Herb Thomson - MaineDOT - (207) 624-3030

New Observatory, Fort Knox Wrap Up Banner Season

Prospect, ME – After a spectacular inaugural season, with 2007 visitor numbers that exceeded all expectations, the Penobscot Narrows Bridge Observatory closed for the season today. Fort Knox State Historic Site also closed for the season today. Through October 27th, 99,341 people had visited the dual attraction since it opened in May, with 71,991 having ascended the observatory tower to experience the 360˚ vistas of coastal Maine and Penobscot Bay. The number of visitors to the combined campus this year more is more than double the 43,722 people who visited Fort Knox in 2006, when the observatory was not yet open to the public.

The national award-winning Penobscot Narrows Bridge, built by MaineDOT to replace the 1931 Waldo-Hancock Bridge, was opened to traffic in December 2006, while the new Penobscot Narrows Observatory opened in May after Fort Knox opened for the season. The $5.00 admission fee for the observatory, which is located in the Prospect-side tower of the new cable-stayed bridge, includes admission to the Fort Knox State Historic Site.

The closing of the joint facility on October 31st follows the historical practice of closing Fort Knox on this date each year, as planned and agreed upon by the partner agencies and organizations.  Most of the staff is seasonal, with completion of their employment term at the end of October. Fort Knox and the observatory are staffed jointly by Department of Conservation (DOC) and employees or volunteers from the Friends of Fort Knox. The Friends of Fort Knox is “a volunteer-driven organization dedicated to the preservation and enhancement of the Fort Knox Historic Site as a cultural, educational and economic asset for the State of Maine.”

As was discussed during development of the bridge project, the new observatory, like Fort Knox, is not suitable for winter operation.  The observatory was not constructed for cold weather; its sprinkler system will be drained and its unheated rest rooms will be closed down for the winter.  The observatory levels also are unheated and thus not appropriate for visitors when icing is possible. The observatory’s enthusiastic reception by the public and its robust visitor numbers for 2007 have prompted suggestions that the operating agencies consider extended hours in the future.  DOC and MaineDOT have said they would review the hours of operation to determine whether any changes in the schedule would be beneficial. Currently, the observatory is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. during its May through October operation.

Potential visitors to Fort Knox and the Penobscot Narrows Observatory, whether from within Maine or from out of state, should take note that the facilities closed at the end of business today.  Fort Knox and the observatory will reopen to the public on May 1, 2008.

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