Program that gave millions to restore parks could be coming back under new bill

Source – Andrew Nicla, Arizona Republic – Published February 22, 2019

Arizona parks and other public spaces could soon get millions of dollars of needed funding if one state lawmaker gets her way.

Rep. Joanne Osborne, R-Goodyear, is shepherding House Bill 2701, which would revive the now empty Arizona State Parks Heritage Fund that once gave millions each year to restoring and preserving parks, as well as maintaining and developing other outdoor areas. The bill passed a key committee vote Tuesday.

The fund was established by a voter initiative in 1990 that passed by a wide margin, but was drained during the Great Recession when the state was short on cash. At the time, the fund received $20 million annually and split that money between parks and wildlife preservation. The wildlife grant program, the Game and Fish Heritage Fund, remains funded through lottery money.

Before the parks fund was phased out in 2010, it received $10 million from state lottery money and was divvied up by a commission in a series of grants to cities that applied. This new bill would bring back the program into state statute and secure that lottery money.

Meanwhile, there’s a different bill moving through the Senate introduced by Sen. Kate Brophy McGee, R-Phoenix, which would put the program into state statute but not secure funds.

If the House bill 2701  is passed, according to the language, it would secure immediate funding and split up the money like this:

  • 50 percent to outdoor recreation, open space development, restoration or renovation projects.
  • 30 percent to historic preservation projects.
  • 10 percent to non-motorized trails.
  • 10 percent for outdoor and environmental education.

Earlier attempts to revive fund failed

That money is crucial to many now-halted projects that once got funding from the shuttered grant program. Between 1991 and 2006, the program awarded more than $24 million through 579 grants. Phoenix received $3.6 million from 48 grants.

Ever since the fund went away, both Democrats and Republicans have crafted bills in hopes of reviving it, but those never made it far at the Capitol because lawmakers couldn’t find room in the budget.

A network of trails across Oracle State Park makes it a popular destination with hikers and mountain bikers.On Tuesday night, Osborn pitched the idea to a groggy House committee, which seemed delighted to talk about something everyone agreed on after bickering for hours over water law. During her presentation to the committee, Osborn called the bill “our bill,” a nod to the wave of support from voters in the ‘90s, and said the time to reinstate it was well past due.

“It really is our bill because there were many voters of the state that wanted this to go forward,” Osborne said, adding that this is the “last item from the recession to be put back into the lottery funding.”

This is Osborne’s first session at the Capitol and she chose to support this, she said, because she felt obligated to help preserve the heritage and history of the state her family has been in since the 1800s.

“It’s the people of Arizona that wanted this for so long and I’m happy to be able to put it (the fund) back in its rightful place,” Osborne told The Republic.

Osborne and Brophy McGee were approached by members of the Arizona Heritage Alliance, a non-profit aiming to protect the fund. The group searched for lawmakers who could likely pass the measure, after spending months earning support from state lottery and Game and Fish officials and other stakeholders. So far, both bills have earned near-unanimous support in committees, advancing farther than most in previous years. But regardless of that support, there appears to be no certainty of refilling the account right now. Even if the House bill passes, it won’t necessarily guarantee complete immediate funding because it relies on lottery money, which is still tied up in other financing. When the fund was swept away, it carried some debt to the lottery with it. If funding was secured, it could take many years to fully repay.

Without money, rural projects languish

The longer the fund remains dry, according Lani Lott, the Alliance’s executive director, the longer some projects in rural communities outside of the state’s larger counties could remain on hold. Lott said many local and regional parks haven’t been able to make improvements, many parks are needing deferred maintenance and new parks that are coming may also need help.

“Everything has just been kind of not moving forward on certain levels in terms of those historic preservation projects and other improvements,” Lott said, adding that some grants had to be given back.

“But we have a lot of support from organizations across the state who’ve all seen the value of the Heritage Fund when it was in place,” Lott said. “I think if people love parks, historic preservation, visiting state parks in Arizona, I’d encourage them to support this.”

The Heritage Alliance has worked with a handful of other environmental groups to see this through, but there are few people who have supported the program for as long as Sandy Bahr, director of the Sierra Club’s Grand Canyon Chapter. Tuesday’s hearing was one of many she’s attended to advocate for the fund’s revival, and has pushed for it long before she was an environmental lobbyist at the Capitol.

The fund is among a long list of programs and political interests grasping at the state’s budget surplus, which could also invest money into it if the lottery couldn’t otherwise. Bahr thinks the extra money helps push their case to jump-start the program and the bipartisan support so far has her and other advocates more optimistic than before that this could actually get done.

“There’s a greater understanding of the values it provided and can provide again,” Bahr said.

