NH Parks for Sale

[DBunker]

In case you have not heard about it yet, the NH Division of Parks and Recreation has proposed "Alternative Management Strategies" including the option to sell 27 state parks. Of the ones identified as under-performing were Jenness State Beach, Rye,; Kingston State Park, Kingston; North Hampton State Beach;White Island, Isles of Shoals, Rye

UnionLeader.com - New Hampshire news, business and sports - 27 NH parks could be up for grabs - Thursday, Jun. 18, 2009

Apparently, they held a public hearing on the proposal last night in Portsmouth. Did anyone know about this ahead of time?

Selling public assets to make up for budget shortfalls is criminal if spending cuts have not been fully made. Selling property to me seems like the absolute last resort. As horrible as it sounds, park employees should be layed off, parks restrooms closed, and trash not picked up, before you sell the park. Access to the NH coast is limited enough - we shouldn't lose more. I think the "sell" option should be removed from the plan.

There is a two week public hearing period about the plan that started yesterday I think. The next public hearing is in Peterborough.

BTW: It could be a political move by the Parks Department to get publicity to get general funds during the budget making process, but it is this kind of b*lls**t that may just lead to the loss of public access.