OPRHP – Testimony Before the Joint Fiscal Committees of the State Legislature on the FY 2011-12 Executive Budget

Thumbs up! No Park Closures.....

Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation – Acting Commissioner Andy Beers – February 8, 2011 – Senate Finance Chair DeFrancisco and Assembly Ways & Means Chair Farrell, thank you for the opportunity to be with you today to discuss Governor Cuomo’s Executive Budget proposal for State Parks for Fiscal Year 2011-12. Thank you also Senator Little and Assemblyman Englebright, Chairs of the Tourism & Parks Committees, as well as other members of the Senate and Assembly here today.

I am representing State Parks today as Acting Commissioner, having served in this role since last October. Governor Cuomo recently announced he will nominate Rose Harvey as the next State Parks Commissioner. Ms. Harvey, who expects to begin working later this month, brings a wealth of experience in parks and environmental issues to our agency, and she looks forward to working with you and your colleagues during this legislative session.

In his State of the State Address and Executive Budget presentation, Governor Cuomo forcefully articulated the severity of the fiscal challenges facing New York State and the need to right-size and redesign how government provides services to the people of our state. Governor Cuomo’s message has been crystal clear – maintaining the status quo is simply not an option. State spending over the past ten years has grown at more than double the rate of inflation. We can no longer spend beyond our means.

We at Parks are prepared to do our part in the budget while ensuring the continued operation of our facilities.

As all of you know, New York’s parks and historic sites are among New York’s great assets. State Parks has been entrusted with the care of 213 state parks and historic sites, which include many of the state’s most iconic landscapes – treasured places like Niagara Falls, Jones Beach, Bear Mountain, Green Lakes, Saratoga Spa, Allegany, Bethpage, Riverbank, Orient Point, Letchworth, and Hudson Highlands State Parks. The system also includes 35 historic sites that preserve and interpret critical elements of New York’s culture and history – including Washington’s Headquarters, Olana, Fort Niagara, Ganondagan, and the Darwin Martin House.

For more than a century, New York has invested in developing world-class park facilities, and today we have the most developed state park system in the nation. Our park system encompasses 5,000 buildings, 8,355 campsites, 817 cabins, 53 swimming pools, 76 swimming beaches, 29 golf courses, 27 marinas, 40 boat launch sites, 18 nature centers, more than 1,350 miles of trails, 106 dams, 640 bridges, hundreds of miles of roads, and hundreds of historic structures listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places.

We are incredibly fortunate and all benefit from the time, energy, and money that have been invested in these resources over the years. New York’s parks and historic sites are gifts given from one generation to the next. And this team at State Parks will continue to care for and improve upon these gifts in the next fiscal year, while managing the ten percent reduction in State Operations Funding required of all state agencies as part of closing the state’s $10 billion deficit.

I am confident that the ten percent reduction can be achieved without requiring new closures of state parks or historic sites by reevaluating our operations to identify additional efficiencies, eliminating redundancies, and examining how savings from actions taken in the current fiscal year will help us in the next fiscal year.

For the last two years, State Parks has undergone consistent review and faced many challenges, proving that we can do more with less and that in crisis there is also opportunity. Our management of past budget reductions has made us a more flexible, innovative, and efficient institution. When faced with insufficient resources to maintain a facility, we didn’t just shutter the building or lock the park. Instead we looked for synergies and partners in local governments, state and federal agencies, and private organizations, and we were able to keep our parks and facilities open to the public.

In the past year, we have reached agreements with local governments to operate Woodlawn Beach State Park in Erie County, Beechwood State Park in Wayne County, and Oak Orchard Boat Launch in Orleans County. Ownership of Empire Fulton Ferry State Park and the undeveloped South Beach property were transferred to New York City. And we reached an agreement under which the National Park Service is operating Oriskany Battlefield and Steuben Memorial State Historic Sites. We will continue to forge partnerships and find other creative solutions to better serve New Yorkers in the next fiscal year.

