KBIA Local
(2009-12-18)
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COLUMBIA, MO
(KBIA) -
Missouri State Parks leaders say they need millions of dollars to deal with repair and maintenance issues. KBIA's Maureen McCollum has more.
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When stopping at Missouri's state parks, visitors may notice leaky roofs, worn down trails, and problematic buildings. They may not notice the numerous water and wastewater treatment facilities or bridges that need work.
Missouri's State Parks has accumulated a repair and maintenance backlog over the last 15 years...jobs that kept being put off. The projects on that list amount to more than $200 million. These include major repairs to the Katy Trail, replacing lagoons at Finger Lakes, and a water treatment upgrade at Mark Twain's Visitor Center. Missouri State Parks Director Bill Bryan says they need more money than they have to make repairs.
"A lot of these projects have been on hold for years. We're making some progress now. There's no money in the current budget that's available to us for capital improvements. We did have money appropriated last year, but with the recession, the money simply isn't available to spend."
State Parks is a division of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. It receives most of its funding by getting a tiny portion of the state sales tax. Bryan says about $6 per Missourian goes to the parks each year. Since people are spending less, the return is down about 6% for state parks this year. Bryan says the money they do receive goes toward general operations, not capital improvements. State parks already had to cut about 100 jobs in October.
Susan Flader is the president of the Missouri Parks Association. She spoke to a joint house and senate committee last week appealing for the repair and maintenance funds. She says she understands that everyone is suffering economically now, but Flader says these repairs can't wait anymore.
"It's aesthetic. It's safety. It's also taking care of what we have so the facilities don't become completely unusable. If we don't take care of them as the problems develop, they simply grow worse and become more expensive to take care of."
The General Assembly still has to decide whether to grant the funds to Missouri State Parks. Bryan says in the meantime, he's always looking for volunteers.
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