Marana has grown considerably since the 1990s. Entire neighborhoods have sprung from the desert. A five-star resort now sits tucked into the Tortolita Mountains. The Town now manages its own wastewater and is building up water credits that will spur ongoing development.
Much of this rapid expansion is due to the work of former Town Manager Hurvie Davis, whom the Town Council honored last Tuesday night by renaming the Thornydale Bridge over the Cañada del Oro wash the “Hurvie Davis Bridge.”
Prior to becoming Marana’s Town Manager, Mr. Davis spent many years as Tucson’s Director of Transportation. In that role, he became passionate about transportation and infrastructure projects, an enthusiasm he brought with him when he became Town Manager of Marana in 1992.
“Hurvie could drive around the city and see that he made a huge difference in the Tucson community,” wrote Priscilla Cornelio in a letter read before Council by former colleague Benny Young. Ms. Cornelio, now the director of Pima County’s Department of Transportation, worked with Mr. Davis in Tucson from 1979 to 1990.
After the Town Council voted unanimously to rename the bridge in his honor, Mr. Davis offered a few brief remarks. “When I came to Marana, I found a home. I guess the sheriff finally stopped looking for me, so I stayed here.”
Though always light-hearted, it was nevertheless clear how much this Town Resolution meant to Mr. Davis. Before yielding the microphone, though, he did have one final question for Marana’s council. “Since I am an old fisherman, do I now have the authority to fish off the bridge?” That proposal will have to wait for another Council session.
