Contact: Bob Dodson, 843-883-3123 x 14 (Sullivan’s Island, SC) The National Park Service today announced that it has awarded the new contract for ferry service to Fort Sumter National Monument. The incumbent concessioner, Fort Sumter Tours, Inc., has been chosen for the new ten-year contract scheduled to begin on January 1, 2007.
“After a rigorous selection process Fort Sumter Tours, Inc. was chosen as the best company to provide the ferry service,” said Fort Sumter National Monument Superintendent Bob Dodson. “They know our operation and are experienced in serving park visitors. I am confident that Fort Sumter Tours will continue to provide our annual 280,000 visitors with the best ferry experience possible.”
Fort Sumter Tours, Inc. will make numerous physical changes to their Patriots Point facility to comply with the contract’s accessibility requirements. New accessible gangways are expected to allow better mobility for wheelchairs, allowing accessibility 90% of the time with the six foot tide change. Additionally, franchise fees increased from 12% to 12.5%. The current adult ticket price is $14.00. The park will collect the 12.5% franchise fee of gross revenues, expected to be $3.5 million in 2007. The fee will increase to 13% when gross revenues reach $4 million. Some of the projects and improvements made with current franchise fees include:
· Study the visitor impact on historic resources at Fort Sumter · Repair video security systems · Replace museum carpeting and repair Fort Sumter exhibits · New museum exhibits and lighting at the Fort Moultrie Visitor Center · Ironwork interpretive gates for Liberty Square · Interpretive artwork for Fort Sumter Visitor Education Center · Ramps at the Liberty Square and Fort Sumter docks for accessibility · Interpretive, janitorial and landscaping services · Repair windows, doors and roof of Fort Moultrie Visitor Center
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Last updated: April 14, 2015