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State Park news article
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Paul Nam
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Apr 08, 2004 22:47 PDT
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ROMP,
One of ROMP's roles is to promote volunteer stewardship in our parks and preserves. As mountain bike riders there are two main reasons ROMP strives to lead such volunteer intitiatives.
One is to simply help take care of the land by maintaining existing trail systems and mitigating erosion problems with practical designs, volunteer labor, and reroutes in ways that meet our satisfaction.
The other is to be a valued user group that promotes responsible behavior and deserves increased access.
It has been apparent that our State Parks and some other land management agencies seem to be underfunded. In terms of mountain bike recreation, much of our needs would be served better, of course, by increased access, not more tax money. Also, the priorities and regulations on spending funds are not always agreeable to our group. As you probably know, fees will be increasing.
I am not suggesting that volunteer efforts alone are going to save our parks. Volunteer projects will always be important activities. Trail construction and maintenance are not even close the most expensive items in park budgets.
For what it's worth, here is an article that heralds a change in the wind for our State Parks.
-Paul
http://www.malibutimes.com/articles/2004/04/07/news/news11.txt
State parks under threat of privatization
Budget cuts and freezes have hurt Malibu parks.
By P.G. O'Malley/Special to The Malibu Times
Laboring under a series of budget cuts and an increase in
visitation, the
California state parks system finds itself caught in a
classical Catch 22.
"With the increase in fees scheduled for July 1, the public
is going to
expect better service," Malibu Sector Superintendent Hayden
Sohm said, "but
there's been a hiring and purchasing freeze for over two
years now."
So what the public will get, Sohm said, is just barely
business as usual.
Meanwhile, a survey completed by the California State Parks
Foundation
reports that more people than ever are taking advantage of
the 277 units of
the country'! s largest state park system. "Visitation is a
solid economic
driver," says foundation Acting Director Barbara Hill.
"Visitors spend $2.6
billion locally in association with parks across the state."
In a separate survey, the foundation found that more than 80
percent of
respondents favored a one-tenth of one percent sales tax to
keep the state
parks running, a strategy used by the state of Missouri to
run its parks.
Hills said she doesn't see this kind of thing happening in
California
anytime soon, but she describes the goal of the 44,000-member
foundation as
"some kind of dedicated funding stream for the park system."
But Gov. Arnold Schwarze-negger has other plans. The state
park system is
one of the governor's targets for privatization, and the
Legislative
Analysis Office in Sacramento is running the numbers to see
what kind of
cost savings will result from taking some or all of the parks
privat! e. And
while the foundation is against privatization in principle,
John Koeberer,
who runs two state parks and has concessions in others,
thinks
public-private partnerships is where the park system is
headed. Koeberer is
CEO of California Parks Companies and chairman of the
California Parks
Hospitality Association. "I think it's going to go that way
because the
governor wants it to go that way," said Koeberer, who thinks
the trend will
be toward shared responsibilities with the private
concessionaires likely to
take over fee collection, some maintenance functions,
hospitality and
campground management, leaving general administration,
interpretation and
law enforcement to the park department.
Sohm says budget cuts and freezes have hurt Malibu sector
parks, including
Malibu Creek and Leo Carrillo, on a number of different
fronts. He's coping
with the high cost of maintaining a fleet of aging v! ehicles,
along with the
rising cost of fuel; he's lost half of his maintenance staff
and is facing a
15 percent reduction in his budget for seasonal staff, which
means less
lifeguard coverage at Leo Carrillo, Point Dume and the pocket
beaches at
Malibu's north end.
Asked about privatizing some or all the park functions, Sohm
pointed out
that the Malibu sector is already doing that. The newly
restored Malibu Pier
will be operated according to a 20-year contract with an
outside
concessionaire. On the other hand, Sohm is not a huge fan of
across-the-board privatization. "I'm not convinced it's going
to save the
public money or that it will necessarily be cheaper and offer
higher quality
services."
Hill agrees. "There are currently 125 concessionaries that
operate on state
land. State parks realizes maybe 10 percent of the $86
million in annual
revenue. We need to be cautious about selling off ! our
assets."
But Koeberer, who was part of Schwarzenegger's transition
team, projects
there will be a pilot program in place by next year to test
the viability of
private-public partnerships.
"I've worked with campground concessionaires," Sohm said.
"They got the job
done. But it was more a business than a passion. The public
has to decide
what kind of an experience it wants from their state parks."
