A message from Parks & Recreation Director Jim Conroy, originally published by Tucson Local Media.
The Town of Marana Parks and Recreation Department staff are committed to making sure that our park visitors and program participants are staying safe while enjoying a park visit or participating in a recreation class. As Parks and Recreation professionals, we have seen first-hand during the COVID pandemic how important our parks, recreation facilities, natural resources preserves, and trail systems are to the residents of our community.
Now that we are returning to in-person recreation programs and team sport activities, our staff remain more diligent than ever in providing safe environments for you to recreate. We understand that our parks and trail systems offer residents the outdoor environments they need to stay both physically and mentally healthy. Getting out on one of our trail systems for a morning walk, hike, horseback ride or bike ride can significantly contribute to both your physical and mental well-being.
Marana Parks & Recreation staff have prepared a fun and exciting program schedule for the summer, and staff are working toward providing the best programs possible while also adhering to safety guidelines.
As we move forward into summer, we will offer our residents the opportunity to enjoy the Marana Public Pool in Ora Mae Harn District Park. Aquatics staff are offering a well-rounded aquatics program schedule including free open swim and lap swim from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend. We will also continue to operate our splash pads at both Crossroads District Park and Gladden Farms Community Park. Those splash pads are open daily from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days per week, until the middle of October. Before visiting these aquatic facilities, please review the COVID-19 safety modifications for aquatic facilities at maranaAZ.gov/aquatics.
Our Aquathon Event is a fun, competitive swimming and running event scheduled for July 10 from 7 to 9 a.m. We will also be offering American Red Cross lifeguard training, youth swim lessons and American Red Cross junior lifeguarding courses with first aid/CPR/AED certification programs, as well as the Swim the Cruz Swimmer’s Challenge.
On June 5, we will sponsor the #SplashSavvy Summer Kick-Off, which will be a fun swimming race relay between the Marana Police Department, Northwest Fire District and Town of Marana Lifeguards. There will be food vendors, various community information booths, and lots of Emergency Vehicles where the public can ask police officers and fire fighters how they operate these emergency vehicles—and maybe get a chance to sit behind the wheel!
Outdoor recreation programming will continue to offer guided birding tours, summer horse camps and garden classes at Heritage River Park, as well as host the National Trails Day Headlamp Hike on June 5.
Sports and Wellness programming staff will offer tennis lessons, speed and agility training, functional fitness, Steve Berry Martial Arts Academy, flag football clinic, cheer clinic and tennis camp. Special-interest classes will continue to offer our very popular Paint in the Park classes throughout the summer and into the fall season.
We are also pleased to announce that our senior programs are now open daily at the Marana Community Center in Ora Mae Harn Park. We are offering an array of programs for our seniors, such as fitness classes, knitting and more. The Marana Senior Program will be accepting new members starting July 1.
For more information on any of the above-mentioned recreation programs and events, visit the Parks and Recreation website, or download our mobile app. Besides keeping you up to date with news and events, the Parks & Rec Mobile App has many functions. There, you can sign up for programs, search parks by amenities and check facilities for weather or project closures. More info can be found at www.maranaAZ.gov/recreation.
