North Adams May Tie Camping Fees to Windsor Lake Improvements
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — City and Windsor Lake officials are planning a cost analysis of the lake and Historic Valley Campground.
Mayor Richard Alcombright on Monday asked the Windsor Lake Recreation Commission to hold off on raising camping prices until the city could come back with a review of how much was being taken in from all aspects and how much was being spent to operate the entire facility.
"It's hard to come up with a rate without looking at the costs," he said. "I would rather review this now, leave the rates the same and do a realistic push on where we're at on the campground as a whole ... what it brings in, what it spends."
The commission began discussion in September of new fees for the campground to bring them into line with comparable facilities.
"I'm just looking at what we charge and what we offer and we're definitely the bargain," said Commissioner Nancy Bullett, who had done research for the commission.
Currently, the campground charges $1,980 for the season, and has for several years, and was supposed to be charging monthly fees of $770. However, it was discovered that the increase instituted in 2012 had not been implemented. Instead, the city was still charging the $700 monthly fee, which had been hiked in 2011 from $490.
Bullett said the closest comparable was $750 a month, the lowest of surrounding campgrounds she could find. The seasonal fee was $100 below the next lowest comparable she could find.
There are different amenities between the private and public parks she looked at, but Bullett said Historic Valley offers a lot.
The campsites have electricity and all but 19 are connected to the recently installed sewer system. There's also the lake itself, the trails, volleyball and disc golf course, fishing, rowboat rentals, Wednesday night concerts, and proximity to attractions like museums, Mount Greylock, and other features.
"I'm not saying I'm for a rate increase but they have been the same for several years," Bullett said. "I think we are on the low end anyways and the amenities we offer are comparable to the other campgrounds. ....
"I think we offer more than we give ourselves credit for."
Commissioner David Racette, however, said the lake needed to up its game if it wanted to charge more.
"What we don't have is the playgrounds, the [updated] electrical and wi-fi," he said. "I think that's what the people are looking for who are there all the time. ... what we offer is a rustic woody area and the things we can put on to that will make it desirable."
Alcombright said a playground at the campground would cost $75,000 to $100,000 to install. The two new ones at Kemp Park and near the lake's concession stand were built with a $200,000 state grant. A new playground and updated electrical could be funded through an enterprise account, he said.
Revenues from the campground and lake parking now flow into the general fund as receipts. But if the city can determine actual costs, it could come up with a plan to set aside fee increases for projects and renovations.
"Wouldn't it be nice if we could raise it 10 percent across the board to fund a capital project ... let's try to figure out," he said. "If we're making $50,000 a year, we don't know where it's going [in the budget] ... maybe this is the year we put on the brakes and take a hard look.
"We've done so many good things up there we need to keep the momentum."
In other business, the commissioners:
• Were introduced to new campground managers Bruce and Wendy Sherman.
• Discussed ways of marketing the campground on social media, particularly a website and more frequent usage of Facebook. Administrative Officer Michael Canales explained that the current stripped down version of the website had been done because of Americans With Disabilities Act compliance: text had to be clear of images to run text-to-audio software.
• Were updated on the phragmite clearing efforts. Canales said another treatment has been done to the invasive weeds this fall and that, hopefully, the lake would freeze this year allowing for easier cutting and removal. Areas were also treated for two other weeds. One more application will be made next fall and a five-year monitoring program will be put in place.
• Appointed Chairman Arlen Cellana and Racette to review ordinances related to the lake and to research whether it is a designated wildlife habitat. Cellana also reported he is working with the city and Amanda Chilson on a matching grant for wayfaring signs for the trails.
• Were provided with the latest campground rules for review. There is a concern over non-compliant structures and items being stored at the campsites. "I just want to, from my perspective, the campground look like a campground and not an abandoned trailer park," said Bullett.
• Left the administration to decide if the campground should allow more campers to be stored onsite during the winter. Seasonals are being allowed by some other campers are requesting also; the winter storage comes with a charge.
• Approved Figment North Adams to return next spring. The community family arts festival was a big hit this past spring.
Tags: campground, Windsor Lake,
