State Park Funding Faces Interim Study

Soon, state parks will begin closing many campsites and lodges for the winter, but there’s now fear some could be in danger of closing permanently.

The State Tourism and Recreation Department says it’s due to aging infrastructure.

An interim study will be conducted on Monday to examine the problem. The department hopes it leads to an increase in funding to fix it.

“If you look right here, I mean there’s a giant hole,” Executive Director Shelley Zumwalt said, pointing to the roof of the bare bone, “A” frame cabin.

The cabin is one of many at the group campsite in Roman Nose State Park - north of Watonga.   

“This is a complete gutting and rebuild from there,” Zumwalt said of the on-site bathroom.

Across the park, part of the old pool house is fenced off.

“You can see why we’re not letting people come in here,” Zumwalt said, pointing to the rotting wood structure.

Zumwalt said issues like these are spread across all 30 state parks.

“It's at all of the parks. There is some issue with degradation,” Zumwalt said. “We’re talking about major infrastructure. We’re talking about sewer lines, water lines, health and safety issues that are urgent and pressing now.”

It’s why she recently took a 2-week tour of the parks with lawmakers. She hopes to receive $350 million in deferred maintenance funding. The source, she said, would be the recently created state legacy fund.

“We’re talking about decades of disinvestment that we’re trying to catch up for,” Zumwalt said.

The push isn’t just for maintenance but improvements, which she hopes increase the return on investment.

She also hopes for legislation’s next session to remove a 2015 cap on sales tax funding for parks and tourism.

“I think it was an appropriate fiscal measure at the time, but now we do have a much better outlook as a state,” Zumwalt said. “It’s a time where we can really invest in the state and the properties that we think are important.”

 In addition to the interim study on October 23rd, another study will be conducted on November 1st.

That study will examine the funding for tourism promotion under the same sales tax cap.

Zumwalt hopes lifting the cap will allow Oklahoma to stay competitive with neighboring states.