In response to the Governor’s call for a fresh look at how government operates, State Parks is initiating a comprehensive review of the agency’s operations to identify opportunities to achieve cost efficiencies by redesigning the way we do business. Potential areas of savings that we will continue to explore include:

• increased partnerships with local governments and non-profit organizations and exploration of opportunities for greater private sector involvement in state park operations;
• collaborative efforts and shared services with ESDC, DEC, DOT and other sister agencies;
• efforts to increase fundraising from individuals, foundations, and corporate sponsors; and
• technology investments that can boost agency productivity.

The 2011-12 Executive Budget contains $25 million in state funding for capital rehabilitation and improvement projects in our State Parks and Historic Sites:

• The budget makes $17.2 million available for State Park Infrastructure Fund (SPIF) capital projects, which is the same amount provided in 2010-11.
• The budget recommends $16.2 million from the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) for capital “Stewardship” projects, of which $8.1 million is allocated to OPRHP (the other half of the Stewardship funds would be allocated to DEC). Given the State Park System’s substantial capital rehabilitation needs, the EPF Stewardship line is a critical source of funding for OPRHP’s capital program.
• The budget also provides appropriation authority for OPRHP to expend capital funds received from federal sources, mitigation projects, and private contributions.

You may recall that during fiscal years 2008-09 and 2009-10, State Parks received a total of $85 million of bonded “State Parks Capital Initiative” funds for park and historic site revitalization projects. I am pleased to report that all of these funds have been fully deployed, allowing the agency to complete hundreds of vitally important facility and infrastructure rehabilitation projects.

The Executive Budget contains $134 million for Environmental Protection Fund programs, which is the same amount provided in the current year. There are no proposed program off-loads to the EPF. The funding level and programmatic approach to the EPF was very welcome news for the environmental community, and many of the groups have been vocal in their support for the Governor’s budget.

OPRHP administers funding from four major EPF programs. In each case, the budget funding is continued at this year’s levels, honoring the Governor’s commitment to retain the EPF for traditional purposes:

• $16.2 million is provided for capital Stewardship projects, to be split between OPRHP and DEC.
• $13 million is allocated for matching grants to local governments and non-profits for park and historic preservation projects.
• $9 million is provided for grants to zoos, botanical gardens, aquaria, arboretums, and nature centers under the ZBGA program.
• $17.5 million is allocated to OPRHP’s and DEC’s open space land protection programs.

In conclusion, Governor Cuomo has clearly articulated the need for all parts of government to achieve costs savings and efficiencies in response to the fiscal crisis facing the state. State Parks is committed to fully participating in this effort, including implementing strategies to address the ten percent reduction to our General Fund appropriation, while maintaining the agency’s core mission and programs.

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OPRHP – Public-Private Partnership Creates WiFi “Hotspot” at Riverbank State Park – Riverbank is the First New York State Park with Free Public Wireless Access

Riverbank State Park is First New York State Park with Free Public Wireless Access | Photo: Mitchell Paluszek

OPRHP – ALBANY, NY – 01/12/2011 – In partnership with Columbia University, Per Scholas and the Digital Divide Partnership, the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation is offering a public Wi-Fi “hot spot” at Riverbank State Park, making it the first state park in New York with free public wireless Internet access.

“In an era of doing more with less, innovative partnerships are critical to improving the services State Parks can provide,” said Acting State Parks Commissioner Andy Beers. “We are tremendously grateful to Columbia University, Per Scholas and the Digital Divide Partnership for helping provide wireless internet access to Riverbank’s visitors. Mobile digital devices are changing the ways people work and play. The WiFi hotspot is a creative way we can enhance the diverse recreational, cultural and community offerings at Riverbank.”

“At Columbia Engineering, we believe everyone should have access to broadband, so we jumped at the chance to help,” said Bruce Lincoln, Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Columbia’s Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science. “The wireless Internet opens up the world to people and now Riverbank State Park is an access point where New Yorkers can connect to the world for free from their laptop or their smart phone. This is what we mean when we speak of technology serving as a civic asset. Columbia Engineering is proud we had a part in making this happen.”

