Over the last couple of months, I’ve read many different and some valid opinions from Cape Elizabeth residents, town councilors and residents from surrounding communities on both sides concerning the Fort Williams parking fee issue.

I’ve read that people from not only Maine but from all over the world come to Cape Elizabeth to take advantage of all that Fort Williams, with its famous lighthouse, has to offer.

And we should keep it free, because surrounding towns and communities offer their parks to us free of charge. To do anything else would make us, wealthy Cape Elizabeth residents with our high property values, elitists.

As everyone knows by now, Cape Elizabeth has a very small business tax base. With the bulk of the town revenue coming from home property taxes, town residents pay $120,000 nnually for basic park service and maintenance at Fort Williams. The Goddard Mansion and the batteries in the park are in significant disrepair. The estimated cost for the mansion restoration alone is $500,000. So given that the mansion and the batteries are part of our national treasure for the world to enjoy, how else could we pay for the improvements?

Are we willing to pay higher taxes for the mansion and batteries restoration and general maintenance of the park? Should we welcome more business in town to add to our tax base? Maybe a group within the community could start a fundraiser to support the park. Or maybe we shouldn’t even bother with making improvements to the structures that make Fort Williams the place that people from all over the world come to see and enjoy for free.

I’ve read in various newspaper articles and letters stating that Cape Elizabeth is one of the richest communities in the state, where the residents take advantage of free services in other towns and cities. It’s true we travel into communities like Portland and South Portland from time to time and visit their parks in the middle of the city and by the ocean throughout the year. We have also on many of those same visits and a number of other occasions added to their commercial tax base by frequenting their stores, restaurants, theaters and other businesses, which helps pay for their park services.

Cape Elizabeth has many things to offer and take advantage of, but people don’t come here to spend money. The reality is we don’t have much in the way to offer nonresidents in the way of shopping, restaurants, theater viewing and other businesses. In fact, nonresidents spend very little money in Cape Elizabeth, adding very little to the commercial and overall tax base.

This leaves Cape Elizabeth residents to pay for services, upkeep and structural improvements through taxes. And many residents aren’t wealthy homeowners, but have nonetheless seen their property taxes increase disproportionately to their fixed income.

By the majority of letters and articles I’ve read, we are happy to pay for what’s needed. But now the cost of Fort Williams is more than just the basic maintenance that our tax dollars provides. The cost of restoration and maintenance of the Goddard Mansion and batteries could be paid for by an increase in our property taxes, private fundraising, welcome new business or we could use the non-resident parking fee as another way to offset the cost.

We could also do what we can afford and keep within our tax base means.We can maintain the park as we have in the past, and let the major repairs to the mansion and batteries go by the wayside. But then my guess is nonresidents will wonder why we, the elitists in Cape Elizabeth, didn’t do anything to restore the structures and maintain the park when we had the opportunity. But at least people will still be able to come to see and enjoy the park for free.

Given all our choices concerning the restoration and maintenance costs of Fort Williams, charging a minimal parking fee so people from everywhere can enjoy what it has to offer is the most prudent and realistic choice.