Some Georgia state parks could face closure

State parks are important natural resources - not only preserving plant and wildlife habitats, but also generating dollars through tourism and recreation.

So the thought of several southwest Georgia state parks closing is distressing to many residents. A recent news article in a Georgia paper states southwest Georgia parks like George T. Bagby at Ft. Gaines, Providence Canyon at Lumpkin, Florence Marina at Omaha and Meadow Links golf course at Ft. Gaines could face closure.

But Annette Holland, site manager at George T. Bagby, said her park’s patrons have nothing to worry about.

“Bagby is not slated to be closed,” she said firmly Tuesday during a phone interview. “We are a revenue producer. Why would you close a park like this?”

George T. Bagby draws more than 1½ million visitors per year, said Holland. She says visits have dropped off during the previous year, but said the weak economy that’s affecting her park is affecting everything else in the country.

George T. Bagby features cabins, conference rooms, a swimming pool, tennis courts, picnic shelters, a marina and “all kinds of activities,” says Holland. These things make George T. Bagby and neighboring Meadow Links golf course tourist hotspots in the Chattahoochee area.

Joe Waters of Panama City, Fla. often comes to Meadow Links in Ft. Gaines to play golf and visit with friends from Florida and Atlanta. He says he and his golf buddies can each spend approximately $400-500 each time they come to Meadow Links.

“If they close this place, they’re going to lose a lot of revenue,” Waters said Wednesday at the Meadow Links course.

Kim Hatcher, public affairs coordinator for Georgia state parks says approximately 10 million people visited Georgia state parks last year. This tourism spawns valuable jobs in the Chattahoochee area.
But due to a “pretty severe budget shortfall,” Hatcher says, the State of Georgia requested the Department of Natural Resources recommend possible cuts. These cuts could put some state parks on the chopping block.

Up to 13 parks could face closure due to these tight financial times for the state of Georgia. But, says Hatcher, “We don’t know which.”

But she adds that the solution may not simply mean state parks closing their gates forever. Hatcher says privatization is also an option - outsourcing state parks to private companies, cities, counties or historical societies that could take over the maintenance of parks. She said Georgia Veterans State Park in Cordele, Ga. is a good example of privatizing a state park.

She also says that a park’s historical and environmental significance will also be considered when deciding which parks will close and which will remain open. The state will also consider if a state park “is the only recreational option in an area,” says Hatcher.

Hatcher adds that state parks are already cutting corners. Some, she says, have stopped printing maps and brochures. Others have closed extra bathrooms, while others have let maintenance projects go undone to save money.

Hatcher says many Georgia parks are already understaffed and “there would be possible layoffs,” she adds, if parks had to be closed.