By Angeljean
Chiaramida
Staff writer
Tue, May 27 2008 BOSTON — Visitors will pay $2 more to get into Salisbury Beach
State Reservation under a plan approved by the state Senate this week. The $2 surcharge will go into the newly created Salisbury Beach
Preservation Trust Fund. It's expected to raise $250,000 of dedicated revenue
annually to fight erosion and preserve Salisbury Beach. It still needs approval from Gov. Deval Patrick and the House,
but Sen. Steven Baddour, the fund's creator, expects that will happen. If it
passes, the fee would take effect July 1. "I'm very excited about this," Baddour said. "There is no loss of
revenue to the commonwealth or to the Department of Conservation and Recreation
(which owns the beach). The money comes from a modest surcharge on the parking
and camping fees at Salisbury Beach State Reservation, and it will go to
preserving an asset in dire need of help." Currently, the parking charge at the reservation is $7, and with
the $2 preservation fund surcharge, the cost to park for a day will rise to
$9. Renting a campsite at the reservation is currently $20 per night,
with a $9.25 one-time reservation fee. The preservation fund surcharge will
bring campsite reservations to $22 per night, the one-time reservation fee
remains the same. Baddour, D-Methuen, tried last year to insert a similar proposal
in the budget, but it was struck down because the language wasn't quite right.
This year, Baddour started early, working with the Senate Ways and Means
Committee to ensure the language was perfect, he said. Baddour said state Rep. Michael Costello, D-Newburyport, plans to
shepherd it through the House. Baddour is hopeful this year the preservation
fund will be in the final budget when it comes out of the conference committee
and goes to Patrick for signing. Salisbury Town Manager Neil Harrington said the idea has real
merit and is similar to the preservation fees charged on tickets purchased for
events at some of Boston's oldest theaters, like the Opera House. "I think this is a creative way to look at how to fund the
long-term stabilization of the beach," Harrington said. "I don't think the
additional $2 charge will affect demand (attendance) at the reservation at
all." Baddour said about 75,000 cars park at the reservation during a
typical summer, generating about $525,000 for state coffers annually. Revenue
from the reservation's 500 campsites is about $1 million annually. Using past years' figures, Baddour estimates the $2 surcharge on
both parking and campsite rentals will produce about $250,000 each
year. Baddour conceptualized a trust fund for Salisbury Beach after
devastating storms savaged the beach and abutting homes and businesses for three
years running. It took a long struggle with the Department of Conservation and
Recreation after last year's Patriots Day storm, but the state agency finally
agreed to spend $1 million to truck in 20,000 cubic yards of sand to shore up
teetering homes, restore ravaged dunes and prevent further erosion. But this was
a one-time beach repair. Baddour sees this trust fund as a way to make such struggles a
thing of the past. "The creation of the Salisbury Beach Preservation Trust Fund will
help ensure that residents and business owners will not have to rely on one-time
or special state funding year to year to repair any damage, or to preserve and
maintain the beach on a regular basis," Baddour said. "The new fund, combined with regular maintenance funds from the
Department of Conservation and Recreation, will allow us to begin the
long-overdue process of protecting this natural treasure," he said.
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