PORT ANGELES — Clallam County officials have changed their minds about opening Camp David Jr. to a concessionaire in 2012, commissioners said Tuesday.
“There’s some reduced hours and a shorter season, but the department pulled the idea of the concessionaire,” Commissioner Mike Chapman told Dave LeRoux of Sequim, who voiced concerns over a prior recommendation to open the Lake Crescent youth camp to a subsidiary business.
County Administrator Jim Jones put the original recommendation in the proposed budget he presented Oct. 4. He was required by law to produce a balanced recommended budget.
Concessionaire
A concessionaire at Camp David Jr. would have accounted for $81,783 of the necessary $166,268 in cuts that the parks and facilities department is facing.
County Parks, Fair and Facilities Manager Joel Winborn told commissioners in a budget meeting Thursday that his preferred option is to reduce Camp David Jr. operations from 10 months to six months to save $47,599.
“As we got deeper into conversations with potential concessionaires, it was obvious that there’s a quite a lot of footwork for us to do before we implement a program like that,” Winborn said.
“We’ve got an interested party locally, and we’ve also been in contact with OPI [Olympic Park Institute] about their concession agreement in the national park. They, too, are interested,” Winborn said.
New proposal
Under Winborn’s new proposal, a park manager would operate the camp from May to September.
The park manager would spend two weeks prepping for the season in April and two weeks winterizing the rustic cabins in the fall.
A seasonal employee also would work at the camp from May to August.
The county now operates Camp David Jr. from February to November. It closes for maintenance in the middle of the winter.
“That’s our oldest park, and it’s got lots of history,” Winborn said.
But the county loses money on the iconic camp.
At present, the expenses outweigh the revenues $143,161 to $59,300.
Chrissy Amundson of Port Angeles, a longtime volunteer at the camp, said there are simple ways to cuts costs, such as making the cabins more energy efficient and upgrading the plumbing.
She proposed a Camp David Jr. committee to advise the county.
“I would just encourage you to please contact the people that are there, that have been there since we were small children, and ask us what’s going on there,” Amundson said.
Amundson noted that there is no composting system at Camp David Jr.
“Why is the county spending thousands of dollars a year on trash that’s 99 percent compostable?” she asked.
LeRoux suggested that the county double the fees for the groups that use the camp.
“It’s really too cheap,” he said.
Commissioners said they would consider reasonable fee increases.
Under the terms set forth by the prior landowner, Camp David Jr. must be kept primarily as a youth camp.
Jones on Thursday said he received and replied to about 50 emails from people concerned that the camp was closing.
“There was never any discussion, even in my recommendation, of closing the camp or stopping it from being a majority youth camp,” Jones said.
Each department at the county was asked to make sizable budget cuts to balance a $2.4 million shortfall in the county’s $30.4 million general fund.
Other cuts
In addition to the reduced operations at Camp David Jr., Winborn’s budget proposal cuts one custodial job, one park caretaker, two seasonal workers, closes one building and reduces supply costs.
Winborn, who is also in charge of the Clallam County Fair, budgeted for $375,265 in fair revenues and $375,172 in fair expenses in 2012.
“The fair pays for itself,” Jones said.
After the 2011 fair, Winborn reported that attendance, gate revenue, concessions and carnival proceeds were up from 2010.
Jones’ recommended budget called for 30 layoffs.
Commissioners reached a consensus last week to put all employees on a 37.5-hour work week in 2012 to save some of those jobs and to provide the core services that the county is required to provide.
Jones and the commissioners volunteered to take a 10 percent pay cut.
Commissioners will adopt a final budget in early December.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
