*Mayor and Council, Town staff, Crown West, Rick Engineering, and Sellers & Sons cut the ribbon at the new dog park located at Gladden Farms Community Park.*

Marana Town Council and staff cut the ribbon at the brand-new dog park located at Gladden Farms Community Park on Friday, October 13. They were joined by an eager group of dogs ready to test out the new amenities, including hills and tunnels.

“This is a great day for Marana,” said Mayor Ed Honea. “People move to Marana for a lot of reasons. It’s [for] safety, but it’s also [for] public amenities.”

That includes amenities for four-legged residents. The dog park at Gladden Farms Community Park is now one of five public dog parks, including Tangerine Sky Park, Crossroads at Silverbell District Park, San Lucas Community Park, and Ora Mae Harn District Park.

“What we try to do as a Town is continue to improve services with all these different amenities.” said Parks and Recreation Director Jim Conroy.

The vision of the Gladden Farms Community Park dog park was a result of Town Council’s leadership. The park was then developed through a development agreement with Crown West, designed by Rick Engineering, and constructed by Sellers & Son. Marana Parks staff worked hand-in-hand with contractors to ensure a quality end result.

“There was a voice in the background that kept saying ‘build a dog park’,” said Mayor Honea. “That voice was [Councilmember] Roxanne Ziegler.”

The dog park is just one of several improvement projects in or around Gladden Farms Community Park. In addition to the soccer fields that opened in 2022, a new road entry was constructed to alleviate traffic, as well as a drainage feature on one end of the park. Later this year, two new lighted baseball fields will open.

Recreation amenities and programs will only increase around Gladden Farms Community Park as more and more people visit the area. In addition to Parks & Recreation sporting events and concerts, organizations can reserve the soccer and baseball fields. Just north of the park, a new trailhead by Pima County will open. Marana staff also plans to start the bid process for the CalPortland Loop connection, which will connect north Marana to the 136-mile shared-use path.

The Gladden Farms Community Park dog park is open 7 AM — 9 PM, seven days a week.