February 9, 2011
The recession has been particularly unkind to Arizona State Parks. In a futile attempt to balance the state's books, lawmakers swept lottery funds intended for the parks, and cut off its access to the state's general fund.
The financial tightening led to the closure of several parks. Others were forced to develop partnerships with nearby communities, just to stay open. And the threat of more closures remain, as legislators look for ways to cut back funding to some state services.
Photo: Image courtesy of Arizona State Parks
Arizona State Parks closed some sites, including Lyman Lake State Park, in the wake of budget cuts last year.
But a proposal to have some operations of the parks run by private companies could provide a lifeline. The idea is being reinforced with a bill that's making its way through committee hearings.
House Bill 2196 would promote contracts between the state parks board and private concessionaires. Parks land would remain in the public domain, and mission statements would be drawn up for each park.
Jay Zieman is assistant director of Arizona State Parks, and the agency’s legislative liaison. He says concessionaires would operate each park in accordance with its focus. For example, a concessionaire contracted to operate McFarland Lake State Park would concentrate on recreation, while operators of Tubac Presidio would focus on historical preservation.
Zieman talks more about privatization efforts, and how both the state and concessionaires would make money in such an arrangement:
Photo: Image courtesy of Arizona State Parks
Tubac Presidio State Park south of Tucson was faced with closure last year. But a partnership with the Tubac Historical Society kept the park open.
HB2196 sponsor Carl Seel, a Republican from District 6, says he introduced the bill in response to recommendations from the Commission on Privatization and Efficiency. COPE, as it's known, was created by Governor Jan Brewer last year to identify ways to streamline state government. The commission released a preliminary report in September calling for partial privatization of state park operations. A final report from COPE is due to be released soon.
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