Virginia State Parks years behind on inspections, has over $360 million in delayed maintenance: state audit
VENN
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- Virginia State Parks was found to be years behind on its annual inspections and delayed on over $360 million worth of maintenance projects, according to a state audit report released in late March.
On Wednesday, March 26, the Office of the State Inspector General (OSIG) published a 35-page audit report on the Virginia State Parks system.
The audit focused on the maintenance of Virginia's state parks from July 2022 to September 2024, intending to learn "whether state parks have the proper guidelines, tools and processes to manage, track and address maintenance and asset management effectively and consistently," per the OSIG.
During the audit period, state auditors walked through seven parks and made observations.
The OSIG found that state park maintenance was disorganized, inconsistent and lacking in standardized practices. Maintenance needs valued at an estimated $364 million had been delayed for, in one case, more than 10 years -- and inspection records could not be found at any of the seven state parks state auditors visited.
What is the Virginia State Parks system?
There are 43 state parks within the Virginia State Parks system, according to the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). This includes over 75,000 acres of parks across the Commonwealth -- from the Natural Bridge State Park in the Shenandoah Valley to Pocahontas State Park right here in Chesterfield County.
A map showing all of Virginia State Parks' park locations. (Photo: Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation)
"Virginia State Parks' mission is to preserve the Commonwealth's natural, scenic, historic and cultural resources while offering recreational and educational opportunities that ensure responsible stewardship for future generations," the OSIG said in its March 26 audit.
City of Richmond pilots FOIA Reading Room with records from water crisis
The Code of Virginia requires the DCR to "establish and implement a long-range plan for acquisition, maintenance, improvement, protection and conservation" of outdoor recreational facilities like parks, forests, camping grounds and more.
Delayed maintenance backlog, confusion about what's important
State auditors noted that keeping track of and managing the maintenance needs of over 40 parks is a "broad, complicated task that requires a great deal of planning and monitoring."
To help facilitate this, the Division of State Parks (DSP) -- a part of Virginia's DCR -- maintains a list of both statewide and park-specific maintenance needs that have been deferred, or delayed.
Per the OSIG, as of November 2021, the DCR estimated that deferred maintenance totaled about $276 million. As of January 2024, that amount is estimated to be $364 million -- a nearly $90 million increase.
The DCR provided its explanations for this backlog to state auditors. It claimed inflation and "the lack of consistent, dedicated and meaningful funding" prevented it from addressing deferred maintenance needs.
A pool in need of repairs at one of Virginia's state parks. Repairs are not planned due to high restoration costs. (Photo: Office of the State Inspector General)
This process was further complicated by confusion surrounding the deferred maintenance list. According to the OSIG, state auditors found there was "uncertainty about which projects [should be prioritized]" at all levels of state park management, due to an overall lack of "clarity" and "consistent guidance."
State auditors learned that the list itself lacked key details, such as how critical each project is or why it may have been deferred. One tested listing was over 10 years old and was deferred due to "resource constraints." Many projects are older than the current park managers.
"Because of insufficient knowledge transfer or guidance from DSP leadership, park managers are left to interpret these lists independently, resulting in inconsistent use of the list as a planning tool by the Division," the OSIG said.
Maintenance activities lack governing policies
OSIG found that DSP lacked a standardized process for monitoring and documenting routine, preventative and repair maintenance activities across Virginia's state parks.
Without standardized procedures, each state park was left to develop different approaches to maintenance needs.
A paper-based maintenance record from one of Virginia's state parks. (Photo: Office of the State Inspector General)
Four of the seven examined parks either did not monitor maintenance activities or only did so on paper. In the case of parks with paper logs, they only recorded certain tasks and not consistently used.
Three of the seven parks used publicly available software to document their maintenance activities. According to the audit report, those employed at these parks appeared to better understand maintenance needs and practices.
However, due to an overall lack of information and reporting features, OSIG was unable to determine how timely maintenance was at any of the seven parks.
"These practices are inconsistent and may cause maintenance issues to be overlooked or delayed, negatively impacting the visitor experience," the OSIG said. "This inconsistency is further supported by a staff survey, which found many parks rely on informal, verbal communication for maintenance due to a lack of clear expectations or guidance from DSP."
Additionally, many maintenance areas were found to lack updated policies -- if they had them at all -- which include the areas of routine, preventative, repair and deferred maintenance. However, state auditors also found custodial maintenance, landscaping and grounds keeping, waste management, litter control and more all also lacked policies.
‘It’s all hands on deck’: Dominion responds to Lake Shawnee concerns, residents still skeptical
State parks were, again, left to develop their own policies. At the seven examined parks, the OSIG found that none of them had trail maintenance policies, four did not have lodging maintenance policies and five did not have campground maintenance policies.
When state auditors asked DSP about this, staff provided several explanations. This included that there were no formal expectations for policies, that a "one-size-fits-all" approach across state parks would be ineffective as each park is unique, and that "on-the-job training" and "institutional knowledge" were enough.
