The rest is history

Instead of a welcome, Long found the doors locked, the staff gone, and the restrooms moved to the sidewalk in the form of five portable toilets.

“It’s disgusting, you know?’’ said Long, 71, of Holbrook. “They don’t care about the people. They don’t care at all.’’

What Long discovered at this visitors center, a place where 500,000 travelers stop every year, is not unique to Salisbury. Five other Massachusetts rest stops, from the Pioneer Valley to Cape Cod, have been shuttered as the state grapples with budget problems.

The Salisbury center, which has been closed since November, might reopen for Memorial Day weekend following a state decision last week to restore funds for utilities and some maintenance.

But its long-term future is unclear, as are the prospects for the other affected stops — on Interstate 495 in Chelmsford, Interstate 95 in Mansfield, Interstate 195 in Swansea, Interstate 91 in Greenfield, and Route 25 in Bourne.

“We’re restoring our half of the partnership and working with the Convention & Visitors Bureau to get that place reopened,’’ state Transportation Secretary Jeffrey Mullan said about the Salisbury center.

“It’s really up to them. We’ll provide the basic maintenance, but maybe they’ll provide the personnel.’’

State officials contend that the recession has forced their hand, but the closings have left many motorists bewildered and frustrated by the loss of modest and familiar amenities.

“I’m surprised,’’ Seon Browne, 45, said as he stopped during a drive from Portland, Maine, to Springfield. “Usually, I pull in here to use these facilities. Waiting in a long line to use a portable toilet can be a bit of a nerve-wracking experience.’’

Similar closings have occurred throughout the country, from Arizona to Virginia, as free-falling tax revenue has led to difficult spending choices. In Massachusetts, state officials said they could not recall another time when as many visitors centers had been shut.

“It’s certainly been a tough budget year,’’ said Julie McConchie, executive director of the North of Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau, which operates the Salisbury rest stop under contract with the state. Fifteen part-time employees and a full-time manager have been laid off, McConchie said.

Under a complicated budget formula, much of the money to operate visitors centers comes from state grants to regional tourist councils. Although the state acts as landlord, the centers are run by councils such as the North of Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau.

In October, the state eliminated its entire budget of $1 million for visitors centers. In addition, other grants for regional tourist councils, which use the money for marketing and other tourism expenses, were slashed to $2.5 million from $4.5 million.

Betsy Wall, executive director of the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism, said the funding decisions were made as a last, unpalatable resort. Governor Deval Patrick, she said, “was very clear that these cuts were made because of the state budget realities, not because he was passing judgment on the value of these stops.’’

In Salisbury’s case, McConchie said, the decade-old visitors center lost a $151,000 allocation from the state. “This is such a sensitive topic,’’ she said.

Part of that sensitivity might be linked to image. One-half mile from the Salisbury rest stop, a bustling welcome center in Seabrook, N.H., greets visitors to the Granite State.

“We have portable toilets; they have bathrooms’’ in New Hampshire, said Bill Piercey, chairman of the North of Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau. “It’s not only important to our members; it’s important to the Commonwealth as an image-builder.’’

The closing also is affecting the Essex County tourist industry, according to Piercey. One hotel operator, he said, reported that business had dropped 20 percent because of a lack of referrals from the visitors center. State officials, however, say hotel bookings in Essex County have increased overall.

Although travelers still can park at the Salisbury stop and stretch their legs, the only available refreshments are in vending machines. And for most of last week, the Salisbury stop did not even have portable toilets.

“Some people were using the bushes and everything else down here,’’ said Wes Maynard, who helped install new facilities recently. “You can’t have that.’’

Staff at the New Hampshire center said they have fielded many complaints about the Salisbury stop, including some from motorists who reversed direction on I-95 just to use the restrooms in Seabrook, which is open 24 hours a day, year-round.

Piercey said local tourism officials are working on a plan to cover their $150,000 annual share of Salisbury’s operating cost. Perhaps, Piercey said, the staff will rely on volunteers, and more revenue can be raised through sponsorships.

Officials hope this kind of public-private partnership helps reopen other rest stops, said Colin Durrant, spokesman for the Transportation Department. “Our ultimate goal,’’ he said, “is to come up with a solution to keep them open permanently.’’

That solution will be welcomed by anxious travelers. Tim Haynes, 56, admitted with a laugh that he had been looking ahead to Salisbury as he drove south from Maine.

“I was kind of waiting for it,’’ Haynes said as he exited one of the sidewalk toilets.

“You can only ask people to travel so far on the road without a facility.’’