02/20/2012

Lighthouse greeters add value to Fort Williams tour bus/trolley fee program

Visitors to Portland Head Light this season will be greeted not only by an iconic lighthouse surrounded by breathtaking views, but with a personal welcome as well.

On Feb. 13, 2012, the Town Council authorized the hiring of Portland Head Light greeters, whose job will be to meet visitors at the lighthouse and to collect the bus and trolley fees established by the council in November.

The greeter position was one of three additions to the tour bus/trolley fee program adopted for Fort Williams Park, approved by the council Feb. 13. The updated program retains the $1,500 seasonal trolley fee and $40 per bus fee approved last fall, but offers a $5 discount per visit to buses that participate in a new invoicing program. The discount will be offered to cruise-ship buses and all buses coordinated by locally based operators. Museum director Jeanne Gross will also have the authority to waive the new fee for any bus showing evidence that its fees were set before Nov. 1, 2011.

Town Manager Michael McGovern described the greeters as "ambassadors of the community". The Portland Head Light greeter would not only refer visitors to the lighthouse museum and gift shop, but also be ready with information about Fort Williams Park and Cape Elizabeth businesses and restaurants. The greeter will also direct drivers to parking areas designated for their type of vehicle.

"We see this as a benefit to the park, a benefit to the visitor, and a benefit to the town in enhanced safety, and as well a benefit to the local businesses in Cape Elizabeth," McGovern said.

Although Fort Williams Park does have rangers working during the busiest visitor times, they are not there all the time, McGovern said.

The greeter program was approved for May-October 2012. Seventy-five percent of the cost, not to exceed $15,000, will come from the Portland Head Light budget.

Answering a question from Councilor Kathy Ray, McGovern said the greeter will also kindly ask bus drivers to turn off their engines while parked. "We don't guarantee 100 percent success rate, but that would be part of the responsibility," he said.