NAVAJO COUNCIL BUDGET & FINANCE COMMITTEE MEETING. COMMITTEE DISCUSSING $4 MILLION FUNDING FOR FIVE PARKS & RECREATION SITES, WHICH INCLUDES MONUMENT VALLEY AND BOWL CANYON.

SPONSOR – COUNCIL DELEGATE WALTER PHELPS AND WITH HIM ARE NAVAJO NATION PARKS AND RECREATION DIRECTOR MARTIN BEGAYE AND PROGRAM DIRECTOR MURRAY LEE,

PARKS AND RECREATION DIRECTOR MARTIN BEGAYE
The Navajo Council issues a COA or Condition of Appropiration on the Parks & Recreation budget, which is attached to the budget for improving roads at the five tribal parks. We are workng with Navajo Dept of Transportation. Most of projects are project ready, like water line, which we are working with on with Navajo Engineering & Construction Authority, Navajo Tribal Utility Authority and port of money for revenue generating studies

working w NDOT on road at Monument Valley Park and on smaller projects, such as Bowl Canyon, which we project to use for youth camps. (Bowl Canyon is near Navajo, NM)

We are also working on Little Colorado Gorge: access road hazardous so make safer.

Lastly, we have funding for Navajo Nation Fair grounds in Window Rock. The buildings pretty bad, and work is neded on food pavillion and arena grand stand.

We ask for your support in getting projects underway.

BUDGET AND FINANCE COMMITTEE MEMBER MEL BEGAY
This funding request for tribal parks has been on table since spring and still idling and now floating to next year. so is money still there? is money being moved around? any time when we wait on these issues, costs escalate and that is concern of tribal programs.

PARKS AND RECREATION DIRECTOR MARTIN BEGAYE
the budget submitted earlier is same, only change is MV road increases at Nez request. need more money for that. as for cost increasing, it’s for Monument Valley Park road.

B&F COMMITTEE MEMBER Mel BEGAY
I’m gong to make an amendment. Under MV Welcome Center road, you have $17,000, which is Monument Vally Park promotional items, catering, refreshment, special events budget and Move it to Bowl Canyon repair & maintenance. This will be for roads improvement too.

AMENDMENT 1: BY B&F MEL BEGAY TO TAKE $6,500 FROM MONUMENT VALLEY ROAD TO BOWL CANYON ROADS.

SPONSOR – COUNCIL DELEGATE WALTER PHELPS
BEGAY SUGGESTS TO USE $6,500, which B&F Committee member Mel Begay supports.

COUNCIL DELEGATE KATHERINE BENALLY/RESOURCES & DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE CHAIRPERSON
Monument Valley makes money for other tribal parks. There are a lot of visitors and so Resources & Development Committee recommended repairs after we toured Monument Valley Park. So I plead w B&F to allow money to reamin with Monument Valley Park.

B&F COMMITTEE MEMBER DANNY SIMPSON
We added $1 million to Monument Valley Park Budget and why B&F Vice Chairperson Jonathan Nez advocated for Monument Valley Park and B&F Committee member Mel Begay asking for measely $17,000.

RESOURCES & DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE CHAIRPERSON KATHERINE BENALLY
Oh, thank you.

B&F COMMITTEE MEMBER MEL BEGAY
I’m taking $17,000 from Monument Valley Park promotional items/special events/etc.
(The $17,000 is the entire budget for Monument Valley special events/catering/promotional items/etc)

vote on amendment 1: 4 in favor, 0 opposed

B&F COMMITTEE MEMBER MEL BEGAY
I’m making a second amendment which is to move $150,000 from Navajo Fairgrounds because $150,000 won’t make any real improvements and transfer funds into Bowl Canyon Park budget.

PARKS & RECREATION DIRECTOR BEGAYE
After every fair, we get criticized for condition of buildings. Bowl Canyon road is maintained and improved by other entites, including state, county and Bureau of Indian Affairs.

RESOURCES & DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE CHAIRPERSON KATHERINE BENALLY
Could Delegate Begay explain why $150,000 is not enough.

B&F COMMITTEE MEMBER MEL BEGAY
They are not budgeting to be self-sustaining. They have parades and all these things to generate revenues. There are some facilities that are worn and delapidated. It’s a danger zone for activities to take place and $150,000 will not cover. If fairgrounds is to up upgraded then we need a plan to bring up to standards and would take a larger amount than $150,000 and moving it out will not make a difference.

Improvement to Fairgrounds will take serious discussion. $150,000 doesn’t amount to anything.

SPONSOR – DELEGATE WALTER PHELPS
I appreciate B&F Begay advocacy for road in Bowl Canyon. I could easily ask for $150,000 for Cameron but my thot here is program managing program. And I know that Indian Health Services reviewing tribal fairgound facilities and that they may not meet health and safety standards and so this $150,000 is to repair b uildings.

PARKS & RECREATION DIRECTOR MARTIN BEGAYE
The Indian Health Services Environmental Health Office almost shut down the tribal fair this past year because of health hazards involing water coming into fairgounds, unsanitary food vendor area, arena grandstand unsafe. We are doing what we can to maintain health and safety standards. This $150,000 is to make sure that the fairground buildings at least safe. If the parks & recreation department received more funding support from the Council then we could do more.

The funding for repair and maintenance of the tribal fairgounds was a concern of the Resources & Development Committee, which is why they supported the $150,000 budget. And we do have a master plan for fairgrounds but there’s no funds. But we ask to you maintain $150,000 for fairgrounds.

B&F MEL BEGAY
I maintain my amendment.

VOTE 3 in favor, 1 opposed

The B&F Committee vote to approve the taking of $17,000 from Monument Valley Park Budget and $150,000 from tribal fairgrounds budget and put into Bowl Canyon Park budget of $300,000, increased Bowl Canyon Park budget to a total of $371,000.