State parks saved from closures but funding challenges remain

<p>California’s state parks were spared from closure Friday by Gov. Schwarzenegger, whose office said other ways to save money have been found.</p><p>“We have been working with parks on how to make those cuts, $14.2 million, and mitigate the impact,” said Aaron McLear, a spokesman in the governor’s office. “There were talks about closings, but no final list. Our focus was always about how to avoid doing it.”</p><p>The new plan, announced Friday afternoon, will include saving $12.1 million by reducing maintenance and the purchase of vehicles and equipment and another $2.1 million by cutting staff and reducing the days and hours of operations at most state parks.</p><p>“That is a good thing to keep all the parks open, that was the No. 1 goal,” said Dave Gould, district superintendent. “It sounds like there will be some reductions, it sounds like they will take some positions away, that will be a key, which positions will be eliminated.” </p><p>There remain questions about the impact on Sonoma County parks, where rumors had circulated that Annadel, Petaluma Adobe and Fort Ross were on the closure list.</p><p>It could still mean a loss of $1 million for parks within the Diablo Vista parks district, Gould said.</p><p>“It means less money for roads, putting roofs on buildings, fixing plumbing,” Gould said. “That is significant, but if we buy huge rolls of duct tape and baling wire, we may get through.”</p><p>The threat of closures had caused a groundswell of support from individuals and groups, which were vowing to try to keep all Sonoma County parks open.</p><p>Santa Rosa financier Henry Trione, who was instrumental in the founding of Annadel State Park in the 1960s, on Friday said he is still ready to both donate money and to lead fund-raising efforts to keep Annadel open full-time.</p><p>“We will wait and see if there are any restrictions and from there we will go accordingly,” Trione said. “The cost of running the park is between $250,000 and $300,000, we will ask what we need to raise.”</p><p>Ken Brown, mayor of Sonoma, which has four state parks, said there is a coalition of businesses, the visitors center and the chamber of commerce that is still poised to step in to fill any gaps.</p><p>“My reaction is joy,” Brown said. “My meter for the governor just went up a couple of notches ... we are not out of the woods yet, we will do whatever the governor needs us to do.”</p><p>The governor had proposed cutting $14.2 million out of the state parks budget, which parks administrators said would force the closure of about 100 of the state’s 279 state parks.</p><p>The list was supposed to have been released this past week, even as support was growing and a public hearing was held by San Rafael Democratic Assemblyman Jared Huffman, who chairs the Assembly’s Committee on Water, Parks and Wildlife.</p><p>In Sonoma County, parks are an integral part of the urban landscape and the arguments against closures included the difficulty of protecting public safety and the resources the parks hold.</p><p>Annadel, for instance, has 12 separate entrances and is heavily used by bikers, hikers, runners and equestrians.</p><p>“They can’t close it, there are too many access points,” said Nancy Kasovich of Santa Rosa, a member of a volunteer unit that patrols the park on horseback. “I have come across homeless encampments, I have come across a deceased man whose children were trying to revive him. There will still be people out here.”</p><p>Fort Ross has gates that could be locked, but it has the oldest remaining California wooden house and other historical resources.</p><p>“The problem with closing Fort Ross is not that it just denies the public access, it also has an important library and archive, a visitors center and museum that describes that period of history,” said John Middletown, the former head of the Fort Ross Interpretive Association.</p><p>The debate had even reached Russia, where the ambassador, educators and historians lobbied the governor to spare their former California settlement, Middleton said.</p><p>“This is good news and the people both in California and Russian will be pleased,” Middleton said.</p><p>Despite all the drama, Gould said that he was buoyed by the outpouring of support.</p><p>“That is the silver lining in this ominous black cloud hanging over our heads, people like parks and they are willing to step forward and help them continue,” Gould said. “They understand the value of parks and our culture. What we do does matter.”</p><p>You can reach Staff Writer Bob Norberg at 521-5206 or bob.norberg@pressdemocrat.com</p>