Cherokeean Herald (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 157, No. 9, Ed. 1 Wednesday, April 19, 2006 Page: 3 of 16
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OPINION
LETTERS POLICY
All submissions must contain the writer's name, address
and zip, along with a daytime telephone number so we may
contact you with clarification or confirmation. We will not print
letters that contain incorrect information or allegations deemed
libelous, nor will be publish form letters or copies intended for
mass distribution to other publications. The shorter the letter,
the better its chances for publication; we reserve the right to
edit letters for space. Deadline is Friday at 3 p.m.
Send letters to: herald@mediactr.com, FAX to (903) 683-5104
or mail to P.O. Box 475, Rusk. Texas, 75785.
Cherokeean
HERALD
Wednesday, Api
EDITORIAL
Who says that state parks
need to make a profit?
Financial Snapshot of Texas State Parks
10 PROFIT-MAKING STATE PARKS
Terrie Gonzalez
/""Jhould state parks be in
^ the business of "turning
C a profit?"
The Republican-controlled
House of Representatives,
Texas Senate and top leader-
ship including Gov. Rick Perry,
Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst
and ,Spoil kor Tom Craddick
seem to think
the answer to
that question
is "yes."
An in-depth
study com-
missioned
by the Texas
Coalition for
Conservation
and conducted by Texas A&M
University, reviewed some 80
of the state's 120 parks. Only
10 of the 80 state parks made
a profit, and most of these are
located in close proximity to
major metropolitan areas.
When compared to all the
other states in the United
States, Texas ranks next to the
last — just ahead of Mississippi
— in expenditures for state
parks. And now the Texas Leg-
islature is doing nothing while
the parks atrophy andvaluable
employees are laid off.
Recent cuts to 50 state parks
are so draconian that they
threaten the viabihty of the
state parks system. At many
state parks, visitors aré being
placed on the honor system to
chop their entrance fees and
camping permits into an Iron
Ranger, a self-serve, self-pay
system.
Elected officials appear will-
ing to sacrifice the Texas State
Railroad and turn it into a
static exhibit on Jan. 1, 2007,
if a "partner" is not found for
privatization.
Cuts at other state parks are
also short-sighted:
• At Big Spring State park,
campsites with electricity are
closed until further notice.
• Caddoan Mounds State
Historic Site near Alto is only
open from Thursday through
Sunday.
• At Goliad State Park, the
Zaragosa House is only open
when volunteers can man it.
•Kickapoo Cavern near
Brackettville is only open
by appointment from Friday
through Monday
• At Lockhart State Park, the
swimming pool will be closedfor
the 2006 swimming season.
The complete hst of closures
is available on the department s
web site at www.tpwd.state.
tx.us under "hot topics."
The alarms were sounded
last November that state parks
were in trouble. Just a month
later in the days before Christ-
mas, pink shps were issued to
•39 state park employees, and
•34 unoccupied positions were
slashed from the budget.
State officials in Austin have
made so many flip-flops that
it sounds like the presidential
election of 2004*. First "they"
said that all train rides on the
Texas State Railroad would
originate from Rusk.
Then "they" said that the Leg-
islative Budget Board would
release $500,000 of emergency
funds to initiate rides from both
the Rusk and Palestine depots.
But after three weeks following
the big press conference by Sen.
Todd Staples and State Rep.
Byron Cook, the money never
was released. House Speaker
Craddick sent out a letter
saying that TPWD needed to
find the money within its own
budget.
So "they" went back to their
bean-counting room and trans-
ferred the money from a grants
program and robbed from the
2007 budget year.
And unless somebody pulls a
magic rabbit from the hat, the
Texas State Railroad's 2007
budget will be exhausted by
/
^ & P Contractors, I / c
Driveways, Parking Lots, Overlays, Limestone
Driveways, Base Repair & New Construction
Call for FREE Estimates.
X
\
Darren Vaught
903-683-9508 • 903-780-2771
You can correct tax mistakes
What happens if you omit taxable income or a tax deduction on your
tax return? Or you receive a corrected W-2 or 1099 after you've already
filed your return? Oversights and errors are not uncommon, so the IRS
provides a way for you to correct them. You can file an amended return
for up to three years after filing your original return. If you discover
income or deductions that you should have reported on a tax return
you've already filed, give us a call. We can help you.
