TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — A celebration is being held downtown Thursday, July 2 to commemorate the new and improved Armory Park.
Ward 6 Council Member Miranda Schubert and Tucson Parks and Recreation is inviting the community to join the festivities and enjoy the grand reopening of the park. Speeches and the ribbon cutting will take place at 6 p.m.
Performances, food trucks, games and other activities will be available throughout the evening. Families are encouraged to bring chairs and blankets.
The park has been closed for just under a year to make improvements and add new amenities.
Completed improvements include a new pavilion, plaza/performance area, benches, picnic tables, a dog park, and area lighting, as well as renovations to the existing restrooms, irrigation system, and sidewalks.
Lara Hamwey, director of parks and recreation for the City of Tucson, says this was a $1.7 million project funded by Prop 407, a bond voters approved in 2018 for park improvements across the City.
"So the biggest improvement is right behind me, a new performing arts location, a cover, and then brand new irrigation, renovated bathrooms, a brand new dog park, which I know a lot of our downtown residents will be excited about. Lighting, trees, some benches. I mean just really improving the quality of life when you come to visit the park," Hamwey said.
The dog park will be closed for two more weeks because the sod is coming in.
Hamwey says the City has an initiative called Help Us Plan To Play to make the park more community friendly.
"So we're really looking for partners to do yoga classes, dog training classes, fitness classes in the outdoor space. It's our opinion the more active the residents are within the park itself, that we can pretty much find a balance so that everybody can enjoy it and keep it safe," Hamwey said.
She says what's really cool is if you want to do an event or do a class at Armory Park, there's no charge for one year to pull a permit.
"So we are using that to incentivize outside groups to help partner with us to activate the park," Hamwey said.
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Vanessa Gongora is KGUN 9's Westside reporter.. Vanessa fell in love with storytelling by growing up in sports. She was fascinated by how sports reporters go beyond the x's & o's to tell players' stories, and how sports bring people together, inspiring Vanessa to provide the same impact as a journalist. Share your story ideas and important issues with Vanessa by emailing vanessa.gongora@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Instagram, and X.
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