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SUNDAY FOCUS: JACKSON COUNTY PARKS In the resort business County parks embark on moneymaking ventures to survive Comment By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Follow @@MTwriterFreeman MailTribune.com By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Follow @@MTwriterFreeman Posted Jan. 25, 2016 at 5:12 PM Updated Jan 25, 2016 at 6:38 PM By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Follow @@MTwriterFreeman Posted Jan. 25, 2016 at 5:12 PM Updated Jan 25, 2016 at 6:38 PM » Social News CENTRAL POINT — When Steve Gies surveys the construction specs for 92 recreational vehicle spaces planned on Jackson County parkland north of The Expo, he sees their future impacts beyond. Money from the RV park, once it's paid for itself, will help keep open upper Rogue River boat ramps and other county park properties that can't pay for themselves in a system that's no longer supported by property taxes. "We've needed to do it to survive," says Gies, chairman of Jackson County's Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee. "It's as simple as that. It's the nature of the business." After the county's 19 improved parks were pulled from the general fund in 2009, keeping them operational fell on the shoulders of their three biggest moneymakers: Emigrant Lake, Willow Lake and Howard Prairie. Officials are hoping for a fourth in the new RV park at the Expo Ponds off Peninger Road, set to open this summer. Since its last $126,000 was culled from general-fund rolls, the parks department has relied on fees it collects to fuel its $1.8 million annual budget. The county took back operation of Willow Lake and Howard Prairie Resort to join Emigrant's RV park and waterslides in shouldering nearly two-thirds of the department's annual operational revenues, records show. "That would be a higher percentage if not for the low-water years that we've had," says Steve Lambert, the county's parks manager. Now the county is stepping forward with that same moneymaking philosophy at its Expo holdings. "We've had to modify our business model," Lambert says. "Frankly, some of the parks would have been closed years ago if we hadn't. But by managing our expenses and seeking revenue-generating opportunities, we've been moving forward. "The numbers speak for themselves," he says. But those who speak for the mom-and-pop RV park industry worry that ventures like this could end up vying with the private sector instead of complementing it. Jeff Sims, the director of state relations and program advocacy for the National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds, says the group's members "generally oppose" public parks when built in direct competition with private enterprises. Sims worries that a county-owned facility like the Expo Ponds right off an Interstate 5 exit could draw business away from other privately owned parks. "There's a place for all types of facilities," Sims says. "But I don't think the government should be in the business of putting small businesses out of business." The parks department has seen its venture into the for-profit model develop over time at its "big three" money-generating facilities. There's no solid way to tease out exactly how much profit Emigrant, Willow and Howard Prairie each net because park employees and other overhead are assigned to more than one facility, Lambert says. "We really try to manage our parks system as a system, not individual parks," Lambert says. In the mid-1980s, the county began building the waterslides and RV park at Emigrant Lake, and now the park generates about #### annually in a combination of camping and RV fees, waterslide receipts and the $4 day-use charge not covered by the $30 annual county park pass, county financial data shows. While it was all-in on the waterslides, the county found itself in the resort business by accident. In 2010, the concessionaire for Willow Lake Resort pulled out, leaving the county to actively take it over instead of simply collecting concessionaire payments. Ditto at Howard Prairie Resort in 2013, where the county turned a profit in the ensuing two years despite drought conditions hurting visitor numbers and leaving its profitable marina use and boat rental operations literally high and dry. "When we were in the general fund, it didn't matter who operated our parks as long as the level of service was there," Lambert says. "Then it became a point where we had to take back these larger, fund-generating parks." In the new Expo venture, county parks officials are the ones pushing the envelope. An RV park long has been on The Expo's master plans and the land there was purchased in the 1970s with a federal Land and Water Conservation Fund grant. It has sat largely idle for decades, little more than a urban fishing opportunity at two ponds with little developed access. When completed this summer, the park north of the fairgrounds will feature 92 drive-through RV spaces with hookups and Internet access as well as paved parking for day-use, flush toilets, showers, improved fishing access and even an aerator to improve the fishing pond's water quality, according to plans. The county has invested $2 million of general-fund money and issued the parks department a $3 million loan, which the department plans to pay back over a 12-year span, says John Vial, the county's roads and parks manager and Lambert's boss. A private consultant hired by the county predicts the park to start at about 30 percent occupancy, leaning heavily on county park participants at first, then see its income grow initially about 5 percent every two years as park usage grows, Vial says. "By year five, we're easily in the black," Vial says. "If we can beat those numbers, we can make a profit even earlier. "We'll actually be banking money to spend in other locations or do more improvements there," he says. This approach has allowed the county to grow its fund balance by 31 percent at the June 30 end of the last fiscal year as compared to the same time in 2009, when it was eliminated from general-fund rolls, department financial records show. That money has helped leverage $1.46 million in grants that helped create $1.6 million in capital-improvement projects at county parks since then, and that's not including the $1.3 million construction grant to rebuild the aged marina at Howard Prairie Resort, Lambert says. "We have a 40-year-old park system here," Lambert says. "We have aging infrastructure that needs to be replaced." Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 541-776-4470 or [email protected] . Follow him at www.twitter.com/MTwriterFreeman . By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Follow @@MTwriterFreeman MailTribune.com By Mark Freeman Mail Tribune Follow @@MTwriterFreeman Posted Jan. 25, 2016 at 5:12 PM Updated Jan 25, 2016 at 6:38 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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