The department submitted a plan for an emergency maintenance fund at the beginning of the past session, which was adapted into House Bill 3972. The bill includes an eight-year plan for the department listing all the maintenance and repairs needed in the state parks, going from greatest to least concern. "There are projects that if not fixed within the next 12 months, will likely lead to us having to shut down part of the park or the entire park because there would be a danger to our visitors or our staff," said Shelley Zumwalt, the executive director of the Oklahoma Department of Tourism and Wildlife.
The most desperately needed repairs are for potable water lines, sewer lines, natural gas lines and electrical upgrades along with remodeling or repairing over 26 different restroom locations across the state parks. Other concerns include an unrepaired cave-in at Alabaster Caverns and exterior repair of cabins at Lake Murray and Beavers Bend. Almost all of these concerns are listed under the priority category “Health and Safety.
” The estimated cost of all these urgently needed repairs is $75 million. The appropriation for the coming year, through the new Oklahoma Capital Assets Maintenance and Protection Fund, is $12.5 million.
This appropriation, along with the $9.5 million from sales and use taxes the department receives yearly, gives the department $22 million for deferred maintenance, only 30% of the funding needed to pay for the first year of repairs in the eight-year p.