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State Parks Functioning Normally during Holiday Weekend Despite Government Shutdown

Lamoine State Park Camper Greg Mayer from Raymond, ME
A. J. Higgins/Maine Public
Lamoine State Park Camper Greg Mayer from Raymond, ME

As Maine’s state shutdown enters its third day, campers at the state’s parks and beaches say they are pleased their vacation plans haven’t been adversely impacted by the budget stalemate in Augusta. Camper Matt Watson, of Hermon, says he hasn’t noticed any inconveniences due to under-staffing at the park. Still he says he is grateful for the efforts of park volunteers.

“We did run into some folks who said they were volunteering to keep the bathrooms clean and keep stuff cleaned up and these are folks who work here that are volunterring their time to make sure the park stays up and running to their standards when they’re here normally getting paid,” Watson says. “We’re happy that they did, it will give us clean bathrooms and clean showers.”

Greg Mayer, of Raymond, has reserved a July 4th lot at Lamoine State Park for more than 30 years. He says the state’s ongoing budget problems need to be resolved by state lawmakers.

“My understanding was that the Legislature had a good period of time to finalize a budget and submit it — one that was to the governor’s liking — and that they didn’t get that budget in on time and he said that if it included any tax increases that he would exercise his right to sit on it for 10 days,” Mayer says.

Maine’s state of civil emergency was declared by Gov. Paul LePage on July 1st, after the Legislature failed to sign a budget into law by June 30th — the last day of the state’s fiscal year.