More money, planning needed for Louisiana state parks, historic sites, audit says
BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) -- An audit report shows insight into the management, operations and financial state of the Louisiana Office of State Parks before, during and after the COVID-19 pandemic and hurricanes in recent years.
The office, which operates under the Department of Culture, Recreation, and Tourism, manages 21 state parks and 16 historic sites. People from across the state and visitors from other states can explore some of Louisiana's scenic parks through camping, hiking, biking and boating.
Audit findings identified staffing and hiring issues, the need for a new master plan and ways the Louisiana state parks' office can increase revenues and visitation.
Needs for La. state park management
According to the report, there have been issues with staffing and hiring. Auditors said OSP started cross-training park employees and temporarily loaning staff from one park to another after staffing cuts. In 15 years, full-time positions have decreased by 47.2%.
As for hiring, the office has had a hard time with hiring due to a smaller pool of candidates and demands for higher salary, the audit said. According to the report, OSP has requested more funding and positions from the legislature but most requests have not been approved.
It was also found that the amount needed to keep up operations at parks and historic sites is valued at $42 million. Auditors said OSP doesn't currently have a master plan, which would help them determine priorities and resource allocation. The last statewide master plan was created in 1997.
"If Louisiana’s state parks and historic sites want to sustain and attract new visitors, at a minimum, aging facilities and infrastructure must be addressed," the audit said.
The state parks' office said it does not have the staffing or funds to hire outside consultants to develop a new master plan.
Findings in visitation numbers, revenues
Even as visitation to state parks decreased, auditors said revenue increased by 42.9% from 2016 to 2022 because of pandemic relief funds.
"While the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in increased visitation, recent hurricanes have reduced the number of visitors, as some parks were closed or damaged," the report said.
Hurricane Laura damaged parks in the western part of the state in August 2020 and Hurricane Ida damaged parks in the eastern part of the state a year later.
Visitation revenues come from cabins, campsites and day-use admissions while non-visitation revenues derive from COVID-19 relief, leases, royalties and timber sales, auditors said. The report suggests OSP to evaluate fee adjustments and pricing strategies to meet the needs of visitors, noting that more fee increases might be warranted to operate financially.
The report also suggested OSP keep seeking revenue-generating agreements to increase visitation and revenue, which they agreed to explore expanding partnerships.
Auditors said OSP could benefit from having a more cohesive marketing strategy to increase visitation and revenue. This would include developing a plan and having a marketing staff.
The state parks' office agreed with auditors' findings and recommendations, saying it would evaluate strategies and make changes.