PROSPECT, Maine — Volunteers are needed to team up with the Friends of Fort Knox and the Civil War Preservation Trust to help clean the Civil War-era State Historic Site 10 a.m.-noon Saturday, April 21. The cleanup is part of a nationwide effort — dubbed Park Day — that is being underwritten with a grant from The History Channel. In exchange for their work, volunteers will receive T-shirts and have an opportunity to learn about the historic site they help to clean.
Volunteers are needed to sweep, rake and ready Fort Knox for its opening on May 1. Helpers are asked to bring rakes, shovels, wheelbarrows, leaf blowers, tarps and work gloves. For information about Park Day at Fort Knox, call 469-6553 or email FOFK1@aol.com.
In light of a recent lease agreement signed with the Maine Department of Conservation’s Bureau of Parks and Lands that expands existing management agreements at the fort to include all grounds maintenance, the Friends are seeking the donation of unwanted tools, including hammers, wrenches, screwdrivers, saws, ladders, wet vacuums, brooms, shovels and rakes.
Another Friends-sponsored event will take place Saturday, May 12, featuring the reopening of a long-closed powder magazine within the fort. The powder magazine was restored last year by the Friends and will have interpretive displays on view. Tom Desjardin, the Bureau of Parks and Lands’ state historian, provided assistance in the development of the powder magazine interpretive display.
For information, visit http://fortknox.maineguide.com. Fort Knox is owned by the people of Maine and supervised by the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands.
I can’t even believe what I’m reading. They get what they want, they get all the money, they can pay themselves whatever they want but they don’t want to do any of the work and they want everything for free. They’re BEGGING and it’s only the start of this “partnership”. Why don’t the board members get out there and do the work and bring their own tools. Better yet if they care so much reduce your salary and buy a rake. I really can’t believe I’m seeing this. Disgusting.
This event is nothing new…its been held at the fort for years…as the article states they hold this event as part of the Civil War Preservation Trust’s Park Day
http://www.civilwar.org/aboutus/events/park-day/
to help clean the Civil War-era State Historic Site 10 a.m.-noon Saturday, April 21. This nationwide event is being underwritten with a grant from The History Channel. In exchange for their work, volunteers will receive T-shirts and have an opportunity to learn about the historic site they help to clean.
I would guess the people who care about the Fort, including Board members, will be there to help. The Friends have always been a volunteer based organization. Heck, even the Maine Parks Department recruits volunteers? What a sour puss.
Their hate is just ugly.
Hate? As a taxpayer I HATE that I had no say in this matter.
Some of the other comments here make a good point, this has been going on for years. However the volunteer effort was meant to augment the work done by our Park Service employees, not replace it. Mainer0123, as far as being disgusting, you ain’t seen nothin yet!
The Maine state attorney generals office says that “yes, under certain circumstances the governor may lease public property without the consent of the legislature.” I guess this lease is one of those circumstances.
I am trying to find a way to fight this lease. Perhaps it is time to recreate the True Friends of Fort Knox group however with an ethical leader this time around. Anyone who might be interested can contact me via my company email at: mainefurnsol@fairpoint.net
gordon williamson
Prospect, ME
@mainer0123:disqus – Why is being economical & giving those who wish to be charitable the opportunity to do so a bad thing? Seems like a win win to me.
Helping the homeless is charitable. “Donating” items to an organization that sits there, collects there fat paychecks and has other people do the grunt work, not really the same thing now is it?
Please supply your evidence of “fat paychecks”. The 2010 IRS form is online. There is nothing there to support your claim. There is a single full time executive director who’s salary and benefits add up to less than a state union job.
$60k a year to sit at his office desk posting on Facebook, dating sites, and newspaper comment sections. Sounds like a “fat paycheck” to me.
Thats the total cost of an employee. Far more then the employee takes home.
And thanks for that link, as it proved my point. I found most full time park managers are making well over $60 with benefits FOFK and most of the rest of us could never dream of having.
The average Park Manager makes $23,113. The FOFK director makes $60K. Please explain your “less than a state union job” comment. You’re way overpaying him, Ed!
Look it up! http://maineopengov.org/
An interesting site! ..thanks….In checking on pay of the park Manager of Fort Knox (a person I have spoken with on a few occasions while visiting the fort over the years..at least he identified himself as such) last year…his pay was $42,102 and I believe a free house to live in, truck to drive, and healthcare were also provided. Not a bad gig!
They took over the fort and can’t even buy a shovel?
Volunteers, great. Grant from the History Channel for free shirts, fine. Begging for donations? Fort Knox is now a charity? I just can’t remember any calls to Coastal Cleanup requiring bringing your own tools. Looks like they bit off more than they can chew, huh? Gordon, I’ll be contacting you later.
mainer0123 I’ll be glad to hear from you. As I said, I don’t have a plan yet but I think those that really care about the Fort, and not the politics, can come up with something that maintains the integrity of the fort, keeps it in the public domain, and still allows those that want to contribute beyond their tax dollars to do so. Please contact me and provide your name and real address which I will keep confidential. That way I can be certain that the bad guys aren’t trying to frig things up. Sorry but I’m that cynical. I know these people and put nothing by them. The first thing I’m going to do on Monday is write Lepage and tell him he is a liar, that his claim of transparency is a bold faced lie and this maneuver proves it. LePage will never be the friend of Mainer’s who want honesty, no political manipulation, and a governor who doesn’t follow the GOP doctrine of privatizing all public functions of the government at the expense of American citizens and for the profit of the individual.
gordon williamson
prospect, me