Last season may not have set any records at Woodlawn Regional Park (Souris River and Boundary Dam) but it was certainly one of the banner years in terms of progress on the capital projects and camper services.
Greg Hoffort, president of the board of directors for the two regional parks that operate as one corporate entity, said the annual general meeting held on March 30 was attended by about 50 people, including a strong representation of seasonal campers.
“The AGM gives us an excellent opportunity to hear their concerns and keep in touch with their needs and it gives them a good opportunity to learn more about our policies and procedures and the decisions the board makes and the reasoning behind them,” said Hoffort.
The park board president said most of the input from the campers was positive and those who raised concerns were given explanations and background information as to why certain decisions were made.
One piece of good news coming from the meeting was the decision to once again feature the annual Beach Bash at Boundary Dam on Aug. 20. Seasonal campers at Boundary Dam also expressed an interest in becoming more involved in the day long activities, said Hoffort.
Another significant move noted at the meeting was the hiring of Barry Schulte as grounds superintendent for both locations while Aaron-Lee Soparlo will be entering her third year as office manager. Grounds crews, maintenance teams and a projects crew will be hired for the spring, summer and early fall seasons when camping and park activities are at their peak.
Hoffort said some maintenance and renovation work is to be carried out at and around the boat launch at the Boundary Dam site. The project crew will be tending to that in the very near future.
The former chuckwagon and chariot track and adjoining land in the Souris River park just south of the city, will again be used for group gatherings of trailers and recreational vehicles for those temporary campers who may arrive for specific golf or ball tournaments being staged in the regional park on weekends. The idea of being able to group certain campers with common interests was quite popular last year and the site can also be used for overflow camper traffic during the week. This particular site has water and electricity services but no dumping site. There are three different locations on the former race track and grounds that can be used for those purposes, Hoffort said.
The other major piece of news coming from the annual meeting was the fact that seasonal camping site charges will remain the same at $2,400 for the season and that will include two season passes to Woodlawn Regional Park(s) valued at $90 since the regular season passes for park users will also remain the same, at $45 each.
“There may be a minimal adjustment for overnight and weekend campers,” said Hoffort, outlining how the two parks can cater to both seasonal as well as temporary campers, and park users, since the two parks have over 300 camp sites available.
More information regarding the upcoming season at Woodlawn Regional Park will be included in the April 20 edition of the Mercury. Watch for it.
