Texas Republican's and their " Third World Approach " to running (ie: defunding) our State Park System !

Official says state parks in crises

By NEIL STRASSMAN
STAR-TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER
Texas state parks are facing tough times because of budget and staffing shortfalls, according to state parks director Walt Dabney.
"We are in some serious trouble," said Dabney, who discussed the parks situation Thursday at Arlington City Hall. "It's an absolute third-world approach to running a park system."
About three dozen people attended the parks presentation.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department oversees 114 state parks, and the agency's budget has been relatively flat, hovering around $50 million. Since 2002, costs have increased by about $6 million, Dabney said.
In December 2005, operations at 50 parks had to be trimmed, and 73 staff positions were eliminated, he said. The agency's resources were focused only on priority sites.
"We came close to closing one-third of the system," he said.
Dabney, who has given similar talks across the state to encourage support for the parks system, was invited by Mayor Robert Cluck to speak in Arlington.
Cluck learned of the park system's difficulties several months ago on a trip to Austin. He hoped to help Dabney spread the word.
Dabney reeled off examples of state parks in dire straits.
The Battleship Texas is rusting near Galveston, and it costs about $12 million every 15 years to work on it in dry dock.
The Texas State Railroad near Palestine in East Texas is in desperate need of repair. It costs $6 million annually to operate and only brings in revenue of about $1.5 million.
The parks are an important educational resource for Texans and an economic engine for tourism, he said.
However, Texas ranks 49th in per-capita spending on its parks, Dabney said.
Some funding for parks comes from a tax on the sale of sporting goods, but the amount the agency can use is capped. That cap needs to be lifted, he said.
The recent funding disaster was narrowly averted when the Legislature approved $4.8 million in additional revenue.
Park volunteers donate about 400,000 hours annually, the equivalent of about $4 million in salary.
State Rep. Lon Burnam, D-Fort Worth, who attended the talk, praised Cluck for inviting Dabney.
"People need to understand just how bad the situation is," Burnam said.
Suzanne Sweek, a landscape architect from Arlington who heard Dabney's talk, called the situation "appalling."
But, she said, "It's hard to say what will happen because the state has so many pressing needs."

Neil Strassman, (817) 548-5520 strass@star-telegram.com
source: http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/community/14724140.htm