MCV’s August Blog, A Mid-Year Parks Roundup
Chuck Anastas | August 15, 2022
HEAT ISLANDS
The dog days of summer are now behind us, and we’ve learned this year that extreme heat, like the impacts of the pandemic, can be mitigated by public open spaces. Although many of the most severe heat islands can be found in urban areas, they are also in dense mixed-use suburban downtowns. Many of the state’s existing land preservation efforts are primarily centered on adding to existing large tracts of state open space, which continue to be crucial for the state’s future ecological health and its efforts to combat climate change.
Those efforts must continue. But we also need a new emphasis on assisting densely populated areas with the tools and funding to add to open space for residents’ health now and in the future.
PRIVATE-PUBLIC PARTNERSHIPS
A year ago, MCV noted an important milestone made by the DCR Stewardship Council – budget recommendations to the Administration for the department, making it an essential voice in the final budget a full year in advance. The Stewardship Council made recommendations last month for the FY2024 budget.
This year has brought an unfortunate milestone. Despite efforts by Stewardship Council Chair Jack Buckley, DCR failed to accept a $180,000 grant from the Solomon Foundation. The grant was months in the making and intended to support the Stewardship Council’s day-to-day operations without burdening DCR staff. Despite having a working history with the Solomon Foundation, the DCR Commissioner’s office failed to act, and the grant was rescinded. Turning away private dollars is sadly a DCR specialty. The Central Office’s inability to seize opportunities like this frustrates those who attempt to assist the agency. To the Council’s credit, DCR will appear before the Council in September to explain its failure to accept the grant and investigate ways the department can improve its performance.
LIFEGUARDS
Although a final review of the program will not be available until the fall, the DCR lifeguard program this year succeeded. The Department managed a youth swimming and lifeguard certification program throughout the Commonwealth, aggressively pursued recruits, and offered bonuses and increased wages. It was DCR at its best and may point to broader recruitment efforts in the future. Outreach to all communities in staffing for lifeguards and seasonal summer employment is a gateway to a career at DCR. The Department needs a younger, more diverse workforce. MCV hopes that DCR will continue and expand this program to cover other seasonal workforce needs next year.
2023
It is not too early to begin thinking of the 2023-2024 legislative session.
At the top of the list for MCV is state appropriation of federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. We hope the Legislature will recognize the importance of DCR’s leadership during the pandemic by making a significant dent in DCR’s $1.0 billion deferred maintenance backlog using a portion of the remaining ARPA funds. Last December, the Legislature cut the Baker Administration’s proposed $100 million spending plan to $15 million and killed Baker’s proposal to use another $258 million via his FORWARD economic development bill. While the Legislature could do something in the remaining days of 2022, MCV believes the next Governor and Legislature are the best hope for a new long-term commitment to DCR’s importance in the daily lives of Massachusetts residents and our $16 billion annual outdoor economy.
2024 DCR BUDGET
MCV is grateful to the Governor and Legislature for their significant contributions to reforming and renewing a commitment to DCR in the 2023 budget. The elimination of the Retained Revenue account and the increase in the park’s operations account to $85 million are giant steps in revitalizing an agency that until recently was operating with the same funding it had in 2009. According to Commissioner Doug Rice, the new budget will allow the department to turn 50 seasonal employees into full-time positions and add 50 new full-time employees, beginning the long way back from the 300 jobs lost since the Great Recession.
While it is essential to recognize this achievement, it is also an excellent time to add a warning – one year does not constitute a long-term change in believing, as we do, that open spaces are crucial to public health in the 21st century. 2023 was an excellent year for state revenues. The Legislature and the Governor approved a $10 million increase in DCR’s operations budget and eliminated DCR’s growing dependence on income from park users to fund day-to-day operations. 2024 will take equally effective advocacy from the friends of state parks to keep the agency’s funding trajectory moving in the right direction.
LEGISLATION
While we were disappointed that a legislative Conference Committee failed to iron out the differences between the House and Senate versions of the Public Lands Preservation Act (PLPA), H.851/S.2831, we remain optimistic about the conferees willingness to keep working through the fall and winter on what appear to be small differences. The bill, two decades in the making, would codify state policy that guides conversion of public open space protected by Article 97 of the Massachusetts Constitution, ensuring no net loss of open space, the completion of an alternatives analysis, and a public process for all such conversions. We share the conferees view that the bill can be passed in an informal session, when one no vote can derail a bill, before the end of the year.
MCV is also reviewing, assisting, and encouraging legislation helpful to DCR. Chief among them are changes to the Stewardship Council’s enabling legislation, new initiatives for those rural communities in the state needing assistance in improving, enhancing, and promoting state parks and forests located in their communities, and establishing funding and goals for the DCR parkways master plan.
SEPTEMBER
MCV is committed to assisting the DCR Stewardship Council in becoming an essential public conduit and oversight of DCR and making the agency a strong and vibrant organization that leads the Commonwealth in protecting and enhancing our publicly owned open spaces. Thank you for your continued support in this mission. It has made a difference.
Meanwhile, we at MCV hope you enjoy the last days of August – in a state park near you.
See you in September.
Chuck Anastas is Chair of MCV’s Board of Directors