Meanwhile, back in Albany…State lawmakers and Gov. David Paterson may have reached a deal to keep the parks open, but they remain far apart on the late state budget.

Asked by WOR’s John Gambling this morning about the possibility that an agreement on the 2010-2011 spending plan might be in the offing by the end of the Memorial Day weekend, Paterson was not optimistic.

“It would be easy to say yes, but…I don’t think that’s possible,” the governor said.

“I think even when you have a budget agreement – and I’ve been here 25 years – it takes a few days to put it together; in other words to structurally go through and pass all the bills and allow for the legislators to read the billls fully and debate the bills.

“So you usually know that you have an agreement a week before you pass the budget, and I would say listen, we just closed basically an $11 million gap between us and them. I mean $11 million down and a billion and a half more to go.”

“No. I don’t think we can pass the budget (by June 1). That’s my best judgment.”

Paterson also didn’t sound all that optimistic about a “Race to the Top” deal before the June 1 deadline for Round II of applications for the federal education cash, although he did say “positive” negotiations have been taking place.

The Assembly continues to have “concerns,” according to the governor, who said he will submit an application regardless of whether there’s an agreement on lifting the charter school cap because “you never know, we might win.”

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