Date: May 15, 2015
Contact: Joel Cadoff, (912) 786-5787 X114
SAVANNAH – Fort Pulaski National Monument will implement an entrance fee increase on June 15, 2015. The park was authorized by the National Park Service (NPS) to increase the - entrance fee from $5 to $7 and the full Fort Pulaski Annual Park Pass from $10 to $30. This intermediate increase will permit the park to retain fiscal flexibility in the current climate and enable Fort Pulaski National Monument to move forward with plans outlined in its new business plan developed last summer.
Fort Pulaski National Monument sought public comment for the increase proposed entrance fee in the fall of 2015, and the public feedback was largely supportive of the increase. The increase will enable the Monument to continue to provide high quality visitor facilities and programming as well as care for significant historic and natural resources.
Entrance fees are not charged to persons under 16 years of age or holders of the America the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Recreation Annual, Senior, Access, or Military Passes. These passes may be obtained at the park as well as other federal fee areas. The cost of these passes will not increase. Commercial tours and buses will now pay per person rather than by capacity.
The entrance fee rates are based on a national fee rate schedule that was due to be implemented back in 2009, but was postponed by the NPS due to the national economic downturn that occurred at about the same time. The additional revenue from the fee increase will be used to enhance visitor services, including repair and maintenance of park facilities, restoration and rehabilitation of historic Fort Pulaski, additional park programs, and increased resource protection. There will be an emphasis on park improvements prior to the NPS centennial anniversary in 2016.
This fee increase is part of a larger National Park Service initiative to standardize fees in similar national parks across the country. Previous fee increases have had no negative effect on visitation levels. Fort Pulaski National Monument is a strong economic engine for the surrounding area. In 2014, a National Park Service report showed that 387, 000 visitors to the National Monument spent $23.9 million in communities near the park. That spending supported 351 jobs in the local area.
Fort Pulaski National Monument is located on U.S. Highway 80, 15 miles east of Savannah. For more information, please visit the website of Fort Pulaski National Monument at www.nps.gov/fopu or call (912) 786-5787. You can also follow the park on Twitter at www.twitter.com/FortPulaskiNPS or like the official Fort Pulaski National Monument Facebook page at www.facebook.com/FortPulaskiNPS.
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