TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) - After years of running in circles over what to do with Rillito Park, youth sports enthusiasts are saying it’s time for the track to enter a different field of recreation.
A presentation to the Pima County Board of Supervisors showed a vision for Rillito’s future, after a memorandum last month from the county administrator explained the efforts made to get racing going won’t happen this year.
Rillito Park already has sports fields, and a presentation to the supervisors from a youth soccer advocate made the case for taking Rillito completely in that direction.
“I really do think this should be a win-win situation that we can preserve horse racing in an appropriate location, but then also develop this into a full-service park as it should be,” said Ted Schmidt, immediate past president of FC Tucson Youth and former president of Pima County Junior Soccer League.
As an advocate for youth soccer in the county, Schmidt presented to the supervisors a vision of what Rillito Park could be.
He showed drone video that was recorded above Rillito Park that showed the expanse of land that is currently sitting unused and that will likely continue to sit for the rest of 2025. The video then transitioned to the playgrounds and other public activity facilities at Naranja Park in Oro Valley as a concept of what can be done at Rillito.
“This particular location is in the heart of the population center of our community,” Schmidt said.
Earlier this year, the county requested proposals to run Rillito Park for next year’s racing season; however, out of a dozen people who did the mandatory tour in March, no one came forward.
The expense and the work would be too much. Parks and Recreation spent $40,000 on an emergency warning system for racing safety. County Administrator Jan Lesher wrote in a memorandum dated in May that future modifications to inner and outer rails and the test barn will be delayed to an undetermined future date, and while the county remains committed to re-establishing horse racing in the community, Rillito as well as other locations will be considered.
“All the fields get used so much, they’re shut down all summer because they need to let the grass revitalize, they can’t rotate the fields like they do up in Phoenix,” Schmidt explained about the need for more sports fields in the county.
He said that adding more fields would help attract tournaments because there will be more space during those critical months and that other additions would provide more family activities for everyone, as shown in the video that he presented to supervisors.
Rillito already has some fields for youth sports.
“This is a taste of where I think we’re ultimately going to end up when we put pencil to paper and have an actual plan for moving forward,” he said.
Schmidt said that he expects a more specific vision will be shown to supervisors soon, possibly by the end of summer.
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