Park entry fee: North Las Vegas proposal should be last resort

North Las Vegas officials envision their new park on the site of the old Craig Ranch golf course as one of the city's crown jewels: a free oasis where families can stroll, picnic and play.

The 150-acre park -- paid for with federal funds generated from the sale of public land -- will have lots of green areas and trails, playgrounds, a dog park, a skate park, baseball fields and courts for tennis, volleyball and basketball. "This is a signature facility in the valley," said Mike Henley, the city's deputy director of community services and development.

The Craig Ranch Regional Park may still be an oasis when it opens in summer 2013. It's the "free" part that's in doubt. "When we began to plan for the park, it was much different times," Mr. Henley says. "The whole game plan's changed."

The idea to turn the golf course into a park was hatched before the recession hit. Since then, North Las Vegas officials have had to trim more than $60 million from the city's general fund and cut or freeze nearly 1,000 jobs. It still faces a $15 million budget shortfall for fiscal 2013. The city was nearly forced to close two recreation centers last year.

Budget problems contributed to the park's opening being delayed more than a year, Mr. Henley says. The park -- which city officials hope will draw 750,000 visitors each year -- will cost an estimated $2.2 million per year for operation and maintenance. The city wants to recover at least 60 percent of the park's costs through special events, donations and, potentially, admission fees of as much as $5 per car or $65 for an annual pass.

The entrance fee is the least popular option, and the city is trying to find a way to operate the park without it, raising revenue through community events at the park and by renting out the fields and other areas. Good. Making the park pay for itself is a sensible goal.

That said, requiring city residents who merely want to take a stroll or picnic on the grass to pay a sizable access fee will of course tend to shut out those most in need of these facilities -- young families or elderly people who can't afford weekend vacation travel.

Yes, there are plenty of precedents for fees: Most national and state parks and beaches charge for admission. And fees certainly are a better option than letting the grass die.

While there may be no perfect answer, some formula that collects from fees from organized groups -- those using the dog and skate parks, for instance, or who wish to reserve a ball field for a company picnic or a league -- while selling permits for preferred parking spaces, would be better than a blanket admission charge.

That should be the last resort.