In a 5-2 vote, Oro Valley Town Council enacted an ordinance on Wednesday that will allow the sale and consumption of alcohol at Steam Pump Ranch for special events.

Special to The Explorer

After a successful trial-run of free, guided tours at Steam Pump Ranch in November and December 2012, the Town of Oro Valley has decided to continue and expand this community program into 2013.

The Oro Valley Town Council on Wednesday, Feb. 18, approved a contract with the Oro Valley Historical Society to build a series of historical gardens at the town’s Steam Pump Ranch heritage site.

At Wednesday’s Oro Valley Town Council meeting, members plan to vote to formally accept the Steam Pump Ranch master plan.

As April concludes, so does Carlos Rivera’s routine. Residents at Steam Pump Ranch had until the last day of April to move off their property, and that included Rivera, the caretaker.

People came to Steam Pump Ranch on Friday and Saturday, just as they used to come for shelter, provisions and fresh horses.

The fate of the historic Steam Pump Ranch once again hangs in the balance, as the town of Oro Valley considers how - or even if - the site should be commercially developed.

For at least a year, Joyce Rychener worked on plans for gardens at historic Steam Pump Ranch in Oro Valley.

The town of Oro Valley last week denied a demolition application to remove the Steam Pump Ranch house, pump building and other structures from the historic 1870s site and ordered the property owners to act immediately to protect the public from the unsafe conditions associated with the buildings.

Oro Valley is trying to move toward making Steam Pump Ranch a destination site in the town after a year and a half of ups and downs in the planning process.

The monsoon has arrived, that remarkable season of shifted winds, wetter air and powerful thunderstorms that bring precious moisture to the desert.