[Source: Pete Aleshire, Payson Roundup] — The state parks board may call a special meeting in March to sort through the smoking smolders of its budget, including the recently imposed closure of . In addition, House Republicans this week will continue to push for an emergency law to let state parks and other agencies borrow $20 million from a voter-approved open space fund.
That leaves at least two approaches open for Rim Country officials, pushing hard to convince the parks board to reopen Tonto Natural Bridge, which draws more than 90,000 visitors annually to the region.
State parks officials said the main problem for Tonto Natural Bridge remains the need to limit access during critical repairs on a leaky roof that has caused structural problems. “The access issue with the roof is still the primary question,” said Assistant Director Jay Ziemann. “ The principal question is the necessity to fix the lodge in a timely fashion, before we’re really looking at more rain that could end up desecrating the building.
The secondary issue is how soon could we get the public back in there based upon the need to get that lodge stabilized.” [Note: To read the full article, click here.]