Town of Marana seeking Letters of Interest for radio partnership

Download the PDF.

The Town of Marana is requesting Letters of Interest from radio broadcasting companies seeking to be the exclusive radio media partner for the Town’s Star Spangled Spectacular event.

The Town of Marana intends to select one radio media partner that;

• Provides coverage promoting the event in the months leading up to the event date

• Reaches an audience that reflects the Marana community, as well as reflects the appropriate tone and scope of the event

• Expands the Town’s reach into new audiences that will enhance/grow event attendance

Any additional services provided by the radio media partner that corresponds with the Town’s intent to grow awareness and attendance at the event will also be considered, including;

• Live event coverage and on-site presence

• Emcee services

• Sponsor an attraction within the event with the ability to sell additional sponsorships to Town-approved entities

• Recruiting of musical talent for the Star Spangled Spectacular

The Letter of Interest should include;

• Name of applicant

• Name of a contact person including email and phone number

• Brief description of organization and its qualification. Please include target audiences and reach.

• Description of services to be provided

• Interviews may be required at the Towns discretion

All questions related to this LOI process or procedure must be submitted in an email to Vic Hathaway, Communications Manager, at vhathaway@maranaAZ.gov.  Send all questions by February 8, 2019 at 4:00 p.m. Arizona time. Answers to questions will be distributed to all interested parties.

Letter of Interest packages will be due February 15 by 3:00 p.m. and emailed to Vic Hathaway at vhathaway@maranaAZ.gov or delivered and titled;

LETTER OF INTEREST FOR TOWN OF MARANA RADIO MEDIA PARTNERSHIP to;

Town of Marana
11555 W. Civic Center Dr.
Marana, AZ. 85653
Attn: Vic Hathaway, Communications Manager

Make Marana 2040: Third round of workshops complete, survey now open

Thank you to all who were able to attend and participate at Workshop #3. Your input is very much appreciated and necessary to make the Marana 2040 General Plan your own. Below is a summary of the input we received at Workshop #3. If you were unable to attend, there is still time for you to participate. Click the button to take a brief survey and provide your input.

Workshop Overview

Download the workshop overview pdf.

The third and final set of community workshops for the Make Marana 2040 General Plan were held on January 23 and 24, 2019 at 6:00 PM.  The January 23rd workshop was held at the Marana Municipal Complex and the workshop on the 24th was held at the Wheeler Taft Abbett Sr. Library. The objectives for this set of workshops were to:

• Provide an update on the General Plan process;

• Present the Workshop #2 results; and

• Receive input on policy alternatives.

What Happened?

A total of 26 people attended the two workshops. Upon arriving, each attendee was asked to identify on a map, generally, where they live or work in Marana. This was done to see what areas of the town were represented in the workshop results. Attendees at the January 23rd workshop were primarily from the communities surrounding Downtown Marana. Attendees at the January 24th workshop were more wide spread throughout Marana, with the majority of residing in communities along Silverbell Road, such as Continental Ranch.

The workshop began with a short presentation informing attendees of the status of the General Plan Update, as well as the results from the Transportation Planning Exercise and Scenario Planning Exercise conducted during Workshop #2. Attendees then worked individually on a Policy Alternatives Exercise. This exercise involved a worksheet listing a series of alternative policies covering 7 General Plan topics:

• Economic Development

• Land Use

• Environmental

• Arts and Culture

• Housing

• Downtown

• Transportation

Participants reviewed each policy and marked “Yes” if they like the policy, “No” if they do not like the policy, or “Revise” if they want to edit the policy. Participants also had the opportunity to recommend a policy not listed on the worksheet. The results of this exercise are detailed on the following pages.

Town of Marana partners with Service Line Warranties of America

The Town of Marana partnered with Service Line Warranties of America (SLWA) on September 25, 2018 to offer protection for homeowners for the WSL/SSL protection program. The coverage is voluntary.

Founded in 2003, SLWA has partnered with over 400 leading cities and municipalities in the US to provide repair service plans that offer peace of mind and convenience.

Frequently asked Questions:

Is this really a letter from the Town of Marana?

The Town of Marana worked with Service Line Warranties of America (SLWA) to make you aware of their services.

Why am I receiving this letter? 

