The Arizona Preservation Foundation is Arizona's non-profit statewide historic preservation organization. Founded in 1979, the Foundation is dedicated to preserving Arizona's historical, archaeological, architectural, and cultural resources. This e-newsletter provides you with updates on Foundation activities and preservation news from across our state and nation's capital. |
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Support Historic Preservation by Supporting AZ Senate Bill 1270; Committee Hearing is Tomorrow! |
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Our friends at the Arizona Heritage Alliance asked us at the Arizona Preservation Foundation to share this message and request. We're happy and excited to do so since we've been active and involved in this effort for years!
Senate Bill 1270 (state parks; lottery; heritage fund) to fund the Arizona State Parks Heritage Fund is on the Senate Appropriations Committee agenda to be heard on Tuesday, February 1, 2022 at 2 p.m. in Senate Hearing Room 109. Click here to access a livestream of the meeting.
If you have communicated your support for SB1270, you do not need to register your support again on the legislature's Request to Speak (RTS) system. If you have NOT communicated your position through the RTS system, you still can. (Note: just because the term "Request to Speak" includes the word "Speak," you can still register your aye, nay, or neutral position without speaking!)
You can also call or e-mail the 2022 Senate Appropriations Committee members directly and let them know of your position on SB1270:
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The Honorable Lela Alston, 602-926-5829, lalston@azleg.gov
- The Honorable Sonny Borrelli, 602-926-5051, sborrelli@azleg.gov
- The Honorable Sean Bowie, 602-926-3004, sbowie@azleg.gov
- The Honorable David Gowan, Chair, 602-926-5154, dgowan@azleg.gov
- The Honorable Sine Kerr, 602-926-5955, skerr@azleg.gov
- The Honorable Vince Leach, Vice Chair, 602-926-3106, vleach@azleg.gov
- The Honorable David Livingston, 602-926-4178, dlivingston@azleg.gov
- The Honorable Lisa Otondo, 602-926-3002, lotondo@azleg.gov
- The Honorable Raquel Teran, 602-926-4480, rteran@azleg.gov
- The Honorable Kelly Townsend, 602-926-4467, ktownsend@azleg.gov
The importance of Arizona’s local, regional, and state parks; trails; and open spaces has become even more evident as we work to overcome the social and economic hardships caused by the global pandemic. Our public parks and open spaces provide Arizonans the space for socially distanced recreation and respite during these challenging times. Increased usage and foot traffic warrants increased maintenance and upkeep to meet the demand.
This demand has demonstrated that investing in our parks, trails, historic sites, and open spaces – which contribute billions of dollars each year to our state’s economy – is key to the economic recovery of our urban and rural economies. It is imperative that we look for a funding mechanism such as the Heritage Fund to invest in the physical, social, and civic resources that many of our communities, especially in rural and tribal areas, depend upon for generating tourism-related economic activities that in turn create jobs and support local business.
Not only do they protect and preserve Arizona’s heritage, but as the past year has shown that they have been critical to our state’s response to the pandemic. Our outdoor recreation and tourism-based jobs and businesses they support will be key to stimulate Arizona’s economy and aid our economic recovery.
UPDATE on this year's funding and application process for the State Parks Heritage Fund: Over 300 individuals at four State Parks workshops and attendance at the Arizona Historic Preservation Conference (plus numerous other emails and phone calls) have inquired about the State Parks Heritage Fund application process. To date, 28 parks, 28 historic preservation, 18 environmental/outdoor education, and 12 non-motorized trail projects are in various stages of the application process. Numerous projects have already been approved for funding by the Arizona State Parks Board. You can view those projects here.
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Among those funded are two significant historic preservation projects: the Dunbar Coalition for the 1918 Dunbar School in Tucson (pictured at top) and the rehabilitation of the 1941 former Phoenix Crippled Children's Hospital in the Edison Park/Garfield neighborhood (pictured at right).
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Arizona Preservation Foundation | 602-687-7092 | info@azpreservation.org
azpreservation.org
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