If you’re a San Franciscan, be glad because you won’t have to pay the new entrance fees at the San Francisco Botanical Garden in Golden Gate Park.
The Examiner reports that the Rec and Park Commission voted yesterday to charge non-residents to visit the garden.
The garden has been free for all visitors for the past 60 years, but “because of the disproportionate number of gardeners compared to any other park in The City, the commission decided it had to be done to justify spending so much money on one open space”. The Botanical Garden employs 11 full-time gardeners.
As you may recall, there was a big fight last year to block any admission fees. While there was opposition to this latest effort, the furor from earlier fights seems to have died down. The Rec & Park Dept. also did not hold as many public forums to discuss the issue, which effectively silenced the opposition.
The Commission approved the following fees for non-residents: $7 for adults, $5 for seniors, $5 for youth (12-17), $2 for between ages 5-11, free for children under 4. There’s also a family rate for $4.
No word yet on when these new fees will go into effect. The Rec & Park Commission says they will review the fees again in a year. Let’s hope that doesn’t result in adding on a fee for SF residents as well.
What do you think? Will it change whether you recommend the Botanical Garden to visiting friends and family?
UPDATE: If you are against the new fee and would like to encourage the Board of Supervisors to vote against the change, contact your supervisor or visit keeparboretumfree.org for more information.
Sarah B.
I think the Board of Supervisors still needs to approve the fee before Strybing can start charging its customers.
I’ll agree that there was less furor this go-around and that had something to do with the lack of any big public meetings. But really, I’m not sure how any more big meetings would have benefitted anybody.
The pro-fee people have spent $10k or something on a lobbying campaign. We’ll soon see how effective it is.
I think this is a pretty tough sell. I like the botanical gardens, but considering it is smack dab in the middle of a pretty nice park that will always be free (suddenly realizing I should be knocking on wood) I am not sure you can justify the extra money. I wonder how they will work the Horticulture Library, will you have to pay to go there too? The botanical gardens just don’t have the draw that the Japanese Tea Garden or the Conservatory of Flowers has. I would be surprised if they make any money on this. Then again, it might be the kind of things where tourists see there is something they can pay money for, so it must be worth seeing. We shall see.
How did this happen? Why didn’t we know this was being considered? Last year hundreds of people protested the charging admission to the Arboretum. Now they’ve slipped this in under the radar. Where’s the outrage! If you oppose this decision, please write the Board of Supervisors. Even better, find out when the vote will be taken, and show up to object.
Seems rather strange that we all must now carry an I.D. proving we live here no matter how young.
Don’t see the benefit (s) of this proposal. Mean-spirited City and County of S.F. once agan.
great. just great. so I don’t live in my hometown anymore (and probably never will). never mind that I’m in SF several times a month. I ain’t no tourist!