Private Contractors Will Kill, Not Save, State Parks

I've been enjoying Kentucky state parks for going on half a century now, and have always taken great pride that they are consistently the best in the nation.

One of the main reasons they are so wonderful - after the natural scenic attractions - is that they are government-run. Kentucky state employees operate Kentucky state parks, and they do a damn fine job. They know the parks are one of the biggest jewels in Kentucky's crown, they know that they are the reason why, and they take their job personally.

Now the Department of Parks has decided that a private contractor can do it better.

When Parks says "private contractor," you should think: "Contractor equals Blackwater (cold-blooded murder of peaceful citizens) equals KBR (negligent murder by electrocution of dozens of American soldiers) equals Halliburton (billions and billions of taxpayer dollars wasted.)

Oh, and also cut the pay of state parks employees by 6 percent - something no other merit employees in state government are being forced to accept.

In a state frequently un-distinguished by goat-fuckingly bad ideas, this is the worst.

The Kentucky Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet (TAH) today launched a plan designed to transform and modernize the Kentucky State Parks system and bring long-needed financial stability to the parks. The plan is based on a comprehensive study of the park system conducted by PROS Consulting.

“The Kentucky State Parks are among the state’s greatest assets – they are great tourism attractions and important economic catalysts for every region of the state,” said Gov. Steve Beshear. “It’s important that we protect and preserve these parks because they contribute greatly to adventure tourism and provide our citizens opportunities for healthy living.”

“This plan, based on the most comprehensive study ever conducted of the park system, not only is the first step toward getting the system’s financial house in order, but also provides a road map to bring our parks into the 21st Century,” Tourism, Arts and Heritage Secretary Marcheta Sparrow said.

Sparrow also noted that there are no plans to close Kentucky parks.

SNIP

The Kentucky State Parks system has 51 parks that include resorts, recreation parks and historic sites and is one of the leading park systems in the nation. Kentucky parks generated $53 million in revenues, the third highest amount among all state park systems behind California and New York in 2008-2009. That revenue was about 64 percent of the total operating expenses – the highest in the nation for state park systems similar to or larger in size to Kentucky, according to the National Association of State Park Directors. However, increased costs and competition have made it more challenging to continue operating the current system of parks, which celebrated its 85th anniversary in 2009. Some states are closing parks due to poor economic conditions.

Sparrow and van der Meer said parks employees have been invited to help provide input on some of the improvements. Several changes in food services and golf have already been made and are saving money. Van der Meer said some of the recommendations will require more study. The suggested changes being carried out include:

- Issuing requests for proposals to see if private companies are interested in operating the system’s golf courses and selected restaurants. For parks located in areas that allow alcohol sales, the requests will ask vendors to address the possibility of alcohol sales at those locations.

- Days of operation at resort parks will be reduced during winter months. The 17 resort parks will be open Wednesday through Sunday during the winter. Recreational and historic parks will also have reduced winter hours as they have in the past.

- The Department of Parks will begin using temp agencies for hiring part time seasonal employees.

- All department employees currently working 40 hours a week will begin working 37.5 hours per week by July 15, 2010, the same as central office staff and most state employees.

- Improvements in park programming that highlight the health benefits of outdoor recreation, adventure tourism and nature education.

These steps can lead to savings of an estimated $6 million a year, according to the report.

These steps can and will lead to Kentucky's unmatched State Parks turning into ugly KOA parking lots too expensive for state residents to enjoy.

There are some things that only government can do right, because those things are allergic to the profit motive: law enforcement, firefighting, highways, child protection, public health, the court system ... and protecting the public's natural resources for the use of the public.

Call or email Governor Steve Beshear and demand he stop this plan to destroy Kentucky's State Parks.