State puzzles over how to handle closed sites

Harold Deatherage and his co-workers stay busy keeping an eye on the vast Hennepin Canal, which crosses several northern Illinois counties. They mow bike trails, tear down beaver dams and pull out the occasional discarded mattress or soda machine.

"We all do just a little bit of everything," Deatherage said.

Soon, they won't be around to help get the job done.

Deatherage is one of about 15 employees at the canal's state park in Sheffield who will be looking for other work this fall. Hennepin Canal is among two dozen state parks and historic sites that are being shut down, the victims of deep state budget cuts.

Historic sites are closing Oct. 1, and parks are locking up Nov. 1. That doesn't leave much time for officials to sort out who and what will be left behind and how the locations will be taken care of and protected.

Officials at the Department of Natural Resources and Illinois Historic Preservation Agency say the cuts are painful but forced by a state budget short on cash. DNR funding was cut by $14 million, while IHPA fell about $2.8 million short.

Parking it

On the park side, many details for the 11 parks shutting down are still being worked on, DNR spokesman Chris McCloud said.

All park entries will be gated or closed in other ways, and conservation police will patrol the areas as usual, McCloud said.

"We'll have some sort of warning or alerts that let people know it's closed," McCloud said.

The state does plan to leave one employee at each park and historic site for security and maintenance.

Deatherage and others predict harsh consequences from such small staffing.

"Working alone on many of these conditions would actually be a safety hazard for one man to be there by himself," said Deatherage, a union steward for American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31.

Tod Satterthwaite has operated Kickapoo Landing for the last seven years on the grounds at Kickapoo State Park in Oakwood, near Champaign. The landing offers canoe and kayak trips, a dockside café and live music.

He's worried that his investment will be wasted if the park doesn't reopen next spring, and he wonders if security and maintenance of the area can be kept up with only one person doing the work.

"We put in seven years of our lives," Satterthwaite said. "You don't want to see all that effort go down the drain."

Jonathan Goldman, executive director of the Illinois Environmental Council, says people could be arrested for trespassing if they unknowingly go onto closed park grounds. On the other hand, fewer staff members mean more opportunities for troublemakers to wreak havoc at the sites, he said.

"Use like that can really tear up a sensitive environmental land," Goldman said.

McCloud says other questions are still being discussed. Will hunting be allowed at the closed sites this fall as planned? Will the closings force DNR to pay back millions of dollars in federal grants for bike trails, boat docks and other resources at closing sites? Will closed parks with canals be in violation of state or federal requirements on upkeep?

Sites gone

A dozen historic sites will be fully closed and one shut down partially, although some will be open for special events on a limited basis.

IHPA spokesman Dave Blanchette said signs about the closings will be posted and access gates will be locked. IHPA will work to get out word of the closed sites through the media and state and local tourism offices.

A nonprofit group that promotes historic sites predicts several possible problems.

Jim Peters, president and CEO of Landmarks Illinois, says a major issue will be deferring maintenance at historic places that need care and attention. Closing the sites will postpone addressing issues, and that could create a lot of "big problems down the road," Peters said.

He's also concerned that tourists will quickly get used to not having the Dana-Thomas House in Springfield or the David Davis Mansion in Bloomington open for visits. Luring people back if the doors are reopened again could be difficult.

"Once you close these sites, you set up this kind of disappointment, this lack of predictability," Peters said. "That has much longer-term impacts."

The fallout could have been worse. The commission set up to oversee the 200th birthday celebration of Abraham Lincoln is redirecting money to ensure Lincoln sites in the Springfield area are open seven days a week next spring.

"That would have been a national embarrassment," Peters said about those sites being closed. "It blunts it a little bit, but this is 12 sites that are going to be impacted."

Lobbying effort

Both park and historic site advocates warn that shutting down the sites and parks will make it harder to reopen them later.

"It's always easiest to maintain the status quo," Goldman said. "Once they're closed, that becomes the status quo."

That's why they're putting pressure -- through public meetings, letters, petitions and other coordinated efforts -- on lawmakers to stop the closings before they happen.

Help could be coming soon. The Illinois House is returning for a two-day session this week and expects to consider whether to reverse some of the governor's budget cuts.

That's good news to Charlene Ruthe, city clerk and economic developer in Oregon, Ill. Two state parks in her northern Illinois town are set to close.

"I hope they will reverse this in a heartbeat," Ruthe said. "It will have a huge impact on our community. I just can't even imagine."

Ryan Keith can be reached at (217) 788-1518 or ryan.keith@sj-r.com.

Some lawmakers see politics in park closings

By Ryan Keith

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- The Blagojevich administration says it had no other choice but to shut down two dozen state parks and historic sites this fall, facing deep budget holes.

But some lawmakers see a political bent to the attractions picked for closure.

All of the closing historic sites and state parks are represented by either Republicans or downstate Democrats who have fought with Blagojevich or opposed his proposals on a variety of issues during his two terms in office.

The shuttered parks are all in northern and east-central Illinois. Historic sites scheduled to close are scattered more widely, but none are located in districts represented by Democrats who have been friendly to the governor's agenda.

The administration insists political payback played no factor in the shutdowns. Some lawmakers aren't buying that.

