Manager's Message: Help us prepare for Marana’s future

This originally appeared as a Manager’s Message in the Marana News/Explorer News.

Happy new year! While it may seem like 2019 has only just begun, the Town of Marana is busy preparing for year 2020 and beyond. This means taking a closer look at all our town services and programs, identifying new areas for strategic growth, and continuing to prepare our community for 20 years into the future.  

This January we completed our third planning workshop for the Make Marana 2040 General Plan Update. Through this public process community members were invited to take part in strategizing sessions that will help to set the vision for the next several decades. Those who were unable to attend the workshops shouldn’t worry; the survey is now open for the general public on our website at MakeMarana2040.com. How can Marana preserve and enhance its existing qualities while reaching its fullest potential as a community? That’s one of many questions to be explored as part of the process of updating Marana’s General Plan.

This year, Marana’s population reached 47,000 people. The town is experiencing an economic resurgence, and projects previously explored prior to the recession are slowly being revived. To anticipate this continued growth, Marana has to evaluate our most fundamental services, including water delivery, sewer collection, transportation systems, and parks and recreation amenities.

This is the year for strategic planning. Town Council has already approved the Downtown Overlay District, and this year they will review the Land Development Code, the Sewer Conveyance Plan, the North Marana Drainage Study, the Potable Water Plan, the General Plan Update and the Parks and Recreation Master Plan. Collectively, these documents will help pave the way for how the Town prepares for the future, and will reflect the community’s essential needs.

Those interested in participating in this civic process are encouraged to do so by following the Town of Marana on Facebook and Twitter to learn of upcoming events and meetings. You can also subscribe to the Marana Newsroom and other various Town alerts by visiting www.MaranaAZ.gov/notify.

This will be a very busy year, but once these plans are established, the Town of Marana will be prepared even more growth as we look to a promising future.

Jamsheed Mehta is the Marana Town Manager

Marana In The Media: an active and healthy 2019

The Marana News/Explorer News recently ran an article on the great offerings from Marana and Oro Valley’s Parks and Recreation Departments.

The Town of Marana’s Parks and Recreation Department is offering a wholesome bounty of outdoor programs sure to suit everyone in the family, including Tots & Me Story Art Classes that run every Thursday through April 25 at the Marana Community Center (13250 N. Lon Adams Road). There’s also the Nature to You - Garden Education Series, teaching Marana’s youngest residents the different varieties of bugs and gardening tips that can serve them well down the road, on Feb. 9 and March 9 from 9 to 11 a.m. at Marana Heritage River Park (12375 N. Heritage Park Drive).

Marana Parks and Recreation Department Superintendent Cory Larriva said the town’s programming this spring offers something for everyone, with an eye on making sure residents get outside.

“A lot of the new programing this year has been kind of targeted for these gap areas that we weren’t really providing services or programs for in the past,” Larriva said. “So, we’ve done a really good job of expanding into those age groups, or those family types that maybe didn’t have services before from Marana Parks and Rec.”

Other department offerings this spring include Marana Police Kids Academy, held at the Marana Police Department (11555 W. Civic Center Drive) on Thursday, Feb. 21 and Saturday, April 13 from 9 to 11 a.m. The town is also offering a variety of teen-oriented programs this spring, including the Marana Police Teen Academy, which runs during the Marana Unified School District spring break, March 18 to 22.

Adults have a variety of options this spring, too, including Paint Nights in the Park, held at Marana Heritage River Park on Jan. 31, Feb. 28, March 28 and April 25 from 6 to 8 p.m.

Marana Parks and Recreation Director Jim Conroy said another key aspect of fitness in Marana revolves around the trails that link various sections of the sprawling town. A few of the trails Conroy highlighted included the walking paths built along Gladden Farms, Dove Mountain and along various parts of south Marana.

“We’re really trying to make it as much as we can a walkable community,” Conroy said. “We’re actively trying to connect our trail system as much as possible. We’re continuing to do that all the time.”

There are plenty of opportunities to stay active in town, including the Cape Chase Fun Run (March 9), the Marana Mother’s Day 5K & Fun Run (May 11) and the Marana Meltdown: Mountain Bike Time Trial (May 4).

