Are Mass State Parks too well funded?

This guy certainly thinks so! Let us know what you think!

From the Boston GLobe
STEPHEN H. BURRINGTON
A new path for state park system
By Stephen H. Burrington | October 3, 2006

MASSACHUSETTS, the sixth-smallest state, has the nation's sixth-largest state park system. Its diversity is remarkable. Miles of beaches in Greater Boston. The Hatch Shell and the Esplanade. Campgrounds, trails, and bikeways from Cape Cod to the Berkshires. Swimming pools and skating rinks in neighborhoods from Roxbury to Fall River and Springfield. Hundreds of miles of historic parkways. Three bocce courts.

This venerable system is under the care of the nation's youngest parks agency. The Department of Conservation and Recreation set up shop in early 2004, after the governor and Legislature decided to merge two pre-existing agencies. Energetic new managers are in place at DCR headquarters and in every region. Efficient new systems are being established for work scheduling and asset management, budgeting, customer service, and other functions.

DCR grew out of the public's high expectations for parks, and those same expectations have led to questions about whether the agency has enough money to do its job. Many facilities need reconstruction or improvement, and many parks need better maintenance. Advocates say that Massachusetts ranks near the bottom of the barrel in per-capita spending on parks.

Does maintenance need to be improved? Is state spending on parks anywhere close to the right level? The answer to both questions is yes.

That isn't just political ideology talking. There is a way to provide better stewardship at current spending levels.

Consider the numbers. DCR's share of the Commonwealth's fiscal year 2007 operating budget is $89 million. But total spending by the department this fiscal year will be $267 million. That's a lot of money, whether judged against historical spending levels, other states' spending, or -- most important -- DCR's needs.

Two-thirds of the $267 million comes from four sources: bond funds allocated by the Romney administration, supplemental budget bills, trust funds, and the federal government. Putting aside amounts devoted to non-park uses, such as seaport improvements and water supply protection, spending still totals nearly a quarter billion dollars.

The first order of business is to spend such an amount wisely. Let's begin with three steps:

First, cut back on legislative earmarks. This year, earmarks deprive the department of control over 10 percent of its annual operating budget. Nearly one-tenth of all budget amendments introduced in the Legislature last spring related to DCR -- an agency that accounts for less than 1 percent of the state budget. We must put the entire system first. When local special interests consume 10 percent of the budget, most parks suffer.

Second, sustain a high level of capital investment, and target it wisely. The current administration has launched an aggressive program to rebuild and improve the park system. Total capital spending went from $89 million in fiscal 2005 to $114 million in fiscal 2006, and may exceed $140 million this year.

This high level of investment has been supported in part by supplemental budget bills passed by the Legislature and governor. It is critical, though, to strike the right balance between capital projects and maintenance activities. We must break the cycle in which construction is followed by inadequate maintenance, Band-Aids, and premature reconstruction.

DCR has produced the parks' first comprehensive capital plan, a blueprint for bringing the system to a ``state of good repair" over about a decade. We've planned the work. Now let's implement it -- and do justice to maintenance, even at the expense of a few extra ribbon-cuttings.

Finally, let DCR focus on its conservation and recreation mission and use new strategies to carry out that mission. MassHighway is undertaking $250 million in bridge reconstruction projects on the parkways -- projects that would otherwise compete with parks projects in DCR's capital program. Bridge project design remains under DCR control. Another $250 million to $300 million in bridge projects lies ahead. MassHighway is also assuming responsibility for snow removal on the parkways, so the department will devote its staff and equipment to plowing sidewalks and pathways.

With legislative authorization, DCR has entered into long-term leases under which private or municipal entities operate most of its skating rinks. The rinks remain public facilities, with fees controlled by DCR. With the security of long-term leases, rink operators make capital improvements and extend the skating season and hours of operation -- simultaneously freeing up DCR resources for other needs. The Legislature should extend this arrangement to the dozen rinks DCR still operates.

Candidates for office may think the park system requires a massive infusion of new money. Yet there's another route to realizing the parks' potential. It requires discipline, but it doesn't necessarily require much more money than we're already spending.

Stephen H. Burrington is commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation.

© Copyright 2006 Globe Newspaper Company.