Grand Canyon recovery project highlighted

Vice President Joe Biden today released a report on “100 Recovery Act Projects that are Changing America” including the Grand Canyon Park Upgrades project:

Grand Canyon National Park has received nearly $14 million in Recovery funds to make a myriad of repairs to their park facilities. This includes $550,000 to reconstruct the popular South Kaibab Trail. Reconstruction will include trail resurfacing; rebuilding steps; stabilizing and preventative maintenance treatments to retaining walls including replacing those that have been lost to floods, slides, or erosion; and repairing and a l i g n ing damaged w a t e r features. The reconstruction project will significantly improve conditions for the over 200,000 annual visitors that use the trail.

Also included in this funding are two other projects which is improving housing for the Havasupai tribe at Supai Camp, the tribe's ancestral home at the Grand Canyon. One project will improve housing and living conditions for tribal members by rehabilitating six communal buildings. This includes replacing roofing and windows, repainting, improving interior walls, and installing fire sprinkler systems. In addition, the National Park Service will build six new housing units for use by the tribe. The Park Service has a long‐standing legal agreement with the tribe for recognition and occupancy at Supai Camp, and upgrades to their housing were long overdue.