Fee Deposit Tubes

[fatlazyless]

With all the success for the last ten years the United States Forest Service has had using fee deposit tubes to collect their three dollar per day, parking fee, at trail head locations throughout the White Mountain National Forest, I wonder if any of the local Lake Winnipesaukee towns ever considered using one at a town boat launch ramp?

It seems like a no-brainer to me. Just install the fee deposit tube next to the boat ramp, and start counting the money; no town employee needed to be stationed at the ramp as a fee collector because the fee deposit tube and honest boaters will partner together just like when one parks a car at a hiking trailhead, parking lot.

Hey, if it works for the Forest Service, then it should probably work for the boat ramps, too! Like I already said, it just seems like a no-brainer, and worth a trial run. What's not to work? The towns can always use a new revenue stream, and it just seems to me that they are MISSING the BOAT by NOT using a fee deposit tube, 24-7, at the local boat launch ramp.
..............

Want to see a photo of a fee deposit tube? Just google "fee deposit tube fabrication drawing" and a Forest Service description should be first on the list.

[fatlazyless]

No Lifeguard on Duty - Swim at Your Own Risk is currently posted at the Lake Waukewan swimming area in Meredith, located a short distance from the Lake Waukewan boat launch ramp here in Meredith.

Why not install a fee deposit tube at the launch ramp and use the money for lifeguards? It seems like a simple plan to me. Boaters already get beautifull Lake Waukewan, an incredibly attractive ramp area, with parking nearby and all for no charge....it's all for free provided by the Town of Meredith. Charging boaters ten dollars would be a bargain at twice the price....and the money could readily be used for lake oriented expenses like lifeguards and milfoil control.

Forty dollars in materials, mostly steel plates, according to the U.S. Forest Service reference above, plus the service of a skilled welder, is what it takes to construct a fee deposit tube, so's most likely there's people in Meredith capable of fabricating one.

[fatlazyless]

Fee Deposit Tubes.....it's a small town police department's likely scenario for a never ending run of theft-of-service indictments.....enough to make Officer Barney Fife, Mayberry PD...be smil'n in his grave!

Lots of opportunity for the local pd to turn on the binoculars and observe from a distance what plays out at the local boat launch. Who knows...could be one of the local selectmen will get caught for not staying in good grace with the fee tube.

Methinks, in order to make a fee deposit tube be a working success, the fee needs to apply to everybody: residents, non-residents, property owners, politically connected self-annointees, and even local selectmen. Just keep the price low, say five bucks per use/for either a launch or a retrieval, with no exceptions for anyone, what-so-ever.....period.....the end! Keep it simple!

As you may or may not know, the Forest Service uses green steel pipe devices, about 48" high x 8" diameter that must be securely anchored into a large concrete anchor buried underneath the green grass, charging three dollars/day, and it must working for them.

So, why not put a similar setup to work at a local town boat launch?

Supposedly, Republicans are inherantly opposed to all taxes, but realizing the need for at least some funding, have hung their Republican hats on the 'fee system' where the actual user will be paying for its' use. Well Ladies & Gentlemen, this is a Fee Tube Pipe that even a Republican could probably agree to.

What's not to like about it.....as it's obvious advantage is being on-duty 24-7, and its' inherently low cost to maintain and operate as opposed to having a town employee stationed at the boat launch to collect launch fees.

[SIKSUKR]

Originally Posted by fatlazyless

Supposedly, Republicans are inherantly opposed to all taxes, .

I think not FLL.We are smart enough to know that taxes are needed to run our country.The difference between yourself and me is one believes we should tax for whatever the government needs and the other believes the reins need to be kept on spending.

But I do like your ramp fee idea.

[Ryan]

Completely OT, but I was kind of enjoying FLL having a conversation with himself on a thread that he started....

Carry on....

[Jonas Pilot]

I think it's a good idea too. How would you verify who has paid and who has not?

[fatlazyless]

Originally Posted by Jonas Pilot

I think it's a good idea too. How would you verify who has paid and who has not?

That's a good question and to get an good answer, you should visit a White Mountain National Forest campground entrance to see what they do. I believe the self-service WMNF campgrounds cost sixteen dollars/night plus five dollars extra for a second vehicle and the payment is made by the campground user with no campground employee present at the time of check-in.

Basically, the cg user pulls a brown paper payment envelope from its' holder, fills out the appropriate info, keeps one stub for himself, and places the envelope w/ sixteen dollars into the fee deposit tube. The fee tube are fabricated from a 8" diameter steel pipe. So, it's an honor sytem plan with delayed supervision later on some time when the FS worker makes the rounds.

To paraphrase President Ronald Reagan, the way to go is 'to trust, and then verify."

The WMNF campgrounds have a large sign that goes "Campers must pay for their site within 30 minutes of arrival or be subject to a two hundred dollar fine."

[jmen24]

Could require the stub to be displayed on the dash of the vehicle parked for launching at the site.

The idea really has merit and you will always have the folks that will bilk the system, its best to let them put their own foot in a trap than to try and chase them around with it. The honest folks will remain so, as long as they know its there and has to be used.

I have a golf course down the road that has a box that you drop a $10 in and head out for a quick par 3 round of nine.

[Excalibur]

They actually check every so often, but it is basically an honor system. You can also for a mere $25 donation get a sticker for your car to be exempt from the fee. For a extra $5 another family members car can get a sticker.

The fee goes to help the cause..

[jrc]

I remember when parking at the Manchester airport was like that.

[Dave R]

Downings Landing uses a drop box and envelopes for times when there's no one working. I often launch early on week days and use the envelopes all the time.

[Rattlesnake Guy]

Originally Posted by jrc

I remember when parking at the Manchester airport was like that.

I miss the airport system but even it was not really the honor system. The envelope had a number on it. The person who put the envelope on your window took note of your license and had ripped off a potion of the envelope with the number on it. If your envelope did not show up with the $$$ they knew who you are. I still liked it. Logan now scans your plate and tells you where your car is when you pay the fee before returning to your car.

Problem with the FLL ramp system is that unless you park your trailer at the ramp, they can't catch you. I never leave my trailer at the ramp when I finish launching my boats. It would probably need to be more like the fishing license system. If you don't have a tag in hand with a corresponding money envelope in the money box when the town cop checks you while at the ramp, you face the big fine. Fear and greed are the real forces at work with most taxes.

[fatlazyless]

Here's a simple approach; call it a 'donation payment tube' as opposed to a 'fee payment tube,' and label the money slot 'donations' and make any payments optional.

That would probably go a long way in keeping the good faith between all involved.

So, for certain times an attendent could be present and collecting a ten or twenty dollar fee, and at other times a donation is requested but optional. Paying five dollars for each put-in or take-out seems pretty reasonable to me, plus an educational sign showing how the collected money gets used for lake oriented expenses such as milfoil eradication would be informational.

Probably, setting up a pay tube next to a boat launch and designating it a "donation tube' would meet with lots more public acceptance than a "fee tube."

As the saying goes, you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.