ATHABASCA - Recreation is a pricey proposition for any municipality — a necessary one, for the well-being of residents and visitors alike — but there is very rarely any kind of profit margin involved.
That was the reality Athabasca County councillors heard at their Nov. 17 public works committee meeting, as director of infrastructure services Norm De Wet, gave them a rundown and comparison of revenue and expenditures related specifically to campgrounds in 2019 and 2020.
This year was obviously a different kind of year, due to the coronavirus pandemic, and the county decided only to open two of its campground to the public — the Forfar campground on Long Lake and the Hope Lake campground — which were open to the public from July 1 until Sept. 30.
De Wet reported an income of $147,643.14 from overnight camping, day use and wood sales, and expenditures of $192,158 related to contractors, wages and operating costs, resulting in a deficit of $44,514.86 for 2020. That’s less than in 2019, but there were only two areas open. In 2019, pre-COVID numbers showed a deficit of $78,220.32 after bringing in $225,147.68 and spending $303,368.
De Wet said he is currently working on the budget for 2021, and expects COVID measures and restrictions will still be in place.
“I still think that COVID is more than likely going to be around, and I also think that because we’re moving to an online booking system, we can more than likely look at opening campgrounds a lot easier than we did this year,” he said.
Two managers and four seasonal staff were hired for the summer in 2020, but to accommodate government requirements six seasonal staff will have to be hired for 2021, along with managers.
The estimated 2021 deficit is expected to come in at $120,388, provided the budget is approved, said De Wet, noting that capital costs for replacing and upgrading is not included in the budget.
“I really like that you’re preparing for the worst but hoping for the best, so I think this is a pretty good plan” said Coun. Dwayne Rawson.
Reeve Larry Armfelt inquired as to whether managers were satisfied with wages provided by the county, to which De Wet responded he hasn’t heard any “rumblings” and noted the managers of the Hope Lake campground have already signed up for 2021 and there is currently a request for proposal out as new managers for Forfar are required, which will close in December.
Coun. Dennis Willcott asked about the reactions to the county not opening all of their campgrounds, and De Wet told him that there were some “rumblings” in that regard, but the deficit would have been much, much higher had all of the county’s campgrounds been opened for the season.
“We couldn’t accommodate opening all those campgrounds this year, on such short notice, and having unmanaged campgrounds like Jackfish (Lake) and doing contact tracing, we would have had to hire more people, which would have been impossible,” said De Wet. “But next year, with the online booking system it will be easier.”
