Local Parks

City of Sedona gambling with its Arizona Heritage Fund grant

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[Source: Sedona.biz, letter to the editor] — The Sedona Cultural Park may have closed its doors five years ago, but it’s ghost is alive and well in the guise of the Barbara Antonsen Memorial Park and Pavilion. Plans to plop a geodesic dome in the midst of a recreational overbuilt Posse Ground Park (populated with 16 various courts, fields, underutilized teen center, dog park, swimming pool, elementary school and unregulated skateboard park bordered by two of Sedona’s longest established neighborhoods and one exclusive and relatively new subdivision) are moving along rapidly with the help of the City’s Planning and Zoning Commission.

The matching grant of $586,600 was awarded to the City of Sedona for fiscal year 1995-1996 and, in turn, given to the non-profit organization responsible for establishing and maintaining the Sedona Cultural Park project. However, the City neglected to protect its interest by securing the grant in the event that the Cultural Park defaulted (and when it did, the City had no recourse). Included in this grant were; a two level amphitheatre, site preparation, sod, stage utilities, tree preservation, landscaping irrigation, fencing, lighting, ticket area, picnic/shade ramadas, tables and benches, restrooms, roads, lights, sewer, potable water, gas, electric, telephone and signage. [Note: to read the full article, click here.]

Creative grant writing may help fund park in Camp Verde

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[Source: CVBugle.com, Steve Ayers] — Sometimes it takes brute force to get things done. Sometimes it takes long and arduous hours spent burning the midnight oil. But sometimes all it takes is a little finesse. For months, the Town of Camp Verde has been developing a master plan for its new community park. Brute force and long hours were applied to the process so the plan could be completed in time to apply for a Heritage grant from Arizona State Parks.

The grant, which could be as high as $750,000, would be based on, and go a long way toward, building the park’s many planned amenities, if awarded to the Town. But like all grants, Heritage grants are cumbersome at best, rich in requests for detail and labor intensive for the applicant.  [Note: to read the full article, click here.]

Footbridge, garden envisioned for Lizard Run Park in Surprise, AZ

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[Source: Tony Lombardo, Arizona Republic] — Surprise City Council is asking city staff to better define a costly footbridge project in the Original Town Site before it signs off on the expenditure.  Lizard Run Park, two blocks south of Bell Road between Greasewood and Nash streets, is scheduled to receive a pedestrian footbridge and a community garden by June, according to the city’s Capital Improvement Plan.  The footbridge would cross a wash and connect the park to nearby facilities for Rio Salado College and Interfaith Community Care.

The cost of the bridge has been estimated at $300,000 to $400,000.  The city has $283,000 budgeted.  City staff asked the council on Aug. 14 to transfer $81,000 to the Lizard Run project from a defunct alley-paving project in the Original Town Site.  However, council members voted 5-1 against the move, instead placing the money in the council contingency fund.  Members reasoned that there was not enough information about the project to make a smart decision.  They agreed that the money should be placed in their contingency fund, which the council can allocate as it sees fit.  [Note: to read the full article, click here.]

Committee meets to save Mesa’s park train

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[Source: Jim Ruiz, Mesa Republic] — The Save Our Train committee will meet Tuesday, July  at 6 p.m. in a continuing effort to raise funds to salvage a rusting, historic train at Pioneer Park.  The 1912 locomotive has been in the park since 1958, and played a big role in the childhood of thousands of Mesa’s residents.  But as it deteriorated over the years, it was fenced off for safety reasons.  The committee hopes to raise money to move the train to a different part of the park to give it more visibility, and to begin restoration work. The committee meets at the City’s Purchasing Department conference room, 20 E. Main Street.  The committee has applied for a $2,500 [Heritage Fund] grant from the Arizona Lottery and $50,000 from the Union Pacific Railroad Heritage Fund.