Taking some pride in Rhode Island
Our readers have noticed the deplorable condition of bathrooms at state parks and beaches. Surely, fixing this problem should not be beyond the capacity of a government that has a $10-billion budget to work with.
Staff Writer Alex Kuffner took a look at the issue after a reader wrote in earlier this month (“What and Why R.I.: ‘Deplorable’ restrooms a blight on parks and beaches,” news, Sept. 21). He discovered that bathroom facilities were no longer open for inspection. The state, after cleaning and winterizing them, closes them on the evening of Labor Day, though many glorious beach days remain after that holiday.
But Janet Coit, the director of the Department of Environmental Management, which maintains the state beaches, admitted there is a problem.
“The [reader] is absolutely right,” she said. “These bathrooms are very old. They need refreshing.”
Certainly, the public is using them. The state park system draws more than 9 million visitors a year, up 37% since 2010. At the same time, the state has pared down on expensive full-time employees who maintain the system, from 123 workers to 42. Given that much of this work is seasonal, that may not be entirely unreasonable.
The poor maintenance of beaches was one of the reasons Gov. Gina Raimondo sought a steep increase in beach parking fees earlier this year. The General Assembly balked at that, arguing higher fees would deter residents from enjoying what is theirs.
Before proposing the hikes, the DEM commissioned a report on the state park system. In focus group sessions, “staff indicated that they are spending operational and maintenance time on facilities that passed their useful life and need to be replaced. Specifically, staff and visitors are most concerned with restrooms and bath houses.”
House Speaker Nicholas Mattiello, who spoke out against nickel-and-diming residents to expand government spending, favored making better maintenance part of the state budget.
As House spokesman Larry Berman noted Wednesday, the budget that began on July 1 accordingly included $500,000 for new positions within DEM to provide additional maintenance. In the same budget, $2.5 million was included from Rhode Island Capital Plan funds for recreation facilities overseen by DEM. Presumably, it will take some time for projects to go out to bid.
In addition, Ms. Coit said, the governor is looking into including a bond issue in her next budget proposal that would fund infrastructure projects needed in the park system.
Certainly, maintaining the state’s cherished portfolio of parks and beaches is an important responsibility of state government, even though politicians would rather grab headlines by touting shiny new programs.
As the DEM report noted, in 2016 alone, visits to the state’s parks, beaches, fishing holes and bike paths generated $38.8 million in tax revenue and about $312 million in consumer spending. They are essential to the high quality of life in Rhode Island. The state should show some pride in them.
When facilities are shabby and unpleasant, they send a message about Rhode Island — notably, that those who run the state do not have their act together or really care about serving the public.
This is not rocket science. A state as small as Rhode Island, with a big and beefy budget at its disposal, should be able to handle the basics.