MARANA, ARIZONA. — Marana is planning its next round of parks and recreation projects, and town officials want residents to help decide what comes next. The town’s parks master plan survey is open through Nov. 20. (Survey Link)
Marana Parks and Recreation Director Wayne Barnett outlined the shortfall on the Nov. 2 episode of Inside Marana, hosted by Mayor Jon Post. The last master plan is only five or six years old, Barnett said, but the town has grown so quickly that it is time for an update.
“We need to hear from people how they’re using the parks, how they want to use the parks, but aren’t able to because we just aren’t able to accommodate them,” Barnett said.
What residents are asking for
Marana maintains 13 park properties, counting the El Rio and Tortolita preserves. Only two, Crossroads and Ora Mae Harn, are regional parks. Barnett said the town could use about two more.
He listed other needs:
- Four to five more soccer fields, which also host flag football and lacrosse
- More baseball and softball fields for the town’s two Little Leagues, which have more than 1,000 players combined
- More pickleball courts; a renovation at Ora Mae Harn Park will add a 12-court complex in phases
- More ramadas, sand volleyball courts and room for tennis players
- More space for the senior club, which has grown from about 300 members to more than 700 in roughly four years
Residents can take the survey on the town’s website.
The MARC far exceeds expectations
Barnett said demand at The MARC, the town’s recreation center, shows how fast needs are growing. Staff hoped for 300 to 500 visitors a day when it opened on May 3. Instead, about 1,500 people came through the doors daily.
“I can admit it. We were not ready for that,” Barnett said.
By the numbers:
- 1,200 to 1,500: daily visitors in summer
- More than 10,000: summer members, mostly families
- 700 to 800: daily visitors during the school year, about twice the original estimate
Projects on the way
Several projects are in the pipeline:
- Disc golf at El Rio: The town rebid a scaled-back course after the first bids came in too high. Barnett said he hopes it opens by March or April 2027, restoring a course lost to Santa Cruz River flooding more than a decade ago.
- Tangerine Sky Park: A new splash pad and added parking. The town is finalizing a contractor, and the splash pad should open sometime during next season.
- Saguaro Bloom: The developer is building a first phase with a playground, restroom, turf and parking. The town will then build two diamond fields, a soccer field, more parking and an expanded dog park. Barnett said the town can’t start until the developer finishes, and he hopes the park opens in the new year.
New parks in the Mandarina and Cascada developments will be paid for with impact fees.
Pupfish, trails and the Loop
Arizona Game and Fish recently introduced endangered native pupfish into the roughly 9-acre lake at El Rio Preserve. Barnett said the fish will improve the water and help control mosquitoes. The preserve is one of the top birdwatching spots in Southern Arizona.
The town also maintains about 13 miles of The Loop, which connects to roughly 150 miles of trail across the region. Barnett said access to trails is a factor in home sales and in where companies choose to locate.
Goals: national accreditation and teens
Barnett said the department will begin seeking accreditation from the National Recreation and Park Association in January, a process of about two years. About 230 agencies nationwide hold it, he said.
He also named teenagers as an underserved group. “If there’s not something positive for them to do, there’s plenty of negative stuff to do,” he said.
The town’s next signature event is the holiday tree lighting on the first Saturday in December.
Inside Marana, hosted by Marana Mayor Jon Post, streams on the Live The Dream Media Streamverse Network and the free Live The Dream Media app.
