A nonprofit publication of the Kentucky Center for Public Service Journalism

State Parks getting upgrades, ‘Refreshing the Finest,’ but more needs to be done, says parks commissioner


By Tom Latek
Kentucky Today

The Kentucky State Parks are getting some needed upgrades, but there’s more to be done, said Parks Commissioner Donnie Holland on Thursday.
 
The parks system received $18 million over the past two years from the state budget on the “Refreshing the Finest” project. Holland said that was a badly needed boost.
 
“That has helped the parks system as much as anything in a long, long time,” he said.
 

State Parks Commissioner Donnie Holland (Photo by Tom Latek)

Seventy-six percent of the money has been allocated with work on 103 of the 132 identified projects, Holland said to the Budget Review Subcommittee on Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Protection.
 
However, Holland said more must be done in deferred maintenance and that comes with a hefty price tag.
 
“The cost to bring the parks up to par is $243 million,” he said. “The deferred maintenance part of the budget was swept from the parks for years and years and years.  Something needs to be done now.”
 
The latest upgrades are already showing results with more than 9,922 more rooms sold during the fiscal year that ended June 30 than from the 2016 fiscal year. The total rooms sold rose from 164,000 to 173,000, he said.

Those numbers came with two eastern Kentucky resorts, Jenny Wiley in Floyd County and Greenbo in Greenup County, down because of fires, he said. Both have since re-opened.
 
Holland said an agreement with Expedia.com to accept reservations has also made a difference.
 
“When we started in September, we saw an almost immediate eight percent increase in sales,” Holland told the panel.  “In June, we had sales of $7.2 million.  That’s the highest monthly amount at the state park resorts in many, many years.”
 
He said the near-term outlook is good with bookings at the May and June levels and added that all rooms at the state park resorts in western Kentucky are sold out during the days around the solar eclipse on Aug. 21.
 
The Kentucky State Park System includes 49 state parks, 17 resort parks, 14 golf courses and 30 campgrounds.
 
Tom Latek can be reached at tom.latek@kentuckytoday.com    
 


Related Posts

Leave a Comment