Summer visitors will notice strapped parks’ maintenance cutbacks

Memorial Day weekend visitors to Iowa's state parks will likely find them looking a little unkempt, park officials say.

“They'll see taller grass in most picnic and day-use areas, as well as areas in need of cleaning,” said Parks Bureau Chief Kevin Szcodronski.

Campers who stick to the campgrounds, the parks' top maintenance priority, should experience the same tidy surroundings they have come to expect, he said.

The bureau's austere budget, a reflection of recession-caused cutbacks in all state agencies, has sharply reduced seasonal employees who do much of the mowing and other routine maintenance, Szcodronski said.

The popular Backbone State Park near Dundee has two seasonal workers, down from 12 as recently as 10 years ago, Ranger Dave Sunne said.

The bureau also has at least 12 full-time staff vacancies that won't be filled until state revenues improve, Szcodronski said.

The parks' cosmetic shortcomings will not, however, keep them from filling up on what promises to be a nearly ideal camping weekend.

Park visitation has increased nearly 4 percent, to record levels, as recession-affected Iowans seek inexpensive, stress-relieving recreation close to home, Szcodronski said.

“That's the irony - we have fewer workers when we're busier than we've ever been before,” said John Maehl, Northeast Iowa District parks supervisor.

Maehl's counterpart in southeast Iowa, Tom Basten, said his staff has been focusing on the parks' most heavily used areas.

“Our top priorities are clean, safe restrooms and neatly mowed campgrounds,” he said.

Taller grass in other park areas is of less concern.

“We have been trying to get away from overmowing anyway on areas not heavily used as a means to cut expenses and improve water quality and wildlife habitat,” Basten said.

Maehl and Basten said volunteers have been taking up some of the slack.

“We've always depended heavily on volunteers, but they've really stepped up to help with mowing, running weed-eaters and picking up litter,” Basten said.

Backbone's Sunne said park visitors are more conscious about picking up after themselves, and “people we don't even know are picking up litter when they go for a hike. That's a big help.”

Sunne said customer service has suffered because of the cutbacks. “A lot of the time, there is no park staff around to answer questions or help people with problems,” he said.

Szcodronski said he expects negative feedback about the reduced maintenance.

“We'd like to do better, too. That's our standard answer,” he said, “but we are funded primarily out of the state's shrinking general fund.”

A $15 million state parks budget two years ago will fall to $11 million in the upcoming fiscal year, he said.

“We're not closing parks or cordoning off areas as other states have done. We're keeping them open but in subpar condition,” Szcodronski said.

While park managers strive to keep maintenance cutbacks on a cosmetic level, Szcodronski said, “I think we've already reached the point where the reductions are causing real damage to the parks.”