Conroy said the town’s plethora of outdoor-related programs speaks to the department’s emphasis on health, and on giving residents the best amenities possible to accomplish their wellness goals.

“Recreation is one of the major initiatives to the Town of Marana,” Conroy said. “Under that area is also keeping a healthy community.”

Read the full story at Tucson Local Media

Marana In The Media: Marana HS students learn consequences of substance abuse

KOLD posted a story about an interesting event that the Marana Police Department participated in at a local high school. 

In collaboration with the Marana Prevention Alliance, the Marana Police Department and the Pima County Sheriffs Office took part in a “Teen Maze” event at Marana High School to highlight the potential legal, health, and social dangers that are associated with substance abuse.

More than a half dozen law enforcement vehicles were lined up outside the school Tuesday, as officers and deputies volunteered their time to give students an inside look at the consequences of their actions involving substance abuse. Held at high schools across the area, it is a 30-minute interactive event where students go step-by-step.

“So it starts off with they are all at a party,” said Officer David Danielson, Community Resource Officer with Marana PD. “Based on their choices it leads down a different path. So they pretty much follow their consequences and see where it goes from there.”

Scenarios include leaving the party intoxicated and then getting pulled over, or being involved in a serious injury accident.

Read the full story on the KOLD website.

Marana named a top-30 destination to avoid winter

The Town of Marana was named one of the 30 Places to Make You Forget About Winter by the Forbes Travel Guide. The Town was selected as an ideal destination for those "dreaming of running away to a place where we don sunglasses and flip-flops instead of marshmallow-like down coats and snow boots. "

Marana made the list along with such exotic locales as St. Kitts, Cancun, and Bali. Tucson also made the list. 

The article highlighted the Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain, as well as the area's hiking trails and petroglyphs.

Marana, Arizona is the gateway to Southern Arizona and a perfect place to explore and play, as well as a perfect staging point for adventures all over the region.

Learn more about all of the great travel options in Marana including culinary tours, places to stay, great food and beverage options, shopping, and more at DiscoverMarana.org.

The Top 30 Places to Make You Forget About Winter

Marana In The Media: Residents to expand neighborhood watch program

The Marana News recently ran an article about Neighborhood Watch Programs in Marana Neighborhoods.

The Marana Police Department has a neighborhood watch program that has been in place for years. The program, sponsored by the National Sheriffs’ Association, enlists volunteers, often regular citizens, who serve as the eyes and ears of their neighborhoods and keep regular contact with the police.

David Danielson, Marana’s Community Resource Officer, works with a neighborhood watch support team to get these programs out in the town’s neighborhoods, share information and provide assistance wherever needed.

“It’s all about neighbors helping neighbors,” said Mike Newman, one of the support team volunteers. “It’s almost as if it’s a throwback to a time when neighbors really were close. It sort of aims to recreate a time when neighbors were close and helped each other out.” 

Darrel Gleddie, another volunteer, got involved with neighborhood watch about 10 years ago after moving to Marana for retirement. He lives in the Highlands at Dove Mountain, which has one of the longest-running programs in town, and serves as their community coordinator.

Read the full story at the MARANA NEWS

Marana Police assist MUSD with active shooter training

The Marana Police Department and the Pima County Sheriff’s Department participated in the Marana Unified School District (MUSD) Professional Learning and Collaboration Day, where they presented information on active shooter response in schools.  

Over 1,300 district educators and staff participated in the training, which is aligned with the MUSD Emergency Action Plan. 

“Educators did not come into this profession with this in their minds, it was to help and teach kids,” Marana Police Department Community Resource Officer David Danielson said. “unfortunately, in these changing times, these are things they need to be aware of and they need to be prepared for.”

The training focused on the run-hide-fight model, which emphasizes fleeing the scene as a top priority. If escape is not possible, victims should try to get out of the shooter’s view and stay very quiet. Engaging the shooter should be a last resort.

WIFA Announces Loan Closing for Town of Marana

PHOENIX (January 22, 2018) - The Water Infrastructure Finance Authority of Arizona (WIFA) announced today that it has closed a $15,000,000 loan with the Town of Marana to install treatment technologies on two of the town’s water systems. The town provides water service to approximately 20,000 residents.

