Celebrate improvements at two parks this month made possible by voter-approved Pima County bond funds and Pima County’s partnership with the City of Tucson.

Please join:

• Pima County Supervisor Richard Elías, District 5, and City of Tucson Vice Mayor and Ward 1 Council Member Regina Romero on Saturday, May 11, at 10 a.m. to celebrate the Menlo Park Neighborhood Revitalization Project at 301 N. Grande Ave.
• Pima County Supervisors Chairman Ramón Valadez, District 2; Vice Mayor Romero; and Ward 5 Council Member Richard Fimbres on Wednesday, May 15, at 9 a.m. to celebrate the opening of a skate park at St. John’s School Park, 602 W. Ajo Way.

Pima County invested 1997 Pima County bond funds of $850,000 to improve soccer field facilities at Menlo Park. An additional $498,975 from 2004 Pima County bond funds administered by the Pima County Neighborhood Reinvestment Program was invested into pedestrian safety and mobility improvements at the park.

Some of the administrative costs were covered by the City of Tucson Departments of Transportation and Parks and Recreation, and Ward 1 Back to Basics, which provided $30,000. The City of Tucson provided $318,000 in 2000 City of Tucson bond funds to construct a new restroom building and the plaza in the center of the park, and a Community Development Block Grant of $180,000 helped pay for the remaining sidewalks, lighting, chain link fencing, and a group picnic ramada.

The project’s traffic calming and park improvements were constructed by the City of Tucson’s Transportation and Parks and Recreation Departments. Improvements included traffic circles, speed tables, ADA curb access ramps, xeriscaping and water harvesting chicanes; and fabric shade sails over the pool deck and playgrounds, concrete decks, plazas and walls, landscape planting and support irrigation.

The project included Menlo Park Neighborhood Association members, especially, Mac Hudson, Bob Rodriguez, Lorraine Bartlett, Gene Einfrank and Lillian Lopez- Grant.

The Pima County Neighborhood Reinvestment Program also contributed $500,000 in bond funds to construct the skate park at St. John’s School Park. The skate park is lighted, and other improvements include a paved jogging track and ramada with picnic facilities. The site is shared by St. John’s School and the City of Tucson Parks and Recreation Department. Vice Mayor Romero contributed $4,000 in Back-to-Basics funds to the project.

Join Pima County and FC Tucson on Thursday, April 25, to celebrate the start of construction of the North Stadium at Kino Sports Complex.

The North Stadium, which is expected to be completed in October 2013, will include a grandstand that will seat 1,600-1,800, additional bleachers for up to 400, a new scoreboard, and restroom and concession facilities. It is part of the County’s $2.8 million investment in improvements at Kino Sports Complex, which will also include adding a sixth soccer field and a new main entrance to the soccer fields.

Pima County Supervisors Chairman Ramón Valadez, District 2, and Supervisor Richard Elías, District 5, will join the owners of FC Tucson for a news conference at 4:45 p.m. followed by a groundbreaking ceremony.

Members of the public are invited to have their photographs taken with a ceremonial hard hat and shovel.

Tickets for FC Tucson’s 2013 season will be for sale. The first home match is May 18 against the Southern California Seahorses at the North Grandstand field. Season tickets for seven Premier Development League and three non-PDL matches are $100 for adults and $80 for youth ages 3-12 (not including a $10 surcharge/ticket and tax).

The first 1,600 fans to purchase 2013 season tickets will reserve a chance to order 2014 season tickets at the new stadium.

FC Tucson, established in 2010, owns FC Tucson Soccer, Tucson’s top-level soccer team, and the FC Tucson Desert Diamond Cup. In 2012, FC Tucson was named the PDL Rookie Franchise of the Year. For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit www.fctucson.com.

Kino Sports Complex is the largest sports and entertainment venue in Pima County. The home of the Triple-A Tucson Padres baseball team and the FC Tucson soccer club includes the 11,000-seat Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium, a 1,000-seat North Grandstand soccer field and a 2,000-seat North Stadium under construction. Along with seven more baseball fields (four with lights), lighted softball fields, and four more soccer fields, it is a great fit for youth, amateur and professional sports, concerts, and community events. Visit www.kinosportscomplex.com or call (520) 546-5466.

