A Facility of the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association
by Bill Lofquist
At the June 2007 meeting of the Board of Directors of the Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association (TAAA), two goals were set related to a long-time desire of its members. These were: by May 2008 (1) land will be secured for a permanent dark observing site and (2) a strategic plan will be in place for its development. The TAAA, which was organized in 1954, had for several decades searched for land for this purpose.
With the setting of these goals, steps were immediately taken to achieve them. Members were invited to submit proposals for land. A piece of former ranch land in the Turkey Creek area west of the Chiricahua Mountains in Cochise County was found and evaluated. While the land search continued, four TAAA members organized themselves as the Perseus Group to purchase land in order to make a gift of it to the club. These members were Sam Rua, Robert Crawford, Erich Karkoschka and John and Liz Kalas. In August 2007, a special meeting of about 40 members was held to engage those interested in creating a vision for a new astronomy complex. Subsequent small group meetings were held to make this vision very specific.
The land was purchased in October 2007, and the vision was shaped into an application to the Cochise County Planning and Zoning Commission for a Special Use Permit. This application was unanimously approved in February 2008 and the development of the Chiricahua Astronomy Complex (CAC) was set in motion. Sixteen acres of land was donated to the club by the Perseus Group.
The first phase of development, the infrastructure that was needed, was begun later that year. This included the improvement and building of roads, the extension of electric service to the site, the drilling of a well and building the well house, the construction of bathroom facilities with septic system, and the creation of a graveled parking area. This initial work was completed in early 2010. On February 13th, the first star party was held and members started using the site for observing.
The next phase of development (2a) included the “public area” adjacent to the parking area. This provided ten concrete observing pads with electric service (see picture below), the building of a roll-off roof observatory for a 14” SCT telescope, two secure steel storage units, and a large circular concrete observing pad for an 18” Dobsonian telescope. Four RV/Camper sites were included in the later phase (2b). During this time, a TAAA member made a generous gift of four telescopes with accessories to use at CAC, which included the 14” SCT telescope. These developments were completed in September 2011 (phase 2a) and September 2012 (phase 2b).
Other components of the Master Site Plan (MSP) to be developed in the future include a caretaker Residence, more Roll-off Roof Observatories, 28 more Member Pads and 10 more Member Observatories.
See the MSP for future facilities. While this is a long-range endeavor, the goal of completing the Master Site Plan is being aggressively pursued by the TAAA membership.
Members of the TAAA and 3 local foundations have provided all of the funds needed to bring us this far in the development of CAC. This funding has been supplemented by hundreds of hours of labor provided by TAAA volunteers. To move ahead we will need help from additional resources such as private and corporate foundations, grants and contributions from individuals.
CAC Development – A Chronology
A. Phase 1 (April 2009 – February 2010) Basic Initial Infrastructure
– Bathroom Facility containing two unisex bathrooms, a shower room and a utility room
– Water well, 5-way community well (CAC site plus surrounding four Perseus Group member parcels)
– Septic system
– Parking lot (30 spaces including 2 handicap spaces)
– External road improvements (widening of S. Price Ranch Rd. and E. Perseus Way)
B. Phase 2a (December 2010 – September 2011)
– Ten public telescope observing pads, 12’x12’ concrete pads with electricity
– 8.4m dia. round Amphitheater concrete telescope observing pad with electricity and an adjacent steel storage container
– Wally Rogers observatory, 12’x14’ roll-off roof observatory containing a Celestron C-14 telescope on an AP1200 mount
– One steel storage container for member equipment storage
Phase 2b (March 2012 – September 2012)
– RV area, four lanes with electricity (1 @ 50-amps and 3 @ 30-amps)
C. Phase 3a (April 2014 – June 2014)
– Picnic ramada, 20’x30’ concrete slab with electricity and engraved brick apron
– Second steel storage container for member equipment storage
Phase 3b (May 2015 – June 2015)
– Erect ramada roof and add 4 picnic tables
D. Phase 4 (October 2015 – June 2016)
– Ten member telescope observing pads, 12’x12’ concrete pads with electricity
– Cleared additional area for future expansion of member pads area
E. Phase 5 (November 2016 – May 2017)
– Reynolds-Mitchell Observatory, 25’x28’ warm room building with adjacent 28’x30’ deck containing a 40” dia. StarStructures custom-built, computer-controlled dobsonian telescope with roll-off protective shed
F. Phase 6 (June 2018 – November 2018)
– RMO deck extension containing 228mm (9” dia.) APM custom-made folded refractor telescope on an AP1600 mount with roll-off protective shed
G. Phase 7 (September 2019 – November 2023)
– Sleeping quarters buildings (2)
– Bldg. #1 Foley INNstitute with HVAC – 7 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, utility room and 1 EV charging station
– Bldg. #2 Margaret E. Mooney with HVAC – 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, large classroom, utility room and 1 EV charging station
– Fourth steel storage container for club equipment (September 2021)
– Stinger observing pad, 4 telescopes
– Celestron CPC 9.25” dia. SCT in roll-off protective shed
– Celestron CPC 11” dia. SCT in roll-off protective shed
– Meade GPS 12” dia. SCT in roll-off protective shed
– Obsession 18” dia. dobsonian telescope in stationary protective shed
H. Phase 8 (December 2022 – October 2023)
– Member observatories
– Five roll-off roof observatories (1 @ 10’x10’, 3 @ 12’x12’ and 1 @ 16’x16’),
– 4 of the 5 observatories are remote-control capable
– One large dobsonian telescope observing pad, 30’x30’ concrete pad with electricity and an adjacent steel storage container
– Tractor steel storage container (June 2023)
– Tent camping area with pea gravel (August 2023)
I. Phase 9 (December 2022 – June 2025)
– RV area expansion from original 4-lanes to 7-lanes (4 @ 50-amp and 3 @ 30-amp)
– EV charging stations (4) (April 2023 – inactivated – ready for future use)
J. Phase 10 (September 2024 – est. October 2025)
– 18’x24’ roll-off roof observatory containing a DFM 32” research-grade, classical Cassegrain telescope
K. Phase 11 (pending construction) Dean Ketelsen Observatory
– 12’x14’ roll-off roof observatory containing a Celestron C-14 SCT on an AP1200 mount