Viewpoint: Arizona State Parks is a system on the verge of closure

by

[Source: Arizona State Parks Foundation, Florence Reminder] — In the face of Arizona’s sprawling growth and development, thirty exceptional places have been set aside over the past half century for the recreational, environmental and cultural enjoyment of Arizonans and all who visit our state.  The places are the lakes, rivers, historic buildings and ecologically-rich natural areas that constitute Arizona State Parks — a collection of wonder-provoking sites that the Arizona State Parks Foundation (ASPF) seeks to preserve, promote and enhance.  As a nonprofit organization, ASPF offers the foremost way for parks patrons, visitors and friends to support and strengthen Arizona State Parks.

Without the Legislature’s help in securing immediate additional revenues for Arizona State Parks, the current FY10 budget will force closure of virtually all state parks, shutting a system that serves more than two million visitors annually, while depriving local communities of some $266 million a year in parks-related income.  [Note: To read the full story, click here]

Sedona city staff finds home for previously spent Arizona Heritage Fund grant money

by

[Source: Carl Jackson, Sedona.biz] – At last night’s City Council meeting, newly appointed City Manager Timothy Ernster explained to the council staff’s plan to redeploy a $586,000 Heritage Fund grant given to the City by the Arizona State Parks in 1995-96 to invest in the now defunct Sedona Cultural Park.  The center piece of the park was a 5,000 seat amphitheater named after St. Louis Rams owner and accomplished soprano, Georgia Frontiere, who helped launch it in May, 2000 with a $1 million donation.  A requirement of the grant was that the site be available to the general public for outdoor recreation use for a period of 25 years, and be subject to periodic on-site inspections.

After the park filed for bankruptcy in 2003 and the grant money was lost, the City faced a quandary: return the grant to the Arizona State Parks or find another qualifying public use.  In 2004, the City of Sedona commissioned a feasibility study for a Sedona Performing Arts and Conference Center that ranked the Sedona Cultural Park first in the evaluation, but the project never moved forward.

Arizona state parks at risk for closure

by

[Source: KVOA.com] — On Monday the state parks board meets.  The chairman says it’s the most important meeting in its 50 year history.  The board will determine the operating budget, strategic plan for the next 3 years, and most importantly whether the parks can remain open.  Arizona has 30 state parks.  The state’s parks board oversees the state historic preservation office.  And gives out grants to communities for all types of outdoor recreation.

So they need $27 million to operate the agency and it looks like the budget will be cut in half.  If parks are forced to close some say the impact will be felt throughout the community.  [Note: To read the full story, click here]

Arizona lawmakers consider selling Capitol buildings, Kartchner Caverns State Park

by

[Source: Examiner.com] — Desperate for cash, Arizona state lawmakers are considering selling the House and Senate buildings, then leasing them back over several years before assuming ownership again.  Dozens of other state buildings may also be sold off and leased back as the state grapples with a huge budget deficit.  Other “candidate properties” range from state prisons and the mental hospital to run-of-the-mill state office buildings and Kartchner Caverns State Park, the crown jewel of the system.

Under the complex financial arrangement, state government services would continue without interruption while the state picks up a cash infusion estimated by Capitol number-crunchers at $735 million.  [Note: To read the full story, click here]