SHERMANVILLE ILLINOIS
Gold Member
- #1
Thread Owner
HOLY CRAP 
Empire Passport annual park entry pass from $59 to $65
Use of four-wheel-drive on beach for fishing from $49 a year to $65
Captree-Robert Moses overnight parking from $200 a year to $400
Metal detecting from $20 a year to $40
Night sportfishing from $20 per year to $30
Picnic pavilion rental for weekends and holidays from $225 to $250
Thousands of Long Islanders who enjoy beach fishing, scuba diving, stargazing and other activities at state parks will be paying more this year to ease the Empire State's budget crunch.
While general admission fees are unchanged, the permit fees for 16 activities went up Jan. 1 along with increases in the Empire Passport, which provides access to all state parks, and camping fees.
Three annual user fees have doubled: Captree-Robert Moses overnight parking to $400; metal detecting to $40; and stargazing access to $30.
Ronald Foley, regional director of the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, said his staff compiled the list to contribute to a statewide goal of generating $6.5 million in new park revenue.
"Many of them had not been adjusted in years," Foley said. "So there was a desire to get them up to the value that was appropriate and somewhat standardize them. It clearly will help us avoid operating budget cuts on Long Island."
So far, he added, some people have complained when they came to renew permits, but they paid the higher fee.
Robin Dropkin, executive director of Parks & Trails New York, a statewide advocacy group, said the increases reflect "the reality nowadays. We'd rather see specific user fee increases than general admission increases because we feel people can at least get to the park and enjoy the natural setting."
"We're not going to propose a park entry fee increase," Foley said. "Everyone wants to keep the parks as accessible as we can, especially in tough times."
But raising golf fees is still under consideration. And Foley said there could be additional increases in other user fees.
Thousands of people purchase the permits. For example, about 11,000 people last year purchased four-wheel-drive beach driving permits for fishing, 2,700 people purchased sport fishing permits good at six parks, and 500 bought permits to fish at Caumsett.
"I don't think it's appropriate to raise user fees unless they're going to provide increased services," said Bill Pfeiffer, president of the Long Island Divers Association. "Financially, it's tough for everybody so we're going to be curtailing our travel and using our local resources. Making it more expensive doesn't make it very attractive."
But William Muller of Smithtown, a member of the state parks Fishing Advisory Board who just paid $32 more for three permits than he did a year ago, said, "I never like higher fees but we also have to be realistic." And at least, he added, the money generated stays in the park system.
The agency also said at the end of last year that some parks will open later and close earlier in the season, and some will see midweek service reductions or closures.
User fee increases
Empire Passport annual park entry pass from $59 to $65
Use of four-wheel-drive on beach for fishing from $49 a year to $65
Captree-Robert Moses overnight parking from $200 a year to $400
Metal detecting from $20 a year to $40
Night sportfishing from $20 per year to $30
Picnic pavilion rental for weekends and holidays from $225 to $250
http://www.newsday.com/news/printedition/longisland/ny-lipark145998220jan14,0,5329273.story
all have a good un.....................
SHERMANVILLE
I have NEVER paid to go into any park & I NEVER will, there's other places to go that are free!
You wanna discuss them, GO TO THE POLITICS THREADS! As far as I knew, this thread was about the PARKS.
