Bits and Pieces

New tourism website goes live
Oro Valley has launched its new tourism website, ExploreOroValley.com. The site is designed for visitors, residents, and regional day-trippers. It brings together outdoor recreation, dining, lodging, public art, wellness, shopping, events, and local attractions in one place. The launch follows council’s recent approval of the Town’s scaled-back Leisure Travel Plan. The Town says the site is part of its effort to strengthen Oro Valley as a year-round destination and support local businesses.

CRC parking lot project finished
The Town has completed major parking lot improvements at the Oro Valley Community and Recreation Center. The $950,000 project was finished ahead of schedule and under budget. The work included removing the old asphalt, grading, repaving, and restriping. Construction efficiencies allowed the Town to add 18 more parking spaces and three additional ADA-accessible spaces. The lot now has 385 total spaces, including 20 ADA spaces.

Summer recreation continues
Oro Valley Parks and Recreation has a busy summer schedule underway. Upcoming activities include family swim days at the Aquatic Center, summer camps, youth taekwondo, senior programs, tennis, pickleball, and movie night at the Community Center. The Pusch Ridge Disc Golf Course is also open daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. through September 20. Residents should note that some PlayOV.com reservation displays may not be showing accurate availability while the Town works with its software vendor.

Strong season for Pusch Ridge golf
Friends of Pusch Ridge Golf reports that the nine-hole Pusch Ridge course hosted 20,858 rounds during the 2025-26 season. The average revenue per round was $36. The group also reported strong league activity, including men’s, women’s, couples, and ladies’ league play. Friends of Pusch Ridge Golf also says work continued on projects intended to help the course achieve Audubon Certification next season.

Free sandbags return for monsoon season
Oro Valley residents can pick up free sandbags beginning June 15. The program will run through September 30, while supplies last. There is a limit of 10 sandbags per vehicle. Pickup is self-service, so residents should bring a shovel and be prepared to fill and load the bags themselves. The pickup site is at Naranja Park, in an empty lot on the east side of North Musette Drive, about 1,000 feet north of West Naranja Drive.

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Town Focuses Sponsorship Process, Ensuring Clarity and Community Benefit

Town seeks one process for all events

The Town of Oro Valley is formalizing the procedure it uses for events that it sponsors. The existing process lacks structure, resulting in unclear agreements and varying levels of support for events.

The Community and Economic Development Department is leading this initiative. Director Paul Melcher presented a draft process to the Town Council during a study session last week. Following revisions, Melcher will present a final recommendation for council approval.

New process would centralize authority and document commitment

This new process addresses two key aspects of sponsorship. First: It designates a point person to review and sign sponsorship agreements. The Town Manager should have this role, according to Melcher. Second: It introduces standardized agreements through a template that delineates the responsibilities of both the Town and event sponsors. This written agreement approach aims to prevent "scope creep," where the Town becomes responsible for tasks not agreed upon.

Council: "Consider a three year limit" to town sponsorship of an event

There is another interpretation of "scope creep." Mayor Winfield and Vice Mayor Barrett view it as the number of years the Town commits to supporting an event and recommend a maximum commitment of three years of town support. They believe that an event that is not financially self-sustaining after three years should no longer receive town support.

...and a limit to spending

A majority of council members support the idea that the Town should not invest more than $2,500 per year in any event. The town’s current budget allocates $90,000 for supporting tourism activities, with $40,000 allocated to community events and tourism sponsorships. (Note: The town is paying $410,000 to Visit Tucson to bring visitors to the area.)

Notably, there was no study session discussion regarding how the Town selects the events it sponsors. Councilmember Nicolson, however, emphasized the need for a significant return on investment, specifically 40 times in the form of increased sales tax revenues (based on the fact that the the Oro Valley part of the total 8.6% sales tax is 2.5% sales tax).

Process to cover both Tourism and Community Events

The new process will cover two types of sponsorship events: Tourism Events and Community Events. A tourism event is designed to attract people who live outside of Oro Valley. An example is the "Tucson Bicycle Classic.” It is sponsored by the town in partnership with the Greater Oro Valley Chamber of Commerce. The Town is committed to supporting this event once again next year.

On the other hand, a community event focuses on enhancing the quality of life in Oro Valley. Last week’s ”Rockin' 4 Heroes” [panel above-left] event held at Kreigh Park is an example, with the Town investing $2,500 in this event under a one-year agreement. The event's organizers are currently evaluating the event's success, which, in their opinion, was exceptional given the high turnout. According to Melcher, they are considering expanding the event into a multi-day event in the future, possibly turning it into a tourism event. 

A significant step

Melcher's effort represents a significant step forward in ensuring that town-sponsored agreements are consistent across all events. A standardized process will assist the town in making more informed decisions about the events it supports, ensuring that each investment benefits the community and aligns with the town’s economic and cultural goals.

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Guest View-Tony D’Angelo: “Let’s Boost Tourism In Oro Valley”

Given the assets, Oro Valley has over Marana, I believe an opportunity to grow revenues within Oro Valley lies with a more robust tourism strategy. Tourism does not require more building or annexation. It brings visitors to town who will spend money and then go home. The downside may be some traffic, but it is relatively a clean industry and can be managed with limited negative impact on the environment. 

I believe there are two major themes the Town can leverage to increase tourism to Oro Valley: One is Environmental / Cultural; the other is Recreational / Sports. 

The panel [at right below] is a map of the assets the Town already has that can be leveraged beyond what they are doing today. 

Tourists actually generate more tax dollars to the Town than residents / day because the items they purchase are almost all taxable to the Town. A significant percentage of resident spending is not taxable (groceries) or is done outside Oro Valley. Tourists on the other hand who stay at our hotels, resorts and short-term rental homes will pay directly to Oro Valley a 6% bed tax and a 2.5% sales tax on their rooms. Plus meals out, concessions, gifts, etc. at 2.5%.

With regards to the Environmental / Cultural side of tourism, Oro Valley is incredibly rich in Sonoran Desert assets. It’s all about packaging and marketing. On the Recreational / Sports side, we also have enviable assets. It is one of the reasons I am so passionate about leveraging Pusch Ridge Golf as a visual and gateway for tourist consideration.

If you get a chance, go to the government websites for Sedona and Indian Wells, CA. I believe both of these towns offer good models that Oro Valley can use to promote tourism. You will see on both Town home pages links to visitor information. Neither OrovalleyAZ.gov or ChooseOroValley.com make it easy to access any visitor information. Oro Valley Chamber and ILoveOV.com are not much better.

There is no magic bullet for drawing adequate revenues to the Town without some negative consequences to the status quo. Tourism will not be enough but it can be a net positive contributor.