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
---------------------------------
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--0-2112111902-1081489654=:65761
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<DIV><BR>
<DIV id=message>
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0 ?>
<TBODY>
<TR>
<TD>
<DIV>ROMP,</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>One of ROMP's roles is to promote volunteer stewardship in our parks and preserves. As mountain bike riders there are two main reasons ROMP strives to lead such volunteer intitiatives.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>One is to simply help take care of the land by maintaining existing trail systems and mitigating erosion problems with practical designs, volunteer labor, and reroutes in ways that meet our satisfaction. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>The other is to be a valued user group that promotes responsible behavior and deserves increased access. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>It has been apparent that our State Parks and some other land management agencies seem to be underfunded. In terms of mountain bike recreation, much of our needs would be served better, of course, by increased access, not more tax money. Also, the priorities and regulations on spending funds are not always agreeable to our group. As you probably know, fees will be increasing.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I am not suggesting that volunteer efforts alone are going to save our parks. Volunteer projects will always be important activities. Trail construction and maintenance are not even close the most expensive items in park budgets.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>For what it's worth, here is an article that heralds a change in the wind for our State Parks. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>-Paul</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><A href="http://www.malibutimes.com/articles/2004/04/07/news/news11.txt" target=_blank>http://www.malibutimes.com/articles/2004/04/07/news/news11.txt</A><BR><BR>State parks under threat of privatization<BR><BR>Budget cuts and freezes have hurt Malibu parks.<BR><BR>By P.G. O'Malley/Special to The Malibu Times<BR><BR>Laboring under a series of budget cuts and an increase in <BR>visitation, the<BR>California state parks system finds itself caught in a <BR>classical Catch 22.<BR><BR>"With the increase in fees scheduled for July 1, the public <BR>is going to<BR>expect better service," Malibu Sector Superintendent Hayden <BR>Sohm said, "but<BR>there's been a hiring and purchasing freeze for over two <BR>years now."<BR><BR>So what the public will get, Sohm said, is just barely <BR>business as usual.<BR><BR>Meanwhile, a survey completed by the California State Parks <BR>Foundation<BR>reports that more people than ever are taking advantage of <BR>the 277 units of<BR>the country'! s
largest state park system. "Visitation is a <BR>solid economic<BR>driver," says foundation Acting Director Barbara Hill. <BR>"Visitors spend $2.6<BR>billion locally in association with parks across the state."<BR><BR>In a separate survey, the foundation found that more than 80 <BR>percent of<BR>respondents favored a one-tenth of one percent sales tax to <BR>keep the state<BR>parks running, a strategy used by the state of Missouri to <BR>run its parks.<BR>Hills said she doesn't see this kind of thing happening in <BR>California<BR>anytime soon, but she describes the goal of the 44,000-member <BR>foundation as<BR>"some kind of dedicated funding stream for the park system."<BR><BR>But Gov. Arnold Schwarze-negger has other plans. The state <BR>park system is<BR>one of the governor's targets for privatization, and the <BR>Legislative<BR>Analysis Office in Sacramento is running the numbers to see <BR>what kind of<BR>cost savings will result from taking some or all of the parks <BR>privat!
e. And<BR>while the foundation is against privatization in principle, <BR>John Koeberer,<BR>who runs two state parks and has concessions in others, <BR>thinks<BR>public-private partnerships is where the park system is <BR>headed. Koeberer is<BR>CEO of California Parks Companies and chairman of the <BR>California Parks<BR>Hospitality Association. "I think it's going to go that way <BR>because the<BR>governor wants it to go that way," said Koeberer, who thinks <BR>the trend will<BR>be toward shared responsibilities with the private <BR>concessionaires likely to<BR>take over fee collection, some maintenance functions, <BR>hospitality and<BR>campground management, leaving general administration, <BR>interpretation and<BR>law enforcement to the park department.<BR><BR>Sohm says budget cuts and freezes have hurt Malibu sector <BR>parks, including<BR>Malibu Creek and Leo Carrillo, on a number of different <BR>fronts. He's coping<BR>with the high cost of maintaining a fleet of aging v!
ehicles, <BR>along with the<BR>rising cost of fuel; he's lost half of his maintenance staff <BR>and is facing a<BR>15 percent reduction in his budget for seasonal staff, which <BR>means less<BR>lifeguard coverage at Leo Carrillo, Point Dume and the pocket <BR>beaches at<BR>Malibu's north end.<BR><BR>Asked about privatizing some or all the park functions, Sohm <BR>pointed out<BR>that the Malibu sector is already doing that. The newly <BR>restored Malibu Pier<BR>will be operated according to a 20-year contract with an <BR>outside<BR>concessionaire. On the other hand, Sohm is not a huge fan of<BR>across-the-board privatization. "I'm not convinced it's going <BR>to save the<BR>public money or that it will necessarily be cheaper and offer <BR>higher quality<BR>services."<BR><BR>Hill agrees. "There are currently 125 concessionaries that <BR>operate on state<BR>land. State parks realizes maybe 10 percent of the $86 <BR>million in annual<BR>revenue. We need to be cautious about selling off
! our <BR>assets."<BR><BR>But Koeberer, who was part of Schwarzenegger's transition <BR>team, projects<BR>there will be a pilot program in place by next year to test <BR>the viability of<BR>private-public partnerships.<BR><BR>"I've worked with campground concessionaires," Sohm said. <BR>"They got the job<BR>done. But it was more a business than a passion. The public <BR>has to decide<BR>what kind of an experience it wants from their state parks."<BR><BR>^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^<BR></DIV></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></DIV></DIV><p><hr size=1><font face=arial size=-1>Do you Yahoo!?<br>
<a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/evt=23609/*http://promotions.yahoo.com/design_giveaway/static/index2.html">Yahoo! Small Business $15K Web Design Giveaway</a> - Enter today
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