Get ready for the City’s first nature-themed bike playground!
Thanks to Tucson Delivers Proposition 407 bond funding, the Todd M. Harris Sports Complex will soon receive a new walking path connection, resurfaced parking lots, a new comfort station and concession stand, public art, and a whole new way to play!
Kids (and kids at heart) recently voted on two play options that were developed based on community preferences. Overall, voters slightly preferred the Riparian Exploration concept (126 votes) to the Mountain Bike Adventure concept (116 votes). To learn more about past outreach and the design development process, check out the project history below.
Next Steps + Timeline
Based on the results, Parks and Recreation will further develop and build the Riparian Exploration concept, but will integrate a mountain woodland bike play area to incorporate features the community liked about the mountain bike adventure option. The project is anticipated to go out to bid late Summer 2026 with construction to follow in Fall 2026.
Project History
To learn more about what kind of play features the community would like to see at the Todd M. Harris Sports Complex, Parks and Recreation hosted a sticker dot voting activity at the Ward 4 Splash Bash on May 3, 2025, and circulated an online survey from May 3-May 25, 2025. We connected with ~150 individuals at Splash Bash, and 98 residents participated in the online survey.
Through our outreach we learned that the community is really interested in a natural playground theme and would most like us to include fun slides, swings, boulder climbing elements, balancing obstacles, sand play, a group spinner, nature play features, interactive music elements, and a bike playground.
Parks and Recreation developed two play options based on initial community feedback and checked back in with the community to vote for their favorite one via a second online survey that circulated from July 14, 2025-August 4, 2025, and in-person outreach with Freedom Park Center KIDCO participants (July 14, 2025) and folks who attended the 29th Street Back to School Neighborhood Party and Resource Fair (July 26, 2025).
Overall, voters slightly preferred the Riparian Exploration concept (126 votes) to the Mountain Bike Adventure concept (116 votes). Since votes were so close, the design team will advance the Riparian Exploration concept, but will integrate a mountain woodland bike play area to incorporate features the community liked about the mountain bike adventure concept.
Vote Breakout:
- Online Survey (open July 14-Aug. 4, 2025, mostly adults): Mountain Bike Adventure: 31, Riparian Exploration: 28
- Freedom Park Center KIDCO (July 14, 2025, youth): Mountain Bike Adventure: 9 Riparian Exploration: 5
- 29th Street Back to School (July 26, 2025, mostly youth): Mountain Bike Adventure: 76, Riparian Exploration: 93
- Total: Mountain Bike Adventure: 116, Riparian Exploration: 126
Participants in the online survey were nearly tied in their thoughts on which theme, slide, and climber to include:
The design team will integrate features that incorporate the best of both options.
Check out the video walkthrough, options, and online survey results below to learn more about the designs that were under consideration.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Todd M. Harris was a native Tucsonan who graduated from Sahuaro High School in 1992. Growing up in Tucson Todd participated in several sports including Tucson Youth Football, Pop Warner Football, Pantano Soccer League and high school sports. In February 1998 he joined the Army and served at Fort Drum, Fort Bragg, and Fort Campbell and in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Sriname through multiple deployments. He was deployed back to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom when his unit was attacked and he lost his life in combat on November 3, 2010.