Jerome State Historic Park

News not promising for Jerome (Arizona) State Park

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[Source: Philip Wright, Camp Verde Bugle] — If passed, House Bill 2001 would just about kill any hope that the Douglas Mansion in Jerome State Historic Park will reopen within the foreseeable future.  In spite of work continuing on the stabilization project to the mansion, the current news reports regarding the budgets for conservation funds, including State Parks, predict that most, if not all, state parks in Arizona may be forced to close.

Although the state parks board originally targeted Jerome State Historic Park for closure due to budget constraints, when it finally closed – suddenly – on Feb. 26, the parks board gave “maintenance and repairs” as the reason.   Tom Pitts, president of the Jerome Chamber of Commerce, said in a recent interview, “When they shut it down, that was the excuse. Most of us thought it was a ploy.”

Pitts, along with the chamber, the Jerome Historical Society and officials at town hall, were all surprised when the park closed so suddenly.  Most people involved locally assumed that the town would have time to come up with some proposals of its own to help keep the park open.  Pitts had put together a petition of more than 3,000 signatures of Arizona residents.  He included with the petition a fact sheet based on a 2007 study by Northern Arizona University on the economic impact of Arizona’s state parks.  [Note: To read the full article, visit News not promising for Jerome (Arizona) State Park.]

Arizona towns feel state park closures’ effects on business

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[Source: Arizona Daily Star, Associated Press] — Arizona towns that rely on nearby state parks are seeing a big decline in tourism and the dollars that tourists spend.  The state closed Jerome State Historic Park and Tonto Natural Bridge State Park on Feb. 26 after the Legislature cut more than $34 million in park funds to help fill budget gaps.

Art gallery, restaurant and bar owners in Jerome say the nearby state park is a major draw.  Last year, 60,000 people came through Jerome. Researchers at Northern Arizona University say tourists brought $7 million to Yavapai County in 2007.  Payson and other rim communities are coping with the partial closure of Tonto Natural Bridge State Park.

The park has been open most weekends since Memorial Day, but attendance has plummeted.

Budget woes highlight Arizona, California state parks’ vulnerability

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[Source: Keli Clark, Oklahoma Parks, Resorts, and Golf] — We hear news each day of economic woes affecting Wall Street, corporate giants, major manufacturers and small businesses.  Federal, state and local governments are not immune and feel pinched by the pressures of money shortages.  In a recent budget committee meeting, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger suggested the closure of 220 state parks, along with numerous other program cuts, to help alleviate a $24 billion budget deficit his state is facing. According to news reports, citizens at this hearing pleaded passionately to find other ways to keep these resources available and keep the parks open. The protection of historic structures and natural resources, along with the recreational and educational opportunities parks offer, were foremost in their argument to keep the facilities operating.

California is just one example.  The other states also are trying to maintain a balance for taxpaying citizens who pump money into their state’s economy and expect a return on their investment.

On a recent trip to Arizona, I looked forward, as always, to visiting a state park to compare it to an Oklahoma state park experience.  I chose Jerome State Park since I would be staying in nearby Sedona.  As we made our way up the mountain, a sign pointed in the direction of the state park.  To my dismay, a sign that had been placed directly below the main sign said “Closed.”  Not wanting to believe what I saw and hoping it was just closed for lunch, we drove as far as we could on the road only to see the gate shut and padlocked.  Disappointed, we made our way to downtown Jerome and the art galleries and souvenir shops that lined the streets.

In each store, I asked about the closure of the state park and was told each time it was because of budget cuts.  Most of the stores had placed petitions on their counters asking for signatures to support reopening the park.  The citizens of Jerome are passionate about the loss of this state park, and they have good reason.  The town’s economy and residents’ livelihood are suffering because of the closing.  As one store clerk explained, this is the busiest time of the season for them. Unfortunately, the number of people coming this year is about half of what it has been in previous years.  This same clerk said she had been an employee of the park but was forced to find another way to support her family.