The funds will be used to install an ion exchange plus low-pressure high output (LPHO) ultraviolet and a peroxide advanced oxidation process (AOP) to reduce concentrations of compounds that are present in the Picture Rocks and Airline/Lambert water systems. While these compounds are unregulated at this time, this investment by the Town of Marana will permanently provide high quality water regardless of the EPA’s established health advisory levels.

“We are pleased to be a part of this much-needed project. These funds will allow Marana to improve the town’s drinking water now and long into the future,” said Trish Incognito, WIFA Executive Director. “By providing funding for infrastructure improvements like these, WIFA is able to help ensure that drinking water utilities can meet the long-term public health needs of their customers.”

About WIFA

WIFA is a governmental organization dedicated to protecting public health and promoting environmental quality through financial assistance for water and wastewater infrastructure. WIFA offers funding for drinking water, wastewater and stormwater projects designed to ensure safe, reliable drinking water and proper wastewater treatment. Over the last 25 years, WIFA has invested over $2 billion in Arizona’s communities.

For more information, please visit WIFA’s website at azwifa.gov.

The Town of Marana had previously announced the loan in a December press release.

Marana Film Office continues Town's rich film legacy

The Town of Marana has embraced the film and television industry, but that is nothing new. Cameras have rolled in the Town for movies and shows since 1939, but now more than ever Marana is becoming a destination for film production. The Marana Film Office was created to help bring more of these productions to the Town, as well as make the process of filming in the Town easier.

The Marana Film Office was established in 2017 as part of the Town’s Department of Economic Development and Tourism.

“The Marana film office fulfills the goals of the Marana Strategic Plan and the Economic Development Strategic Plan in a number of ways,” said Laura Cortelyou who oversees the Marana Film Office as part of her role as Marana’s Tourism and Marketing Manager. “It helps to diversify Marana’s economic base, it supports high paying jobs that match local workforce’s skill sets, and it supports local visitation and tourism.”

Tourism in Marana was given a huge boost by the film industry. Places like Saguaro Vista Ranch, Wild Horse Ranch, and the White Stallion Ranch catered to high end clients. When movie productions came to Marana, most of the film’s producers, crew, and cast stayed at these boutique guest ranches and made Marana a vacation destination.

Television and film has had an economic impact on the region. According to the Tucson Film Office, filming in \southern Arizona generated $9.4 million in direct spending, 3,653 hotel room nights, and 6,000 job days for local cast and crew members.

A number of projects have recently filmed in Marana, including a nature documentary, a segment for a crime TV documentary, a Jeep promotional video, several independent film projects, and an episode of TLC’s “Four Weddings”.

The Marana Film Office assists with the permitting process for filming on Town of Marana property, as well as location scouting and finding accommodations within the Town for the cast and crew.

If the production needs to hire local crew and/or support services, the Marana Film Office can assist with that as well. Soon the Marana Film Office website will host a comprehensive public-facing crew list.

Marketing the Town is a significant part of the Marana Film Office. They are marketing the Town not only as a great place to film projects, but as a great place to bring film-related businesses to the Town.

On January 16, Modern Studios opened in Marana. This full-service production facility boasts 12,000 square feet in production and post-production amenities, and is geared toward the regional, national, and international TV commercial market, digital media, and music video productions. It is the largest production studio in Arizona and has the only Bolt high-speed cinebot camera in the state.

Marana Film Office was recently accepted as a member of the Association of Film Commissioners International (AFCI), joining 360 film office members worldwide. The Marana Chamber of Commerce has also created a Film Committee to support and collaborate with the Marana Film Office.

Working in collaboration with Tucson Film Office and the Arizona Film and Digital Media Program, the Marana Film Office is working hard to market Marana to both future productions and businesses. Several productions have scouted Marana, and on January 4 a locations tour was provided to raise awareness of the unique locations Marana has to offer.

The Town of Marana has a rich cinematic history, and the future of film in the community is bright as well.

More on the Marana Film Office at DiscoverMarana.com

January 2019 is General Aviation Appreciation Month in Marana

At the January 15 Marana Town Council meeting it was proclaimed that January 2019 would be proclaimed as General Aviation Appreciation Month.

The proclamation states that the Town of Marana has a significant interest in the “continued vitality of general aviation, aircraft manufacturing, aviation educational institutions, aviation organizations, and community airports.” Additionally the proclamation recognizes the important economic impact the Marana Regional Airport has on the Town of Marana and surrounding areas.

