The Department of Land and Natural Resources is proposing that lawmakers set aside an annual $50 million over five years to fix the "deplorable condition" of state parks.

The department has listed a $240 million backlog of construction that was delayed as a result of slashed budgets, user fees that have not been increased in years, and constant raiding of special fund revenues.

In her final days as chairwoman of the Board of Land and Natural Resources last week, Laura Thielen released "State of the State Recreational Places," a 62-page report saying the state parks are "in deplorable condition" and asking "how come they look so junk."

"Despite this obvious backlog, no dollars — zero — were allocated to fix any facilities in state parks in 2011," the report states. "In contrast, the City and County of Honolulu invested nearly $40 million in capital improvements for their parks in 2011."

The report was developed by various division heads of the department, all of whom are expected to work under William Aila Jr., Gov. Neil Abercrombie’s chairman appointee.

The report came with several pages of unflattering photos of state facilities, including decaying cabins at Malaekahana State Recreation Area in Laie, dilapidated signage, and rotting wood at the Kawaihae Small Boat Harbor on the Big Island.

"Is it because the DLNR employees are off napping, or is it because there are insufficient operational budgets to staff and maintain those areas?" the report asks.

The department expects to make a similar report every year to the board, said agency spokeswoman Deborah Ward. It came about after the Legislature shot down the past administration’s proposed overhaul of state facilities last year, then dubbed the "Recreational Renaissance Plan."

"We’re trying to develop a plan that we can fund and manage on our own as much as we can," Ward said.

Part of that plan included new rules that enabled the state to charge for admission and parking at select parks around the state, as well as increasing fees for camping overnight at state parks.

Since March the state has charged a $3-per-car fee for all visitors at the Pali Lookout. From July through September that has generated $37,123 in extra revenue.

But that was short-lived.

"When putting together the report on the revenue generated through the new fees, staff realized that instead of increased funding to do more much-needed repairs and maintenance, the new special funds in essence were supplementing, but not fully, the reduction in general funds," said Laura Stevens, DLNR education and outreach coordinator.

The report also recommends the state dedicate revenues from state urban and industrial land leases for repairs. The board has already approved a proposal that identifies select properties. The list includes Hilton Hawaiian Village, Hilo Bay Hotel and Kapalama Commercial Center.

"We’re also coming up with a maintenance plan that would allow for more efficient scheduling and coordination of construction projects," Ward said.

Thielen’s report was not all pessimistic. It noted that the agency has replaced more than 660 of about 2,000 slips in its small boat harbors. The docks at Keehi Lagoon also were repaired recently.

The Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation has increased its operational budget, but it is funded through special funds.

However, Stevens said debt service on capital improvement projects comes out of the operations budget.

"So a big influx in debt service on bonds to fix places would further reduce the operations budget and reduce their capacity to operate," Stevens said. The report suggests that money from the general fund be used for enforcement of the harbors, rather than out of the division’s operational budget.

In her closing remarks, Thielen, describing herself as an avid backpacker and camper, said she wanted to address the repairs, but the recent economic crisis kept her goal at bay.

"Despite the setback, DLNR staff persisted in trying," she said. "Unlike other states, we managed to keep our parks, harbors and trails open to the public and the small businesses operating there throughout the worldwide economic crisis. As the economy recovers, DLNR remains ready to revitalize our state recreational places."