An Act To Transfer the Operation of the Fort Knox State Historic Site to the Friends of Fort Knox
Maine Legislature, Session 124, LD 0509
Committee: Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry
Sponsors: CELLI, ROSEN, CRAFTS, DAVIS, GILES, GOODE, JOHNSON, WAGNER, WEAVER
Amends: 12 MRSA §1803

Legislative Document 
No. 509 
H.P.354 
House of Representatives, February 12, 2009 
An Act To Transfer the Operation of the Fort Knox State Historic 
Site to the Friends of Fort Knox 
Reference to the Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry suggested and 
ordered printed. 
Presented by Representative CELLI of Brewer. 
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MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Cosponsored by Senator ROSEN of Hancock and Representatives: CRAFTS of Lisbon, 
DAVIS of Sangerville, GILES of Belfast, GOODE of Bangor, JOHNSON of Greenville, 
ROSEN of Bucksport, WAGNER of Lyman, WEAVER of York. 
PrimcJ 011 recycled !J<l!Jcr 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1. 12 MRSA §1803, sub-§l, 4fiA, as amended by PL 2001, c. 604, §2, is 
further amended to read: 
A. 
All state parks and historic sites and national parks that are controlled and 
managed by the State, except Baxter State Park and Fort Knox State Historic Site; 
Sec.~. Transfer of the operation and management of the Fort Knox State 
Historic Site to a private entity. On or before May 15, 2010, the Department of 
Conservation, Bureau of Parks and Lands shall transfer responsibility for the operation 
and management of the Fort Knox State Historic Site to a qualifying organization formed 
to preserve and restore the Fort Knox State Historic Site and exempt from taxation under 
the United States Internal Revenue Code of 1986, Section 501(c)(3), as amended. The 
bureau shall enter into a cooperative agreement with the qualifying organization as 
authorized under the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 12, section 1803, subsection 4. The 
agreement must specify the terms and conditions of the transfer of responsibilities and 
equipment and require that the Fort Knox State Historic Site continue to be managed 
according to the obj ectives of Title 12, chapter 220 and without substantially altering the 
uses of the Fort Knox State Historic Site. The agreement must specify that the equipment 
and buildings owned by the Bureau of Parks and Lands and used to maintain the Fort 
Knox Historic Site are to be leased to the qualifying organization at a nominal fee. The 
agreement must provide for the qualifying organization to repaiI and maintain the 
equipment and buildings leased or replace them at the termination of the lease or of the 
cooperative agreement. 
1. Responsibilities revert to the bureau. If the qualifying organization is dissolved 
or loses its tax exempt status, all management and operations responsibilities transferred 
in an agreement pursuant to this section revert to the bureau and the agreement is void. 
Sec. 3. Transition provision. The Department of Conservation, Bureau of Parks 
and Lands shall give persons employed by the bureau for the 2009 season and working at 
the Fort Knox State Historic Site the opportunity to transfer to positions at other state 
parks or historic sites for the 2010 season. The transfer of management and operations 
responsibilities as required in this Act must be completed on or before May 1,2010. For 
purposes of this section, "season" means the period of time during which the Fort Knox 
State Historic Site has paid staff on site. 
Sec. 4. Report; legislation. The Director of the Bureau of Parks and Lands 
within the Department of Conservation shall report to the Joint Standing Committee on 
Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry no later than January 2,2010 on the status of the 
agreement negotiated or being negotiated with the qualifying organization under section 2 
of this Act. 
The director shall provide details mi the anticipated fiscal impact of 
implementing the agreement and make recommendations on any statutory or regulatory 
changes needed to complete the'transfer'of management and operations responsibilities. 
The Joint Standing Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry may submit 
legislation to the Second Regular Session of the 124th Legislature to facilitate the transfer 
authorized in this Act. 
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Sec. 5. Effective date. That section of this Act that amends the Maine Revised 
Statutes, Title 12, section 1803, subsection 1, paragraph A takes effect May 1,2010. 
SUMMARY 
This bill directs the Bureau of Parks and Lands within the Department of 
Conservation to transfer management and operations responsibilities for the Fort Knox 
State Historic Site to the Friends of Fort Knox.