From the Arizona Department of Transportation:
PHOENIX – Those who litter along Arizona highways can face fines up to $500. But those fortunate enough to have fellow motorists rather than law enforcement see them may wind up getting a letter warning about the harm litter causes – and a litter bag.
Written by Terry Tang, Associated Press.
Like something out of "Hansel and Gretel," a larger-than-life gingerbread house made with hundreds of pounds of sugar and spice has been luring in guests at one southern Arizona resort.
Much like the fairy tale, they are free to enter and sit down by a roaring fire. But there is no wicked witch.
Instead, there's a server with a three-course menu...
Photo by J.D. Fitzgerald. Written by Brad Allis for the Marana News
There are a number of advantages to Marana’s low crime rate. Of course, less crime means the town is safer than other communities. It also allows the Marana Police Department to send an officer out to every call, no matter how small.
This leads to a lot of crimes being solved and criminals thinking twice about coming to Marana in the first place. An added side effect is that Marana police detectives have opportunities from time to time to look into cold cases...
Think that the big yellow bus is just for getting to and from school? Think again! Marana Unified School District has a new addition to its transportation fleet: a repurposed school bus that’s been retrofitted as a full diner for handing out free meals to kids.
Hundreds of children who attend Marana schools depend on their cafeterias for lunch every day. However, when they’re on vacation, it can be challenging to figure out how to get those meals. Though many schools still offer lunches during breaks, it can still be difficult for the students to get to school. Now, the cafeteria can come to them.
On Monday, December 21, Marana Unified began distributing meals from Marana Cares Mobile. Harnessing the power of the food truck movement, this chic ‘50s diner on wheels plans to make a dozen stops during the winter break. They’ve already handed out almost 100 meals to Marana kids, and every day, the number showing up for a tasty bite is growing.
Kari Barney works as a site supervisor for food services at Rattlesnake Ridge Elementary School, and has volunteered to help staff the bus as it makes the rounds. “I love working with the kids, and this is a great opportunity for me to help out. What’s really great is seeing the same kids come back day after day. I know they need the meal, and I’m so happy it’s becoming part of their routine.”
Beyond simply providing a crucial meal, the staff at MUSD are particularly proud of the quality of food they’re distributing. “We’ve got chicken sandwiches, PB and J’s, fruits, and veggies. We’ve got chicken nuggets, too, but these are much healthier than anything you’ll find at McDonalds,” says Russ Federico, Executive Director of Operations at MUSD.
Back in March 2015, this project was just an idea which quickly received widespread support. Whenever MUSD retires an old school bus, it sells it at auction, typically receiving around $2,000. When this bus reached that point, though, the auto shop mechanics for MUSD realized that it would be a strong candidate for Marana Cares Mobile.
“Most of our buses have an AC that runs off the engine,” explains Federico, “but this one has a separate generator. That means that we can continue to run the AC, even when the engine is turned off. When we’re distributing meals in the summer, that’s going to be an incredibly important feature.”
Once the district identified this bus as a strong candidate for its project, it worked with RWC International, from whom MUSD purchases many of its buses. In its reconstruction of the bus, RWC added a gray water system, a side door with lift, an awning on the outside, and sleek chrome stools inside.
Since the bus first hit the streets earlier this week, the community response has been resoundingly positive. From a front page story on the Arizona Daily Star to coverage from local TV news outlets, it appears that hungry kids aren’t the only ones excited about this new addition to the district’s fleet.
With interest growing rapidly, the district anticipates that soon, one bus won’t be enough to meet demand. With that in mind, another bus is already in the works which will offer even more services. The second bus will be outfitted with help from the welding program at Marana High School, which is part of the district’s larger Career and Technical Education efforts. It will also include space for a mobile dental clinic in the back. That area will be designed with help from the CTE students who work in the dental offices of the Marana Health Center.
Marana Cares Mobile is just one of the many creative ways in which MUSD is working hard throughout the year to make sure that its students are not just getting the education they deserve, but getting opportunities both in and out of school to learn, grow, and prosper. “Inspiring students to learn today and lead tomorrow,” reads the slogan on the front of the bus. Through this initiative, the district not only leads with a powerful message, but indeed, leads by example. For more information, visit http://www.maranausd.org/mcm.
Plastic grocery bags have taken some hits in recent years. First it was paper bags, which are more easily recycled. Then it became reusable bags, which you can fill with your groceries again and again. A new program in Marana, though, is helping plastic bags find redemption by repurposing them for homeless veterans.
