PORT TOWNSEND — Tourism officials offer differing opinions on the effect of parking fees that are likely to be imposed at Fort Worden State Park beginning in January.
“In most instances, visitors coming to Port Townsend expect some kind of fees to park or attend events,” Port Townsend Marketing Director Nancy Borino said Tuesday.
Borino said fees might cause more chagrin among area residents who visit the park often. She believes tourists would still come.
Borino didn’t downplay the importance of keeping attendance up at the fort, however and applauded the Fort Worden Advisory Committee’s work on the issue.
The committee has been pressing for Jefferson governments and business organizations to contribute to a fund to offset the $5 parking fee at the state park.
Port Townsend-Jefferson County handed the state Department of Parks and Recreation $25,000 to offset the fees this year and keep parking free.
Fort Worden State Park and Conference Center, they said, is too vital to the area’s economy to discourage visitors.
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The rest of the story appears in the Wednesday Peninsula Daily News.