"Personally, it definitely smacks of a political football type of situation," said Rep. Jerry Mitchell, R-Sterling. "This guy has shown he can be very vindictive. The unfortunate part is he's sending (a message) the wrong way."

Department of Natural Resources spokesman Chris McCloud said the 11 parks closing Nov. 1 were selected after reviewing park sizes, their services and how close they are to other parks.

"We realize that closing any parks in any areas would be met with criticism," McCloud said. "We also realize that there is no way to avoid at least some impact to the immediate area where a facility will close."

The 13 historic sites closing fully or partially Oct. 1 were picked largely based on attendance, Illinois Historic Preservation Agency spokesman Dave Blanchette said. The decision was made by the agency, not the governor's office.

"We cut only what was necessary to meet that $2.8 million (budget hole) figure," Blanchette said.

Two sites in Chicago are staying open - one with fewer visitors than several closed sites and one open only by appointment. But Blanchette says they're not closing because each has only one employee working there.

Mitchell represents Oregon, which faces the closure of two state parks. He says he and other lawmakers have noticed a pattern to the closings, but don't understand why it was done this way.

"The frustrating part of it all is it just absolutely makes no sense," Mitchell said. "This is almost Gestapo-like tactics."

Sen. Mike Jacobs, D-East Moline, is seeing a museum close at the Black Hawk historical site in Rock Island, while the natural areas and lodge will remain open. He has sparred with the governor at times, emerging from one meeting with the governor last year saying they almost came to blows.

Jacobs said he would hate to think the closings were politically motivated, but added they will only hurt his area and the state.

"The governor doesn't know how to run the state," Jacobs said. "He's done this without any input."

Sen. Larry Bomke, R-Springfield, said he can see how the closings are seen as being political. Whether they are or not, Bomke said, they will cause more harm than good.

"The governor doesn't get it," Bomke said. "It will take us years to recover from this."

Doug Finke contributed to this report. <em>Ryan Keith can be reached at (217) 788-1518 or ryan.keith@sj-r.com. </em>

Two dozen state parks and historic sites are scheduled to close this fall, the victims of deep state budget cuts. The historic sites will close Oct. 1, and the state parks will close Nov. 1. Here is a look at the location of those sites and parks and the state legislators who represent those affected areas:

Historic Sites

Dana-Thomas House, Springfield: Represented by Sen. Larry Bomke, R-Springfield, and Rep. Raymond Poe, R-Springfield.

Black Hawk, Rock Island (museum closed, natural areas and lodge open): Sen. Mike Jacobs, D-East Moline, and Rep. Pat Verschoore, D-Milan.

Lincoln Log Cabin, Charleston: Sen. Dale Righter, R-Mattoon, and Rep. Chapin Rose, R-Mahomet.

Bryant Cottage, Bement: Righter and Rose.

David Davis Mansion, Bloomington: Sen. Bill Brady, R-Bloomington, and Rep. Dan Brady, R-Bloomington.

Fort de Chartres, Prairie du Rocher: Sen. Dave Luechtefeld, R-Okawville, and Rep. Dan Reitz, D-Steeleville.

Cahokia Courthouse, Cahokia: Luechtefeld and Reitz.

Fort Kaskaskia and Pierre Menard Home, Ellis Grove: Luechtefeld and Reitz.

Vandalia Statehouse, Vandalia: Sen. Frank Watson, R-Greenville, and Rep. Ron Stephens, R-Greenville.

Bishop Hill Museum, Colony Church and Bjorklund Hotel, Bishop Hill: Sen. Dale Risinger, R-Peoria, and Rep. Don Moffitt, R-Gilson.

Carl Sandburg, Galesburg: Risinger and Moffitt.

Jubilee College, Brimfield: Risinger and Rep. David Leitch, R-Peoria.

Apple River Fort, Elizabeth: Sen. Tim Bivins, R-Dixon, and Rep. Jim Sacia, R-Pecatonica.

State Parks

Castle Rock State Park, Oregon: Sen. Tim Bivins, R-Dixon, and Rep. Jerry Mitchell, R-Sterling.

Lowden State Park, Oregon: Bivins and Mitchell.

Hennepin Canal Parkway State Park, Sheffield: Sen. Dale Risinger, R-Peoria, and Rep. Don Moffitt, R-Gilson.

Illini State Park, Marseilles: Sen. Gary Dahl, R-Granville, and Rep. Frank Mautino, D-Spring Valley.

Channahon Parkway State Park, Channahon: Dahl and Rep. Careen Gordon, D-Morris.

Gebhard Woods State Park, Morris: Dahl and Gordon.

Hidden Springs State Forest, Strasburg: Sen. Dale Righter, R-Mattoon, and Rep. Roger Eddy, R-Hutsonville.

Kickapoo State Park, Oakwood: Sen. Mike Frerichs, D-Gifford, and Rep. Bill Black, R-Danville.

Moraine View State Park, Leroy: Sen. Dan Rutherford, R-Chenoa, and Rep. Keith Sommer, R-Morton.

Weldon Springs State Park, Clinton: Sen. Bill Brady, R-Bloomington, and Rep. Dan Brady, R-Bloomington.

Wolf Creek State Park, Windsor: Sen. Frank Watson, R-Greenville, and Rep. Bob Flider, D-Mt. Zion.