Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation

Management of Capital Projects

The Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) manages 151 parks and 35 historic sites. During the three fiscal years that ended March 31, 1999, the State Parks Infrastructure Fund provided almost $78.5 million of the more than $110 million OPRHP had available for capital projects. The remainder was paid for by other State funding sources such as the Environmental Protection Fund. We found that OPRHP does not maintain documentation that indicates whether the projects it funds meet its own primary goals. The method of determining regional allocation is not documented; nor is there a written record of OPRHP's funding decisions. The agency's accounting system does not accumulate a project's costs under a single identifying code; nor does it have a system for tracking and monitoring project status. The Central Office relies on regional staff certifications to justify payments to contractors. OPRHP also has not developed project-monitoring and documentation policies and procedures that regional staff should follow. We recommend that OPRHP improve its monitoring of capital projects and ensure that these projects are consistent with its priorities.

For a complete copy of Report 98-S-73 click here.
For a copy of the 90-day response click here.
For a copy of the associated follow-up report click here.