If you think the facilities at Big Basin and Castle Rock are looking a little ragged, just stand by. Next year’s proposed state budget cuts state parks funding by 30 percent. A press release from the office of state Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, says the senator’s going to visit Castle Rock on Sunday to try to drum up some interest in preventing a $181-million budget cut.
The annual cost to maintain the system is about $185 million a year,” said Simitian, “but the state budgets just $67 million a year, which means that with every passing year the problem gets more than $100 million worse. Worse still, the State’s failure to reverse this trend means the situation deteriorates. Small problems become big problems ñ with price tags to match ñ adding even more to the billion dollar backlog.”
Well, you have to admit, the campgrounds will be less crowded if they never fix up the bathrooms.
We had a spout of cuts in state parks several years ago here in Tennessee. It resulted in the actual closing of some parks for Mondays and Tuesdays. Of course, this was punishment from a corrupt governor who wanted to inflict pain because he didn’t get his tax increase.
I’m extremely concerned about the amount of ongoing/maintenace costs that are being shouldered by private associations and friends groups for our state and national parks. I would want my donations to be used for capital projects.
I was shocked to find out for example that lots of seasonal rangers are paid for by private organizations at Great Smoky Mountains.
At what point do our public parks become “private” because of all the private money flowing to fund ongoing and/or maintenance costs?