[Source: Pete Aleshire, Payson Roundup] — Residents of the Rim Country continue to fight to keep the state from making Tonto Natural Bridge another casualty of the budget crisis. Rim Country officials hope they can win a commitment to reopen Tonto Natural Bridge State Park as early as June at an April 3 Arizona State Parks Board meeting in the Valley.
In addition, local leaders hope that a recently appointed task force studying the long-term future of the state’s battered system of 28 parks will explore creative ways to bolster the region’s best-known tourist draw. That task force will consider public-private partnerships and joint operating agreements as a way to keep parks open. “I’m optimistic, but we’ve got to keep the pressure on them,” said Rim Country Regional Chamber of Commerce Manager John Stanton, following two meetings involving top state park officials, Rim Country leaders and local state lawmakers. [Note: To read the full article, click here.]
[Source: Gwen Groth, Arizona Daily Sun “Letter to the Editor”] — Riordan Mansion State Historic Park remains at risk of closing due to Arizona’s grave budget crisis. Funds have already been swept from Arizona State Parks and more will be requested. Shuttering Riordan Mansion State Historic Park goes much further than closing a nice picnic area with a pretty house as a backdrop. Three part-time employees have already lost their jobs at Riordan Mansion and if the park closes, four full-time employees will lose their jobs as well. Flagstaff stands to lose nearly 30,000 visitors annually who pause to have lunch, stay in a hotel and visit other attractions.
The “mansion” does not tell the story of a wealthy family. Instead, the energy-efficient home tells the story of Flagstaff’s beginning and one family who worked hard to build a business and a community. The Riordans were instrumental in the development of Flagstaff’s infrastructure, education and environmental preservation. The family donated their home to Arizona so that the legacy of giving could continue through the education of visitors for decades to come.
The state park offers more than a guided tour, museum and beautiful grounds. Area schools use Riordan Mansion as a hands-on (and affordable) means to teach students about our history. The park also holds lectures twice monthly that are free, informative and open to the public. Budget cuts are painful, especially where education is concerned. Though closing Riordan is not a direct hit to our education system, it is an indirect strike that will hurt Flagstaff in many ways.
[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.]
[Source: Pete Aleshire, Payson Roundup] — The closure of Tonto Natural Bridge State Park this week provoked a flurry of public outrage, angry volunteers, muddled explanations, contentious meetings, collapsing budgets and blame-shifting lawmakers. By the time the rhetorical smoke had cleared, all three of the Rim Country’s legislative representatives had sworn to push for the reopening of the park as soon as possible. However, they largely sidestepping blame for the draconian budget cuts that forced the state parks board to plan closure of more than half of its 27 parks — including the Rim Country park showcasing the world’s largest travertine arch.
State Senator Sylvia Allen
The action this week took place first at an overflow public meeting in Payson on Tuesday attended by representatives Jack Brown and Bill Konopnicki, followed by a vigorous arm-twisting session in the Phoenix office of Sen. Sylvia Allen on Wednesday. The state parks board had unexpectedly closed Tonto Natural Bridge to shift staff to other parks while contractors do roof and structural repairs on an historic building that’s been leaking badly for so long that it has suffered structural damage. The three state lawmakers vowed to get the park open before summer either by pressuring the parks board to fence off the crumbling lodge during the $600,000 construction project or by postponing repairs. They each denounced the parks board’s decision as “political,” but none directly addressed the impact of the legislature’s decision to take $34 million from various parks’ funds — nearly $30 million more than the general fund contributes to park operations.
State Rep. Bill Konopnicki
Instead, the lawmakers criticized the parks board for “playing politics” by closing a popular, nearly self-supporting park like Tonto Natural Bridge, which draws about 90,000 visitors annually and contributes an estimated $3.5 million to the local economy. “We have to get this park opened back up,” said Rep. Konopnicki (R-Safford) at the town meeting held at the Best Western Payson Inn, which drew an overflow crowd of 150. “I just can’t understand what the parks board was thinking … It’s politically motivated to make people yell at the legislature,” he said. [Note: To read the full article, click here.]
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