As part of the proclamation, Marana residents are urged to “support the businesses and industries that contribute to general aviation as an important public benefit to the community and economic resource to the region.”

The Marana Regional Airport is currently in the midst of a $6 million improvement project that includes paving reconstruction, lighting upgrades, and drainage improvements.

Marana In the Media: 2019 Road Projects

Photo courtesy of Jeff Gardner/Inside Tucson Business

Inside Tucson Business wrote an in-depth feature on the Southern Arizona road projects on tap in 2019. The article covered Marana, as well as the City of Tucson, Oro Valley, Pima County, and state highways.

From the section on the Town of Marana:

Marana: Ina Road rebirth tops 2019 projects

The Town of Marana will be celebrating the completion of the Ina Road/Interstate 10 interchange this spring, along with a makeover of Ina Road itself.

Mo El-Ali, who serves as the director of Marana’s Public Works Department, highlighted some of the biggest improvements on the horizon in 2019. 

Topping the list for El-Ali is the series of improvements made along Ina Road, including the new bridge that spans the lanes of I-10, as well as the Union Pacific tracks next to the roadway. 

There’s also the bridge built by the consortium of the Arizona Department of Transportation, his department and the Regional Transit Authority. 

The Town of Marana budgeted $6.9 million to the Santa Cruz bridge development in the 2019 fiscal year, along with $4.3 million for the Ina Road re-pavement project that runs from Ulene Place and the Cañada del Oro Wash. 

For El-Ali, the Ina Road project, as well as the $307,000 re-pavement project along Avra Valley Road from Sanders Road to the town’s western limits and the $3.9 million sidewalk addition from Coachline Boulevard Twin Peaks Road are the most important efforts for residents. 

“Good roads are critical to Marana’s economy and it has a variety of infrastructure needs,” El-Ali said. “It’s going to be safe, and safe roads connect people to work, to schools, doctors’ offices, grocery stores, places that are vital to everyone’s well-being. So, they’re essential.”

El-Ali’s department is tasked with maintaining and improving the 520 lane miles of road in the Pima County town. 

The Town of Marana repaved 66 lane miles of road in 2018, according to El-Ali, comprising 13 percent of the town’s total roadway. 

Residents can expect further improvements, in the form of repaving and adding ADA-compliant ramps along Gladden Farms Road (2020) and a new four-way intersection with stop lights at Arizona Pavilion and the Walmart parking lot entrance.

Read the full story on the Inside Tucson Business website.



Marana In The Media: Ancient irrigation canals discovered in Marana 10 years ago

The Marana News had a good story about the 10-year anniversary of the discovery of ancient irrigation canals within the Town of Marana.

It’s been a decade since the announced discovery of the Las Capas irrigation canals, the uncovering of what would prove to be the oldest documented irrigation system in North America—and an answer to how ancient farmers grew corn in an arid and cactus-filled Sonoran Desert.

It was 10 years ago that Desert Archaeology began major excavations along the east bank of the Santa Cruz River, downstream of the confluence of the Rillito and Cañada del Oro tributaries as part of an expansion of Pima County’s water reclamation facilities when they found evidence of earlier waterways.

By earlier, according to excavation archaeologist James Vint, we’re speaking of dates from the Early Agricultural period (between 1200 and 800 B.C.) through the Hohokam and Protohistoric eras.

What they found was a network of canals and fields stretching over 100 acres.  According to the Society for American Archaeology: “There were more than 250 well-preserved canals of various sizes and over a thousand bordered fields in multiple stratigraphic levels occupied over a period of 800 years.”

Read the rest of the story, including information on Discover Marana’s Culinary Tours, here.

Marana In The Media: Positive news in year-end finances

Recently, the Town of Marana’s new finance director Yiannis Kalaitzidis briefed the Marana Town Council on the Town finances. In two briefs he covered both an independent audit, as well as giving them an update of the Town’s first quarter financials. Both were positive and the Marana News had a great re-cap of the presentations.

Marana’s budget is in good shape, according to new finance director Yiannis Kalaitzidis, who presented the town’s financial results for the most recent fiscal year and gave a new first quarter update to the mayor and council at their Dec. 18 meeting.

