[Source: Arizona State Parks announced late Monday that grant applications made this year for $6.5 million in State Lake Improvement Fund monies — including four from Lake Havasu City — have been cancelled because the agency must release SLIF monies to the state’s general fund. “We had no choice but to cancel these grants as the funds were swept from the accounts by the Legislature,” Bill Scalzo, chair of the Arizona State Parks Board, said in a press release.
SLIF revenues are generated by a portion of state gas taxes attributed to watercraft use and by watercraft licensing taxes. The funds are supposed to go to water-based recreation facilities, such as launch ramps, bathrooms and campgrounds, lake improvements and law enforcement. State Parks also relies on SLIF monies for its capital improvements. “Now the parks are facing many crises as the historic structures and the infrastructures at the parks are deteriorating and we can’t make any improvements,” Scalzo said.
State Parks received 12 applications for SLIF grants this spring. Seven came from cities in Mohave and La Paz counties. Among the monies sought by Lake Havasu City were $195,000 for two police patrol boats, $365,000 to dredge the entrance of Bridgewater Channel and $408,342 for a fireboat, lift and dock for the Windsor Beach area. [Note: To read the full article, click here.]