On Tuesday, December 15, David Morales, a veteran of the Vietnam War, presented this new idea to the Marana Town Council. Holding up a colorful mat, he surprised his listeners by revealing what it was made from: plastic grocery bags. Morales also had a pillow and blanket in tow, and was happy to pass them around.
“Pima County has 1,500 homeless veterans, and they benefit from every bit of help we can provide them,” says Mr. Morales. “When I returned from Vietnam, it was hard for me to find the support I needed, and I just want to make sure we’re doing everything we can to help these young men and women coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as the older vets like me. They’ve served us, and now it’s time for us to serve them. In combat, we never leave anyone behind, and we definitely never want to leave anyone behind at home.”
Each mat, pillow, and blanket is actually hundreds of plastic bags tightly woven together. A three foot by six foot mat requires 600 plastic bags. Since the program started, Mr. Morales’s organization, Disabled American Veterans, has collected thousands of bags for the program.
The program first began when Jim Snodgrass saw a story on the news. As Selective Placement Program Manager for the Federal Correctional Complex on Wilmot, Mr. Snodgrass appreciates opportunities to turn inmates’ time to a productive purpose. Ten months ago, a group of pre-trial female inmates started processing these bags, converting trash that would otherwise sit in a landfill for an estimated 1,000 years into useful products that will benefit the homeless. Since then, the idea has rapidly grown into a program that allows shoppers to recycle plastic bags, inmates to give back to their community, and homeless vets to keep warm. While it doesn’t solve the issue of chronic homelessness, it’s a small step in the right direction. “This offers us a small way to give back and say thank you to those who have served, and at the same time we’re providing a positive way for inmates to contribute to the community.”
Once a mat is completed, Snodgrass hands it off to Tucson Veterans Serving Veterans, an organization which provides a direct veteran-to-veteran link that strengths this network as a whole. TVSV has a strong connection with the homeless veteran community across Pima County, and is strategically positioned to provide the outreach necessary to ensure these mats are distributed as broadly as possible.
Anyone interested in recycling their plastic bags can drop them off at the Marana Municipal Complex, 11555 W. Civic Center Dr. or at the Disabled American Veterans office at 4145 W. Ina Road. If you would like to host a collection box at your business, please contact the DAV office at (520) 791-9067. They will arrange a regular day and time when they will pick up your recycled bags.
Mayor Ed Honea and Council Member Patti Comerford join members of the Chamber at a Shop 'n Marana Block Party.
With evidence of the holiday season all around, there are plenty of ways to support your local community. The Marana Chamber of Commerce sponsors a year-round program that allows Marana shoppers to do just that, and local merchants are grateful for their support. Through Shop ’n Marana, anyone can help make sure that this Town continues to grow in new and exciting ways.
In 2013, the Marana Chamber conducted a business walk throughout the community. Their goal was to ask local businesses how the Town and the Chamber could best support their entrepreneurial efforts. Based on the feedback the Chamber received, many merchants wanted to see a shop local program created. Within the year, that recommendation became reality.
“This program has been an exciting way to start a dialogue with local businesses,” says Alex Chavez the Chamber’s special projects coordinator. With so much pressure to shift to digital marketing, many merchants find it difficult to keep up with online trends, but this program provides a vehicle for that progress. Through the host app Save Local Now, businesses can distribute discounts and promotions to a wide audience in and around Marana. Since Shop ’n Marana first launched in 2014, over 13,000 users in the region have downloaded the app.
One of the first businesses to sign up for Shop ’n Marana was Mathnasium. This learning center helps provide students a welcoming environment where they can improve their math skills with individualized instruction from experienced teachers. This year, Mathnasium just completed a successful pilot partnership with Marana Unified School District, helping to prepare 6th graders for middle school math.
Devi Paolillo runs Mathnasium, and knows a thing or two about mathematics, from basic arithmetic to differential equations. Where she struggles, though, is in marketing her company. “Alex and the Chamber helped me fill my digital marketing gap. Before I signed up for Shop ’n Marana, my Facebook page had Mathnasium listed as an airport! Alex not only helped us join the shop local movement, but she also helped me improve all my digital marketing.”
The Marana Chamber of Commerce currently has 260 members based in the Town, and the Shop ’n Marana program is open to all of them at no cost beyond their annual dues. If your company is interested in joining this list of local merchants, contact Rebecca Kososkie at (520) 331-2367. If you want to know what local businesses are part of this program, download the Save Local Now app on your smart device, and search for businesses in Marana.
For many, the work of police officers represents a black box. Some think they’re doing a great job, and others criticize their efforts, but few outside the force understand exactly what they do day-to-day. The Marana Police Department is improving that understanding by offering a Citizens Police Academy. This weekly program offers participants the chance to experience firsthand the challenges faced on the job by officers.