“What’s not to like?” she said. “It really is a fund that benefits communities throughout the state, both urban and rural communities, not just one area.”

Andrew Nicla covers the environment for the Republic. Reach him at andrew.nicla@gannett.com or on Twitter @AndrewNicla.

Environmental coverage on azcentral.com and in the Arizona Republic is supported by a grant from the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust. Follow the azcentral and Arizona Republic environmental reporting team at environment.azcentral.com and at OurGrandAZ on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Arizona State Parks, a promising new beginning

Source:  William C. Thornton Special to the Arizona Daily Star – February 21, 2019

Arizona’s legions of outdoor enthusiasts can all breathe a little easier. Sue Black’s tumultuous reign is over and there’s a strong steady hand on the tiller at Arizona State Parks and Trails. Bob Broschied came home to Arizona after serving five years as Executive Director of Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper described Bob as “an incredible leader with strong vision”. We’ve turned the page, but there’s an important lesson to be learned from the Sue Black era. With the job of Parks Director comes the awesome responsibility of managing natural and cultural resources for present and future generations. We must never again allow revenue generation to take priority over stewardship of the resource.

There’s more good news. The current legislative session offers the best opportunity in ten years to Restore the Parks Heritage Fund. The Arizona Parks Heritage Fund may be the best investment of lottery dollars many Arizonans never heard of. Enacted by voters in 1990, the Heritage Fund directed $20 million to be divided equally each year between State Parks and Game and Fish. Heritage fund grants often served as seed money for matching funds from other sources. Total yearly investment was typically more than double the direct $10 million appropriation.

Parks grants have built and improved trails, campgrounds, picnic facilities, boat docks and ramps. Historical restoration grants have helped preserve important parts of our rich cultural heritage including Flagstaff’s Riordan Mansion, Yuma’s Territorial Prison, and Tucson’s Mission San Xavier del Bac. Every community in our state has benefited from Parks Heritage Fund grants.

Heritage funded improvements to parks and historic sites helped attract 3.2 million visitors, about half from out of state, in 2018. That’s more than double the combined home game attendance of the Arizona Cardinals, ASU Sun Devils, and UA Wildcats. State Park visitors generate more than $300 million in economic activity each year in the mostly rural host communities. In response to the economic downturn and decline in tax revenue the legislature swept the remaining balance of the Parks Heritage Fund into the general fund and inexplicably eliminated the fund in 2011.

ADVOCACY ALERT – HB 2701- House Bill to Restore the Parks Heritage Fund 

Dear Friends of the Heritage Fund

On behalf of the entire Alliance Board, I am pleased to let you know that House Bill 2701 (HB2701) has been introduced to restore the Arizona State Parks Heritage Fund (“Fund”) with $10 million each year in Arizona Lottery funds (as originally conceived by Arizona voters in 1990).  Sponsors of the bill are Representatives Osborne, Cano, Cobb, Dunn, Fernandez, Kavanagh, Toma and Senator Kerr.

HB 2701(state parks; lottery; heritage fund) has been assigned to the House Natural Resources and Energy Committee and is on the agenda to be heard this Tuesday, February 19 at 2:00 p.m. in HHR1.  Here is a one page summary of HB2701 for your reference.

You can communicate your position through the Legislature’s Request to Speak (RTS) system. If you don’t have an account for the Legislature’s Request To Speak System, please link here for detailed instructions. You can also call or email the House Committee members directly and let them know you want them to SUPPORT HB 2701.

State Senator Phone Email
Russell ” Rusty” Bowers 602-926-3128 rbowers@azleg.gov
Andres Cano 602-926-3027 Acano@azleg.gov
David L. Cook 602-926-5162 Dcook@azleg.gov
Timothy M. Dunn, Vice Chair 602-926-4139 Tdunn@alzleg.gov
Kirsten Engel 602-926-5178 kengel@azleg.gov
Mark Finchem 602-926-3122 mfinchem@azleg.gov
Rosanna Gabaldon 602-926-3424 rgabaldon@azleg.gov
Gail Griffin, Chair 602-926-5895 ggriffin@azleg.gov
Jennifer Longdon 602-926-3264 jlongdon@azleg.gov
Becky A. Nutt 602-926-4852 bnutt@azleg.gov
Thomas “T.J.” Shope 602-926-3012 tshope@azleg.gov
Myron Tsosie 602-926-3157 mtsosie@azleg.gov
Michelle Udall 602-926-4856 Mudall@azleg.gov

Senate Bill 1241 which was introduced earlier this month, restores the Fund, but only allows for grants, donations, and direct appropriations. SB1241, which received a 7-0 favorable vote of the Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committee, will now be heard by the Senate Appropriations Committee on Tuesday, February 19, 2019 at 2 p.m. in Senate Room 109. You can communicate your position by using the Legislature’s Request to Speak (RTS) system or contact the following Senate committee members directly and let them know you want them to SUPPORT SB 1241.

