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(Washington, D.C.) Representative Mike Ross (D, AR) today facilitated
a meeting with Hot Springs National Park Superintendent Josie Fernandez
and local business representatives which led to a compromise in the recent
disagreement between the two parties on proposed thermal water rate increases.
“I think the meeting went very well,” said Ross. “It’s been decades
since these businesses saw a rate increase, and the goal was not to forego
the increases altogether, but to postpone the increases until these businesses
can better prepare for the additional expense in the coming budget year.”
Ross continued, “I am merely facilitating a meeting between federal
agency officials and local businesses that are in disagreement, and I am
happy a compromise was reached that both parties can live with. We
must now put the events of the past month behind us and begin working together
to help Hot Springs National Park thrive to its greatest potential.”
As a result of the meeting, implementation of the new thermal water
rate will be postponed until January 1, 2005 to accommodate bathhouse operators’
budget cycles. In addition, funding will be requested from the National
Park Service’s regional office to initiate a study of the water system
to project future rate hikes so operators can prepare their business plans
accordingly. |
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