Ken Travous

Widow’s hefty donation to Arizona parks is poached

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[Source: Casey Newton, Arizona Republic] — In their latest effort to solve Arizona’s budget crisis with cuts, lawmakers turned to a woman who couldn’t make a fuss.  After all, she has been dead for eight years.  Alta Forest, a Danish immigrant who fell in love with Arizona after moving to Fountain Hills with her husband, left nearly $250,000 to the Arizona State Parks Board when she died of cancer at age 82.

When parks officials received the money in 2003, it was the largest private donation the parks system had ever received.  They were unprepared for such a large gift, said Ken Travous, who served as state-parks director for 23 years before retiring in June.  “We had never received anything of that magnitude before,” he said, adding that he began “looking for something that was big enough to really make her proud.”

While parks officials considered what to do with the money, Arizona’s budget deficit ballooned into the billions.  Last month, when the Republican-led Legislature met in special session to cut $140 million from the budget, it swept up half the money in the parks system’s donations fund, which included most of Forest’s donation.  “It was like they had kicked me in the stomach,” Travous said.  “Surely, I thought, they have some shame.  But they’re shameless.”  [Note: Read the full article at Widow’s hefty donation to Arizona parks is poached.]

New Arizona state parks chief once vandalized park property

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Arizona State Parks Assistant Director Renée Bahl, who oversees Arizona's State Historic Preservation Office, carved her name into a 100-year old adobe wall at the historic San Rafael Ranch in Santa Cruz County.[Source: Casey Newton, Arizona Republic] — The woman chosen to be the next director of Arizona’s state parks once carved her name into a historic park property in southeastern Arizona.   She also helped recover thousands of acres of burned parkland in San Diego County and launched an innovative system for making campground reservations online. The Arizona State Parks Board’s unanimous selection of Renée Bahl to take over the parks system next month has polarized state leaders.

Parks officials say she is a dynamic, experienced professional who will help lead the parks system out of a historic budget crisis.  Bahl, 40, is “a vigorous, intelligent, resourceful person who knows how to get through the most difficult of times,” said Bill Scalzo, who led the selection committee for the Arizona State Parks Board. The board voted to pick Bahl last week.  But at least one lawmaker says her selection as director is inappropriate given a vandalism incident that took place nearly a decade ago.

Bahl, a former assistant state parks director, oversaw historic preservation at the San Rafael Ranch. San Rafael, which is not open to the public, is a 3,500-acre preserve purchased by the parks board in 1999.  It sits at the headwaters of the Santa Cruz River and is home to a variety of wildlife and endangered plants.  In 2001, another employee caught her etching her first name and the year into the wall of a historic adobe barn.  Bahl was disciplined but remained in her job until 2002, when she left to become director of parks and recreation for San Diego County, Calif.

State Rep. Daniel Patterson, D-Tucson, criticized the selection.  “She was in a position overseeing the state’s historic preservation office,” said Patterson, the southwest director of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, who wrote about the issue on his blog.  “It’s hard for me to understand that someone in that position could be so clueless that they would think it would be OK to vandalize a state historic property.” Patterson called for Bahl to issue a public apology.

Through a spokeswoman, Bahl declined to comment.  Officials said they were impressed with Bahl’s education, which includes a bachelor’s degree in economics and a master’s degree in public administration with a focus on natural-resource management.

Scalzo said Bahl brought up the vandalism incident during an interview and apologized for it, saying she had made a mistake.  “One thing I really appreciated is she brought that up,” Scalzo said.  “She didn’t say, ‘I’ve had a perfect career, I don’t make mistakes.’ ”

Bahl, who will make about $140,000 a year, will take over for Ken Travous, who is retiring after 23 years leading the parks system.  She will oversee a budget of about $23 million, most of it from grants and user fees, and about 270 employees.  Lawmakers swept $36 million from parks coffers in the last year, prompting the closure of three parks and threatening several more.  The board is currently working to prevent further cuts proposed by the Legislature’s Republican leadership, which board members say would devastate the system.

Scalzo called criticism a distraction from the parks board’s most pressing problems.  “We need help, we don’t need criticism,” he said.  “We need to have this new person come in here with everyone wishing her the best. Because she’s going to need every bit of it.” [Note: To read the full article, click here.]

Viewpoint: Arizona State Parks robbing Peter to pay Paul

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[Source: Camp Verde Bugle] — Talk about bittersweet.  In rather twisted fashion, the Sullivan Hotel’s loss is Fort Verde’s gain.  A temporary stay of execution was issued to such Arizona properties as Fort Verde State Historic Park and Red Rock State Park.  At Friday’s meeting of the State Parks Board, Director Ken Travous announced that by cutting and suspending Heritage Grants, as well as other cost-cutting measures, the agency was able to make up $5 million in its decimated budget.  That meant not closing an additional eight parks, at least until July.  But this was robbing Peter to pay Paul.

Ask Mary Wills and Sally Dryer about being “robbed.”  After being approved for a $150,000 Heritage grant to sustain the old Sullivan Hotel in Jerome, taking out loans and mortgaging a house, the women were told in February that State Parks was canceling the grant.  It damaged Wills and Dryer financially, the last thing the state should be doing.

What the move may have saved State Parks in money has cost it in respect and reputation around here.  The board also went down the path of supporting a controversial House bill that will allow the state to take funds meant for land preservation and use it for the State Parks budget.  That smacks of underhandedness. Reneging on a promise, which is essentially what the Heritage Grant was, and going directly against voter intentions to snag more money are bad ideas.

Yes, the Legislature cut $36 million from State Parks’ budget.  And yes, come July, it may cut another $12 million.  It’s painful, possibly fatal for some parks. But limiting park hours or completely shuttering more would be preferable ethically to shifty moves that make anyone question State Parks’ honesty. While it was nice to hear, on the eve of the History of the Soldier event, that Fort Verde and other parks were temporarily spared being shuttered, it’s bittersweet to know such parks are staying open at such a cost.

Arizona State Parks board puts off decision on closing parks

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Rick Fernau, mayor of Show Low, attended the Parks Board meeting to protest the cancellation of a grant that was to be used to create a park (Photo: Daniel Newhauser)

[Source: Daniel Newhauser, Cronkite News Service] — With one round of legislative budget cuts behind him and more looming, Arizona State Parks Executive Director Ken Travous said Friday that heart-wrenching decisions eventually will need to made about closing parks.  “Right now, were having to decide which of our children we’re going to feed,” he told members of the Arizona State Parks Board. “And they’re all my children.”

Board members decided Friday to wait on adding to three parks already shuttered until the Legislature determines how much it plans to cut from the Arizona State Parks’ budget for the fiscal year beginning in July.  However, the board granted the agency authority to limit park hours by up to two full days per week if necessary. After trimming operations and cutting grants for parks, trails and historic preservation, the agency has enough money to operate remaining parks if lawmakers don’t cut anything, Travous said.  But it would be a pipe dream to think they won’t, he added.  Travous said he expects cuts of up to $12 million for fiscal 2010 against a total budget of around $23 million.

Meanwhile, the board unanimously agreed to support HB 2088, sponsored by Rep. Warde Nichols, R-Chandler, which would help prevent park closures by temporarily reallocating money from the Growing Smarter Fund voters created in 1998 to conserve land.  That legislation, which would require a three-quarters vote from both chambers, was awaiting a final vote in the House.  [Note: To read the full article, click here.]