Albany stalls Paterson plan to reopen closed parks

With less than a week remaining before the unofficial opening of the summer park season, the State Senate Monday night killed one proposal to reopen financially troubled parks even as it declined to consider a competing idea by Gov. David A. Paterson.

Early Monday, Paterson announced that he wanted to reopen 41 state parks and 14 historic sites that were closed last week - including two on Long Island - by taking $6 million away from other environmental programs.

Monday night the majority Senate Democrats defeated an amendment offered by Republicans to reopen the parks with a different source of money - from the week-to-week bills that keep the state government running while a budget remains awaits approval. The Republican minority wanted to take the money from State Power Authority's budget in those emergency bills.

The Democrats said they will now push their alternative proposal to keep the parks open with money they say they have included elsewhere in the emergency spending bills.

In a day of fast-moving events, one theme seemed clear: Legislative leaders didn't like the governor's notion to take $6 million from the state Environmental Protection Fund, money set aside for open space acquisition, conservation and other environmental programs, and use it to pay for daily park operation.

State Senate Parks Committee chairman José Serrano (D-Bronx) said the Republican plan would have taken at least three days to approve so "it wouldn't save the parks in a timely manner" like the bill sponsored by him and Assemb. Steven Englebright (D-Setauket).

Senate Republican Leader Dean Skelos said, "Senate Democrats have talked about the need to reopen our parks, but every single one of them voted against this plan that would have ensured that New Yorkers have access to our parks as the holiday weekend approaches."

Paterson's plan angered legislators, environmentalists and park advocates. They said the Environmental Protection Fund has never been used before for daily park operations. They argued that parks should not be saved with money intended to pay for open space preservation, recycling and other environmental programs.

"I have heard from my colleagues in the legislature that funding state parks and historic sites is a top priority, but I have not heard any specific solutions as to how to pay for it," Paterson said.

Park advocates and some legislators said if the Serrano-Englebright bills don't pass quickly, Paterson's bill might become law. The reason: Lawmakers face pressure from the public to reopen the parks, which include Nissequogue River and Brookhaven on Long Island.

Al Caccese, executive director of Audubon New York and a former second-in-command at the parks department, said the Environmental Protection Fund was not designed to pay for parks. "It's supposed to go for zoos, botanical gardens, recycling and land acquisition that the state has already committed to buy," he said.

Bryan Erwin, chairman of the Long Island Park, Recreation and Historic Preservation Commission, a state-appointed advisory group, said he didn't endorse the governor's proposal or those advanced by legislators to keep open the parks, but "the fact that there is discussion is positive. Anything that moves the ball forward in a timely manner is good for the parks."

With James T. Madore

Taking money from here....

The Environmental Protection Fund: Created by the State Legislature in 1993, it is supposed to fund 30 different programs including open space acquisition, zoos, botanical gardens and recycling.

Periodically in the past, the state has taken money from the fund for other non-environmental purposes but never for park operations.

The governor sees park operations as similar to the other purposes of the fund.

... And putting it here

Parks around the state, including Long Island. If Paterson's legislation to tap $6 million from the Environmental Protection Fund for parks is approved, it would reopen 41 parks and 14 historic sites closed last week, including Nissequogue River and Brookhaven state parks.

It would also take off the hook various corporations and nonprofits that pledged $165,000 last week to keep open Caleb Smith, Orient Beach, Trail View and Cold Spring Harbor as well as Connetquot on weekdays.

The $6-million transfer would be in addition to a $5-million transfer from EPF the governor included in his proposed budget. The $5-million transfer, which the State Legislature has yet to approve, would keep an additional 34 sites open, including Brentwood, Heckscher, Hempstead Lake and Valley Stream. The governor has assumed that transfer would be approved so he has not moved to close those parks while budget deliberations continue.