Town of Marana Honored as Top Ten Digital City for Second Straight Year

The Center for Digital Government has announced the winners of the 2016 Digital Cities Survey, and for the second consecutive year, Marana made the list. Now in its 15th anniversary year, the annual survey recognizes cities using technology to improve citizen services, enhance transparency, and encourage citizen engagement. Marana is committed to ensuring an online presence that helps residents access the information and services that they expect from their government.

“This year’s top digital cities are using technology to ensure citizens can meaningfully interact with city government more easily than in any other time in history,” said Todd Sander, executive director of the Center for Digital Government. “From open data portals to enhanced connectivity and mobile platforms, this year’s top-ranked cities are actively promoting transparency, encouraging citizen participation, and making it easier for people to do business with government. Congratulations to the winners!”

Marana’s digital efforts are wide-ranging, and include an active web presence, numerous social media outlets, and a variety of tools that allow the Town to provide residents with accurate, up-to-the-minute information. For example, in the past year, Marana debuted the Financial Transparency Dashboard, a portal that allows users to track how the Town is allocating taxpayer dollars. Though this information is already made public through the Town budget, by presenting it through this lens, Marana is working to make it more readily understandable to a general audience.

“Our Technology Services and Communications staff work closely to implement creative ideas that connect residents with the information they need. Whether they’re looking to pay a water bill or find out about our upcoming events, we want to make sure their online interaction with us is as straightforward as possible,” says Technology Services Director Carl Drescher.

Over the next several months, Marana will continue to increase its digital presence. The Town recently unveiled the Marana Events app, available in the App Store and on Google Play, which allows residents to learn all about upcoming signature events, like the Holiday Festival and Christmas Tree Lighting on Saturday, December 3. Soon, the Tech Services team will also release another app, aimed at supporting the businesses along the Ina Corridor as the Arizona Department of Transportation constructs the new overpass. This new app will connect consumers with the many shopping opportunities that will remain open during construction.

Innovation is a key pillar of Marana’s Strategic Plan, and this honor as a Top Ten Digital City recognizes Marana’s efforts to achieve that vision.  

Day 2 Check-In: LDC thinking so far

We’re one day away from presenting draft recommendations towards an update of Marana’s Land Use Development Code (LDC). Here’s where we are in the process (click for larger view):

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Among the takeaways from meetings with Town officials and citizens over the first two days of our four-day workshop are these priorities:

• Keep it simple: Rules should be clear enough for everyone to know what’s expected of them.
• Recognize realities: The code should make it easy to do what the vision endorses and what are already considered good practices.
• Aim for a balance between flexibility and predictability: Rules should be flexible enough to adapt to shifting realities (like the real estate market), yet precise enough to build confidence in ways future development plans are likely to unfold.

In Wednesday meetings with citizens interested in business development, agriculture, environmental issues, and neighborhood concerns, the team drilled more deeply into community hopes and concerns. How might an updated LDC address some of those issues? Here’s a video sample of what we heard from those representing the interests of farmers and builders and developers:

For the new land development rules to enjoy long-range success, it’s clear they must recognize the rural farming traditions and suburban land use patterns that have contributed to Marana’s appeal while, at the same time, enable new approaches that make the most of the opportunities growth provides. The idea is to add choices for new development patterns — like options for a more compact, walkable, mixed-use development scheme in the designated Downtown area — without inhibiting popular suburban options or strategies for open space conservation.

During open houses on Thursday, the consulting team will discuss ideas for achieving that kind of balance. Go here to see the schedule for the work-in-progress reviews on Thursday and for the concluding discussion on Friday evening that will incorporate community feedback.

Please join us in person if you can. But if your schedule conflicts with these participation opportunities, you can keep up with the project’s process on this website and comment or ask questions online.

Marana News: Marana Council approves sign code change to help Ina/I-10 businesses

Written by Brad Allis for the Marana News.

The Town of Marana has been concerned about construction in the I-10/Ina area and has proposed several methods to try and help those effected businesses in the area. 

One of those proposed methods was a change to the sign code to allow businesses affected by construction to utilize additional signage. To implement that change, the council had to approve a change in the sign code...