Pima County and FC Tucson unveiled plans today for a 2,000-seat soccer stadium and a sixth soccer field at Kino Sports Complex north of East Ajo Way.

“We’re creating an asset not just for people to watch professional soccer but to play amateur soccer, for our children to play,” said Ramón Valadez, chairman of the Pima County Board of Supervisors and supervisor for District 2, where Kino Sports Complex is located.

Supervisor Richard Elías, District 5, said the County’s improvements to Kino Sports Complex show “government moving quickly when a great opportunity knocks on the door.”

“By improving these facilities at such a rapid pace, I think we’ve shown our great commitment to our children and our youth and to professional sports,” he said.

The County’s $2.8 million in improvements at Kino Sports Complex will include a grandstand that will seat 1,600-1,800 with an overhang and with additional bleachers for up to 400, a new scoreboard, and restroom and concession facilities at North Field #1. North Fields #2 and #3 will be converted to three fields, and a new main entrance to the soccer fields will be built.

The work is expected to be completed in October 2013.

Greg Foster, a co-managing partner of FC Tucson, praised the County’s efforts to grow soccer here.

“In 18 months, as a result of the County’s investment in this facility, we’ve been able to attract Major League Soccer preseason; our community has been designated a Western hub of Major League Soccer preseason; we are going to be showcased on national TV, on NBC Sports for the final of the Desert Diamond Cup; we will have 10 Major League Soccer teams training in Tucson; we will have the first international friendly ever to be played in Tucson,” Foster said. “We’ve also attracted youth sports,” including the Arizona Youth Soccer Association state league games, the state cup and the Fort Lowell Shootout.

“The County’s commitment to soccer and the pace at which they’ve developed these facilities have made this all possible.”

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The Denmark-Canada friendly match at 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 26, at Kino Stadium launches 10 days of Major League Soccer friendlies at North Field #5 followed by the Desert Diamond Cup on Feb. 13, 16, 20 and 23 at Kino Stadium.

Home matches during FC Tucson’s 2013 Premier Development League schedule, which begins May 11, will be played at North Field #5.

2013 season tickets went on sale today. Season ticket packages are $100 ($10/game) and will include seven PDL dates plus three additional matches to be determined. The first 1,600 fans to purchase 2013 season tickets will be guaranteed a chance to order 2014 season tickets at the new stadium.

FC Tucson, established in 2010, owns FC Tucson Soccer, Tucson’s top-level soccer team, and the FC Tucson Desert Diamond Cup. In 2012, FC Tucson was named the PDL Rookie Franchise of the Year. Follow FC Tucson at www.fctucson.com.

Kino Sports Complex (www.kinosportscomplex.com) is home to both the Triple-A Tucson Padres baseball team and the FC Tucson soccer club. It is the largest professional sports and entertainment venue of its kind in Pima County.  It includes the 11,000-seat Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium, seven baseball fields (four with lights), lighted softball fields, a regulation Soccer Stadium (lighted) and four additional fields for soccer, field hockey, rugby, and lacrosse. It is a natural fit for youth, high school, collegiate, and professional sports; and makes a great setting for social gatherings, concerts, and community events.

Pima County Supervisor Richard Elías joined FC Tucson soccer club partners Thursday, Oct. 11, to announce the Major League Soccer teams participating in the 2013 Desert Diamond Cup and Pima County’s plans to further improve soccer facilities at Kino Sports Complex.

Pima County Supervisor Richard Elias helps unveil posters of the four Major League Soccer teams that will be participating in the 2013 Desert Diamond Cup at Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium

“Tucson needs to have a professional sports amenity we can all be proud of,” Elias said at a news conference in the lobby of the Pima County Administration Building. “This is about economic development and bringing new money into our community.”

Pima County will invest $2 million to build five permanent soccer venues north of Ajo Way; two of them will be arenas that will seat 1,000 and 3,000 spectators.

Pima County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry said that the $2 million comes out of the $5 million that the Chicago White Sox paid to terminate their contract with Pima County when they moved their spring training to Glendale.

“Taxpayers aren’t paying this,” Huckelberry said.  “This is thanks to the Chicago White Sox.”

