Letters: Opinions on Fort Fees (Three letters printed Oct. 27)
Keep fees out of Fort Williams
Editor:
I am writing to urge Cape Elizabeth residents to vote against the proposal to charge an entrance fee to Fort Williams.
The Town Council voted 4-3 against the pay/display proposal at the August 14th meeting, when 26 residents spoke against charging a fee, while none spoke in favor of the proposal. This issue has been debated many times since the town acquired the Fort in 1964, most recently in 2003, and every time the idea of charging our neighbors to enjoy the natural beauty we are fortunate to call our own has been defeated. Yet, stubbornly, the issue has been raised again and now it’s up to Cape residents to demonstrate, once and for all, that we do not support fees at the Fort.
There are so many reasons why this is a bad idea. According to town records, the average Cape household pays approximately $50 per year to maintain the park, for a total of about $123,000 per year. That’s 4/10 of 1 percent of the town’s budget. Four-tenths of 1 percent! Surely we’re not going to add to our already elitist reputation by demanding that others cover 4/10s of 1 percent of our budget!
The working group that drafted the entrance fee concept estimates start-up costs to be approximately $50,000, plus the annual salary of a park ranger, yet they admit that there hasn’t been an annual visitor count since the 1980s. Despite the unarguable fact that the park draws a considerable number of visitors annually, such a significant action should be based on a factual study and not a common belief.
There is also the distinct possibility that fewer visitors will come to the Fort if they know they will be charged a fee. How many times have people opted to go to the Fort instead of Two Lights or Crescent Beach because those are State Parks that charge admission? Can the working group truly accurately estimate the amount of revenue they hope to raise if they don’t even know how many people visit the park on an annual basis? There will be the additional personnel costs for the park ranger, but how exactly is he/she supposed to enforce the fee? Approach every visitor at the Fort and demand proof of payment? Is this living up to our state motto of how life should be?
If we establish this dangerous precedent, where will it end? When money is tight in the future, what will stop proponents from forcing through an increase in fees? When will pedestrians and bicyclists have to pay? When will the fees be expanded to include Cape residents? I pray that I will never see the day when my children, who have grown up playing at the park, return to Cape as adults with my grandchildren and we’ll all have to pay to enter.
Fort Williams is a municipal park, owned by the Town of Cape Elizabeth. Other municipalities don’t charge an entrance fee to their parks. South Portland maintains Willard Beach and Spring Point and they don’t charge. One doesn’t pay to stroll around the beautiful grounds of Deering Oaks Park, or along Back Bay. What’s next – an entrance fee to Kettle Cove?
The whole feel of the park will change if we charge a fee. Guests will rightly expect services, which will cost even more money to implement. They’ll demand bathrooms, trash-cans, a glossy brochure, perhaps a tour guide. The whole idea of “please respect our park, feel free to use it, it’s our gift to you” could well change to “I’m paying for someone to pick up after me, so I won’t bother to do it myself.”
Charging a fee to experience the beauty and serenity of Fort Williams is just wrong. Please cast your ballot to keep the Fort free. It’s the right thing to do.
Debbie Fisher
Cape Elizabeth
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Editor:
Not many have spoken about what Fort Williams has meant, the history it has endured, families it has bonded, graduations it has blessed, teams that have won, lost and tied, while music has played and fireworks boomed. The unspoken charity, unspoken gift, from us, fortunate residents, to others to enjoy– our green grass, sprawling waves, cookouts, nature walks and education; a park like no others.
My history starts with my Father, Jim, a deciding vote as Selectman, to keep this endowment for future generations, not for a university to give back to a few. My history is brief but the park shows more history, brave men, who protected this area, a deeper history for all. That will change if we don’t consider what we will lose with Fort fees.
We may want revenue for fields, books, and buildings, but the park is an education in itself. It is family, it is groups, it is history. A look at the license plates will tell you it is for all. When I can’t donate to one more charity, I remember, my greatest gift that we give to others, Fort Williams.
There are other solutions to maintain the park. We need those. This charity begins at home, a free, open park– the proudest donation of Cape Elizabeth. Please remember the history, your life at the Fort, those you graciously welcome– the vote you can’t take back. Solutions not fees for the Fort!
Susan Murray Guerette
Cape Elizabeth
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Editor:
Ever get the feeling that this wonderful world of technology we’ve created is becoming the master and we’re what is programmed?
Whether you’re in the depths of despair or walking on air, there’s no Rx to compare with a walk in Fort Williams Park. It kicks the gray matter into high gear; thoughts turn over and ideas surface.
In a recent letter to the Press Herald it was noted that maintaining the stone walks in the Fort Williams Park takes $13,000 to $30,000 per year. The cost was met with money from $120,000+ allotted annually for park upkeep. Did anyone suggest a different approach? Could it be that one of the trade schools might have students interested in stone work or landscaping? What a great classroom: Fort Williams Park– learn by doing.
That same letter to the press failed to mention that Fort Williams Park produces revenue from the museum, the gift shop and the picinic shelter. We can afford to share; we should be ashamed not to.
On Nov. 7, please vote “No” on parking fees.
You’ll be taking the high road.