Marana News: Inaugural Marana El Tour race debuts this weekend

Written by Brad Allis for Marana News

A new race option for cyclists participating in the El Tour de Tucson will begin in Marana. The 28-mile mini race will begin in Marana and wind through portions of the town until heading south down I-10 to a downtown Tucson finish.

The Marana race is on Saturday, Nov. 19 and leaves at 1 p.m. from Marana Heritage River Park at 12375 N. Heritage Park Drive...

LDC Workshop Kicks Off: Building on Marana’s vision

First task for the consulting team assisting the Town of Marana with the update of its Land Development Code (LDC): Make sure the goals outlined in the Town’s Strategic Plan and General Plan still reflect the Town’s vision for how to grow into the future.

So on the opening night of the four-day LDC workshop on Tuesday, November 15, PlaceMakers project manager Susan Henderson explained the LDC update process and tested previous plans’ priorities with an informal survey. The overarching question:

Can we assume at the workshop’s outset a consensus for creating new tools for guiding a broader range of development options, especially in the area designated as Marana’s new Downtown?

A keypad survey of some 50 attendees at the workshop opener, including Town Council members and Planning and Zoning Commissioners, is by no means a scientific poll. Still, poll results suggest priorities for the LDC rewrite remain in line with vision elements that emerged from the General and Strategic Plans. No surprises.

View and download the evening’s presentation here, and the results of the polling exercise here.

With basic assumptions affirmed, the remainder of the four-day workshop can explore a broad range of design and coding strategies consistent with the community vision. On Wednesday, November 16, there are four public meetings intended to better inform the team on challenges and opportunities related to commerce, agricultural heritage, neighborhood development and the environment. For details about meeting schedules, both for today and throughout the week, go here.

By Friday evening’s closing presentation, we should be well on our way to a consensus for the framework of the new LDC. Town Manager Gilbert Davidson explains the importance of the process and how it will guide Marana’s future growth:

We’d love to have you at the public meetings planned throughout the week. But if you can’t attend in person, follow progress on these web pages. We’ll be posting reports of the previous day’s events through Saturday, November 19.

Marana Water News: Marana gets ready for Project WET

On Monday November 21, the Arizona Project WET team will be hosting a Water Festival in the Town. Specifically, in the Marana Water service area. Project WET is a national organization working to provide water education for teachers (WET). Their mission is to “enable every child to understand and value water, ensuring a sustainable future.”

Participants showing off their water cycle bracelets from another Water Festival in Arizona

In southern Arizona, the University of Arizona, Arizona Cooperative Extension has been promoting the Project WET mission and events since 1993. Working with the Water Resources Research Center, Arizona Project WET (APW) “develops water stewardship and STEM literacy by providing teacher professional development focused on 21st century skills, direct student outreach that delivers or extends classroom learning, and community engagement.” These goals are met through five program offerings; School Water Audit Program, Water Investigations Program, Teacher Academies, Water Scene Investigation, and Arizona Water Festival.

Arizona Water Festivals are held statewide beginning in September 2016. Apache Junction, Casa Grande, Florence, Gilbert, Payson, Nogales, Yuma, Peoria, Tucson, and many more cities and towns are hosting festivals through the summer of 2017. The event in Marana on November 21 will be in partnership with the Marana Unified School District. Manned almost entirely by volunteers, the program brings 4th grade students and their teachers out to a local park for interactive events exploring groundwater systems, watersheds, water conservation, and the water cycle. Additionally, the teachers are given information to help prepare lesson plans or other programming materials for their classrooms.

All of us here at Marana Water are excited about the event next Monday. The event will be held in Crossroads at Silverbell District Park, which is on the Marana Water distribution system. Being able to share the importance of water sustainability with students in the area can only help ensure the future generation of Marana Water users will use their water wisely.

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New police facility will feature amenities for Marana officers and the community

Concept drawing of the future Town of Marana Police facility

In two years, a brand new building will sit opposite the Town of Marana administration building in the Marana Municipal Complex, bringing a host of new public safety services and amenities to the community.

The building, once completed, will be the result of months of public education and outreach, a community-supported half-cent sales tax increase, and years of research, planning, and development.

"The new police facility represents another step in our continuing efforts to provide unparalleled police services to our community,” said Police Chief Terry Rozema. “Appropriate detention areas will keep our community, officers, and detainees safer. Training facilities will increase our level of proficiency and effectiveness, and appropriate workspaces will greatly enhance efficiencies. This building is not simply a nice benefit for the police, it's a tremendous asset for the entire community.”

