South Carolina Parks Department Requests $186M for Statewide Upgrades

South Carolina's parks department asked state legislators for $186 million to pay for renovations and improvements across the state system. The request represents the largest in agency history, Director Duane Parrish said Wednesday.

"People will look back 40, 50 years from now and say, 'I'm really glad we did this,'" Parrish said, per the SC Daily Gazette.

The department serves an estimated 10 to 12 million visitors each year, up from 6 or 7 million a decade ago. Parrish said the COVID-19 pandemic sent more people outdoors, and the trend has continued.

"Looking back, it wasn't just a fad," Parrish said. "It stuck, and outdoor recreation is at an all-time high."

The largest portion of the request, just over $96 million, would help build visitor centers at six state parks expected to open over the next five years. The funding would also install and update water and sewer systems, and it would run cables for internet access at new and existing locations.

Another $59 million would upgrade cabins, campgrounds, shops, and golf courses. Most RV hookups don't provide enough power to run a dishwasher, which keeps some people from staying overnight, Parrish said. Other campgrounds lack sewer systems.

The funding could also pay for new trails and add more parking lots. At Jones Gap State Park in Greenville County, all 50 or so reserved parking spots might fill up before 9 a.m. during the fall season.

The final $23 million would restore structures built by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression. President Franklin Roosevelt created the program in 1933, and South Carolina's 49,000 corps members built structures in 16 state parks.

Agency lobbyist Emily Frierson said construction costs have risen so fast that projects broke their budgets before finishing the approval process. "These projects have just skyrocketed with inflation, and then we have to go back to the Legislature two years after that" to ask for more money to finish the same project, Frierson said.

Parrish proposed using the state's unspent surpluses to fund the request. The state collected $411 million more than expected in the fiscal year that ended June 30. The latest revenue estimates give lawmakers an additional $2.4 billion to spend in the 2026-27 budget, with $1.7 billion meant for one-time expenses.

"I thought it was a good time to ask for that $186 million to say, 'OK, this is a critical product for the people, the public of South Carolina,'" Parrish said.