|
In This Issue...
|
|
State Park Budget Cuts Hit Home
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
State Park Budget Cuts Hit Home
Local Sites Reducing Hours, Seasons & Maintenance
By Linda Fridy
Local California-owned parks will not close completely as once feared, but many will have fewer hours and services under reduction plans that take effect Nov. 1.
Santa Cruz District parks superintendent Chet Bardo spent the last few months looking for ways to minimize impacts on park visitors while maximizing use of staff.
"It's this dance we've been doing," Bardo said wryly.
In the Santa Cruz County district, 10 state parks will see some cutbacks. These range from less trash service at Ano Nuevo to longer closed seasons at parts of others including Big Basin and Henry Cowell Redwoods.
The changes, which hit all 21 districts across the state, aim to address the $14.2 million cut from the state parks' budget for the fiscal year that began July 1, plus about $4 million in losses from other sources such as tobacco taxes.
In many cases, Bardo recommended extending existing measures to achieve more savings. For example, the campgrounds at Henry Cowell have always closed for a time over the winter, but now that period has added a month on either end and will begin Nov. 1.
Camping loops at Manresa State Beach and Big Basin will also see longer stretches when they are shuttered for the winter season.
Bardo said he will closely monitor how the reductions are working, and hopes to be flexible enough to accommodate demand if, for example, a mid-winter heat wave increases demand for camping space. He also acknowledged that some popular travel dates such as spring break fall during the new closures, and those times may need adjustment.
"There will be year-round camping opportunities within Santa Cruz County," he emphasized. Highly popular New Brighton and Seacliff State Beaches saw no reductions.
"Those are income-producers," said Bardo.
In some cases he had to weigh where the least loss of income would be. It all boiled down to making the best use of the staff available. He explained that if a gate remains locked or fewer bathrooms are open, it is because the person providing that service is needed elsewhere.
"We're maximizing the efficiency of people. Government is not expected to be efficient, but I'm trying my damnedest," he said.
Change in Direction
When the amended budget passed back in July and the governor increased the cut to parks, Bardo said he at first was looking at a 20 percent reduction and projecting more cuts over three years.
Statewide the parks department had warned that as many as 100 sites could be closed, primarily because of a lack of personnel to staff them after reductions. That picture changed in late September, when the governor announced a plan for one-time deferrals.
These reductions represent about a 10 percent additional loss, said Bardo. Yet even that amount proved challenging.
"We've been doing service reductions for years. The service reductions we're seeing now are a cumulative effect," he said.
"Where could we — in the next eight months or less — cut to equal 10 percent? It's hard to find that big a number in operations – it's in people," he continued.
State parks, like all other state agencies, must also cope with furloughs. Government offices are closed three Fridays each month, but parks have spread out that lost time to minimize the impact on visitors.
Bardo said he also took into consideration jobs that are currently unfilled because of transfers or retirements.
"I've been looking toward vacancies, throwing as many of those at the 10 percent as I can," he said.
Bardo recommends that visitors check websites or call to confirm hours and services. Staff will be posting signs explaining the changes and noting when they are part of the service reduction program.
|
