Visitors To State Parks See Effects Of State Budget Cuts

GROTON –– The state’s budget problems may force visitors to state parks this spring and summer to rough it when they need to use the bathroom.

Public toilets in some of the state parks have been shut down because of a lack of money to keep them clean and working.

The state Department of Environmental Protection, charged with overseeing maintenance of the state parks, is one of many state agencies dealing with cuts in funding because of the Connecticut’s budget crisis.

Now, an eight-person park maintenance crew has been reduced to three people, said Pamela Adams, the DEP’s director of state parks.

For Southeastern Connecticut, those cuts mean there is only one person to maintain the areas’ recreational facilities.

Not all parks will lose their public facilities. The major ones –– Fort Griswold in Groton, Fort Trumbull in New London, Rocky Neck in East Lyme, and Hammonasset in Madison –– will remain fully functional with bathrooms and picnic tables.

But at smaller ones, such as Bluff Point State Park and Haley Farm State Park, entrance signs have been boarded up or removed, public toilets have been locked, and wooden tables are gone.

“What about the parents with kids? What are they supposed to do?’’ asked Steve Girgras, a Brooklyn resident visiting Bluff Point with his family Sunday.

Catherine Chase and her family drove an hour from their Putnam home Sunday to visit Bluff Point, where they ride their mountain bikes on trails.

“We love it here,’’ she said. “People are considerate of each other here. The biggest thing about being outdoors is having a nice park to go to.’’

Ms Adams, the park director, hopes all visitors will be considerate of the parks and the state’s situation.

“Some outlying areas will not look like they used to,’’ she said. “The grass will be a little taller, the trash pickup won’t be as often. So we’re counting on the public to treat the environment gently, carry out what they carry in ... and be responsible for the environment and the recreation area that everyone uses.’’