Budget woes force state parks to delay maintenance

[discocrisco01]

KAISER, Mo. (AP) — At state parks across the nation, this is the toll of the deepening budget crisis and years of financial neglect: crumbling roads, faltering roofs, deteriorating restrooms.

Electrical and sewer systems are beginning to give out, too, as are scores of park buildings, some of them built by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression. In a few places, aging bridges have been detoured and tunnels blocked off because of falling debris.

The tough economy has made money scarcer for administrators at some of the country's most treasured public spaces who have been forced to postpone maintenance and construction projects, creating a huge backlog of unfinished work that would cost billions of dollars to complete.

Park managers say they try to funnel money to the most urgent needs. Others have received help from private groups or volunteers to tackle work they cannot afford to finish on their own.

"We do what we can," said Denny Bopp, a supervisor for the Missouri district that includes the Lake of the Ozarks State Park, more than 150 miles southwest of St. Louis. The park's centerpiece is a huge man-made reservoir that attracted more than a million fishermen, campers, boaters and vacationers in 2010.

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[Hannah Bell]

1. i was just reading an article by someone who traveled around by train. made the same

point -- a lot of the infrastructure from the WW2 era or earlier.

The country's been living on the capital of WW2 without reinvesting.

[discocrisco01]

2. Agreed

The problem is that conservatives failed to understand that public investment in infrastructure is good for big business. However, structures do depreciate and therefore, will need to occasional massive overhauls. That requires capital investment and aka: higher taxes.