COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — State officials are preparing to
invest $88.5 million to upgrade and modernize trails, campgrounds and
recreational facilities in Ohio’s state parks over the next two years.
The
outlay headed to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources through the
state capital budget is more than four times larger than average.
Details are to be announced at news conferences Wednesday in Grand Lake
St. Mary’s and Indian Lake.
Natural resources department director
James Zehringer told The Associated Press in an interview ahead of the
events that the money will be shared among Ohio’s 74 state parks. Ohio’s
is one of only seven park systems nationally that charges no entry
fees.
He’ll appear at Wednesday’s events with Senate President
Keith Faber, a Lima Republican he credited with helping secure the
funding along with GOP Gov. John Kasich.
Through a website to be
launched later Wednesday, parks visitors will help decide which camp
sites, cabins, lodges, restrooms, shower houses, trails, roads and
wastewater treatment facilities see improvements, said spokeswoman
Bethany McCorkle.
She said the money belongs to taxpayers and the
state wants to hear their ideas. Many changes may already be planned,
but there may be some officials haven’t heard of, she said.
Glen
Cobb, chief of Ohio State Parks, said many of Ohio’s state park
facilities were built in the 1960s and 1970s, and now are in need of
repair or upgrade. No new facilities are planned with the money.
"While
it was fine for that era, we certainly need to modernize," Cobb said.
New splash pads for sprinkler-hopping youngsters, expanded camper
parking and full-service hookups, and trail and bridge upgrades are all
part of the effort, he said.
Cobb said parks funding is typically
$15 million to $20 million every two years, recalling a previous high of
between $35 million and $40 million.
Zehringer said deteriorating
and antiquated facilities prompted U.S. Collegiate Rowing meets to
leave East Fork State Park in southwest Ohio’s Little Miami basin. He
said the event is now scheduled to return to the state in 2015 due to
the investments.
Online:
http://parks.ohiodnr.gov/improvements
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