Budget woes force state parks to delay maintenance

Associated Press

KAISER, Mo.

At state parks across the nation, this is the toll of the deepening budget crisis and years of financial neglect: crumbling roads, faltering roofs, deteriorating restrooms.

Electrical and sewer systems are beginning to give out, too, as are scores of park buildings, some of them built by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression. In a few places, aging bridges have been detoured and tunnels blocked off because of falling debris.

The tough economy has made money scarcer for administrators at some of the country’s most- atreasured public spaces who have been forced to postpone maintenance and construction projects, creating a huge backlog of unfinished work that would cost billions of dollars to complete.

Park managers say they try to funnel money to the most-urgent needs. Others have received help from private groups or volunteers to tackle work they cannot afford to finish on their own.

“We do what we can,” said Denny Bopp, a supervisor for the Missouri district that includes the Lake of the Ozarks State Park, more than 150 miles southwest of St. Louis.

Many states had backlogs long before the economy started to decline. But the lack of revenue has allowed more sites to decay, and no one can say how long the work will have to wait.

The Associated Press sought information from park administrators across the nation and consulted researchers and published reports. An AP analysis of the data showed that the backlog of projects has ballooned to more than $7 billion and continues to grow.