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Word came down from the state yesterday that Chittenango Falls State Park would be closing along with Helen McNitt until the state could pass a budget.  Below is a statement that sums up Madison County Tourism's position on the closing.









Statement on the Closing of State Parks  from Madison County Tourism, Inc.
 
(Morrisville)—It has come to the attention of this office that Chittenango Falls State Park and Helen McNitt State Park, both in Madison County, will not open for the season starting tomorrow.  The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation indicates this is a temporary closure until a budget with funding for the parks is approved by the legislature.  This comes on top of the announcement this week that the I Love NY tourism promotion plan for 2010 is effectively dead on arrival.

Madison County Tourism, Inc. feels this is an unfortunate consequence of a failed legislative process.  The citizens of New York State have elected representatives to govern, yet the process of putting a fiscally responsible budget in place has yet again failed.  Even worse it appears that our elected officials have no timetable and no sense of urgency to put a budget in place.  While our elected leaders in the legislature stall, Upstate’s Tourism economy faces dire threats.

 This delay has resulted in the closure of one of the most popular tourism attractions in Madison County.  Chittenango Falls State Park hosts weddings, family reunions and is a place where hard working New York residents and visitors can enjoy the majesty of nature.  The inability of our elected officials to do their jobs has closed that attraction.

We call on State Senator David Valesky and Assemblyman Bill Magee to stop participating in the traditional 3-men in a room budget solution and to work across the aisle and find a budget solution that will benefit Upstate New York.  As the Senate and Assembly bicker, the tourism economy in Upstate is dying on the vine.
 


Comments

Melinda
05/16/2010 6:28am

Until these parasites are voted out and we can get people voted in who actually value what our state represents, there will be more closings like this. Perhaps it is time for NYC to become a state so that we upstaters can benefit from our tax dollars.

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