched his career in public service, \u201cstarting with the Scottsdale Town Enrichment Program and leading to the Indian Bend Wash, a project that changed Scottsdale and flood control practices worldwide,\u201d Phillips said.<\/p>\n
Under Mr. Walton\u2019s guidance, the city acquired land for El Dorado Park, Scottsdale\u2019s first park.<\/p>\n
The city adopted a policy allowing property owners who donated land for the greenbelt to transfer development rights elsewhere.<\/p>\n
Mr. Walton faced resistance from the U.S. Army Corp of. Engineers and other agencies that thought his idea was too expensive. \u201cSeveral bond proposals failed, and progress was slow,\u201d Phillips said.<\/p>\n
But after a major flood in 1972, citizens changed their mind and a bond issue passed by a 7-1 margin.<\/p>\n
When the Silverado Golf Course opened in 1999, the greenbelt was complete, providing over 63,000 people within walking distance with parks, golf courses, lakes, and paths.<\/p>\n
The project was recognized as one of the nation\u2019s top engineering feats in 1974, reaped numerous national awards \u00a0and was \u00a0featured in a 1981 exhibit in Grenoble, France.<\/p>\n
After serving on serving on the city Parks Commission from 1965-67, during which time El Dorado Park opened, Mr. Walton was hired by the city Planning Department in 1967 and became planning director in 1970.<\/p>\n
He left that post in 1973 to start his own architecture firm, but the lure of public service eventually found him accepting an appointment to the Airport Advisory Commission five years later. At the same time, he took a seat on the Scottsdale Planning Commission, where he remained until he was elected to City Council in 1984.<\/p>\n
He played a major role in strengthening the city\u2019s relationship with the Professional Golf Association, and influenced the decision to build TPC Scottsdale. A year after its 1986 opening, it became home to the PGA Tour\u2019s annual Phoenix Open.<\/p>\n
Jim Bruner, who served with Mr. Walton on the council, called Mr. Walton \u201ca visionary, a wonderful person, and an excellent council member.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cWe were opposite (in) political philosophies but worked together very well,\u201d Bruner said.\u00a0 \u201cI so respected him and appreciated all the work he did for the city.<\/p>\n
\u201cDespite being on opposite sides of the political spectrum, we collaborated effectively. I had immense respect for him and valued all his contributions to our city.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBill was a steadfast presence in his community, known for his thoughtful generosity, unwavering integrity, and warm sense of humor,\u201d he added, recalling how he had become \u201ca familiar face at local events, always ready to volunteer and offer a helping hand without hesitation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr. Walton also worked to revitalize the McDowell corridor and boost Scottsdale tourism.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve got to work together. Everyone has to be involved,\u201d he once said. \u201cA good idea will be broken down and rebuilt in different ways, but if you persevere, you can do it. We proved that in Scottsdale.\u201d<\/p>\n
He also once remarked that while he was \u201chonored to be known as the father of the Indian Bend Wash, but many others made it possible. We had tremendous political will. That\u2019s what I love about Scottsdale.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr. Walton championed the Downtown Plan and the roadway underpass connecting Civic Center Mall\u2019s east and west sides. He co-chaired the Citizens for Better Transportation Committee and brought transportation issues to the Council.<\/p>\n
He also supported the Los Arcos Area\u2019s long-term vitality\u2014now the McDowell Road Corridor\u2014and citywide economic development initiatives.<\/p>\n
\u00a0He chaired the Scottsdale Chamber of Commerce\u2019s Economic Development Committee, bridging the gap between local businesses and city officials.<\/p>\n
When Scottsdale Leadership gave Mr. Walton the Drinkwater Award in 2019, attorney Randy Nussbaum wrote in the Progress:<\/p>\n
\u201cWithout Bill Walton\u2019s leadership, Scottsdale might not have the Tournament Players Club golf courses, the Phoenix Open, and the Scottsdale Princess Resort. Alongside Jim Bruner, they negotiated with the PGA, landowners, the federal government, and businesses, creating a site generating millions in tax revenue.\u201d<\/p>\n
A Progress editorial praised Mr. Walton upon his retirement from the council, and Nussbaum called him \u201cone of the reasons Scottsdale is envied by Southwest cities.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHis commitment to quality growth benefited the city greatly,\u201d Nussbaum said. \u201cMr. Walton made Scottsdale a more desirable place to live.\u201d<\/p>\n
A former high school teacher and coach in Illinois, Mr. Walton also supported education and youth activities, chairing Coty Council\u2019s School Board Liaison Committee.<\/p>\n
Devoted to his wife and children, Mr. Walton also involved his children and grandchildren in community service. To ensure public service continued in the Walton family, he took each grandchild to Scottsdale City Hall on their 18th birthday to register to vote.<\/p>\n
Added Bruner: \u201cWe will remember Bill not just for his achievements, but for the person he was: a pillar of generosity, a quiet encourager, and a friend to many.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis presence brought comfort and kindness, and his memory will continue to inspire us to live with the same compassion and grace he embodied.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr. Walton is survived by his daughters, Terri Calder\u00f3n (Ernest) and Vicki Lustig (Paul); his sons Jeff Walton (Sherri) and Doug Walton (Valeria); brother Stephen (Sharon) Walton of Kansas City; and numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren.<\/p>\n
Messinger Mortuary is handling arrangements, which are incomplete.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Former Scottsdale Councilman Bill Walton, the visionary behind the Indian Bend Green Belt Wash who also helped develop…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":366494,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5131],"tags":[5229,5643,1587,138600,5310,177269,177268,1589,177267,177266,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-366493","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-phoenix","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-arizona","10":"tag-az","11":"tag-bill-walton","12":"tag-city-council","13":"tag-herb-drinkwater","14":"tag-parks-commission","15":"tag-phoenix","16":"tag-professional-golf-association","17":"tag-the-phoenix-open","18":"tag-united-states","19":"tag-united-states-of-america","20":"tag-unitedstates","21":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","22":"tag-us","23":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115518882684793010","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/366493","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=366493"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/366493\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/366494"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=366493"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=366493"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=366493"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}