A group of independent auditors found no red flags in the town’s expenditures or revenues, which was great news for the finance department. Kalaitzidis, who began his leadership role in late October, went over highlights of the annual Comprehensive Financial Report.

He said this report is one of the most important because it’s a complete analysis of the town’s finances since its inception, and it communicates the financial health of the town’s government.

Read the rest of the story in the Marana News

MPD Citizen's Police Academy accepting applications

The Marana Police Department is happy to announce their next Citizen’s Police Academy. The Citizen’s Police Academy is designed to provide our citizens and business community with a greater understanding of the department and its operations through classroom instruction and hands-on experiences. This Academy is a 45-hour block of instruction taught by department employees that showcases several units in the department.

The program objective is to further our partnership with the community and make the Town of Marana an even better place to visit, work and raise a family.

TOPICS COVERED IN THE CLASS:

• Introduction of Command Staff

• Hiring and training academy information

• Patrol duties

• Motor units

• Volunteers in Police Service

• Firearms

• Criminal investigations

• K-9 (dog) unit

• To name a few

ACADEMY REQUIREMENTS:

• Must be 18 or older

• NO felony arrest or convictions

• NO misdemeanor arrests within one year of application

This academy is held every Wednesday from 6:00 pm to 9:30 pm for 13 weeks. Classes start February 13th and go until May 1st, 2019. For more information, visit our webpage at (http://www.maranaaz.gov/citizens-police-academy). For further questions please contact the Community Resource Unit at 520-382-2051. Seats are limited so sign up today, but no later than January 30th, 2019!!!

Marana named one of the state's top-10 cities to live in

For the fourth straight year Marana was named one of Arizona's top-10 cities to live in by HomeSnacks.com, a website that uses recent data to paint a picture of what’s happening in a region.

Marana was ranked as the No. 10 Best City to Live In by the website. Marana was also ranked at the No. 8 Richest City in Arizona and the No. 13 Safest City in Arizona.

The website ranked each place in Arizona across a number of criteria from one to 54, with one being the best. Next, they took the average rank across all criteria, with the city posting the lowest overall score being crowned the winner of the title “Best Place To Live In Arizona”.

The criteria they used were:
Median Home Values
Median Income
Population Density (Higher better)
Unemployment Rate
Commute Time
Crime
Education Levels
Health Insurance Coverage
Poverty rates

Sources of criteria include the New Census Data and FBI Crime Data.

According to the website, “In Marana, everyone loves to call Marana home.”

The Town also earned an 8.5 SnackAbility Ranking, which looks at eight different metrics and scores then on a 1-10 score. Marana scored 8.0 or better in seven of the metrics, and earned 9.0’s for Diversity and Education. The score of 8.5 puts Marana in the top-20 percent of all communities in America.

HomeSnacks.com tries to paint a picture of what it's like to live in places across America. To do that, they gather data from around the web to help determine a wide array of factors about where people live including safety, desirability, and culture.

Full story

Egg Nog Jog kicks off a year of great races + Photo Gallery

Every year the Town of Marana kicks of the new year with their January 1st Egg Nog Jog, and every year the Town’s Parks and Recreation Department invites residents to #RunMarana.

The Town offers a variety of ways to run and hike. Whether you like 10Ks, fun runs, or running on the trails, Marana has a race for you.

The Egg Nog Jog is just one of three holiday themed races. May will bring the Mother’s Day 5k and Fun Run, while next November will see the Town host the next installment of the Turkey Trot.

This year we are adding a few new events to the slate. On March 9 Marana will host the first Cape Chase, which the first of its kind Superhero Adaptive fun run. This is a race for anyone and everyone who is ready to reveal their secret identities and conquer our course full of obstacles.

On May 9 the first Marana Meltdown will take place. The Meltdown is a Mountain Bike Time Trial on the Tortolita Preserve.

In addition to the races, there are other great opportunities to take in the great trails in Marana. There are monthly guided hikes and horseback rides and on March 2 the MOVE Across 2 Ranges, where hikers are invited to hit the trails and experience the challenge and beauty of Southern Arizona's premier hiking destinations in the Tortolita and Catalina Mountains all in one day.

