Something stinks in the Fort Worth Botanic Garden, and it’s not the newly acquired corpse plant that is growing in the conservation greenhouse. As mentioned in our August 17 edition (“Botanic Garden Growing?”), a recent study indicated the beloved garden needs $15 million in improvements due to deferred maintenance and lapsed funding over the years. Local folks are worried that city officials might use the study as justification to charge admission and parking fees. Fort Worth Botanic Garden, the oldest of its kind in Texas, has offered free admission and parking from the get-go.
The most vocal resident is Lon Burnam, who represented Fort Worth in the state legislature from 1996 to 2014. Since then, the Democrat has lost a bid for a seat on the Texas Railroad Commission. Nowadays, he is representing the Friends of Fort Worth Parks, an advocacy group founded this summer, fighting for access and improvement of parks citywide.
“A general admissions fee on the Botanic Garden is both racist and class elitist,” he said, arguing that a fee would disproportionately impact minorities and young people trying to save money.
One of the most popular seasonal activities is the Japanese Garden Fall Festival in November, which draws visitors for tea ceremonies and walking tours. Admission to the Japanese Garden is $7 and goes up to $8 for festivals. So garden-goers aren’t exactly immune to coughing up money. But the bulk of the garden has always been free and open to the public, providing an entertainment refuge for struggling families and shallow-pocketed lovebirds looking for a place to kill time without spending a fortune.
Burnam has visited the Botanic Garden regularly since the 1950s. Growing up with environmentalist parents, he developed an admiration for the beautiful plants and flowers, describing them as sacred, “almost like it’s a temple to God,” he said.
Burnam has made a vow: He will boycott the Garden if new fees are implemented.
“Both of my parents’ memorial services were held at the Botanic Garden,” he said. “Most of my birthday parties for the last 15 years have been at the Botanic Garden, but I will not go if there’s a general admissions fee.”
A strategic plan that details the proposed admission fee along with other housekeeping details was presented to the Fort Worth City Council on Sep. 20 by Botanic Garden officials. Council members encouraged Garden officials to survey visitors to determine how the general admission fee would impact the community. Residents have sent their thoughts via email to the Fort Worth Botanical Society, the nonprofit organization that oversees the Garden. And guess what? Most people don’t like the proposed admission fee.
