Published: May 21, 2007 07:55 pm         

STATE PARKS: Keeping parking revenues in Niagara

Bill from Maziarz would create dedicated fund for parks capital improvements

State Sen. George Maziarz will introduce a bill this week that would keep half the parking revenue generated at state parks in Niagara County from heading directly to Albany.

Dubbed the “Niagara Parks Reinvestment Act,” the proposed legislation would split with the state the cash collected from parking fees. The local share of the funds would be placed in a dedicated fund for capital improvements.

All of the parking revenue is now sent into the state’s general fund, said Maziarz, R-Newfane.

“I’m willing to split it down the middle,” he said.

Maziarz said he crafted the bill after looking at the parks operated by the Niagara Parks Commission on the Canadian side of the border. The Canadian government reinvests parking revenue at a tremendously different rate than in New York, he said.

It will take a “giant leap” for the state government to accept a change like this, he added.

Maziarz said he did not have specific figures for parking revenues, but said he will have them when he holds a press conference here next week.

He also said he brought the issue to Carol Ash, the recently appointed state commissioner of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, during her confirmation hearing. Maziarz said Ash was very receptive to his concerns.

According to figures provided by state parks officials at the end of March, the total revenue — including parking — generated at Niagara Reservation State Park alone in 2006 topped $8.5 million.

Some of the money is needed to make most bathrooms in state parks compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, according to Maziarz, who called the condition of Joseph Davis State Park in Lewiston “an embarrassment to the system.”

Addressing possible concerns about whether other communities, including downstate, will make a play to keep parking revenue from state parks in their areas, Maziarz pointed to the difference in economic conditions.

“Their economy is doing great down there,” he said. “It’s a lot different in upstate New York.”

William Geiben, a village of Lewiston trustee, has been vocal with his concerns about how Joseph Davis park is utilized. He welcomed the bill, saying he hopes parking revenue can help sustain the quality of area parks as attractions for residents and visitors.