For more information on these and all of the Marana Parks and Recreation events and activities CLICK HERE.

MPD FOCUS: Lock it or Lose it

As the holiday season kicks off, be extra mindful of your surroundings and your belongings. Here are a few safety tips to help you through the holiday season safely:

WHEN SHOPPING

• REMOVE your valuables from vehicles

• Don't leave packages visible through vehicle windows

• Secure packages in the trunk when possible

• Pay attention to your surroundings when walking to your vehicle

• Don't leave your purse unattended in your cart (use purse strap to secure purse to cart)

• ALWAYS be aware of your surroundings

• ALWAYS lock your vehicle

• DO NOT leave valuables or firearms in vehicles

• Be mindful of boxes that can be seen from an open garage door indicating new purchases

• Verify ALL outside lighting is functional

• Report ANY and ALL suspicious activity

• Non-emergency (520)682-4032

• TAKE Your keys

AT HOME

• ALWAYS secure your garage door and close it at night

• Do not leave your vehicle open when unloading items

• Schedule delivery of internet purchases when someone is home

• Make sure vehicles parked on the property are locked and free of tempting items

• Trim the vegetation to the front of the house

• Leave the porch light on

• Let a trusted friend or relative know when you're out of town so they can check your residence

Volunteers help keep Marana safe for shoppers

The Marana Police Department is doing a number of things to try and make this Holiday Shopping Season a safe one for shoppers, workers, and businesses. They recently launched their “Lock It or Lose It” campaign, have increased patrols on heavy shopping days, and begun utilizing their Volunteers in Police Service  (VIPS) to add an added law enforcement presence.

“The whole point of the program is to build a stronger partnership with local businesses,” said Officer David Danielson of the Community Resource Unit. “We already have a great relationship, but this will provide a stronger one-on-one relationship.”

The VIPS have been going on foot patrols in retail areas and their presence serves many purposes. By being visible they want to make sure shoppers feel safe and act as a deterant for would-be criminals.

The foot patrols walk both inside and outside of businesses, talking to customers, employees, and business owners. Their primary job is to serve as the eyes and ears of the Marana Police Department. If they see something suspicious in the store they can report it to store employees, or if the suspicious party leaves the store, they can radio Marana Police Officers to interact with the suspect.

“If we do see something suspicious we report it,” said Tom Cox, a member of the VIPS Foot Patrol.

The VIPS members are also introducing business owners to the Coalition Against Retail Theft  (CART) program, which aims to reduce shoplifting by educating retailers, consumers and perpetrators about our community’s intolerance for organized retail theft.

“It helps the business community curb shoplifting,” Cox said.

The VIPS Foot Patrol is a new unit and so far the program has been a hit with local businesses. The idea was to utilize these trained volunteers to create an added police presence, without having to take actual Marana Police Officers away from their other duties.

With every VIPS member having a radio connected to police dispatch, an MPD officer is just a call away.

Cox said to date “100 percent” of the businesses have embraced the program and welcome the added law enforcement presence in the area.

Although this version of the VIPS Foot Patrol program is new, the VIPS have been patrolling neighborhoods and businesses for years.

“Our VIPS has been a tremendous asset for the Marana Police Department,” said Danielson. “

This story originally ran in 2017.

MPD Holiday Patrols

The Marana Police Department is working hard this holiday shopping season to keep people safe. For over two decades MPD has increased their holiday patrols to help keep shoppers, as well as those working over the holiday shopping season, safe.

Until December 26, MPD has increased their patrols in high traffic shopping areas, as well as utilizing their VIP’s. The idea is that the presence of law enforcement officers will deter would-be criminals, as well as remind shoppers to utilize safe shopping practices.

It is a proactive approach that MPD believes deters crime, as well as makes businesses and shoppers more aware of their surroundings during the Holiday Season. Just because there are more officers on the street, shoppers are also advised to do their part.

“Be aware of your surroundings,” said Sgt. Chriswell Scott, who also encouraged people to report anything suspicious.

Extra officers will be patrolling popular shopping areas like the Arizona Pavilions, the Tucson Outlet Mall and the Ina/Thornydale corridor. Officers will be visible in marked cars, but will also be in unmarked cars, keeping an eye on last-minute shoppers.