The Wi-Fi network spans the entire 28-acre Harlem park, and allows visitors to log on with their laptops, smart-phones and other digital devices. The network automatically blocks inappropriate material, content, Web searches and websites so that it is safe for children and families.

An innovative rooftop park that features an Olympic-size pool, a covered skating rink, an 800-seat cultural theater, a 2,500-seat athletic complex with fitness room, restaurant and other amenities, Riverbank attracts over 2 million visitors a year. The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation administers 178 parks and 35 state historic sites. For more information about state parks and historic sites in New York, please visit www.nysparks.com, connect on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter.

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Gotham Gazette – With State Parks at Risk, Advocates Seek New Funding Sources

by Anne Schwartz
December 20, 2010

After layoffs take effect Dec. 31, Riverbank State Park in Manhattan, the fourth most visited of New York's state parks, will lose all four of its rangers and see its hours significantly cut back. Photo by Ruthanne Reid

When Gov. David Paterson threatened to close 88 state parks and historic sites last spring, he unleashed a torrent of public outrage. Legislators said they received more phone calls, letters, emails and petitions on parks than on any other issue.

The closings were averted when the Paterson administration agreed to restore $11 million to the parks budget after legislators consented to slashing the Environmental Protection Fund, which pays for land acquisition, recycling and other environmental needs. But the park system is still at risk.

Several parks upstate are already slated for closing after the latest round of layoffs that will go into effect Dec. 31. Riverbank State Park in Harlem is losing all four of its rangers, and hours are being significantly curtailed.

More than a decade of declining funding for the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation has cut its operations to the bone. Further budget reductions will inevitably lead to more closed parks and hours reduced to the point that sites will not be open when people want to visit.

Advocates hope to build on the outpouring of grassroots support last spring to get new funding dedicated to the parks. With the state facing a huge budget gap — and the new administration vowing not to raise taxes — parks supporters are looking at new funding mechanisms that could help pay for parks, not just in this current crisis but for the long term.

In his Cleaner, Greener NY agenda released just before the election, Gov. elect Andrew Cuomo recognized the importance of parks to the state’s economy and environment, and pledged to “work to ensure that they stay open for the benefit of all New Yorkers.” He did not, though, offer any specifics other than encouraging private-public partnerships and local community involvement. It remains to be seen whether Cuomo will find a way to put one of the nation’s great park systems back on a solid footing.

125 Years of Parks

When Paterson made closing the parks a symbol of the need for fiscal austerity during last year’s budget negotiations, his message was “parks are a luxury we can’t afford.”

Judging from the impassioned response to the prospect of closings and a rise in park attendance, the public has a different view. “Parks are one of the principal public interfaces of government, where people know they get their tax dollars back,” said Eric Kulleseid, a former state parks official who now directs the Alliance for New York State Parks, a group recently launched to increase both public and private support for the parks.

New York established the first state park in the nation, creating theNiagara Reservation in 1885 to protect the spectacular falls from encroaching industrialization and allow public access. The state park system now includes 178 parks and 35 historic sites. It provides every kind of outdoor recreation and preserves scenic landscapes, a diversity of plant and animal life and the state and nation’s political and cultural history.

State parks are also a key component of New York’s tourism industry. They attract 57 million visitors a year, bringing an annual economic boost of $50 million and generating 20,000 jobs (not including parks employees). A2009 study by the Political Economy Research Institute of the University of Massachusetts Amherst found that every dollar invested in state parks (both operating and capital) returns $5 in economic benefits.

In many upstate areas hard hit by the economic downturn, parks are a lifeline.

“We’re very short-sighted if we don’t keep all of the parks open,” said Steve Engelbright, chair of the Assembly Committee on Tourism, Parks, Arts and Sports Development.

