Rotation #8- Parks and Recreation

Ora Mae Harn District Park

Parks and Recreation is essentially two departments in one- the parks side (facilities maintenance, fields, etc), and the recreation side (programs and classes).

Tom Ellis is the director of Parks and Recreation. Plans on future development can be found in their master plan, along with surveys, identified benchmark communties, and reports. Their focus group results can be found here on the cultural, economic, and various demographic impacts by the parks and recreation department. Tom's job is to oversee and serve all the employees working within the department in order to maintain high quality services and facilities to the community.

A Tour of Marana's Parks

Today, Tom took me on a tour of all of Marana's parks. There are nine public parks. If there is one word to identify a Marana park, it would be "clean". Every park was kept in prestine condition, and I was impressed by the accommodations at each one. Every park has a well-maintained public bathroom and playground area, as well as sports fields and courts.

An emphasis that I found to be quite interesting and unique was the importance placed on cultural preservation. At Crossroads at Silverbell Park, the foundations of several old buildings are preserved throughout the grounds. In time, the Parks and Recreation department plans to install information posters to accompany these landmarks, so visitors to the park can read about the history of the area. Of all the parks, Crossroads seems to be the most popular, with a library, sports fields, and ramadas located on-site. It is certainly the biggest developed park, with 22 out of the 48 available acres developed for recreation. While there, we got to watch a children's soccer camp in action on the field, a program conducted by the Parks and Recreation Department.

The Continental Ranch Community Park is home to a well-known skate park. Kids from around the region flock to this area, because it is one of the few parks that have one. It is also home to the Continental Ranch Little League, complete with a concession stand (that is still operational!).

Community Food Bank Farm

Marana Heritage River Park is another favorite park of mine because of its relationship with the Community Food Bank Farm. Schools come out often to learn about farming, and the site also emphasizes Marana's heritage with antique farming equipment. If you are looking for some locally grown food, the farm has its weekly farmer's market.

Also if you are interested in volunteering with the farm, click here.

In addition to looking at currently active parks in the Town of Marana, Tom took me to Sahuaro Bloom to discuss a park that will be built in the future. Sahuaro Bloom is what you would consider a "zombie subdivision" (as discussed in Rotation 5). As part of the housing development, Sahuaro Bloom would also work with the Parks and Recreation department to create a large park for the community members. It would be a 20-acre park site, and supported by impact fees. When the recession stopped development on the homes, the park also had to take a backseat. However, once the development starts up again, the park will also be a part of that plan.

For a full list of Marana's public parks, click here.

Evaluation of Service

I was interested to know how the Parks and Recreation Department evaluated the success of their services and facilities. Many times a telephone survey is conducted. Recently, the department talked to 400 Marana residents to get their feedback. Additionally, exit surveys are conducted at the end of programs in order to evaluate satisfaction levels. Visual evaluation is also useful. How often do you see the park being used? When is the busiest time of day at the park? How many people show up to events held in the park?

Determining the needs of the community is another story. Much relies on looking at benchline communities to get an understanding of what is typically used in a community. Many times community members will believe that a certain sports field is a good idea to have, but that does not necessarily reflect the demand for a sports field. The sports field can go unused. Instead, it is best to look at what is commonly used in other parks, and evaluating what has been the most popular or most successful.

Reflection

It is apparent that Tom Ellis loves his job, because he enjoys going outside and seeing the community embrace the parks and programs that the department offers. His job is a huge part of Marana's strategic focus on community building, heritage, and recreation. I enjoyed seeing all the amenities and programs available to the community, and spending time in a department that enjoys bringing people together.