The patrols will continue until the 26th of December, to help keep shopper safe as they make returns and exchanges the day after Christmas.

Tucson News Now had a good story on the patrols, as well as safety efforts shoppers can take.

KGUN 9 profiled MPD’s efforts in 2017 for their news broadcast.  

Fun and family at the first Winter Waterland

Marana Parks and Recreation host their first Winter Waterland event on Friday night and it was a success. The event was held at Crossroads at Silverbell District Park and utilized the park’s two newest features, the splash pad and the solar/shade structure over the basketball courts. 

While the splash pad is closed for the winter, the nightly light shows continue. Winter Waterland was the debut of the new holiday colored light show. Jets of green and red water shot up in interesting patterns that elicited a few “oohs” and “ahs” from those in attendance.

The new solar/shade structure over the basketball courts not only provides shade for basketball players during the day, but the lights illuminate the courts at night. On Friday night one of the courts provided a perfect place for many of the features of the event. Both food vendors were set up in the area, and there were plenty of picnic tables set up to enjoy the tasty BBQ and ice cream. The Marana Police VIP’s handed out stuffed animals to every child in attendance, while the Marana Senior Program’s Elf Shoppe also found a home on the courts. The Elf Shoppe raised over $550 for the Marana Community Foodbank by selling handmade crafts and Christmas ornaments.

Santa showed up. He dropped in from the North Pole to kick off the water light show countdown and then stayed around to hear Christmas wishes and take pictures with the families.

The VFW and Boy Scouts handed over 200 cups of hot cocoa in less than 20 minutes. All 325 parking spots were filled and the crowed enjoyed free crafts, food vendors, an outdoor Christmas movie and stage entertainment that included the Silver Steppers Flash Mob, Girl Scouts Carolers, and the Point of Grace Dancers.

Overall, it was an evening jam-packed with holiday cheer.  One attendee took to Facebook to comment, “Thank you for putting on such an amazing family friendly fun event. You guys never cease to amaze me.”

An end is in sight for Ina construction projects

This is a Manager’s Message from Marana Town Manager Jamsheed Mehta that originally ran in the Marana News/Foothills News.

There has been increased construction activity on Ina Road lately, but the benefits will far outweigh the costs once the dust clears and the Ina interchange opens back up in early 2019. Until then, there’s much to be excited for and much to still see from area businesses as we head into the holiday shopping season.

When complete, the project will ease congestion near Interstate-10 and the Union Pacific railroad, diverting traffic onto the bridge and over the interstate and tracks. The Town of Marana is also making a number of improvements to the area, including resurfacing Ina Road and arterial streets with new pavement and improving the landscaping, sidewalks, and lighting around the area. Project Ina will result in a safer and more attractive corridor, and will be more accessible for those with special needs thanks to new sidewalks with ADA ramps.  

We are entering the home stretch of the project, and area businesses need support more than ever as we begin the holiday season.

While many of the businesses in the area have seen only the smallest of impacts since the construction began, others are struggling to make through the final months. Even with moving dirt and construction vehicles, Ina Road is still open for business.

There are great places to eat, drink, and shop during the holiday season. You can go bowling and take a gymnastics class. There are hardware stores, tire stores, and auto mechanics for your various maintenance projects. Want to start your morning right? Enjoy one of several breakfast options. From a nice sit-down brunch to handcrafted sweet rolls or breakfast burritos, you can even just grab a box of dozen donuts for the office.

Even with the combined efforts of Town of Marana, Arizona Department of Transportation, Regional Transportation Authority, and Marana Chamber of Commerce, businesses can always use additional support from the community. If you take the time to explore the great businesses in the area, we know you’ll be thrilled with what you find.

It’s been a long couple of years of road construction in the area, and we understand the challenges everyone has felt with the traffic delays. However, when this project is completed early next year, Ina Road will become a real commercial destination with easy access from the freeway and brand-new road surfaces to drive on.

We are very excited for the completion of the project and have already started the planning stages for how we will celebrate. The Town of Marana will be partnering with area businesses and the Marana Chamber for a grand opening celebration that will be open to the public.

In the meantime, Ina Road is still open and we encourage you to support your local economy and Shop Ina. You will be glad you did.

Jamsheed Mehta is the Marana Town Manager