FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Perched along Lake Lanier, Mary Alice Park is one of Forsyth County’s most popular hangouts, but county officials say as many as half of the visitors don’t pay the daily parking fee. Now they want to install a gate to make sure everybody pays up.
Mary Alice Park, just east of Cumming, requires a $10 daily parking charge or a yearly pass for $60. Visitors are supposed to pay the fee at a kiosk alongside the parking lot and display the tickets in their cars, but there’s little enforcement.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
Kirk Franz, the Forsyth County Park and Recreation Director, told Channel 2’s Bryan Mims that with so many people ignoring the fees, the county is losing out on a revenue stream to fund maintenance, repairs and amenities.
“Maintenance and even improvements cost thousands of dollars every year, and we believe we’re missing out on thousands of dollars that aren’t being collected,” he said.
He pointed out that Mary Alice Park recently had its parking lot repaved, a project that cost thousands of dollars.
Franz told county commissioners that installing a gate would generate from $75,000 to $100,000 in additional revenue. He said that at a cost of about $50,000, the gate would be similar to those at parking decks and require every visitor to pay before exiting.
“Park users will have to show or scan their ticket that they get from one of our kiosks here, or it might be an app where they show a QR code,” he said.
TRENDING STORIES:
- Massage parlors shut down for suspected sexual activity in metro Atlanta
- Man dead after being shot by Gwinnett County officer
- Pres. Trump says he ‘solved’ affordability problem in speech at Georgia steel plant
If approved, the gate would be installed by Memorial Day, in time for the bustling summer season.
“When some people pay and some people don’t, it’s kind of like an unfair system,” he said. “This will just kind of ensure that everybody pays.”
A.J. Nufarov, a regular visitor to Mary Alice Park, said he doesn’t always pay the parking fee.
“Sometimes when it’s open, but most of the time I’m only here for about 30 minutes and I leave,” he said.
He’s not keen on the idea of a gate.
“I don’t agree on the whole payment thing, because people that live around here, it’s a place to relax right next to their house,” he said.
David Braasch is another frequent visitor who said he always shells out the 10 bucks.
“I don’t want my truck getting towed, so got to pay for it,” he said. He considers the daily fee worth it. “Hopefully it’s to keep the park nice,” he said. “I hope that’s where the money’s going.”
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]