The National League of Cities recognized homeowner water/sewer line warranty services as something many homeowners have expressed interest in. Homeowners who wish to learn more about this program or want to enroll are encouraged to contact SLWA directly at the number provided in the letter. Homeowners who are not interested in these services can disregard the letter entirely. If you choose to enroll in this program, please do so with the understanding that the Town of Marana in no way warrants or is liable for the work or performance of SLWA. The Town of Marana is only making you aware of the availability of their service.

Why is the Town of Marana working with SLWA?

This program was brought to the Town through an Enterprise Program of the National League of Cities administered by SLWA. They were selected because of their high customer service and quality ratings.  

What is in this Program for the Town?

This program provides several benefits to the Town. First, it educates residents of their service line responsibility. Secondly, SLWA only uses qualified local contractors so repair dollars stay within the community. Third, the Town can be assured that all repairs are performed to code and that all appropriate permitting is pulled.

 Is the Town receiving any compensation for SLWA?

SLWA does offer the Town compensation for allowing the use of the Town seal on the letter. The support of the Town alerts residents of the legitimacy of the program resulting in more enrollments, which in turn allows SLWA to offer a lower price to the Town’s residents due to increased participation. No minimum participation is required.

Click here for more Frequently Asked Questions.

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.

Overnight lane closures set for Interstate 10 near Ina Road Jan. 21-25

Motorists who use Interstate 10 near Ina Road should expect lane closures between Orange Grove and Cortaro roads for paving work the week of Jan. 21.

I-10 will be reduced to a single lane in each direction between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. starting the evening of Monday, Jan. 21. Work is expected to be complete by Friday morning, Jan. 25.

Ina Road is scheduled to close overnight between Camino de Oeste and Camino de las Capas for paving and barrier work. Ina will be closed in both directions from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. nightly from Monday, Jan. 21, through Thursday, Jan. 24.

Ina Road traffic will detour to Camino de las Capas during the closures.

Drivers should proceed through the work zone with caution, slow down and watch for construction personnel and equipment.

Schedules are subject to change based on weather and other unforeseen factors. For more information, please call the ADOT Project Information Line at 855.712.8530 or email Projects@azdot.gov. For real-time highway conditions statewide, visit ADOT's Traveler Information Site at www.az511.gov, follow ADOT on Twitter (@ArizonaDOT) or call 511, except when driving.

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!!!

Town of Marana now accepting nominations for Community Awards

Town of Marana is now accepting nominations for the Youth Legacy Award and Branding Iron Awards. These awards are presented to distinguished residents and businesses for their service in the community. Recipients will be invited to accept their awards at the annual Marana State of the Town luncheon held on April 18 at the Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain.

Youth Legacy Award

The Marana Town Council created the Youth Legacy Award in order to acknowledge youth in the community who make Marana a better place for everyone. Recipients of this award benefit others in the community through acts supporting:

Heart: promoting a healthy and supportive environment for youth;

Body: Fulfilling essential needs such as food, shelter, and safety; or

Mind: Creating educational opportunities enriching young minds. 

The person submitting the nomination cannot nominate himself/herself. Past award recipients are not eligible. The submissions may be awarded in memoriam.

Learn about last year’s recipient.

Branding Iron Awards

Marana Branding Irons are awarded to those who have made a "mark" on the community. Past recipients include former U.S. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, former Mayor Ora Mae Harn, Wheeler & Charlene Abbett, and Sargent Aerospace & Defense. 

• One in the Individual category (includes an individual resident or non-resident who works in Marana).

• One in the Organization category (includes civic groups, non-profits, and private businesses)

The person submitting the nomination cannot nominate himself/herself. Past award recipients are not eligible. The submission may be awarded in memoriam.  

Learn about last year’s recipients.

Make Marana 2040: Second round of workshops a success for General Plan update

View the PDF version of this report.

Workshop Overview

The second set of community workshops for the Make Marana 2040 General Plan were held on December 12 and 13, 2018 at 6:00 PM. The December 12th workshop was held at the Marana Municipal Complex and on the workshop on the 13th was held at the Wheeler Taft Abbett Sr. Library. The objectives for this set of workshops were to:

• Discuss the Map Atlas;

• Identify transportation priorities; and

• Develop land use alternatives.

What Happened?

19 people attended the two workshops. Upon arriving, each attendee was asked to identify on a map, generally, where they live or work in Marana. This was done to see what areas of the town were represented in the workshop results. Attendees at the December 12th workshop were primarily from in Dove Mountain and Continental Ranch. Attendees at the December 13th workshop were largely located west of I-10.

