Email Newsletter

Greetings from the Board – May 2026

Greetings from the Board:

The Oro Valley Town Council approved sending the O V Path Forward 10 year plan to the voters at their May 6^th meeting.  “The plan is based on over 10,700 comments received from residents through a statistically representative survey (also provided in paper and online formats), 112 events, 29 meetings, and online discussions conducted over the past 2 years.”

Every Municipality in Arizona is required to put together a 10 year plan and our last plan was approved in 2016.  As Rancho Vistoso represents approximately 40% of Oro Valley, we have a lot at stake in this plan.   The next step is the plan will be on the ballot on the first Tuesday in November (11/3/2026). Here’s the link to the OV Path Forward page on the Town’s website https://www.ovpathforward.com

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Matt Wood – VCA President

Snapshot – May 2026

If you missed the April 30 2026 Board of Directors meeting, here are the highlights of the Manager’s Report. The next Board of Directors meeting is scheduled for May 28, 2026.

2025 Annual Meeting Minutes, and IRS Revenue Ruling 70-604 Results

Category	# Of Members with Voting Rights	Total Votes	2023 Annual Meeting Minutes		IRS 70-604
			Yes	No	Yes	No
Commercial	1,992	531	443	0	443	0
Other Than Single Family	639	233	196	0	190	6
Single Family	5,307	1,308	1,144	22	1,149	24

Election of Board – Single Family Seats (2 two-year terms)

Candidate	# Of Votes
Joe Affinati	637
Jacqueline Lasher	529
Vince Roberts	424
Oscar Miranda	348
Alan Miklofsky	308

Election of Board – Other Than Single Family (1 one-year term)

Candidate	# Of Votes
Craig Golden	182

Election of Board – Commercial (1 two-year term)

Candidate	# Of Votes
Robert Feltes	443

Committee Volunteers

At the April 16th meeting the board appointed committee members for the 2026-2027 term.

Spring Yard Sale

The Spring yard sale took place on Saturday, April 11, 2026, from 7:00 AM until 2:00 PM. The Fall yard sale is scheduled for Saturday, October 24.

Fiber Optic Installation

A third fiber optic company, Forged Fiber 37 for Lumen (Century Link) has shown interest in installing fiber optics in the Vistoso Vista neighborhood. They have scheduled a meeting at the Oro Valley Library on May 1, 2026, from 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM to meet with residents.

Reserve Study

Association Reserves has been selected to conduct an inspection of the VCA and Siena assets and provide a multi-year funding plan to fully fund reserves. This report will assist the association in the development of the 2027 budget.

Hohokam Park Furniture

The board tabled this project until the reserve study is completed. This project would replace picnic tables, benches, trash cans and barbecues at Hohokam Park.

2026 Capital Projects

The following capital projects have been slated and budgeted for 2026:

• Refurbish Entryway Monuments at RVB & Oracle Rd
• Irrigation Repairs on Maspalomas, Hidden Springs and Woodburne Dr from RVB to Wildlife Ridge Park as well as the park
• Refurbish Monument Signage
• Replenish Playground wood fiber at Moore Loop Park
• Playground Equipment Replacement at Monticello and Hohokam Parks
• Park Furniture Replacement
• Replacement of drinking fountains
• Common area wall repairs
• Painting of common area walls, rails and tennis court fencing
• Replace Bell Tower Artificial Turf
• Hohokam Dog Park Replenish
• Asphalt Parking Lots – Sunset Ridge Park
• Drainage Basin Mitigate/Repair
• Granite Replacement

At the April 30 meeting, the Board will be considering proposals for irrigation repairs, painting and artificial turf replacement projects.

VCA Paint Palette

The new paint palette is available online at the Dunn Edwards website:
https://www.dunnedwards.com/colors/color-ark-pro/rancho-vistoso-master-community/approved-color-palette/
or the community website at: https://ranchovistosohoa.com/resident-information/paint-colors/

Did You Know – May 2026

Data Centers:  The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

With the advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AI) the need to power these systems has become a hot topic – literally.  Data centers consume massive quantities of water, primarily for evaporative cooling to prevent servers from overheating.  U.S. data center water usage could reach 32 billion gallons annually by 2028. Balancing the positive aspects (e.g. jobs, tax revenue, economic development, etc.) against the negative (e.g. high water consumption, potential adverse environmental impact, etc.) is a challenge facing many communities. 