The work will mark the turning point of converting Kino Sports Complex from a baseball facility to a year-round multi-sports facility, he said.

“It will be the premier facility within the region, and it will improve from there,” Huckelberry said.

Kino Sports Complex north field #1, which will be converted to an arena-like venue that will seat 3,000 spectators.

Greg Foster, one of FC Tucson’s managing partners, said the private-public partnership between FC Tucson and Pima County has been critical to the success of the club and the Desert Diamond Cup.

Major League Soccer notified FC Tucson last week that it is designating Tucson the “western hub of MLS preseason.”

This is a development and branding concept that will lead to all MLS teams traveling to Tucson and Orlando in preseason, Foster said.  Six MLS teams will be participating in 2013 spring training in central Florida, it was announced last week.

FC Tucson is negotiating with four MLS teams to play at the Kino north soccer complex between Jan. 19 and Feb. 6.

“Without the County’s assistance, without their investment, this would not have been possible,” Foster said.  “The Pima County Board of Supervisors and the County administration have been indispensable in this process.”

In the 2013 Desert Diamond Cup, the New England Revolution, New York Red Bulls, Real Salt Lake and the Seattle Sounders will play the double-header, round-robin tournament at Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium on Feb. 13, 17 and 20. The tournament final and the third-place game will be played on Feb. 23.

The final game will be broadcast live in prime time by NBC Sports, said Chris Keeney, another FC Tucson managing partner.

NBC Sports will put Tucson on display for up to 80 million households, he said.

Adding the Seattle Sounders to the tournament lineup is significant, Keeney said, because they have an incredible fan base.  Attendance averaged more than 40,000 per game in 2012.

“You may be seeing a sea of green in February,” Keeney said, when many of those fans opt to travel from wintry Washington state to Tucson’s warmer climate.

Supervisor Elías concluded that growing soccer’s presence in Pima County is about “quality of life,” about families sharing good times that will be remembered.

“We’re building more memories,” he said.  “We’re building quality of life.”

Kino Sports Complex is the largest professional sports and entertainment venue of its kind in Pima County.  It includes the 11,000-seat Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium, seven baseball fields (four with lights), lighted softball fields, a regulation Soccer Stadium (lighted) and four additional fields available for soccer, field hockey, rugby, and lacrosse. With its panoramic view of the Santa Catalina Mountains, it is a natural fit for youth, high school and collegiate sports. Plus, it makes a great setting for social gatherings, concerts, and community events.

Kino Sports Complex is home to the Triple-A Tucson Padres baseball team and the FC Tucson soccer club.  To learn more, or to schedule an event, go to www.kinosportscomplex.com or call (520)546-KINO (5466).

Keep up with Pima County on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pimacountyarizona.

Please join Pima County Supervisor Richard Elías, District 5, and City of Tucson Parks and Recreation Director Fred Gray on Saturday, Sept. 15, at 4 p.m. as we open the new splash pad and integrated play area in Catalina Park, 900 N. Fourth Ave., in the Historic West University neighborhood.

Improvements include construction of a splash pad, a covered play structure, accessible walkways, and plaza-area design elements that reflect the historic past of this park. The splash pad has been designed with a manual activation system to allow residents to turn on the water features as desired. This area is fenced with lockable gates that will be open during normal park hours. The existing wading pool will remain in place to serve as a reservoir for the splash pad only.

The old playground has been replaced with a new and larger play system. The new structure is protected from the sun by a steel ramada structure with terra cotta tile roof in keeping with the historic nature of existing elements. Security lighting, wood chip surfacing, and rubberized entrances are also provided. Accessible routes to all the new features have been provided from all four corners of the park. An existing, historic ramada has been preserved with a new ramp added to provide handicap access.

Funding for this project was provided by the 2004 Pima County Neighborhood Reinvestment Bonds; Supervisor Elías; former Ward 6 Council Member Nina Trasoff (currently Steve Kozachik), who provided CDBG Funds for design; the City of Tucson, which provided CDBG funding for the playground and ADA improvements; and the Trinity Presbyterian Church congregation’s donation.

For more information, please contact Lori Aldecoa at 520-243-6673 or Lori.Aldecoa@pima.gov.