Zoo to charge businesses using entry way to the Saluda River.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO) — “Over the course of the past 3 years, the use of the lower Saluda River by people for kayaking, canoeing, tubing has exploded,” says Satch Krantz, Executive Director of Riverbanks Zoo and Garden. And that’s a problem for the zoo, because they say river goers are taking up parking. So they’ve decided to charge commercial outfitters, who bring in some but not all tubers, an annual fee. “They are operating a business in our parking lot more or less,” says Krantz They’ll also be charged three dollars per person when they enter. Kevin Geddings, General Manager of Adventure Carolina says he understand the annual fee, but not the other. “We cannot afford to lose the extra fee that they’re charging per person, and what that means is that costs is going to have to be passed along via the customer,” says Geddings. Something he does not want to do. “Raising prices right now with the economy, it’s not the right time to do that, we feel like it could be detrimental to our business,” says Geddings. One that depends on the summer. “We essentially have from the beginning of May through September to making a good living,” says Geddings. Plus he says they along with other outfitters don’t use the parking lot to park. “All we do is drive our customers in, let them out and share the river experience,” says Geddings. Crandall Sims reporting, “While the tubers you see behind me aren’t affected right now, zoo officials say on depending on volume on certain days like Saturdays and Holiday access to this parking lot could be denied to river goers.” Some have already experienced it. “We were here trying to float the river and a car was driving around this parking lot and we went down and parked and tried to go down and he was like you have to leave, you can’t park here,” says Laura Booth, river goer. While others aren’t concerned. “It’s a slight annoyance, but it’s nothing you can’t get around,” says Patrick Dorn, river goer. Meanwhile, back at Adventure Carolina Geddings says they’ve always had a good relationship with the zoo and he hopes that will continue.