Two weeks ago, this three month program reached its conclusion for the fall. From September through November, 23 Marana residents learned a tremendous amount about police work, from evidence collection to vehicle operation. Six of these attendees are currently high school students, and some are interested in pursuing a career in law enforcement.
Marana offered its first Citizens Police Academy in 2004. In the years since, this program has ebbed and flowed. Due to funding cuts, it took a temporary hiatus starting in 2008, but returned in 2012 and has been thriving ever since.
Suzanne Sutherland, who works for the Town of Marana, enthusiastically described her time in this past fall’s program. “I wanted to know what PD did. Even though I work for Marana, I still didn’t know much about what our officers face on a daily basis, and this program helped me understand that better.”
Karrie Moriarty, who also participated in the fall session, shared Sutherland’s positive memories, while adding in a few of her own. “One aspect that I particularly enjoyed about this program was our chance to see all different sides of the police department, not just the officers, though they’re great, too. We saw dispatch, records, property and evidence, and even the K-9 unit. Rocco, Cack, Fany, and Blesk, their police dogs, are incredible members of their team.”
The Citizens’ Police Academy is no small commitment. With weekly meetings from 6:00-9:30pm, the participants must dedicate considerable time to this effort. Nevertheless, all agreed that the sacrifice was absolutely worth it. “Every week was interesting,” Sutherland describes. “Even if the officers were coming off a full shift, they were still eager to highlight their experiences and share their motivation about becoming a police officer. I came away from this class with more respect for the police officers and firefighters for their dedication and commitment to helping people.”
The next Citizens’ Police Academy will begin in January 2016 and will last through April. Learn more to find out if you want to experience this opportunity and watch a video to see what types of activities participants can look forward to.
On Tuesday December 1st, the Marana Town Council formally accepted a grant from the Tohono O’odham Nation. This is the first time the Town has applied for this grant, and is excited to have received $60,000. These funds will go toward development of a dedicated Economic Development Strategic Plan.
Every year, the Tohono O’odham Nation distributes grants to surrounding cities and towns out of their gaming revenues by way of the 12% Gaming Distribution Compact via A.R.S. 5-601-02. These funds are intended to help local jurisdictions fund special projects that support local initiatives, including economic development, education, healthcare, and more. Marana intends to use this grant to provide focus and action-oriented direction for the strategic planning of the Town.
“While we already have an economic roadmap, developing a strategic plan will provide us an even more in-depth approach to creating a sustainable community. Marana is already in a strong position to lead Southern Arizona in economic growth, and this opportunity will allow us to capitalize on that advantage,” says Curt Woody, Marana’s Director of Economic Development and Tourism.
A well designed strategic plan will incorporate the input from various community interests by identifying the Town’s strengths, assets, and preferred target industry sectors that includes Tourism through a comprehensive market assessment. Tourism is the number one economic driver in Arizona and will provide a foundation to build the industry strategies around. The focus will be to position Marana for sustainable economic health within the overall planning of the Sun Corridor Region. The Town truly appreciates the Tohono O’odham Nation for providing that opportunity.
Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), or drones as they are often called, are increasingly available online and on store shelves. Prospective operators—from consumers to businesses—want to fly and fly safely, but many don’t realize that, just because you can easily acquire a UAS, doesn’t mean you can fly it anywhere, or for any purpose. “Know Before You Fly” is an educational campaign that provides prospective users with the information and guidance they need to fly safely and responsibly.
For years, the Marana Police Explorers program has made a powerful impact on the young men and women who participate in it, and last month, their hard work paid off. At the annual Southern Arizona Law Enforcement Explorers Competition, the Marana team placed first overall, while collecting more than ten medals in the individual events. This year’s competition featured 18 teams and 220 participants. “It was a huge moment for these Explorers, and I couldn’t be more proud of them,” says Officer Kevin Litten, who leads the program.
This year marked only the third time Marana’s Explorers have entered this competition. Last year, they walked away in second place, and though proud of their accomplishment, they knew they could do better. This year, their efforts earned them a blue ribbon, and more importantly, reinforced the lesson that persistence and resilience have their rewards.
For months, the Explorers prepared for the competition by practicing the skills that would be tested across a wide range of scenarios. In one situation, the Explorers had to figure out how to negotiate in a hostage situation (first place), while in another they executed a high risk traffic stop (second place). They even had to demonstrate competency in some of the more mundane police responsibilities, like report writing and courtroom testimony (second place). “We’ve practiced all these activities countless times, so it was incredibly satisfying to see that these abilities had really sunk in,” Litten recalls. “This competition takes everything we’ve taught in our program, from teamwork to leadership skills, and forces them to work together to resolve a scenario.”
