In The News Archive

• New Parking Lot Progresses at Reid Park. The new parking lot for the Zoo, Edith Ball Adaptive Recreation Center (ARC), and Reid Park is in progress. According to the Zoo’s July 25, 2023 project update, “work continues on utilities as well as pouring of curb stops and light pole bases.

• SHRP helps host Tucson Tree Fest 2022. Save the Heart of Reid Park was in Reid Park on Saturday, October 15, to help Mayor Regina Romero, The City of Tucson, Tucson Clean & Beautiful and other hosts at Tucson Tree Fest 2022 celebrate the importance of trees for Tucson’s climate future.

• Photos: Trees at Reid Park get makeover, by Mamta Popat, Arizona Daily Star, April 5, 2022. “The group, Save the Heart of Reid Park, provided a donation to hire an International Society of Arboriculture–certified arborist to assess the health of trees on and near Barnum Hill at Gene C. Reid Park, and the landscape crew to cut away dead branches on the Aleppo pine trees.”

• City of Tucson bulletin: Gene C. Reid Park Tree Trimming April 4 and 5. March 30, 2022. We have some exciting work happening on Barnum Hill in Reid Park! If you are at the park on Monday, April 4, or Tuesday, April 5, you will get to see some certified arborists in action pruning the dead material on some of our Aleppo pine trees.

• Save the Heart of Reid Park Transitions, Jan. 25, 2022. In December 2021 SHRP began the process of terminating our political action committee (PAC), dissolving our 501(c)(4), disconnecting our Donorbox platform, and closing our bank account. We officially completed the process January 19, 2022, with disbursement of SHRP's remaining funds to a qualifying nonprofit.

• Update on the Reid Park Zoo Expansion, September 23, 2021 (project website). View the most recent Mayor and Council memorandum from Sept. 23, 2021 here. The project website provides updated graphic and explanatory text for the currently proposed configuration. A meeting was held October 1, 2021, to discuss the layout and gather any further community input. View the meeting on the project website or on the City of Tucson YouTube channel. In the City’s Bulletin of Oct. 6, 2021, Sierra Boyer, Community Promotions and Marketing Manager, Tucson Parks and Recreation, states: “If you would like to reach out to the team regarding the ongoing discussions and plans for the park and zoo expansion, please direct your emails to info@engageparkandzoo.info.“

• New plan in works for Reid Park Zoo expansion. Special, by Noah Cullen, Arizona Daily Star, Nov. 13, 2021, updated Dec. 1, 2021. “The final footprint is in the works as part of the master plan being developed by the city. Lara Hamwey, director of Parks and Recreation, said selection of a zoo expansion plan is a first step in moving toward a master plan for the entire park.”

• City of Tucson bulletin: Community input invited following Oct. 1, 2021 update on the Gene C. Reid Park and Reid Park Zoo Expansion. Oct. 6, 2021. “If you would like to reach out to the team regarding the ongoing discussions and plans for the park and zoo expansion, please direct your emails to info@engageparkandzoo.info.“

• CITIZEN GROUPS' EMAIL TO MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL, July 16, 2021. An email from Core Stakeholder Group members, Community Dialogue Circles participants, and neighborhood associations advocating ongoing citizen involvement in planning and implementing the Reid Park Zoo expansion concept agreed upon by City Council.

• SHRP Advises Engaging Community in Expansion Planning, July 10, 2021. SHRP strongly advocates the community’s ongoing involvement in planning for implementing G-Minor in Reid Park Zoo expansion.

• SHRP enthusiastically endorses Miranda Schubert for Ward 6 Council Member, July 14, 2021. Miranda has actively supported Save the Heart of Reid Park since the beginning of her candidacy. Her main opponent, incumbent Steve Kozachik, is the only member of city council who voted to destroy Barnum Hill and the south duck pond. Please vote for Miranda in the August 3 Democratic primary and November 2 general election.

• SHRP EMAIL TO MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL, May 13, 2021. SHRP thanks the May and City Council for approving G-Minor and expresses desire to participate actively in the planning process for its implementation.

• SHRP EMAIL TO MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL, May 4, 2021. SHRP argues that “Option G Minor is the result of the community process far more than Option D” and contends that “G Minor meets all of the criteria that emerged from the Community Dialogue process” established by the mayor and city council. Moreover, SHRP maintains “Option G Minor raises the bar on intentional planning in Reid Park, which is sorely needed as Reid Park has gone without the consideration of a Master Plan for nearly two decades.”

• ARCHITECT BOB VINT’S EMAIL TO MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL, May 4, 2021. Vint shares his thoughts with Council before its May 4 meeting, specifically with regards to several major problems with Option D still being recommened by the city manager and addressing significant disparities between the city manager’s cost estimates and Vint’s professional estimates. For more details on G-minor, see also Bob Vint’s A Path Forward on this website.