There are four state parks in New York City, including Riverbank State Park along the Hudson River, the fourth most visited park in the state. City residents also count on state parks for day trips to escape the summer heat and for affordable vacations. Some of the most popular parks in the system, such as Jones Beach and Harriman, are within easy reach of the city.

State of the State Parks

Like many other states, New York has not made its parks and historic sites a budget priority even in good times. In the decade leading up to the economic crisis, the operating budget of the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation steadily declined even as the system added 26 new parks.

Over the last three years, the agency took an even deeper hit. Even before the showdown over park closures last spring, repeated budget cuts had forced the agency to shorten the season and hours at 100 parks and historic sites. Since 2008, its operating budget was cut seven times, going from $195 million to less than $160 million in the current fiscal year — an overall cut of 18 percent that surpasses the reductions in other budget areas.

As a result, the parks agency staff dropped from 5,000 permanent and seasonal workers in 2008 to about 3,600 in 2010, with additional positions cut as of January. The cuts strike directly at park maintenance and operation because 90 percent of the agency’s staff works in the field.

Although last spring’s budget deal restored the bare minimum of funding needed to reopen the parks for the summer, the most recent elimination of staff positions will result in the closing of some parks and facilities, and the reduction of maintenance and hours of operation at others, said Acting Commissioner Andy Beers in testimony at a joint hearing of the Assembly standing committees for Parks, Recreation, and Sports Development, and Oversight, Analysis, and Investigation.

On Jan. 1, the state will close Knox Farm State Park near Buffalo. Photo by Sonja McAllister

As of Jan. 1, the state will shutter Knox Farm State Park outside Buffalo. Two other Buffalo-area parks, Joseph Davis State Park and Woodlawn Beach State Park, will also close unless an agreement is reached for local governments to operate them.

In addition to the reductions in services at Riverbank State Park, the cuts would eliminate the sole ranger at Roberto Clemente state park in the Bronx.

Beers said that several state historic sites that close for the winter probably will not open in 2011. The agency expects to reduce days and hours of operation, facility maintenance and upkeep, and interpretive programming at some locations, and close swimming pools, nature centers and campgrounds at others, but has not yet determined which sites will be affected.

The agency also has a $1 billion backlog of necessary repairs and infrastructure upgrades, according to its own 2010 analysis. Decades of deferred repairs to deteriorating bridges, roads and pools, and sewage, drinking water and electrical systems risk the public’s health and safety and make parks less enjoyable to visit.

When parks are closed and minimally maintained, they become vulnerable to damage from neglect and vandalism. It endangers the public, creates liabilities for the state and puts the taxpayers’ financial investment at risk. Getting bathrooms, buildings, pools, trails and other facilities back in usable condition would likely cost many times the amount saved by budget cuts.

Searching for Solutions

Gearing up for the next legislative season, park advocates hope they can once again harness the enormous public support for state parks to prevent further cuts. To ensure the system’s future viability, they would like to put in place a dedicated funding source for state parks.

In November, the Alliance for New York State Parks and Parks & Trails New York, the statewide advocacy group that organized the opposition to park closings last year, issued a report calling for an end to cuts and restoration of funding for park operations, an increase in capital funding and a new dedicated mechanism to secure parks funding for the future.

“It’s time to step back and think creatively about the ways to remedy the situation,” said Robin Dropkin, executive director of Parks & Trails New York. “A new, dedicated funding mechanism for parks seems to us the best chance to adequately support our iconic state park system, for ourselves and future generations.”

Advocates have been gathering ideas from other states in hopes of developing a funding mechanism that would work in New York. One model that bears looking at, they say, is a voluntary vehicle registration fee. Montana has a state parks fee of $4 people pay when they register a vehicle. Drivers can waive the fee by filling out an additional form, but few choose to opt out. In October, Michigan began offering residents an optional $10 annual“recreation passport” in addition to the vehicle registration fee. The passport gives free access to all state parks, recreation areas and boat launches.

