Save Roper Lake meeting set for Tuesday

By Diane Saunders
Staff Writer
Published on Sunday, February 28, 2010 9:41 AM MST

A public meeting focusing on preventing the closure of Roper Lake State Park will begin at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Elks Lodge, 501 S. Gila Ave., in Safford.

“There’s going to be a presentation by the Arizona State Parks Foundation and another by (Board of Supervisors Chairman) Drew John,” said Roxanne Cheney, a volunteer at Roper Lake.

A question-and-answer session will be conducted after the presentations, Cheney said.

The Arizona State Parks Board voted Jan. 15 to close Roper and 12 other state parks after the state swept about $54 million from the State Parks Department’s account in an attempt to balance the state’s budget.

Roper Lake visitors bring nearly $6 million to Graham County each year, according to the Arizona State Parks Department.

Closing Roper Lake would take 70 or more jobs from local residents and would cause a loss of tourist revenue in Graham County.

Cheney said she hopes a citizens group will be formed that will push the effort to save Roper Lake.

Roper Lake is approximately 6 miles south of Safford. It consists of a 32-acre lake, cabins, campsites, hiking trails and other amenities in the 320-acre park.

The land and lake officially became a state park Dec. 31, 1974, and opened to the public in March 1975.

The main part of the park was developed in the early 1960s as a private recreation area. The lake and the property were sold to the Arizona Game and Fish Commission in 1969, according to the Arizona State Parks Web site. The commission still owns the lake and land. Arizona State Parks operates the park.

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