The Marana Explorers program serves as a powerful tool to expose young participants to the rigors of police life. As a result, many have chosen to pursue careers in law enforcement, and for those who don’t, they walk away with a deeper understanding of what it means to be a cop. The Explorers participate in two competitions every year; in April, they will set off for Los Angeles, where they will enter the LA County Sheriff Explorer Competition.
In addition to these two events, the Explorers also get the chance to apply their skills in the field. One night a year, they ride as passengers with a contingent of Marana police officers, and handle all communications as they respond to a series of scenarios. In managing these situations, they must coordinate every aspect of this work, from communicating with fellow Explorers to responding to civilians at the scene. “It’s a stressful experience for them,” explains Litten, “but at the end of the night, they’ve learned more than we ever could have taught them in a classroom.”
Currently, Marana’s program has 14 active participants, ranging in age from 14 to 20. The program is always accepting new recruits, and hosts a parent orientation twice a year. The next orientation is currently scheduled for this January.
As far as community institutions go in Marana, few have received more acclaim than the Thornydale Songbirds. Since 2001, students in fourth through sixth grades at Thornydale Elementary have had the opportunity to explore their choral talents in this extracurricular activity. From their first year, the Songbirds have been a fixture at the Marana Holiday Festival, and this year will be no different. Performing classic carols like “Carol of the Elves” and “I’ve Got Christmas,” they are sure to entertain as much as ever.
Gwyn Ungermann has spent thirty years teaching in Marana Unified School District, and for 15 of those years, she has directed the Songbirds. As the group’s founder, she takes well-earned pride in these “Thornydale Ambassadors of Music.”
Students’ commitment to the group is admirable. Participation is entirely voluntary, and rehearsals occur twice a week after school. Despite the long school day, though, these singers never fail to fill their voices with energy and enthusiasm. “It definitely keeps me on my toes!” laughs Ungermann. “I love to watch their growth both musically and personally, along with their increased self-discipline as the year progresses.”
Longevity, however, does not always breed perfection, and the Songbirds have experienced their fair share of mishaps. One year, heavy winds blew the sheet music in all different directions. Another year, just before taking the stage, a group of students spilled hot chocolate down their pristine Songbird shirts. “We looked great!” Ungermann reminisces. With performers like these, you never know what’s going to happen, but you can rest assured that no matter what, they are sure to entertain.
Beyond community entertainment, the Thornydale Songbirds are able to accomplish a far more meaningful, long-term objective. Researchers have found strong links between music and language development. Furthermore, exposure to the arts enhances creativity, attention to detail, and problem solving abilities. The students who commit to the Songbirds are expected to commit considerable time to the group, and that commitment teaches them the importance of discipline, teamwork, and dedication.
On December 5, the Thornydale Songbirds will take the stage once again at the Marana Holiday Festival and Christmas Tree Lighting at the Marana Municipal Complex, 11555 W. Civic Center Dr. The whole event will run from 3pm to 8pm, and the Songbirds’ performance will start at 3:30. You won’t want to miss the melodies of these young voices, so make sure you join us as we Deck Town Hall. We hope to see you there!
Making their Your Town debut in Episode 20 of the Your Town Podcast are the singers and players of the Marana High School Choir and Orchestra. In the episode, we chat with the choir director Sarah Ross and orchestra director Rachel Vega. Then, for the first time on the podcast, we listen to some music! Students will perform excerpts from what they’ve got in store for the Holiday Festival. Finally, we wrap up with the Expert Challenge, where the students see if they can outsmart their teachers. Give us a listen!
Marana’s annual Holiday Festival attracts residents and visitors from across southern Arizona. For years, this event has served as a showcase of talent with performances from the many music, dance, and choral groups that call Marana home. This year, for the first time, ShowBiz Academy of Dance will join the festivities and will surely delight any holiday reveler. On December 5, they will take the stage outside the Marana Municipal Complex and share with the community their considerable talent.
Five years ago, Meghan Lloyd had an idea. Considering that she spent most of her time in a microbiology lab on the University of Arizona’s campus, this shouldn’t be surprising. She had lots of ideas. This idea, though, had nothing to do with cells or DNA or mitosis. This idea was about dance. For years, she had spent hours in ballet slippers or tap shoes, but so far, dancing was only a hobby. “Suddenly, I just decided, I wanted to go on an adventure,” she recalled recently. “With very little warning, I dropped out of my graduate program and decided to open a dance studio. Five years later, I couldn’t be happier with that decision.”
