The proposed increase, which would go into effect the summer of 2017, was the subject of an open house at Sandy Hook on Wednesday night
SANDY HOOK -- National Park Service officials defended a proposed increase in parking fees starting next summer at Sandy Hook at an open house Wednesday night that attracted few people but a slew of questions about how the additional money would be used.
As one of the three parks in New Jersey and New York making up what is known as Gateway National Recreation Area, Sandy Hook needs the increase to fund existing programs, repair buildings and restore natural habitats, among other initiatives, parks officials have said.
But the plan also has its detractors who say that while that additional money may be destined for worthy projects, it could backfire and discourage patrons from visiting the 7-mile peninsula bordered by Sandy Hook Bay and the Atlantic Ocean.
U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone said he was concerned that a jump from $15 to $20 per car per day and from $75 to $100 for a season pass could put the beach out of reach for many residents. Senior passes would be half of the daily or seasonal fee.
Pallone noted the hike would amount to twice as much as the fees from five years ago, when the charge for parking was $10 a day per car.
"I don't want to see it become less affordable by doubling the fees," Pallone said.
He questioned why parking fees were more expensive at Sandy Hook than at one of Gateway's other beaches, Jacob Riis Park in Queens, New York, and said he was concerned that although Sandy Hook would generate the majority of the parking fees at Gateway's three sites, it wouldn't get its fair share of the revenue for repairs and improvements.
Sandy Hook's proposed parking fee hikes come under fire
Atlantic Highlands Mayor Rhonda LeGrice questioned whether the added revenue would be used to replace the food trucks that are servicing beach patrons after Hurricane Sandy in 2012 badly damaged or destroyed the concession stands at the beach centers.
"The food trucks are great but they're not a replacement," LeGrice said.
Park officials said the proposed parking fees are based on prices that would not undercut other beaches in New Jersey. Michal Wisniewski, business management specialist for the park service, said the proposed $15 parking fee at Riis Park is lower than Sandy Hook because other nearby beaches - Robert Moses State Park and Jones Beach on Long Island - charge $10 per car in the summer.
Wisniewski said that while it's difficult to compare per-person fees -- as most beaches in New Jersey are based - with Sandy Hook's per-car fee, park officials based their decisions on beaches such as Seaside Heights, which charges $7 per person on weekdays and $8 on weekends, and Avon-by-the-Sea, which charges $9 a day.
"While municipal beaches are increasing their rates, Sandy Hook must also not undercut those beaches at the same time," Wisniewski said.
But Pallone and LeGrice said the park service should have considered the fees at beaches closer to Sandy Hook, such as Asbury Park and Long Branch - which charge less than Seaside and Avon.
Richard McCormick, a Hopatcong resident who's been going to Sandy Hook for more than four decades, said he wouldn't object to the proposed parking fee increase if all park patrons were charged to get in and if rangers cracked down on enforcement of existing park policies, such as no littering and no glass beverage containers.
McCormick said the park could reduce the proposed increase by extending the hours parking fees are charged by two hours - until 7 p.m.
Daphne Yun, a spokeswoman for Sandy Hook, said any changes in hours or in the areas where parking fees are effective would have to come from the U.S. Department of Interior, which oversees the park service.
She said some of the projects planned for Sandy Hook that would be funded partially through the proposed increase include improvements to the former Nike missile radar site and new restrooms at Guardian Park.
Sandy Hook, which attracts nearly 2 million visitors annually, charges parking fees at all its beach centers but does not charge a fee for patrons who park in the non-beach center lots north of the former Nike missile radar site, such as at Guardian Park, a popular spot for barbecues near Fort Hancock.
The open house was part of the public comment period that opened on July 29 and runs through Sept. 5. The park service set up tables last month outside two beach centers to take comment from beachgoers.
Members of the public may also submit written comments online atGateway_Fee_increase@nps.gov, or at the following address:
Office of the Superintendent
Gateway National Recreation Area
ATTN: Proposed parking fee increase
210 New York Ave., Staten Island, New York 10305