These friendly faces would have greeted you had you visited the Gila National Forest office today to offer input on a proposed fee increase to visit the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument. At left, is monument Superintendent Hugh Hawthorne and, at right, is brand new Chief of Interpretation Rita Garcia.

Photo and Article by Mary Alice Murphy

Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument Superintendent Hugh Hawthorne, at the public input meeting to hear comments on a proposed fee increase for the monument from $3 to $5 per adult, said the yearly economic impact from the Gila Cliff Dwellings is estimated at $1.533 million. That financial impact to the community includes what visitors spend in the area, what contractors spend to provide services to the monument, as well as what the monument personnel buy in the local area, such as propane, fuel, and office supplies.

"Most of it is what the visitors spend," Hawthorne said.

The yearly base budget-what the monument receives from Congress-averages $360,000, mostly spent on salaries and operations. In addition, the monument requests from the Park Service, which oversees the monument, a range of $25,000 to $40,000 for specific projects.

The average annual fee income is about $45,000, and is restricted to what it can be spent on. It has to be directly related to visitors, Hawthorne said.

If the fee were increased, the average yearly income would rise to $75,000.

The cost of collections would remain stable, and would include costs such as regular trips to the bank to deposit receipts, fuel purchases, the cost of the collection envelopes, and other minor expenditures. At $3 for the entrance fee, about 31 percent of the revenue is expended on the above listed costs. Because the costs would remain stable, if the fee were raised to $5, only 19 percent of the fee would be taken by these expenditures.

"The only additional cost would be one-time to replace signs," Hawthorne said. "Any additional revenue from the fees go to the projects."

He explained this was the first increase requested since 1997, when entrance fees were instituted. The increase would not impact holders of the Senior Pass, the Annual Pass, or children, who will continue to be able to visit the monument at no cost.

When asked what the monument "really" needed, Hawthorne replied: "We really need to rehabilitate and modernize the Visitor Center exhibits to tell the story." He said the exhibits date from the 1960s.

Those who were unable to attend today's public input meeting may comment at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/gilafeeproposal by Jan. 30, 2015.