Community rallies to save gold discovery park from closure
The curtain may come down on a cherished nugget of California history this fall. Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park could close sometime after Labor Day along with approximately 100 other parks as part of the state’s attempts to balance the budget. The site appears on a May document of proposed park closures, but the final list won’t be released until early September, according to Jenna Nielsen, spokeswoman for Assemblyman Ted Gaines, R-Granite Bay. On Monday, Gaines sent a letter to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger asking him to reconsider closing the park based on economic, safety, historical preservation, cultural and educational reasons. “The economic hit of the park’s closure would spread far beyond that of El Dorado County,” Gaines said in the letter. “In addition to the effect on local tourism, businesses such as rafting, horseback riding and local shops will be devastated. This is not the time to be driving small businesses to shutter their stores and adding to our already high unemployment numbers.” Gaines’ office has received a huge response from the community, chambers of commerce, the Gold Discovery Park Association and El Dorado County Board of Supervisors to keep the park open, Nielsen said. Operating costs have put the park on the chopping block. It costs much more to keep it open than it collects in revenue, according to Alan Ehrgott, executive director of the American River Conservancy. Entrance fees are $8 per vehicle or $7 if there’s a senior over 62 in the car. Students who visit in their school bus and have a reservation through Reserve America get in free. For schools contracting with a commercial tour company for the visit, the tour companies pay $50 to $100 per bus, depending on the number of occupants, according to Jerry Kessler at the Marshall Gold Discovery Park Museum. Included among the thousands of visitors annually are some 70,000 fourth-graders from all over the state, many of whom get free admission. “They come to Marshall Gold for a fourth-grade history unit and the park provides an interpretation of the Gold Rush,” Ehrgott said. … “It’s kind of ironic that the park is being penalized by other (parks) that can charge revenue, when in reality it was the Legislature that set it up as a public (entity) to help our students learn about history. They’re putting limitations on what can be charged to children and the public. And because it doesn’t make as much money as other parks, it is slated for closure.” According to Ehrgott, in a community meeting last week in Coloma, Scott Nicaji, superintendent of the Gold Fields Park District, said it would take $500,000 to $700,000 to make the park profitable. Gaines’ office has requested and will be reviewing park-operating figures, Nielsen said. “Fees cover about $200,000,” she added. A call to Nicaji’s office was not returned as of press time. El Dorado County has joined the campaign on behalf of the park. On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors approved a resolution to support keeping the park open and funded, according to Terry Gherardi, administrative assistant to District 4 Supervisor Ron Briggs. Briggs’ office is receiving a heavy volume of e-mails, letters and phone calls in favor of the effort — not just from the local area, but statewide, Gherardi said. Briggs held two meetings at the Marshall Gold site last week and planned to have another one Thursday. Fliers and posters have been printed for Thursday’s meeting with the focus on getting letters and e-mails into the hands of State Parks Director Ruth Coleman, who will make the final decision. The Gold Discovery Park Association is also involved in coordinating efforts to keep the park open and has received small donations for posters, banners and postage, Director Lois Fortress said. A Web site, keepsuttersmillopen.org has been created for the campaign and includes a calendar of events. Fortress is keeping an optimistic outlook. “This isn’t the first time,” she said. “It was on the list last year and was saved. I think it will stay open, but I don’t know what it will mean. I don’t know if there will be new guidelines.” Gloria Young can be reached at gloriay@goldcountrymedia.com
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Here's an idea: Just get the government employees out of the way (send them home), open the "gates" or whatever blocking device is there to hinder entrance, and LET THE PUBLIC WHO HAS PAID FOR THESE ATTRACTIONS FOR DECADES GET IN TO SEE AND ENJOY THEM.
Since when do citizens need some "ranger" or park employee to take more money from them so they can drive and/or park to see what nature has created? Does everyone really need to stand in a line in the "visitor's center" to figure out what's there? Since many of these places are staffed by volunteers and/or camp managers who get a space to park and oversee daily activities, why do we need all the paid employees at all? Cleanup can be monitored if necessary...you take out what you bring in or get fined. Is the road going to crumble from use? Are the present buildings going to fall apart? Are the utilities going to break down? I think not.
There are lots of people who would volunteer some time or services to keep all these parks and attractions hummimg along just fine....without spending tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars to keep the gates open. These are not supposed to be businesses or revenue generators for government. They already belong to the public and have been paid for many times over.
Deja_View, and who would clean the restrooms, mow the grass, clean up the graffiti, maintain the trails, keep the mill replica operating, the displays in good condition, man the museum and the gift shop? I almost forgot, who would organize and put on the yearly Jan. 14 winding to celebrate the gold discovery? Any volunteers? Going to need a boat load.
You are correct, the parks belong to the citizens of California but as owners we must pay someone to keep them up for the owners to enjoy.
"Operating costs have put the park on the chopping block. It costs much more to keep it open than it collects in revenue, according to Alan Ehrgott, executive director of the American River Conservancy."
Raise the rates, Id rather see it open then closed, if the article is correct, people will still visit and pay more for doing so...
To be clear, exactly what does "closing" the park mean? A public roadway runs through it, and there are no effective barriers to keep people from wandering the grounds.
So I assume it means no museum, padlocked toilets and chained parking lots, and that's shame. But they're not going mow, or protect the site from vandals? Hard to believe.
Aren't they really essentially talking about "mothballing" the amenities? It stops being a place to brings busloads of people and becomes another roadside Historical Marker?
Why is it portrayed as a all-to-nothing proposition?
Let the State lease the park to a private company to keep it open. If California leased it to a private company it would then become a profit center for the government in rent. Include in the contract that the private company must keep it open certain hours, maintain it, and make no changes to it without state approval, etc. The state could also take a commission from the goods that were sold from the gift shop or activities that are there adding to the states profit.
We have been camping at Donner state Memorial park about every 3rd weekend since May this year and already the restrooms are 1/2 locked up., and the others are filthy. I agee maybe a few less rangers standing around it the entrance booth. Maybe one or two can go and refill the toilet paper or sweep out the floors. I love Donner but please help keep it clean instead of standing the the little booth at the gate.
This just shows how much we've changed as a society. My mom used to play at the "park" before it was a park when she was a little girl, wandering through the old delapidated structures. Now it will be closed to the public because we can't afford people to babysit us while we're there, and because some idiots will vandalize it if given the opportunity. Loomis, you make valid points, but I have to think that 95% of those things you listed are really not needed. We should have a couple outhouses so people don't poop on the ground. The "need" to have everything is what has bankrupted the state. Then again, maybe I'm just a tightwad. :) It just seems ironic to me that we will be unable to celebrate the rugged, risk taking founders of this state because we won't be able to have all the comforts of modern living available when we do so.
I incline towards auburntom's take on this.
The core value of the park is its historic structures, not the gift shops, ice cream parlors, re-enactors, or even the nice little museum. For the time being as least, maybe protecting it is all the state can afford.