• SHRP PRESS RELEASE, May 3, 2021: NEW Zoo Expansion Plan “G-minor” Emerges As Favorite for Tucson Residents. Save the Heart Of Reid Park announces Press Conference at which Bob Vint, Tucson Architect, and Mark Mayer, JKNA, will present the new Concept “G-minor” and conduct tour of proposed area. For full details on “G-minor,” see Bob Vint’s A Path Forward on this website or his Building a bridge, literally, between park and zoo in the Arizona Daily Star.

• City of Tucson News Release — Manager's Recommendation on Reid Park Zoo Expansion Forwarded to Mayor and Council, April 27, 2021, TDD: 791-2639. Tucson City Manager Michael Ortega forwarded his recommendation for the proposed Reid Park Zoo "Pathways to Asia" expansion to the Mayor and Council for discussion and direction at the May 4, 2021 Study Session Meeting.

• SHRP PRESS RELEASE, April, 26, 2021:   Save the Heart of Reid Park neighborhood leaders hold April 27, 2021 press conference urging Mayor and City Council to pick revised, much-lower-cost Option G. Watch video of press conference.

• Tucson City Council to decide fate of Reid Park Zoo expansion, Arizona Daily Star, April 24, 2021. After conducting the largest citywide survey ever (to which more than 14,000 people responded), on May 4 the mayor and council members are scheduled to make a decision on the zoo expansion after analyzing information gathered during a 45-day public outreach mission.

• Executive Summary of the Community Survey Favorability Report. Summarizes the full survey results across multiple demographic segments based on net favorabiliy, seeking the most neutral outcome, and compares those demographic segments to the aggregated data. Neutrality was selected as the focal point to align with Mayor Regina Romero's and the Tucson City Council's vision of finding a win-win solution.

• Video of the final meeting of the core stakeholder group. View the wrap-up meeting in which the core stakeholder group explains the process used to study the issues and options and arrive at its recommendations to the Mayor and City Council. Includes a high-level overview of findings derived from a statistical analysis of the survey on concept options.

• Gene C. Reid Park and Reid Park Zoo Expansion: Community Conversation. City’s overview of the Council-mandated initiative to engage stakeholders in resolving the controversy. Includes a graphic on capturing and funneling feedback from voicemail to online comments, surveys, and facilitated meetings shared in a continuous process over 45 days. Also provides a 45-day timeline and a core stakeholders list.

• The City of Tucson’s online survey, in both English and Español, regarding eight concepts for the Zoo expansion and possible changes to Gene C. Reid Park is now officially closed, with the votes tally currently tilted toward our favored options. However, the Community Conversation on these issues continues. There’s still time to join the conversation by submitting comments in either English or Español. The deadline for submitting comments online is Tuesday, April 20, 2021.

•  City announces on April 1 a new survey on concepts for Reid Park. “A survey is now open for the community to see and learn about eight concepts regarding the Zoo expansion and possible changes to Gene C. Reid Park, weigh in on each concept, and offer any other ideas not covered by those presented. The concepts are based on input from the Core Stakeholder Group, the Reid Park Zoo Master Plan for expansion, and City of Tucson staff.” The survey can be taken online in both English and Spanish. The survey will close at 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, April 13.

• View the YouTube video of the first core stakeholder group meeting regarding the Gene C. Reid Park and Reid Park Zoo Expansion Community Conversation that took take place Saturday, March 27, from 1 to 3 p.m. Alternatively, the video may be viewed on the Gene C. Reid Park and Reid Park Zoo Community Conversation webpage.

• March 19, 2021 letter to potential participants in the invitation-only Core Stakeholder Group. The core group will craft a recommendation to the City of Tucson Mayor and Council regarding the planned expansion of the Reid Park Zoo into Reid Park. The Center for Community Dialogue & Training, a long-time nonprofit Tucson organization, has been asked to be the neutral facilitator using a structured process to help members work toward consensus on recommendations.

• City opens comment portal for community conversation regarding the Gene C. Reid Park and Reid Park Zoo issue. The City is developing a group of leaders from key stakeholder groups who will provide input into the process and outcomes moving forward. Work will be concluded within the engagement time frame. Please submit your comments by April 20, 2021. For details and links to the English and Spanish portal pages, see Take Action.

• Mayor and Council Study Session, Agenda Item 6 Minutes. Legal Action Report for the Meeting of Tuesday, March 9, 2021, in which the City Council voted 6 to 1 in favor of the Mayor’s call to pause the Reid Park Zoo expansion and then directed the City Manager to organize a “mediated, intentional dialogue,” between diverse community members and stakeholders to come to a compromise.

• Call for pause on Zoo expansion: A Message from Mayor Regina Romero. March 3, 2021.