Of course, there are two sides to every story.  When I called Arizona park officials, the public information officer explained the park was closed for capital improvements.  A wall had collapsed in the main building, and there was no money in the remaining budget to make immediate repairs, so the park had to be closed for the season.  Besides Jerome, another Arizona park also has been closed for capital improvements, the official said.

It’s an eye-opening experience to see the immediate and ripple effects on the economy triggered by the closing of a state park.  Although the budget situations facing Oklahoma state parks are not as dire as those in California or Arizona, we are facing budget cuts, hiring freezes, and a mandate on needed repairs as our parks continue to keep gates open and operate on a daily basis. As stewards of our land, we should not take for granted what we have available to us.  By continuing to respect what we have and maintaining our parks, we can ensure our future generations have these same opportunities. [Note: To read the full article, click here.]

House kills measure that would re-open Arizona state parks on full-time basis

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Arizona State House of Representatives (Phoenix, Arizona) by courthouselover.
Arizona House of Representatives (Photo source: courthouselover, Flickr)

[Source: Howard Fischer, Capitol Media Services] — The state House lawmakers killed legislation Tuesday that would have provided money to reopen state parks on a full-time basis. A total of 36 legislators voted for the measure that would have taken $20 million from a special account designed to deal with urban sprawl and given some of that to the state Parks Board to compensate for cuts in the agency’s budget made by lawmakers in January.   But HB 2088 needed 45 votes because the fund was created by voters in 1998.  And the Arizona Constitution requires a three-fourths margin of the 60-member House — and the 30-member Senate — to alter what voters have approved.

Deputy Parks Director Jay Zieman said Tuesday’s action means five parks will remain closed two days a week to save money. It also delays the reopening of three other parks that were shuttered entirely, at least in part to cut costs.   The defeat came when every House Democrat except one refused to support the measure.

Rep. Chad Campbell, D-Phoenix, said he was sympathetic to the needs of the Parks Department.  But he questioned the legality of the move.  He pointed out that the constitution forbids lawmakers from tinkering with any program approved by voters. He said the only exception, even with a three-fourths margin, is when a change “furthers the purpose’ of the underlying measure.  In this case, he said voters approved providing $20 million a year for 11 years to help purchase or lease state trust lands in urban areas to keep them out of the hands of developers.  Funding the operation of parks, said Campbell, does not do that.  He also said raiding voter-approved funds sets a “bad precedent.”

None of that placated Zieman.  “We expect to have $98 million in that fund at the end of the fiscal year,’ he said.  “It is maddening to be in a position where you’re closing parks’ because 30 percent of the staff has been let go.

The state has closed Tonto, McFarland and Jerome state parks, though some of the reason they were chosen because of work that needs to be done at each site.  What was not anticipated was the need to go to a five-day-a-week schedule at six other parks: Fort Verde, Oracle, Tombstone Courthouse, Tubac Presidio, Yuma Territorial Prison, and the Yuma Quartermaster Depot.  The state is saving money by chaining them closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.  Aside from the closures and reduced schedules, Zieman said his agency also has suspended funding grants, even in cases where groups had been given the go-ahead and work had been started.

Rep. Warde Nichols, R-Gilbert, who crafted the legislation, said the move made sense not to tap the funds which “are doing absolutely nothing for our state right now.”  One reason there is so much money in the account because the 1998 law requires that taxpayer funds be matched by other sources, whether public or private.  Those matching funds have not materialized. Beyond that, Nichols said the economy has slowed development to the point where builders are not buying up large swaths of state land.  And Nichols said the funding is just a loan: The legislation would have required the state to put back the $20 million in the future.

But Rep. Steve Farley, D-Tucson, said that payback is not guaranteed, as future lawmakers could simply vote to ignore the mandate. [Note: To read the full article, click here.  To read the Camp Verde Bugle’s editorial on this subject, click here.]