Washington, D.C. took another approach last January it became the first place in the U.S. to establish a plastic and paper shopping bag fee. The nickel per bag fee raised $1.1 million in the first half year toward efforts to clean up the Anacostia River and dramatically curtailed plastic bag use.

Engelbright said that he would like to see the new administration’s budget presentation include supplementary revenue sources such as these. “If we did something like plastic grocery sacks at a penny apiece, and a motor vehicle registration fee and made them both declinable, it could bring in between $60 and $100 million a year,” he said. “The interesting thing about the Montana model is, when they made it voluntary and kept the fee nominal, participation was somewhere north of 90 percent.”

Another way to support the parks, Engelbright said, is by encouraging the creation of highly professional nonprofit organizations supporting individual state parks. He cited the conservancies and friends groups that turned around Central Park and other New York City parks neglected during the fiscal crisis of the 1970s. Cuomo placed a strong emphasis on this approach in his environmental agenda.

Encouraging park partnerships and raising private contributions is also one of the goals of the newly formed Alliance for New York State Parks, which itself operates as a public-private partnership under the auspices of the nonprofit Open Space Institute.

Private funding can only go so far. It has become more controversial in New York City, where opponents charge that an increasing reliance on nonprofit park partners and private donations has led to reduced public access and oversight. But Kulleseid noted that the state park system always has had significant contributions from the private sector, going back to the early donations of property for parkland by prominent New York families.

Park supporters are heartened by the Cuomo campaign pledge to keep parks open. They are waiting to see what solutions he offers.

“I’m hopeful that the new administration takes a look at the outcry that happened last year, understands that parks are an economic driver rather than a drain, and has a different approach,” said former parks commissioner Carol Ash in a television interview. Ash resigned as commissioner in October and now serves as an advisor to the alliance.

With the state facing years of continuing budget deficits and Cuomo determined not to raise taxes, the challenge is enormous. But in hard times, people need parks more than ever. And, as advocates point out, the state can’t balance the budget with further cuts to an agency that represents just a tenth of a percent of the total budget.

“New York has one of the finest state park systems in the country,” said Kulleseid. “What we do here is going to have implications everywhere.”

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OPRHP – Acting Commissioner Beers’ Testimony Before Assembly Standing Committee on Tourism, Parks, Arts and Sports Development; Assembly Standing Committee on Oversight, Analysis and Investigation

December 13, 2010

New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Acting Commissioner Andy Beers

Assemblyman Englebright and Assemblywoman Titus, thank you for the invitation to participate in today’s hearing. I greatly appreciate the opportunity to discuss critical issues facing the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and the New York State Park System.

2010 Overview

2010 will certainly be remembered as a critical year for State Parks. New York’s fiscal crisis has necessitated reductions to every part of state government. OPRHP has been no exception – our agency has implemented a series of actions to reduce our staffing and operating budget in response to the unprecedented budget deficits facing New York State.

As you know, last February our agency announced that, as a result of budget reductions, 55 state parks and historic sites would be closed. In late May, Governor Paterson and the Legislature reached agreement to restore $11 million to OPRHP’s operating budget, avoiding the need for park closures. All state parks and historic sites were quickly opened, and the public came to our parks in record numbers – with attendance projected to exceed 57 million visitors this year. Allow me to express my deep appreciation to you and your colleagues in the Assembly and Senate for your strong support for the park system and your leadership in providing funding that enabled our parks and historic sites to remain open this year.

However, New York continues to face very serious fiscal problems. The state must address a $315 million shortfall this fiscal year and a projected budget deficit exceeding $9 billion in 2011-12. In order to secure $250 million in workforce savings that were assumed in the current year (2010-11) enacted budget, state agencies were directed to reduce their permanent workforce. In OPHRP’s case, our authorized staffing level has been reduced to 1,785 positions, effective December 31st. This represents a reduction of 221 staff from the 2,006 positions that were authorized in our original 2010-11 budget, as enacted last May.

