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Watertown Daily Times – Parks closing measure passed – ASSEMBLY OKS BILL: Public hearings and reports would be required in new law
NYS Assembly
By BRIAN AMARAL – TIMES STAFF WRITER – TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2011 – The state Assembly passed a bill Monday that would require public hearings and reports that would provide justification before any closure of state parks.
The bill — similar to one that the Assembly passed last year but that ultimately failed in the Senate — comes on the heels of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s budget proposal, which included no specifics on park closures. The budget maintains the same level of funding for the Environmental Protection Fund, which is the primary source of financing for the state parks system, as last year, at $134 million. The state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation would see an 8.3 percent cut, from $228 million to $209 million.
The vote was 132-0. The bill must pass the state Senate and be signed by the governor before it becomes a law.
Last year, Gov. David A. Paterson’s budget proposed the closure of 55 state parks, including seven in the Thousand Islands park system and the Sackets Harbor Battlefield State Historic Site. The sites were saved before Memorial Day in a budget deal that diverted $11 million in real estate tax revenue to the environmental fund.
“This legislation gives the citizens a six-month head’s up regarding any plans to close state parks and provides more openness and transparency to the closure process,” Assemblyman Kenneth D. Blankenbush R-Black River, said in an e-mail. “Since there are many parks in my district, I voted for this bill.”
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.
NY Times – Another Emergency Bill Averts Albany Shutdown
By NICHOLAS CONFESSORE
Published: June 14, 2010
ALBANY — State lawmakers narrowly approved the latest in a series of emergency budget bills on Monday night, temporarily averting a government shutdown that officials said would be catastrophic for New Yorkers.
After days of bitter public debate in which Gov. David A. Patersonand state lawmakers each sought to pre-emptively cast blame for a potential shutdown, the State Assembly and Senate each approved the emergency bill, largely along party lines.
In the Democratic-controlled Assembly, the bill was approved by a wide margin, with some Democrats joining nearly all Republicans in opposition. In the Senate, where Democrats hold a 32-to-30 majority and faced an internal revolt over the emergency bill, all but one Democrat ultimately voted for the legislation. They were joined by three Republicans, despite suggestions from Republican leaders last week that all their members would withhold support until a complete budget deal was reached.
“To not pass this extender would drive New York into a state of chaos,” said Hugh T. Farley, one of the three Republicans who voted for the bill. Mr. Farley, whose district in the Schenectady area is home to thousands of state workers, called the late budget “the worst thing that I’ve seen in my 34 years in the Senate” and warned, “Don’t count on me for any more extenders.” The budget was supposed to have been approved by April 1.
Monday’s emergency bill was the 11th introduced by Mr. Paterson and approved by the Legislature since March 31, when the state’s previous fiscal year expired. As in the last such bill, the new emergency bill also incorporated a package of long-term spending cuts that advanced, in piecemeal fashion, an all-around state budget deal.
The new bill included about $326 million in cuts to programs for the mentally disabled and social services. After negotiations between the governor and the Legislature last week, the bill restored some money that Mr. Paterson had sought to cut from summer youth programs, welfare grants and programs for the elderly. Part of that spending will be offset by canceling new programs, while some will have to be made up with cuts elsewhere in the budget as talks continue.
It is difficult to gauge how much progress is being made on a budget agreement, as Mr. Paterson and the Legislature continue to describe those discussions in starkly different terms.
Meeting with reporters on Sunday, Mr. Paterson described himself as far apart from the Legislature. On Monday, however, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver said, “We are moving closer and closer on an overall budget plan, and we hope to succeed on that.” He added, “I can’t tell you whether the governor is optimistic or pessimistic.”
Because the last few emergency bills have also included some long-term budget cuts — to Medicaid, for instance — part of the new budget has in effect already been completed. In each of those areas, Mr. Paterson has inserted his proposed cuts into the emergency bills, but then allowed the Legislature to tinker with some specific programs while keeping the sizes of the cuts roughly the same.
Officials said that the three-way negotiations were now focused on about $700 million to $800 million of potential savings, including reducing the Legislature’s discretionary pork-barrel spending, known in Albany as member items, and Mr. Paterson’s proposal for a new tax on hospitals and other health care institutions.
One legislative official, who insisted on anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about the negotiations, estimated that 50 to 60 percent of the state’s spending for the current fiscal year had been locked in. Of a projected deficit of more than $9 billion, the official said, that left a gap of about $1.7 billion to be met with further cuts, new taxes or borrowing.