Meghan may have abandoned the lab, but in many ways she still approaches her professional life with the mindset of a scientist. She carefully monitors her brainchild with the care and diligence of a researcher watching over an experiment. Every afternoon, the young students of her studio migrate from the classroom to the dance room, where the real work begins. Almost every day, they refine their relevés, perfect their pirouettes, and practice their poissons. Eventually, their routine will include not a single faux pas. Keeping an eye over it all is Meghan, helping her students discover their potential.
“I want them to be good dancers, and I want them to be good people,” reflects Meghan. The point of ShowBiz Academy isn’t to turn young students into professional dancers, but to provide them with a healthy, positive, and creative outlet. “Many of my students are young women, and what I really hope is that dance gives them greater confidence, time and stress management skills, and a sense of teamwork. As a grad student, I was the only woman in my research lab. I want these girls to know that their gender should in no way affect what careers they wish to pursue.”
With such lofty ambitions, Meghan is unwilling to restrict her studio’s vision only to dancing. “We see ourselves as members of a larger community, and we feel it’s our responsibility to contribute to this community.” Every year, ShowBiz Academy’s Premier Company performs at a charity benefit for Wings for Women, a local non-profit that helps impoverished and homeless women find safe and permanent housing. Like many groups in Marana, they also make considerable contributions to the Food Bank, and they participate in the Salvation Army’s holiday Adopt-a-Family program. “All these efforts are intended to help my students look beyond themselves and connect with those around them,” explains Meghan.
ShowBiz Academy is a group that values giving back to their community, so it’s perhaps unsurprising that they would choose to perform excerpts from a ballet that extols the virtues of gift-giving. When they take the stage, they will perform “Chinese Tea” and “Russian Candy Canes” from Act II of The Nutcracker. Onlookers will surely enjoy the grace and poise of these performers as they carefully execute the maneuvers of Tchaikovsky’s classic work. For those eager for more after their brief performance on Saturday, ShowBiz will be hosting a Winter Wonderland the next day, featuring performances from many of their talented dancers. This showcase will be held at Canyon del Oro High School at 4pm on Sunday, December 6.
The Holiday Festival and Christmas Tree Lighting will take place on Saturday, December 5, from 3-8pm, at the Marana Municipal Complex, 11555 W. Civic Center Dr. ShowBiz Academy is sure to provide an incredible display of talent and dedication that’s not to be missed. Join your neighbors as you kick off the holiday season and delight in the graceful skills of ShowBiz’s talented dancers.
The Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) has awarded the Town of Marana with the GFOA's Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for its fiscal year 2016 budget and comprehensive financial plan.
This award represents a significant achievement and reflects the Town's commitment to meeting the highest principles of government budgeting. In order to receive this budget award, the Town had to satisfy nationally recognized guidelines for effective budget presentation. These guidelines are designed to assess how well the Town's budget serves as a policy document, a financial plan, an operations guide, and a communications device.
“Awards like these demonstrate Marana's commitment to transparency and accountability to our residents," Finance Director Erik Montague said of the Town's achievement.
This is the 9th consecutive year that the Town of Marana has received this award.
The Government Finance Officers Association is a major professional association servicing the needs of more than 18,000 appointed and elected local, state, and provincial-level government officials and other finance practitioners. The GFOA's Distinguished Budget Presentation Awards Program is the only national awards program in governmental budgeting.
On October 30, the Town of Marana received a Common Ground Award from the Metropolitan Pima Alliance for its part in the creation of the Marana Center and the new Simon Premium Outlet Mall. This annual celebration honors public projects across Pima County that exhibit a spirit of collaboration across jurisdictions and between the public and private sectors.
From the first stages of this project, Marana worked closely with developers to ensure a speedy yet thorough design and review process, so that the Mall could meet its target to open before the holiday shopping season.
Developers first approached the Town in the summer of 2013 with the idea of a new Marana Center. They needed reassurance, however, that the Town would provide adequate support throughout the design and review process. “We were eager to partner with them from the very beginning,” remembers Steve Cheslak, the project planner for Marana. The close partnership between the Town and developers is what allowed this extensive project to proceed quickly from idea to reality.
Typically, when construction occurs in any municipality, builders must undergo a lengthy design submission process. This entails plans shuttling back and forth between architects and Town plan reviewers. Due to the extensiveness of this project, however, the Town convened a roundtable with both the Marana Center and Simon teams, including engineers, planners, and builders, and the Town’s own staff. Through this partnership, the private and public sectors were able to enjoy an open dialogue that facilitated a firm foundation for future cooperation.
