Licensed Battlefield Guides Move Into New Gettysburg Quarters
By Kathryn Jorgensen
(December 2008 Civil War News)
GETTYSBURG, Pa. — Association of Licensed Battlefield Guides members are happily settled into their new quarters on Steinwehr Avenue, according to spokesman Chris Rebmann.
The guides have long needed space for an office and library. They recently moved into Patriot Point at 241 Steinwehr Ave., former site of the Prince of Peace and Colt Firearms Museums. Earlier this year they thought they had space near the Farnsworth House, but a required zoning change was not granted for the building.
Even before the National Park Service closed the old park visitor center the guides had outgrown their quarters there. Their space in the new visitor center is no larger and did not allow them access after park hours.
The Steinwehr Business Alliance provided almost $2,000 to help the association pay rent at Patriot Point. The new space has “worked out very well,” says Rebmann. Association members have keys and can get into the office at any time.
The office has an extensive research library that had overflowed its space in the old visitor center. Rebmann says it includes file cabinets full of research on each unit in the battle and research sets of books, including the Official Records.
The organization has an annual budget with which librarian Jim Clouse builds the collection. Also, whenever a guide discovers something new about a unit, or a set of letters or the like, copies are made and filed.
The office also has a computer, printer, copier and plenty of room to spread out materials, says Rebmann. Several guides have published books in the last few years and other are working on books.
As for the new visitor center, “Guides are pleased with the quality of the new lounge and restrooms provided for guide use,” he says, noting they are a great improvement over the old building.
The guides are happy with the quality of the new building and its landscaping. He adds, “They are also pleased that through careful site selection, a building of this size is largely invisible from most viewpoints on the battlefield.”
Rebmann says the guides appreciate the hard work of the Gettysburg Foundation employees who staff the ticket counter and help guides connect with visitors. He praises Supervisory Ranger Clyde Bell’s work in helping alleviate guides’ concerns.
Those concerns have to do with the computerized reservation system that went into effect in January (see Feb./March story). Back then guides were concerned that allowing visitors to reserve tour times would mean most guides would be scheduled only twice a day.
Under the old system guides at the visitor center handled reservations and could adjust them a little one way or the other and get three tours a day scheduled instead of having them bunch up at the same mid-morning and mid-afternoon hours. When that happens guides lose the opportunity to do an early or mid-day tour.
The guides’ concerns have been borne out. Rebmann says the computerized reservation system “has assigned tours in a highly erratic manner.”
Instead of tours being equitably distributed among guides according to the days and hours they make themselves available, “some guides have received pages of reservations, while others of equal availability have received very few.”
Park visitors may not know that the guides are self-employed, so inequitable scheduling hurts them financially.
The good news is that despite problems with the economy and high gas prices demand for guide services remained strong this year, according to Rebmann.
He says the new reservation system greatly expanded the number of tours booked in advance. However, “the current policy of assigning tour times of the visitor’s choice to each guide’s work schedule, without regard to the efficient use of guide time, has in fact hurt guide productivity and visitor service.”
The guides continue to advocate “intelligent scheduling,” a method in which reserved tours are carefully assigned to each guide’s schedule to minimize downtime and maximize visitor service,” says Rebmann.
When Civil War News asked park spokesman Katie Lawhon about the reservation system in September she said, “I think it’s gone very well.”
She said the new system offers more assurance for visitors walking in that they can book a licensed guide. At the old visitor center people were at the door at 8 because they thought they had to be early to get a guide.
Rebmann says he expects the reservation system will be in discussion for a long time.
“We’re committed to serving visitors and to make efficient use of our time. We think that’s a benefit to both visitors and guides.”
Under the new system guides don’t collect their fees and instead get paid the fees every two weeks. Rebmann says that part of the reservation system has worked, though some guides still feel they should have direct access to their earnings.
Generally, the reserved tours start at the visitor center. Guides also lead the bus tours scheduled through the visitor center. That makes the park happy. Lawhon said the goal is to have people tour more by bus and less in personal cars. As incentive some ticket packages offer discounts.
Some guides give individual tours through inns, personal referrals and repeat visitors. Rebmann says the association is looking into ways to allow the guide association to be contacted directly and for guides to work from a new location if they wish to. “Whether on a walk-in basis or reservation basis is formative,” he says.
For more information about the Association of Licensed Battlefield Guides go to www.gettysburgtourguides.org |