Hot Springs National Park has received approval from the National Park Service headquarters to increase fees charged at select campsites and the Fordyce Bath House Museum.
In January, The Sentinel-Record reported that the park service was considering increasing overnight fees at the Gulpha Gorge Campground sites with water, sewer and electricity hookups from $24 to $30, while primitive sites would remain at $10 per night.
The park also proposed adding a nominal, per-person fee for adults only for tours of the Fordyce Bath House Museum. The implementation of a $5 fee has been approved, however, it is being deferred until October 2016.
"We have gotten the green light to add a nominal fee at the Fordyce, but we need some extra time to implement this addition," said Josie Fernandez, HSNP superintendent.
"We have to work out the logistics as some things, like our free movie that we show in the visitors center must continue to be free. And when we consider bringing in cash registers and putting in place the system to collect and deposit this new revenue, there is a lot that needs to happen before we can implement the fees.
"In a way, we've gotten permission to collect the fees, but we're delaying until we have a system in place," she said.
Revenue generated from these fees will remain in Hot Springs National Park to offer more opportunities for visitors to learn from park interpreters about Hot Springs' bathing history.
The park service in January sought public input on the matter, as well as suggestions from organizations throughout the community. The overall consensus was positive for increasing fees at the campgrounds; however, it was stressed that the proposed museum fee be approached carefully.
During their December 2014 meeting, the Hot Springs Advertising and Promotion Commission agreed there was no objection to increasing fees at the campgrounds, but advised reconsidering the fees at the Fordyce, asking that the park service keep the fee to a minimum.
"The Fordyce Bath House Museum has been a wonderful introduction to the history of Hot Springs for our visitors ever since it reopened in May of 1989," Visit Hot Springs CEO Steve Arrison wrote in a letter responding to the proposal late last year.
"The commission would ask that if you have to charge an admission fee for our visitors that it be the minimum amount that is needed to cover your operating costs. Keep the admission charge as small as possible," he said.
The primary concerns Fernandez said she heard about the added fees dealt with families and children; however, visitors 17 and under will not be charged a fee.
Local on 05/16/2015