Rich King of Millsboro is a freelancer who writes a weekly fishing column for the Daily State News.
Delaware State Parks is proposing fee increases.
Some folks from the agency’s office called and asked for my thoughts. So, here they are.
If you want to make more money, there are a few things you can do. First and foremost, start running these parks like a business. If I ran my business the way these parks are run, I’d be out of business in a year. There are people who go to school specifically to learn how to manage operations like this — start there.
Second, your “entry fee” is essentially a parking pass. Anyone can walk or ride a bike into a park for free. Maybe it’s time to start charging everyone. If there are four people in a car, that should be four entry fees — not just one parking fee. Right now, I can drive in with one person or 10 and pay the same price. And, if I have a season pass, everyone with me gets in free.
I remember hearing that, about 10 years ago, over 100,000 bicycles came through Cape Henlopen alone. That’s potentially $500,000 in missed revenue. In the business world, we call that “money left on the table.” Yes, charging more people may create longer lines and more work — but, in a real business, when demand increases, you hire more staff to handle it.
Third, rumor has it that a bait shop is paying only $500 a month in rent. That’s $6,000 a year for a commercial business on Del. 1, almost on the beach, inside a state park. Even more surprising, this business doesn’t fall under the RFP and isn’t paying the 20% revenue share to the parks — just rent. That’s some of the most valuable commercial real estate on Del. 1. I know of shops paying over $10,000 a month in rent — that’s $120,000 a year, not $6,000.
Finally, the pier needs replacing. The word is that Delaware State Parks’ agreement with the pharmaceutical company hasn’t been renewed in a long time. That company is supposed to pay for half of any maintenance on the pier. If it were me, I’d ask it to cover the entire cost of a new pier. It would probably be cheaper for the company than continuing to spend millions every few years on temporary fixes. A new pier would attract more anglers — and more revenue.
None of this is hard. It just requires a little more effort.
Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at civiltalk@iniusa.org.
