Title
Incorporated County of Los Alamos Resolution No.16-18 A Resolution Encouraging Congress to Create a Reliable, Predictable Stream of Resources to Address Deferred Maintenance Needs in America's National Park System.
Recommended Action
I move that Council adopt Incorporated County of Los Alamos Resolution No. 16-18, a Resolution encouraging Congress to create a reliable, predictable stream of resources to address deferred maintenance needs in America's National Park System.
County Manager's Recommendation
The County Manager recommends that Council adopt Incorporated County of Los Alamos Resolution No. 16-18.
Body
This year marks the 100th birthday of the National Park Service (NPS), which oversees 410 natural and cultural areas in all 50 states and most U.S. territories. New Mexico is home to 14 national parks including two new additions--Manhattan Project National Historical Park and Valles Caldera National Preserve. Not only do these sites provide recreational and cultural benefits to New Mexico residents, they are also a significant economic driver which brings in an estimated $97.5 million a year in tourism spending in local gateway communities. This visitor spending supported a total of 1,500 jobs. Locally, according to the NPS, in 2015, the three national parks brought almost 175,000 visitors to our community, supported 168 jobs and over $13 million of spending.
After decades of underfunding, NPS has an infrastructure repair backlog estimated at $11.9 billion (FY2015). This includes crucial repairs to aging historical structures and thousands of miles of roads and trails, bridges, tunnels, sewers, drainage, and other vital infrastructure. In New Mexico, there is a backlog of over $113 million including $23.2 million at Bandelier National Monument and $104,347 at the Valles Caldera National Preserve. At a recent roundtable discussion sponsored by the Pew Charitable Trusts, County Councilors and County staff learned the details of this seve...
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