5 Georgia State Parks partly closed after legislators slashed budgets

[RamblingRose]

...

State parks Director Becky Kelley announced Monday that Providence Canyon will not lock its gates two days a week as planned. But five other parks and historic sites around the state have already closed — for the first time in the 76-year history of the Georgia park system — up to four days a week.

Five years of budget cuts have finally caught up with Georgia's 48 parks and 15 historic sites. Legislators have slashed the parks' budget by 25 percent since 2002.

Georgia, like many states and the federal government that manages national parks, has resorted to patchwork fixes — leaving jobs vacant, delaying car and truck purchases, raising fees — instead of shuttering parks. No more.

Board members with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources will learn Tuesday of the closings from parks officials.Yet they'll also hear of plans to possibly reopen the parks fully this year if Gov. Sonny Perdue signs off on the department's small budget increase.

<snip>

Meanwhile, the parks get by on less and less money. In fiscal 2002, the state kicked in $23.6 million of the parks' $41.8 million budget. Parking, lodging and other fees, as well as some federal money, made up the difference. Four years later, the parks received $17.6 million from the Legislature. (Total budget: $39.1 million.)


http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/stories/2007/05/21/0522bizparks.html

[RubyDuby in GA]

1. but...but...but...we can spend 15 million dollars on a stinkin' ad campaign for fishing!

Sonny Bubba is a fucking moran and so is anyone else who voted for him. Just like his national counterparts, he can take a perfectly good state and run it into the ground.

When will people ever learn you can't trust a Republican with your money????

And his name is being bandied about for a VP slot on their upcoming ticket...
Please God Please...let him be on their ticket....:evilgrin:

[bunkerbuster1]

2. Screw Peachcare, screw parks

Fat Georgia fucks like Sonny Turd-eww need themselves a tax break!

[NightWatcher]

3. this sucks

I'd donate the paint if it'd be used on my local state park. I also hate how housing has crept up to the boundaries of the "natural" state park. The last time I took a "peaceful nature walk", I was pissed to hear the thumping of loud bass music from some preppie white kid's patio party that was less than 50 yards from the nature trail. The kids were talking on their back deck so loud that I could almost make out the exact words. It was all I could do to not go home and get my ghillie suit and take out their electrical box.