PTNY Gears up for Centennial Advocacy Push

The dawning of a new year means a lot of different things to different folks: setting resolutions; getting outside and enjoying winter weather fun; hitting the gym and getting in shape. At PTNY, the new year means something completely different… the onset of New York’s “budget season!”

New York’s budget season officially starts each January, as the state legislature gavels back into session and the Governor releases her annual State of the State message and Executive Budget proposal. These documents lay out the Governor’s priorities for the upcoming year and help set the parameters for budget negotiations that stretch out over the next three months. The new budget is due to be adopted by April 1 each year.

For the Centennial of our State Park System in 2024, PTNY–your advocates for high-quality public lands that are welcoming and accessible to all–has ramped up our advocacy efforts to ensure that our most popular parks, greenway trails, and open spaces are equipped to accommodate the record demand for outdoor experiences and to meet the unparalleled challenges of climate change.

NY SWIMS Initiative

The Governor’s State of the State address announces the largest, sweeping initiatives slated for NYS to undertake each year. 2024 saw the most significant new Parks program announced in years–“New York Statewide Investment in More Swimming”–or NY SWIMS for short. Interesting acronym aside, this transformative plan would make significant new investments in expanding access to safe swimming for underserved communities across the state.

The plan would allocate:

• $100 million in investment to restore or reconstruct swimming facilities in State Parks, including:
  • Reopening Lake Sebago Beach in Harriman State Park, closed since 2011 due to damage from Hurricanes Irene and Lee
  • Reimagining the East Bathhouse at Jones Beach as a destination spray park for all ages and abilities.
  • Expanding the new Sojourner Truth State Park to include a floating swim structure in the Quarry Lake.
• $150 million in expanding access to pools for all New Yorkers, including:
  • A new $60 million grant program to facilitate the renovation and construction of pools in high-need neighborhoods.
  • $60 million in competitive grant funding to municipalities for the deployment of floating pools to allow New Yorkers to safely swim in natural bodies of water.
  • $30 million in grant funding to municipalities for small, mobile pop-up swimming pools that can be dispatched to block parties, parks, events, or open spaces.

The plan would also work to expand operating hours at existing facilities by increasing the pool of qualified lifeguards, reinvigorate learn-to-swim programs at State Parks and on SUNY campuses, use the Connect Kids program to transport students and families to swimming facilities, and launch a pilot program to offer free sunscreen at State Park pools.

Proposed FY25 New York State Budget

Two weeks after the State of the State, Governor Hochul released her annual state budget proposal. Highlights from the broader spending plan include:

• Funding outlined in the NY SWIMS initiative
• $200 million in baseline funding for Parks’ New York Works capital funding
• A $26.7 million increase in the operating budget for NYS Parks, including funding for 79 full time-equivalent positions.
• $90 million in Adventure NY capital funding for the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation

These proposed funding levels are a recognition of how far we’ve come over the past decade, from the dark days when nearly 100 sites were slated for closure, to a park system that now welcomes nearly 80 million visitors per year.

But there is still room for growth to properly support our public lands for the Centennial and beyond. PTNY is calling on the legislature to work with the Governor to ensure the FY 2025 budget invests a baseline of $250 million in capital funding to address an estimated $3.5 billion State Park infrastructure backlog.

The Governor’s proposal also includes a $400 million Environmental Protection Fund, maintaining the overall level from previous years. Park and Trail Partnership Grants, administered by PTNY in partnership with State Parks, are maintained at $2 million–a reflection of the success and critical importance of this program to the vitality of our state lands.

However, the Governor’s proposed budget includes a new provision that would offload $25 million in agency staffing costs from the Environmental Protection Fund, using this program-oriented funding source to cover personnel costs. This new line is effectively a cut in funding for some of the state’s crucial environmental programs. Numerous EPF funding lines in the Governor’s budget were cut to cover the staffing offload, including the Municipal Parks program, down 12.5% from $26 million to $22.75 million.

Advocating for New York’s Public Lands

The release of the State of the State and the Executive Budget proposal are just the beginning of the advocacy season. New York State is at a turning point as we look to the next century of our state parks system. Our leaders have a foundational decision to make: do they want to once again allow our iconic system to fall into disrepair, driving away visitors and starting a downward cycle of under-utilization that could lead to negative economic, health, and environmental impacts for communities across the state? Or will state leadership choose to invest in the future of this world-class public lands system, providing residents and visitors with accessible facilities, prioritizing welcoming diverse usership, and further enhancing the livability of our communities?

PTNY will continue to fight to fund our public lands and the across-the-board benefits they provide, but we can’t do it alone. Let your legislators know you care about fully funding the Parks capital budget. Click below to send an email to your legislators, letting them know you expect them to be champions, setting Parks’ capital budget at $250 million per year.