The workshop began with a short presentation informing attendees of the status of the General Plan Update, as well as an overview of the Map Atlas. Participants then split into groups to complete two exercises focused on transportation infrastructure and future development. The exercises and results are described on the following pages.

Exercise 1 – Transportation Planning

In the transportation planning exercise, each group of participants identified where transportation improvements in Marana should occur. Each group was provided a red marker and various colors of yarn used to represent different transportation improvements.

With the red marker, participants identified future intersection improvements, overpasses / underpasses, and I-10 interchanges. Most improvements were identified near existing I-10 interchanges. A new overpass was identified across the Santa Cruz River near Airline Road and new I-10 interchanges were identified at Moore Road and Avra Valley Road eastward.

Next, future roadway improvements and expansions were identified using one-inch pieces of orange yarn. Each inch of yarn represented one mile on the map. Most groups focused on roadway expansions connecting Dove Mountain Boulevard to I-10. Other expansions were noted at Avra Valley Road and Tangerine Road.

Participants then replaced five of their orange yarn pieces with five one-inch red yarn pieces. The red yarn pieces indicate improvements that should be prioritized. There were mixed results with the red yard, including improvements to Tangerine Road, Twin Peaks Road, and Cortaro Road.

Using yellow yarn, the groups identified new transit corridors throughout the town. Most groups created a circulating transit system through Dove Mountain and connecting the Town Center area, Gladden Farms, and the Marana Regional Airport, as well as Bus Rapid Transit routes along I-10.

Lastly, groups were provided blue yarn to locate future trail corridors. These were identified along Tangerine Road, along the Santa Cruz River, through Dove Mountain, and connections into the Saguaro National Park and Ironwood National Monument.

Photos of the complete Transportation Planning exercise results are shown on the following pages.

Exercise 2 – Scenario Planning

The second exercise involved scenario planning in two focus areas: the Marana Regional Airport and the Tangerine Corridor. Both focus areas were gridded into one-inch squares at a scale of 1” = ¼ mile, with each square representing 40 acres. Each group was provided a set amount of LEGO® bricks of various colors, each representing a different land use type as follows:

n 10 yellow bricks for low density residential units (1 du/a or 40 dwelling units)

n 15 orange bricks for medium density residential (5 du/a or 200 dwelling units)

n 5 brown bricks for high density residential (10 du/a or 400 dwelling units)

n 10 red bricks for commercial

n 3 blue bricks for employment

n 8 yellow flowers for community parks

The quantity of bricks was based on future growth projections and assumptions for Marana. Residential bricks were able to be swapped for an equal number of dwelling units. Additionally, four yellow flowers could be swapped for a green brick representing a community recreational facility.

Groups were asked to plan where each brick should be placed within the focus areas. Participants were allowed to stack bricks to increase density and intensity of uses, as well as draw future roadway connections to their envisioned developments. Following is a summary of each groups’ results.

Group 1

Group 1 envisioned development on the north side of I-10 near Tangerine Road. The area was comprised of commercial along the highway corridor, high density residential next to the commercial, and then lower density residential further removed from the interstate. A community recreational facility was placed along Tangerine Road placed next to commercial and high density residential .

Employment bricks and a commercial brick were placed near the Marana Regional Airport, envisioning this area as an employment hub.

Group 2

Participants in Group 2 focused most of their commercial uses along Tangerine Road east of I-10. Most residential uses are located in the Tangerine Corridor Focus Area, transitioning from higher densities nearest to I-10 to lower densities westward near Dove Mountain.

This group also clustered development east of the Marana Regional Airport with a mix of employment, commercial, and medium to high density residential uses, as well as a community recreational facility.

Group 3

Group 3 scattered developments across the two focus areas, with the most clustered activity located along Avra Valley Road east of the Marana Regional Airport. This area features a mixed-use center with employment uses nearest to the airport.

The Tangerine Corridor Focus Area contains clusters of medium- to low-density residential subdivisions north of Tangerine Road, near the Moore Road alignment. There are three individual mixed-use centers spread through the focus area, as well as a community recreational facility.

Group 4

Group 4 created a commercial district east of the Marana Regional Airport, along with a community park. Additionally, this group created a high-density activity hub in the Tangerine Corridor Focus Area, with the highest densities and intensities of uses near the Tangerine Road / I-10 interchange. This cluster of development features two high-intensity commercial districts, a community recreational facility, and three community parks intertwined with high-density and medium-density residential districts within a mile radius of each other. Residential densities decrease as they get farther away from the activity hub.

Overnight closures of Ina Road near I-10 set for Jan. 15 and Jan. 21-25

Ina Road is scheduled to close overnight between Camino de Oeste and Camino de las Capas for paving and barrier work the following dates:

• Westbound Ina Road is set to close from 3 a.m. to 5 a.m. Tuesday, January 15. 

• Both directions of Ina Road are set to close from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. nightly from Monday, Jan. 21, through Thursday, Jan. 24.

Ina Road traffic will detour to Camino de las Capas during the closures.

Drivers should proceed through the work zone with caution, slow down and watch for construction personnel and equipment.

Schedules are subject to change based on weather and other unforeseen factors. For more information, please call the ADOT Project Information Line at 855.712.8530 or email Projects@azdot.gov. For real-time highway conditions statewide, visit ADOT's Traveler Information Site at www.az511.gov, follow ADOT on Twitter (@ArizonaDOT) or call 511, except when driving.

Cherry Lawson appointed Marana Town Clerk

Town Manager Jamsheed Mehta has appointed Cherry Lawson as Marana Town Clerk effective Monday, January 14.

Lawson was educated in the Detroit Public School system. She received an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Human Service and Disabilities from Highland Park Community College. She received a BA in Psychology and a BS in Criminal Justice Science from Wayne State University in Detroit, later receiving her MS/MPA from Central Michigan University. 

Lawson is currently pursuing the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) designation of a professional manager, and is in the final application stages of receiving the International Institute of Municipal Clerk (IIMC) Master Municipal Clerk (MMC) designation. She is also pursuing credentialing as a Certified Records Manager through the Institute of Certified Records Managers (ICRM). 

Lawson has served as a City Clerk/Elections Administrator and Records Manager for 18 years. Her previous titles include City Clerk for the City of Bloomington, as well as the City Clerk, Elections Administrator, Records Manager, and Cemetery Administrator for the City of Mesquite, Nevada, and as City Clerk and Records Manager for the City of Sedona.

Lawson has had a career in community mental health as a youth counselor/advocate for over 15 years.  Being a public servant was the career path Cherry wanted to pursue, as she saw it as an extension of being able to continue to serve the public beyond the community mental health field. 

“The Town of Marana is very fortunate to welcome Cherry onboard as the new Town Clerk,” said Mehta. “Her extensive experience will greatly attribute to the Town’s success as she upholds the department’s mission to provide excellent customer service to the staff and citizens of the Town of Marana.”

Isaac Abbs appointed Technology Services Director for Town of Marana

Town Manager Jamsheed Mehta has appointed Isaac Abbs as Technology Services Director effective Monday, January 14.

Isaac Abbs previously served as the Director of IT Enterprise Systems for Pima Community College (PCC), where he provided leadership and oversight for the College’s administrative and academic information systems.  He and his team were instrumental in looking for new ways to enhance business processes by properly aligning business needs with technology solutions. 

Prior to working at PCC, Isaac served in various roles with the City of Tucson for seven and a half years.  His last position was as the City Court’s first IT Manager.

“We are very fortunate to have Isaac on board here at the Town,” said Deputy Town Manager Erik Montague. “Isaac brings a diverse technology skill set from a multi-campus college setting.  Those experiences will be very helpful as we continue advancing the use of technology to enhance the value of Town services.”

Make Marana 2040: Third round of workshops seek input from the public

Building a town or city isn’t just an idea. Be a part of building your own community with the Town of Marana General Plan 2040. 

Town of Marana is hosting the third round of Marana 2040 General Plan public workshops on Wednesday, January 23 at the Marana Municipal Complex, and on Thursday, January 24 at Wheeler Taft Abbett Sr. Library.

Attendance is not required for both nights. Participants can choose between the two options to attend.

Attendees will have the opportunity to provide their input on a variety of policy alternatives relating to future growth, housing, transportation, parks and recreation, services, and the environment.

Interested in seeing the results of the first workshop and survey? Click here.

Interested in seeing the results of the second workshop? Click here.

Visit the official Make Marana 2040 project website.