SR0333 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0333 LRB101 12075 ALS 59571 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Starved Rock Park is a State park located in LaSalle County; and

WHEREAS, Starved Rock State Park has seen increased visitation, with an average of 2.5 million visitors per year; and

WHEREAS, Starved Rock State Park is the 11th most visited park in the country; and

WHEREAS, Increased visitation to Starved Rock State Park impacts the local emergency services, including ambulance and fire & rescue teams; and

WHEREAS, Upon the passage of SB1310, the Department of Natural Resources would be allowed to adopt a parking fee and an annual pass at Starved Rock State Park to help mitigate these issues, with 80 percent of the fee allocated to infrastructure and 20 percent allocated to safety purposes; and

WHEREAS, Upon the passage of SB1310, LaSalle County residents would be exempt from such fees to alleviate the impact the increased visitation has on the local residents; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that upon the passage of SB1310, we urge the Department of Natural Resources and the General Assembly to study the impact and the effectiveness of the Starved Rock State Park parking fee over a period of three years to determine if a parking fee should be enacted in all State Parks in Illinois.