Post by Logan on Jul 3, 2016 20:33:57 GMT -6
Cuts force pools at state parks, forests to close permanently
Swimming pools at Kanawha and Cabwaylingo state forests and Babcock and Twin Falls state parks, and the nine-hole golf course at Pipestem State Park, will be closed to help the state Division of Natural Resources address a projected budget shortfall of nearly $1 million during the coming fiscal year.
The $1 million reduction in operating funds is the result of cutbacks in the budget for the upcoming fiscal year, which starts Friday. That, combined with increases to Public Employees Insurance Agency contributions, the state’s Other Post Employment Benefits fund, and compliance with new federal overtime regulations, led to the closures, according to DNR officials.
Some management positions within the DNR will be consolidated and a number of seasonal maintenance jobs will be eliminated, according to Keith Burdette, secretary of the state Department of Commerce, which oversees the DNR and state parks system.
“The past several weeks have been extremely difficult for our department,” Burdette said. “Our current budget circumstances have forced us to re-examine operations at each of our agencies and make some very difficult decisions.”
- See more at: www.wvgazettemail.com/news-politics/20160627/cuts-force-pools-at-state-parks-forests-to-close-permanently
Swimming pools at Kanawha and Cabwaylingo state forests and Babcock and Twin Falls state parks, and the nine-hole golf course at Pipestem State Park, will be closed to help the state Division of Natural Resources address a projected budget shortfall of nearly $1 million during the coming fiscal year.
The $1 million reduction in operating funds is the result of cutbacks in the budget for the upcoming fiscal year, which starts Friday. That, combined with increases to Public Employees Insurance Agency contributions, the state’s Other Post Employment Benefits fund, and compliance with new federal overtime regulations, led to the closures, according to DNR officials.
Some management positions within the DNR will be consolidated and a number of seasonal maintenance jobs will be eliminated, according to Keith Burdette, secretary of the state Department of Commerce, which oversees the DNR and state parks system.
“The past several weeks have been extremely difficult for our department,” Burdette said. “Our current budget circumstances have forced us to re-examine operations at each of our agencies and make some very difficult decisions.”
- See more at: www.wvgazettemail.com/news-politics/20160627/cuts-force-pools-at-state-parks-forests-to-close-permanently