12 parks may close as state budget tightens

Chicot State Park is one of the state’s most lucrative and visited parks, and the facility will remain open for business even if the state parks’ budget is cut for next fiscal year.
Robert Barham, secretary of state parks, said, “We met with the state’s division of administration, and we were told to expect a possible 30 percent reduction in our budget.
“We don’t want to do this. We don’t want to close one park. We hope that they will stabilize the budget.”
The list of things to see and do in Louisiana may shrink this summer if the upcoming special legislative session can’t fix the $750 million deficit in the 2016-17 fiscal year budget.
On Monday afternoon, Barham presented the House Appropriations Subcommittee on General Government with a list parks, historic sites and museums that would have to be closed if the state park budget is cut.
Ten of the state’s 22 parks would stay open, and those parks are Chicot, Fontainebleau, Jimmie Davis, Sam Houston, Poverty Point Reservoir, Lake Fausse Pointe, Palmetto Island, South Toledo Bend, Bayou Segnette and Lake D’Arbonne.
State parks set for potential closure are: Bogue Chitto, Grand Isle, Fairview-Riverside, Tickfaw, Lake Claiborne, North Toledo Bend, Cypremort Point, Hodges Gardens, Lake Bistineau, St. Bernard, Chemin-A-Haut and Lake Bruin.
Historic sites that could close are Fort Pike, Fort St. Jean Baptiste, Fort Randolph, Longfellow-Evangeline, Rebel, Mansfield, Fort Jesup, Centenary, Marksville, Plaquemine and Winter Quarters. Those that would survive include: Rosedown Plantation, Audobon, Poverty Point World Heritage Site and Port Hudson.
Museums set for closure are: Madame John’s Legacy, 1850 House, Collections Facility, Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame, E.D. White House and Wendell Williams Museum.
“These parks are about places and people,” Barham said. “That’s what state parks are about.”
He added, “Parks are very important to people.”
Barham said the list of which parks would have to be closed came about by using a matrix that looked at each facility’s visitor numbers and return on investment. Those slated for closure would be maintained if closed, and Barham clarified what the closing of a park would mean.
“It’s more of a caretaker status than a closure,” he said. “The gates won’t be padlocked like we are never going back. They won’t be mothballed. Grass will be mowed, and air conditioning will stay on in the necessary buildings.”
The secretary said if the closures do happen, there may be other changes with each individual property, including those that have received federal funds. Those parks whose land was given to the state could also be returned to the previous owner, if they close.
The final decision on closing the parks will not occur until after the special session, and the process of closing the parks could begin in July. Barham said the civil service requires that workers at the facilities receive letters notifying them that they are in a slot that could be impacted by budget cuts. Those letters would likely go out in May.
“We don’t want this to happen,” Barham said. “I am confident the legislature will realize how important these parks are to the state.”
More that 700 people are employed by the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, and 326 of those are employed in the state park system.
Chicot State Park, north of Ville Platte, was added to the state park system in 1939. The park is 6,400 acres and also has a 2,000 acre lake for fishing. The park many amenities including RV camping, tent camping, rental cabins, pavilions, playgrounds, a splash pad and hiking trails. There are 22 people employed at the park.
During the 2014-2015 fiscal year, Chicot State Park reported revenue of $909, 741.62, the highest revenue of the 10 state parks that will remain open. The second-highest earning park was Fontainebleau State Park in Mandeville, and that park reported $784,315.
While Chicot had the highest revenue, Fontainebleau State Park had the most visitors that year with 207,053 people utilizing the facility. Chicot State Park was fourth in the list of most-visited with 121,359 guests.