Lawmakers propose borrowing to fix state parks

Trenton - Three northern New Jersey lawmakers want voters to consider allowing the state to borrow $75 million to fix its financially neglected parks. Sens. Bernard Kenny, D-Hudson, and Robert Littell, R-Sussex, and Assemblyman Jack McKeon, D-Essex, are sponsoring measures that would put such a referendum before voters in November. But the latest effort to infuse state parks with money for long-needed repairs may fall victim to the state’s budget problems. A more than $4 billion gap is projected for the approximately $28 billion budget. Assembly Speaker Joseph Roberts has blocked consideration of any new spending bills until Gov. Jon S. Corzine proposes a new budget in March. Corzine has not endorsed or rejected the bond referendum. Former Gov. Richard J. Codey tried dedicating $75 million for park repairs and maintenance. But the allocation, which was tucked into a larger, stem-cell funding bill, was lost when the stem-cell measure failed to win approval before the last legislative session ended in January. All pending measures die when a session ends and must be reintroduced to be considered. Environmentalists, meanwhile, say the parks situation is becoming more dire with each passing year of inadequate funding. They estimate a $225 million backlog in repairs and want a stable funding source for future maintenance. The current state budget contains no allocation for park repairs and maintenance. Such funding has declined steadily in recent years, even while use of state parks has been rising.