In that sense, the efforts of the last week have brought the state closer to a budget deal simply by narrowing the decisions that remain. And the remaining gap could be closed using a combination of ideas, including Mr. Paterson’s proposal to tax sugared soft drinks, the Assembly’s proposal for short-term borrowing, or the Senate’s proposal to refinance New York’s share of the nationwide tobacco settlement. (Deeper cuts are also a possibility.)
But some of the most politically tough decisions have not yet been made. Mr. Paterson has not ruled out inserting sweeping school cuts into the next emergency bill, which could set off a war with Mr. Silver, who has fought to shrink those cuts by about $419 million.
“There are some difficult cuts that have to be made, and we have to work them out,” Mr. Silver said.
NYSR – Thank You!
MEMORIAL DAY AT RIVERBANK – MAY 31, 2010
June 3, 2010
Lewis Burgess
When Governor Paterson and Commissioner Ash proposed to close dozens of NYS State Parks and historic sites and reduce operating hours, classes, pools, and services at dozens of others on February 19th, no one imagined that there would be an unrelenting state-wide outcry rejecting the proposal.
On March 3rd, Senator Jose M. Serrano and Assemblyman Steve Englebright rallied Senators and Assemblymembers to the cause. From beginning to end, the two legislators were unrelenting in their efforts to restore funding to NYS parks and historic sites Kudos to them.
And once informed, citizens across the state, upstate and downstate, began to organize hold rallies and campaign to keep our parks and historic sites open and operating as usual.
Riverbankers also rallied and campaigned to save Riverbank non-stop from March 4th to May 28th. Riverbankers joined together at rallies at Riverbank, in front of the NYS Office Building, and at a vigil on May 17th at the 137th Street entrance. Riverbankers called, wrote and met with legislators, interviewed with NY1, the Daily News, El Diario, Amsterdam News, DNAInfo, manned info and petition tables, bought Save Riverbank t-shirts and swim caps, made Riverbank videos for YouTube, designed graphics, blogged, reported, researched and Facebooked. 5,297 of us signed a petition that was sent to Governor Paterson, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Majority Conference Leader Senator John L. Sampson. The Riverbank Community of park users spread the word to save Riverbank.
Our local legislators also responded to the call to hold Riverbank harmless in the budget crisis. Assemblymen Daniel O’Donnell, Keith L.T. Wright and Herman D. Farrell joined the fray early with their March 3rd joint letter to Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. Senator Eric Schneiderman appealed to Governor Paterson and Senator Sampson on March 24th. Since then Herman D. Farrell carried the cause to the floor of the Assembly and fought for Riverbank. They all voted in the affirmative in the Senate and Assembly budget resolutions to restore NYS parks as well as the bills that freed the parks and historic sites from devastating budget cuts.
Quietly in the background, the Albany Office of OPRHP, the New York City Commission of the State Council of Recreation and Historic Preservation and Riverbank State Park administration and employees supported the Riverbank Community effort to restore the budget cuts from the beginning. Community Planning Board 9 sent a unanimously approved letter to Governor Paterson on May 21st.
The Riverbank Community thanks you all.
In the end, after much political brouhaha and wheeling and dealing in Albany, all NYS parks and historic parks where held harmless in the budget crisis on May 28th. The citizen’s outcry was heard, our parks were given back to us as it should be.
NYSR – ALL PARKS AND HISTORIC SITES ARE OPEN!
Players on Riverbank's Soccer/Football Field
May 28, 2010
Lewis Burgess
The Parks are Open for the Memorial Day Weekend and the Rest of the YEAR!
The Assembly (86-47) and Senate (32-27) and Assembly approved Governor Paterson’s Program Bill #267, A11308, S7988 early this morning at 2:59 am and afternoon at 2:37 pm. The bill provides $11.2 million dollars to maintain operations at 178 parks, 35 historic sites and all campgrounds in the Adirondacks and Catskills for State Fiscal Year 2010-2011. It will provide $134 million for a wide variety of environmental projects and establish a state-wide E-waste program to reuse and recycle electronic equipment that is expected to generate $4 million in revenues from fees, surcharges and penalties that will go into for the Environmental Protection Fund.
To achieve these results $80 million was diverted from Real Estate Transfer Tax (RETT) revenues. These revenues would have been deposited into the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF). $6 million of the $80 million went to reopen the 55 closed parks and historic sites. $5.2 million went to fund all the open parks and historic sites for the rest of the fiscal year. $5 million was used for payments to local governments in the forest preserve. The EPF received $130 million for RETT and $4 million from the E-Waste program. EPF funding in SFY 2009-10 was $212 million. This year EPF funding was reduced by$78 million.