Anita L. Woodlee
CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANT
524 N. Henderson • Rusk, TX. 75785
Phone: 903-683-1002
www.anitawoodleecpa.com
Visit our web site often for new tax tips
and financial calculators
Anita L. Woodlee, CPA
For Fast Friendly Service
ALTO BUTANE CO., INC.
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We Now Accept
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Steven Hoyt Lyons
Owner
Lisa Lyons
Office Manager
January 2007 and it will just
close.
Turning the Texas State Rail-
roadinto a staticexhibit should
not be an option. Neither
should privatizing the park.
This train is a vital part of our
Texas heritage, and it belongs
herejust as muchasBattleship
Texas and San Jacinto Monu-
ment belong near Houston.
If you're really mad, if you
really want to do something
about this,, then set aside a
couple of hours for a letter
writing campaign.
Draft a first class letter
stating why state parks are
important to all Texans, and
state that as a taxpayer, you
are not happy with the deci-
sions that are being made in
Austin. Send this letter to the
governor, heutenant governor,
speaker of the house and your
state senator and state repre-
sentative.
Squeaky wheels always get
grease, and we want to keep
all the wheels turning at the
Texas State Railroad.
park
operating
surplus
non-local
visitors' annual
jobs
revenue/income
budget
(loss)
visitors
expenditures
created
Davis Mountains
$297,454
$269,889
$27,565
82,733
$1,271,606
160.5
Dinosaur Valley
$468,674
$435,644
$33,030
136,386
$1,388,408
76.4
Enchanted Rock
$628,734
$347,860
$280,874
74,994
2,024,100
223.5
Galveston
$844,558
$775,539
$69,019
206,663
$3,786,061
109.3
Garner
$1,513,044
$800,600
$712,444
249,927
$2,239,346
108.2
Guadalupe River
$522,054
$518,503
$3,351
111,970
$1,226,076
69.6
Huntsville
$633,801
$628,288
$5,513
120,805
$724,828
65.1
Palo Duro Canyon
$736,540
$651,452
$85,088
237,704
$6,379,980
104.8
Balmorhea
$429,179
$394,145
$35,034
28,124
$244,517
15.2
Ray Roberts
$746,099
$629,060
$117,039
105,050
$1,840,481
74.4
TOP MONEY-LOSING STATE PARKS
Abilene State P.
$172,102
$420,022
($247,920)
20,833
$185,591
20.3
Bentsen-Rio Grande
$58,070
$455,091
($397,021)
18,214
$835,670
39.3
Caprock Canyons
$78,286
$389,012
($310,726)
107,988
$595,014
33.0
Fort Parker
$143,325
$362,535
($219,210)
73,532
$515,174
27.2
Goliad
$118,679
$547,451
($428,772)
47,166
$647,113
71.4
Lake Arrowhead
$72,638
$335,912
($263,274)
20,572
$219,844
16.8
Lake Brownwood
$416,623
$661,689
($245,066)
54,162
$517,788
36.9
Lake Colorado City
$104,674
$411,864
($307,191)
26,084
$101,448
15.7
Lake Corpus Christi
$342,175
$626,041
($283,866)
152,704
$3,931,555
190.6
Lake Texoma
$228,654
$480,261
($251,607)
23,542
$328,294
16.6
Lake Mineral Wells
$399,885
$658,455
($258,571)
85,942
$585,266
31.7
San Angelo
$111,629
$334,933
($223,304)
7,040
$152,547
16.6
Lyndon B. Johnson
$224,237
$686,660
($462,423)
251,754
$22,548,427
734.6
San Jacinto Battleship
$672,022
$1,045,936
($373,914)
133,722
$5,065,389
120.7
Sea Rim
$111,090
$414,038
($302,949)
37,522
$1,256,904
50.2
Texas State Railroad
$908,447
$2,321,248
($1,412,802)
37,213
$566,015
130.2
Varner-Hogg
$29,990
$340,613
($310,623)
45,926
$64,406
12.3
Washington on Brazos
$297,563
$731,746
($434,183)
91,502
$1,350,575
108.5
Wyler Aerial Tramway
$176,094
$437,875
($261,781)
2,542
$17,674
12.4
Fiscal year 2004 data: Texas Coalition for Conservation; graphic: Cherokeean Herald
Spring Values
Are Popping Up!
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Whitehead, Marie. Cherokeean Herald (Rusk, Tex.), Vol. 157, No. 9, Ed. 1 Wednesday, April 19, 2006, newspaper, April 19, 2006; Rusk, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth152727/m1/3/?q=cherokeean: accessed March 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Singletary Memorial Library.