The Marana Police Department began public education and outreach in 2014, inviting the public to tour the existing facility, and learn about its shortcomings.

“The Town of Marana is growing, and with that comes challenges and opportunities,” the Marana Police Department stated in a public outreach video. “We want to meet the challenges of keeping Marana safe, and investing in a facility will be a major step toward ensuring our community’s future.”

Features highlighted in the video and the tour emphasized the need for improved training facilities, security, and space. 

By June 2015, the public had a clear understanding of what the Town of Marana Police Department needed in order to accommodate the growing population, and Town Council passed a community-supported half-cent sales tax dedicated to building a future police building that would meet those needs. With a clear end goal in mind, the Town of Marana began the planning process.   

The police and engineering departments worked together to select a project management firm, architect, and construction contractor through a competitive bid process in Spring 2016. Abacus, Architecton, and CORE Construction were subsequently hired, and the planning and design process began.

“It was important to have everyone on the team from the very beginning,” said Deputy Engineering Director Jennifer Christelman. “We are able to make sure our needs and the budget are consistently aligned throughout the whole process.”

The planning process began with interviewing fifteen different police stations in Arizona and identifying best practices and areas for improvement.

Attention was then turned to the Marana Police Department employees.

“We polled everyone in the department,” said Rozema. “We needed to identify our current needs and existing challenges. By having our employees involved in the design process, they were able to help Architecton understand what was best for a police station. This building will reflect all of our employees’ input.”

The new building designs reflect that input, with improved amenities to accommodate the police department’s various services, as well as the capacity to manage Marana’s anticipated population growth, and the commensurate police department growth, over the next twenty years. 

Expanded training facilities

Marana Police Department will have a state of the art training facility once construction is complete, with classrooms, gym, shooting range, and virtual training room available for region-wide use.

Improved security

Police officers will soon park their vehicles in a secured parking lot, as well as provide separate holding cells for adults and minors that are secured from other parts of the police building. 

Expanded storage and evidence rooms

The new storage rooms for evidence will centralize all Marana police materials, with room for growth over the next twenty years. 

Brand new K-9 amenities

K-9 units will be able to take care of their dogs in the new K-9 amenities, which will offer dog kennels, a care center, tools, and indoor/outdoor areas.

Administration

Larger administrative and records rooms will be able to accommodate all police records, including a special storage space for homicide cases.

Inclusive community room and updated courtyard

The public will be able to make use of the new public building through its inclusive community room. Ideal for meeting space and ceremonies, the community room is available to all Town departments and the public for various events, classes, and functions. A removable wall feature also allows the community room to open up to the improved courtyard, which will encourage staff and the public to see this area as a center of activity.

Design for the police building will be completed in spring 2017, with construction scheduled to begin in the following summer. The building is projected to be completed by summer 2018. 

Arizona Daily Star: Marana High employees, police officers face off in basketball match

Written by Gabriella Vukelic for the Arizona Daily Star. 

The basketball court at Marana High School was taken over by the school’s staff members and officers of the Marana Police Department on Wednesday night...

Submit Photos for the #MaranaElTour Family Award

Next week, for the first time, Marana will host an official start of El Tour de Tucson. The Town is incredibly excited for this opportunity to showcase the outstanding bike paths, spectacular views, and energetic community spirit that make Marana special. 

Embodying all of these values is the Town of Marana Family Award. Through Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, using #MaranaElTour, the Town encourages families who bike in our community to submit photos of themselves. After the event, one of these families will be selected to receive the Family Award. 

To qualify for this award, at least one family member must be registered in the Marana El Tour start and at least one family member must live in Marana Town Limits. 

All cyclists in the photo must be wearing helmets and obeying all traffic laws.

Deadline for submission is November 20, 2016, and the winning family will be notified by December 1.

Marana Adds D. Tyrell McGirt as Parks and Recreation Deputy Director

This week, Marana welcomes D. Tyrell McGirt, who is joining the Town’s Parks and Recreation Department as the deputy director. D. Tyrell comes to Marana with significant experience in the parks and recreation field, and the Town is eager to benefit from his fresh perspectives.

