A number of Oklahoma state parks in our region could be facing closure because of the state’s budget woes of drastic funding cuts to the state Department of Tourism for the next fiscal year.
State parks throughout the area that may face closure include Talimena, Lake Eufaula and Wister Lake State Park in LeFlore County.Those parks are among a total of 18 facilities statewide that could be slated for shutdown including Cherokee Landing, Natural Falls, Great Salt Plains, Alabaster Caverns, Great Plains State Park at Tom Steed Reservoir, Red Rock Canyon State ParkMcGee Creek, Foss Lake, Osage Hills, Greenleaf, Lake Texoma, Grand Lake and Boiling Springs state parks and the Grand Cherokee Golf Course.
Dick Dutton, executive director for the Oklahoma Department of Tourism, said via telephone on Wednesday that the proposal to close such facilities will only be considered as a “last resort” based on how much funding is allocated to the agency by the Legislature for 2018.
Dutton said the Department of Tourism received a 14.5 percent cut in funding for 2017, which amounts to $2 million. The current proposal to consider facilities for possible closure was drawn up based on criteria such as visitor traffic and other factors, such as whether the park is on state-owned land or leased by the state.
“We don’t know what will be happening next year yet,” Dutton said. “And we’ll also need to calculate our severance costs for those employees who lose their jobs.”
Dutton said the difference between the department’s operating expenses and revenues will determine how much cutting will be required. The decision would also affect the department’s budget.
Dutton said any final decision regarding the closures of the parks and golf course would have to be approved by members of the Oklahoma Tourism Commission.
He said a similar situation occurred during a previous budget crisis seven or eight years ago when the department’s budget was cut by 25 percent and several state parks eliminated were taken over by local municipalities, Native American tribal governments or other entities. The same approach will also be considered to keep the parks open if the “last resort” situation emerges and the commission decides to close the facilities.