R.B. Pitzik
Cape Elizabeth
Editor:
I am writing to urge Cape Elizabeth residents to vote against the proposal to charge an entrance fee to Fort Williams.
The Town Council voted 4-3 against the pay/display proposal at the August 14th meeting, when 26 residents spoke against charging a fee, while none spoke in favor of the proposal. This issue has been debated many times since the town acquired the Fort in 1964, most recently in 2003, and every time the idea of charging our neighbors to enjoy the natural beauty we are fortunate to call our own has been defeated. Yet, stubbornly, the issue has been raised again and now it’s up to Cape residents to demonstrate, once and for all, that we do not support fees at the Fort.
There are so many reasons why this is a bad idea. According to town records, the average Cape household pays approximately $50 per year to maintain the park, for a total of about $123,000 per year. That’s 4/10 of 1 percent of the town’s budget. Four-tenths of 1 percent! Surely we’re not going to add to our already elitist reputation by demanding that others cover 4/10s of 1 percent of our budget!
The working group that drafted the entrance fee concept estimates start-up costs to be approximately $50,000, plus the annual salary of a park ranger, yet they admit that there hasn’t been an annual visitor count since the 1980s. Despite the unarguable fact that the park draws a considerable number of visitors annually, such a significant action should be based on a factual study and not a common belief.
There is also the distinct possibility that fewer visitors will come to the Fort if they know they will be charged a fee. How many times have people opted to go to the Fort instead of Two Lights or Crescent Beach because those are State Parks that charge admission? Can the working group truly accurately estimate the amount of revenue they hope to raise if they don’t even know how many people visit the park on an annual basis? There will be the additional personnel costs for the park ranger, but how exactly is he/she supposed to enforce the fee? Approach every visitor at the Fort and demand proof of payment? Is this living up to our state motto of how life should be?
If we establish this dangerous precedent, where will it end? When money is tight in the future, what will stop proponents from forcing through an increase in fees? When will pedestrians and bicyclists have to pay? When will the fees be expanded to include Cape residents? I pray that I will never see the day when my children, who have grown up playing at the park, return to Cape as adults with my grandchildren and we’ll all have to pay to enter.
Fort Williams is a municipal park, owned by the Town of Cape Elizabeth. Other municipalities don’t charge an entrance fee to their parks. South Portland maintains Willard Beach and Spring Point and they don’t charge. One doesn’t pay to stroll around the beautiful grounds of Deering Oaks Park, or along Back Bay. What’s next – an entrance fee to Kettle Cove?
The whole feel of the park will change if we charge a fee. Guests will rightly expect services, which will cost even more money to implement. They’ll demand bathrooms, trash-cans, a glossy brochure, perhaps a tour guide. The whole idea of “please respect our park, feel free to use it, it’s our gift to you” could well change to “I’m paying for someone to pick up after me, so I won’t bother to do it myself.”
Charging a fee to experience the beauty and serenity of Fort Williams is just wrong. Please cast your ballot to keep the Fort free. It’s the right thing to do.
Debbie Fisher
Cape Elizabeth
-----------------------------------------------------------
Editor:
Not many have spoken about what Fort Williams has meant, the history it has endured, families it has bonded, graduations it has blessed, teams that have won, lost and tied, while music has played and fireworks boomed. The unspoken charity, unspoken gift, from us, fortunate residents, to others to enjoy– our green grass, sprawling waves, cookouts, nature walks and education; a park like no others.
My history starts with my Father, Jim, a deciding vote as Selectman, to keep this endowment for future generations, not for a university to give back to a few. My history is brief but the park shows more history, brave men, who protected this area, a deeper history for all. That will change if we don’t consider what we will lose with Fort fees.
We may want revenue for fields, books, and buildings, but the park is an education in itself. It is family, it is groups, it is history. A look at the license plates will tell you it is for all. When I can’t donate to one more charity, I remember, my greatest gift that we give to others, Fort Williams.
There are other solutions to maintain the park. We need those. This charity begins at home, a free, open park– the proudest donation of Cape Elizabeth. Please remember the history, your life at the Fort, those you graciously welcome– the vote you can’t take back. Solutions not fees for the Fort!
Susan Murray Guerette
Cape Elizabeth
-----------------------------------------------------------
Editor:
Ever get the feeling that this wonderful world of technology we’ve created is becoming the master and we’re what is programmed?
Whether you’re in the depths of despair or walking on air, there’s no Rx to compare with a walk in Fort Williams Park. It kicks the gray matter into high gear; thoughts turn over and ideas surface.
In a recent letter to the Press Herald it was noted that maintaining the stone walks in the Fort Williams Park takes $13,000 to $30,000 per year. The cost was met with money from $120,000+ allotted annually for park upkeep. Did anyone suggest a different approach? Could it be that one of the trade schools might have students interested in stone work or landscaping? What a great classroom: Fort Williams Park– learn by doing.
That same letter to the press failed to mention that Fort Williams Park produces revenue from the museum, the gift shop and the picinic shelter. We can afford to share; we should be ashamed not to.
On Nov. 7, please vote “No” on parking fees.
You’ll be taking the high road.
R.B. Pitzik
Cape Elizabeth
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