The Fort Worth Botanic Gardens Task Force may recommend an admission fee accompany some proposed makeovers to the garden.
Once the task force has decided on their recommendations, they will have a public input period and will then bring that to the City Council.
The new admissions, should they be approved and implemented next year, would be $10 for adults, $8 for seniors (age 60 and over), and $5 for children ages 6-12. Children 5 and under would still be free.
Currently, 90 percent of the garden is free. However, there is a $7 adult admission fee to the Japanese Garden and $2 for the conservatory – which is currently closed for repairs. Children 4-12 are $4 for the Japanese Garden, seniors 65 and older are $5, and ages 3 and under are free.
Botanic Gardens members are also free.
The task force met on June 19 to discuss plans for the new fees and proposed makeovers.
The task force is also recommending new membership costs, including:
*$100 for a family (two adults and anyone in home age 18 and under).
*$50 for an individual.
*$80 for a dual membership.
*$250 for a supporting (donor) member.
“Did we want a parking charge or just an admission fee?” said Bob Byers, Fort Worth Botanic Garden Director. “Plus, charging for parking is not popular in Fort Worth.
“In order to make this work, the city’s contribution would go up about 3 percent (from their current assistance of around $3 million annually).”
The goals of the task force, as listed in the meeting, include:
*Finding the best compromise between revenue and affordability.
*Investing in programs that improve access.
*Engage and support families.
*Improve programming.
*Fully fund operating needs and address deferred maintenance.
With the adjusted admission, Byers said visitation expectations were also altered. The current visitor study estimate of 334,440 could drop about 20 percent to around 267,552, he said.
“The general consensus is when we implement an admission fee, some folks will decide not to come,” he said. “We did look at the nature center [which had a dropoff after implementing fees].”
Also, with an estimated member visits of around 8,991 and free children visits of around 33,631, the actual paid tickets on the day of a visit are figured to be around 223,393 in that first year, he said.
As for gross revenue projections, they are:
*$5.86 million in fiscal year 2019.
*$6.93 million in FY 2020.
*$7.05 million in FY 2021.
*$7.46 million in FY 2022.
*$7.54 million in FY 2023.
*$7.86 million in FY 2024.
Corresponding expenses during that same time frame are:
*$5.4 million in FY 2019.
*$5.56 million in FY 2020.
*$5.72 million in FY 2021.
*$5.9 million in FY 2022.
*$6.08 million in FY 2023.
*$6.26 million in FY 2024.
“Our goal is to make this as affordable as possible and ensure that it will be here for a long time,” Byers said.
Along with daily admission and memberships, the task force made several recommendations for accessibility options, including:
*Lone Star Discounts (SNAP/WIC cards), $30 annually.
*Museum4All, a national program that allows for $1 admission per adult family member.
*Muse Pass, free family passes in each Fort Worth public library.
*Sponsored field trips for third-graders in FWISD, including one free family pass per student.
*Blue Star Program, free admission to active duty military families from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
Other accessibility options include:
*Event sponsorships, such as families from Title I schools and nursing homes.
*Single free use passes distributed by Fort Worth community centers to low-income families.
*Discount Days, such as two-for-one adults and/or children free one day a month.
*Free summer admission, such as one week free each year during slower visitation.
*Delayed admission fees, such 7:30-9 a.m. on Tuesdays and Sundays being free.
*Give Back Days, admission waived in lieu of a donation, such as a back-to-school item.
And, some non-recommended options were selected free days, such as the first Tuesday of each quarter, and free local resident admission, such as one Sunday afternoon a month with proof of residency.
The Gardens opened in 1929 and are the oldest botanic gardens in Texas, Byers said. The oldest part is a national historic landmark. However, the last significant project was the Texas Nature Boardwalk in 2006-7.
“We’ve got a lot of things that need a new face,” he said.
With that in mind, the task force also presented a 10-year vision plan with key elements being the renovation of the conservatory, removing vehicles, teaching gardens, and a children’s garden. The key goals include implementing the master plan, protecting the resource, building the audience, improving the guest experience, increasing capacity, impact lives, and grow revenue.
The total estimated cost of the plan is $38 million, which they hope to raise through a combination of bonds ($7 million goal) and philanthropy ($31 million goal).
Governance model options include:
*City management, with the city council as primary governance board, the city manager’s office in control, funds in city accounts, and all staff are city employees.
*Single support group, friends, with the council as primary governance and the gardens director managing a board, public funds in city accounts and membership/donated funds in friends’ accounts, and staff being a combination of city and friends.
*Independent nonprofit, with a nonprofit board governing under a management agreement with the city, city provides support, all funds in non-profit accounts, all staff are non-profit.
Byers said currently about a third of the visitors to the Gardens are from outside the Fort Worth/Dallas area.
“We’re happy to have that high number from DFW, but we’d love to get that outside number up,” he said, adding that research also shows a lot of visitors are first-timers.
The task force will meet again sometime in August. After, they will bring their proposals to the park board as an information item on Sept. 26 and for action on Oct. 24. They will bring proposals to the city council for a work session on Oct. 6, followed by a council vote on Nov. 6.
The proposed fees, if approved, are set to go into effect in June or July of 2019.
“We’re excited about the progress. There are some changes folks will have to get used to, but if you look around, it’s quite a bargain,” Byers said. “A well-planned and well-managed gardens have a positive economic impact on a community.
“Quality of life is also very important, and so is the education component for our kids. This is an ideal place to get kids – and adults – connected with nature.”
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once the task force has decided on their recommendations, they will have a public input period and will then bring that to the City Council.