TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — The Pima County Board of Supervisors has adopted the One Pima Initiative, a comprehensive action plan designed to clean up the Chuck Huckelberry Loop and expand treatment and recovery options countywide.
District 5 Supervisor Andrés Cano, who introduced the initiative, outlined ambitious goals including clearing all debris along the Loop and in the Santa Cruz River by April 2026. The county has allocated $750,000 in taxpayer funds to support the cleanup effort.
"Lot of Polar Pops, lot of AriZona Iced Teas, lot of styrofoam. It's no wonder why people have been asking for the county and city to do something about it," Cano said as he pointed out some of the trash in the river.
The initiative includes development of a safety plan for Loop users and creation of a mobile app where cyclists and pedestrians can celebrate milestones and report safety concerns.
"I want us to have tools available for the public so that they can access the location point where they're at, and I think that some additional lighting and also some mile marker signage will be really important," Cano said.
Local youth are eager for the improvements. Korina Bautista, a fifth grader in the El Grupo Manzo Bike Club, expressed support for the cleanup efforts.
"Because some homeless people, throw beer bottles or other trash and it's hurting the neighborhood and the nature," Korina said.
Korina also shared concerns about safety hazards on the trail. She has seen glass on the trail, popping her friend Etzael Espinoza's tire, which caused an inconvenience.
"She had to pump it up. Everyone had to stop. It was a little bit annoying," Korina added.
Cano says the One Pima Initiative will be guided by lots of community input over the next several months, and part of the direction of the board is that the county will work with all of their loop patrons to be able to develop a safety plan that works.
The loop cleanup will be a partnership of county parks and rec., flood control staff, and also a third party contractor that the county has established a relationship with to support them.
Beyond cleanup efforts, the One Pima Initiative addresses homelessness through expanded housing and treatment options. The plan includes implementing the Sobering Alternative for Recovery Center (SARC), a six-month pilot program funded by opioid settlement funds.
"So what we are doing is we are using opioid settlement dollars to be able to support up to 20 individuals who don't need to be in a jail cell. They need to be in medically assisted treatment facilities," Cano said.
The request for proposals and the contract were just approved last week, so the location of operation is to be determined.
Cano says that if people living in encampments along the Loop or in other public spaces are refusing treatment, the county needs to figure out what barriers are preventing them from accessing those services.
"We've heard a lot that as it relates to folks who are unsheltered, they are not going to a nonprofit shelter for housing assistance sometimes because they can't take their pets. Sometimes if you are accepting a night or a week in a shelter, you cannot take your belongings with you," Cano said. "Can you imagine being homeless and being told that you can't take your pet and you can't take your belongings with you? So we take kind of a blind three approach in the One Pima Initiative to be able to look at those barriers and look at ways for us to establish a framework where people are supported."
Lisa Vega, coach of the El Grupo Manzo Bike Club, supports the initiative and believes it will make a difference.
"We want people coming into town because Tucson is becoming a cyclist town and we want them to see the beauty of it and help those that are in need of help," Vega said.
Cano emphasized that the One Pima Initiative is a two-year framework effort involving the county, community, and nonprofit partners.
The plan brings together existing programs and new strategies under one coordinated framework. One Pima uses already budgeted FY26 funds, state and federal grants, and opioid settlement dollars — avoiding new taxes or cuts to current programs.
"It was really important to me for us to offer these initiatives without looking at which county department we were going to cut services to to make this happen. I think as the landlord of the Loop we have an obligation to make sure that it's safe and that it's protected and that we clean it up," Cano said "And as it relates to treatment, we are already taking steps as part of this initiative to support people in terms of housing. The county has already allocated its highest amountof our general fund to support affordable housing $8.5 million. We did that in June."
Cano also expressed that he's excited about one particular part of the Pima Initiative that supports neighbors on the west side living next to the Pima County Jail.
"We've got to do a little bit more as a county to be able to support some of those west side neighborhoods Kroger Lane, Sin Nombre, Menlo Park, Barrio Santa Cruz, with additional neighborhood amenities to help improve quality of life," Cano said. "If they tell us they want a park or they want additional infrastructure in their neighborhoods, I think we should listen to them."
The county administrator will give a report in January about the first implementation of all the recommendations and another one in April.
"The reason why those are two really important dates for both January and April is that they'll be lining up with next year's budget when we are determining what our investments will be for the year," Cano said.
He's looking forward to the next several months as the planning process starts to come to fruition and conversations are had about what they have and what they need.
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