How much do you know about Data Centers?

How much water is needed for a Data Center?  Large facilities using evaporative cooling systems use 1 to 5 million gallons per day which is equivalent to the daily water consumption of a town with 30,000–50,000 residents. A typical AI chat interaction of 20-50 queries can “consume” roughly a 16oz bottle of water.  While aggregate water use for data centers is only about 0.3–0.4% of total U.S. daily water withdrawals, the impact is highly local, with many centers located in drought-prone areas like Arizona and the Colorado River Basin. Data centers consume water directly for cooling, but also consume huge amounts of water indirectly through the electricity they consume, which is often generated using water-intensive processes.

How many data centers are in AZ?  Arizona is experiencing a massive boom in data center development, particularly in the Phoenix metro area (Goodyear, Mesa, Avondale), driven by AI demand, cheap electricity, and tax incentives. Major projects include a $1B Google center, Microsoft facilities, and huge investments in Pinal County, with over 125 data centers currently in Maricopa County. 

Why build data centers in the deserts of Arizona?  Low disaster risk, available land, and a major fiber-optic pipeline connecting Texas to California.  In addition, water use can be greatly reduced utilizing cooling methods other than evaporative cooling.  While exact percentage data on Arizona’s >150 data centers specifically using evaporative cooling is not publicly disclosed due to industry secrecy.  High water scarcity is forcing a rapid shift away from it. While 75–90% of data centers globally use water-based cooling, new Arizona projects are increasingly moving toward zero-water or air-cooled technologies to manage local water constraints.

Will a data center be built in Oro Valley?  There is no plan to build a data center in Oro Valley.  However, a data center has been approved to be built in Marana, near Luckett and Hardin Roads. The major “$1B+” “Project Blue” proposal has faced heavy backlash, leading to its rejection by the Tucson city council and the withdrawal of initial operator Amazon Web Services.  “Project Blue” is a large-scale project that will now move forward under developer Phil Beale on Pima County land rather than Tucson city land.  “Project Blue” drew intense community, environmental, and political debate, centered on water usage and power consumption. Controversy continues as the contractor for “Project Blue” obtained a permit to use Tucson City water for dust abatement during construction.  City of Tucson stated that they will revoke the permit.  “Project Blue” will continue and stated that they obtained non-drinking water from another source.  The project is estimated to generate roughly $407 million in tax revenue over ten years and create about 4,200 construction jobs and up to 400 permanent jobs.

What type of cooling system will be used in the Marana data center?  The proposed data center in Marana will use an air-cooled, closed-loop system rather than water-intensive cooling. Air cooling (dry cooling) is designed to operate without consuming large volumes of water, preventing high water usage.  This technology is selected to comply with local regulations prohibiting the use of potable water for cooling and to address water sustainability in the region.  This approach aligns with trends in Arizona to use dry cooling for new data centers to conserve local water resources. 

What are environmentally friendly options for cooling and operating data centers?  

• Dry Cooling/Air-Cooled Heat Exchangers: These systems circulate heated fluid from servers through external coils, using ambient air to remove heat rather than evaporating water.
• Liquid Immersion Cooling: Servers are submerged in non-conductive dielectric fluid, which transfers heat more efficiently than air.
• Closed-Loop Systems: By keeping water inside the cooling pipes, these systems minimize water loss from evaporation and allow for reuse.
• Free Cooling / Ambient Air: Utilizing cold exterior air (air-side economizers) to cool servers, particularly in colder climates.
• Adiabatic Cooling: This method uses water to cool air before it enters the data center, but only operates during high-temperature periods, saving water compared to continuous cooling. 
• Non-Potable Water Usage: Utilizing recycled wastewater or “grey water” reduces the strain on local fresh water supplies.
• Water Treatment and Management: Enhancing water treatment in cooling towers can decrease the need for “blowdown” (draining) to remove mineral buildup, thus saving water.
• Geothermal/Deep Lake Cooling: Using cold, deep water from lakes or natural aquifers to provide cooling, with the water returned to its source rather than evaporated. 

For more information on reducing water in data centers, Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) has an article on the topic. For specific cooling solutions, Novva provides information on water-free cooling, while Equinix discusses its water-responsible strategy.