Prior to moving to Marana, D. Tyrell served as the Director of Parks, Culture, and Recreation in Unalaska, a small community in the Aleutian Islands off the coast of Alaska. In that role, he demonstrated capable and effective leadership through a number of initiatives, including developing a vision and mission for his department. His passion for parks and recreation also enabled him to educate his colleagues, elected leaders, and neighbors about the importance of parks and recreation.

“I sincerely believe that leisure activities, recreation, and sports play an essential role in adults and children living active, balanced, and healthy lives.,” affirms D. Tyrell. “In Marana, residents already enjoy a wide variety of recreational opportunities, and I look forward to building on that legacy.”

One area in which D. Tyrell is particularly well qualified is in the world of aquatics. In his home state of North Carolina, he helped open Charlotte’s first indoor water park, Ray’s Splash Planet, in addition to starting a junior lifeguard program. He also served as the Aquatics Coordinator for the YMCA of Greater Charlotte. The desert environment of Marana means that aquatics activities are in demand much of the year, and so these experiences particularly qualify D. Tyrell for this role.

As he takes on his new responsibilities in Marana, D. Tyrell will quickly get to experience many of Marana’s high quality recreational programming. Throughout the fall and winter, the Town offers free guided hikes in the Tortolita Mountains. In addition, there is a Turkey Trot this Saturday, November 12, at Crossroads Park, as well as an official leg of El Tour de Tucson next Saturday, November 19, starting at Gladden Farms Community Park. Then, on Saturday, December 3, D. Tyrell will get to experience his first Marana Signature Event at the Holiday Festival and Christmas Tree Lighting, when thousands of residents will get to celebrate the holidays with the most spectacular Christmas tree light show in Southern Arizona.

As if all that weren’t enough, Marana’s Parks and Recreation department hosts a full calendar of on-going activities, including Zumba classes, martial arts programming, and classes that fuse music and visual art.

“I can’t wait to get involved in all of these efforts,” explains D. Tyrell. “I can already tell that Marana is a great community where I’m going to have a lot of fun.”

How we grow is how we live: Marana prepares to update the Land Development Code

Town of Marana is getting ready to update to the Land Development Code (LDC), and is looking for input from citizens and businesses. 

Marana is experiencing one of the fastest growth rates in Arizona. In the 1990s, the Town grew in population by more than 500 percent, then another 150 percent increase since 2000. The number of single-family building permits issued annually exceeds the number issued by any of the other municipalities in the Tucson metro area. In responding to that rapid growth, we want to make sure our quality of life is preserved and that planning makes the most of new opportunities and anticipates new challenges. Since 1993, we’ve steadily amended the LDC to assure our rules enable our expectations. Now it’s time for an update that clarifies those expectations for a new era and simplifies processes that align future plans with community goals.

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public meetings and important dates

Tuesday, November 15
Marana Town Hall | 11555 W. Civic Center Drive
Town Council | Planning & Zoning Commission Study Session | 6-7 P.M.
Theme: Overview the week's goals, approaches, and expected outcomes

Wednesday, November 16

Marana Operations Center | 5100 W. Ina Road
Focused Topic: Commerce | 10:30 - 11:30 A.M.
Focused Topic: Farming | 10:30 - 11:30 A.M.
Focused Topic: Neighborhood Issues | 4-5 P.M.
Focused Topic: Environmental Issues | 4-5 P.M.

Thursday, November 17
Marana Town Hall | 11555 W. Civic Center Drive
Open House | 10:30 - 11:30 A.M.
Repeat Open House | 6:30 - 7:30 P.M.

Friday, November 18
Marana Town Hall | 11555 W. Civic Center Drive
Concluding Presentation and Discussion | 6:30 - 7:30 P.M.

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SHARE YOUR VOICE

Marana residents and businesses are invited to be a part of the planning process. Make your voice heard by learning more at www.maranaldc.com, and attending the public meetings. 

Canine parvovirus outbreak reported in Marana

Marana, AZ – Area veterinarians are reporting an increase in canine parvovirus, a highly contagious viral illness that affects dogs, with approximately 20 cases in the last month at Twin Peaks Veterinary Center. The clinic announced on Friday that an infected dog had visited the dog park at Crossroads at Silverbell District Park.  It only takes one infected dog to contaminate an area, and Marana Parks and Recreation have sanitized all public dog parks with bleach, the only known compound to kill the virus. Sharing dog bowls and toys are not a likely source of contamination, but cannot be excluded, and Marana Parks and Recreation have removed bowls and toys from dog parks as an additional precautionary measure. Dogs are also not permitted inside baseball fields. 

