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PARKS, RECREATION, OPEN SPACE, AND EVENTS J U N E 2 0 2 6 N E W S L E T T E R Connecting our community through people, parks, natural areas, and programs. New playground at McMaillan Mesa Park New Playground at McMillan Mesa Park The new playground at McMillan Mesa Park is officially open! After the previous play structure reached the end of its lifespan, Parks staff worked hard to install a new, community-inspired replacement. The design was shaped by input from nearby residents, resulting in a space that offers fun for children of all ages. The updated playground features a dramatic 16-foot slide with an internal climbing route, interactive play elements including a Connect Four-style game and a play tool station, a dedicated and accessible play area for younger children, and a new swing set. The bright orange and green play equipment coincedentally complements the red hot poker plants blooming near the park entrance, creating a vibrant, welcoming space Kids & families enjoying the new for families to enjoy. playground at Concerts in the Park PARKS PARKS Red hot poker plants at McMillan Mesa Park Ian Andersen Promotion to Cemetery Supervisor We are excited to announce that Ian Andersen has accepted the position of Cemetery Supervisor. Ian brings eight years of experience with the Parks Section, where he began as a temporary employee before joining the Cemetery as a full-time staff member. He later served as Ian Andsersen a Parks Technician and now returns to the Cemetery to oversee daily operations. In his new role, Ian is committed to providing exceptional customer service with compassion, professionalism, and respect. He understands the importance of honoring veterans and recognizes the need for sensitive, thoughtful care while supporting families during difficult times. Ian is also excited to apply his knowledge of tree care and landscaping to enhance the beauty and upkeep of the Cemetery. In addition, he looks forward to streamlining operations and implementing small but meaningful improvements that help maintain both affordability and comfort for the families and community members we serve. We are fortunate to have Ian's dedication, experience, and genuine care on our team. Please join us in New Columbarium at the Cemetery congratulating him on his new role—we look The Cemetery recently finished installing a forward to seeing the positive impact he will new columbarium, expanding the memorial continue to make as Cemetery Supervisor. options available to our community. May 2026 Trail Number Counts of Users 20000 15000 10000 5000 0 AZT Loop FUTS CCC Hill Bridge Mesa Site East West Trail Tree Mars Entrance 66 66 Buffalo Park Foxglenn Mesa Waterbird Sinclair Lone Observatory Cyn Route Route Buffalo McMillan Picture Cyn Picture New Columbarium RECREATION RECREATION Swim Lessons the Aquaplex Swim Lessons & Summer Camp at the Aquaplex Swim Lessons and Summer Camp at the Aquaplex are off to a fantastic start! Summer Camp welcomed an average of 30 campers each week during its first three weeks. Campers have enjoyed hands-on STEM activities, swimming, rock climbing, games, and plenty of summer fun. Swim lessons have also seen strong Sports Camp participants participation. This year, lessons were restructured into hour-long playing handball sessions grouped by skill level rather than age, and the new format has proven to be a great success. Summer Sports Camp Summer Sports Camp had another successful season thanks to the collaborative efforts of the Hal Jensen and Jay Lively staff. Campers learned a variety of sports, including European handball, floor hockey, ice skating, and more. Throughout the camp, participants built their skills and confidence, culminating in a fun, friendly competition that showcased their progress. Summer Field Trips at Hal Jensen Summer Field Trips at Hal Jensen have been well attended and have offered a great variety of fun activities around the area. One of the highlights was a trip to Prescott to watch the Northern Arizona Wranglers play, giving kids the exciting experience of seeing a live game. Another favorite outing was a visit to PuttTek for a round of mini golf. Field Trip to the Northern Arizona Wranglers game PuttTek Edible Plants & Drawing Event at Picture Canyon OPEN OPEN SPACE SPACE Field Notes: Edible Plants & Drawing Open Space was joined by local artist Christine Snyder for an Edible Plants & Drawing hike at Picture Canyon Natural and Cultural Preserve. After an introduction to nature journaling the Person watercoloring group set off along the trail to learn about several native plants and their traditional, medicinal, and ecological uses. At the Waterfall Overlook, Christine introduced the basics of watercolor painting, and participants used their nature journals to paint plants they observed during the hike. Invasive Weed Mitigation & Education Open Space, Parks, and Sustainability hosted a Native Plant Workshop, with a tour of the native Event participants examining plants to draw plant garden at the downtown library and planting native plants at the Pollinator Garden at City Hall. Bug Out Event Open Space taught an Invasive Plant Workshop at Open Space. along with various partners, Foxglenn Park. After learning about invasive plants, hosted a successful Bug Out event with participants went back interactive booths where participants along the Rio de Flag learned about native insects, matched to identify and pollinators to plants, created bee watering remove various stations, and planted native wildflowers to invasive plants. support local pollinators. Bug Out Event Native widlflowers at the Library Concert at McMillan Mesa Park Concerts in the Park EVENTS, EVENTS, MARKETING MARKETING & & ATHLETICS ATHLETICS Despite a few location changes this season due to unforeseen circumstances, Concerts in the Park has continued to be a wonderful success. We were thrilled to see such a fantastic turnout for our concerts at Raymond County Park and McMillan Mesa Park, presented in partnership with Coconino County Parks and Recreation. Even with the venue changes, the community came together to enjoy an evening of great music. We are excited to keep the momentum going as the series continues throughout the rest of July. Concert at Cleo Murdoch Park Upcoming Concerts in the Park July 15 th – The Pocket Limes at Mobile Haven Park July 22 nd – Ryan Biter at Bushmaster Park July 29 th – The Coveralls at Jim Cullen Memorial Park