State parks get reprieve, closings pushed back four weeks

SPRINGFIELD - More than a dozen state parks slated to close Nov. 1 will remain open through the end of that month, state officials announced Tuesday.

A spokeswoman for Gov. Rod Blagojevich's budget office attributed the delay to personnel and union issues associated with the closings.

"Overall, this is a lengthy process," said spokeswoman Kelley Quinn.

In addition, 11 state historic sites slated to close Oct. 1 will remain open until Oct. 15.

For the parks, the delay pushes the politically sensitive closings past the Nov. 4 elections. Petition drives and local meetings have brought out hundreds who object to the closings, which the governor ordered to balance the budget after lawmakers sent him a spending plan nearly $2 billion out of whack.

It also would mean the Illinois Senate would have the chance to restore funding for the parks and other cuts when it convenes the week after the elections. The Illinois House recently voted to tap special state bank accounts to come up with nearly $220 million to offset the cuts. But the Senate has said it won't rush back to consider the move.

Furthermore, the park delays could salvage part of the hunting season for those who bought permits at the parks scheduled to close. For example, the first shotgun season for deer is Nov. 21, 22 and 23, which should no longer be affected. But the second season is Dec. 4-7.

A spokesman for the state natural resources department said there'd been no decision on what to do.

"Yes, there are site specific permits that have been sold, and what kinds of options are available to those hunters are among the decisions that are being made," said spokesman Chris McCloud. "We will alert those with site specific permits at the affected sites once final decisions have been made."