+rhelt100 Posted July 10, 2007 Share Posted July 10, 2007 As of this morning, due to the failure to adopt a budget, all state parks in PA (with the exception of the few detailed below) are closed. From the DCNR website: 7/9/2007 7:41:00 AM State Parks Are Closed The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has not yet adopted a budget for the fiscal year and so state parks are closed until the budget is passed. Overnight facilities, boat launches, pavilions, picnic groves, swimming areas, trails, lakes, restrooms and other park facilities are closed. Reservations will be cancelled on a daily basis. Overnight guests will be required to leave the park. Park events and education programs are cancelled. Because these parks are maintained by non-state park staff, they are open: Archbald Pothole, Big Pocono, Denton Hill, Norristown Farm Park, Salt Springs, Susquehanna. Looks like lots of very nice caches are going to be out of commission until this gets sorted out. Let's hope it's soon! Quote Link to comment
+Renegade Knight Posted July 10, 2007 Share Posted July 10, 2007 All parks that don't require on site staff should be open. Hopefully they see it that way as well. Quote Link to comment
+rhelt100 Posted July 10, 2007 Author Share Posted July 10, 2007 All parks that don't require on site staff should be open. Hopefully they see it that way as well. I don't think they're seeing it that way though. This sentence is what gets me: "Overnight facilities, boat launches, pavilions, picnic groves, swimming areas, trails, lakes, restrooms and other park facilities are closed." Why the need to close trails unless you're trying to make a statement? I mean, let's face it, a trail isn't going to go into disarray in a few days, weeks, or even months.. Seems like they're trying to anger those of us who use the parks so that we'll start complaining to TPTB and get something done. Quote Link to comment
+Knight2000 Posted July 10, 2007 Share Posted July 10, 2007 I hate to see that happen. I do understand the closing of the trails though. Maybe now people will pay attention to the DNR needs. I wonder how long it will take to resolve it? Quote Link to comment
+Steel City Seekers Posted July 10, 2007 Share Posted July 10, 2007 Not long. Heard on the news this morning that the budget has passed. Sweatin' a bit, though, because we have reservations for one of the State campgrounds this weekend. Quote Link to comment
+Quoddy Posted July 10, 2007 Share Posted July 10, 2007 The brief impasses is OVER. Agreement was reached Monday evening. Quote Link to comment
+Renegade Knight Posted July 10, 2007 Share Posted July 10, 2007 (edited) All parks that don't require on site staff should be open. Hopefully they see it that way as well. I don't think they're seeing it that way though. This sentence is what gets me: "Overnight facilities, boat launches, pavilions, picnic groves, swimming areas, trails, lakes, restrooms and other park facilities are closed." Why the need to close trails unless you're trying to make a statement? I mean, let's face it, a trail isn't going to go into disarray in a few days, weeks, or even months.. Seems like they're trying to anger those of us who use the parks so that we'll start complaining to TPTB and get something done. It's either lazyness in that they don't want to take the time to figure out what would remain open and post that as well, or they are making a point like you note, or a little of both. Of course it's also possible that they figure that if nobody is there to say "closed" ...people will use it anyway and they dont' mind. Edited July 10, 2007 by Renegade Knight Quote Link to comment
+Woodlit Posted July 10, 2007 Share Posted July 10, 2007 I'm just glad the workers only lost one days pay. Something similar happened in NJ a year ago. I think the workers were out two weeks. My sister works for the state of NJ, and I remember hearing her complaining about that for a long time. Quote Link to comment
+edscott Posted July 10, 2007 Share Posted July 10, 2007 I hate to see that happen. I do understand the closing of the trails though. Maybe now people will pay attention to the DNR needs. I wonder how long it will take to resolve it? It has nothing to do with anyone's needs except the political hacks that caused it. To them parks and roads are "nonessential" and casinos, lotteries, and liquor stores are "essential" to the Commonwealth. The only service the furlough provided was a bit of blackmail to get a budget passed at the expense of the common state workers. Better believe the Legislators and Administrative goons have not lost a dime. Then there's the poor working guy that has worked a year for a lousy week of vacation and the state throws him out of his paid for campsite at Midnight Sunday. Really great folks we have in control of our state government. Quote Link to comment
+rhelt100 Posted July 11, 2007 Author Share Posted July 11, 2007 Part of the budget also includes making I-80 a toll road. This is going to devastate all of the little mom and pop shops at the exits all the way across the state once it goes in to effect. Three cheers for our fine state government! Quote Link to comment
+HaLiJuSaPa Posted July 12, 2007 Share Posted July 12, 2007 (edited) Surprisingly (given the distance from here, though a lot of folks (including myself) visit the state and its parks often so it's not TOO far away), this was actually somewhat newsworthy here in the NY area. It certainly wasn't the top story on the local news like I imagine it was in PA's markets, but it was mentioned pretty early and I heard it on the radio a couple of times as well. The thing that really struck me was that they said that campers at the state parks, etc. were forced to leave. A couple of weeks ago we were at Ricketts Glen State Park for the day which has a LOT of camping facilities and campers and I was kind of horrified imagining what it must be like for people camping there this week being told they have to pack up (and finding out a day later they can come back). I imagine campers from Pennsylvania were probably warned on the news a few days before and maybe "took their chances" but when we were there the parking lot had license plates as far away as Virginia and Massachusetts and I imagine they had no warning. What a waste! But with NJ doing something like this (last year I believe?) and this now I could see NY (who hasn't had an on-time budget in decades) doing this one of these years. Part of the budget also includes making I-80 a toll road. This is going to devastate all of the little mom and pop shops at the exits all the way across the state once it goes in to effect. Three cheers for our fine state government! I imagine it will cut some of the weekender/vacation traffic from NY and NJ as well (though I can see some of them deciding to now clog I-84 instead ). Edited July 12, 2007 by HaLiJuSaPa Quote Link to comment
+IV_Warrior Posted July 15, 2007 Share Posted July 15, 2007 To them parks and roads are "nonessential" and casinos, lotteries, and liquor stores are "essential" to the Commonwealth. I know it's a bit late, but for the record, the lottery and liquor stores remained open because they're self-supporting. They don't need money from the state budget, so not having a state budget didn't affect them. The casinos got lucky that a judge allowed them to remain open, even though the regulators who monitor them are paid from the state budget, and they should have been forced to close with the parks, etc. Quote Link to comment
+weathernowcast Posted July 16, 2007 Share Posted July 16, 2007 I'm just glad the workers only lost one days pay. Something similar happened in NJ a year ago. I think the workers were out two weeks. My sister works for the state of NJ, and I remember hearing her complaining about that for a long time. An when they returned to work they were paid for the time the were away. Quote Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.