Plan To Eliminate
Some State Parks Has Been Scrapped
By PAULA TRACY
New Hampshire Union Leader Staff
July 2, 2009
Concord – A draft strategic plan for state parks was yanked off the table by Commissioner of Resources and Economic Development George Bald today after "substantial public feedback."
The plan, which looked at 27 properties which did not meet the core mission of the department and could be considered for transfer, received overwhelmingly negative feedback after a story on the project ran on UnionLeader.com in June.
Earlier this week, the department agreed to extend the comment period on the draft until July 27. Today, Bald decided to pull the plan and work on a revised draft for public comment in August.
He said people could still comment on the plan available at www.nhstateparks.org.
In a statement, Bald said: “Based on substantial public feedback, I have decided to withdraw the first draft of the Division of Parks and Recreation’s Ten-Year Strategic Plan. There was an impression in this draft plan that a potential strategy would be to divest ourselves of properties. This was never the intent of this methodology. The Division, in cooperation with the State Park Systems Advisory Council, will present a more comprehensive draft plan that makes that clear."
"The state park system is an integral component of what makes New Hampshire special for its residents and visitors. It is critical that we take the time now to be strategic in our thinking to ensure that these wonderful assets are available for our children and grandchildren to enjoy well into the future.”
Among the 27 state park properties on a list which did not meet the core mission of the department and might be considered for transfer were Jenness Beach in Rye, North Hampton State Park; the 13,300-acre Pisgah State Park in Winchester, Silver Lake State Park in Hollis; Ahern State Park in Laconia, Cardigan Mountain in Orange and Clough State Park in Weare.