Press Release
February 07, 2012
Peter Brancato
Dan Keefe
518-486-1868
Testimony Before the Joint Fiscal Committees of the State Legislature
Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic PreservationCommissioner Rose Harvey
February 7, 2012
Senate Finance Chair DeFrancisco and Assembly Ways & Means Chair Farrell, thank you for the opportunity to be with you today to discuss Governor Cuomo's Executive Budget proposal for State Parks. Thank you also Senator Little and Assemblywoman Markey, Chairs of the Tourism & Parks Committees, as well as other members of the Senate and Assembly here today. I am Rose Harvey, Commissioner of the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. I am charged with overseeing one of our state's greatest treasures - the New York State park system. As New Yorkers we take great pride in the many iconic and historic locations that comprise our system of 178 parks and 35 historic sites.
When I was appointed to this position a year ago, Governor Cuomo impressed upon me the importance of keeping all the parks open and available in difficult economic times, particularly for those families who rely on our parks as the only affordable alternative for their vacations. I'm proud to say that we've done so this past year, and much more. In 2011, we welcomed over 57 million visitors. We hosted another successful Memorial Day Air Show at Jones Beach; reopened an improved and much-needed pool at Roberto Clemente in the Bronx; celebrated the millionth visitor to the new Walkway Over the Hudson in Poughkeepsie; extended swimming hours across the state during the July heat wave; and kept patrons and staff safe during Storms Irene and Lee, addressing storm damage and successfully reopening 100 parks in time for the Labor Day weekend.
Riverbank State Park, which Assemblyman Farrell knows well, offered 300 athletic and educational programs - including instructional classes, youth travel team programs, summer camps, and senior benefits and college fairs - serving thousands of children, teenagers, adults and seniors during 2011. And the beautiful Green Lakes State Park campground, near Senator DeFrancisco's home in Syracuse, attracted tourists from 60 New York counties, 42 other states and six Canadian provinces. These are just a few examples of how our parks and historic sites support the state's well being and prosperity.
The 2012-13 Executive Budget provides us with the tools to serve our citizens in two important ways. First, the budget provides a historic infusion of new capital dollars to address a backlog of capital rehabilitation and improvement projects. Second, the Executive Budget maintains level funding for park operations so that we may again keep all of our parks and historic sites open and avoid cuts to the recreational and educational services we provide to park visitors.
To create jobs and make critical investments in state infrastructure and facilities, the Governor announced creation of the New York Works Fund to support improvements to roads and bridges, municipal water systems, state parks and historic sites, and dams and flood control projects. We are thrilled that the Executive Budget proposes $89 million in new money from this fund to revitalize state parks and historic sites. These dollars will leverage or will help finish another $53 million of capital improvements, meaning the total value of projects constructed will exceed $142 million. This funding will be directed to projects that address significant health and safety concerns, such as outdated water supply systems and antiquated electrical systems, and to capital initiatives, like improvements to our deteriorating infrastructure - visitor centers, recreational facilities, cabins, campgrounds, swimming pools, roads and bridges, that will enhance the visitor's experience.
This investment, which will leverage other public and private dollars, will create thousands of jobs and create the largest capital infusion in the state park system in history.
These shovel-ready projects, which commence in the next 18 months, will have an immediate impact on local economies. Small- and medium-sized construction and engineering firms across the state will be well-positioned to bid for these contracts. This initiative will make a huge difference in the quality of our visitors' experiences, create much-needed private-sector jobs, and strengthen the vitality of communities and the tourism industry across our state - making a tangible contribution to New York State's economic recovery and quality of life. With the Legislature's support for the Executive Budget, we will be well on our way to creating a 21st Century, green and sustainable park system.
Turning to agency operations, the Executive Budget proposes to keep spending essentially flat and does not include any fee increases for state parks or historic sites in 2012. OPRHP will continue to identify operating efficiencies and strategies to allow us to better deliver our mission. During the past season, we have been relentless in implementing new efficiency measures, including satellite park management; more partnerships with local governments, concessionaires and user groups; "controlled nature;" roving park maintenance crews, energy efficient equipment upgrades; and automation. We will continue to aggressively pursue strategies to streamline operations that will translate into improved services for our park visitors.
The Executive Budget also proposes level funding for the $134 million Environmental Protection Fund, which honors the Governor's commitment to fully fund the EPF. OPRHP administers funding from four EPF categories - State Lands Stewardship and Open Space Land Purchases, which are both shared between OPRHP and the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC); The Local Parks and Historic Preservation Grant Program; and the ZBGA Program. Funding amounts are all unchanged from the current fiscal year. The Local Parks and Historic Preservation Grants were included in the Governor's Regional Economic Development Councils' Consolidated Funding Application (CFA), which was created to give organizations streamlined access to economic development funding from nine state agencies and 29 existing programs. The CFA has proven successful in advancing the Governor's effort to redesign the way state government works in order to drive economic growth and create jobs, and we look forward to working to make the program even more successful this year.
Thank you again for your commitment to our magnificent state park system. As always, I am truly appreciative for the tremendous support that members of the Legislature have provided to Parks, and I welcome any questions.