As Special Commission Approves Final Report, Legislature Slashes Funding for State Parks
The legislature’s appropriation of $15 million for our state parks is $85 million less than what the Governor proposed in H.3922 (Line Item 1599-2030).
The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) Special Commission Report, unanimously approved on Thursday, December 9th, outlines the breadth and depth of DCR’s portfolio of assets and responsibilities – and the challenges it faces due to budget constraints and an estimated $1.0 billion in deferred maintenance. The Special Commission report was available in draft form to all legislators on October 14th, before the legislature decided to slash $85 million from the Governor’s proposed American Relief Plan Act (ARPA) appropriation of $100 million.
There is still more than $2.0 billion in ARPA and state budget surplus to support our state parks by putting a down payment on DCR’s $1.0 billion deferred maintenance backlog. We’re asking legislators to make this right when they return to formal session in January by fully funding the Governor’s proposal of $100 million. We must begin to support DCR’s stewardship of our state park system and work to eliminate this backlog.
Send a message to your state legislators, ask them to support your state parks today!
A copy of the Legislative DCR Special Commission Report can be found here.
Below are some of the Report’s findings:
Overview
In total, DCR’s responsibilities include security at the State House, 42 ice skating rinks, five ski areas, 35 athletic fields, 178 playgrounds, and athletic courts, 32 campgrounds, three 18-hole golf courses, 32 deep water pools, 20 spray decks, two wading pools, over 142 center lane miles of parkways, 3,000 miles of service trails, 11,000 streetlights (slightly less than half of which are owned by DCR), safety for 2,950 dams statewide (many of which are owned by DCR).
In total, DCR oversees close to 500,000 acres of forests, beaches, parks, greenways, waterfronts, riverways, watersheds, and historic resources with national register designation.
Budget Constraints
The breadth and depth of DCR’s portfolio of assets and responsibilities are vast. Nonetheless, the organization has historically faced budget constraints that limit its ability to effectively manage all of its various assets.
An FY2016 report estimated $1 billion in deferred maintenance related to infrastructure, recreational facilities, waterfront facilities, dams, water supply, and conservation, which is equivalent to about 10 years of current capital funding.
Since 2009, there are 300 fewer full-time employees at DCR (the reduction includes a shift of 139 employees to MassDOT), a reduction of approximately 25 percent.
Response to the Pandemic
DCR quickly introduced changes to maintain communications and manage parks during the pandemic. Throughout 2020, the importance of providing access to outdoor recreational opportunities was underscored by a surge in visitation to DCR’s properties.
Environment and Climate Resiliency
Due to its vast property holdings and oversight of land protection for forest, water supply protection, beaches, and other areas, DCR is at the forefront in natural resource protection as a strategy to mitigate further climate changes.
Send a message to your state legislators, ask them to support your state parks today!