OUR VOICES HAVE BEEN HEARD!
OUR LEGISLATORS AND GOVERNOR DID THE RIGHT THING! THANK YOU!
LET US ENJOY OUR PARKS THIS WEEKEND, THIS SUMMER AND FOR REST OF THE YEAR!
ENJOY RIVERBANK!
NYS ASSEMBLY VOTES TO FULLY RESTORE FUNDING FOR PARKS
Dear Supporters of Riverbank State Park:
Just moments ago, at 2:59 AM to be exact, the New York State Assembly voted to restore funding for New York State Parks throughout the 2010-2011 Fiscal Year. Simply put, if the Senate passes their companion bill and the Governor signs the legislation, Riverbank State Park will avoid any further service reductions and/or closure during the upcoming Summer and Fall seasons. I, along with Assemblyman Herman “Denny” Farrell, Jr. and Assemblyman Daniel O’Donnell, joined the majority of New York State Assemblymembers who voted to ensure that our Park remains a vital resource to the Harlem community and the Greater New York Metropolitan area. By a vote of 86-47 (http://bit.ly/bPy0X0), the New York State Assembly affirmed our continued commitment to Riverbank State Park and the constituencies which rely upon this bastion of peace, tranquility, open space and recreation.
Thank you for your vociferous and unrelenting support of Riverbank State Park! I look forward to using my vote and my voice in the New York State Legislature to ensure that Riverbank remains fully operational and vibrant for the entirety of my legislative career.
As always, if you should have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact me and I look forward to hearing from you!
Sincerely,
Assemblyman Keith Wright
212-866-5809- Phone
212-864-1368- Fax
wrightk@nysa.us
NYSR – Paterson says there appears to be an agreement to keep parks open, maybe
Governor David A. Paterson
May 27, 2010
Updated: May 27, 2010 at 10:16 pm
Lewis Burgess
Governor David Paterson says an agreement may be reached to keep all state parks open for the Memorial Day weekend if lawmakers approve the legislation.
On the “The John Gambling Show,” on WOR radio 710, Paterson said negotiations that ended early Thursday morning at 4:00 am would provide $11 million for full operations this year.
“We worked until about four o’clock in the morning and the staffs of the Senate and Assembly and the governor’s office appear to have resolved the issues about the state parks, if the legislators come in this morning and find that this is to their liking and, the Senate and Assembly members will conference this morning, then they will probably pass the needed legislation and the parks will be open,” Paterson said in the morning.
However, there have been conflciting reports throughout the day. Shortly after 5:00 p.m. when the Senate session ended, Senator Eric Schneiderman (D – Manhattan) told CBS 6 there were only “elements of a deal,” explaining that his conference had made changes to the governor’s draft of the bill.
Program Bill #267 is now ready for a vote and serves three purposes. The bill provides $11.2 million dollars to maintain operations at 178 parks, 35 historic sites and all campgrounds in the Adirondacks and Catskills. It will provide $134 million for a wide variety of environmental projects and establish a state-wide E-waste program to reuse and recycle electronic equipment that is expected to generate $4 million in revenues from fees, surcharges and penalties for the Environmental Protection Fund.
To achieve these results $80 million was diverted from Real Estate Transfer Tax (RETT) revenues. These revenues would have been deposited into the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF). $6 million of the $80 million went to reopen the 55 closed parks and historic sites. $5.2 million went to fund all of open parks and historic sites and $5 million was used for payments to local governments in the forest preserve. The EPF received $130 million for RETT and $4 million from the E-Waste program. EPF funding in SFY 2009-10 was $212 million. This year EPF funding was reduced by$78 million.
There is no guarantee that the bill will pass the Legislature because of legislator and environmental opposition to the $78 million reduction of the Environmental Protection Fund.
The Assembly and the Senate is expected to vote on the bill tomorrow, May 28th.
Press Release – SENATOR SERRANO’S PUSH FOR PARKS FUNDING PAYS OFF
Senator José M. Serrano
(Albany, NY) – Senator Jose M. Serrano (D-Manhattan/Bronx), chair of Cultural Affairs, Tourism and Recreation Committee sponsored legislation (S7776-A) that passed unanimously today in the Senate, allowing State Parks and Historic Sites to open for the summer season.
