The following letter is in response to a recent article titled "Fee increases for state parks are open house topic Oct. 1."
It was insensitive for the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control to schedule an open house for the eve of Yom Kippur (Oct. 1) in Cape Henlopen State Park and the day of Yom Kippur (Oct. 2) in Killens Pond State Park. These are times when Jewish people around the world prepare for and celebrate the holiest day on the Jewish calendar by preparing for the fast, and for fasting and prayer. Surely no offense was intended, but at a minimum, it's not a good look for the department. I can’t imagine the department would have scheduled an open meeting for Christmas or Easter.
Fortunately, there is the opportunity for online review of the proposal and submission of comments. But there is no opportunity to contribute to a public discussion in the presence of one's fellow citizens. A bit more sensitivity going forward, please?
As to the merits, the department does a great job running our state parks and the detailed proposal to justify an increase in fees appears to be well reasoned with one big but ...
On page 21, the report notes: “With nearly 50,000 [lifetime] passes already in circulation …”
The proposal wants to increase the fees on a lifetime pass from $65 to $150.
To the extent that the department would try to apply such an increase retroactively to already issued lifetime passes, the same would be an illegal breach of contract and would be met with a class-action lawsuit on behalf of those 50,000 people – one which the department would lose.
-
A letter to the editor expresses a reader's opinion and, as such, is not reflective of the editorial opinions of this newspaper.
To submit a letter to the editor for publishing, send an email to viewpoints@capegazette.com. All letters are considered at the discretion of the newsroom and published as space allows. Due to the large volume of submissions, we cannot acknowledge receipt of each submission. Letters must include a phone number and address for verification. Keep letters to 400 words or fewer. We reserve the right to edit for content or length. Letters should be responsive to issues addressed in the Cape Gazette rather than content from other publications or media. Letters should focus on local issues, not national topics or personalities. Only one letter per author will be published every 30 days regarding a particular topic. Authors may submit a second letter within that time period if it pertains to a different issue. Letters may not be critical of personalities or specific businesses. Criticism of public figures is permissible. Endorsement letters for political candidates are no longer accepted. Letters must be the author’s original work, and may not be generated by artificial intelligence tools. Templates, form letters and letters containing language similar to other submissions will not be published.
