State parks stay open but cuts bring changes

Some state parks in Sonoma County may stay closed midweek, bathrooms may stay locked in day-use areas or not be cleaned as often, and campers may have to walk farther to deposit their trash as the impact of budget cuts on state parks takes hold.

On Friday, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger relented to public outcry and announced that the state's parks would remain open. But the planned $14.2 million cut remains, forcing local officials to find ways to keep the gates open while cutting costs and services.

“No park will be closed under the definition of cutting back positions, but if we have to do a Monday or a Tuesday or a weekday closure, we will look at it,” said Dave Gould, district superintendent.

In Mendocino County, Van Damme and Hendy Woods campgrounds will be closed for the winter season, but there will be plenty of room for campers at MacKerricker State Park, said district superintendent Marilyn Murphy.

“We haven't decided yet, but probably Nov. 1 to March 25,” Murphy said of the closure dates. “The parks are very slow at that time and it costs lots of money to heat the bathrooms and the water.”

Under the cuts, equipment is not being replaced and maintenance is being cut back by 50 percent.

“Some vehicles may get parked and not repaired, but the bigger problem is on the maintenance budget,” Gould said. “We are working out the numbers.”

Gould said he is already talking to Sonoma County Parks and with the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District on any cooperative efforts they can undertake.

If there are seasonal closures, they would likely occur at Sugarloaf Ridge and Bothe-Napa Valley parks, Gould said.

If Jack London State Park could be closed for a day or two in the middle of the week, for example, there are clear cost savings that could occur, Gould said.

“Nothing is off the table,” Gould said.

There are bathrooms in day-use areas of the Sonoma County coast parks that could be closed to save pumping costs, such as Salt Point, Pomo Campground and Willow Creek, and a possible seasonal closure of Bullfrog Pond at Austin Creek, Linda Rath, superintendent of the Sonoma Coast park sector, said.

Rath said the Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods and the Fort Ross Interpretative Association, meanwhile, are undertaking fundraising efforts for such things as keeping the Jenner Visitors Center bathroom open.

Still, water and sewer systems are at the biggest risk for failure under the budget cuts.

“If we have a pump station fail and it costs $5,000 to replace that pump, that will close something,” Murphy said. “We keep our fingers crossed, we will keep bandaiding, we will keep things running within the budget we are allocated.”

Meanwhile, community groups are raising $24,000 to keep the Ford House Visitors Center and bathroom open in Mendocino, and Fort Bragg is providing portable toilets for Glass and Pudding Creek beaches, Murphy said.

“It's amazing, but parks are important to people, they are special places,” said Murphy, referring to how individuals and organizations have offered help.

The $14.2 million cut to the California parks budget doesn't include the loss of another $4 million that would have come from park use fees and state cigarette tax money, Gould said.

The threat of closures sparked an outpouring of concern and promises from parks supporters to help with fundraising and volunteer work to keep parks open.

Tuesday, parks Director Ruth Coleman told superintendents to expect their final budget figures within the next week or two, but they have already begun devising plans to survive.

“We will have to, parks are forever, we will do whatever we can to save the resources,” Rath said.

“It will be tough and if we can get through this year, the administration is committed to working with us for next year's budget.”

The present-year cuts come with the promise from Schwarzenegger, however, that in the 2010-2011 budget year the parks department will get its full funding, which is about $143 million from the state general fund.

Up to 100 parks had been targeted for closing under the budget cuts that Schwarzenegger had proposed, including Fort Ross, Annadel and Petaluma Adobe.