“Our meetings were an open forum to talk through potential challenges and anticipate them long before they became major issues,” recalls Ryan Mahoney, Marana’s planning director. “Without that kind of cooperation, I don’t think we would have been able to do this as quickly and effectively as we did.”
That is not to say, though, that this project encountered no obstacles. A significant archaeological site was discovered, dating back to the days when the Hohokam farmed the banks of the Santa Cruz. Rather than letting this discovery derail the project, however, the developers collaborated with the Tohono O’odham Nation, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the State Historic Preservation Office to document these historical findings. Only when all three groups gave their final approval could the project proceed. Due to the collaborative effort among all parties, this process occurred efficiently and thoroughly, without sacrificing quality.
In the months preceding the opening of the Simon Premium Outlets on October 1, an army of construction workers descended on the site. Amid a torrent of activity, Marana was able to provide a dedicated inspector who remained on site every day. The availability of this inspector enabled builders to deal immediately with problems as they arose. That inspector was also trained as a plan reviewer, and so could approve on-the-spot revisions to the mall building plans.
On October 1, to much fanfare, the Simon Premium Outlets at Marana Center opened. A year earlier, an undeveloped desert had stood on that same site. A year before that, this project was only the glimmer of an idea in a developer’s eye. Only through close collaboration among all parties could so significant a project unfold under so tight a schedule. This Common Ground Award recognizes that accomplishment, and establishes Marana as a place where collaboration is the top priority.
On a cool November morning in 2014, Pam Gaiser nervously toed the starting line of Marana’s Turkey Trot. In younger days, she’d completed the LA Marathon twice. She worked for 31 years at Raytheon, and helped coordinate the company’s running club for over twenty of them. But for five years, vertebra damage had limited her to casual neighborhood jogs. No more grueling tests of endurance, she thought. Her running days were over.
That is, until the 2014 Turkey Trot. A few weeks before the event, she signed up her whole family for the event as a fun way to bring everyone together. She and her daughter Kelsey had planned to walk/run the 10K together, but when they met at Crossroads Park, Pam learned that Kelsey would be walking the 5K with her husband and step-daughters, while her son Nick would be walking the 5K with his wife and two young sons. Undeterred, Pam nevertheless stuck to her original plan. Half a decade stood between her and her last race, but this was the moment, she believed. This was her chance to find out whether she could still pound the pavement for ten long kilometers. No pressure.
A little over an hour later, she had her answer. Not only had Pam finished the race without walking a step, she had even beaten her family, who had approached the 5K at a leisurely pace. Suddenly, she knew she could run again. After five years of long walks and slow jogs, Pam finally had a chance to reenter the racing world.
At 61, Pam Gaiser represents an increasingly active retiree population in Arizona. Lithe and energetic, with sprightly, silver hair, the average movie theater ticket seller should think twice before offering her a senior discount. Last week, she and a group of friends kayaked and camped along the Colorado below the Hoover Dam. As she described the steady current of the river and its bubbly hot springs, it became clear that her retirement was anything but retiring.
When she ventures into the open spaces around Marana, Pam has a few favorite spots where she often returns. Every Tuesday morning, she can be found traversing the Tram Road or Phoneline Trail in Sabino Canyon. She’s also especially fond of the trails in Saguaro National Park East, and for a particularly vigorous outing, she’s been known to trek along Old Baldy Trail to the summit of Mt. Wrightson.
Pam is no stranger, though, to the running trails right in her own backyard. As long as she has lived in this community, she has enjoyed the roads that skirt the foothills of the northern Tucson Mountains. Sometimes, however, the desert has packed a few surprises for her.
Though she has grown accustomed to the pack of javelinas that lives in her neighborhood, one bold peccary seems to have developed a special fondness for Pam. She, however, does not return his affection. “I had to run up on my neighbor’s porch to escape him,” she recalls. “I didn’t even know those neighbors, but it was my only choice.”
Another time, she remembers a Marana Police officer stopping between her and the “hooved terrorist,” as she calls her javelina devotee when he’s out of earshot. Only when the officer used the car’s bullhorn did the animal retreat. For the rest of her short run home, Pam asked the officer to drive slowly beside her, lest the animal return. The officer was glad to oblige.
