Message from Town Manager Gilbert Davidson
The Town of Marana has enjoyed considerable growth in recent years. In order to manage that growth effectively, we are currently committed to a number of key projects that improve our infrastructure and aim to ensure a high quality of life for all Marana residents, including those who don’t even live here yet!
One project which has generated quite of a bit of excitement is the Tangerine Sky Community Park, located along the Tangerine Corridor. This will be the first Town-managed park east of I-10, and as a result is filling a major need in our community. This 10-acre facility will include a dog park, basketball court, playground equipment, and walking paths that showcase the park’s beautiful Sonoran Desert setting. Nearby, the Town is also installing a new art installation that will add a creative element to Tangerine Road. As soon as this project is complete, we hope to see you out there enjoying a day in the park with your family.
Along one side of this new park, Tangerine Road currently connects both Marana and Oro Valley to Interstate 10. As the population of this region has increased, the demands on this road have grown commensurately, and so Marana is currently collaborating with the Regional Transportation Authority, Oro Valley, and Pima County to widen Tangerine Road and to eliminate the dips that are vulnerable to flooding. Phase 1-A of this project, stretching from Dove Mountain to Thornydale, will finish this summer, and will include two lanes in each direction and a landscaped center median. There will also be widened shoulders on both sides of the road, as well as a car-free shared-use path on the north side of Tangerine.
While Tangerine Sky Park becomes a reality in northeast Marana, we are also working on a major improvement in northwest Marana. The Town is working to realign the Marana Road intersection west of I-10. This new alignment will greatly improve the safety of this intersection and allow for improved access to the Downtown Marana district. The Town will add a new roadway that pushes eastbound traffic on Marana road to a roundabout south of the current intersection with Sandario. Eventually, this roadway will continue on the east side of Sandario and curve south to connect with Marana Main Street. The vision for this area is all part of the Downtown Marana plan, and this new roadway is a preliminary step toward achieving that vision.
One consequence of Marana’s growth is the heightened demand that is placed on the Marana Police Department. Marana’s officers do a tremendous job of policing our community and developing strong relationships with residents. However, their current facilities simply do not provide adequate capacity if they are going to keep providing the same level of service. That’s why the Marana is building a new police headquarters. This summer, we are excited to break ground on this facility, and we expect to complete it by summer 2018. It will include a public community room, holding cells, shooting range, booking areas, and much more. During the design of the facility, Marana’s engineering team interviewed every police employee, including uniformed officers and support staff, to determine how they complete their jobs. This new facility will perfectly complement those processes. When it’s finished, the new Marana PD Headquarters will offer a beautiful and efficient space that will benefit the entire Town.
One final project that we are particularly excited about is the extension of the shared-use path from El Rio Community Park to Avra Valley Road. This project coincides nicely with the closure of the path at Ina, as it provides 1.5 more miles of path to cyclists starting at Crossroads at Silverbell District Park. When the Ina section of the path reopens, the new segment will connect with the rest of the Loop system, offering cyclists well over 100 miles of car-free cycling throughout this region.
Infrastructure improvements are critical to Marana’s growth strategy. Our goal is to build Marana’s reputation on the outstanding public service we provide to our residents, and our infrastructure—our streets, parks, and facilities—will help us to cement that status. To learn more about major projects in the Town, visit www.maranaaz.gov/cip, and be sure to keep up with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to receive real-time updates on all our hard work.
This Manager Message was originally published in the the February 22 edition of the Marana News.
