[Source: John Gutekunst, Parker Pioneer] — The Arizona State Parks Department has informed the Town of Parker they will not be providing funds to rebuild the town’s pool. In an e-mail sent Feb. 2 to Community Development Director Guy Gorman, the parks department said that, due to the state’s budget problems, they were suspending further expenditures on projects funded with grants from the department. The e-mail stated the legislature had cut funding for the Heritage Grant program.
Heritage Grant and State Lake Improvement Fund recipients were told to halt construction if state funds were critical to the completion of the project. The town had planned to use a State Parks Heritage Grant to rebuild the pool. The grant was awarded in 2006. The plan was to have the pool ready and open by this summer. The current pool has deteriorated to the point where it has been closed since 2003. “This legislative action comes with great disappointment to the community,” Mayor Karen Bonds said in a prepared statement. “Many hours of effort by so many have already been put into this project.” [Note: To read the full article, click here.]