The Arizona State Parks Board has awarded $9.7 million in grants to local communities from the Arizona Heritage Fund, the Land and Water Conservation Fund, the State Lake Improvement and the Recreational Trails Program.
The Heritage Fund, created in November 1990 by voter initiative, provides up to $10 million annually to Arizona State Parks from Arizona Lottery proceeds. Seventeen percent of the State Parks Heritage Fund revenues are available annually (up to $1.7 million) through the Historic Preservation Grant Program. Thirty-five percent of the revenues (up to $3.5 million) are available through the Local, Regional and State Parks Grant Program, and 5 percent of the revenues (up to $500,000) go to the Trails Heritage Fund, of which 95 percent is available through the competitive grant program.
Historic Preservation Heritage Grant Fund Program
Seventeen percent of the State Parks Heritage Fund revenues that are available annually are to support historic preservation efforts. The State Parks Board approved grants totaling $884,533 to the following 12 Historic Preservation Heritage Fund for fiscal 2006 applicants:
• St. David Unified School District #21, $150,000 for the rehabilitation of the 1938 St. David School Building Phase II.
• Tucson Museum of Art, $51,612 for preservation and stabilization of La Casa Cordova Building.
• Prescott College, $135,300 for rehabilitation of the Samuel Hill Warehouse Building.
• City of Chandler, $20,000 for renovation and rehabilitation of the McCullough-Price House to be used as a Heritage and Visitor Center.
• City of Glendale, $10,500 for the completion of a new building-condition assessment of all the structures on the Historic Sahuaro Ranch.
• Florence Preservation Foundation, $148,684 for the rehabilitation of the J.D. Denier House/White Building.
• Archaeological Conservancy, $46,284 for the acquisition and preservation of 60 acres in Navajo County containing the Broken K Pueblo, a large, highly significant 12th and 13th century site considered ancestral to the Hopi Tribe and Zuni Pueblo.
• Old Adobe Mission Restoration Commission in Scottsdale, $91,040 for Phase II of the Old Adobe Mission Restoration.
• St. Luke’s in the Desert, Inc., $40,350 for Phase II of the St. Francis Chapel rehabilitation.
• Wickenburg Historical Preservation Society, $28,481 for the restoration of the Wickenburg-Boetto property.
• City of Tucson, $31,020 for ADA improvements to the Temple of Music & Art.
• Benson Historic Preservation Commission was awarded $131,262 for the acquisition and restoration work for properties within the Benson Historic Railroad District.
Outdoor recreation projects
The State Parks Board approved grants totaling $3,912,099 to seven fiscal 2006 Heritage Fund and Land and Water Conservation Fund applicants to support outdoor recreation projects such as ball fields, picnic areas, and playgrounds.
• City of Page, $775,685 for a Baseball/Soccer Fields Complex.
• City of Maricopa, $775,000 for the construction of Pacana Park.
• Town of Eagar, $359,408 for the Ramsey Park Renovation and Development, the only park in Eagar.
• Town of Chino Valley, $575,125 for the continued development of the Community Center Park (Phase III). Phases I & II were also funded with LRSP grant funds.
• Coconino County, $782,420 for the development of a community park in Tuba City. This will be the first and only park in Tuba City.
• Bullhead City, $505,955 to add soccer field lighting at Rotary Park. Previous LRSP grant funding assisted in the development of Rotary Park.
• Pinetop-Lakeside, $138,506 to add lighting to newly constructed multi-use play fields, which will serve residents and visitors of Pinetop-Lakeside, Wagon Wheel, Show-Low and the White Mountain Apache Tribal communities.
Trails
The State Parks Board approved grants totaling $579,315 to eight fiscal 2006 Trails Heritage Fund projects to support acquisition and trail improvements for Arizona’s trail system.
• BLM-Safford Field Office, $24,008 for the Cottonwood Trail Development. This project involves the development of a 2-mile loop trail from the Flying W Group Area to the Watchable Wildlife area in the Gila Box Riparian National Conservation Area.
• BLM Safford Field Office, $16,250 for the development of a trailhead and access point for the Gila Box River Trail.
• National Park Service-Saguaro National Park, $120,000 for renovation of sections along the 8.3 miles of the Douglas Springs Trail.
• City of Scottsdale, $126,949 to construct the Gateway Access Area to the McDowell Sonoran Preserve.
• National Park Service – Grand Canyon National Park, $81,967 for the North Kaibab Trail Bridge Renovation.
• Yavapai College, $61,849 for the Yavapai College Nature Trail Development.
• BLM-Hassayampa Field Office, $118,842 for the Black Canyon Trail Phase III Development.
• White Mountain Apache Tribe, $29,450 for the Ft. Apache Recreation Trails Phase II Development.
Recreational Trails Program
In addition to the Heritage Fund Grant Programs, the Board approved $568,332 to four applicants for the fiscal 2006 Recreational Trails Program to support motorized trails projects such as trail development and renovation.
• BLM-Kingman Field Office, $104,500 for Music Mountain/Crozier inventory, signs and map.
• BLM-Safford Field Office, $56,500 for inventory of existing routes in the Gila Box Riparian National Conservation Area.
• Prescott National Forest, $178,486 for the Copper Canyon Trailhead Development.
• Town of Eagar, $228,846 for the Eagar/Apache-Sitgreaves NF Inventory and DVD/Maps.
State Lake Improvement Fund
The Board also approved $3,765,750 to 12 applicants for fiscal 2006 State Lake Improvement Fund grants to assist state and local governments with projects on waters where motorized boats are permitted.
• Bullhead City, $1,232,000 for development of a boat launch facility in Community Park, including a restroom, parking lot and sewer improvement.
• Mohave County Sheriff’s Office, $360,000 to replace three obsolete watercraft used for law enforcement patrol.
• La Paz County Sheriff’s Office, $237,850 for the replacement of three obsolete patrol/rescue watercraft.
• Coconino County Sheriff’s Office, $28,496 to purchase two personal watercraft for patrol on county waterways including Lake Powell and the Colorado River.
• Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, $47,325 for the replacement of a lake patrol air boat and motor.
• La Paz County Buckskin Fire Department, $67,595 to replace an existing engine in water rescue watercraft and to remodel the Buckskin Water Rescue and Medical Aid Facility.
• Lake Havasu City, $167,432 to provide for automatic data and notification for carbon monoxide levels in Bridgewater Channel.
• Town of Buckeye, $560,000 for site preparation and design and engineering for the Buckeye Lake Recreation Area, Phase I.
• Town of Show Low, $250,000 for the renovation of a restroom and installation of a new fish-cleaning station at Show Low Lake.
• Lake Havasu City, $425,652 to extend water and sewer lines and construct a sewer lift station to serve new proposed South/Mainland Launch Facility.
• La Paz County, $124,400 for La Paz County Park improvements.
• La Paz County, $265,000 for Take-Off Point expansion.