“We have made our voices heard, and there is now a light at the end of the tunnel” said Senator Serrano, who has spent the last several months making the case in Albany for funding State Parks.
This legislation requires that State Parks and Historic Sites maintain the same hours of operation as they did last year and allows the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation to use funds already appropriated in the extender bills so that parks and historic sites are able to carry out preparations for the summer.
Senator George Maziarz (R-C, Newfane), co-sponsor of this bill said, “We need to implement a plan quickly so our closed state parks and historic sites can re-open and be enjoyed by the public as much as possible this summer season. Finding a way to keep these popular locations open in the face of our fiscal crisis has been of great importance to me, and this bill puts us on the right path.”
Serrano, who recently met with Governor Paterson to request that parks be included in future extender bills, and sent him a sign-on letter with broad bipartisan support to the same effect, said he applauded Paterson’s efforts to provide for funding to keep parks open but doesn’t agree it should come out of the Environmental Protection Fund.
“The EPF is vital to the long-term environmental health of the state by helping to sustain Zoos, Botanical Gardens, and Aquariums as well as municipal parks. Funding for Parks and the EPF must both be protected; otherwise New Yorkers will lose the quality recreational environment on which they have come to rely.”
The Senator took a proactive approach to keep state parks open and protect our historic treasures that affects million of New Yorkers.
“I am very pleased to pass legislation that we were able to give New Yorkers their parks back. With a 5 to 1 return on investment to the state, parks help generate $1.9 billion annually in economic activity and this bill ensures that we won’t miss the opportunity to bring in revenue this Memorial Day weekend.”
Assemblyman Steve Englebright is sponsoring this legislation in the Assembly where it will also be voted on later this week.
Friends of New York’s Environment Urge NY Legislators Not to Pick-Pocket Environmental Fund to Reopen Parks
by Environmental Advocates of New York
ALBANY, NY (05/25/2010)(readMedia)– More than 200 civic, conservation, community, environmental, public health, zoos, botanical gardens and other groups called on members of the New York State Assembly and Senate today to reject Governor David Paterson’s plan to reopen state parks by cutting the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF). The Governor’s proposal to divert dedicated EPF monies to reopen state parks and historic sites and prevent additional parks from closing is unacceptable and would simply add insult to injury.
The Executive budget proposal released earlier this year underfunded New York’s Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, as well as other environmental agencies, forcing some state parks to close. The Governor’s newest proposal again threatens the integrity of the EPF and puts critical programs that protect New York’s environment and public health at risk. It also completely ignores the priorities of the Legislature and solutions proposed in their budget resolutions.
“The Governor’s proposal is yet another attempt to balance the state budget on the back of New York’s environment,” said Marcia Bystryn, President of the New York League of Conservation Voters. “Offloading state agency staffing and operations into the EPF was never the Fund’s intended purpose, and could put the viability of this effective program at risk in the future. The EPF was not intended for, nor should it be used, to cool a political hot potato.”
The state has already swept $500 million from the Fund and that loan has not been repaid. Consequently, millions of dollars of critical projects across the state have not been funded and a long project backlog exists. Both the Assembly and Senate have passed budget resolutions that restored funding to keep parks open, made restorations to the Fund (which was slated for a disproportionately large cut), and rejected “offloading” state agency operations and other programs into the already strapped EPF.
“The Governor’s proposal tries to force the Assembly and Senate to either fund parks or fund other environmental programs, which is a false choice,” said Robert Moore, Executive Director, Environmental Advocates of New York. “It’s the Governor’s way of passing the buck on his earlier decision to close state parks.”
“It is outrageous of the Paterson Administration to be playing politics with New York’s Parks and Historic Sites right before the traditional start of summer – the Memorial Day weekend. Holding New Yorkers and their guests hostage, while trying to manipulate and pressure the Legislature to do something it knows is inappropriate, is a despicable abuse of the Office of Governor,” said Albert E. Caccese, Executive Director of Audubon New York.
Friends of New York’s Environment is a broad coalition of 200 plus environmental, health, agricultural, parks, recreational and urban stakeholder groups and coalitions who work together to advocate for real increases in the State’s Environmental Protection Fund, state environmental and parks staffing, and dedicated funding for environmental protection.
Save Riverbank 
NYSR – Parks, Rocks, Hard Places — and Hope!
May 25, 2010
Lewis Burgess
The bill was leaked by senior officials in the Paterson Administration and was presented as a “parks bill” on Sunday night to the Associated Press.
