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Virgin Islands NP Proposes User Fee Increase For Trunk Bay Facilities and Boat Moorings Parkwide
Virgin Islands National Park » Virgin Islands NP Proposes User Fee Increase For Trunk Bay Facilities and Boat Moorings Parkwide » Document List
The current park user fees for Trunk Bay facilities have been in place since June 1998. Current user fees at Trunk Bay are $4.00 for an Individual Day Pass, an Individual Annual Pass is $10 with the annual Family Pass priced at $15.00. Beginning in 1990 the park began installing mooring balls to better protect the marine environment. Thanks to the financial support of the Friends of Virgin Islands National Park, overnight mooring balls have now been installed in 13 locations throughout the park. Overnight moorings are $15 per night and that fee has not changed since its inception in 2000.
The Expanded Amenity Fee at Trunk Bay is not charged to persons under 16 years of age or holders of the America the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Recreational Senior, Access or Military Passes. These passes also may be obtained at the Park.
"We are committed to keeping the park affordable however we also want to provide visitors with the best possible experience," said Virgin Islands National Park Superintendent Brion FitzGerald. "The money collected from these fees is used to maintain visitor facilities, including the boat moorings and to pay for park interpretive programs like the cultural history demonstrations at Annaberg." In 2014, fee revenues were used to rehabilitate the restrooms at the park visitor center in Cruz Bay.
This summer the Trunk Bay Shower and Restroom facilities will receive a facelift, including new fixtures, sky lights, roofs and gutters, paid for by user fees. Additional revenue raised by a fee increase would help better maintain all park facilities and ensure they remain in good condition.
Virgin Islands National Park is a strong economic engine for the Territory. In 2013, more than 400,000 park visitors contributed $64.7 million to the local economy and supported 798 jobs related to tourism.
On Wednesday, January 28th, from 5:00 to 7:00 pm, the park will be holding an open house at the park Visitor Center in Cruz Bay to discuss the proposed fee increase. The visitor center is located at 1300 Cruz Bay Creek, St John. For those unable to attend the open house, information on the proposed increase is posted on the park web page at www.nps.gov/viis
Park Management will use the feedback gained at the Open house and via the information posted on the park web page to assist in determining how, or if, a fee increase would be implemented.