Approximately two-thirds of OPRHP’s 2010-11 staff reductions have been achieved through attrition and the Early Retirement Incentive program. However, OPRHP needed to eliminate 76 positions through employee layoffs in order to reach the 1,785 employee fill target by December 31st. The 76 employees whose positions have been eliminated received final layoff notices on December 7th.

OPRHP has endeavored to minimize the impacts of staff and budget reductions on the public services we provide at our state parks and historic sites. First, OPRHP has eliminated a number of programs and initiatives that did not directly support park operations, including:

• The Heritage Trails Program.
• Support for the Heritage Areas System.
• The Green Thumb Program.
• The Preservationist Magazine.
• The Historic Battlefield Flag Conservation Program.
• Our Student Conservation Association/Americorps Contract.

And second, we have significantly reduced the size of the central staff in our Albany and Peebles Island offices – our central staff has been reduced from 255 in 2008 to 186 positions today, which equates to a 27% reduction in staff.

However, our Albany/Peebles Island staff account for only 10% of our employees. Given that ninety percent of our staff is located in the field – directly supporting park and historic site operations, maintenance, and safety – the 76 layoffs occurring at the end of the year will necessitate the closing of several facilities.

At Knox Farm State Park in Erie County, two staff positions have been eliminated (one through the Early Retirement Incentive and the other by layoff), and the remaining three staff are being reassigned to Niagara Falls State Park to cover positions lost at that park. In November, we informed local officials that as a result of the staff eliminations, Knox Farm State Park will be closed. We have recently been approached by a group of local officials including the Town of Aurora, the Village of East Aurora, Senate and Assembly members, and representatives of the Friends of Knox Farm, who are evaluating whether the local municipalities have the capacity to operate the park next year. These discussions are ongoing.

All staff positions have been eliminated at two state golf courses in central New York: Springbrook Greens Golf Course (an 18-hole course in Cayuga County) and Pinnacle State Park Golf Course (a 9-hole course in Steuben County). OPRHP has issued RFPs seeking private operators for both courses. Under the terms of the RFPs, the courses will remain open to the public. The private operator will assume all costs for operating the facilities (staff, supplies, utilities, etc.) and will retain all revenues. Responses to the RFPs were due last Friday and will be evaluated through the state’s normal competitive bidding processes. The two courses are already closed for this season. In the event that no private operator is identified, the two golf courses will not reopen in 2011.

There will be additional impacts next year due to staff reductions. We anticipate that several state historic sites, normally closed for the winter, will not open in 2011. In addition to a small number of facility closures, we expect to reduce days and hours of operation, facility maintenance and upkeep, and interpretive programming at other facilities next year. At other locations, some swimming pools, nature centers, and campgrounds may not open. We currently are evaluating staff deployment plans for 2011 to respond to the loss of 221 positions that we have absorbed since the end of last summer from attrition, Early Retirement departures, and layoffs. Decisions on site closures and other operational reductions will not be finalized until we complete our staff deployment plans and make reassignments to address facility staffing needs.

Our State Park Police have also absorbed significant reductions. Due to the state’s fiscal situation, our Park Police Academy was again cancelled this year – our last Academy was held in FY2007-08. The Park Police force has declined from 300 officers in 2007 to 245 members today. The force continues to experience attrition of approximately 25 officers per year. The reduction in Park Police officers continues to be a strain on our system.

As part of the layoffs, OPRHP also eliminated the 6-person unit that administered the Empire State Games. OPRHP has announced that all 2011 Empire State Games will be cancelled, starting with the Winter Games scheduled for February. As has been widely reported in the press, the Village and Town of Lake Placid have initiated an effort to hold the Winter Games this coming February, without State Parks involvement. A group of officials in Rochester and Monroe County is evaluating whether they could stage the 2011 Summer Games. OPRHP is providing information to the Lake Placid and Rochester groups.

