Canyon Inn escapes legislators freeze ... kind of

Those who spend fast, look good doing it.

That should be the new motto for those at the Water Conservation Authority and the San Gabriel Rivers and Mountain Conservancy.

As many local agencies and cities were hit hard by the recent decision by state legislators to freeze about $4 billion in public works bonds, some places escaped the legislators cold budget grip.

How you ask?

Because they already spent the money.

Such was the case with the Canyon Inn land in Azusa that was recently purchased through grants by the Water Conservation Authority. The organization got about $1.2 million from Prop 50 bonds to help purchase the more than $3 million property at Canyon Inn to preserve the land and build a park.

That $1.2 million would have been frozen by the state legislators decisions, thus ending any opportunity to purchase the property - if they hadn't spent the money already. Instead, all that was left was a $20,000 retainer, which is now being held by the state.

But all the RMC's projects are now on hold due to the freeze, including the planning process for the restoration and renovations planned for the Canyon Inn area.

Look for more to come on that situation in tomorrow's paper.