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PRT seeks $185 million for 'Play It Forward' modernization, requests $20M for beach renourishment
Summary
Director Parish told the subcommittee Parks, Recreation & Tourism's largest request — a $185 million Play It Forward capital package — aims to modernize campgrounds, finish welcome centers and support coastal beach renourishment; recurring asks include wage competitiveness and destination marketing.
Director Parish presented Parks, Recreation & Tourism's budget priorities to the subcommittee and framed a $185,000,000 capital request called 'Play It Forward' as a generational opportunity to modernize state parks and sustain agency self‑sufficiency.
Why it matters: Parish said visitation has increased post‑COVID to roughly 10 million visits a year and that aging infrastructure (cabins, sewer systems, campground power) and rising construction costs require multi‑year capital investment to maintain revenue and visitor services.
Parish listed major elements of the agency's ask: wage competitiveness (recurring $1,500,000) to retain park staff; $17,000,000 in capital to finish welcome center construction; $5,000,000 to complete legacy venues at the Governor's Mansion complex; and $20,000,000 for beach renourishment as the state's multi‑year match (he said this would likely take about three years to execute and that the state's share a decade ago was about $43,000,000 over three years). Parish also described grants and marketing lines including STAR (sports tourism) and destination‑specific marketing, citing the importance of those programs to the state's leisure economy.
Parish told members the SC Film Commission's 159 projects last year generated about $380,000,000 in local spending and emphasized the ripple effects on lodging and hospitality. During Q&A, members asked how PRT evaluates adding new parks (Parish cited land donations, population growth, and NGO partnerships such as recent acquisitions from Dominion) and raised operational concerns tied to expanding sites.
What's next: Parish agreed to follow up on carryforward details for regional promotions and on the impact of a proposed 3% general‑fund reduction scenario. The committee indicated interest in further details about project timelines and cost breakdowns.