These actions – laying off staff, closing facilities, cancelling the Empire State Games – are difficult steps for our employees, for the agency, and for the public we serve. We did not take them lightly. However, the reality is that New York State’s revenues are not sufficient to continue historical agency spending levels, meaning these decisions are necessary to realign State Parks’ expenditures with the level of resources available to the agency.

Revenue Actions

In response to budget reductions, OPRHP has aggressively sought to increase its revenues. Over the past four years, the agency increased annual revenues by $17 million, which equates to a 24 percent increase. This year, OPRHP’s revenues will total $94 million, providing one-third of our total operating budget and more than half of our capital budget. Over the past two years alone, OPRHP has increased recurring revenues by $10 million through the following actions:

• Park user fees have been increased by approximately 25% including day-use entrance fees, camping and cabin rental fees, golf, marina fees, picnic shelter rentals, and other amenities.
• An out-of-state surcharge has been instituted on campsite and cabin rentals.
• Reforms were implemented to the agency’s Access Pass program.

By law, all park revenues are retained by OPRHP to support operating costs and capital projects. The agency’s revenue actions avoided what would have been deep cuts to park and historic site operations.

OPRHP has also vigorously pursued private contributions and sponsorships to augment state funding:

• Private Sponsorships. OPHRP has secured dozens of private sponsors to support State Park programs. Example include: the Open Space Alliance organized a concert series at East River State Park that generated more than $200,000 for state parks operations; Bethpage Federal Credit Union sponsored the 2010 Jones Beach Memorial Day Airshow and other events on Long Island; the Nestle/Juicy Juice corporation donated $350,000 toward construction of playgrounds at seven state parks; Cascadian Farms provided $30,000 and marketing assistance; and Odwalla provided funding for tree planting projects on the Avenue of the Pines at Saratoga Spa and other state parks.
• Private Fundraising. With support from the State Council of Parks, during 2010 OPRHP raised millions of dollars of charitable contributions from private individuals. Examples of projects that recently received private gifts include: restoration of the Geyser area at Saratoga Spa State Park; improvements to Taconic Falls State Park’s day-use area; a bequest to make improvements to the Trailside Museum and Zoo at Bear Mountain State Park; and development of public facilities at Betty and Wilbur Davis State Park. In addition, at its one-year anniversary in October, the Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park celebrated the Dyson Foundation, Scenic Hudson, and many other donors who contributed private funds to the project. The Walkway welcomed more than 750,000 visitors in its first year of operation.

Agency Efficiency Strategies

OPRHP continues to pursue a number of new strategies and partnerships in response to budget and staffing reductions. Here are some examples of efforts currently underway in the agency:

• Park Operations. The agency has reduced seasons, days, and hours of operation at more than 100 state parks and historic sites. This year, many campgrounds and golf courses opened a month later and closed a month earlier than in the past. Mid-week (e.g. Tuesday-Wednesday) closures have been instituted at a number of swimming beaches and campgrounds. Public services have been reduced at many parks during the off-season (October through May). Buildings are winterized and closed, restrooms locked, roads and parking lots are not plowed, etc.
• Partnership With Friends Groups. OPRHP has established new non-profit Friends Groups at 16 state parks and historic sites since 2007. There are now more than 75 Friends Groups that provide assistance, funding and volunteers at OPRHP facilities.
• Private Concessions. Currently, OPRHP has more than 100 concession agreements with for-profit businesses to operate public amenities in state parks and historic sites. These concession agreements range from large-scale international companies such as Delaware North and Guest Services Inc., to small family run businesses. In total, OPRHP concessionaires generate more than $90 million annually in gross receipts, of which roughly $9 million is returned to OPRHP as direct revenue to support park operations.
• Municipal Agreements. In the last two years, OPRHP has transferred management responsibility for seven facilities to local governments and federal agencies. Ownership of Empire Fulton Ferry State Park and the undeveloped South Beach property have been transferred to New York City. The National Park Service has assumed management responsibility for Oriskany Battlefield and Steuben Memorial State Historic Sites. OPRHP has entered into agreements with local governments to operate the Oak Orchard Boat Launch (Orleans County) and Beechwood State Park (Town of Sodus). And just last week the agency announced that the Town of Hamburg will take over operation of Woodlawn Beach State Park in Erie County, starting this spring.
• State Park Police. Historically, the Park Police were organized into eleven units corresponding to our eleven state park regions. We are in the process of streamlining the eleven units into five regions, thereby eliminating six senior management (police major) positions, and enabling more efficient deployment of our Park Police force to address the agency’s most pressing public safety issues.
• Improved Efficiency Through Technology. OPRHP has developed a Point of Sale system for park entrance booths and other locations where we collect revenue. This system will replace cash boxes and cash registers, with desktop and handheld computer units. The new system will reduce the number of staff required to collect entrance fees, and automate and thereby reduce staff time for processing and reporting revenue. We will pilot test the system at 10 park entrance lanes on Long Island this spring. In addition, OPRHP is experimenting with automated parking “pay stations” at several facilities (historically the agency has relied exclusively on staff to collect entrance fees). In 2010, automated systems were installed at the Walkway Over the Hudson and Watkins Glen State Park.

