Hours and days cut even as folks stay close to home
Friday, April 10th 2009, 4:00 AM
Farriella for News 16-month-old Isabel Tolud of Jamacia, Queens plays in the sand with her father Rodney at Jones Beach State Park.
ALBANY - Despite more than $10 billion in increased spending, parks officials plan to close - or reduce hours - at state swimming pools and beaches.
As part of $5 million in cutbacks, state parks officials will not open the pool at Roberto Clemente State Park in the Bronx this summer and will greatly reduce the swimming options at Long Island's Jones Beach.
"The agency is dealing with the economic realities facing us," said Eileen Larrabee, a spokeswoman for the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.
Swimming hours at other pools and beaches in the area, including Robert Moses and Harriman State Parks, will also be reduced, Larrabee said.
The cutbacks, coming barely a week after lawmakers adopted a $131.8 billion budget that hiked overall spending by 9%, angered critics who said the state should have cut elsewhere.
"In an economy like this, people are staying closer to home and will probably use parks more than they have in the past, so it's a double whammy," said Dick Dadey, executive director of Citizens Union, a watchdog group.
"There will be greater demand and less services."
Gov. Paterson has repeatedly defended the budget and said the spending increase was largely due to an influx of federal stimulus money.
Larrabee said the agency will not increase the basic entry fees at its parks - they range from $6 to $8 - but charges for other activities, including golf and camping, will be increased.
"We realize that in the current economic climate, people are utilizing more stay-at-home recreational facilities," Larrabee said.
About half of the agency's $200 million budget comes from user fees. The pool closure at Roberto Clemente, while included in the agency's savings plan, was scheduled prior to the budget crisis, Larrabee said.
The pool, which is used by about 35,000 people a year, is to undergo major refurbishment this summer.
Roberto Clemente is one of only five state parks in the city and the only one that will experience cutbacks.
Of the state's 178 parks, 100 will have at least some service reductions. None will be closed.
At Jones Beach, which has 8 million visitors a year, the East Bathhouse pool and the West End swimming beach will not open this summer. The Field 1 ocean beach will be open for only three still-to-be determined weekends.
The Zach's Bay swimming area will open on Memorial Day weekend but then remain closed until June 27.
At Robert Moses State Park, the Field 2 beach will close for the season on Oct. 31, four weeks early.
"Obviously, all these are very difficult decisions," Larrabee said.
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