Recreational vehicles will begin pulling into Black Diamond’s campground as early as June 1 after getting the green light from Town council.
Councillors approved the opening of the Bob Lochhead Memorial Park campground during a special meeting on May 7, just days after the Foothills Lions Club – which operates the campground in a partnership with the Town – made a proposal to the Town’s Emergency Co-ordination Centre (ECC) requesting it opens the facility. The proposal included a list of restrictions and guidelines campers must follow.
“Everything meets the requirements issued by the chief medical officer of health,” Sharlene Brown, Black Diamond's chief administrative officer, told council of the club’s proposal. “At the end of the day, provincial campgrounds will open with limited services as of June 1 and that’s the recommendation of our director of emergency management and Emergency Co-ordination Centre - to coincide with the provincial guidelines.”
The Province announced on May 4 that Alberta Parks campgrounds will open June 1. Private and municipal campgrounds can open on their own accord if recommended by their municipality’s Emergency Co-ordination Centre and/or council, Brown told council.
Council’s go-ahead on May 7 follows the ECC’s decision on April 13 to not open the campground, following the Province’s lead in its decision at that time to not allow provincial campgrounds to open in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Restrictions and guidelines set by the Foothills Lions Club for next month’s opening include closing the public washrooms and showers, allowing only self-contained units with their own shower, toilet and sink, taping off the playground equipment to prevent use, posting notices advising people of the Alberta Health Services (AHS) COVID-19 protocols, and installing Plexiglass in the registration office as well as supplying sanitizer and PPE.
In addition, campground guests must stay a minimum of one month, self-isolate for 14 days if they recently arrived from the United States and follow AHS physical distancing guidelines with mass gatherings of no more than 10 people.
Deputy Mayor Daryl Lalonde expressed concern about opening the campground, particularly to guests arriving from the United States, telling council he’s worried some guests will breach the regulations.
“I am terrified for the weeks ahead, but I’m putting faith in our director of emergency management, campground management and community to put my fears at ease,” he said.
Coun. Jackie Stickel replied that the majority of campers coming from the United States will have already self-isolated, with most having arrived in Canada several weeks ago.
“I’m trusting the camp attendants will do their job if they get somebody from out of country,” she said. “I think it will be just fine.”
Coun. Brian Marconi suggested setting aside sites for self-isolation purposes in a specific area. This idea was added to the list of regulations and restrictions for this season’s campers.
Campground chairman James Lee said he’s pleased with council’s decision to open the campground.
“We’re certainly willing to participate in this process in whatever way we can to keep it safe for the citizens of Black Diamond and the outlying communities,” he said. “We’re going to be cautious. We’re willing to go the extra mile to make it work and show that we’re good community partners.”
Lee said the campground’s attendants received up to 60 inquiries from potential campers the past few weeks, and he expects the 51 available full service sites to fill up quickly.
“There will be some work crews that work on roads that come down and stay for the season, like we have every year, and some of our regular campers that have gone to other campsites that want back in here,” he said. “There’s a few locals that have sold properties that would be able to stay for a month or two months now.”
Lee said the campground will provide a much-needed economic boost to businesses. The Foothills Lions Club conducted a survey in 2012 to determine the economic impact the campground has on the community and learned that each camper spends an average of $23 in town each day, he said.
Bookings at the Bob Lochhead Memorial Campground can be made by calling 403-933-5785.
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