Inspections not performed reliably across parks
State auditors found there was no structured oversight for state park maintenance, "which weakens the ability for DCR and DSP to ensure state parks are properly maintained."
When questioned by the OSIG, the central office for DSP cited two processes it said allowed it to keep up with maintenance across parks: the Park User Perspective (PUP) form and annual building inspections.
‘Brutal’ conditions: 3 former Red Onion inmates’ experiences and the state’s response
However, DSP could not provide "clear information on how often PUP inspections should be conducted," according to the OSIG. Additionally, "there was an overall lack of details regarding the practical use and implementation of these tools for park oversight."
State auditors then looked deeper into PUP inspection history at the seven parks it examined and found that, at six of the seven parks, a PUP inspection had not been performed since July 2022. Five of those six parks had not been inspected since 2019.
A yurt in need of repairs at one of Virginia's state parks. (Photo: Office of the State Inspector General)
A deteriorating handrail at one of Virginia's state parks. (Photo: Office of the State Inspector General)
Moreover, the PUP inspection documents that the OSIG was able to review were all found to be incomplete.
None of the seven parks had any record of annual building inspections.
"DCR is responsible for ensuring accountability and structured feedback mechanisms are in place to safeguard the proper maintenance of state parks," state auditors said. "Without such oversight, park staff are left to rely on informal feedback, which can lead to inefficiencies in evaluating park performance."
Poor record-keeping in multiple other key areas
In addition to the inconsistent recordkeeping of maintenance activities, state auditors found multiple other areas where maintenance-related needs were not being tracked reliably.
One such area is contracted maintenance. According to the OSIG, state parks regularly utilize contractors to carry out some repairs, including specialized repairs.
However, the process of deciding when a contractor may be needed was found to be "informal" and "undocumented" at all seven parks state auditors walked through. Additionally, none of the seven parks kept proper records of when they used contractors, nor did they record the estimated cost of contractors' services.
‘It’s pathetic’: Baker Senior Apartment residents fed up over maintenance, security concerns
Over a third of respondents to a staff survey said their parks used contractors for nearly all maintenance tasks, while 27% said contractors were used in about half. Staff credited this high usage to lacking the needed staff or their staff not having the required skills.
A club car in a state of disrepair at one of Virginia's state parks. (Photo: Office of the State Inspector General)
"Although these services are costly, parks lack the resources and expertise to manage maintenance without outside assistance," the OSIG said.
The OSIG expressed concern that having such an informal process for contracting could cost the state money.
"Without formal, consistent methods for parks to determine when a contract is needed and to measure the cost impact, the agency may be missing opportunities to leverage term contracts for similar services in geographically connected areas," state auditors said.
One of the other areas found to be poorly tracked is fixed asset tracking -- or the process of keeping track of needed supplies across state parks.
According to the OSIG, data related to state park assets was found to be incorrect or incomplete. Multiple items across the seven examined state parks either could not be found, were surplused or were in a state of disrepair.
Attorneys weigh in on new child abuse charges for former Henrico NICU nurse
"DCR and DSP leadership have not consistently enforced agency specific standards or guidelines for how parks should manage and maintain assets," the OSIG said. "This lack of enforcement has led to inconsistent asset management practices across parks, contributing to the absence of accurate and complete asset data."
State auditors added that, at the time of the audit report's publication, DCR was in the "early stages" of implementing both a new asset management and maintenance system.
State auditors' recommendations
The OSIG made several recommendations in response to these findings. Those included:
- DCR should establish a comprehensive process for tracking maintenance.
- DCR should create both short- and long-term objectives for addressing deferred maintenance listings.
- DCR should develop policies and procedures to govern maintenance activities.
- DCR should establish a standardized procedure for facilities inspections.
- DCR should establish guidelines for both acquiring and tracking the work of contractors.
- DCR should evaluate the cost-benefit of using contracted work so heavily.
- DCR should establish standardized policies for tracking assets.
The DCR and DSP agreed with all of the findings and their related recommendations. In a statement attached to the audit, the director of the DCR, Matthew Wells, thanked state auditors for their work.
‘I just want him held accountable’: Alleged sexual assault victim of former Warsaw Pastor speaks
"There is a need for more robust documented procedures, structured processes and clear communication from Richmond if the Division and the Department are to maximize resources and ensure continuity of operations, particularly as long-serving Rangers retire and a new generation takes their place," Wells said.
He listed several changes that have already been implemented, including:
- "Significant changes" to the Park Master Planning process
- Development and ongoing implementation of a new natural resources tracking process
- Ongoing implementation of a new asset tracking system
- Development of online dashboards and mapping systems to share this information with staff
"As we look towards the 100th anniversary of the State Parks system in 2036, we acknowledge that there is room for improvement to ensure Virginians can continue to enjoy a best-in-class system," Wells said.
Corrective action on all of the recommendations should be completed between Dec. 2025 and the summer of 2027, according to the audit report.