A year after her successful return to the racing circuit, Pam is excited to celebrate her second wind by entering, once again, in Marana’s annual Turkey Trot. This year’s race will be held at Crossroads Park on November 14, and registration is still open. As Pam can attest, this event is not only for seasoned veterans, but for those who are willing to take a risk and see how they do. Whether participants are planning to run, walk, or push a stroller, they will find a welcoming event where any pace is the right pace. Nothing says fall in Marana more than getting outdoors to enjoy the temperate climate, and the Turkey Trot is the perfect place to do just that. And when you’re out there, see if you can keep up with Pam. She’s a quick one.
Notices of claim against the Town of Marana totaling $16.9 million have been filed by the owners of two proposed northwest Marana development projects, Marana Mercantile and Uptown. The Marana Mercantile property is the vacant land on the north side of Marana Road just west of the Marana interchange. The Uptown property is the farm field immediately west of the Marana Mercantile property. The owners are willing to settle for a combined total of $12 million.
The claims relate to recent changes to the northwest Marana street plan.
Northwest Marana is served by two freeway interchanges—at Tangerine Road and Marana Road. Marana’s street plan creates an inner loop to serve northwest Marana, connecting the Marana Road interchange on the north to Tangerine Road interchange on the south. The Town has always desired for the inner loop to connect directly to Marana Road on the north, just as it connects directly to Tangerine Road on the south.
But when the Marana Mercantile and Uptown developments were approved in 2007, a traffic study predicted massive growth and population in far west Pima County and northwest Marana, leading the Town to adopt a plan that would direct all traffic from the Marana Interchange westward on Marana road, away from existing businesses and future downtown, and requiring left turn access to the inner loop.
Recent population and growth projections now make it feasible to implement the Town’s preferred direct inner loop connection to the Marana interchange. So in April 2015, the Town changed its street map to make the direct inner loop connection to the Marana interchange and draw traffic closer to existing and planned downtown Marana businesses.
Marana’s adopted roadway plan alignment gives dramatically improved access to the existing Sandario Road Business District and future Marana Main Street, and provides direct, continuous right-turn access onto Marana Road for traffic heading west to Marana Mercantile, Uptown, and beyond. The result is a safe, direct, and balanced distribution of regional traffic to future public amenities and destinations for the benefit of the entire community.
For the fourth year in a row, Marana ranks as a top 10 digital city as designated by the Center for Digital Government.
The Center for Digital Government announced the winners of the 2015 Digital Cities Survey today, recognizing leading examples of cities using technology to improve services and boost efficiencies. Marana is ranked 5th for populations up to 75,000.
“The top-ranked digital city governments in this year’s survey are using cloud services, data analytics and mobile apps—among other technologies—to help citizens interact with government more easily than ever before,” said Todd Sander, executive director of the Center for Digital Government. “These cities are true innovators and we applaud their efforts to increase transparency and open government, encourage citizen participation, and enhance cybersecurity. Congratulations to the winners!”
The Center for Digital Government highlighted the following Town of Marana technology initiatives:
Now in its 15th year, the Digital Cities Survey is part of the Center for Digital Government’s Digital Communities program, which focuses on collaboration among cities, counties and regions. The survey focuses on citizen engagement, policy, operations, and technology and data. Responses are reviewed and judged based on a set of criteria and how well the cities implemented these services across the city.
The survey honors cities in four population classifications: 250,000 or more; 125,000 to 249,999, 75,000 to 124,999 and fewer than 75,000.
On Tuesday, October 20, the Marana Town Council approved a resolution in support of the Arizona Fisher House to be located on the campus of the Southern Arizona VA Health Care Center in Tucson. This facility will provide free housing for families of active military and veterans who are undergoing treatment provided by the Southern Arizona VA Health Care System at the Tucson VA hospital or area facilities. As a Purple Heart Town, Marana firmly supports all efforts that support our veteran community.
There are 65 Fisher Houses located on 24 military installations and 24 VA medical centers across the United States, Germany, and England. Tucson will be home to the 66th Fisher House. By recognizing that “a family’s love is good medicine,” the Fisher House network unites relatives as they gather in a time of need. By removing the stress of finding a place to stay, Fisher Houses everywhere seek to ease the already heavy burden borne by military and veteran families. Since its inception in 1991, the Fisher House community has saved families an estimated $282 million in out-of-pocket lodging and transportation expenses. In 2014 alone over 25,000 families were served.
In 2011, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs approved the Southern Arizona VA as the site for the newest Fisher House. Construction is anticipated to be complete by the end of 2015 and hosting guests in early 2016. When it opens its doors, it will offer 16 fully furnished suites to visitors, along with a large shared kitchen, laundry facility, and communal living space.
“The Marana Town Council is deeply committed to its veteran community,” says Town Manager Gilbert Davidson. “With the new veterans cemetery to be completed next year, along with the Town’s Purple Heart designation, we are eager to support any effort that helps improves the lives of veterans.”