The media took the leak for granted and published the hope that parks could reopen if the Senate and Assembly approved Governor Paterson’s “parks bill.”
For a half day or so on May 24th, it appeared to the public and to some Legislators that Paterson was offering a way through the budget impasse blocking park reopenings. The Governor now appeared to say “Yes” to park openings versus saying “No” repeatedly since February 18th. Then it all fell apart when it was realized that this was not a “parks bill” but an appropriations bill that contained monies in great excess of the $6 million mentioned in the leak.
Governor Paterson has consistently maintained that he would take all of the parks and historic sites off the chopping block if Legislature came up with substitutive cuts and/or revenues. If not, they all would be closed. So far, the Legislature has not come up with a plan to fund the parks.
Governor Paterson ordered the parks closed and service reductions enforced.
This was done though the budget and its proposed cuts were not passed and while there is sufficient payroll money in the extender bills to keep many if not all parks open. Governor Paterson closed the parks not because there was not enough money available but for other reasons left unspoken.
The Governor closed the parks by not giving authorization to the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) to keep them open until the budget is passed. At Riverbank State Park, employees were transfered to other parks with full pay and none were laid off.
The closing of the parks and service reductions were seen as a punitive measure used to pressure the Legislature to accept the Executive Budget or to pass one. The closings and service reductions sparked fierce state-wide debate and opposition to Governor Paterson’s position.
To alleviate the constant to pressure to open the parks and to push through a similar EPF reduction plan found in the Executive Budget, the Governor resorted again to pitting citizens, groups and Legislators against one another. The first move like this was the furlough measure.
In the Executive Budget, Governor Paterson planned to increase park and administrative fees and take $5,000,000 from the EPF to keep 34 parks and historic sites and service reductions at 18 additional facilities off the chopping block. However, 55 parks and historic sites would still be closed along with service reductions in 23 additional parks and 1 historic site.
So using the EPF to pay for the parks and other things is not a new recommendation. It was made before in the 2010-2011 Executive Budget.
The recommendation to shift EPF funds to finance parks was rejected by both the Senate and Assembly in their March budget resolutions. Despite these resolutions, Governor proposed it again on May 24th and upped the EPF reduction for park expenses by $1,000,000 to $6,000,000.
By submitting this bill for an up or down vote, Governor Paterson scrambled the Legislature’s continuous effort to have him re-open the parks and to hold the parks harmless in the process of settling a budget with a $9.2 billion deficit.
But as anticipated, the appropriations bill, which pits environmentalists, park goers, and Legislators against one another has not been received well. Over 200 environmental, health, agricultural, parks, recreational and urban stakeholder groups and coalitions want to see the appropriations bill bite the dust and are pressuring the Legislature and Legislators to do so. Park goers strongly want the parks to be re-opened and are putting pressure on their legislators to do something about it.
Because of this tactic, the submission of the bill by Governor Paterson is being labeled as “playing political chicken,” “playing chicken,” “stealing from Peter to pay Paul, “holding parks hostage,” “a pathetic political ploy,” ” a dangerous shell game,” “the Governor’s three-card Monte.”
The members and leaders of the Senate and Assembly are conflicted and could not vote on the bill on Monday. They are between a rock and a hard place.
Governor Paterson says: “It will be a responsibility that they will have to bear, because we have accommodated their wishes.”
The Legislature is trying to ease its way out of the place that Governor Paterson has placed them. At the Leader’s meeting held this afternoon, everyone is playing nice in the sandbox and looking for money to keep the parks open. This appears to be a good sign but nothing has changed.
However, there may be a real chance that the Parks will reopen and service reductions removed until a budget is passed.
To counter the Governor’s executive authority over OPRHP, on May 7th, Senator Serrano and Assemblyman Steve Englebright have sponsored bills (S7776A , A11013A) that if approved will give authority to OPRHP to operate and maintain all parks as before.
The bills authorize and direct the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation “to operate and maintain all state park and state historic sites under the office’s jurisdiction pursuant to the same seasons of operation, and at least the same hours of operation, service levels, and public access to facilities as were implemented the beginning of the fiscal year that ended March 31, 2010.”
These bills will be voted on today (May 25th) and most likely will pass and will allow the parks to reopen until the budget is passed. Update: The bill passed in the Senate, on May 25, 2010 (59-0)
There is still time before Memorial Day to make things happen for the citizens of New York. Hopefully, the parks and Riverbank will receive a reprieve from closing and service reductions with the approval of the bills submitted by Senator Serrano and Assemblyman Steve Englebright.