State Senator Phone Email
Lela Alston 602-926-5829 Lalston@azleg.gov
Sean Bowie 602-926-3004 sbowie@azleg.gov
Heather Carter 602-926-5503 hcarater@azleg.gov
David Gowan, Chair 602-926-5154 dgowan@azleg.gov
Sine Kerr 602-926-5955 skerr@azleg.gov
Vince Leach, Vice Chair 602-926-3106 vleach@azleg.gov
David Livingston 602-926-4178 dlivingston@azleg.gov
Lisa Otondo 602-926-3002 Lotondo@azleg.gov
Michelle Ugenti-Rita 602-926-4480 Mugenti-rita@azleg.gov

From the time Arizona voters approved the creation of the Fund to the Great Recession when it was defunded and removed from statute, the Fund served our state well with its dedication to parks, outdoor recreation, open space, non-motorized trails, outdoor and environmental education, and historic preservation. It is our hope that this Legislature restores the Fund after satisfying all other current encumbrances, and to bring the Fund back to effect in a responsible and deliberate manner.

Why the Fund is important. Arizona’s local, regional, and state parks and recreation facilities are economic development generators that encourage the spending of tourist dollars, attract businesses whose workforce choose jobs in locations with quality of life benefits, strengthen community cohesion, and increase property values. Historic preservation initiatives in our rural communities and urban areas promote economic development by creating jobs, revitalizing historic areas, increasing property values, and promoting heritage tourism.

Thank you for all the work you do to improve our state’s quality of life and to support the reinstatement of the Arizona State Parks Heritage Fund.  If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact us at mail@azheritage.org or call 602-528-7500.

Janice Miano
President, Board of Directors
The Arizona Heritage Alliance
azheritage.org

SB1241 – Restoring the Arizona State Parks Heritage Fund

Dear Friends of the Heritage Fund

I’m excited to let you know that a bipartisan group of Arizona state senators has introduced Senate Bill 1241 (“SB1241”) to restore the Arizona State Parks Heritage Fund (“Fund”).  Senators Brophy McGee, Boyer, Carter, Kerr, Navarrete, Otondo and Pratt have introduced SB 1241 – state parks board: heritage fund– for restoring the Arizona State Parks Heritage Fund.

The bill has been assigned to the Natural Resources and Energy Committeeand is on the agenda to be heard this Wednesday, February 6 at 2:00 p.m. in SR109.  Here is a one page summary of SB1241 for your reference.

We request that you please submit your position through the Legislature’s “Request to Speak (RTS)” system. If you don’t have an account for the Legislature’s Request To Speak System, please link here for detailed instructions. In the meantime, please call or email the following legislators and let them know you want them to SUPPORT SB 1241.  

State SenatorPhoneEmail
Sylvia Allen602-926-5409sallen@azleg.gov
Andrea Dalessandro602-926-5342         adalessandro@azleg.gov
David Gowan602-926-5154         dgowan@azleg.gov
Sine Kerr, Vice Chair602-926-5955         skerr@azleg.gov
Juan Mendez602-926-4124          jmendez@azleg.gov
Jamescita Peshlakai             602-926-5160    jpeshlakai@azleg.gov
Frank Pratt, Chair602-926-5761         fpratt@azleg.gov

From the time Arizona voters approved the creation of the Fund to the Great Recession when it was defunded and removed from statute, the Fund served our state well with its dedication to parks, outdoor recreation, open space, non-motorized trails, outdoor and environmental education, and historic preservation. It is our hope that this Legislature restores the Fund after satisfying all other current encumbrances, and to bring the Fund back to effect in a responsible and deliberate manner.

Why the Fund is important. Arizona’s local, regional, and state parks and recreation facilities are economic development generators that encourage the spending of tourist dollars, attract businesses whose workforce choose jobs in locations with quality of life benefits, strengthen community cohesion, and increase property values. Historic preservation initiatives in our rural communities and urban areas promote economic development by creating jobs, revitalizing historic areas, increasing property values, and promoting heritage tourism.

Thank you for all the work you do to improve our state’s quality of life and to support the reinstatement of the Arizona State Parks Heritage Fund.  If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact us at mail@azheritage.org or call 602-528-7500.

Janice Miano
President, Board of Directors
The Arizona Heritage Alliance
azheritage.org