Mar 28 2008
Meyerson on State Park Funding
Howard Meyerson, the great outdoors writer at the Grand Rapids Press, wrote an article about the state park funding crisis a few weeks back that is a must read for those who care about Michigan’s natural spaces. Here are some key excerpts:
State park officials are now announcing it will not be necessary to close 37 state parks next year. A two-year belt-tightening plan put into effect is expected to offset the highly-publicized $5.3 million deficit in fiscal year 2009. “The good news is we won’t have to take any drastic measures in the short term,” said Ron Olsen, Michigan’s state park chief.
The operative words are short term. Money is being saved by not spending $2.8 million appropriated to state parks this year — also holding back another $2.5 million next year. It is money that would otherwise go to fund needed repairs and other infrastructure needs. “The crisis isn’t over. It’s just delayed,” said Harold Herta, chief of resource management for Michigan State Parks. “We don’t want people to think the crisis is over.”
“We are still living out things (park facilities) built by the CCC.” Maybe not for long. A joint capital outlay bill now moving through the legislature will direct $20 million to the DNR. Of that, $17.9 million will go to state parks for building construction. It is all part of a $200 million bond being issued by the state, according to Herta. About that bill’s progress, Lahti says: “We are very close. It should be done in a couple of weeks.”