Freda Motto: Docent believes charging to tour mansion, museum is ridiculous

Re “City considers fee for museum, mansion” (Page 3A, May 23): Having worked in the gift store and been a docent at the McHenry Mansion for over 10 years, I have volunteered countless hours to keep this city treasure open. Up to 15,000 people per year, literally from all over the world with many staying in our local hotels and eating at our restaurants, come to visit. We daily hear praise directed at the mansion. Yet having been open free of charge for over 30 years, the city is now proposing a charge to tour the mansion and museum – $5 to $7 per person. Think of what this would cost a young family.

The city’s budget for the coming year is $373 million. If the city is paying $187,000 yearly for upkeep of both the museum and the mansion, that figures out to 0.0005 percent of the budget for both locations. Seriously, the city really wants the bother and expense of charging admission to two of the city’s gems for that miniscule portion of the budget? I think they could come up with a better way to spend their time than studying this “problem.”

This story was originally published June 1, 2017 at 4:08 PM with the headline "Freda Motto: Docent believes charging to tour mansion, museum is ridiculous."