In 2013 alone, the Southern Arizona VA in Tucson served over 2,000 veterans with families living outside Tucson. Soon, those families will be able to stay nearby, rather than having to find a hotel or travel a long distance for a brief visit. Marana is a proud supporter of this project and is pleased that the Southern Arizona VA will soon be able to offer this amenity. The Friends of Arizona Fisher House Foundation will continue supporting families by providing food, local transportation and other necessities for the families and needs of the house itself. For more information on how to help, please visit www.arizonafisherhouse.org.
MUSD Superintendent Doug Wilson Addresses Council and School Board
In many communities, schools and local government operate in entirely different worlds. That division begins in the polling booth, where voters elect separate council and school board candidates. In Marana, however, local elected leaders are working to bridge that chasm. Tuesday night, the Town Council and the Marana Unified School Board convened a joint meeting at the Marana Municipal Complex in which representatives from each side shared examples of the many ways schools and government are inextricably linked. By creating a space for collaboration, both the Town Council and the School Board hope to open an ongoing dialogue about the ways schools and government can achieve their shared goal of creating a vibrant, well-educated community.
Mayor Ed Honea and School Board President Dan Post called the meeting to order, each acknowledging the importance of a close relationship between the two political bodies. “If we can share resources, it’s an asset for both of us,” explained Honea, as he welcomed the members of the School Board.
Town Manager Gilbert Davidson echoed Honea’s remarks, describing the feedback loop in which the Council and School Board operate. “If the Town works to create a great space, people are going to want to move to this community.” Those new residents will pay property taxes and will send their children to Marana’s schools, Davidson explained.
Marana’s Economic Development Director Curt Woody, who is deeply familiar with the local business community, provided the concrete evidence to back up these claims. When businesses choose to locate here, they care much more about the quality of the local schools than they do about tax incentives. “A strong educational system is the most important element for economic development,” affirmed Woody emphatically. “We have to break down the silos between education, government, and businesses.”
Responding to these assertions, Cathie Raymond, who directs career and technical education for MUSD, shed light on some of the programs the district runs which enable students to experience real-world work environments. She listed off a wide array of career-oriented options, from automotive engineering to business management. “Our job is to teach our students how to become adults and how to become financially independent,” summarized Raymond for the Council and School Board. Around the room, heads nodded firmly in agreement.
Concluding the meeting was a joint presentation from Patricia Cadigan, MUSD’s executive director of bond projects, and Russ Federico, the district’s executive director of operational support. Cadigan detailed how MUSD plans to spend the $125 million bond approved by voters in 2014. Principally, the district has already broken ground on a new elementary school serving Gladden Farms. The creative design of its classrooms includes moving glass walls which teachers can manipulate to construct all kinds of different learning environments. This new school, which can serve 750 students at capacity, will open in time for the 2016-2017 school year.
Physical construction, though, is not the only plan MUSD has in the pipeline. Eventually, all students grades three through twelve will receive their own Chromebooks, announced Federico. “We want to put our students together not only physically, we want to put them together digitally.” In the long term, the digital and physical will meet in a new STEM Academy serving Dove Mountain, which the district hopes to open in the 2019-2020 school year.
By the end of the meeting, it had become abundantly clear that neither the Town Council nor the School Board could see any limitation on their future work. Superintendent Doug Wilson hopes eventually to create an entire complex near Marana Main Street that may include a new high school, performing arts theater, cultural center, and library. This hub may grow to include restaurants, hotels, and retail options. The district, he explained, already has $12 million dedicated to this project. The problem, though, is that its overall costs are projected to be around $35 million.
While it’s obvious that many of these ideas are still only fantasies, this sharing of information between Council and School Board allows each group to push the other to dream big. As they each continue to think beyond their respective silos, they hope to envision the kind of projects that will make Marana a great place to live not only next year, but next decade. Tuesday’s meeting was a strong marker of that effort, one that both sides are eager to maintain.
Main line: 520-382-1999
Emergency: 911
Police: 520-382-2000
Development Services: 520-382-2600
Animal Services: 520-382-8020
Parks & Recreation: 520-382-1950
Court: 520-382-2700
Airport: 520-382-8052
Water: 520-382-2570
Public Works: 520-382-2536
General admin hours of operation:
Mon-Fri 8 A.M. - 5 P.M.
Cashier:
All financial transactions occur at the first floor reception counter of the Administration building.
Main Address:
Marana Municipal Complex
11555 W Civic Center Drive
Marana, AZ 85653
map it
