A new lodging facility could be in store for Big Bend National Park, where the current one has structural issues/Rebecca Latson file

Big Bend National Park could see a new lodge facility built if concerns with the stability of the Chisos Mountains Lodge can't be adequately and economically repaired. Nearly $23 million in Great American Outdoors Act funding has been recommended for that project, and the park in West Texas also has $54.3 million earmarked for water systems repairs.

Overall, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland has identified $1.25 billion worth of maintenance projects for the National Park System for Fiscal 2022 that opens October 1. That list has been sent to Congress for approval.

“One of the best investments we can make is in stewarding the lands and waters that sustain us and the generations to come. Today we are making critical investments that will create tens of thousands of jobs, safeguard the environment, and help ensure that national parks and public lands are ready to meet the challenges of climate change and increased visitation,” said Interior Secretary Deb Haaland. “Deferred maintenance means a backlog of much-needed repairs and improvements throughout our managed lands. In particular, I am encouraged that funding for Bureau of Indian Education schools will help ensure that we are providing a safe and reliable space where students and educators alike can focus on learning.”

The funding is badly needed, said Jessica Turner, executive director of Outdoor Recreation Roundtable, a coalition of outdoor industry organizations.

“This $2.8 billion commitment for access and recreation on public lands will truly help to improve the outdoor experience through updated infrastructure while also building climate resiliency on our public lands and waters so future generations can explore these places, support the economy through recreation and help people heal through increased local public access," Turner said last week "We applaud this commitment to the $788 billion recreation industry and look forward to working with the agencies to ensure these funds connect all Americans to outdoor recreation.”

At Big Bend, structural problems with a key facility at the Chisos Mountains Lodge were identified more than two years ago, and in 2019 they stopped the process for the solicitation of a new concessions contract for the facility. An engineering study stated that the building, which houses a restaurant, kitchen, employees' dining room, and the check-in lobby for guests while outbuildings contain the actual guest rooms, had problems with its foundation, walls, flooring, and drainage. Cracks were found on both interior and exterior walls, indicative of movement.

Big Bend Superintendent Bob Krumenaker said the Park Service is leaning towards replacing the building. A team currently is reviewing alternatives, such as repairing and expanding the facility or replacing it, the superintendent said Saturday. Expected outcomes of that review are a breakdown of the costs and benefits of keeping the existing facility vs. a new building.

"We have not made a firm decision, but we are most likely going to replace the entire structure," said Krumenaker.

Depending on how the costs look, additional repair and rehabilitation work on the adjacent lodging facilities could be incorporated into the project, he said.

"The exact scope is still being determined, and it will be a combination of need and available money," the superintendent said. "I think some of those things have yet to be resolved."

The GAOA established the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund and authorized up to $1.9 billion per year from Fiscal Year 2021 through Fiscal Year 2025 to reduce deferred maintenance on public lands and at Indian schools. GAOA also provided permanent, full funding of the Land and Water Conservation Fund at $900 million annually to secure public access and improve recreational opportunities on public lands, protect watersheds and wildlife, and preserve ecosystem benefits for local communities. 

Other Park Service projects identified for FY22 included:

Arizona

Grand Canyon National Park

Replace wastewater plant at South Rim Village .................................................................................... $40,456

Petrified Forest National Park

Rehabilitate Painted Desert Community Complex .............................................................................. 30,812

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument

Rehabilitate primary water systems ....................................................................................................... 9,887

California

Yosemite National Park

Rehabilitate Ahwahnee Hotel and correct critical safety hazards ...................................................... 19,407

Golden Gate National Recreation Area

Stabilize Alcatraz wharf ............................................................................................................................ 36,577

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park

Rehabilitate wastewater treatment facilities .......................................................................................... 9,563

Colorado

Mesa Verde National Park

Replace Morefield and Wetherill water lines......................................................................................... 22,969

Florida

Everglades National Park

Rehabilitate water and wastewater systems .......................................................................................... 30,912

Kentucky

Mammoth Cave National Park

Rehabilitate cave trails .............................................................................................................................. 10,128

Massachusetts

Minute Man National Historical Park

Rehabilitate and repair structures and landscapes ............................................................................... 27,352

Cape Cod National Seashore

Demolish excess structures ...................................................................................................................... 12,572

Maryland

Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park

Restore canal prism and historic dry stone wall ................................................................................... 7,125

Maine

Acadia National Park

Rehabilitate Schoodic Point water and wastewater systems ............................................................... 7,624

Mississippi

Natchez Trace Parkway

Rehabilitate sections of the parkway ...................................................................................................... 105,681

Montana

Glacier National Park

Replace Swiftcurrent water distribution system ................................................................................... 15,726

Replace headquarters wastewater system ............................................................................................. 10,921

North Carolina

Blue Ridge Parkway

Rehabilitate sections of the parkway ...................................................................................................... 26,789

North Carolina/Tennessee

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Rehabilitate roads and road structures................................................................................................... 25,410

New Jersey

Gateway National Recreation Area

Rehabilitate Fort Hancock potable water and wastewater system ..................................................... 11,621

New Mexico

Bandelier National Monument

Rehabilitate underground utilities .......................................................................................................... 29,089

Nevada

Lake Mead National Recreation Area

Demolish outdated infrastructure ........................................................................................................... 21,963

New York

Gateway National Recreation Area

Rehabilitate Floyd Bennett Field wastewater collection system at Jamaica Bay .............................. 7,673

Ohio

Cuyahoga Valley National Park

Stabilize riverbank along towpath trail and valley railway ................................................................ 24,897

Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial

Rehabilitate upper plaza ........................................................................................................................... 25,077

Oregon

Crater Lake National Park

Rehabilitate sections of the East Rim Drive ........................................................................................... 45,200

Texas

Big Bend National Park

Rehabilitate or replace the Chisos Mountains Lodge ........................................................................... 22,630

Rehabilitate water systems ....................................................................................................................... 54,357

Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park

Rehabilitate Texas White House .............................................................................................................. 9,119

Utah

Zion National Park

Rehabilitate South Campground ............................................................................................................. 11,253

Virginia

Blue Ridge Parkway

Rehabilitate sections of the parkway ...................................................................................................... 32,834

Colonial National Historical Park

Rehabilitate sections of Colonial Parkway ............................................................................................. 128,674

Washington

Olympic National Park

Rehabilitate Hurricane Ridge Day Lodge .............................................................................................. 7,029

Wyoming

Yellowstone National Park

Replace the Yellowstone River Bridge .................................................................................................... 71,200

Replace Mammoth wastewater collection system ................................................................................ 9,327

Rehabilitate and improve Old Faithful water treatment system and demolish abandoned wastewater treatment plant ............................................................................... 20,112

Rehabilitate or replace Canyon and Grant Village wastewater collection and treatment systems ............................................................................................................ 52,588

Project Planning and Compliance................................................................................................................. 137,932

Program Administration (indirect costs) ..................................................................................................... 37,626

Project Management....................................................................................................................................... 44,078

TOTAL, NATIONAL PARK SERVICE PROJECTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,254,190