MARANA, Ariz. (KGUN) — The Marana Aquatic and Recreation Center is celebrating one year since its doors opened.
The multi-million dollar facility, located at 13455 N Marana Main Street, opened on May 3, 2025.
Brandon Laue, Recreation Superintendent for Marana Parks and Recreation, said the town anticipated around 500 visitors per day and roughly 1,000 memberships in the first year. Both projections were far exceeded.
"In our summer peak, we average about 1,500 visits a day. We exceeded 10,000 memberships, so that was really awesome," he said.
The facility has logged over 300,000 visits since opening.
"We knew that this facility was in high demand, but our numbers, our visitation, really show that the community really needed this facility," Laue said.
To serve all these visitors, more than 100 staff members have been hired.
"Whether that be our 65 lifeguards or our over 50 recreation aides doing the summer camps and those various programs. So, definitely been able to hire and offer a lot of teenagers jobs, as well as some full-time folks," Laue said.
The town has also expanded programming through the space, offering swim lessons, camps, fitness lessons and other activities.
"I think we're a part of people's lifestyle now, we're a part of people's routines, and again I think that's what parks and rec and Marana as a local government is here to do," Laue said.
To celebrate the MARC's first anniversary, a free wellness expo will be hosted on Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. It will include activities, vendors and resources.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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Madison Thomas joined KGUN 9 in July of 2023 as a multimedia journalist. She graduated from Arizona State University in May of 2023 with a degree in journalism and mass communication. She has lived in Arizona her entire life and grew up in Douglas. Madison is thrilled to share the stories from the community she grew up in. Share your story ideas and important issues with Madison by emailing madison.thomas@kgun9.com or by connecting on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.
