Mary Wills and Sally Dryer with "updated" check from Arizona State Parks (photo: Jon Pelletier)
[Source: Jon Hutchinson, Verde Independent] — Two Jerome women have operated a Jerome shop for 20 years. In recent years, they bought the historic Jerome building they occupy in order to restore it and then won a state grant make that happen. That was a thrilling day. Today, that grant is biting back and threatening their livelihood. Mary Wills and Sally Dryer are now wondering how the State Parks Department could “raid” the voter-approved Arizona Heritage Fund to pay salaries instead of the preservation for which the Heritage fund is intended.
The $150,000 grant they were awarded in 2007 has been cancelled with $112,930.27 left unspent. The grant was cancelled the same day the Jerome State Park was closed. [Note: To read the full article, click here.]
It's quite possible these visitors are pondering the fate of Jerome's state park.
[Philip Wright, Verde Valley News] — Thursday will be the last day to visit Jerome State Historic Park. “Thursday will be the last day,” said Mike Rollins, park manager. He said he had “no idea” when the site will re-open. The State Parks Board voted last Friday to close Jerome State Historic Park. This Friday, the park will not open. “Thursday will be the last day,” said Mike Rollins, park manager. He said he had “no idea” when the site will re-open.
Jerome Mayor Al Palmieri thought the decision came about abruptly, leaving the town no time to offer alternate solutions. “If they had given some warning, we might have been able to do something,” he said. Palmieri said he thinks that if one or two park employees remained on site, the town could have put together a volunteer effort to keep it open. “At least on weekends,” he said.
Rollins said he will remain assigned to the park Monday through Fridays from 8 to 5, and his staff will be assigned to Dead Horse Ranch, Slide Rock, and Red Rock state parks. “I’m still going to be here to manage the project whenever that starts,” Rollins said. He explained that a renovation project will make some major repairs to the north side of the building. That is the area where a large section of plaster fell off. Part of the building was closed following that collapse. [Note: To read the full article, click here.]
Leo Budd of Payson, who has been visiting Tonto Natural Bridge for more than 30 years, pays a visit on Feb. 26, 2009, the day the park was set to close due to state budget cuts.
[Source: Alyson Zepeda, Cronkite News Service] — Leo Budd has been coming to Tonto Natural Bridge since 1971, long before this site became a state park. When he learned it was closing, he rushed here from his Payson home. “It’s definitely a sad event,” Budd said. “I bring all of my out-of-town visitors here to see this.”
As of Thursday, Arizona State Parks closed Tonto Natural Bridge State Park and Jerome State Historic Park. The agency, grappling with budget cuts, said the parks, as well McFarland State Historic Park in Florence, which already was shut down for repairs, are in dire need of repairs. A steady trickle of visitors took their last chance — at least for now — to view Tonto Natural Bridge on Thursday, some seeing it for the first time and others bidding farewell after years of dropping by. “It’s sad that they have to close it,” said Tina Beebe of Pontiac, Ill., visiting for the first time with her husband, Pete.
At 183 feet high and more than 400 feet long, Tonto Natural Bridge, located about 10 miles north of Payson, is believed to be the largest natural travertine bridge in the world. Once owned by a family that ran a guest ranch on the site, it opened as a state park in 1991. Around 45 volunteers, some of whom have made caring for the park the focus of their retirement, have been told that their services are no longer needed because it’s a liability to have them on the grounds unsupervised. [Note: To read the full article, click here.]
[Source: Michelle Price, Cronkite News Service] — Rita Gannon, a descendant of a Flagstaff pioneer, can breathe a sigh of relief — for now. The Arizona State Parks Board decided Friday to keep her ancestors’ property, Riordan Mansion State Historic Park, operating. But its fate — along with seven other parks — depends on the Legislature, which is considering a bill that would restore money cut from the Arizona State Parks budget. The board voted to close Jerome State Historic Park in Jerome, McFarland State Historic Park in Florence and Tonto Natural Bridge State Park near Payson until at least June 30. Depending on what the Legislature does, more parks could close in early March, members said.
Mike Davis, Riordan Mansion State Historic Park manager, speaks at ASP Board meeting. (CNS/Daniel Newhauser)
If Riordan Mansion were to close, the property would revert to Gannon’s family as part of an agreement that transferred it to the state. Rita Gannon, granddaughter of Timothy Riordan, a logging business owner who played a key role in the early growth of Flagstaff, said her family can’t manage that. “If they close it and we take it back, we cannot afford it, and it will fall to pieces,” said Gannon, who attended the hearing with her daughter Eileen. “It would be a shame.” Mike Davis, park manager at Riordan Mansion, which saw 26,209 visitors last year, said repercussions from closing the parks would be felt for years. “To walk away is an egregious example of throwing out the baby with the bath water,” he told the board.
Three other northern Arizona parks were on the list for closure: Fort Verde State Historic Park in Camp Verde, Homolovi Ruins State Park in Winslow, and Red Rock State Park in Sedona. Shifra Leah Boehlje, a volunteer at Fort Verde, told the board that closing the park would jeopardize its preservation of the past. Fort Verde is considered the best-preserved example of Indian Wars-era military architecture in Arizona. “I know we are concerned about money, but at what sacrifice to our history, which would be lost forever,” she said. “The risk of losing our history is just too great.” Fort Verde drew 15,992 visitors in 2008.
Susan Secakuku spoke of the importance of Homolovi State Park near Winslow to the Hopi culture. (CNS, Daniel Newhauser)
Susan Secakuku, a project manager with the Homolovi Park Project, said the Homolovi ruins, which include four pueblo sites, are an important part of the Hopi Tribe’s heritage. “Homolovi is a place that the Hopi Tribe considers part of our ancestral homelands,” she said. “The historic and cultural heritage of the Hopi Tribe is the foundation of our life ways, including our connection with our historic villages.” The board rejected a motion to add Homolovi to the closures approved Friday because representatives said the Hopi Tribe could help staff the park. “We feel wonderful that they took a measured decision regarding Homolovi,” Secakuku said later. Dale Sinquah, a member of the Hopi Tribal Council, urged the board to find other ways to address the budget cuts. “These are trying times, and during trying times we need to think of innovative ways to keep things going,” he said. Homolovi had 15,200 visitors last year. [Note: To read the full article, click here.]
