<< Back 5/15/02 Board approves parking fees at NC Arboretum SMN The University of North Carolina Board of Governors last week approved the implementation of a parking fee at the North Carolina Arboretum effective Sept. 1 of this year. The state’s budget crisis and the dramatic increases in attendance at the Arboretum in recent years are responsible for the fee, officials said. The Arboretum will collect $6 per passenger vehicle, $25 per passenger vans exceeding 14 passengers, and $45 for busses. Admission will be free to everyone Tuesdays from 3 p.m. until closing. Frequent users can obtain unlimited access and avoid the parking fee by joining The North Carolina Arboretum Society, the Arboretum’s non-profit support group. Annual cost is $25 for students, $35 for individuals, and $50 for families. Parking will continue to be validated for registered school groups participating in Arboretum-sponsored programs. “The Arboretum has gone to great lengths to use their budget allocations effectively,” said Board of Governors member Jack Cecil. “And although the increases in their budget since 1995 have not even kept up with inflation, their annual attendance has increased 966 percent to almost 500,000 visitors. This is a credit to their excellent management.” Arboretum Executive Director George Briggs said that imposing a fee on visitors is a last resort. “This is not about spending increases — it’s about keeping the doors open,” he said. The Arboretum has already been forced to cut 5 percent from this year’s budget and anticipates an additional 10 percent reduction next year. And a recent spending shut down imposed on state agencies has further exacerbated the problem. “At this point we can’t fill our vacant positions, several of which are critical to the smooth operation of the Arboretum and our services to visitors,” said Briggs. “We can’t purchase supplies, print our summer educational flyer, mail out information, or even make critical repairs. Our hands are completely tied.” While researching the decision to pursue a fee plan, Arboretum staff met with a number of local community groups who now regularly use the miles of hiking and biking trails and facilities, as well as representatives from tourism agencies and the horticultural industry. Briggs emphasized that 100 percent of all fees collected will help pay for the operation of the Arboretum to keep it open to the public 364 days a year, from dusk to dark. “I met with UNC President Molly Broad last fall to plan ways that the Arboretum can raise money so that we can continue to keep the services, grounds, exhibits and trails accessible to everyone,” said Briggs. “In addition to the parking fee, we are planning a gift shop and food service, pending a change in state law that should be approved this summer.” Arboretum staff members have prepared a list of “Frequently Asked Questions” about the fee plan that can be accessed through their website at www.ncarboretum.org. The handout can also be picked up at the Arboretum, located near the entrance to the Blue Ridge Parkway at mile marker 393 off Route 191 in the Bent Creek area of Asheville. For more information, contact the Arboretum at 828.665.2492.