Mountain View County council has directed administration to look at selling the Westward Ho Campground in October 2013.And with the five-year operating contract set to expire Dec. 31, council also voted to turn the year-round facility into a seasonal campground ñ open from May 1 to Sept. 30 ñ and contract it out on that basis for the next two years.The decision to sell the 450-site campground came after a lengthy debate during Wednesday's council meeting over the merits of private versus public ownership of recreational facilities.ìWe're giving up what I think is a great amenity in the area,î said Div. 7 Coun. Al Kemmere, who along with Div. 3 Coun. Duncan Milne voted against selling the three titled parcels.The majority of council, however, felt differently, and Reeve Paddy Munro pointed to figures provided by administration that showed 95 per cent of seasonal and annual users about five years ago had mailing addresses outside the county.ìGovernment shouldn't be in private business,î Munro said. ìThis is a facility that caters to urban people Ö The private sector would do a better job of running it.îPrivately owned facilities at Coyote Creek and Tall Timber generate $200,000 and $150,000 a year respectively in property taxes, Munro said, and by unloading Westward Ho the county will not be responsible for the property but will ìjust make moneyî off of it.ìI just hope we move in the direction of getting the government out of business,î he said.ìMy thought is exactly that,î Div. 1 Coun. Kevin Good said. ìIf the private sector can supply a service, we shouldn't be in the business ñ campgrounds or whatever it is. It's just a general rule.îDiv. 4 Coun. Bruce Beattie said if a buyer puts up significant dollars for the property, which was valued by a local realtor at $1.2 million, he will continue to operate it as a campground. Improvements could mean it will generate more economic activity than it currently does, Beattie said.ìIt may change. People will still have their ballpark,î though fees may increase, he said. ìBut I don't see us losing it as a campground.îìYour comments are speculative,î Kemmere shot back. ìBecause once we sell it we have no idea what they will do Ö The only assurance that campground is there is if we own it.îAs for not competing with private business, Kemmere argued that the county sells gravel as a service to its residents. ìIt's another point where this county is in the business of doing business.îMunro said the two examples were different.ìI believe the gravel is a benefit to residents and farm residents of Mountain View County,î whereas country residents make up less than five per cent of those using the campground seasonally and annually, he said.After administration reported that the bulk of the land was zoned Parks and Recreation, Kemmere listed some of the permitted and discretionary uses. Discretionary uses ñ which include amusement and entertainment services, cultural facilities, equestrian centre and spectator sport establishments ñ ìare things MPC would decide, not council,î he said.The motion ñ directing the CAO to research relevant market information next year to facilitate the possible October 2013 sale of the campground ñ was carried 5-2 with Munro, Good, Beattie, Div. 2 Coun. Trish McKean and Div. 5 Coun. Bob Orr voting in favour.Milne, who voted against the motion with Kemmere, said he had mixed feelings about selling the facility.Kemmere said he could support the switch to a seasonal facility but suggested year-round users be allowed to store their RVs on the site over the winter at a monthly rate of about $50 a month. With no access allowed, he said, the county would not have to bear the cost of plowing roads.Administration confirmed Friday that RV storage in the off-season will be offered to current users as part of the two-year transitional period.Munro had originally spoken in favour of selling the property after one year, but Beattie proposed the two-year interim period and Munro agreed it would be better.ìThe reason I suggest two years is because the real estate market is not strong and two years gives a contractor time to decide whether he can make a go of it,î Beattie said. ìI think we have to give that assurance so we can get a good contract operator.îThe extra time, he added, would also give administration a better opportunity to determine the value of the lands, as some councillors questioned the $1.2-million quoted market price. McKean said she considered the price ìquite lowî since a 62-site campground in Sundre was listed at the same amount.The county operated the campground on a break-even basis until Dec. 31, 2007. Since then, ìthe information indicates we've pretty much broke even,î legislative, community and agricultural services director Jeff Holmes said Friday. Cleanup after ìsignificant natural eventsî ñ a severe hailstorm in 2009 and floods in 2007, 2008 and this year ñ increased the county's expenses during that time, he added.Staff could not get an up-to-date number of county residents who use the facility because ìthe current contract operator is refusing to provide us with a list of current seasonal and annual clients,î a report from administration said.ìDaily camping is not tracked to determine if the users are county ratepayers or not, however it is assumed that the majority of group camping associated with softball tournaments is local use,î the report said. ìThere continues to be two local softball teams that use the ball diamonds for their home games two nights per week from May through June. Out of the 8-10 softball tournaments hosted at Westward Ho annually, all but two are organized by local teams.îUnder the seasonal option adopted by council for the next two years, the county will retain control over campground fees and regulations and retain responsibility for capital improvements and cleanup after spring flooding or other natural disasters. The contractor will pay the county a percentage of the gate revenue.A second option put forward by administration would have seen the county lease out the property and then relinquish control to the operator for an annual fee.
