www.tucsonlocalmedia.com
Nov. 3 2021
DESERT TIMES The Voice of Southwest Tucson
Volume • Number
A Taste of the Season
A new cookbook collects recipes inspired by Day of the Dead | Page 11
INSIDE
BACK ON STAGE
Beer Benefit Hockey & Hops | Page 8
After more than a year off stage, the non-profit Oro Valley Theatre Company presents the play “Steel Magnolias” at the Gaslight Music Hall this week. Read more on Page 10.
Tech Talk
Courtesy photo
UA researchers unleashing copper’s antibacterial properties | Page 12
Marana approves half-cent sales tax for community recreation center
Loft Film Fest
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Let’s all go back to the lobby! | Page 13
Alexandra Pere Tucson Local Media
arana Town Council unanimously hiked the town sales tax by a half-center per dollar on Tuesday, Oct. 19, to build a multi-generational recreation and aquatic center. The tax increase, which begins
on January 1, 2022, will remain in effect until the project’s financing, design, and construction are completed. Town officials estimated that will take seven years. Marana previously used a temporary sales tax increase to fund other municipal projects, including the new police headquarters at the municipal complex, as well as the Twin Peaks overpass.
Census: Marana population surpasses 50K Jeff Gardner Tucson Local Media
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“We heard something loud and clear from our community and they felt underserved in a particular area relative to recreational facilities and aquatic centers,” Town Manager Terry Rozema said during the meeting. The Town Parks & Recreation Master Plan 2020-2030 included a survey with community input
t’s no surprise Marana is growing. Just look at the expanding municipal complex, multiple housing developments, and the real estate market throughout the Tucson area. But now official census numbers can be attached to that growth. Although Marana’s new official population count is in line with predicted growth, the latest census results include a number of important details. Marana’s official population now stands at 51,908, up from 34,961 in 2010 for a 48.5% growth. This growth rate is more than four times as high as the Arizona average of 11.9% in the same time frame.
See MARANA SALES TAX, P6
See CENSUS, P6