Page 8 - Flathead Beacon // 2.10.16

CITY BEAT 14 COURT BEAT 15
Newsworthy
Many Glacier Hotel. GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON
Glacier Park Deferred Maintenance Piles Up to $180 Million National Park Service says $11.93 billion of neglected needs exist nationwide
TOP NPS SITES WITH
DEFERRED MAINTENANCE
National Mall and Memorial Parks, Washington, D.C. $840 million
Gateway National Recreation Area, New Jersey & New York
$729 million
Yellowstone National Park, Montana & Wyoming
$631 million
Blue Ridge Parkway, Virginia & North Carolina $516 million
Grand Canyon National Recreation Area, Arizona
$371 million
San Juan National Historic Sites, Puerto Rico $330 million
Mount Rainier National Park, Washington $285 million
Natchez Trace Parkway, Mississippi $284 million
Golden Gate National Recreation Area, California
$278 million
Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, Virginia
$203 million
Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming $207 million
George Washington Memorial Parkway, Virginia
$184 million
Glacier National Park, Montana $179 million
BY DILLON TABISH OF THE BEACON
Over $3 million in outdated wastewater systems. Nearly $28 million for aging and historic buildings. About $123 million for damaged or deteriorating roads.
The list of deferred maintenance in Glacier National Park, similar to the entire National Park Service sys- tem, is piling higher every year, according to agency estimates.
An estimated $180 million in deferred maintenance exists in Glacier Park, roughly $2 million more than a year ago and one of the highest amounts in the nation, according to NPS gures. For the entire NPS system there is $11.93 billion of neglected needs, a $440 million increase from the previous year. Yellowstone National Park has the third largest amount of deferred mainte- nance at $631 million. The NPS released the latest g- ures last week.
Deferred maintenance is identi ed as necessary work that has been delayed for more than one year on infrastructure, such as roads and bridges, visitor cen- ters, trails and campgrounds. Aging facilities, increas- ing use of park facilities and scarce resources contribute to the growing backlog, the agency said.
The needs are greater in sites such as Glacier and Yel- lowstone, which are among the oldest in the nation and were established before the NPS existed as an agency.
“Glacier’s been here for over 100 years and we’ve got many, many historic buildings,” spokesperson Denise Germann said. “There are many historic structures in the park.”
There are 550 buildings and 112 housing units in
Glacier Park, dozens of which are many decades old. Many Glacier Hotel, which celebrated its 100th anni- versary last summer, is undergoing rehabilitation this year to address health and safety issues.
The hotel’s electrical system is being upgraded to address lingering hazards, along with the re-suppres- sion system. The lodge’s sewage system remains a press- ing need, Germann said.
“It’s a challenge to manage historic buildings and maintain them and provide upkeep and continue to meet code,” Germann said. “That’s a large challenge we have at the park.”
Congress approved funding for the National Park Service in 2016 that includes an additional $90 million for non-transportation maintenance. The nation’s new highway bill will provide $28 million for transporta- tion projects in parks this year. Funding for transpor- tation-related maintenance and construction will con- tinue to rise, by $8 million per year for ve years, until it reaches $300 million per year in 2020.
“We have a lot yet to do but I think everything is mov- ing in the right direction,” National Park Service Direc- tor Jonathan B. Jarvis stated, referring to the deferred maintenance issue. “Congress has pitched in with base funding and with additional funds for the Centennial Challenge – a program that enables us to leverage pri- vate and non-pro t partner contributions to complete important projects that improve visitor services in parks. There is more Congress can do through the Cen- tennial Act now under consideration including short- term mandatory appropriations.”
dtabish@ atheadbeacon.com
8
FEBRUARY 10, 2016 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM