Bent’s Old Fort Fee Change Proposal
Description: Bents Old Fort National Historical Site has a Potential for Changing Fee Programs to Keep Pace with Inflation.(Photo Credit: Ruth Copeland)
Bent’s Old Fort Fee Change Proposal
La Junta, CO – Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site managers will be presenting two public meetings at Woodruff Memorial Library, located at 522 Colorado Avenue in La Junta. The purpose of the meetings is to gain input from the public concerning a proposal to make fee schedule changes for the park. The first meeting is on Thursday, May 27, from 5:00 pm to 6:30 pm. The second meeting is scheduled for Saturday, June 5, from 10:00 am to 11:30 am.
Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site's (BEOL) fee program has been in place since 1987. The current fee program is based upon living history fees. For the past 25 years, the living history fees have remained unchanged and, therefore, not kept pace with inflation.
To align with National Park Service policy, to keep fees in line with the cost of living, and for administrative purposes, the most appropriate fee to charge at Bent's Old Fort NHS is a park entrance fee, not living history fees. Entrance fees are regularly updated on a national basis, and parks such as Bent’s Old Fort are the least expensive to enter.
“We currently cannot honor any of the six nationwide park passes that allow free park entrance because we charge living history fees, not entrance fees,” said Superintendent West. That is just one of many issues with the current system. The superintendent plans to describe all aspects of the proposed fee system changes at the meeting.
The authority to charge recreational fees at national parks stems from the 2004 Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (FLREA). What are entrance fees used for? Federal law requires that recreational fees charged on public lands be used for direct visitor benefits. Eighty percent of every fee dollar collected at Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site will remain at Bent's Old Fort, and the remaining 20 percent is available to all parks on an as-needed basis. All collected fees are invested back into the parks to improve visitor facilities and services.
The proposed implementation date for the fee schedule change is January 1, 2022.
On May 25, a similar public meeting will be held at the Bent County Community Center in Las Animas at 6:00 pm. On June 2, the same public meeting will be held at the Rocky Ford Public Safety Building at 6:00 pm. on June 2 at 6:00 pm. All four public meetings are being held to allow input from park users, park neighbors, community members, and the interested public concerning the proposal. Written comments may be submitted online via the National Park Service’s Planning, Environment and Public Comment (PEPC) website at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/
Park Superintendent,
Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site
35110 State Highway 194
La Junta, CO 81050
Following the 30-day public comment period, feedback received will help determine how, or if, a fee schedule change will be implemented. For more information, please visit the park website at https://www.nps.gov/beol/
Details and updates on park operations will continue to be posted on the park website https://www.nps.gov/beol/
http://seconews.org/santa-fe-trail/
Follow SECO News on Facebook.
Subscribe to the SECO News YouTube Channel.
Press releases Sponsor
Announcements Sponsor
.jpg)
.png)
.png)
 (728 x 90 px).png)
