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Lawmakers Consider Raising Parking Surcharge at Douglas State Forest to Fund Local Emergency Services
Summary
A bill to raise the parking surcharge at Douglas State Forest from $1 to $5 was presented as a way to expand resources for local emergency response in a remote state forest; sponsors said the fee applies to paved parking and boat-launch areas and would not charge people who walk in.
Representative McKenna testified in favor of a bill that would raise an existing vehicle surcharge at Douglas State Forest from $1 to $5. McKenna told the committee the surcharge funds a town account used for emergency responses such as lost-person searches, brush fires and water rescues in an isolated area where the town is often the first responder.
McKenna said the surcharge is limited by the park’s capacity and seasonal use: revenue is concentrated on weekend days in summer and is constrained when the park reaches capacity and is later closed. He emphasized that park use remains free for those who walk in and that the fee applies to paved parking areas and the boat launch. McKenna said, in support materials, that town leaders including the administrator, police chief and fire chief had submitted written testimony to the committee.
Committee members asked for clarifications about the park’s agency oversight; McKenna confirmed the park is managed by the Department of Conservation and Recreation and that DCR rangers, state police, and environmental police also respond to incidents, but that local Douglas emergency services are typically first on scene.
No vote was taken; McKenna said he had submitted written testimony from town officials for the committee record.
