State Parks look “rough” but budget help may be on the way

PALO - Budget cuts in recent years left many of Iowa's state parks looking “shaggier” than usual.  But there's hope that a new state budget will fund a little more seasonal maintenance.

For instance, last year Pleasant Creek State Park near Palo had four seasonal workers who mowed grass and did routine maintenance work to keep the park in shape. This summer, there are only two workers. At Palisades-Kepler State Park near Mt. Vernon the maintenance situation is even more grim. Four seasonal workers in 2010 became just one person working two days a week mowing the grass and doing other chores this summer.

However, not all the tall grass visible around Pleasant Creek is due to fewer maintenance workers. There's a plan to convert some of the formerly-mown fields to prairie grass. But that's not true in other parts of the park. Crews set a priority of maintaining campgrounds, lodges and cabins first. Getting to picnic areas and the trails came as time permitted.

One camper, Travis Murray, said the deferred maintenance is really obvious this year.

“They have to go with what the priority is, but I say upkeep of the picnic areas should be a top priority as well,” Murray said.

Just four years ago, all Iowa state parks shared 300 seasonal workers to handle upkeep.  But because of budget cuts, that number in the summer of 2011 is down to 85.

But the Department of Natural Resources Parks chief, Kevin Szcodronski, sees a glimmer of hope. Szcodronski said the new state budget, now on the governor's desk, contains more money for the seasonal workers who cut the grass and do other chores. In fact, he believes he may be able to boost the number to about 175 next year. It's even possible those working now could get more hours to get the parks looking better before the Labor Day holiday.

Another camper at Pleasant Creek said that kind of news is coming none to soon based on what he's seeing at the parks this summer.

“The last few years, it's been pretty low maintenance.  It's kind of nice having a local place around here. But this year it was a big, big disappointment,” said Kevin Peak.

State parks officials say they are doing what they can with the budget resources they have. But the parks don't look as polished as they did a few years ago–and won't until there's more maintenance money in the budget. That's the main reason complaints about conditions at Iowa state parks have gone up this year.