Iowa’s state parks — visited by up to 16 million people a year — need more than $100 million in repairs for fixing leaking roofs and rotting shelters and updating sewage lagoons.
And many of these beloved public spaces aren’t accessible to people with disabilities. In some cases, it’s because the parks were built decades before federal accessibility standards were enacted. But even some new state park features are not fully accessible, a former state official said.
Despite the parks’ popularity and the needed repairs, Iowa Department of Natural Resources Director Kayla Lyon did not ask the Iowa Legislature this year for any additional funding. The agency is responsible for Iowa’s state parks.
“My question is: What are the legislators actually being told?” asked David Downing, who served as an Iowa DNR executive officer and parks asset manager until his retirement in January. “We're in dire straits. Everybody is afraid to talk. Nobody wants to say a word because you'll get your head handed to you.”
One of Downing’s last tasks before retirement was to prepare a presentation for district staff in November about the state of infrastructure in Iowa’s 69 state parks and four forests. The Gazette obtained this report, which included the $100 million dollar estimate, and others through an open records request. Among deficiencies identified at Eastern Iowa parks are:
Downing reported health and safety risks — such as ungrounded electrical outlets and tripping hazards — as well as septic systems and sewage lagoons that need to be replaced. Many cabins, restrooms, shelters, fishing piers, grills and tables are not handicapped accessible, he reported.
While historic state park buildings are not required to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, indoor and outdoor amenities constructed or updated since March 2012 are supposed to meet regulations developed in 2010 by the U.S. Department of Justice.
“The 2010 standards really apply when making alterations,” said Molly Wuebker, founder and owner of Uncurbed, an access consulting firm based in Des Moines, and Iowa liaison for the Great Plains ADA Center. When a structure or amenity is altered, a portion of the project budget must be allocated to address accessibility, she said. “If you’re developing a new area, then everything would need to meet those 2010 ADA standards.”
That hasn’t always happened within Iowa’s state park system, Downing said. An example is the campground at Lake Manawa, near Council Bluffs, completed in 2021 at a cost of $3.3 million.
“It's beautiful,” Downing said. It’s also “short two ADA parking spots.”
Lawsuits in other states have resulted in outdoor recreation sites improving handicapped accessibility, Wuebker said.
“Usually those changes seem to be enforced after the problem has occurred,” she said. “What's really great when you have an organization that prioritizes this. We want to prevent a problem from even happening.”
Palisades-Kepler Park Ranger Lucas Wagner said Jan. 1 on the First Day Hike he hoped the Iowa DNR would be able to replace non-historic latrines that aren’t handicapped accessible. The pit latrine closest to the trailhead by the Cedar River is on a hill with no paved approach.
Another nearby latrine has a sidewalk, but it doesn’t reach all the way to the parking lot.
Replacing two latrines at Palisades would cost about $130,000, according to a 2019 list of 655 state park projects. These projects were given the highest score of AAA for how well they fit with Iowa DNR initiatives, return on investment and the severity of consequences if not done. But the old latrines remain.
www.thegazette.com
And many of these beloved public spaces aren’t accessible to people with disabilities. In some cases, it’s because the parks were built decades before federal accessibility standards were enacted. But even some new state park features are not fully accessible, a former state official said.
Despite the parks’ popularity and the needed repairs, Iowa Department of Natural Resources Director Kayla Lyon did not ask the Iowa Legislature this year for any additional funding. The agency is responsible for Iowa’s state parks.
“My question is: What are the legislators actually being told?” asked David Downing, who served as an Iowa DNR executive officer and parks asset manager until his retirement in January. “We're in dire straits. Everybody is afraid to talk. Nobody wants to say a word because you'll get your head handed to you.”
One of Downing’s last tasks before retirement was to prepare a presentation for district staff in November about the state of infrastructure in Iowa’s 69 state parks and four forests. The Gazette obtained this report, which included the $100 million dollar estimate, and others through an open records request. Among deficiencies identified at Eastern Iowa parks are:
- Lake Macbride, near Solon, has two shelters with rotten support beams and, like many of Iowa’s state parks, has unpainted wood structures being damaged by carpenter bees.
- The beach concession building at Pleasant Creek Recreation Area, near Palo, should be replaced with a modern restroom and new lift station.
- Palisades-Kepler State Park, near Mount Vernon, has eight buildings without gutters and some damage from the 2020 derecho has not been repaired. Several sidewalks are cracked.
- The Boy Scout lodge at Wapsipinicon State Park, near Anamosa, has a hole in the roof covered with a sheet of plywood.
Downing reported health and safety risks — such as ungrounded electrical outlets and tripping hazards — as well as septic systems and sewage lagoons that need to be replaced. Many cabins, restrooms, shelters, fishing piers, grills and tables are not handicapped accessible, he reported.
Are parks required to be accessible?
While historic state park buildings are not required to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, indoor and outdoor amenities constructed or updated since March 2012 are supposed to meet regulations developed in 2010 by the U.S. Department of Justice.
“The 2010 standards really apply when making alterations,” said Molly Wuebker, founder and owner of Uncurbed, an access consulting firm based in Des Moines, and Iowa liaison for the Great Plains ADA Center. When a structure or amenity is altered, a portion of the project budget must be allocated to address accessibility, she said. “If you’re developing a new area, then everything would need to meet those 2010 ADA standards.”
That hasn’t always happened within Iowa’s state park system, Downing said. An example is the campground at Lake Manawa, near Council Bluffs, completed in 2021 at a cost of $3.3 million.
“It's beautiful,” Downing said. It’s also “short two ADA parking spots.”
Lawsuits in other states have resulted in outdoor recreation sites improving handicapped accessibility, Wuebker said.
“Usually those changes seem to be enforced after the problem has occurred,” she said. “What's really great when you have an organization that prioritizes this. We want to prevent a problem from even happening.”
Palisades-Kepler Park Ranger Lucas Wagner said Jan. 1 on the First Day Hike he hoped the Iowa DNR would be able to replace non-historic latrines that aren’t handicapped accessible. The pit latrine closest to the trailhead by the Cedar River is on a hill with no paved approach.
Another nearby latrine has a sidewalk, but it doesn’t reach all the way to the parking lot.
Replacing two latrines at Palisades would cost about $130,000, according to a 2019 list of 655 state park projects. These projects were given the highest score of AAA for how well they fit with Iowa DNR initiatives, return on investment and the severity of consequences if not done. But the old latrines remain.
Report: Iowa’s state parks need $100M in infrastructure repairs, updates
Many of these beloved public spaces aren’t accessible to people with disabilities. In some cases, it’s because the parks were built decades before federal accessibility standards were enacted. But even some new state park features are not fully accessible, a former state official said.
www.thegazette.com
