While County of Barrhead councillors made the move to allow for the opening of its municipally-owned campgrounds two weeks ago, Athabasca County has decided again it, while Westlock County opened the Long Lake Municipal Campground May 15.
As part of efforts to halt the spread of COVID-19, Alberta Health Services has recommended the closure of all municipal and private campgrounds for the 2020 season, but that decision has been left in the hands of municipalities which must follow strict protocols should they decide to open their campgrounds, including tracking guests and maintaining exceptional cleaning practices.
On May 12, Westlock County council decided to only open the Long Island Lake Municipal Campground for campers May 15 at 6 p.m., just in time for the long weekend, but with strict measures in place.
For now, day-use of the grounds is not allowed and all visitors must reserve their spots ahead of time. Spaces are only open for fully-contained campers (RVs or trailers) in single campsites.
According to the county website, reservations can only be made for the May 15 and May 22 weekends and only by contacting the Westlock County office directly.
All group activities are prohibited, and the beach is only accessible to registered campers if they abide by social distancing guidelines.
The washrooms are still closed and garbage facilities are limited, director of planning and community services Laurie Strutt told councillors at their May 12 meeting, and all visitors have to complete a health risk assessment before they get a permit to the campsite.
“Westlock County recognizes the need to get outside, however all public health guidelines must be followed; visit parks closest to your region and limit non-essential travel to mitigate risk to neighbouring communities,” reads the updated park-use policy.
In order to restrict travelers from the southern part of the province, and limit the potential further spread of COVID-19, the county is only allowing visitors who live in, or north of Edmonton, to make reservations.
There’s little indication of further lifting of restrictions for now, added Strutt.
Westlock County’s other municipally-owned campgrounds — Echo Lake, Rainbow Park, and the Spruce Island Quad Park — remain closed for the time being
Athabasca campgrounds closed
Athabasca County had been aiming for a June 1 opening, but after the May 12 council meeting, that will not be the case as an 8-1 vote will see them closed for the remainder of the year. Deputy reeve Travais Johnson was the lone councillor to vote in favour of the opening.
Private campgrounds within the county, but not operated by the county, are not affected by the decision and will open or remain closed depending on the owners’ wishes.
Coun. Dennis Willcott was the first to come out against the opening, citing liability issues.
“To me, this is bad for all of us. We have to stay in our houses, so why would we send people out to the campsite and have our own people out there working in danger?” he said.
“I cannot support opening up right now.”
Coun. Dwayne Rawson agreed.
“Until the rules change, I can’t see how we could put our workers in that jeopardy and take on the liability. The extra cost is going to be a huge hit on the budget, so until the rules change I just think we have to keep them closed,” said Rawson.
Deputy reeve Johnson said he could foresee enforcement being an issue.
“It’s a really tough decision when you start looking at the people. People are starting to protest the lockdown in the city and if we keep the campgrounds closed, I think they’re still going to get used,” he said. “People are getting frustrated with being cooped up and not being allowed to go recreate, so it’s going to cause some serious issues.”
Other council members were on the fence until the vote was called, and they weighed out the options thoroughly.
“It just comes down to the health risk versus the dollars, that’s the bottom line and I don’t know which way to go,” said reeve Larry Armfelt.
“I find the whole thing just seems to be unmanageable because of all the regulations,” said Coun. Doris Splane, pointing out the extra cost for staff and products to constantly sanitize.
Johnson pointed out there are also a number of “unofficial campgrounds” in the county, that may see a spike in use if the county makes theirs unavailable.
“We’re treating everybody like they are totally stupid and don’t understand anything. People understand the risks … We keep throwing all these lockdowns at them and treating them like a bunch of sheep and they’re starting to rebel and say they can manage themselves,” he said.
“I can’t see what the problem is with opening a couple campgrounds and letting people have their relaxation because if we keep locking them up, it’s going to blow up.”
Willcott stuck with his original opinion and put a motion to keep the campgrounds closed on the floor.
“Ya, it’s nice to go camping, but we just can’t do it right now,” he said.
Athabasca County campgrounds that are off limits this summer include Forfar Recreation Park, Hope Lake Campground, Jackfish Lake, Baptiste Lake, Long Lake, Narrow Lake, Island Lake, Ghost Lake and North Buck Lake Narrows.Meanwhile in the County of Barrhead, Peanut Lake, Holmes Crossing Recreation Area, Dolberg Lake Campground and Klondike Ferry Park are open, but social distancing and other guidelines are still in place.
• With files from Andreea Resmerita
