Too many under-utilized recreational facilities in need of upgrades and not enough money.
Faced with that quandary, the Bradford and Marienville district rangers have proposed decommissioning a dozen recreational facilities on the Allegheny National Forest over the next few years.
The list of facilities slated for possible decommissioning by the U.S. Forest Service ranges from camping areas to boat launches.
Decommissioning of the facilities would trim Forest Service operating, maintenance and deferred maintenance costs by an estimated $3.4 million.
"With limited finances for operations and maintenance and deferred maintenance for existing facilities, priorities have to be clearly identified and difficult choices have to be made," Bradford District Ranger Anthony Scardina said.
Scardina said one of his goals is to reduce the number of sites on the Bradford District which offer similar services and are in close proximity.
Scardina said he also focused on reducing operations and maintenance costs, retaining as many facilities as possible around the Allegheny Reservoir, reducing sites with "severely low" occupancy rates and reducing the number of water and wastewater facilities to a level they can be properly operated and maintained by current Forest Service staff.
"Difficult choices had to be made on how and where to reduce and eliminate services or facilities to ensure that our financial checkbook for recreational facilities is balanced," said Scardina. "These choices will cause internal and external conflicts, but it is my job as a leader and manager to make choices that are in the best interest of the federal government and the American taxpayer."
Scardina said, "I would rather move in this direction, than continue to stretch our resources thin to the point where we have poorly maintained facilities, an inability to properly manage our water and wastewater systems, and a lack of updated services at our sites."
Among the recommendations the district ranger made regarding the Bradford District are:
Buckaloons Recreation Area: Change to a concession operation.
Dewdrop Recreation Area: Partially decommission. All buildings and recreation features would be removed because of their poor condition and the expense of replacing them and low occupancy levels. Roads, wastewater structures and utility lines would remain and an attempt would be made by the Forest Service to partner with counties, concessionaires or private business to reconstruct and reopen the site.
Kiasutha Recreation Area: Close the site pending completion of site improvements and until the Forest Service no longer maintains and operates water and sewage systems. Look for partners and private business to redesign, construct and operate the site in the future.
Kinzua Beach: Partially decommission. Remove wastewater system and consider connecting to the Wolf Run Marina system; remove shower rooms and concession stand. Fully reinvigorate into a new facility within five years with partners and private businesses.
Kinzua Point Information Center: Partially decommission, keeping the facility open on a part-time basis with volunteers and seeking partners and private businesses interested in remodeling the site within five years.
Roper Hollow boat launch: Decommission. The rationale is that a similar and better facility is available at Webbs Ferry.
Sugar Bay dispersed camping area: Decommission. The rationale is that a similar, better and more utilized facility is available at Willow Bay.
Tracy Ridge Recreation Area: Decommission. Scardina said there are similar, better and more utilized campsites at Willow Bay.
Marienville District Ranger Robert Fallon made many of the same points as Scardina in outlining the rationale for his recommendations.
"This is not meant to be a bureaucratic plea for more public dollars," said Fallon. "The recreation budget for the ANF has been relatively stable for the past ten years. Overall, though, we have less now than we did then. Costs have increased and the buying power of that budget has been reduced appreciably."
Fallon said that occupancy data demonstrates "the public is simply not using ANF facilities as much as they have in the past, and certainly not as much as they could."
The Marienville District Ranger's recommendations include:
Beaver Meadows Campground: Close and decommission. Recycle toilet buildings and gravel to other recreation areas in the Marienville District.
Buzzard Swamp trailhead: Reduce parking area by 61 spaces because the parking area is much larger than necessary.
Loleta Campground and Recreation Area: Decommission drinking water and waste water systems. Use has diminished in recent years, said Fallon, possibly due to day use fees.
Tionesta Reservoir boat access campground: Transfer to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers or decommission.
Twin Lakes campground: Decommission water and waste water systems. The cost of maintaining the current level of services cannot be sustained with the current occupancy and the deferred maintenance costs related to the drinking water and waste water systems.
If all the recommendations on both the Bradford and Marienville districts are implemented, the rangers estimate a savings of $2.55 million for deferred maintenance and annual savings of $109,309 in operating costs, $325,887 in maintenance costs and $436,453 in parking area management.
The rangers did make some recommendations for upgrading of facilities, including replacement or repair of water systems at Jakes Rocks Overlook, increasing capacity at the Willow Creek all-terrain vehicle trailhead, adding two designated boat launch areas at Irwin Run canoe launch on the Clarion River and the addition of vault toilets at Marienville ATV Trail trailheads.
The Forest Service said in a summary of the recreational facilities plan, "How closely the forest adheres to the plan will depend upon available funding and resources, as well as the public's interest, and in many cases, involvement and partnership to enhance our recreation program."
