Jacobs Park Renovations underway to help make the community safer

The city of Tucson is partnering with local construction groups to bring long-needed safety renovations to Jacobs Park & the Ochoa Soccer Complex, focusing on accessibility improvements and updated amenities for the community.

The renovations at Jacobs Park represent years of planning, with new sidewalks, a new playground, and accessibility features designed to make the park safer for everyone who uses it.

Linda Melzer has been walking her dog, Lucy, around Jacobs Park every day for years and sees it as an important piece of her community.

"It's wide open compared to a lot of parks," Melzer said. "You can see the mountains and the, you know, the beauty around you, and there's coyotes sometimes on the other side of that fence."

However, she has concerns about the current state of the park.

"I was really concerned about the old jungle gym because it was very dangerous for kids," Melzer said. "I think its current state is not bad, but I appreciate the improvements, making the sidewalks better and the playground better."

The city has started renovations to address these safety concerns. Tucson Parks & Recreation Administrator Jasmine Chan explained the need for updates.

"I believe this park was constructed 50 years ago and then kind of left as is," Chan said. "So we were really in need of understanding what the change needs of the community that uses Jacobs Park daily, what kinds of amenities we'll bring them here, what activities they'd like to see, and recreational opportunities they'd like to see this park present for the kind of very local community."

The improvements include significant work on the Ochoa side of the park.

"So over at the Ochoa side, that's looking at sidewalk repair, the new playground with a playground shade," Chan said.

Construction groups are contributing to the park improvements, with accessibility as a primary focus.

We're updating the sidewalks that have been basically deteriorating over time. There are people who are handicapped and blind and also deaf," Barron Construction Leadman David Sierra said. "And so you have to have the decent common courtesy to go ahead and fix that."

The city hopes to complete the park renovations and make it fully safe and accessible by this summer.

"I think it's a pretty accessible, nice park, and I'm glad to see them make improvements on it," Melzer said.