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| State Parks service cuts graze Coastside By Greg Thomas [ greg@hmbreview.com ] Published/Last Modified on Wednesday, October 28, 2009 11:57 AM PDT California State Parks announced Tuesday it finalized a plan to shore up a $14.2 million deficit for this year and will begin wading into a series of major service reductions on Nov. 1. The cuts spare most popular Coastside beaches, but parks goers can expect a dirtier experience at Año Nuevo State Park and Pigeon Point Lighthouse Station, as well as a shorter season at Butano and Big Basin Redwoods state parks. The announcement follows Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s promise in September to keep parks open with the least disruption to visitors by carrying out a one-time savings plan. State Park District superintendents tabulated the costs and benefits of service reductions in each park under their watch, and submitted proposals to the state department for implementation. While the plan avoids full closures at any state parks, many are slated for weekday closures and shorter seasons. A State Parks spreadsheet shows impacts to individual parks around the state. On the Coastside there will be less cleaning services at Pigeon Point Lighthouse Station and a reduced season at Butano State Park. Año Nuevo State Park and Big Basin Redwoods State Park will be open fewer days in a shorter season with less cleaning and trash services. Once in effect, the changes will remain through the end of the fiscal year, June 30, 2010. |