The canine parvovirus is spread through fecal and oral contamination, and symptoms include vomiting, bloody diarrhea, lethargy, and loss of appetite. It can be lethal. For more information, please contact your local veterinary clinic. You can also learn more on the American Veterinary Medical Association website at: https://www.avma.org/public/PetCare/Pages/canine-parvovirus.aspx.

Town of Marana cares about pet safety, and encourages everyone to take caution. Veterinarians recommend that pet owners vaccinate their dogs, pick up after their dogs, and avoid places where dogs congregate if there is a fear of contamination. Wiping down toys and soles of shoes with bleach wipes is also recommended.  

Protect America: Marana named #5 on Burglary Safe Zone list for Arizona

Every year, Protect America, a nationwide home security service, analyzes FBI Uniform Crime Report data to assemble its list of the safest cities and towns in each state. This year, Marana came in as #5 on the Burglary Safe Zone list for Arizona.

Marana Water News: H2Ooooooooh!

We hope everyone had a Happy Halloween. Pumpkins are one of our favorite things here at Marana Water because they are 90% water! Below are a few post-Halloween tips for leftover pumpkins and still standing jack-o-lanterns.

1. Turn that jack-o-lantern into a decorative fall centerpiece or planter
2. If you have uncarved pumpkins, save them for Thanksgiving decorations. They can last up to 8 weeks
3. If possible, add your carved pumpkin to a compost pile rather than in the trash. Pumpkins make great fertilizer once composted
4. Turn it into a festive fall bird feeder by hanging smaller pumpkins in trees and filling with bird seed
5. Take those mini pumpkins you might have picked up and turn them into stylish candleholders by scooping or drilling out a hole in the middle
6. Call over to the local zoo to donate your uncarved pumpkin to the animals. The staff will let you know if they are in need of pumpkins and how best to donate them, but be sure to call first
7. Use any uncarved pumpkins to make soup, bread, lattes, hummus, smoothies, and more
8. Pumpkin can even be used to make a face mask. Vitamins A, C, and E are present in pumpkin, which can give your complexion a boost
9. If you save the seeds, you can roast them or keep them to plant and grow your own pumpkins
10. Be sure to do something with that pumpkin before it starts to decompose. It can leave stains, attract critters, or cause mold problems

Since it has been unusually warm this October, we want to remind you to be sure to stay hydrated when out and about. There are a lot of activities planned during these fall months so keep that refillable water bottle handy.

Now that the trick-or-treating is done, the ghosts and ghoul decorations have been put away, and the candy rationed for the next few weeks, we want to remind you to be water smart. Turn water off when brushing your teeth, watch the timer on irrigation systems as the weather (hopefully) cools down, and keep an eye on those pipes when it starts to get close to freezing at night.

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Yellow Flashing Lights Improve Safety, Reduce Traffic

In a continual effort to provide the safest roadways, the Town of Marana is installing flashing-yellow left-turn turn arrows at select signalized intersections and corridors. 

Numerous turn signals are being updated to include flashing-yellow arrow signals to create a safer, more efficient left-hand turn. When on, this flashing yellow arrow means a vehicle is allowed to cautiously enter an intersection only to make the turn indicated by the arrow, but the driver must first yield to oncoming traffic and pedestrians, then proceed with caution.

 The new flashing-yellow arrow provides a more direct message than the traditional circular green indication for turns.  YIELD to oncoming traffic and pedestrians when you see it flashing.  National studies have revealed that it reduces confusion, because the turn-lane display is no longer the same indication as the adjacent through lanes.

Safer

A national study demonstrated drivers had fewer crashes when using the Flashing-Yellow Arrow left-turn signal than with the traditional circular green left-turn signal, because some drivers perceive any green signal to mean GO.  These flashing-yellow arrows have been shown to help drivers make fewer mistakes.  They keep motorists safer during heavy traffic and reduce delays when traffic is light.

