On Wednesday, at a meeting for the Yarnell Hill Memorial Site Board, an APS representative announced they would be donating $229,000 to Arizona State Parks. The money will fill the budgetary gap to complete the remainder of the park. The park is in memory of the 19 Granite Mountain hotshots who were killed fighting the Yarnell Hill fire nearly three years ago.
The final park will include signs with biographies of each of the hotshots, benches and Gabion baskets -- one for each person who was killed. There will also be a 2.85-mile trail that leads from the south side of the park to the observation deck, which will overlook the rest of the park.
The State of Arizona provided $500,000 to purchase the land and begin park development. The Yarnell Hll Memorial Site Board began meeting in Nov. 2014. Officials say the park should be open to the public in late November.
For more information on how you can donate to the memorial fund, or to the Granite Mountain hotshots, click here to visit the donation site.