VISITORS TO PAY MORE AT LAKE TAGHKANIC

Mike McCagg

ccSCOOP News

05-04-10 - 1:55 p.m. - Visitors to Lake Taghkanic State Park will have to dig a little deeper into their pockets this summer as a result of the latest state action impacting users and visitors to state parks. The state is imposing a $1 increase, up to $8 per car per visit this year to visitors to the park during swimming season, which runs from late May until September.

Dan Keefe, a spokesman for the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, said fee increase is part of plan to raise $4 million in revenue from fee increases at flagship parks—of which Lake Taghkanic is one—as well as at golf courses, ocean beaches, and campsites. The campsite fee increase targets out-of-state campers, imposing a $5 a night surcharge on campsites and $25 a week surcharge on cottage and cabin rentals for out-of-state visitors at all state campsites, including Lake Taghkanic and the Taconic State Park in Copake Falls.

The fee increases, which are built into the 2010-11 fiscal year budget plan that calls for closing or reducing operations at dozens of state parks and historic sites, will not change the number of parks and historic sites slated for reduced services or closures, Keefe said. The latter includes the Olana State Historic Site, which is scheduled to close two days a week under a plan announced by Governor David Paterson earlier this year. The Olana Partnership has offered to subsidize the site's operations this year to maintain the current six-day-a-week tour schedule, TOP President Sarah Griffen said.

On a positive note, Keefe said no further reductions in services or cuts are planned for the Taconic Region this year.

“Enough has been done already,” he said.

Last year, the state implemented several cut backs at local parks as it dealt with fiscal problems, including delaying weekday opening of the West Beach at Lake Taghkanic until June 27, well past the traditional Memorial Day start of daily swimming at the lake. (The beach did open for weekends starting on Memorial Day.) In addition, the East Beach at Lake Taghkanic was closed and the opening of campgrounds and cabins at Copake Falls was delayed several weeks. Finally, Clermont State Historic Site was closed for three winter months.