PIMA — The Pima Town Council is setting its priorities for development of a recreation complex near the Vard Lines Roping Arena.
During Tuesday’s meeting, the council heard from its consulting project manager for the park, Joe Jarvis, who wanted to know what the Town Council saw as the most important parts of the proposed complex.
“Sometimes when you start a construction project, you discover something you weren’t expecting. So you have to shift your budget around,” Jarvis said. “If you have a priority, I think we should focus on that, and work on that particular project and other things can fall in line after that.”
Jarvis laid out a series of amenities and improvements he believed the town would like at the facility, based on conversations with town staff, council members and stakeholders. That list included:
- Bathrooms
- Basketball Courts
- Covered Playground
- Drainage Improvements
- Electrical Improvements
- Fencing
- Gazebos
- Grass Improvements
- Light
- Parking
- Pickleball Courts
- Sidewalks
- Sand Volleyball Courts
The council added security cameras, equipment to maintain the park, a splash pad and seating.
The top priority was lighting the fields, in order to facilitate more use during hotter months, followed by a covered playground, bathrooms, a concession stand, and improving and expanding grassy areas.
The council said sand volleyball courts are a low priority.
Jarvis explained that with a $1.8 million budget, not everything on the list will be developed, or the project may have to be completed in phases based on the town’s ability to access additional funding sources.
Funding currently comes from a $200,000 grant from United Way of Graham and Greenlee Counties, and a $1.5 million grant the Arizona State Parks Fund.
Jarvis said the next steps for the town are to secure a landscape architect and an engineer to prepare a preliminary design of the complex.
Per the State Parks grant, work must be complete by July 2027.
– Contributed Image/Graham County GIS
