Historic Preservation

Arizona State Parks staff issues memo on reinstatement of suspended historic preservation Heritage Fund grants

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[Source: Vivia Strang, Historic Preservation Grant, Consultant, Arizona State Parks] — Today at the Arizona State Parks Board meeting the Board made and approved the following motion:

“Move that the Board authorize the Executive Director to reinstate the funding of the Heritage Fund Grants suspended in FY2009 and further provide the Executive Director the authority to extend the terms of the affected Grant Contracts up to 12 months.  This authorization is contingent on; 1) a favorable review by the Joint Legislative Budget Committee (JLBC) of the agency’s request of cash transfers, between its own funds, to comply with reductions and transfers from the state budget bills, and 2) the enactment of the Environmental Budget Reconciliation Bill previously (SB1258), which provides operational authority for the State Parks Board.”

What does this mean?

  • First – today the Board approved the reinstatement of the suspended Heritage Fund Grants (suspended in February 2009) plus a 12 month extension to complete the project.
  • Second – JLBC has to give a favorable review of the cash transfers.  The JLBC meets frequently and this could potentially happen in September.
  • Third – the Legislature and Governor have to enact the Environmental Budget Reconciliation Bill.  While the Governor signed a budget, part of what was line item vetoed were portions of the Arizona State Parks operational budget.  This needs to be renacted for State Parks to have funds to continue to operate.  The Legislature is still meeting and we should know the outcome any day.

Today the Board voted to cancel the FY 2010 Grant Cycles for SLIF, Heritage Fund, OHV and LWCF Grant Programs.

Budget cuts hurting Arizona’s museums; institutions, parks falling into disrepair, forced to close

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[Source: Jim Walsh, Arizona Republic] — Even as Arizona prepares for its centennial in 2012, the state’s history is becoming less and less accessible to the average citizen.  Museums across Arizona are cutting hours, restricting programs, merging or closing altogether in the face of drastic budget problems.  The State Archives, which had been open only two half-days a week, is trying to figure out how to go to a four-day schedule with a diminished staff.

And state parks, many with historical significance, can’t turn enough money at the gate to maintain aging and sometimes-dangerous facilities and stay open.  The impact is significant: In a state where so many people are newcomers, the institutions that can help them connect to their new state’s history are harder to access.  “The more people know about their place, the more likely they are to be good citizens,” said Dan Shilling, an expert in civic tourism and a former executive director of the Arizona Humanities Council.  Museums play an important part in extending that knowledge, Shilling said.  [Note: To read the full article, click here]

Arizona State Parks Board votes to reinstate Heritage Grants, but legislature’s OK still needed

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[Source: Bonnie Bariola, Florence Reminder] — The Heritage Fund was established through voter initiative in 1990.  The approval of this initiative allows up to ten million dollars each year from the Arizona Lottery to be allocated to Arizona State Parks for the following uses.

  • State Parks Acquisition and Development (17%): Up to $1.7 million annually
  • State Parks Natural Areas Acquisition (17%): Up to $1.7 million annually
  • State Parks Natural Areas Operation and Management (4%): Up to $400,00 annually
  • Environmental Education (5%): Up to $500,000 annually
  • Trails (5%): Up to $500,000 annually
  • Local, Regional and State Parks (35%): Up to $3.5 million annually
  • Historic Preservation (17%): Up to $1.7 million annually

In January 2009 due to state budget cuts, the Arizona State Parks Board voted to suspend all existing Heritage Fund Grants.  As a result 28 Historic Preservation Grants, 10 Local, Regional and State Parks Grants, and 10 Trails Grants that were one to 90 percent complete were suspended.  These 48 grants totaled $6,049,024.  Eleven grants that were 91-99 percent complete were allowed to continue. [Note: To read the full article, click here]

Viewpoint: Cynical budget plan could close more Arizona state parks

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[Source: Doug Frerichs, Arizona State Parks Foundation] — If state legislators stick to their latest budget plans, hundreds of thousands of state parks visitors are likely to have far fewer parks to visit next year, while recession-reeling Arizona communities could suffer major losses in parks tourism and money. At issue are House and Senate Budget Bills that would strip fee-generated revenues from Arizona State Parks, forcing the cash-strapped agency to close more parks or expend funds set aside by voters specifically for parks enhancements and community grants.  In addition to parks already shut because of legislative raids on State Parks earlier this year, the bill could force closure of such scenic sites as Red Rock State Park near Sedona, Oracle State Park north of Tucson, Yuma Quartermaster Depot, Tubac Presidio, and other prized locations.  Even Kartchner Caverns, the jewel of the state system, stands at risk.

In a cynical move, Senate leaders would confiscate State Parks fee-generated income, leaving the agency to rob the Arizona Heritage Fund to sustain a skeleton parks system.  The Heritage Fund, approved by voters in 1990, sets aside $10 million annually from the State Lottery for grants to finance community parks, historic preservation, and conservation projects.  Beyond cynicism, the latest budget schemes would strip away a portion of donations made to benefit state parks by private donors acting in good faith.

To her credit, Gov. Jan Brewer has proposed a more honest, pragmatic approach that would let State Parks keep its fee monies and not subvert purposes of the Heritage Fund.  The governor also recognizes that State Parks — in addition to its superb recreational, historic and natural values — is an economic engine that regularly draws more than 2 million visitors a year and pumps $250 million in tourism spending into local economies.  The governor also has appointed a Sustainable State Parks Task Force to recommend new ways of funding and maintaining such sites as Slide Rock, Riordan Mansion, Dead Horse Ranch, Lake Havasu and Kartchner Caverns state parks — places that annually draw huge numbers for fishing, boating, birding, hiking, camping, and pure enjoyment of our state’s great places.

State Parks is not an agency to be slashed when Arizona communities need tourism dollars.  Despite this, the latest budget measures would repeat mistakes made earlier this year when lawmakers lopped the State Parks’ budget by $34.6 million, resulting in a 30 percent reduction in parks staffing, closure of three parks and reduced operations at six more.  And all this on top of the fact that State Parks has had no general fund or capital budget increases for a decade.

Our state parks were bought and built by Arizonans over the course of half a century.  They were enhanced and improved with major efforts of volunteers. They have provided two, and now three generations with experiences and memories of some of Arizona’s best places.  Raiding the agency, stripping it of its small state general fund support, and forcing the State Parks Board to cannibalize the Heritage Fund are sure fire ways for legislators to destroy what’s good in government, hurt local economies, and leave the future with less.  [Note: To read the full article, click here.]

Doug Frerichs is a board member and past president of the Arizona State Parks Foundation, a private, non-profit organization dedicated to advocating for and supporting Arizona’s state parks system. He lives in Scottsdale.