The Goose and the Gander

In its never ending pursuit of government subsidies to support special interest projects in the city of Erie, the Erie Times-News has thrown its editorial support behind Congressman Phil English’s proposal to establish a steady stream of federal dollars to cover some of the annual costs of sand replenishment on Presque Isle State Park beaches.

In a recent editorial (Oct. 9, 2007), the Times-News said: “U.S. Rep. Phil English, of Erie, R-3rd Dist., has identified the right approach to finally ending the annual scramble for federal dollars to pay for sand replenishment at Presque Isle State Park.”

Without going into the complex details of his proposal, English’s plan would earmark up to $2 million each year for Presque Isle sand replenishment. In the past, both state and federal funds have been appropriated for this purpose on an ad hoc basis at around $1 million per year, with the state providing about 60 percent and the federal government the balance. Both the funding and level of funding are typically uncertain from year to year and dependent upon political exigencies.

I have a novel idea that would spare state and federal taxpayers this annual burden and remove the uncertainty. Let those who use the park and its beaches pay for the cost of maintaining it. Charge an entrance or user fee to enter and use the state park’s various recreational and other facilities and services. That’s standard procedure in most, if not all other state parks in Pennsylvania. Why should those millions of state and federal taxpayers who do not use the park pay for its maintenance?

According to park figures, about 4 million people visit the park each year, most of them during the brief summer season, bringing about $700 million to the local economy. Both those figures are suspect, but let’s assume, for the purposes of argument, they are correct. Three-fourths, or three million of the Presque Isle visitors use the sand beaches for swimming, sun-bathing and picnicking. Charging a mere half dollar entrance fee would bring in roughly twice the amount needed for annual sand replenishment.

Deduct a standard two or three percent for administrative costs of collecting the fee and accounting purposes, deduct another ten percent to allow for those who might be driven away by this nominal fee, and there’s still plenty left over for sand replenishment and other park improvements and augmented services.

In another recent editorial, the Times-News harshly criticized efforts by Republican Reps. English and John Peterson for opposing Governor Ed Rendell’s proposal to impose a toll on Interstate 80, employing the trusty NIMBY (not in my back yard) syndrome to ridicule their efforts.

What’s good for the goose is good for the gander. Surely the Times-News cannot oppose a plan to charge an entrance fee at Presque Isle State Park, while supporting a toll on Interstate 80. That would turn its NIMBY argument back on itself, and make itself look foolish.