Arizona State Parks Board

Jerome chamber petitions for reopening of state park

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[Source: Philip Wright, Verdenews.com] – Chamber of Commerce president Tom Pitts has taken the lead in trying to get the Jerome State Historic Park reopened.  Opened in October of 1965, the Douglas Mansion was operated continuously as the State Historic Park until Arizona State Parks closed it, suddenly, on Feb. 26.  Although the parks board originally targeted the park for closure due to budget constraints, when it finally closed the tourist attraction, it gave “maintenance and repairs” as the reason. Unfortunately, no work or bidding has taken place on the mansion.

Pitts spoke to the Jerome Town Council Tuesday night to update them on his and the chamber’s efforts to reopen the park.  “I put together a petition calling for the reopening of the park,” Pitts said.  He said more than 3,000 signatures of Arizona residents had been collected.  Other signatures from throughout the United States and many other countries were included on the petition.  With the petition, Pitts included a fact sheet based on a 2007 study done by Northern Arizona University on the economic impact of Arizona’s state parks.

Nearly 2.3 million people visited Arizona state parks in 2007, spending more than $162 million.  The Jerome State Historic Park generated more than $7 million income for Yavapai County.  The total visitors to the park during that year was more than 60,000, with 72 percent of them from out of state. Pitts told the council that state officials are actually starting to look at it.  “We’re anxious to get it reopened,” he said.

Approved Arizona state parks budget called ‘not sustainable’

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[Source: Florence Reminder] — “Today (Monday) the Board approved the 2010 operating budget down from $26 million to $19.3 million,” State Parks Board Chair Reese Woodling said.  “All of that money now is coming from conservation taxes and park-earned monies with none from the state’s General Fund budget.  This is not a sustainable budget to keep the parks and programs operating, so we have hard decisions about how to fund each one.”

“This $19M is also contingent on the enactment of the Budget Reconciliation Bill which would authorize the agency to use certain special funds for normal operating. Heritage Fund grants were recommended to be reinstated, but that is also contingent upon a favorable Joint Legislative Budget Committee review to allow internal fund transfers,” said Woodling.

“Now our staff will be looking for all different types of partners to keep the parks open in these rural communities.  In September our staff will be presenting scenarios for salvaging the state parks and programs.  We will have to drastically reduce our expenses to meet the extremely low budget presented today,” said Renée Bahl, the State Parks executive director. [Note: To read the full article, click here]

Viewpoint: Arizona’s heritage? What heritage?

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[Source: Editor, Phoenix Magazine] — State Parks officials announced Monday that they would be cutting the budget for Arizona parks even further, tapping special funds that were earmarked for park maintenance and conservation because the state Legislature has throttled way back on its direct support.  The agency’s 2010 operating budget was officially pared down from $26 million to $19.3 million.  It is contingent upon the Legislature’s renewal of special Heritage Fund grants, which support programs and places that are considered to be among the most Arizona-centric stuff in the state.

But if history is a lesson, that may be a long shot. Lawmakers have been raiding the voter-restricted Heritage Funds to pay off the state’s massive $3 billion-and-counting budget deficit.  This left behind a huge mess, which Phoenix Magazine columnist Jana Bommersbach outlined in her June 2009 column titled “(Un)Clean Sweep.”

State Parks Executive Director Renée Bahl, who left San Diego County parks and took office last month, said in a recent press release that Arizona parks are seeking volunteers (and given these types of cutbacks, we’re talking much more than monthly cleanups next to dry stream beds, folks).  “Now our staff will be looking for all different types of partners to keep the parks open in these rural communities,” Bahl said in a prepared statement.  “In September, our staff will be presenting scenarios for salvaging the State Parks and programs.  We will have to drastically reduce our expenses to meet the extremely low budget presented today.”

It’s a sad statement.  Doubly troubling is that these parks that generate much more revenue for Arizona towns than the money that is actually afforded to them through user fees and direct funding from the state’s general fund.  This recent economic analysis has the details, plus a handy summary.

Budget plan avoids more Arizona state park closures

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[Source: Casey Newton, Arizona Republic] — The state will likely avoid closing additional parks under a budget plan adopted Monday by the Arizona State Parks Board.  The board voted to adopt a $21.4 million budget that will preserve most hours of operations at the state’s 30 parks.  The parks system closed McFarland and Jerome state historic parks earlier this year after lawmakers slashed its budget by more than $36 million in the past year.  The parks board will meet next month to set new priorities and determine whether the parks will be reopened.

“It’s dark days,” said Renee Bahl, the parks system’s executive director.  “The bottom line is there’s just no more money.”

Tonto Natural Bridge State Park, which also closed as part of cost-saving measures for the parks system, re-opened on weekends this summer with funding from the town of Payson.  The state’s agreement with Payson ended Sunday, and officials were hoping to negotiate an extension this week. Otherwise, the park will close.  [Note: To read the full article, click here]