Printable VersionState parks users spoke and the State Parks Board listened, according to officials.
“I think that will ensure the people that wanted it that they got their wish,” Lake Havasu State Park Manager Tim Kristof said. “A lot of it was due to their efforts and they were listened to, so it’s a good thing.”
Lake Havasu Marine Association Director Jim Salscheider, who sat in on the meeting, said Board members asked about attendance at the informative meetings and staff responded that Lake Havasu City had the biggest response.
“They said it was around 100-200 people at the one in Lake Havasu,” Salscheider said, adding that the most another meeting held was only about 20 people. “It’s a big win for Lake Havasu because people showed how important it was and they made their voices heard.”
Salscheider added the vote might indicate a shift in the importance of Lake Havasu City for the Parks Board.
“I think they now know a lot more about Lake Havasu and a lot more about our concerns,” he said. “I think they will probably pay a lot more attention to Windsor than they did before.”
The Board previously considered eliminating the pass and increasing the price of the standard pass that wouldn’t work on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays from March 1 to Sept. 30 but would work like the premium pass otherwise. State Parks staff then made new recommendations after receiving more than 420 responses from concerned citizens.
“It was an overwhelming response from the public,” State Parks Division Assistant Director Jay Ream said, adding it was the largest response the Board received on any issue. “We’ve always gotten good responses from Lake Havasu City but they really came out for this one.”
Ream said 359 of the responses received opposed the elimination of the premium pass. “Many of them favored an increase in the price rather than us getting rid of it,” Ream said. “Staff looked at it and asked what the break point would be in how much we would need to still make money and we decided $200 was right.”
The premium pass will work 365 days a year, including 160 weekend days and holidays, Ream said.
“If you do the math on what it would cost for someone to go every one of those days, it’s about a $2,200 value. So that’s really big,” Ream said. “If you look at it backwards from a business standpoint though, that’s $2,200 State Parks is losing in revenue.”
Determining a public opinion was the most important thing to the Board, Ream said.
“I’ve been doing these for 30 years and every time there’s an issue we look at public response, even though there is no requirement by law,” Ream said. “We’re glad to offer this because even though that $2,200 is against us, we know how important it is to the people that use the parks.”
State Parks Chief Public Information Officer Ellen Bilbrey said she hopes the vote also helps residents realize the value of voicing their opinions.
“We’re continuing to work with the community and we were really excited to get so many good comments,” Bilbrey said. “Staff looked at those comments and felt they were valid. So it’s great to see the people getting what they want.”
You can contact the reporter at nbruttell@havasunews.com
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