County outlines Fort Tuthill and parks capital plans as PPP revenues shift
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Summary
Parks & Recreation and county managers presented a five‑year capital outlook that shifts funding authority to a public‑private partnership fund, projects Fort Tuthill improvements and warns PPP revenues may decline if attractions relocate; supervisors approved a $640,000 budget amendment to align funding authority.
Coconino County officials used a pre‑budget work session March 3 to walk supervisors through parks special funds, recent project history and a five‑year capital outlook centered on Fort Tuthill County Park.
Parks & Recreation Director Cynthia Nemeth summarized three funding eras — early investments, the County Parks and Open Space (CPOS) sales tax and the more recent Public‑Private Partnership (PPP) era — and explained that PPP revenue (about $0.5M annually under current partners) has funded high‑cost maintenance and capital projects that relieve the general fund.
Nemeth outlined park priorities including a new restroom structure for Fort Tuthill, HVAC replacements, asphalt work, a multipurpose livestock building, pickleball courts, campground improvements and continuing maintenance for historic quad buildings. She noted some PPP revenues are contract‑restricted (campground repair fund, Flagstaff Snowpark 'green fund') and cautioned that revenue will fall meaningfully if the North Pole Experience relocates.
The board approved a budget amendment moving $640,000 from the Parks Capital Fund to the Public‑Private Partnership Fund to better align authority with intended uses; the motion passed unanimously. Supervisors and staff discussed pursuing additional PPP opportunities, more explicit board policy to govern fund uses, and grant leverage to sustain investments.