Prettying up state parks

PALO - Chest high grass in picnic areas, overgrown trails and some unopened facilities.

That's what greeted state park visitors in 2011 after budget cuts eliminated some seasonal maintenance workers. Park managers said they heard a lot of complaints about weeds as tall as picnic tables and the generally “scruffy” appearance of many state recreational areas.

But visitors this Memorial Day weekend should see, as one park worker described it, a “night and day” difference.

Kevin Szcodronsky, Chief of State Parks for the Department of Natural Resources, said four years ago, the state had about 325 seasonal maintenance workers. Last year, amid budget cuts, that dropped to just 85 people for all of the parks in Iowa.

Al Trumbauer, a campground host at Pleasant Creek State Park near Palo, said last year he got an earful of complaints.

“We had 100 complaints, all the time, I told people I don't do nothing - I'm just a camp host,” Trumbauer said.

But complaints did prompt changes. Szcodronsky said the state restored some funding and the seasonal maintenance numbers increased to about 175 by fall. The new state budget that takes effect July 1 adds another half million dollars to the maintenance category.

Szcodronsky said unfortunately, about two-thirds of that amount will go to cover pay raises given to all park workers. But park rangers have more workers than they did when the park season opened in 2011.

At Pleasant Creek, the number of seasonal employees doubled from two to four. Rangers at Lake Macbride State Park near Solon and Palisades-Kepler state Park near Mount Vernon gave similar figures.

Pleasant Creek Park Manager Joan Flecksing said workers have spent a lot of time getting things in the park back to the way they were before last year. And she said she hopes people notice.

“I think the biggest difference is all the lawns will be mowed for use - all the picnic areas. Last year that was something we were just not able to do. We didn't have the people to run the lawn mowers,” Flecksing said.

Larry Daves, who was fishing at Pleasant Creek on Tuesday, said he agreed that things do look better compared to last year.

“They're working hard at it, I think they are,” Daves said adding “but we need the fish to bite here, too.”