Thursday, November 21, 2024
Hawai'i Free Press

Current Articles | Archives

Friday, January 18, 2013
Public-Private Partnerships Could Keep State Park Gates Open
By NCPA @ 2:16 PM :: 7199 Views :: Environment, National News, Hawaii State Government

Public-Private Partnerships Could Keep State Park Gates Open

NCPA January 18, 2013

America's state parks are popular, receiving over 725 million visitors in 2010 alone; yet state governments are finding it increasingly difficult to keep the gates open.  As state budgets shrink, funding for state parks is now competing directly with other policy priorities like education, public health and safety. Across the country, parks have been closed and budgets have been drastically reduced as governors and legislatures grapple with solutions to maintain these American treasures, say Leonard Gilroy, Harris Kenny and Julian Morris of the Reason Foundation.

  • In a new study, Gilroy, Kenny and Morris describe a public-private partnership (PPP) model that would aid parks in becoming self-sufficient.
  • A PPP would transfer many, if not all, of the responsibility for park services to private concessionaires.
  • Thousands of developed U.S. Forest Service recreation areas have utilized this PPP model successfully for more than 25 years.

Private concessionaires benefit from reduced labor and management costs and are required to meet the quality and maintenance standards established by the government. Additionally, a concessionaire operating under a PPP would bear the responsibility for generating revenues, conducting routine maintenance, holding liability insurance, and delivering projects on-time and on-budget.  The state park will still maintain land ownership and oversee strategy, planning, park character and rulemaking.

A 2011 study by Recreation Resource Management showed that Arizona state park Red Rock, operated by a public agency, cost the state $234,000, while Crescent Moon, a U.S. Forest Service property operated through a PPP, generated $44,873 in profit. With the evidence and fiscal crises in mind, it is no surprise that in 2012 California became the first state to hand control of state parks over to private recreation management companies.

Source: Leonard Gilroy and Harris Kenny, "Parks 2.0: Operating State Parks through Public-Private Partnerships," Reason Foundation, January 9, 2013. Leonard Gilroy, Harris Kenny and Julian Morris, "Parks 2.0: Operating State Parks through Public-Private Partnerships," Conservation Leadership Council, January 2013.

Links

TEXT "follow HawaiiFreePress" to 40404

Register to Vote

2aHawaii

Aloha Pregnancy Care Center

AntiPlanner

Antonio Gramsci Reading List

A Place for Women in Waipio

Ballotpedia Hawaii

Broken Trust

Build More Hawaiian Homes Working Group

Christian Homeschoolers of Hawaii

Cliff Slater's Second Opinion

DVids Hawaii

FIRE

Fix Oahu!

Frontline: The Fixers

Genetic Literacy Project

Grassroot Institute

Habele.org

Hawaii Aquarium Fish Report

Hawaii Aviation Preservation Society

Hawaii Catholic TV

Hawaii Christian Coalition

Hawaii Cigar Association

Hawaii ConCon Info

Hawaii Debt Clock

Hawaii Defense Foundation

Hawaii Family Forum

Hawaii Farmers and Ranchers United

Hawaii Farmer's Daughter

Hawaii Federation of Republican Women

Hawaii History Blog

Hawaii Jihadi Trial

Hawaii Legal News

Hawaii Legal Short-Term Rental Alliance

Hawaii Matters

Hawaii Military History

Hawaii's Partnership for Appropriate & Compassionate Care

Hawaii Public Charter School Network

Hawaii Rifle Association

Hawaii Shippers Council

Hawaii Together

HiFiCo

Hiram Fong Papers

Homeschool Legal Defense Hawaii

Honolulu Navy League

Honolulu Traffic

House Minority Blog

Imua TMT

Inouye-Kwock, NYT 1992

Inside the Nature Conservancy

Inverse Condemnation

July 4 in Hawaii

Land and Power in Hawaii

Lessons in Firearm Education

Lingle Years

Managed Care Matters -- Hawaii

MentalIllnessPolicy.org

Missile Defense Advocacy

MIS Veterans Hawaii

NAMI Hawaii

Natatorium.org

National Parents Org Hawaii

NFIB Hawaii News

NRA-ILA Hawaii

Obookiah

OHA Lies

Opt Out Today

Patients Rights Council Hawaii

Practical Policy Institute of Hawaii

Pritchett Cartoons

Pro-GMO Hawaii

RailRipoff.com

Rental by Owner Awareness Assn

Research Institute for Hawaii USA

Rick Hamada Show

RJ Rummel

School Choice in Hawaii

SenatorFong.com

Talking Tax

Tax Foundation of Hawaii

The Real Hanabusa

Time Out Honolulu

Trustee Akina KWO Columns

Waagey.org

West Maui Taxpayers Association

What Natalie Thinks

Whole Life Hawaii