Less traffic delay

Motorists have more opportunities to make a left turn with the flashing yellow left-turn arrow than with the traditional yielding left-turn indications, which keeps traffic moving.

More flexible

The new yellow-flashing turn display provides more options to most effectively handle all types of traffic volume and reduce traffic back-ups.

Big Green Event at Crossroads Park on Nov. 5.

Please join the Marana Chamber of Commerce at the Marana Big Green Event on Saturday, Nov. 5th, 2016, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. This free event will be at Crossroads Park in Marana

For the 2nd year in a row, all things Green will come together for a fun-filled and educational day about our Mother Earth. There will be:

• Alternative-fuel Racecars
• A Kid’s Tent with Lots of Fun Activities
• A Scavenger Hunt/Nature Walk for Kids at 9am
• Recycle your Electronics (no old TVs please)
• Shred Your Papers
• A Tree Planting
• People and Pet Wellness
• A Recycled Fashion Show
• A Recycled Art Auction
• Learn From Local and National Experts about Green Technology
• Local Food Vendors
• Music
• A Microbrew Beer Garden for the Adults

BRING A BOOK - TAKE A BOOK - and support Right Away Disposal in our attempt to set the Guinness Book of World Records for most books traded in 8 hour period.

Learn more at www.biggreenevent.com.  

LDC Workshop Kicks Off November 15: Come join the conversation

On Tuesday, Nov. 15, at a Town Council work session, we begin an important community discussion that will lead to an update of Marana’s Land Development Code.

It happens 6:00-7:00 p.m. at Marana Town Hall, 11555 W. Civic Center Drive and is open to all.

The session caps Day One of the town’s four-day workshop to affirm goals for our Development Code and test ideas for its latest update. Answers to the most common what, why and how questions about the process are here. And for a look at the opportunities to participate, check out the schedule here.

It’s important that all relevant perspectives are represented. So the four days are arranged to present, critique, present again and critique some more until a potential regulatory framework begins to emerge. By Friday night, Nov. 18, we’ll have key components of the update to review after a summary of the week by project team leaders.

Of course, we realize that few people are able to break away from day-to-day responsibilities to attend all the sessions scheduled in the week. You’re encouraged to use the schedule overview to pick the meetings that suit your interests and keep you plugged into the process.

If you can’t make it in person, keep checking back here on the website. We’ll be reporting on the previous day’s activities in diary posts like this one from Wednesday, Nov. 16, through Saturday, Nov. 19. You can ask questions and comment online, as well, by going here.

Looking forward to seeing you on November 15 and beyond.

Marana Participates in Red Ribbon Week to Advocate Against Drug and Alcohol Abuse

The Marana Town Council has proclaimed this week, Oct. 23-31, Red Ribbon Week. This declaration is part of a nationwide effort to recognize and mitigate the dangers of alcohol and drug abuse. The National Family Partnership has sponsored this effort across the country since 1985, touching the lives of millions of people across the world.

As part of Marana’s role in Red Ribbon Week, the Town has adorned a tree at the Marana Municipal Complex with dangling red ties. This colorful reminder of the importance of drug and alcohol abuse prevention appears prominently in the courtyard of the MMC where both Town staff and members of the public will often notice its presence.

Marana Town staff will also commemorate this day by wearing red on Friday, October 28. For many years, Marana Unified School District has participated in Red Ribbon Week, and, recognizing the importance of a community-wide focus, the Town of Marana now joins them in these efforts.

“It’s so important for the whole community to recognize the dangers of abusing drugs and alcohol,” says Community Development Coordinator Christine Byler. “In Marana, we’re proud to promote a visible, unified prevention and education initiative that aims to eliminate the demand for drugs.”

As part of this community-wide focus, the Town has joined the Marana Prevention Alliance, a network of Town staff, local schools, and several non-profits. Together, these groups are combining their resources to emphasize the Town’s collective commitment to healthy, drug free lifestyles.

Several Marana businesses are also working to bolster the effects of Red Ribbon Week. Through Marana schools, Snack Shack, R & R Pizza, Circle S Salon, La Olla, and other local restaurants will be offering discounts throughout this week to students who commit to living drug- and alcohol-free.

The Town of Marana prides itself as an inclusive community where families can find a safe, healthy, and engaging place to make a home. Red Ribbon Week certainly symbolizes that commitment, and the Town is support its success.

