Quinn Reopens 7 Illinois Parks Closed By Blagojevich

Quinn Reopens 7 Illinois Parks Closed By Blagojevich

SPRINGFIELD---At 10:30 a.m. today, seven state parks closed under Rod Blagojevich as a cost-cutting move were reopened, Gov. Pat Quinn said.

The parks will be staffed by a dozen people at a cost of $1.1 million, Quinn said.

Blagojevich also shut down 12 historic sites across the state, which Quinn has said he is working to reopen.

Quinn's predecessor, Rod Blagojevich, closed those parks last fall in a budget-cutting move.

But during a news conference at the state Department of Natural Resources in Springfield today, Quinn called Blagojevich's decision "a false economy."

Quinn said the state parks are important for Illinois tourism, particularly when the economy is bad and people can't afford to go elsewhere on vacation.

He didn't say how much reopening the parks would cost or where he planned to get the cash.

The sites involved are: Castle Rock State Park; Lowden State Park; Illini State Park; Hidden Springs State Forest; Moraine View State Park; Weldon Springs State Park and Wolf Creek State Park.

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