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Volume • Number June ,
The Voice of Marana, Oro Valley and Northwest Tucson
www.explorernews.com
Happy Hour Guide
Plan your 5 o'clock-somewhere getaway | Special section
Inside
This Week
Wilkins begins job as new OV manager BY DAVE PERRY
Tucson Local Media Contributor
LIVEN UP ..................... 8 Traveler celebrates world music
HEALTH ..................... 21 Boomers are not as healthy as their parents were LIVEN UP.........................................8 HEALTH........................................ 21 SPORTS ........................................ 22 HOROSCOPE/CROSSWORD.......23 WORSHIP/CLASSIFIEDS ........... 24
J
une 12 was the first day on the job for Jeff Wilkins, Oro Valley’s new town manager. Wilkins succeeds interim town manager Chris Cornelison, who was appointed to that position following Mary Jacobs’ resignation last September. With Wilkins’ arrival, Cornelison returns to his position as deputy town manager. Cornelison’s last town council meeting as interim town manager was June 7. He was thanked for his work by a grateful Mayor Joe Winfield, the town council, and staff, and was given a standing ovation along with a couple’s gift certificate to Spawell, on the campus of El Conquistador Tucson, A Hilton Resort. Chris and his wife, Bernadette, live in Oro Valley, and have two young children. “I want to express, publicly, our appreciation for Mr. Cornelison’s exemplary service he’s provided to our town,” the mayor said. Winfield ticked off some of the town’s accomplishments
see MANAGER page 19
$750,000
MLS #22309958
Agreement creates 2-mile Naranja Drive path BY DAVE PERRY
O
Tucson Local Media Contributor
Jeff Wilkins, Oro Valley’s new town manager, above, succeeds interim town manager Chris Cornelison. (Town of Oro Valley/Submitted)
2BD/2.5BA +DEN (2,251 SQ FT) HOME IN SUN CITY Lisab@LongRealty.com 520-668-8293 O.V. #1 LONG AGENT & #1 REALTOR IN ORO VALLEY 14170 N Fawnbrooke Drive, Oro Valley, AZ 85755 Voted Best of Northwest Realtor & Realtor Team
ro Valley has entered an agreement with the Arizona Department of Transportation to design and construct a 2-mile, 10-foot-wide multiuse path along the north side of Naranja Drive between La Canada and First Avenue. The project, with an estimated total cost of $3.656 million, would require multiple steps before any construction begins. On-the-ground work is expected to start in November 2024, with completion in the summer to early fall of 2025, according to a town report. Along with cyclists, runners and walkers on longer routes, the path would serve people walking, running, and cycling to and from Naranja Park.
see DRIVE page 19
$699,990
3BD/3BA+DEN (2,336 SQ FT) NEWER HOME AT ALTERRA.
13415 N Cape Marigold Drive, Oro Valley, AZ 85755
MLS #22311472