In April and May a survey of Park visitors was conducted at random in the vicinity of the Arboretum, Museums and the Tea Garden. No position was advocated and two simple questions were asked of those who agreed to participate: 1) Where do you live? and 2) Would you visit the Arboretum if there were a $5-$7 fee?. The results indicate the following:
- 87.5% of S.F. residents would not pay to visit the Garden.
- 73% of non-residents would not pay to visit the Garden.
The link at the bottom of this page leads to an analysis of the Recreation and Park Department's non-resident fee proposal. The original plan was drawn from a study commmissioned by the S.F. Botanical Society to justify a fee and compiled by Dean Runyon Associates. Their report shows the following:
- The fee proposal will cut visitation to the garden by half.
- The plan will lead to losses if residents are not charged a fee.
This letter was delivered to the each member of the San Francisco Board Recreation and Park Commission March 1, 2010. A PDF copy along with calculations can be accessed at the link at the bottom of the letter.
March 1st, 2010
Dear S.F. Recreation and Parks Commissioners,
This letter was delivered to the office of San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and the offices of each member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors on Friday, May 15, 2009.
The Honorable Mayor Gavin Newsom
1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place
Room 200
San Francisco, Ca. 94102
Date: May 15th, 2009
Re: Proposed Fee at Strybing Arboretum
Dear Mayor Newsom,
We are opposed to any fee to enter the San Francisco Arboretum & Botanical Garden.
Whereas, the Mayor's Director of Partnerships, Rich Hillis, and the director of the Botanical Gardens Brent Dennis, propose to charge a fee to enter the gardens, which for 68 years have been a free and integral part of Golden Gate Park and an important part of the commons enjoyed by all and available to all; and
This article appeared in the Sierra Club Yodeler and is reprinted with their kind permission.
Is Golden Gate Park going to be turned into an expansive series of commercial attractions?
The Recreation and Parks Commission is proposing to charge admission at the San Francisco Botanical Garden, known also by its original name as the Strybing Arboretum.
