Thread: 15 State parks on closing list

State Parks will be sold?
Soemtimes I don't know where you guys come up with this shit. There are so many hurdles in place, state, federal and deed restrictions, etc., that it's not even worth any politician considering. Not that anyone, not a single politician, has even floated the idea. Same with the WMA land the state owns.
Lots more serious shit in the world to be worried about other than state parks being sold.

CarlF - You think that the State Parks will just stay closed and the State will just do nothing with them? Or do you think that the lapse in funding and the closure is somehow temporary? If it's temporary, where's the funding going to come from?

And how long did politicians float the idea of skimming funds from State Parks before announcing what they were doing? It just seems to me that backroom deals to divert/steal funds/property aren't typically announced to the general public.

OMG!
The pier closed!!
state parks will be SOLD!!!

That's carazy. Where did you hear this?


I read it on the internet, it MUST be true ;-)

My point is that it doesn't matter how corrupt politicians get or what their plans are, Alabama voters will not vote them out of office. So outdoorsmen/sportsmen may as well just accept the new paradigm, whatever that is, because legislators have carte blanche to continue to steal/divert funds and services from the people of Alabama. Legislators are sending a message that they don't value State Parks, by defunding them. This isn't happening just in Alabama. Of course one can only speculate what the end game is, since politicians are not going to disclose their intentions. I'm just skeptical that legislators have the people's interests at heart instead of an ideology that is austerity based. If this is all about austerity and State Parks are deemed unnecessary, then this is just a stage toward the eventual elimination of them.


Don't get me wrong - I think that it's a good thing that there are people who trust politicians, even in the light of the disclosure about their diverting funds from State Parks. It's an optimistic outlook that I wish I could share!

Originally Posted by eym_sirius

CarlF - You think that the State Parks will just stay closed and the State will just do nothing with them? Or do you think that the lapse in funding and the closure is somehow temporary? If it's temporary, where's the funding going to come from?

And how long did politicians float the idea of skimming funds from State Parks before announcing what they were doing? It just seems to me that backroom deals to divert/steal funds/property aren't typically announced to the general public.

No, not all will stayed closed, some of the parks are being turned over to local communities (Like to one in Florala). This is being discussed for some other parks already.
Other Parks may sit idle for now, to be re-opened if the budget mess ever resolves itself.
Or they might be converted to passive use tracts, made part of State Forests or maybe even added to the WMA system as a community hunting area, etc..
The State has numerous tracts of lands that are not part of parks or WMAs. They aren't being sold. Why the hell would we sell one of the parks???
Even if "they" (whomever "they" are) wanted to, the deed restrictions and reversion clauses would make it a nightmare. N

o matter what everyone believes, selling ADCNR owned lands is not as simple as a couple of politicians in some dark smokey room deciding to sell a park to their buddy and money changing hands.

The state has been skimming funds from Parks for years. Anyone who followed the budget hearings would have known, it was discussed, put in to bills and passed as laws and signed by the governor for years, every single year it was part of the public record.
No one "knew" about it because somehow the newspapers decided it wasn't newsworthy enough. N
o one in the public gave a shit until the legislature bled the Parks dry and closures started. N
o one gave a shit until they started talking about bleeding Fisheries and Wildlife too.
Then finally it became newsworthy.

Carl F - I think that the question should be asked in reverse: With State Parks that remained closed for years (this is years in the future, of course), why would politicians NOT sell off those lands to help pay the bills? If it's a slow, arduous process, then the time to get started on the process is -- now! I'm just trying to get a hold on the mindset behind what's going on and it looks like an "austerity" movement in the Alabama legislature. In a household, austerity would be cutting out all unnecessary items and paring down to a bare-bones budget. That's the choice instead of bringing in more money to have a better life. What austerity looks like in the public sector is shutting down what politicians deem non-essential facilities and services (like driver's license facilities and State Parks) and keeping them closed. The only way the State can avoid selling the properties (assuming that they are so inclined) is to transfer the properties to another State entity (as you said) or to invite corporate sponsorship (like the Progressive Insurance Gulf Shores Pier, or "PIGSP") But whatever the new paradigm is, the people will just have to accept it and incorporate it, because corruption has been going on for years (like you said) and nobody's taken any action (like adverse voting action) to stop it.

Because the land is relatively cheap to hold onto and can actually generate revenue through timber sales and hunting leases or still be held for its original public use (access) in one form or another.
And its a heck of lot harder to buy new land than to hold what you have.
Even in lean times, it doesn't make sense to sell capital holdings when those capital holding may generate revenue in the future or at least will be revenue neutral. Ask anyone who's family sold off large land holdings over the years and are now kicking themselves in the butt cause all they have left are the lots with their houses.

...meanwhile
Hearing set in federal lawsuit to block beach hotel - FOX10 News | WALA

The Gulf Restoration Network filed a lawsuit against the state and federal trustees who approved the project. The environmental group says a hotel isn't a correct use of funds meant to restore the coast after the largest oil spill in U.S. history.

The state plans to use $135 million in settlement funds to build a 350-room hotel and conference center at Gulf State Park.

Read more: Hearing set in federal lawsuit to block beach hotel - FOX10 News | WALA

I'm just a tourist that is lucky enough to make it down about 3 times a year but building a hotel with that money doesn't seem right. I'd like to see them fix the pier at Ft Morgan and the sea wall at Alabama Point. That may not be proper use of those funds either but at least it is resortation projects. I know the main draw to GS/OB is the beach but I would think people coming to fish the area has to be important on some level.

Fixing the pier at Fort Morgan is on "the list".
Just cant say when or with which pot of money.
But its on the radar.