Roadwork Update on Tangerine/Dove Mountain Intersection

Beginning Saturday, October 29, from 12 a.m. to 7 p.m., the contractor will be paving the northwest section of the Twin Peaks Road/Dove Mountain Boulevard intersection at Tangerine Road. The traveling public can anticipate the following impacts:

• The Twin Peaks Road/Dove Mountain Boulevard and Tangerine Road intersection will function as a four way stop. Police will be on-site to direct traffic through the intersection. 
• Southbound Twin Peaks Road/Dove Mountain Boulevard will be reduced to one travel lane.
• Northbound Twin Peaks Road/Dove Mountain Boulevard traffic will stay in its original configuration.
• There will be no dedicated turn lanes for southbound Twin Peaks Road/Dove Mountain Boulevard at Tangerine Road.
• There will be no dedicated turn lanes for east and westbound Tangerine Road, at Twin Peaks Road/Dove Mountain Boulevard.
• Right turn movements will not be permitted from southbound Twin Peaks Road/Dove Mountain Boulevard onto westbound Tangerine Road.
• Speed Limit will remain at 25 MPH.

Please be cautious while traveling in this area.  Heavy truck traffic is anticipated.  Expect Delays.

If you have further questions, please contact Kristi Shepherd at (520) 623-3073 or info@tangerineroad.info.

Marana Water News: Searching for Unintended Water Use

It can be tough to find a leak in your home. Is it the water softener, water heater, toilets? There are many areas where leaks can occur. Below are some insights on where to check to find unintentional water use.

Toilets-

The flapper inside a toilet will wear out over time. These rubber mechanisms are what seals the water in the tank from leaking into the bowl. On average, a flapper that is not sealing properly can leak up to 200 gallons of water a day, so checking that these are functioning properly is typically a good start for looking for an increase in water use.

To check your flapper, flush the toilet and let the tank refill. Once it has refilled place a few drops of food coloring in the tank. Come back in about an hour and check the bowl. If any color is in the bowl, it is time to replace the flapper.

Water heaters –

Water heaters are a wonderful addition to our homes. Ensuring there is hot water to wash dishes and clothes, as well as those steamy showers are all provided by the water heater. In the desert we have different minerals in our water than in other places in the country. These minerals can build up in water heaters. If the water pressure or temperature drops, it might be time to check the tank. Water heater leaks are typically found were the water supply is connecting to the tank. Be sure that all connections are tightened properly and using the correct materials. Always be sure to turn off the power when working with anything connected to electricity.

Water softeners –

Not every home will have a water softener. Should you have one, there are a few places to check for a leak. The connection to the appliance for the water supply or the bypass valves should be inspected. Replaceable o-rings can wear out over time and cause a leak in the valve seal. Again, be sure to disconnect the softener from electricity when inspecting for leaks.

Evaporative (Swamp) coolers –

Since there is typically very little humidity in Arizona, evaporative/swamp coolers are installed on many homes. Starting in the 1940s, these units were used primarily to cool homes rather than expensive air conditioning. Now that AC has become increasingly energy-efficient and less expensive, swamp coolers are seeing a decline. Here is an article with a little more information on evaporative coolers in Arizona.

There are a few places that could be inspected for a potential leak. The copper line, or main water supply line, that carries water to the unit can leak at the connection point due to a worn out washer or scale build up. If there is water below the unit it could be due to a cracked reservoir tray or the drainage pipe is out of alignment. Check the pads are properly fitted, including the edges where scale can build up from hard water deposits. Finally, be sure the cooler does not overflow due to a faulty float.

Should you see an unexpected increase in your water bill, take a look around and see if any of these appliances might be the culprit. Again, be sure to turn off the power when working with these devices. A quick check of connections or valves could show where water might be leaking, and a quick dye test of the toilet can save quite a bit on a water bill. Please contact a professional plumber should you need to.

There are several services we offer to help find this water. We have water meter monitors available for check out at the office. These monitors can show the meter reading at any moment so customers can track water use during the month. We also provide water audits and water use reports should it become more difficult to find where the water might have come. Renting the monitors, water audits, and a first water report is all at no cost to the customer. Give the office a call if you would like help identifying any unintentional water use, (520) 382-2570.