Local camping is coming back to Mount Baker Park, as The City of Cranbrook signs an agreement with a local operator.
The campground will be operated as a no-service campground, other than a wash building and sani-dump.
“We were excited to hear that the City was giving the RV campground another chance and we appreciate the opportunity to play a role in its revival”, said operator Gavin Thomas.
“The RV campground is a great amenity to the downtown area and a helpful resource to improve tourism. We are very much looking forward to this partnership with the City.”
Back in 2020, the previous campground owner closed their business and the site required extensive repairs.
The cost would be $80,000 to $1.3 million depending on the level of water, sewer, power and building restoration desired.
But the city lucked out when doing paving work in the area. City staff were reviewing existing underground services near the campground and found an existing unused water main stub that could be used in the short term.
A water service line is currently being installed from that mainline stub through the campground to the wash building and the sani-dump.
City staff said this will be a low-cost way to run the facility year-to-year until a future use is determined.
“On behalf of Council, I would like to thank Mr. Thomas for his proposal to open and operate the Mount Baker RV Campground,” says Mayor Wayne Price.
“We would also like to thank members of the community for advocating to re-open the campground for short-term stays. I am confident that the campground will meet the needs of visitors to the City and provide a positive benefit to local business.”
Campers will be limited to a stay of seven days with no back-to-back bookings and the city will receive 10 per cent of the campground’s revenue every year.
Sites will be open from May 1 to Thanksgiving.
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