While OPRHP is aggressively pursuing efficiencies, partnerships, and private fundraising and sponsorships, I do need to emphasize that the state park system cannot run on private support alone. Even with increased partnerships and the $17 million of new annual revenue generated over the past for years through park fee increases, the state General Fund still accounts for more than half of OPRHP’s operating budget. Continued state support is essential to the operation and maintenance of our parks and historic sites.

State Parks Capital Program

OPRHP continues to aggressively advance capital construction projects to address the park system’s pressing health & safety and facility rehabilitation needs. Over the last four years, OPHRP has invested more than $300 million in park and historic site capital projects – with nearly $100 million spent annually in fiscal years 2008-09 and 2009-10.

Examples of major projects completed during 2010 include:

• Jones Beach State Park – The agency completed a $6 million restoration of the park’s iconic 1929 water tower, which is the sole source of drinking water for the entire park and the adjacent U.S. Coast Guard Station.
• Robert Moses State Park – OPRHP completed a $1 million emergency project to replenish sand at the Field 4 & 5 ocean beaches in response to severe erosion from winter storms.
• Roberto Clemente State Park – The agency finished rehabilitation of the park’s 30-year old swimming pool, aquatics facilities, and locker rooms. The project was funded through mitigation funds provided by New York City.
• Letchworth State Park – OPRHP completed an $884,000 project to install two new drinking water treatment systems on the east side of the park.
• Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park – Using privately donated funds, OPRHP restored deteriorated recreational facilities and constructed a new picnic pavilion.
• Chenango Valley State Park – The agency completed several capital projects totaling $1.6 million, including installation of a new underground electrical distribution system (replacing outdated wiring) and reconstruction of the Page Brook camping area, including new water and sewage systems, that was destroyed by a flood several years ago.
• Taughannock Falls State Park – OPRHP completed construction of a $1.8 million drinking water treatment and distribution system to service the park (the previous system did not meet health code requirements).

Many of these projects were funded through the State Parks Capital Initiative, which provided $94 million in bonded capital funds to the agency in fiscal years 2008-09 and 2009-10. I am pleased to report that 100 percent of the bonded Capital Initiative funds have been encumbered. Most of the projects are already completed, and the remainder are now underway.

Due to the state’s unprecedented fiscal challenges, the bonded State Parks Capital Initiative was not continued in OPRHP’s FY2010-11 budget. This year, the agency is focusing its available capital funds – provided through the State Park Infrastructure Fund (SPIF) and the Environmental Protection Fund Stewardship line – on addressing high priority health and safety issues in our facilities.

Thank you for providing me the opportunity to provide this summary of OPRHP’s 2010 activities. I will be happy to answer any questions you may have.

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