Lawmakers eye $8M bond for parks, historic sites

AUGUSTA – Maine’s state parks and historic sites need more than $30 million in repairs, and legislators Thursday considered whether to ask voters for an $8 million bond to start funding the most crucial capital improvements that slim state budgets won’t bear.

The Department of Conservation produced the estimate of its “critical needs,” but has not advocated for the bond, which was excluded from Gov. John Baldacci’s bond proposal.

Chronic budget shortages have meant that projects like improving septic systems and replacing roofs were delayed, often for years, said Cathy Johnson, of the Natural Resources Council of Maine.

Ed Youngblood, a former state senator from Brewer, also spoke for the bond Thursday, comparing it to a homeowner taking out a mortgage to repair his roof.

“There are some things that … you cannot afford not to do,” said Youngblood, who is a member of Friends of Fort Knox.

“When our historic sites are gone, no money in the world will ever replace not doing that maintenance,” he said.

Dennis Fitzgibbons, speaking for Alpha One, a group that advocates on behalf of people with disabilities, explained the bond’s potential to improve compliance with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act through the parks bond.

As Maine’s population ages, accessibility to parks and historic sites will become increasingly important, he said.

And the economic value of the state’s park properties can only increase if facilities are improved, Youngblood said.

Lacking state support, the parks bond will face stiff competition from other bond requests to create new conservation and economic development programs, however.

Sen. Carol Weston, R-Montville, who sponsored the bill, urged her fellow legislators to consider the daily needs of existing parks before giving the state new responsibilities.

“Our first responsibility is to care for the gems that we have,” she said.